tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157720732024-03-07T18:34:57.465-06:00Now We Are SixLynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.comBlogger1394125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-43053300658322417442013-01-15T10:03:00.001-06:002013-01-15T10:03:53.915-06:00Moving OnI've been thinking that it is time to move on. From this blog, yes. Our adoption journey and the years in China are complete. Time for other things in my life, although I'm not sure yet what they will be. <br />
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I've been a little sick this past week, which has found me spending large amounts of time doing nothing, which is hard for this girl. I like to accomplish, complete, check of the list. But it's given me time to think, and I've found myself thinking about the days when all my kids were younger and I was schooling them at home. I know those days were not easy... why is it that now that they are gone they seem magical in my memory? Perhaps it is God's mercy, for me to only remember the coziness of having everyone together to read and craft and such. <br />
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I'm waiting for something new to capture my heart and my time. I have it to give. What is it? I've been waiting for months now, it seems.<br />
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I feel like in some ways I have been slacking in my parenting. Perhaps it's the longing for those by-gone days that has me immobilized. I don't know. I want to be "on" and ready for what my kids need, but these days I don't always know what that is. Those earlier days were easy not in the full on attention that was required, but in the way I could just gather them around me for a story when things weren't going well. Situations I face now require a bit more brain power.<br />
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Lord, please show me Your ways and Your plan. Energize me for the stages of parenting I am in now. Thank you for the sweet memories of the past... help them not to immobilize me but rather give me joy as I ponder how to walk out these present days with their unique challenges. Help me not to grow weary in well doing, knowing that in due time I will reap a harvest if I do not lose heart. I look forward to Your plans for me. <br />
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Thank you, readers, for joining me, whether you just stopped in or have been with me since 2005, when we were waiting to be Six. It's been a joy to share a slice of our life with you. :-)<br />
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Love, LynneLynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-16302764656253281732012-11-25T13:15:00.003-06:002012-11-25T13:15:56.612-06:00Now and ThenLast Wednesday Caleb and Scott and I re-enacted an old photo..<br />
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Dial back 18 years to Thanksgiving 1994. We were visiting our dear friends Bill and Rebecca in Durham, NC for the first time. They moved there from Pittsburgh for Bill to attend Duke University just days before Caleb's birth, and we couldn't wait to see them in their new home. One of our activities that weekend was to explore the beautiful gardens on the Duke campus. They snapped this picture of the three of us, and we used it as our Christmas card photo that year. <br />
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Well, my sister and her family moved to their new home in Durham, NC this past year. We were excited to go to their house for Thanksgiving this year to see them in their new environment. One of our weekend activities was to stroll through Duke Gardens (and have a lively photo scavenger hunt there, too). We found what may have been the same tree where we posed for a photo with Baby Caleb 18 years ago... had to try it again. <br />
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Obviously Caleb has grown... but I think Scott and I look about the same, don't you? Please, say yes. <br />
<br />Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-62218933703728980032012-11-12T15:03:00.001-06:002012-11-12T15:03:49.447-06:00Veteran's Day Flags<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We happened upon this beautiful and moving display of American flags over the weekend. After an emotional election week, this sight was encouraging, knowing that it was placed there to honor the countless numbers of people who have served our country. <br />
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Thank you, veterans.Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-43425579609694691022012-11-03T15:51:00.000-05:002012-11-03T15:51:50.917-05:00Before and After Fun in the Kitchen<div style="text-align: center;">
We've done a few things to our house since we've moved back into it after a five year hiatus. One of my favorite changes has been in the kitchen. I have a couple of before and after photos of the same spot... here is the before, with a built in desk and cupboard above. I used the cupboard for all of our homeschooling materials during the years before we left for China, and it was really handy to have it all stashed there, in the kitchen where we worked but out of sight when we finished. The desk itself was another story. It seemed to be the place where things got stacked up, even with my good intentions to keep the surface cleared, the piles kept appearing. Anyone else have that problem? :-)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here is the after. Love, love this change. No more desk to clutter with piles of mail. Those things have moved to my desk in the office, but at least that is out of the way. Ha! The open shelves are functional and fun, too. I keep things we use and love here! It's been fun to change things around frequently, and I love the look. The cupboards that used to be up above have been moved to the bottom, where they are still usable. The desk surface was cut down to form the bottom shelf. </span></td></tr>
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Another view before...</div>
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... and after. Obviously we changed the color of the walls, floor and cabinets too. It feels fresh and updated. Love my kitchen! I'm thinking about hanging something above the cupboards on the bulkhead, but I'm not quite ready to do it yet. </div>
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More pictures of the kitchen update to come. </div>
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Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-53650413270557034582012-10-21T22:56:00.000-05:002012-10-22T14:25:30.545-05:00GardeningI spent a wonderful hour at the garden center near my house that I love so much this afternoon. I have told the girls that if Scott ever needs a gift idea for me, just send him to The Growing Place and tell him to pick out anything there for me... plants of any sort, garden accessories, seeds, bulbs, components for creating a fairy house, statuary, trellises... really any of it. I love all things gardening, especially the way they are displayed at this place, with its lovely idea gardens, all artfully planted and tended. <br />
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Today was so pretty, sunny and blue skies, fall colors blazing. The girls came with me, and I reminded them on the short drive to The Growing Place to soak up the vibrant colors of the leaves and sky so they can be warmed by their memory during the bleak days of winter (this idea is from the mouse, Fredrick, in the storybook by the same name). We all agreed to do just that. :-) <br />
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I went right to the perennial tables at The Growing Place. There aren't many left at this time of year, only a small fraction of what is usually offered. But I came today knowing that because of how late in the planting season it is, the perennials are being offered for 50-75% off their regular price, and since I have added a new perennial bed this fall, I have space to fill. I knew the plants wouldn't look great by now, but I was a little surprised at how bedraggled they appeared. Many had drying and withering leaves underneath and they all seemed like they had definitely seen better days. I poked through them, reading labels and turning pots around and around, looking for the ones that appeared to be worth buying. <br />
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I had picked out a couple of plants when a sweet older woman, her white hair pulled into a bun at the nape of her neck and topped with a ball cap, approached me. I know this woman to be a long time employee of The Growing Place, and quite wise in the ways of plants. She looked at some of my plants and answered some questions I had about particular varieties. Then she said something that has seemed more and more profound to me as I've thought about it the rest of today.<br />
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"Remember, you are buying the roots." <br />
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In the climate where I live, perennials die away every year. At least the part we can see does. But when the weather slowly warms again in the spring and the sun shines longer each day, they slowly re-emerge, sending up new plants that grow and blossom. <br />
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I bought a lot of plants today. How could I not, at 50-70% off? Most of them don't look too good. But as I took them out of the small black plastic pots that have held them captive all season and planted them into good soil late this afternoon, I thought about their great roots. I thought about planting things that look half dead. I loved having my hands in the dirt. I loved the digging of holes and filling them with good roots. It was kind of like planting bulbs, tulips and daffodils, knowing that there will be a long, cold wait until the beauty appears. <br />
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Gardening is like that. Dirty. Waiting. And then beautiful. I like it. What a great idea God had.<br />
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P.S. A few have asked me what I planted... most are unfamiliar to me as of now, so I really look forward to seeing what they do next year! Here are the names: Crambe cordifolia (also called Colewort- this looks SO interesting, it supposedly grows 4-6 feet high and has huge leaves and clouds of tiny white flowers), Phlomis fruticosa (also called Jerusalem Sage), Campanula, several red Coreopsis, Sweet William, Veronica "Blue Bomb" (also called Speedwell), Silene caroliniana (also called Wild Pinks), some perennial snapdragons (really different looking foliage than annual snapdragons), Lychnis chalcedonic (also called Maltese Cross or Jerusalem Cross, has bright scarlet flowers), and last but not least, Armeria juniperfolia (also called Alpine Thrift). <br />
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<br />Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-58884066481604621662012-10-14T22:36:00.000-05:002012-10-14T22:36:32.531-05:00Fall and Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yep, I'm taking the easy way out and making one post out of the last few months. Some eye candy pics of autumn in the Midwest, lots of pictures of cute kids (cousin visits are the best!), with a few dog pictures thrown in for fun. Enjoy!<br />
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Last garden harvest... love the colors.<br />
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Miss Adelaide, playing on the same elephant slide at our church nursery this morning that Gwen used to love. :-)<br />
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We spied these pumpkin stacks at a fall festival... so clever. I'd like them all for my yard!</div>
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Out for brunch with Pa and Nannie, Aunt Sarah and Adelaide.<br />
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Smiles with sucker sticks... where is yours, Aunt Sarah?<br />
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Look who's in charge. :-)<br />
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We had so much fun with all these girls in the house! Cousin visits, so fun!<br />
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Yep, this was at the very beginning of fall- marshmallows on Grandpa and Grandma's patio.<br />
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Meeting new cousin Zion for the first time.<br />
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Gwen and Caleb roasted marshmallows over the stove a few weeks ago- not quite the same as a campfire, but it's still sugar.<br />
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Trigger loves a good ramble almost as much as I do!<br />
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Trig gets so much attention when there are girls around! Thanks for the cuddle, Maggi.<br />
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Classic Madelyn look, she's always got to shake up the group picture scene! Cal's friend Parker has been here with him for the weekend a couple times, love having my kids' friends around.<br />
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Another Zion meeting...<br />
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Ahhh... missed the maples so much while we were in Shanghai. So beautiful!<br />
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Cute girlies!<br />
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Loving the leaves... and I love having my kids enjoying them with me!<br />
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A little fall overview... can I consider myself caught up on blogging, sis? :-) Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-88744580981570932892012-10-11T13:42:00.002-05:002012-10-11T18:30:35.173-05:00A Month Without Blogging and a Half Bath<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My sister texted me this morning and asked if I had any blog posts in me. "You really need another post." True, I know it is true. I have left this blog languishing for nearly a month. Not sure why... we've had wonderful visits with extended family, the autumn colors that we missed so much in Shanghai have been glorious, a new nephew has been born, Caleb has brought friends home for the weekend, and slowly but surely we are finishing up the renovations in our house. So it's not as if there haven't been events to note and photograph and post about. Maybe I've just been lazy... but maybe so many things have changed for us that now that I am figuring out what my life looks like in this new phase, it hasn't seemed like there has been a place in it for blogging. Not sure. But for now, I give you this little remodel~</div>
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In this post I have a "before" and several "afters" from the little powder room update we've just completed. The sink came from the Hong Qiao flower market... Shanghai friends, you probably know even know the booth where I bought it. I'd hoped we could incorporate it into this little half bath, and I'm so pleased with the results! The wall paint color is more blue than it looks in these pictures. The vanity is the same old oak one as in the "before" photo, but painted soft black, and the counter is a granite remnant. I found the mirror at a thrift store for cheap and spray painted it as well. You'll notice a few other Shanghai treasures... fun memories made with friends when these things were purchased during our last year there. The two framed photos on the shelves were taken by a friend within the month after Gwen came home, in early 2005. </div>
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So that's the powder room renovation. We've worked our way through the house renovating... and we're slowly remaking our lives here in Chicago too. :-)Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-85066967271963354212012-09-13T22:03:00.000-05:002012-09-13T22:03:17.150-05:00Mostly ComplimentaryAs she watched me peel an orange this evening, Gwen commented that she though I was talented. I asked her what she thought my talents are, ready for anything. Want to guess what she said?<br />
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<i>Changing diapers</i> was her first and quick response... odd, since we have had no one in our house wearing diapers since she was a toddler, aside from the occasional Baobei baby, and I may have changed only half a dozen in her sight in the last year. I do have experience in this area, but I'm not thinking I would claim it if I were listing my talents. Next on the list was <i>peeling oranges with a knife</i>, point well taken as that is something she cannot do yet herself. Third- <i>washing dishes</i>. Glad she approves of my skills in this area. My fourth talent she noted as <i>singing</i>. That made me smile. I have sung many little ditties around the house in these child rearing years, a habit my mother passed firmly down to me. Any little thing can be a song, right? This week Gwen and I have been singing the names of the 13 original American colonies, to the tune of "Yankee Doodle". Guess that counts as talented singing. <br />
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My last talent on Gwen's short list was "<i>pretty-ness</i>." I'll take that one. :-)Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-5131967668734558562012-09-11T09:52:00.000-05:002012-09-11T09:52:42.365-05:00A New Normal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We stopped at Valpo for a quick visit with Caleb on our trip to Cleveland for Labor Day. I love this photo of our kids together in his dorm room, the girls both looking at Caleb, Trigger in his lap, listening intently to him while Seth bumps a basketball, volleyball style. A little slice of our new normal.<br />
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At first I missed Caleb so much. Every little thing reminded me of him. The juice bottle in the refrigerator never seemed to get empty without him home to drink it and the cereal wasn't being eaten at 10:30 at night anymore. We felt his absence in so many ways. Our house, with five of us in it, seemed like it had so many fewer people in it than when we were Six. I decided that three kids was far less than four had been. <br />
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But now we are in a rhythm without him. I hate to even write that, but it seems to be true. Perhaps it helps that these schools this year and the routines we are in are all new to us, we haven't had Caleb with us in this season before and so we can carry on as if missing this person were no big deal. <br />
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I have more thoughts about sending this boy off on his own... but they will come later. :-)Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-60725406804385730932012-08-30T07:22:00.001-05:002012-08-30T07:22:24.671-05:00Shanghai Friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are so thankful for the Shanghai friends who came to see us this summer. It made our transition back to the US so much easier, knowing that these dear people can be a part of our life here too.<br />
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We love you all!Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-71761399312281637182012-08-23T22:10:00.000-05:002012-08-23T22:10:35.418-05:00Last days of summer, First day of school<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's a photo tribute to our last few days of summer...<br />
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The girls and I had a few more days this week after Seth started school before theirs began. We enjoyed a little creek walking, our favorite frozen yogurt place at the river walk in Naperville, and the gardens of Cantigny. The beautiful blue skies were glorious!<br />
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Handstands can happen anywhere...<br />
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Places to climb both tanks and trees at Cantigny<br />
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And now today, the girls' first day of school. They were both up and ready early, so we had time to ham it up for photos before we left. <br />
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3rd grade and 7th grade this year!<br />
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They both had a great day... full of things to tell about teachers and friends and lunch and classes. Low and behold, they both declared math to be one of their favorite classes... hasn't been true in the past for either of them, so something must have gone well! So glad. :-)Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-25034343590250528422012-08-21T09:56:00.001-05:002012-08-21T09:56:03.737-05:00Seth First Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here's Seth right before we hopped in the car at 7 AM this morning to head to his first day at Aurora Christian. Last night at dinner he noted that Concordia would be starting their first day in about 20 minutes, 13 hours ahead of us in Shanghai. His heart is there, as you can see by his Concordia bag in this picture.<br />
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We had a great ride this morning, though, cranking the worship songs and chatting. The faculty was in the parking lot to greet the students as we pulled in, but I still couldn't stop my tears as he got out of the car and walked in alone, to the beginning of his new high school experience. I feel like our years in China have helped my kids be so courageous in many ways... he will be fine, and I know God has great things for him in this new place. Still hard for this mama's heart to see him start out into this new thing alone. Can't wait to pick him up at 2:50 and hear how it went.<br />
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Today is also Caleb's first day of classes at Valpo. No first day picture this year! He did text me a pic of his dorm room last night, a little more put together than we left him in it on Saturday. :-)Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-6860879223935928712012-08-18T00:18:00.001-05:002012-08-18T00:18:48.279-05:00Last night at home before collegeHis stuff is piled up in the kitchen. Our biggest suitcase is filled with all his clothes. There's a backpack with laptop, pens and pencils, blank spiral notebooks. A rolled up piece of carpet. A duffel bag full of sports equipment. A big box full of miscellaneous items- a framed photo of friends from Concordia, granola bars, a plug strip, PS-3 games, cold medicine. <br />
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Tomorrow morning at 8 AM we leave for Valparaiso. We're all going on this journey... seems symbolic somehow, to have all of us together for his leap into life on his own. We will go six and return five. <br />
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We had a great evening tonight. He chose a Japanese steak house where they cook at your table for dinner. So fun! We all laughed as the chef bounced an egg on his spatula and flipped bits of chicken into the guys' mouths. When we got home there was just enough daylight left for a little baseball in the school field behind our cul-de-sac, an activity we've enjoyed often this summer. We had a fire on the patio once it grew dark, with Seth at the guitar and marshmallows and laughs around. We came inside to watch some old family video... 2002, I think it was. Wow, the kids were cute and funny then! <br />
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And then it was time to gather the last few things. Scott rolled up the piece of carpet. Caleb carried things from his room to the kitchen. I found a picture of Scott, Caleb and I taken last spring and tucked it in his backpack. We prayed. <br />
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Now we will sleep. Tomorrow is a new adventure... for him, for all of us. Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-12743185749392538062012-08-15T15:12:00.001-05:002012-08-15T15:12:29.490-05:00Haircut!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today was the first time Gwen had her hair cut by someone other than me. Madelyn talked her into it yesterday and she was chomping at the bit to have it done today. We all think the results are so cute!<br />
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She looks a lot older, don't you think? :-) <br />
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<br />Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-25379181129769066222012-08-13T23:33:00.002-05:002012-08-13T23:33:29.381-05:00Beach, Pizza, Mud and Time Together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We had a little get-away this weekend, partly for Caleb's 18th birthday and partly because our kitchen cabinets were being painted and we wanted to have everyone out of the way so the job could be completed. After an early morning trip to the Dept. of Motor Vehicles for C to get his driver's license (yes, kids who live years in China do get to drive eventually!), we made our way around the bend to Michigan, to Silver Beach in St. Joseph. The water was c-o-l-d, but the sun and sand were warm and we had a great afternoon playing on the beach. <br />
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We had dinner at a pizza place right by the beach with our dear Shanghai friend, Sheila, who lives in St. Joe when she's not in China. :-) She graciously invited all seven of us (another Shanghai friend, Matt, from our first year there, was with us this weekend) to spend the night in her home... what a treat to get a little visit with her!<br />
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Love this shot of our birthday boy, now an official adult! He's liking his dinner. :-)<br />
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Fun in the cute downtown area of St. Joseph after dinner.<br />
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Sunday, after church and brunch with Sheila and her daughter Alexa, we went to the Warren Dunes State Park. The dunes are SO high... hard to get perspective in a photo, but you can see how teeny tiny the people at the top are! Madelyn and Gwen are standing at the bottom, contemplating the climb ahead of them. <br />
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Starting the ascent strong... soon everyone slowed to a crawl!<br />
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Finally made it!<br />
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The run back down is so exhilarating... almost makes you want to climb up again so you can run down again!<br />
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After the climb, we walked down the beach to a creek where we knew we would find the special, sticky mud just right for coating your body... if you wish. </div>
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Everyone started with just a little at first...<br />
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When we finally reached the place where the mud was plentiful, everyone got busy.<br />
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Matt giving himself a mud scrub... don't people pay big money for this in the spa?<br />
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Caleb in a turtleneck.<br />
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Jungle girl!<br />
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The crew is nicely coated. I managed to stay mostly mud free... I had the camera!<br />
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After our walk out of the woods and over a few dunes, the guys were pretty dried out! Their mud coating was tight and cracking and they were ready for a good wash in the cold Lake Michigan waters. <br />
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So fun! We did this trip years ago with the Sauer family, before Gwen. It was cool to be back again. Fun to have this family weekend with Caleb- Saturday is move-in day at Valpo, so this was the last family weekend of the summer. We ended our little trip with a visit to Shedd Aquarium in Chicago today. I loved having the kids all together for these three days. It will be a while before we have this kind of time together again. Sigh... grateful. :-)Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-26801093088476006532012-08-06T21:43:00.001-05:002012-08-06T21:43:16.986-05:00One of the Big Ones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Caleb's birthday is this coming Saturday. 18. Deep breath. :-) <br />
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This weekend our house was filled with Shanghai friends. They started arriving a week ahead of time, Caleb's friends gathering for a big concert in Chicago that they had all made plans months ago to attend together . Other friends came too, coincidentally. We ended up with a houseful and it was so fun to have them all again. Scott and I marveled at the crowd of Shanghai kids that were around our breakfast table Saturday morning. How could it be? We had served breakfast after sleep overs to this same group many weekend mornings in China... but this wasn't China... and here they all were! <br />
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Saturday night we had dinner at our house for everyone and I had decided we should do an early birthday cake since we had this group gathered. Scott had picked out number candles and as I put the "18" on the cake it shocked me a little. As we sang the birthday song, I realized that this birthday was not unlike this guy's birthday five years ago, when we were newly arrived in Shanghai. He was turning 13 and I had no prospects for a party with friends until God put together far more than I could ask or imagine. The Allen family, who were also new to Shanghai and whom we had met less than a week before the big day, gathered our family and another new family into their home for dinner, cake, gifts... the works. Now the Allens and lots of other friends from China were in our Chicago kitchen celebrating another big birthday for Caleb. A m a z i n g. <br />
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A milestone birthday for Caleb... this Saturday is the Big Day. I love that he can look back and see how God provided for him and for all of us on his 13th birthday when we were new in a big foreign city five years ago. I love that we had so many of our dear Shanghai friends with us on Saturday night for 18th birthday cake. <br />
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I love Caleb. Happy Birthday!Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-91317223826708211532012-07-19T09:15:00.002-05:002012-07-19T09:16:42.003-05:00Dreaming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We took a little road trip a few Saturdays ago to Iowa... or was it heaven?! If you've seen the movie Field of Dreams, you'll recognize this site. It looks just like it did in the 1989 film. You can play baseball on the field and walk in and out of the corn, and that's what we did for a couple of hours. So cool, especially for the baseball lovers in our family. :-)<br />
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<br />Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-74659550699448148052012-07-08T23:10:00.000-05:002012-07-09T18:41:57.202-05:00Back Where We StartedThe Calvary Church picnic... we attended one five years ago, literally a couple of days before we moved to Shanghai. Last week we were there again, playing, eating, enjoying fireworks and a wonderful outdoor worship concert, just like five years ago. Almost seemed like no time had passed at all. It's been funny, several people I've talked with here since we've returned have said that nothing has really changed since we've been away, and in some ways it feels that way to us, too. Our old life was waiting here for us. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gwen sports her glow sticks as hair jewelry at this year's church picnic.</td></tr>
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The trick is that we have changed, and in some ways I'm not sure yet where I fit. When we left Chicago in July 2007, I had just finished another year in a long stretch of years of homeschooling. Haven't done that for a few years now... so what will I do here in the fall? In Shanghai I knew where I fit, I knew how to use my time well. I know God has good prepared for me to do here... waiting to see what it will be. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Gwenny dancing at her first church picnic in 2006.</td></tr>
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We saw things and did things in Asia that changed us, we met people that we loved and have now in many ways lost. I miss those people, that community, the places we saw and the things we experienced. <br />
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I love being back in our cozy Midwestern house, freshening it up with new paint colors, arranging our life here once more. Our sea shipment, with all the stuff of our China life, will be here on my Chicago doorstep on Wednesday morning. Where will that Chinese style table go? How about the Great Wall bowl and the Chinese calligraphy brushes? Will they look silly in this very American house? It will be an adventure to see if we can create some fusion decor. :-) <br />
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I've gotten my fingers into the dirt in my little side garden, the one along the garage that I put in on a whim in the late fall seven or eight years ago. A few of the perennials I planted then were still waiting for me, all gangley and wild from lack of pruning. I've planted some new ones and added a few tomato plants and annuals... old and new, fusion happening again. <br />
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There are familiar faces here, old friends that were waiting for us. The girls and I stopped at one family's house tonight at the end of our bike ride- hadn't seen or even exchanged Christmas cards with this family for five years- yet they welcomed us into their home immediately for an hour of warm conversation. Balm to my soul! We have prayed for new friends, people we don't yet know that we can share this life with. God surprised us over and over in Shanghai with wonderful relationships... I know He can do that here, too.<br />
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So we are back where we started... in some ways. But not really. We are ready to move on into whatever God has for us in this old/new life. <br />
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I'll let you know when I find out what it is. <br />
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PS. Don't you love the creative header Carol created for me? She is amazing! :-) <br />
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</div>Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-12974375367267823292012-06-21T23:04:00.000-05:002012-06-21T23:05:37.938-05:00We're Here<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caleb helps Gwen position her glove for a good catch. </td></tr>
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We really are here. We are living in our Chicago house again, as of Monday night. The house isn't put together, not by a long shot. We are still waiting for our air shipment to arrive, which means dishes and pots and pans, clothes beyond what we packed into our suitcases three weeks ago, pillows and other bedding. The air shipment also has some books and games, stuffed animals, bikes. We hope that shipment will clear customs in the US more quickly than it did on the China side and be to us by early next week. For now we are sort of camping in our house, but with our beds, which came out of storage after a five year nap. Beyond that we are waiting for our sea shipment, which includes all the furniture we took to China, like our couches and chairs, dressers and cabinets. Hopefully those items will make it to us by mid-July.<br />
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Despite the missing items in our house, it feels like home to be back in the Midwest. Lots of the same neighbors still live on our circle. They've been so welcoming. Our church feels like home. The vibrant children's and youth programs there have been awesome for our kids, and I've breathed many prayers of thanks and relief to the Lord for the way they have all been included and drawn in. Walking back into the big field at the elementary school behind our cul-de-sac to play baseball with the kids in the evenings, Trigger running after the stray balls, feels like home. <br />
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Scott's back to work this week, riding the train into the city. The boys started driver's ed and got their permits. The girls have played with friends, and I've tried to make progress with the house. Tomorrow, our 21st anniversary, we venture to Valparaiso for an orientation overnight with Caleb, while Scott's parents stay here with our other kids. Life rolls on.<br />
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<i>"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9</i><br />
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P.S. My sweet friend Carol is working on a new header for my blog. Wait and see what she can do! <i> </i><br />
<br />Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-42872783084174426142012-06-12T22:49:00.002-05:002012-06-12T22:49:45.260-05:00Transitions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yep, it's a Shanghai photo. We may be in the US now, knee deep in all the tasks that come with returning after five years away, but China is still in us. It will be, I reckon, for a long time. Probably forever. I can't know that now, less than a week removed from it, but somehow I can't imagine it not being a part of me always. <br />
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It's so good to be here. The sky is blue, blue, blue. Coming from the perpetual smog that is the Shanghai sky, I love this blue. I love driving my own car! I love reconnecting with our sweet neighbors who have welcomed us as if we never left. I love the ease of asking for help in a store- surprise, the clerks speak my language! I love fast internet. I love having virtually everything I could ever need so readily available.<br />
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We are in transition right now. We are in transition because we are sleeping in a hotel at night, but by day are working in our yard and doing laundry in our house as it is being painted and carpeted. We are living out of suitcases as we wait for our shipments to arrive. We are getting US phones set up. Today I set up the rental of a 96 gallon trash can for use at our home (don't ask!). We are slowly recovering from jet lag. We are eating our meals out, as all our kitchen stuff is somewhere en route to us. <br />
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Someone asked me yesterday how we are adjusting. Really? We had been in the US less than 48 hours. How can I know this? I don't know if we will know this for sure in a month, or even six months. I do know that God has been so faithful to bring people to us, to show us that He sees us and is walking with us. I know that Gwen played at a friend's house today, and that Madelyn had her arm around a friend when I picked her up from the all day junior high program at church this week, the one I signed her up for online months ago. I know that a neighbor hung a Welcome Home sign across our house. I thought we didn't have any connections here anymore, but God knew differently. He saved them for us.<br />
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So yes, China is in my heart. I know I will continue to grieve the loss of our life there as time goes by. So good to be in Chicago though, good to be in our house, even if it's only during the day for now. Good to be in practically the same time zone as our families. Good to see the sky. It's all good.Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-10942069914060749352012-06-08T19:34:00.000-05:002012-06-08T19:34:00.980-05:00New Grace<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seth and friends on the last day of school. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Madelyn and friends on the last day of school! Madelyn is wearing the good-bye shirt Concordia gives to all students leaving the school. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loved this scene... teachers wave good-bye to the buses as they leave on the last day of school. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gwenny on Mingyue Lu, the street both our housing compound and Concordia are on. Walked this way 1000 times!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lights out, Shanghai... we've loved you!</td></tr>
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In college, Scott sang with a group called New Grace. On weekends throughout the school year, they traveled in a several state area to perform in churches. They ended every concert with the same song... and on this last day in Shanghai, the day we move back to the US, it is running through my head.</div>
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<i>The time has come, O Lord, for us to leave this place.</i></div>
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<i>Guide us and protect us, and lead us in new grace.</i></div>
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<i>Wherever life may take us, as we go our separate ways,</i></div>
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<i>Help us share with others the things we've shared today.</i></div>
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<i>May the peace of God the Father, and the love of Christ His son,</i></div>
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<i>Guard us in the days ahead, and strengthen us each one.</i></div>
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<i>May the blessings of the Spirit fill us from within.</i></div>
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<i>God bless us and return us to this fellowship once again.</i></div>
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Last day... need to pack up, need to say good-bye to this city and the amazing community we have found here. Strengthen us, Lord, with grace for the next adventure! <i> </i></div>
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Hello Chicago....</div>Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-28649192782917588382012-06-06T10:15:00.001-05:002012-06-06T10:15:49.935-05:00Last Day at HomeTonight we said good-bye to our friend. The place we called the bank when we first moved into it because of its appearance... three stories high and completely square. We have occupied the first floor apartment in this granite cube for the last four years. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls loved climbing all over the truck last week as it was being loaded.</td></tr>
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Today was hard. It seemed we would never make it out of the house alive. Our shipments have been packed and gone for a week, but somehow there seemed to be lots of stuff still in the house. I made many trips upstairs to leave random items outside my neighbor's door, and our ayi took many things home as well. When it was finally finished, Seth and Gwen and I sat on the bare living room floor playing silly games, like balancing various items on our noses, waiting for Scott to return for us after his first trip to the hotel, car loaded with our boxes and bags. It will take us no small amount of organizing to get this last bit of stuff ready to go with us on our Saturday flight.<br />
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I had to shed a few tears as we stood by the car, outside the house in the dark. The house itself isn't really a place I loved for itself, what with the marble floors inside and the imposing appearance outside. I loved all the kids that came through that place, though. All the meals prepared for hungry high schoolers, the sleep-overs, the movie nights. Loved the time spent in the granite cube with our small group friends. Loved all the playtime for my girls with the other kids of our Chinese Beverly Hills neighborhood, all the conversations with other moms in the twilight at the little playground. Hard to walk away from those memories.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caleb and Zach in his room last week after the packers finished. </td></tr>
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Tonight we're in a hotel. One more day of school tomorrow. More good-byes to say, and for me I'm sure a few more tears to shed at the all-school closing chapel. I'm thinking about whether I'll walk "home" from school with Gwen one last time, to stand outside our China house.Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-31141144641882242142012-06-05T01:15:00.004-05:002012-06-06T09:45:02.685-05:00Winding Down<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfw6R7XKGi79_QhJeezSjUGt8Xl75YUOzK-KIxRRlXd4VWu0l5rkYMrEAu__J8P50Av-9B_1zuKBO7WqSXm3i4HthtA54BtFY-mVrojgN9uuk9L7mlrC-z1ywSfkAplRqquMU/s1600/IMG_5605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfw6R7XKGi79_QhJeezSjUGt8Xl75YUOzK-KIxRRlXd4VWu0l5rkYMrEAu__J8P50Av-9B_1zuKBO7WqSXm3i4HthtA54BtFY-mVrojgN9uuk9L7mlrC-z1ywSfkAplRqquMU/s400/IMG_5605.JPG" width="400" /></a>Good-byes are hard. Seems like we've been saying a lot of them. We said good-bye to Caleb at the airport last week. We've said good-bye at church and small group and at dinners and coffees and parties and last walks and bike rides. <br />
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Our house has been empty, save our beds and a few other random pieces of furniture, since last Wednesday. I feel like we are in an extended state of flux. I told Seth last night that I'm sorry our life is so weird right now... I need to embrace it because we'll be in transition in some form for a while yet. In many ways I want to leave Shanghai now, this morning, to move on, to move towards some order in our lives again. But this is a sweet time in its own way...<br />
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I'm sorting through the last items in my pantry, leaving things outside my upstairs neighbor's door multiple times a day. Scott is working steadily at closing bank accounts, phone contracts, and utility bills. I need to pick up all our records at the doctor, fill out the withdrawal paperwork at school, and host Gwen's good-bye party this afternoon. Seth gave his portfolio presentation at school this morning, reflecting on his goals for the year in several areas and how he has met them. I loved hearing him. He's a confident speaker. Never mind that all his dress clothes had been packed by the movers last week so he had to borrow dress pants from a friend this morning... it worked. :-) <br />
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I'm getting things settled for our pets, finding places for them to stay until they leave, a few days after us. Arranging accomodations and rides for animals seems to add to the crazy... but I am thankful they will be able to join us back to the US.<br />
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So many people we love... <br />
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Trying to process all of this, thoughts and emotions are swirling... its not my first time to move, and I know moving is a common experience for so many of us. I want to help my family process this all well. I want to process it well myself and some moments of these last days I'm doing better than others. Knowing that God is behind us and before us, and that His hand rests on our heads helps so very much. </div>
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Wish I could tie these thoughts up neatly, but instead I just get them out. It will take a while to mentally and emotionally sort all we have experienced and are now experiencing as we leave. I love the Dr. Suess quote I've seen several places recently, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." I am very glad that China has happened to us. :-)<br />
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<br />Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-33409717685402553762012-05-30T01:06:00.001-05:002012-05-30T01:08:27.328-05:00Peace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My dear friend's texted prayer this morning, in response to my text to her telling of lost items in the midst of days of packers in our house, my sleepless nights and anxious heart as details of the coming weeks spin through my head~<br />
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<i> "I pray for comfort and peace of mind, for the absence of anxiety, that the lost will be found, for the feeling of being well rested and alert, for a sound mind and a terrific day."</i><br />
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The Lord is good. The lost has been found, I've had some moments of time in this busy day to reset, Scott is home with me and taking care of so many details, and there IS peace in the midst of chaos.<br />
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Thankful for the prayers of the saints, and the God who IS peace that hears them and answers. <br />
<br />Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15772073.post-64590326546948525192012-05-27T10:38:00.001-05:002012-05-27T10:38:13.763-05:00Going Out With A Bang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Fireworks come big in China... I arrived home the other day to find these two huge boxes of them in the middle of our living room. Scott was planning on going out with a bang, he said. <br />
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There was no shortage of guys who showed up for the fun last night when we set them off on a side street near our house. <br />
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With the first spent box of fireworks in the foreground, Caleb sets off a long line of firecrackers. Notice all the debris from the fireworks littering the street!<br />
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The noise and smoke were terrific, and the colored sparks flew high in the air and showered down around us. Great fun!Lynnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08960724568282779491noreply@blogger.com4