Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Getting My Groove Back...


It is time to take a big sigh of relief. Another day is coming to a close. Mexican food for 7 people was a huge success. The little man is in bed. Dishes are rinsed and ready to be cleaned by angel khAla in the morning. Hot dog buns for tomorrow’s Wii/BBQ party are made. The house is cooling down nicely – 6 degrees cooler than the balmy 93 degrees F where it sat all day.
We are beginning to feel like we are getting settled back into life here.  I was going to write a post a few days ago about how it felt more like we were living in a flimsy sinking dingy than in a tightly run ship, but we were working hard to stay afloat so I didn’t have time to tell you all about it.  Not that my life is ever a tightly run ship…because honestly, I just don’t operate that way, but the last week has left me longing for many more elements of sanity than we were being granted. 
As I said in my last post, we began moving the day after we landed back in M-ville.  With stuff everywhere, the confusion of two houses, teething and coming back to a different place, language, etc., Little t was kind of a mess. He wanted nothing to do with kAkA for the first few days (much to kAkA’s dismay).  Every time we would say we were going inside, he would walk toward the old house. He struggled to sleep at night and was usually up for 2 or so hours, running around like a wild man and refusing to lay back down. We tried letting him cry, we tried bribing him to go to sleep, we tried giving him Benadryl, we tried sitting in his room until he fell asleep, we tried nursing him to sleep. We tried everything.  The only thing that would work was if I brought him into our bed and let him fall asleep nursing there and sleep with me.   
A is not a dummy, he would flee to another room to actually get some sleep instead of putting up with the tried crabby lady and the small, but powerful child who kicks very hard in his sleep (And is very naughty when he is not sleeping jumping on the bed, singing, pulling hair, sticking his finger up nostrils, etc). So, if sitting by Little t’s bed didn’t do the trick, A was somewhat helpless when it came to corralling the little fart. 
To make matters even more humorous/despairing, we were working out the kinks of the new house as well.  Small things like what happens when it is still 100 degrees at 8:30 p.m. and the power goes out. The answer is that you work frantically until 11:45 p.m. to get your solar system set up so you can have fans. 
Speaking of fans, one decided to shake the fabric on the ceiling so much (above our bed, keep in mind) that it dropped dust and small pieces of sand and concrete all over our bed.  The first night it happened was the night we had dragged our tired bodies into bed (at midnight, post frantic solar set-up) and were too tired to care about the miniscule amount of dirt at the foot of the bed.  A few hours later (when Little t made up his mind it was time to party/sleep with momma) a beach had been erected on our bed. The next morning there was dirt everywhere.
That day was such a whirl that we forgot about said fan issue and that night, the same thing happened.  I tried to laugh about it. I tried to ignore it. I tried to pretend I was on a beach somewhere, but I just couldn’t do it.  Granted, beaches are romantic, and maybe I could have seen it that way, but lying in a pile of sand with a small, wild child constantly attached to my breast is neither romantic nor restful. All in all, the night was a bust.
Well, we have patched the hole, the child is sleeping (and in his own bed, I may add!) and not teething as badly, and actually eating now. Things are mostly put away, we are eating real meals now (the first week was basically a combination of bumming food off of friends and hot dogs and naan and hot dogs and Craisins), we are sleeping and getting our heads on straight about life here.  A is back at work in the office, I have been to my first wedding, Little t has warmed back up to angel khAla and kAkA.  We are making progress. 
The quiet and deep times have yet to reappear. I am so tempted to be up early in and in the Word in the morning, but honestly, we are all exhausted by the time morning rolls around. It will come in time, I know.
For now, I find joy in the simple things – the child who brings such delight (I will write a post all about him soon), the husband who is way too good to me, the friends who offer so much help and sweet fellowship, and the God who is faithful, even in the crazy times. 

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

40 days late...


We left M-ville on June 1st – bags packed for one week in the capital city. A had meetings for a few days, we were staying with friends, planning to enjoy ice cream and life in the ‘big city’. The meetings went well. Time with friends was wonderful and relaxing.
Then we received word that my grandfather passed away. In the span of about 30 hours, we made the decision, bought tickets and were on a plane via Dubai back to the States to be with family during this time. We decided to use some vacation time so that we could have more time with family and friends and get some rest while in the States. The last month and a half has been a beautiful whirlwind full of fun and laughter and memories.
On Saturday, 40 days later than our planned return date, we landed in M-vile once again. It had been a crazy time, but we enjoyed every second.  By every second, I mean every.single.one  because we were SO busy during out time in the States. We took advantage of every opportunity we got – planned and spontaneous – to spend time with people we love.  It was a challenge in some ways, to be honest. Like I have said before, life is very quiet here in M-ville. We spend time with people (teammates, friends, neighbors) but we don’t have all of the go go go of life in America. The pull of the restaurants and shopping and entertainment is a figment of our imagination in this place. And we kinda like it that way. Yes, we miss family and friends deeply, but the extras we find exhausting.
To make things even more exiting, we moved houses the day after we got back to M-ville. From one house in the yard to the other. Nothing was packed or ready, but we just got to work and made it happen.  There are still things to unpack and put away, but the craziness is behind us.
My blog has been silent for a significant amount of time and I am okay with that. An unexpected trip back to the States for a month will do that to a blog, I guess…at least to my blog.  During our time there, I found that I didn’t leave a lot of room for silence and reflection. I find myself craving that now more than ever – a chance to stop juggling, take a deep breath and savor where I am right now. 
A and I both made the comment last night that we are ready to slow down a little bit now, settle back into our routine and dig in here again. Exercise, consistent devotions, making healthy meals, going to bed early, developing relationships, hanging out with Little t are all things that we are longing to make priorities again. 
We are still glowing in the joy of seeing family again and we are so thankful for the ability to return to the States for such a special occasion. It was worth the extra 40 days that we added onto our trip!