Lawsuit Praises

One thing I have not written about on my blog was the fact that JB has spent the last two years or so facing a lawsuit. It was something that happened during his first year of residency at Eglin Air Force Base. It was something that he was in no way responsible for. It was also something that the patients should not have even been suing for. It was not life-threatening. It was even life-effecting. Everyone who was in this person's medical record was named in the lawsuit. Including JB, a resident at the time.

We were so relieved to get word this week that the case was, not surprisingly, thrown out, and it will not appear anywhere in JB's record. Because he works in the military, this lawsuit couldn't have actually cost us anything. But it would, if the hospital at Eglin was found responsible, be in JB's permanent record. And we all know how that goes. No one knows about your permanent record until something big happens. And then suddenly, the whole world is looking through your personal business. (Take the psychiatrist of the recent Colorado movie theatre shooter. Everything and anything she has done in her life is now front page news for the world to read. Not fun.)

So Praise the Lord this lawsuit won't ever come back to bother JB again. And thank you to those of you who had been praying that this would, indeed, be something as good as non-existent. It is!

Gordon Update

Latest Update: (Sunday morning -- 11:30am in the Azores)

The following was posted on our our Base Facebook page. This is what they are currently telling us.

Hurricane Gordon has picked up some more energy, but it is still showing a solid southerly trajectory (good for Terceira and the central group, not so good for our Eastern islands including Sao Miguel) The latest projections show Gordon still capable of hurricane force winds as it passes South of the Azores. For Terceira, expect intermittent rain showers as early as noon Sunday for the Southern si...

de of the island. Rain fall rates may cause localized flooding in low lying areas by 2am Monday morning. Winds should start to get gusty by Sunday Evening. Winds still look to be peaking near 50mph for Lajes. When making your Monday morning commute make sure to pay close attention to road conditions or possible closures. We will be monitoring the rain showers and thunderstorms using our Doppler Radar tomorrow. If you haven't put away your loose yard items (garbage cans/toys ect..) doing so before noon tomorrow would be a good idea. This storm track looks like the brunt of Gordon will miss us, but it is really only a few degrees of distance keeping us away from loads of rain and hurricane force winds. Please make sure you are prepared, if Gordon ends up giving us very little to write home about, we can still count it as good practice for our winter-time storms.

I couldn't live without ...

Updated: I'm reposting this here. Please moms, join those who have already commented in telling us the things you could not live without. You can put something (or more than one thing) into each age category listed below.

I've been getting emails from new moms -- biological and adoptive -- asking about their registry. What should be on it? What am I forgetting? So ... I wanted to ask all of you. What was the item you could not  live without. What was that one thing that you found absolutely a lifesaver. Tell me if this is for:

• Newborns (first few weeks and months)
• Babies (6 months-1 year)
• Walkers (1-2 years)
• Preschoolers (2-5)

Could you also provide a link to the product? I'd like to compile these in an easy-to-find way. Let's hear from you!

Call me "Sidge"

Here's a video of Elijah (aka "Sidge") explaining why he doesn't want to be called Elijah. He's obviously overheard me telling people, "Sidge just stuck" because he repeats that in the video. He has informed us, in no uncertain terms, that his name is Sidge. If we call him Elijah, he corrects us. If we introduce him as Elijah, he corrects us. If we write down Elijah, he corrects us. We are pretty sure that this nickname is going to be with him for a long, long time. So when you hear me referring to Sidge on the blog, you'll know who I am talking about. Sidge it is.

P.S. Sidge originated form Sidge-uh. This was how Isaac pronounced Elijah's name for the longest time. He called Elijah Sidge-uh, and somewhere along the line, JB and I started playfully calling him Sidge. We never imagined it would stick like it has.

Friday Funnies

Elijah recently asked me what a "boob" was. Remembering that JB told me he wanted the boys to learn the anatomically correct words for body parts, I said, "Well, actually we would say breasts." I had to contain my laughter when Sidge obviously misinterpreted the word as breaths and said, "Do we need them to breathe?"
*****
Isaac: "Thank you for my applesauce, Daddy. Now I have everything I need to eat -- for goodness sake."
*****
I informed Isaac that I could tolerate no more whining. "You'll have to go back into the house and come out an not whine." He looked at me and then said, "I just can't not whine."
*****
When Isaac did something mean to Sidge today, Sidge said, "He made my feelings hurt" instead of the traditional, "He hurt my feelings."
*****
I found a stray car wheel from one of Sidge's many toy cars. I came into the room holding the wheel. "Sidge, where is the car for this wheel? Remember when you wanted to take this off that I said that wasn't a good idea because then you can lose the wheels?" Sidge turned to look at me and said, "But you found it."
*****
Sidge started crying because he could not get the button on his shorts undone. I am often reminding the boys not to get so upset about something that I will willingly help them with if they just ask. "This is nothing to cry over Sidge. Crying is okay, but you only cry when there is a reason to cry." Sidge looked at me and said, "But there is a reason. I couldn't get my pants unbuttoned."
*****
While working on our letters I said, "B says buh like in the word ..." and couldn't help laughing when Sidge replied, "Elephant?"
*****
Sidge has started "working" the whole delaying bedtime thing. Last night he found me on the porch hanging laundry.
Me: "Sidge, why are you out of bed?"
Sidge: "Mom?"
Me: "Yes?"
Sidge: "I got to tell you something."
Me: "Okay."
Sidge: "You're the bestest mom ever. I love you to the moon and back ten times."
Me: (Sigh ....)
Sidge: "Was that really sweet mom?"
Later that night he came downstairs ... again.
JB: "Sidge? What are you doing downstairs?"
Sidge: "Listen. Um. Guys. Listen."
JB: "No. You are supposed to be in bed."
Sidge: "But I love you to the moon and back."
JB: "Okay. But you can tell us that in the morning. Okay?"
Sidge: "Okay."
*****
While watching the Olympics, I was really getting into the women's triathalon. Sidge came up and joined me.
Sidge: "What are you watching mom?"
Me: "The Olympics."
Sidge: "What are they doing?"
Me: "Racing."
Sidge: "Oh. I want to do that someday."
Me: "You do?"
Sidge: "Yeah."
A few minutes later the racers transitioned from the water to the bikes and then the road. When Sidge started watching them and seeing them struggle while running he changed his tune.
Sidge: "I don't think I want to be a racer anymore," he said.
*****
JB went into the boys room to try and calm them down and get them to go to sleep. When he gave them instructions, Sidge, who was being a complete goof-ball, made a spitting noise at JB.
John: "And you do NOT blow raspberries at me when I am correcting you. Do you understand me Elijah?"
Sidge: "Okay. But could I blow blueberries?"
*****
Isaac: "Ma ma, I sneezed in the hallways and I said, 'bless me.'"
*****
At the front desk of JB's clinic while we were waiting to go down the hallway to see JB, the boys stopped in front of the male receptionist's desk and had the following conversation with him. (He didn't say anything. He just laughed the entire time while the boys talked, over top of each other and in rapid succession.) I have translated what they meant by putting it in parenthesis after what they said.
Isaac: "We are here to see my Daddy."
Sidge: "Yeah."
Isaac: "This is my movie theatre shirt." (The Cars shirt I wore to se the movie.)
Sidge: "Yeah but my movie theatre shirt just got a wittle too small." (Elijah got too big so the shirt doesn't fit anymore.)
Isaac: "But I wore this one."
Sidge: "And I wore my Woody shirt. This isn't Buzz light year." (From the movie Toy Story.)
Isaac: "I threw up but not when I was wearing this shirt."
Sidge: "Yeah, I did a little bit of throw up one time."
Isaac: "I did the throw up at Grama Di's house."
Sidge: "I did it on the floor."
Isaac: "I did it in a garbage can."
Sidge: "Yeah, I did it in the garbage can too."
Isaac: "But we got lunchables to have for lunch with Daddy."
Sidge: "Yeah. You got one and I got one."
*****
You know your kids have grown up in Europe and Asia when you overhear them playing doctor's office, and they get on the scale and the other one says, "You way forty hundred kilograms."
*****
Sidge came into the kitchen very upset that Isaac wouldn't play with him.
John: "Well, you can't make him play with you Sidge."
Sidge: (Puffs his chest up, takes a deep breath, and heads back down the hallway saying: "Well I think I'm gonna try to make him."

JB's Political Stance

My husband posted what follows as his Facebook status. I found it so incredibly well done (no surrpise if you know JB) and well said, that I wanted to share it again. What is especially interesting is that five years ago, JB was quite "into" politics ... but his heart has changed. Now He sees that he can't put his faith in a man. We can only put our faith in God. Read on for, in my opinion, a bit of fresh air!

I rarely make political comments. This is primarily due to my utter frustration with the uneducated masses who respond to what I say. However, I can’t help myself today. There have been so many ridiculous posts and comments made on Facebook and on blogs that I think I’ll add my voice to the maddening crowd. We are still months away from the election and I am already tired of the propaganda. At least I am currently living overseas and don’t have to see all the ads on television, not that I really watch it anyway.

I’ll start with the Chick-Fil-A thing. This is a free speech issue. Nothing more. There was no hate crime, no discrimination. Shame on those Christians who made this about homosexual marriage. Was there really a reason for another wedge to be driven between the church and those we are supposed to be reaching out to? Shame on the GLBT community and those that support them. How long have you been harassed for merely speaking your opinion? How can you promote free speech for yourselves and not support it for others, even when they don’t agree with you? That is the whole point of free speech!

Now, as for Romney vs. Obama. I don’t care. Really. They are two sides of the same coin. Both will lead this country further down the wrong path. I think one will do it faster than the other, but they are both modern-day American politicians. It is what they do. The national debt has increased with every president since I have been alive. Government has gotten larger and more intrusive. It doesn’t matter if the Commander in Chief is a Republican or Democrat. Our current politicians have only a few things truly in store for us: more debt, larger government, and less personal liberty.

They are good at one thing… not coming through on any of their promises. Obama promised so much change, but he has only given more of the same. Bush said no new taxes, and yet they came. You can give all the reasons you want, but it doesn’t change the facts. It doesn’t even matter if they have a super-majority in Congress. As soon as the possibility becomes real to make a significant change in reducing debt, minimizing government, creating more transparency in government, getting rid of Gitmo, or whatever it was they promised, a hundred reasons pop up to stop it that are “beyond their control”. How convenient.

So I don’t care who is running, because it isn’t going to be drastically different. The talking heads want you to think it is a matter of eternal life and death, a matter of morality, but it is not. They want you to develop adoring love for one and viscerally hate the other. Are you there yet? If you are, please question it.

In reality, both of these candidates are flip-floppers depending on the political climate. You can’t trust either of them. People say we need to elect Romney so that we get conservative judges. What good does that do? Obamacare was just saved in the Supreme Court by a conservative judge. How effective was that strategy? No modern candidate is going to block homosexual marriage. They can’t and they shouldn’t. That is a States’ Rights issue. It should not be infringed upon by the federal government. But do you really think a modern candidate is going to reverse Roe v. Wade or legalize drugs or whatever your pet passion is?

Our government is in the process of going bankrupt. We have cities across the country filling bankruptcy now. Our local and national government does not have money. Let me say that again so we really understand it. Our local and national government does not have money. They are overloaded with debt and they have no plan to fix it. No plan to change what got us here in the first place. Other countries, including our allies, are starting to decouple from the U.S. Dollar. We are going downhill fast, and the media wants us to focus on which candidate is going to give which group of people a higher tax rate. My friends, we are rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, and they want us to fight about the arrangement.

And the rest of the world is not doing much better. In some places it is even worse. Heck, I just had clothes and dog food stolen from my yard here in Portugal. This was a crime of need, not for drug money or a teenage prank. Looking at some other country as a shining example of what America should be is just not making sense, it never did, and it certainly does not now.

But there is hope. Unfortunately, real change is not going to be painless, but I don’t think we have a choice.

Get involved in your community. Get to know your neighbors. Understand where your food comes from, and get to know your local farmers. Unplug the television. Plant a garden. Take responsibility for your actions and expect the same in your children. Get out of debt. Stay out of debt. Get healthy. Invest in things that last. Invest time in your children. Understand local politics, vote in their elections, and consider getting involved.

I’m going home to spend some time in the garden with my kids.

Hurricane Gordon

Well folks. Why let life get dull, huh? The Azores hasn't had a hurrican sicne 1998. And now, little ol' Gordon is moving our way. Due here Sunday or Monday. I'll keep you posted, but for now, here is a video. Send your prayers our way folks.

Portuguese Preschool

I received a question in one of the comments on my blog about Portuguese preschool for the boys. I had, in fact, mentioned it previously on my blog (you can read the post by clicking here) that we were considering sending the boys to a free preschool offered on the island. This was in fact, the case, but we have since decided not to put them in the school.

It was a tough call. We were excited by the possibility of giving Sidge and Isaac a real immersion into a second language. However, neither JB nor myself could get peace with the whole thing. There were three main things that didn't sit right with us.

The first and biggest was that we, in general, are not huge fans of public schooling and most likely will be homeschooling in the near future. I'll be writing much more about this in the future, but for now I'll just say that we have decided to start Isaac in school late so that the boys will be in the same grade, and to do at least Kindergarten, from home. I will make no statement about how long will we homeschool. I plan to take it one year at a time. Again, stay tuned for much more on this choice in the future. It's one that I do not take lightly, is not pushed on anyone else, and is simply the direction the Lord is leading us for our boys.

The second reason is that we just couldn't get over the fact that we'd be putting the boys into an environment where people did not speak English. It would be overwhelming to me, and I'm an adult. Especially given Isaac's shy nature, it didn't sit right with us. We have heard from a lot of people that while learning a second language would be incredibly beneficial, they probably would not be fluent in just three mornings a week. We had also heard that unless they continued practicing it, they would lose it quickly. Portuguese is not a widely used language (like Spanish), and therefore, we had to ask ourselves if we would even be considering the preschool option if it wasn't for the language part. We wouldn't. If we took that out of the equation, we wouldn't do it.

And the third was that another friend, who had had her son in the Portuguese preschool, had decided against it, giving us reason to question it's appropriateness for our family as well.

In the end, it was simply our spirit. That still, small voice that you hear. We couldn't find peace with it, and I have made too many mistakes in my life when I didn't listen to that still, small voice to not listen to it this time. JB and I feel that if we aren't on the same page, thinking the same way, we don't do that thing we are thinking about. Whether it be buying a sofa, doing IVF, or how we educate our children.

And so we decided not to do it. I plan, instead, to spend the next year doing my "letter of the week" with the boys. I know that they will get just as much at home as they will at school -- especially through the social activities I have with friends in the neighborhood and on Base. I look forward to weekly story times at the library, MOPs weekly activities, and playdates with friends. And if God tells us otherwise, we are open to listening.

Missing you ...

... not sure if this was a nice or mean thing for my sister-in-law Gabbi to do. Send me a photo of her Dairy Queen chocolate Blizzard with a note that said it made her think of me. Chocolate ice cream Blizzards with oreos or french silk are my absolute favorites. I miss them so much. The only thing that makes it feel better is that I can eat lots of European chocolate here that I can't get in the States. In Turkey, we could at least get a few American fast-food options. Here, other than a Subway on Base, there is nothing. No fast food at all. It's actually a blessing. No thought of, "Hey do we want to get such and such instead of cooking tonight?"

We are planning on going back to the USA at Christmas time. And I am planning on eating a (lot of) blizzards while I am there.

We had heard ...

... that with the economic crisis in Portugal, petty theft on the island had been on the rise. In fact, it was just last week that Hita and Julie told me to not be so trusting. They told me to not have kids' toys outside. JB told me to stop telling people Scrubs doesn't bite. "Tell them he's mean and ferocious and that he'll bit their heads off," JB joked.

From what we've been told, the island really has no major crimes. Not surprising being as it IS an island. I mean, where can you run? But petty theft, especially since the financial downturn around Europe and North America, has been on the rise -- especially in areas, like our little town, where there are more Americans living.

And last night, they thefted us!

It wasn't anything major. They stole clothes off our clothes line, and they took Scrubby's food. Obviously not things I will grieve.

But it still made me really mad! My parents were robbed when I was very young. And when I was in college, they were robbed again. This time, my dad rolled over and there was a man next to his bed going through his pants pockets! But that was South Florida. This was a cozy little island. I was way shocked.

I first realized something was amiss when Sidge came inside from doing his "feed Scrubby" chore and told me he couldn't find Scrubs' food container. We keep his food in a big container in the garage, but each week, we fill it up from the garage and keep it outside where we can get to it easily.

I went outside to look and immediately felt that something wasn't right. My memory from the night before was crystal clear as I had pushed the food container into a corner and said to the boys, "Always keep it away from the edge so Scrubby doesn't knock it over." How could it have just vanished? Sidge, of course, thought it was great fun to go on a search. "It's like a mystery Mom," he kept saying.

It was just about the time that I convinced myself someone had stolen our dog food container and had a conversation with myself about how that was absurd ... who comes into someone's premises and steals dog food? ... that I realized it wasn't just the food.

I realized that there were big gaps on our clothesline. And on the kids' gate I had hung clothes on when I ran out of room on the line. It had been a rainy day and so I had been backed up with clothes. I remembered hanging my nice under armor running pants that Joni gave me for my birthday on the kids' gate. I remembered hanging JB's yellow under armor running shirt. And both were gone. I had used my very last clothespin hanging clothes on the line, and now, there were numerous ones that hung empty.

We'd been robbed!

I emailed JB. I also called Julie, our awesome Portuguese friend who speaks amazing English and asked her if there was anything we should do. She said that reporting it was sort of pointless. But she was mad! I was too. I sent an email to my neighbors and talked to the ones that I didn't have emails for so that everyone could be aware and more alert.

I have to say that I really don't feel unsafe despite this robbery. JB says I am a little too Pollyanna, but I do feel better about the fact that they stole need items instead of want items. There were a lot of other things that they could have taken -- like the kids' bikes and swimming shoes and boots, etc.

But my bubble, which I have loved living in, was popped. And that made me mad. We lived for three years in a condo with a secure entrance in Rochester. Then we lived three years on the Base at Eglin. And then Turkey for two years. We never even locked our doors in Turkey.

Pop. Pop. Pop.

Plans our now in place to make things more secure. To make sure this doesn't happen again. But for now, I just have to grieve my lost pants. And my favorite grey tank top. And other things that I know I'll realize were taken in the days to come.

Pop.

Gabby, God's Little Angel

Gabby, God's Little Angel
ISBN-13: 9781400317158
Publisher: Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date: 9/20/2011
Pages: 32
Age range: 3 – 7 Years

Meet Gabby, created by Sheila Walsh and illustrated by Marina Fedotova, an angel in "guardian angel training." Throughout this colorful twenty-one page book, Gabby goes from training to getting her first assignment: Sophie, a little girl who sure does need a lot of protection.

I received an ecopy of this book from Booksneeze.com in exchange for my fair and honest review. My honest opinion? I'm so sad that this was only an e-book. Even online, it contained so many beautiful illustrations. I could relate to the characters, and I found myself, a grown adult raised in a Christian home, struck by how simply it reminded me that there is a spiritual world, and that there are angels protecting me from harm. I can't wait to get to heaven and see all the "close calls" that never happened.
Of course, critics can debate the biblical validity of a tiny little girl angel. Aren't angels huge and strong? Are they male or female? But the basic premise is one that chidlren and adults alike can cling to. Psalm 91:9, 11 says, "The Lord is your protection ... He has put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go."

And as Gabby said in the pages of this delightful children's book, "I'll be doing all I can to show Sophie just how much God loves her!"

Amen.

Turkish Friends

There will always be something special about the people we were in Turkey with. It's like we understand a code that no one else understands. We can remember our life there without having to explain it.

Randy and Pam arrived on the same rotator to Turkey as we did back in 2010. Over the next two years, we never really hung out with them, but we saw each other all over on Base. We liked to joke that we must be very similar people because we always seemed to be at the same place at the same time. I cannot tell you how many conversations we had with each in the cereal aisle in the Commissary!

How excited we were to learn that Randy & Pam were moving to the Azores just a few weeks ahead of us! They have an adorable little doggie named Zillie and live on Base. Pam is a civilian contractor which means that they aren't actually in the military. Her husband Randy works on Base as well. They are great people, and we had them over for a bbq on Saturday afternoon. Pam is one of those women that kids are just drawn to as you can see from the photos below:

She started playing "Ring around the Rosie" with the boys, and Abigail came over to join in.

When they did "All Fall Down" Abigail didn't know what to make of things and sought comfort with Ms. Pam.

A semi-successful photo!

Sort-of-Hopscotch

Isaac playing his Sort-of-Hopscotch game (which I talk about more as you read below)

We continue to work toward learning a letter each week in our home. I am proud that this activity has carried on, and they we haven't lost steam. We are now on the letter G.

What is even better, is that the boys can use these letters to "tell time." They know that Grampa and Grama K., for instance, will arrive when we are almost done with the letter I.

I want to tell you that don't know me personally what people who do know me personally already know. I am not one of those moms. I am not crafty. I am not obsessed with my children. Everything I do does not revolve around them. My house does not have letters and kid posters plastered everywhere. I don't have a "school room." I don't buy supplies. I don't research things online. This is something I have been doing with next-to-no extra time invested at all.

I was simply convicted. Convicted by the fact that my little boys are, right now, sponges. They are soaking up everything. And it won't always be that way. So instead of putting in "decent" stuff, I wanted to put in "excellent" stuff.

For instance, while we have always kept TV to a minimum (less than an hour a day as a rule), I have been trying to only put things on the TV that are pure. This doesn't mean they are only Christian things. But if I have to say, "Oh, Cruella shouldn't have called that guy an idiot. We shouldn't do that..." then why show it to them. There are plenty of other things that don't require me to preface it. Currently we are watching The Backyardigans, Mickey Mouse ClubHouse, Dora or Diego, and Fireman Sam.

Okay. Digression. My strong suit. Sorry.

Back to the "Letter of the Week" and the picture I posted on the top of the blog. We focus each week on the sound the letter makes and on trying to draw the letter. However, I keep this very casual. I don't force them to do anything. It is all done in fun. They watch videos about their letter on youtube like this one: The Letter G Song. We try to find the letter of the week on stickers we already have and stick them on top of a letter G I drew on a piece of paper. We look for the letter G in books. We draw it in chalk outside. We just try to make it part of our daily life.

I have also just started letting them learn how to use a mouse and the computer (something, it appears, I am way behind on, as all of their same-age friends can navigate around a computer and an IPAD with complete ease by now) with games like this one: Dog's Letter Pit which helps teach letters. I do not want my kids stuck on computer games, but computers are what they will grow up on, so I am trying to make their use of it purely educational at this point.

In addition, we are learning a memory verse for each letter of the week as I wrote about in a past blog post. So far the boys have learned and can say from memory:

• All things work together for the good of those who love Him.
• Be kind one to another.
• Cast all your cares on Him for He cares for you.
• Do unto others as you would like them to do to you.
• Every good and perfect gift is from above.
• For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everylasting life."
• Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever.
• Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding; in all your way acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.
• With God all things are possible.

Yes, I know T & W are not in alphabetical order -- they learned those at another time and so we keep practicing them. What's even better is that I am also practicing my memory verses as I go. I just say the first word, and they say the verse for that letter. And as they say them, I am saying them and hiding His word in my heart. It's awesome!

I have realized that my boys are sponges for only a short time. There is a reason this is the only time of their life that they can learn a second language and not have an accent. So I am hoping to give them all the positive, good, that I can within my limits (not crafty for example) as I can.

The picture at the top of this post shows one of the ways we practice our letters. I have the letter A thru G written in squares of tile on our porch. (We also have the numbers 0-10 as we are practicing all our numbers every week as well.) The boys took one of their "treasure rocks" (pretty stones Daddy bought them when he went to Utah last year) and threw it. If it landed on the letter A, they had to hop to find the other letter A that matched it. They loved it.

Of course, like all things, it lasted about 4 minutes. That's about our limit with a 3-4 year old attention span. In addition, little sister wanted to walk and crawl through the chalk leaving her filthy and the letters smeared. But it was fun while it lasted, and I noticed them playing on their own the next day.

What about you ... my readers. What are some easy, no-cost, no effort ways that you have helped your kids with their ABC's.

P.S. And speaking of readers, I have 199 followers. Can someone pa-lease push me over the 200 mark?

Pretty as a picture

Grampa and Grama K. sent the boys a book on pirates which they loved. I told the boys that I wanted to take a picture of them with the book so they could see the boys with the book. Here is the finished product:

But what that picture does not show was the journey to that photo. Here are the pictures that I took before they finally settled down as said "Cheese" for the camera:

Boats and Planes and more -- oh my!

Only on an island does JB get to see people who are "boating through." But that's exactly what he got to do last week when Greg & Marie -- who live on their boat -- stopped by the Base. As a retired member of the military, Greg is eligible to see JB as a physician. And as his doctor, we were thrilled when Greg and Marie invited us on board their boat -- parked in the Praia marina, just about 15 minutes from our house.

The boys loved seeing the steering wheel and eating chocolate chip muffins below deck. (Although Isaac wasn't too happy that the boat was going to stay parked!) But after about 20 minutes, we got very stir crazy. It was a tiny boat. Hard to believe that this couple has spent decades living in these close quarters together.

Here is a picture of us as we prepared to deboard. You can tell what good spirits everyone is in, can't you?

That's Greg and Marie (and their boat in the background)

And then, after getting to spend the morning on a real, live, working, boat, we headed to the Base for an "Open House." Various planes (and even a helicopter and fire engine!) were parked on the flight line and accepting visitors for tours. What fun that was!

These planes are so huge! They can fly tanks across the world.

The boys had tons of questions for us -- specifically on the fire and breathing "stuff" hanging on the walls. But when they would meat a pilot, they'd refuse to ask any of their questions.

Here is Sidge sitting in the cockpit of one of the planes.

Isaac's turn.

This is the plane that "Mr. Dan" flies (Angelica's husband.) So we were very excited to see one up and close. Man -- I'd be majorly claustrophic in one of these.

After touring for a bit, we got some food and let the boys jump in some jumpy castles for a bit. It was then time for JB to "get to work." Even though it was a Sunday, he had to man the medical tent for a few hours. So we headed home for naps while he tended to any injuries.



Turkey reflections from Sarahbee

Most of my friends from Turkey have now returned to life in the USA. A few moved to different overseas locations. I read my friend Sarahbee's blog post today about her return to America after spending two years in Turkey.

She wrote: Our arrival in Omaha was INCREDIBLE (yep, I cried). It was so good to see our family and friends in person. It was so good to be home. In a weird way, it felt so comfortable and familiar, almost like we'd never left America and Turkey was just a dream. 

It is always so interesting when someone else manages to put into words what you are feeling. Right now, my life in Turkey feels exactly that. It feels a dream. While we still don't live in America and are still in another country, being in Europe is very different from Asia. Things here are very American-like. So much so that I can often forget I am not in the USA. But in Turkey, I never forgot. Life was so very different. I spent two years with some wonderful people. How does it already feel so long ago?

Sarahbee also commented on her return to the luxuries of the USA. This I can still relate to. Remember, where we live now there are no malls. There are no Targets. No WalMarts. No department stores. And there are absolutely ZERO fast-food restaurants. (We are actually happy about this. It forces you to not take the easy way out when it comes to making dinner.)

Me with three of my dearest Turkey friends: Sarahbee, Stebbins, and Rana

I remember going home for a visit earlier this year. Sarahbee's experience was exactly my experience. She writes:

My first several trips to Target were overwhelming. Literally, the amount of options made me feel dizzy and tired. The lights were so bright. There were so many people. Instead of 5 options for mascara, there were 35. I stood in the make-up aisle with eyes glazed over. Overwhelmed, I almost left empty handed, I just had to make a run for it. Then, last minute, I just despertately grabbed one and quickly left. When did shopping at Target become so stressful?!

I've also felt that way at Hy-Vee, our local grocery store. I froze in front of the massive wall of coffee creamers. America must've invented 75 new creamer flavors while I was overseas! I commented to the woman next to me "There are too many choices! It's stressful!"
She stared blankly at me, laughed politely, grabbed her creamer and left quickly. I thought about explaining "Wait...it's because I lived in Turkey..." but then decided to just let her go.

It does seem like a dream. How I long to sit with my Turkish girlfriends again, like old times ... and yet how glad I am for a new direction for our life. We shared something precious; something only we could ever understand. To all of my Turkish girlfriends -- I love you. I  miss you. I look forward to hugging you again soon.

Friday Funnies (Fighting-Style)

The boys are fighitng nearly constantly. As much as they play together, they fight together. Some of it makes us smile. Here are some examples:
*****
The boys are playing together in the"train" room -- our formal dining room where we leave trains and cars set up to play. I am watching the women's olympic triathalon in the other room. Suddenly, Sidge appears:
Sidge: "Mommy, Isaac just hit me hard."
Me: "Okay, could you please tell Isaac to come here?"
Sidge leaves the room to tell Isaac I want to speak to him. Sidge returns solo.
Sidge: "He isn't going to come."
I then call Isaac and tell him to come. He appears.
Me: "Why didn't you come when Sidge told you to come?'
Isaac: "Mommy, Sidge told me you were going to take me to jail."
Me: "Sidge, is that what you told him?"
When Sidge confirmed that he had in fact told Isaac that I was going to send him to jail, I sent Sidge to time-out. I then turned to Isaac.
Me: "Sidge should not have told you that. That was a lie. But did you hit him?"
Isaac: "Yes. But that was because he told me I couldn't use his trailer until Grama and Grampa K. got here. And that's a really long time."
*****
The boys were upstairs playing in their "kitchen." (We've converted part of the built-in bar area into a kitchen they can play in.) I was downstairs. I heard Isaac crying and walked over to the bottom of the stairs to see what was wrong. He was standing at the top.
Isaac: "I hurt myself Mommy."
Me: "How?"
Isaac: "My kitchen hurt me."
Me: "Oh, I'm sorry. But you aren't crying anymore. So are you okay?"
Isaac: "No, I'm not. That willy hurt."
At this point Sidge joins him at the top of the stairs and says, "He hurt hisself Mommy. But I didn't even laugh." I told him how proud I was of him. We've been working on teaching the boys to encourage their brother not laugh at them when they are hurt.
Me: "That's good Sidge. I'm proud of you."
Sidge: "But I smiled just a little bit."
Isaac: "Yeah and I don't want you to smile at me when I get hurt."
Sidge: "Yeah but I didn't laugh."

Chik-Fil-A

I must speak up on the Chik-Fil-A debate which is an incredibly hot topic in the media right now. I must speak up to get some things off my chest as my chest is feeling the weight of this big debate. Feel free to comment back, but please be kind, and please sign your name. If I am posting under my name, it is only fair if you comment back boldly as well.

So let me say this is as succinctly as I can.

Firstly, I think it is incredibly important that we not start fighting the issue of homosexuality or marriage equality coupled with Dan Cathy's comment regarding homosexual marriage. You can read about my views on homosexuality (and the bullying that often accompanies it) by clicking here. However, we must keep in focus that marriage equality is not what this debate is about.

This debate is about the fact that no one should be punished for their words. That is what Freedom of Speech is all about. I grow incredibly concerned -- downright nervous -- when the words of a Christian are squashed down so severely. When mayors say that Chik-Fil-A is not welcome in their city, I become fearful for what may happen to me as a Christian in years to come. There are so many businesses doing things in cities across America that I do not agree with. And yet, they have not been forced out of their community. Christians shouldn't be either.

I was incredibly relieved when the senior attorney for the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) supported Chik-Fil-A and that basic American freedom. The fact that the ACLU strongly supports sam-sex marriage and spoke up against cities outlawing Chik-Fil-A's presence speaks volumes.

"The government can regulate discrimination in employment or against customers, but what the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words,” Adam Schwartz, senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, told Fox News. “When an alderman refuses to allow a business to open because its owner has expressed a viewpoint the government disagrees with, the government is practicing viewpoint discrimination."

Here's the facts. Chik-Fil-A President Dan Cathy spoke out against sam-sex marriage. And thank goodness legal experts said the cities’ push to stop Chick-fil-A doesn’t stand a chance because barring Chick-fil-A over the personal views of its owner is an “open and shut” discrimination case.

The reason ACLU is in support of Chik-Fil-A in this instance? Well, the ACLU “strongly supports” same-sex marriage, but they also said that if a government can exclude a business for being against same-sex marriage, it can also exclude a business for being in support of same-sex marriage. I agree wholeheartedly!

“... we also support the First Amendment,” Schwartz went on to say. “We don’t think the government should exclude Chick-fil-A because of the anti-LGBT message. We believe this is clear cut.”

There are many organizations who support things I don't want to support. Sears was selling hard core pornography. I don't want that in my neighborhood. But the truth is, Freedom of Speech means that they can say what they want. And I, in return, can not shop there.

If you disagree with Danny Cathy, you have the right to not eat at Chik-Fil-A. However, for a Mayor to say that organization is not welcome in their town is scary when it apperas it is only Christianity that is facing this type of discrimination.
Hostility toward religion is a the forefront of our world. In January new rules requiring faith-based service ministries and charities to offer their employees health insurance covering contraception and abortion-inducing drugs was introduced.

The Hosanna-Tabor case, which was shot down by the Supreme Court 9-0, stood to force churches to not discriminate who they hired as preachers. Can you imagine being forced to hire a minister who isn't even a Christian simply because they can't discriminate.

And, of course, it is imperative we remember that we have the right to vote. We have the right to vhoice our opinions. However, we never have the right to bully or to hate -- ever. As I mentioned in my previous post on this topic, I believe homosexuality is outside of God's intent for our lives. However, I have had many friends who are homosexual -- and two different friends who took the time to sit down and talk with JB and me about it because they knew we would always love them. Chrsitians who spew hate are sinners. It needs to stop.

And so does the attack on Christians.

Thanks for listening. Again, it is okay if you do not agree with me, but please be kind in your responses as I have attempted to be in my post.

The Portuguese

We've been here just over two months. And in two months I've gained some insight into this culture. Into these people. Into the way they do things. Here are some facts which now appear to be true about the people and culture of these people. Obviously they are stereotypes. And I might look back a year from now and realize I "got it" wrong. But as of today, this is how the culture looks to me.

• They are passionate. Incredibly. They will self-describe themselves as pretty-darn-close-to-the-Italians. I cannot tell you how many times I observe two men having a conversation. It appears to me that they are arguing. That someone is going to start throwing fists. Only to see them hug and slap each other's back a few minutes later. I watched our Portuguese friend Julie chew out her granddaughter and brothers only to be laughing with them a few minutes later.
• The women are incredibly big busted. Sorry. Not sure how else to say it. The norm is a large bust. And a bust that is not usually properly supported. Many times the ginormousness of it leaves you almost speechless. 
• There is more obesity here than there was in Turkey for sure. I haven't been back in the USA in too many years to say how it compares to the USA. In general though, the diet here seems very rich in potatos and meat and beans, and the people seem to have a much higher incidence of obesity. Although when I looked up rates by country on this website it appears that Turkey and Portugal are very similar, and the USA leaves them both in the dust. Maybe that's because in Turkey people wore a lot more clothes than they do here.
• Clothing choices are very tourist-town like. I don't see all-out slutty attire, but you can wear whatever you want whenever you want. There really aren't any dress-code rules.
• Body image seems to be very healthy here. People do not seem shy about their bodies. At the beach you will see people of all shapes and sizes in bikinis. And they don't seem to care. And they obviously haven't had plastic surgery.
• Children are loved quite a lot here -- almost similar to Turkey. I'm not sure if it is babies or girls but Abigail definitely gets more attention. My friend Jenn, who also has a one-year-old daughter, just got back from a trip to the USA where she said she could tell her daughter felt ignored when they went out. As if to say, "Hey, where's all that attention that I get so frequently back on the island?" Here, everywhere we go, Abigail gets way more attention then she wants. 
• Bull ... are ... awesome. At least that's how the Portuguese think about it. Nearly everything they do involves bulls. We have been here two months and have been to four events already involving bulls. Our friends Carlos and Julie (Carlos does our lawn and Julie babysits) had us over to watch a bull fight from the safety of their porch. Julie's cousin Hite (our housekeeper) had us over last night to watch a different fight. It's their major social event.
• Things start late! And I mean very late. For example, they are having a children's parade on Thursday. And it starts at 9:30pm! Shaggy (the singer) is coming to the island to perform during Praia fest (a big festival held in one of the towns). He is starting his concert at one in the morning.
• Food is for the taking. I can't tell you how many times you see people looking for seafood amongst the volcanic rocks that make up this island. People are constantly collecting items to eat or cook with or give to their animals. Limpets and crab are for the taking. In addition, you can go out and snorkelf or seafood anytime you want and anywhere you want. JB is really hoping to take up spear fishing.
• Drivers aren't cautious. Forget me being on the side of the road with three little kids. Why slow down? I feel that the Portuguese are overly confident in their ability to navigate. They feel in control. Even on the very narrow roads and the very tight parking lots.
• Friendly. Most Portuguese seem eagerto make friends with Americans and include them in their social circles. Already it seems that most of our social calendar will be filled with our Portuguese and Americans alike.
• Being outside is preferrable. When the weather is good, people are going to eat outside. The beach will be covered with Portuguese bodies when it's nice outside.
• Driers are unnecessary. Hanging clothes is the way to go. I've been doing it 100%. For one because our dryer hasn't been working well. And for two, it's a way to save money.
• The gas man comes quick. When we don't have hot water, we call a number, and a man shows up at our house. He has a truck. He takes away our two gas tanks and gives us two new ones, and we pay him in Euros right on the spot.
• Dogs are the best security. Nearly everyone has a dog. They have warning signs outside their houses. They are used to keep the bad guys out. Lately there has been some petty theft on the island -- mostly of Americans' homes. I hear they have sprayed the dogs with something to help them fall asleep.
• The front door is the gate. I still can't figure out how this works. In order for someone to knock on our door, they have to come in through our front gate. So what is the front door? I often see people wandering around our driveway. Good thign for them Scrubby barks when they are outside but just licks them to pieces when they come inside.
• Peanut butter is expensive. And I mean very expensive. Hita and Julie have both asked me to pick up a big jar of peanut butter at the store. And we are allowed to do that here. (In Turkey, we weren't allowed to buy any products for the Turks -- it was against the law.) I can see why they ask me. A tiny jar of peanut butter (and by tiny I mean -- like two pieces of toast worth) is about $4USD, while I can buy a huge jar for $5USD. Otherwise, their grocery store looks pretty similar to our grocery stores. You can't read the labels, but you can find most anything you need.
• Soccer is the most popular sport -- other than bull fighting of course.
• Wealth varries. You can see a lot of huge houses and a lot of very modest homes.
• A lot of people speak English. While I hope to learn Portuguese, I barely feel that I need it.

Technology and the grown-ups

This photo, which stumbled its way into my life through the sharing abilities of Facebook, really made me laugh.

I first used the Internet in 1995 -- my first year of college. It wasn't until 1998 that I began emailing regularly. I never had a computer in my house while I was growing up. This means that I spent 18 years of my life void of technology. Sure we had some computers at school. But they were a "treat" ... not something that we did frequently. My Dad had a computer in his office. Because I loved to write, I would sit and type on that thing for hours and hours. But that's about as far as technology and I travelled.

We got our first microwave oven when I was in junior high school. I remember our TV used to have a remote connected to the TV with a cord. I also remember that my Dad used to borrow the school's VCR on weekends so that we could watch a movie on VHS at home. VCR's were very expensive.

We had a black and white TV when I was really young. (I remember because we had an argument about the fact that my dad wanted to watch basketball on the color TV and have us kids watch The Wizard of Oz on the black and white TV. "You can't watch The Wizard of Oz in black and white," I remember my Mom saying to our defense.)

But still -- while I wasn't on the computer as a child, I have had one in my home for about 15 years of my 35.

Now imagine our parents! They didn't get on a computer until they were in their thirties! Can you imagine? Talk about a total life-changing event.

I say all this to say that we should all have extra patience. We should all have extra grace when we are talking them through how to get on Skype. How to save a file. How to print a paper.

And we also need to remember that our children (my boys have recently learned how to use a mouse) will majorly be doing the same thing to us as we age. Get ready for it!