15 Hours of Darkness

To begin let me say that if you have to travel 15 hours on a plane, your best route is to fly Business or First class. I realize this may not always be a possibility but that does not preclude it from being the optimal option. I can’t say with 100% certainty what it was like flying in Economy class, but having flown Economy on multiple occasions I can make a few educated guesses.

To begin I walked onto the plane and when the flight attendant saw my seat assignment she pointed me to the stairs and said my seat was upstairs. Nice, I find that it’s an important component of the caste system to make sure there is complete separation between those of different classes. I had only just sat down when an attendant brought me a tray of assorted juices with melon spears to select from while the rest of the plane loaded. (See picture) I was further enthralled to find that the seat next to me would remain unoccupied for the duration of the flight. Mmmm … space.

Shortly after reaching our cruising altitude of what I can only assume is the outer edge of our atmosphere (My personal entertainment system registered the outside temperature as -50F) they began serving the first of a 4 course meal. Apparently airplane food isn’t that bad when it is accompanied by a warm moist personal hygiene cloth and food you don’t have to unwrap.

(This was the appetizer)

Shortly after the meal completed I had the option of several movies to watch (I chose I Am Legend … decent enough) followed by about 6 hours of interrupted and fitful sleep in an oversized lounge chair that is more chair than lounge.

One thing that I hadn’t anticipated was the total and complete darkness of the trip. Traveling West we are flying toward the setting sun and when we land it will be around 6am local time. I know the plane is traveling several hundred miles an hour; however we are chasing a sunrise that is traveling at a comparative rate. So it’s like moving in super-slow motion traveling 570 miles an hour (our true airspeed according to my personal entertainment system). A very weird experience to be sure.

Additional benefits of Business class:

1. First on and First off

2. First through customs

I'm now at the hotel and trying to figure out this whole sleep during the day, work at night, schedule thing. More to come later.

Off to the Philippines

Well, here I sit in LAX in the Premier Lounge being comped beverages, food (of which I chose a small pastrami sandwich and Shrimp Cup-o-noodles) and waiting for my plane to board (9:50pm) in about 20 minutes. I'm not quite as alert as I appear in the picture I assure you which means maybe I'll get some sleep on the 15 hour flight over there. Yes I leave L.A. at 10:00 pm on Tuesday night and arrive 6:00 am on Thursday morning. I'll spend the next several hours trying to figure out what happened to Wednesday before I head off to the Manila office around 7 or 8 pm local time.

I do have a few requests to help cut down on some unavoidable costs relating to my cell phone.

1. Please don't call me :) Unless you're my wife, then you are more than welcome.
2. Until I return please do not send me text messages as I can't stop them from coming in but I get charged every time you all send them to me (again unless you're my wife)
3. I'll have regular access to email and Instant Messaging and of course the Blog here so please utilize these as your main source of contact.

OK, I need to eat my noodles and make the long walk to board my flight. Love you all.

Gato and Maggalicious

Meet Maggie our newest addition:) She is a two year old Boxer. From what we can tell and from what the Humane Society told us she is not a mix but a full breed. Not that that maters a whole lot...she is a cutie. I am thinking she is older than two because she is very calm and loves to nap. She has an appointment with the vet this Tuesday so hopefully we will get a better idea. She is house trained. Walks on a leash, even when I am pushing the stroller. I have ran with her a few times, nothing serious yet but soon I hope she will be a good running companion for me. We want her to get to know the trails too so she can endure some hikes with us. She isn't too good at sitting and other basic commands when we are out but listens pretty well when we are at home. She does not dig. She has been alone a few times and just chills in the backyard laying in the sun. She has her bed in the house and sleeps on that for the most part...except the last two mornings we have found her on the love seat. Weird because in front of us she doesn't even try and get on the couch but at night she makes herself comfy. I think she might be afraid of our attack kitty who thinks this whole house is his domain and he is nice for allowing even Aaron and I and the kids to live here. Tigger has calmed a bit with the hissing and back arching...he more like growls at her. He gets really going when Maggie is around Taylor, I think he is protecting her. Aaron and I were laughing a bit...our dog acts more like a cat and our cat acts more like a dog. Funny story though with Tigger and Maggie...Maggie was sleeping and Tigger walked all the way around the living room as to not disturb her and then snuk up behind her and smelled her. It was cute to see.

So how is Maggie with the kids? Great. She allows them to love on her and has even taken a few bangs on the head from Tommy and his plastic hammer. We take her with us to walk to and from Taylor's school and she is great with all the kids. She barks very rarely...like when Aaron has come home late (after softball and bible study) and is coming in front door. This is what we wanted. Not an attack dog but one that would bark and alert us. She is exactly what we wanted in a dog, especially me. Huge that she is house trained:) She currently has a bit of a stomach thing but I think it is 1)Tigger's cat food she got into her first night here or 2) just the stress from moving. Either way I am anxious to take her to the vet to get her clean bill of health and to find out her true age. And hopefully one day soon she will become a little more playful, she has short bursts and then she needs another nap. Like an old lady or puppy...to be determined!!!

Aaron and I came upon Tigger sleeping last night in TJ's crib, I think he is reverting back to infancy like a toddler would with a new baby in the house. So many stories to come on our new addition and how we all adjust...

The Emperor's New Cell Phone

Today I forgot my cell phone at home. Something I know we've all done and a common response I hear to this is, 'It's so freeing." "It's so nice to be untethered." etc etc. Now this is true, when the activity you are currently engaged in supports such a freeing experience. A quick run to the store, a hike, a camping trip, a conference/retreat or perhaps somewhere where cell phones are frowned upon like the library, the movies or the bathroom.

This new found feeling of freedom and being unencumbered quickly turns into a feeling of naked unpreparedness when you find yourself in a position where you'd like to use the thing. It has numbers and contact information. It allows me to put myself in a place of privacy so I can hold phone conversations away from public areas. My feelings of being "tethered" turns into a missing life-line when I discover it's not there. Like an Emperor duped into thinking his fine new threads are the finest in the land, we waltz around "free and unencumbered" only to realize we are prancing around blind to the fact that we are in fact, walking around while everyone points and laughs, "Look at the guy without a cell phone on."

Used to Could

So I was thinking today about my life and where I am. I realized something. There are too many things in my life that I have given up on. Things that I used to do that I think I no longer can, like I used to look that way, used to feel that way....and on and on, things I have given up on. My good friend Shannon was here for a visit the past three days. She is a college friend and one of the girls I spent the summer in Hong Kong with, 10 years ago. We had a long walk and talk on the beach yesterday about life...past, present, and future. I have been thinking about our talk...the wheels in my head have been turning. Today while running I thought more about it all and realized there are too many things in my life I have shelved as things I "used to do". But I am not a "Has Been".

So what in my life have I given up on, or lost touch with? First and foremost my walk with God. In talking with Shannon, I realized I feel like I used to be so close to God. It is true in some ways. If I read an old journal I read my prayers to Jesus and think Wow what intimacy I had with Him. I was on fire I had no reserves. My life was Jesus. Youth group, Church, Camp, Christian College, Christian friends, Christian clubs, teams...and so on. I didn't have things like bills, a husband, kids, house work... and so on.

Another area I have put in the "Used to Could" section of life is my weight and ability to loose and be a certain weight again. I say things like I used to play soccer. I used to run races. I used to shop in that store. I used to fit in those jeans. There are other areas too that I realize as I process this ...I used to have community in Sacramento, I used to have a solid group of girlfriends, I used to have...fill in the blank.

Laziness. I am not a "Used to Could". In some areas I have just got lazy. To my credit life has also changed. As Shannon and I talked more we realized that most of us from college have come to that crossroads in life. We lived in this "Christian Bubble" in some ways, our relationship with God was almost a fantasy. It was a great time to know Him more and to grow in our walk with Him. But the reality is that all of us would enter the real world and that "bubble" would pop and we would either grow in our walk with the Lord and see Him differently or we would turn away. Sadly, some have turned. For me, my walk with the Lord is no longer fantasized but it is also not nonexistent. I just really need to do a better job of allowing Him into my life. I realize I want to know Him more. I feel like I have this best friend that I love and do everything with but have just realized I don't know His favorite place to eat or favorite color. I want to know Him more.

As for my weight, I have begun to work on it. I feel SO good that I can run 4 miles again and feel that "bug" that I have to exercise. I have my trainer date two days a week, he really works us and I love this. On the other days I have been fairly consistent with working myself. Even in this I want to set my goals high...I don't want to settle. I can be the weight I was prior to having kids, or even smaller. I can play soccer again. I am not even 30 yet, I have a lot left in me. I know there has to be a reason that I at times let myself go by not watching what I eat and not working out. There is an emotional aspect to this, bare with me as future blogs may be me processing through that. Exercising is also spiritual for me. I feel so close to God when I run and am pushing myself, my head is cleared and I can listen better I think.

Shannon and I were able to encourage one another and pray for each other. It was comforting, and I have to admit a little awkward for me(Not Shannon but the praying). I used to pray so easily and right on the spot. Not the I will pray for you line but let's pray now and praying right then and there. It was so freeing to just allow her to pray for me right then and there as we walked and for me to pray for her and to listen to what the Holy Spirit prompted me to pray. I still have it, I don't used to have it, I have it now. Awesome.

As for the other things I mentioned besides Jesus and weight...I still have a good group of girls around me. They may not be right down the street but I have SO many ladies in my life I can call on. Thank you Shannon for being that friend, I love the ease between you and I. And that community will be here in this town, I have to put the effort in and it will be here. I have a womens bible study I hope to go to soon and am excited to get to know the hearts of the women here.

In all this I no longer want to give into that lie or take the vow of "used to could" but want to press forward. I know this was a long blog. I am verbally, through blogging, working through this stirring I feel in my heart. I will leave you with a question, "Are there things in your life that you no longer strive for and have put in the "used to could" section that you need to re-evaluate?"

Until next time...here are a few pictures we took this weekend...

Family picture...notice the water creeping up behind us!

Shannon and I...seconds later the tide came in and we got soaked...thanks Aaron!

Shannon and I with the kiddos...it was freezing!

Daddy and Tay playing in the tide, such good times:)

A great shot of Aaron looking out at the sea.

Discovery

Last night was open house at Taylor's school. This is where parents get to come and "discover" what she's been doing throughout the year. They converted the gym into an art gallery where the kids got to hang some of their art and we got to see the piece of Art Taylor has on display. She then took us to her classroom where she walked us around and showed us everything they've been working on. During this time of discovery here are a few things that I learned about my daughter:

Taylor's favorite M&M color is Brown
Taylor's favorite season is Spring
Taylor's favorite color is Pink
Taylor enjoys the rain

I love learning things about my children as they learn about themselves and the world around them. It served as an excellent reminder to me that my children are unique with their own set of likes, dislikes, dreams and adventures. While I will guide and lead them through life, it is also important that I don't influence them so much that they lose their sense of self in the discovery process.

The artist's art ... hangs in the gallery















The Artist and her work















This is an interpretive illustration of the artist at her workstation (with Wheatgrass grown as a project)















Here we have the Artist's rendition of "Peter in Garden"















Here is Corn, Carrot, Beet and Turnip

Our Hike

Saturday Aaron had an all day men's softball thing with church so the kids and I set out an adventure of our own. I recently bought a hiking backpack to carry TJ in, I wanted to test it out. Taylor of course was up for a nice walk...so off we went...I'll let the pictures tell the story of our adventure:)

Eager to start our hike and so excited that the backpack for TJ came with a zip off one for her to carry...this might be the best part! She carried our water, fruit, and trail mix.

Our self portrait:) Of course Tay can't resist giving me Bunny Ears:)

TJ and I...ready to hit the trail!Little benches along the hike, perfect for a quick picture...or rest:)
My little hiking buddy, posing for a picture with the beautiful surroundings:) Although she is the most beautiful thing in the picture!

"X" marks the spot...we walked a lot and this "X" was at the top of the hill where we decided to turn around...after walking for about 45 minutes.

We stumbled upon a park and play area...we passed it the first time and then stopped on our way back for a snack and play time.

Playing on the swing before we are off to finish our trip!
The fatigue is setting in...

At the end of our walk a lady was walking with a bird. She let the bird sit on Tay's shoulder, it gave her kisses, and talked to us. A nice distraction from her fatigue!

TJ completely wiped out! He actually fell asleep, I guess the backpack wasn't too uncomfy for him:) Sweet Boy!

After our hike we went to our local farm for some fresh fruit and veggies. Yummy!
We had some delicious sorbet at the farm:)

"Mommy that was good! Can I have some more?"

Sleepy Boy! Completely wiped out!

Lots of pictures I know but I just had to share! I do have to add that Taylor and Tommy were such troopers. We hiked longer than most adults that were out on the trail! My little girl hiked herself into blisters! We walked 45 minutes out, which I thought would take us less time on the way back, the turn around is always less....unless you are traveling with kids:) It took us about an hour and a half to get back! We had SO much fun though, singing songs and cheering on everyone we came across on the trail. I loved this day with my two favorite little people...I am a lucky Mama:) BTW we ended the day going to see Aaron, his softball team was in the final game. We were able to meet people that go to our new church, such a good Saturday!