(What the...two posts in one night??!!)
Nate went in to comfort Ben after a nightmare and prayed with him. After, Ben looked up at him with big, solemn eyes and said, "Jesus is in my tummy."
Change is coming...
7 years ago
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Back on the Wagon
Okay, I have a confession. I make fun of Nate sometimes because he loves to write, but never does. He doesn't write much, because he thinks it has to be perfect, and who has time for perfect writing? I confess that I'm a hypocrite. I started this blog with grand visions of literary genius (even though I said I didn't). But, it's not possible. Not even close. I have friends that can be great moms with a clean house, home schooling, AND blogging long posts on top of it. Not me!
So, I know I never finished writing about Chevak. You'll just have to deal, and so will I. Maybe I'll get to it someday, but for now I'm going to slow down and just write a little bit every couple of days.
Here goes...
- Day one of homeschool-pre-school started today (I won't be home-schooling in the long run, just this year to save cash). I tried to introduce Ben to "A". I made him a poster and we drew and colored all sorts of things that started with "Aa". I repeated "A says aaaaa" till blue in the face. The problem? Ben kept saying "F says pppp." Oh dear, this could be hard. :)
- Sam is walking!!! If you can call two steps walking, that is. He started last week at the beach. Grandpa Mike encouraged him and he took his first step in the sand! More of a pivot, really. Then, on Saturday (8/24), he took TWO steps with Uncle Jeff! It was awesome. We're trying to get him to practice as much as possible, but, really, scooting is so much more efficient.
- Sammy's first official word (not including "uh oh" and "whoaaaa!") was "Cheee" - said in front of the camera at Jenny's house in Alaska. So fun!
So, I know I never finished writing about Chevak. You'll just have to deal, and so will I. Maybe I'll get to it someday, but for now I'm going to slow down and just write a little bit every couple of days.
Here goes...
- Day one of homeschool-pre-school started today (I won't be home-schooling in the long run, just this year to save cash). I tried to introduce Ben to "A". I made him a poster and we drew and colored all sorts of things that started with "Aa". I repeated "A says aaaaa" till blue in the face. The problem? Ben kept saying "F says pppp." Oh dear, this could be hard. :)
- Sam is walking!!! If you can call two steps walking, that is. He started last week at the beach. Grandpa Mike encouraged him and he took his first step in the sand! More of a pivot, really. Then, on Saturday (8/24), he took TWO steps with Uncle Jeff! It was awesome. We're trying to get him to practice as much as possible, but, really, scooting is so much more efficient.
- Sammy's first official word (not including "uh oh" and "whoaaaa!") was "Cheee" - said in front of the camera at Jenny's house in Alaska. So fun!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Alaska Day 2
(Day 1 Here)
When we pulled into the village in the school's truck, it felt weird. Weird because it was so normal. Does that make sense? We have made the drive from the air strip to teacher housing dozens of times. The only difference now being the two little boys with us, and the two year gap since our last trip out. Vinnie dropped us off at the Walker's home, gave us the key and in we walked.
Let me take a moment to tell you how wonderful it is to be in Emily and Ryan's home. And they have truly made it a home. It is decorated beautifully complete with curtains and slipcovers and art on all the walls. Before you say, "So what?" remember that everything you want out here, you pay huge rates to ship out. Nate and I had really made our place a home as well, and Emily and Ryan's had a similar feel. In fact, we were soon to discover all sorts of things we have in common with them, for example a love of the show The Office, decorating with with reds and Parisian things, similar choice in movies and books, and, of course, a love for the Lord. While looking through their movies we discovered a video from Send International, the missionary organization through which I believe Ryan first came out here to serve under. Send has many missionaries in The Bush, and it was so awesome to discover that they have a heart like we do, to see the unreached Alaska Natives hear the Gospel for the first time! Who knows, but that we might serve with them some day as well! Anyways, we are just incredibly grateful to have this great place to stay.
Besides Emily and Ryan's house, we felt blessed in so many other ways that first day. We had dinner with our old friends Jeff and Ali, and their 3 cute kids. We put our kids down in their bedroom, just like old times, while we stayed up late and played Settlers. We remembered the joys of living in such a tight-knit community where you MUST rely on one another and develop close friendships. We realized again the beauty of the wide-open tundra, the smells of fresh air, the warm feeling you get when people tell you, "Welcome Home." We went to bed exhausted, yet so excited for the what the days ahead would bring.
When we pulled into the village in the school's truck, it felt weird. Weird because it was so normal. Does that make sense? We have made the drive from the air strip to teacher housing dozens of times. The only difference now being the two little boys with us, and the two year gap since our last trip out. Vinnie dropped us off at the Walker's home, gave us the key and in we walked.
Let me take a moment to tell you how wonderful it is to be in Emily and Ryan's home. And they have truly made it a home. It is decorated beautifully complete with curtains and slipcovers and art on all the walls. Before you say, "So what?" remember that everything you want out here, you pay huge rates to ship out. Nate and I had really made our place a home as well, and Emily and Ryan's had a similar feel. In fact, we were soon to discover all sorts of things we have in common with them, for example a love of the show The Office, decorating with with reds and Parisian things, similar choice in movies and books, and, of course, a love for the Lord. While looking through their movies we discovered a video from Send International, the missionary organization through which I believe Ryan first came out here to serve under. Send has many missionaries in The Bush, and it was so awesome to discover that they have a heart like we do, to see the unreached Alaska Natives hear the Gospel for the first time! Who knows, but that we might serve with them some day as well! Anyways, we are just incredibly grateful to have this great place to stay.
Besides Emily and Ryan's house, we felt blessed in so many other ways that first day. We had dinner with our old friends Jeff and Ali, and their 3 cute kids. We put our kids down in their bedroom, just like old times, while we stayed up late and played Settlers. We remembered the joys of living in such a tight-knit community where you MUST rely on one another and develop close friendships. We realized again the beauty of the wide-open tundra, the smells of fresh air, the warm feeling you get when people tell you, "Welcome Home." We went to bed exhausted, yet so excited for the what the days ahead would bring.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Alaska Trip - Day 1 and 2
Can't sleep. It's 11:30pm here and I'm exhausted, but there is way too much on my mind to get rest. Plus, it is still very bright out here.
DAY ONE
Where to begin? We woke up at 4:50am two days ago, and James picked us up and brought us to the airport for our flight leaving at 7:30. Fifteen hours later, we were finally in Bethel, exhausted. The low point of the trip was holding Sam in between two sleeping men, one friendly, the other anti-kid, while Sam attempted to "share" every single snack with them. The high point was when we finally landed in Anchorage, after seemingly-twelve-hour-but-really-just-three-and-a-half-hour flight and yelled, "We're at ALASKA!" The rest of the day was bearable. A few tips for traveling with two young children:
- Book your tickets early so that you never have to be separated.
- 3 year olds can not chew gum for more than 5 minutes before swallowing, so don't give them any until the plane actually leaves the ground.
- Sit across from friendly high school-age girls that can entertain your 3 year olds for hours. Thank you, Lord, for that God-send of a girl!
- Never. Ever. No matter how fast you need to exit the plane, think that silly putty should be put in your pocket.
- Don't book a hotel in Bethel that is $50 cheaper than all the rest, and expect it to be clean and user-friendly.
DAY TWO
We woke in Bethel. I crammed next to Ben on the floor on a twin mattress, Nate in a spacious king with Sam. Whatever worked to keep them happy! We hussled to pack up our gear and get to the Grant Aviation air terminal at 7:30. When we arrived, there was nobody there for the first 5 minutes. Then, two people showed up without a key. We waited 15 more minutes before the other employees showed up. Needless to say, we had forgotten we are in the Bush. If they say "check-in at 7:30", that really means "think about waking up at about 7:30". Dang it we forgot about that.
We finally took off on a little Navajo (8-seater) plane. Sam's face was priceless. Ben wanted to color?! They both fell asleep on the plane, as did I, that is until the pilot wrote something down on his flight log. "Low Fuel Injector light keeps coming on. (some other technical term) dial unreadable." Then, he left it open lying on the seat, apparently forgetting that a mother with her two babies was sitting right behind him, able to read the whole thing! After that I was sitting upright and praying like a madwoman. I didn't even tell Nate because 1) I had to turn way around and possibly wake my exhausted one-year-old and 2) you can't even hear your own voice on a Navajo. Well, the fuel injected far enough to get us to Chevak, but I really think we were carried by my prayers!
When the plane coasted to a stop, there was not a soul at the air strip. I tried not to panic, and soon enough we saw the four-wheelers and school truck come barreling down the road. Vinnie (the school janitor) and Leo came to see us! What a big hug I gave Vinnie! We drove through town, and had to keep pinching ourselves because we could not believe we were there.
(Day Two Continued Here)
DAY ONE
Where to begin? We woke up at 4:50am two days ago, and James picked us up and brought us to the airport for our flight leaving at 7:30. Fifteen hours later, we were finally in Bethel, exhausted. The low point of the trip was holding Sam in between two sleeping men, one friendly, the other anti-kid, while Sam attempted to "share" every single snack with them. The high point was when we finally landed in Anchorage, after seemingly-twelve-hour-but-really-just-three-and-a-half-hour flight and yelled, "We're at ALASKA!" The rest of the day was bearable. A few tips for traveling with two young children:
- Book your tickets early so that you never have to be separated.
- 3 year olds can not chew gum for more than 5 minutes before swallowing, so don't give them any until the plane actually leaves the ground.
- Sit across from friendly high school-age girls that can entertain your 3 year olds for hours. Thank you, Lord, for that God-send of a girl!
- Never. Ever. No matter how fast you need to exit the plane, think that silly putty should be put in your pocket.
- Don't book a hotel in Bethel that is $50 cheaper than all the rest, and expect it to be clean and user-friendly.
DAY TWO
We woke in Bethel. I crammed next to Ben on the floor on a twin mattress, Nate in a spacious king with Sam. Whatever worked to keep them happy! We hussled to pack up our gear and get to the Grant Aviation air terminal at 7:30. When we arrived, there was nobody there for the first 5 minutes. Then, two people showed up without a key. We waited 15 more minutes before the other employees showed up. Needless to say, we had forgotten we are in the Bush. If they say "check-in at 7:30", that really means "think about waking up at about 7:30". Dang it we forgot about that.
We finally took off on a little Navajo (8-seater) plane. Sam's face was priceless. Ben wanted to color?! They both fell asleep on the plane, as did I, that is until the pilot wrote something down on his flight log. "Low Fuel Injector light keeps coming on. (some other technical term) dial unreadable." Then, he left it open lying on the seat, apparently forgetting that a mother with her two babies was sitting right behind him, able to read the whole thing! After that I was sitting upright and praying like a madwoman. I didn't even tell Nate because 1) I had to turn way around and possibly wake my exhausted one-year-old and 2) you can't even hear your own voice on a Navajo. Well, the fuel injected far enough to get us to Chevak, but I really think we were carried by my prayers!
When the plane coasted to a stop, there was not a soul at the air strip. I tried not to panic, and soon enough we saw the four-wheelers and school truck come barreling down the road. Vinnie (the school janitor) and Leo came to see us! What a big hug I gave Vinnie! We drove through town, and had to keep pinching ourselves because we could not believe we were there.
(Day Two Continued Here)
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