This was the first time we had half of the guests at a birthday party telecommuting. It's pretty funny with Nina, Pops and GG trying to sing along. With the delay in the sound over the Internet, we were all pretty off.
Since it is was only just his second birthday and we did just move here, we decided to celebrate Micaiah's birthday at home with just the four of us. Orin and Micaiah LOVED helping to make the cupcakes (although not as much as they loved eating them). We at 6 of the 24 so if anyone wants cupcakes, I've got plenty - come on over! I can't believe that my youngest child is now two - where did my babies go?
Birthday Breakfast
What great helpers!
You gotta lick the beaters!
Blowing out the candles and then clapping when he finally did it (with a little help from daddy I think)
First bite. He ate two cupcakes plus ice cream.
Ok, yes, we've been here for almost 2 weeks, but now that we're settled I finally have a chance to write. The commissioning in VA was wonderful. Damien and I both got a little emotional. I guess it was just the culmination of two years of work, prayer and anticipation. We spent a week visiting with partners, packing and organizing. We were so blessed to have Damien's sister Christina fly up to help watch the kids. We packed everything up and left VA on August 31st. We drove about 6 hours south to Morehead City, North Carolin to visit my brother Aaron for a few days. We just hung around on Labor Day and had a cook-out. We spent two days at the beach. The first day we went out on his catamaran. We had a ton of fun until the end of the day when we were about to come back in. We were close to the intercoastal which lead out to the ocean. Suddenly we lost our wind and started getting sucked out into the ocean. The water was pretty rough and one side of the boat was taking on water. I was getting a little nervous as we were getting farther and farther out. We all had life vests on but still...with the current so strong there was no way we could have swam to shore. Thankfully there were still some boats out. We were able to flag one down and have them pull us into shore. They even let us get on their boat since half of ours was underwater from taking on so much water. From North Carolina we had two long days of driving. The first day we were on the road for about 12 hours. Birmingham was about half way so we stopped and stayed the night with some friends. We were up early the next morning to drive the additional 12 hours to Dallas. We stopped in Ruston, LA to meet up with my mom and Emily who joined our "caravan" and then in Shreveport, LA to meet up with Christina's husband Rob. We were hoping to be able to pick up our car from the shop while we were there but ironically, when the glass shop received the new window to install in our car, it was broken! We got to Dallas around 9pm on Friday. I was really excited and a little anxious to see our apartment. We hadn't been able to see it so we had no idea what it would be like. I was relieved and happy when we walked in. Even though it's an old apartment, there was new carpet and new vinyl in the kitchen and bathrooms. So it totally feels clean (and that's the most important part for me). The kitchen opens to the living room (something I've always wanted) and there is a separate laundry room. Even better is that there is an extra room (a den) that I wasn't expecting. It looks like they added it onto the porch area because between the living room and den there are windows. It's pretty funny. I think I have more closet space here than anywhere I've ever lived which is surprising since the apartments are over 35 years old. We actually have a friend from VA who grew up as a Wycliffe MK whose parents lived in the apartment next door when she was born. After living with other people for almost two years, it's been almost strange to just have our family here. But it's been SO nice. Damien's happy to not have to wear shorts all of the time and I think the kids really are excited that it's OUR house. For the past two years we've lived at "Joshua's house", "Mimie's house", "Nina and Pop's house" or "Skye's house." Orin loves calling it "our" house. As well as saying "my room." The center (which is called the "International Linguistic Center") has tons of trees and plenty of place to walk around with the kids. There is a preschool on the center, right across the street from our apartment. It's only open in the morning until 12:45pm, so we can use the huge outside play area any time after that. Orin will be starting preschool in the 3 year old class. He's so excited although sometimes he says, "You're coming to school with me mom, right?" The preschool is licensed by the state and it looks like they do a lot of great activities. Today I took Orin for his check-up (which is required before starting). Micaiah was also due for his two year check-up. There is a clinic right on the center. We actually wal
ked to it! They can write prescr
iptions, and do physicals. It's awesome. Orin wasn't excited go (he thought he would have to get shots even though I told him he wouldn't). He kept telling everyone there that he wasn't sick. He kept the Doctor on his toes by talking nonstop and asking him questions such as, "What is your favorite color," "Where is your house," "What is that?" I do have to take the kids somewhere else for vaccinations, but that's no big deal. Damien started working on Monday. It takes him about 3 minutes to walk to his building. He is really excited about some of the projects he might get to work on. The hardest part for him is going from being the "expert" which he was in his old job, to being the new person who doesn't know anything about what is going on. Other things we've done since driving here is drive to Monroe, LA to pick up or car, drive it back to Dallas and put it into a body shop, get all of our DMV stuff done, found a good ice cream shop, put our extra furniture in storage (our apartment is furnished), and unpack the house! I've so enjoyed having my own kitchen again. We made homemade ice cream last night, I've got bread cooking in the bread machine right now, and we're looking forward to making Micaiah's birthday cake tomorrow. It still hasn't settled in yet that we're actual missionaries. I have a feeling that it may not happen until we go overseas. Because we're a non-profit, grocery stores can donate their extra food to us and can write it off. So in the mornings they come and give out food (mostly bread, fruit, and vegetables). I just need to get on the ball and get out of bed to make it in time. I know there is more to write about, but this is probably already too long. Everyone may have stopped reading by now anyway I should end here. God has really blessed us and we're so happy to be here - finally!
I really don't like church shopping. I feel like for most of my adulthood we've been looking for a church. First of all, you have all of the weeks and months it takes to find the church you want to attend. Then there are months if not years of just getting to know people (all of those uncomfortable hello's and conversations) and figuring out which ministries to get involved in, etc... In college, we had one that we liked but it was 45 minutes away and, being college students, often slept later and attended one that was closer. For the two years we lived in Tucson we never found a church that we really liked. When we moved to Virginia, it took three months before we found Immanuel Bible Church. We liked it and attended for about two years, but even after getting involved in ministries, it never really felt like "home". It wasn't until we started going to RBC three and a half years ago that we truly felt settled. And although RBC will always be a huge part of our lives as our sending church, we're again back to "shopping." Today tried Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. It is one of the MANY mega churches in the Dallas area. As we were walking Orin and Micaiah over to the children's center Orin got excited and asked "Are we going to the airport!" We laughed and said no and then he said, "Are we going to the pool?" (It looked like the Rec Center we went to in VA). When they went into their different classes, we were told they would be together during their worship time, a puppet show, and on the playground. Wow, we figured they would be rushing to get all of that done. By the end of the service, we knew how they fit all of it in. It lasted 2 1/2 hours! I definitely think that was the longest service we'd ever been to - and we've been to a lot of churches. Not sure yet if we'll go back . I think there are about 7,000 members which is pretty big. There are a lot of churches to try and I just wish we didn't have to do it. Oh well, God will lead us to the church for us - I just hope it's sooner than later.
When we walked in we laughed at the old (really old) TV and antenna . And since we aren't going to get Cable, we figured it was pretty important to have a good antenna. Well, Damien as tried three different new antennas and so far, none have worked as well as the old one.
Speaking of old, our dryer is ancient. I'll bet a collector would like to have this antique. I tried to find out on the Internet when it was made but there aren't many ways to do it other than to call Sears and ask them. It actually works GREAT and I'm thankful to have it.
Isn't everything supposed to be bigger in Texas?...maybe they meant to say everything is more difficult. Well, at least when it comes to registering your car and getting a Driver's License. This is the 5th state I've lived in and this was definitely the most difficult and time-consuming. First of all, you have to go to two different places to get your driver's license and car registration - there is not such thing as the DMV. In order to get your DL, you first have to get your car registered. And you can't register your car until you get an inspection. Sounds easy enough. Since the Mazda is in Monroe, LA, were just going to register the Elantra so that we could get a DL and go back with the Mazda later. When we get to the Tax Office - which strangely enough is where you register your car - there is a form that clearly states that "if your car is in another state you can register it by saying that you've inspected the car and it is in good condition." Another form says the same thing. So after standing in line for about 20 minutes we decided to get out and run home (30 min round trip) to get the title of the Mazda so we can register it too. Well, finally it's our turn to register and the woman comes back and tells us that the supervisor told her it was just for students and military. We had filled out multiple forms and nothing stated that on them. Damien talks to the supervisor who refuses to really "talk" about it and in the end just says that the forms must be wrong. We still want to look up the code to read more about it. Anyway, so at least we got the Elantra registered so we could get our DL. We head to the Department of Public Safety (which is where you get your DL). We go through the line where they check to make sure you have the correct documents. The lady asks about our insurance coverage. (how much liability per accident, person or bodily injury). Well, we have no idea. All it said was that we had to have proof of insurance. In all the times we've had to have proof in insurance, we've never had to say "how much" before. So they won't let us through until we can prove we have enough. So we head back home - another 30 minute round trip drive. I find the explanation of coverage. Unfortunately, it's for the Sept 12-Mar. 12 months - I guess in the moving I never filed the one for Mar-Sept - so we're just praying they don't notice that it's not quite the right dates. Fifteen more minutes in line and the document checker woman lets us through. Twenty more minutes of waiting and we're both at the counters to get our DL. Yea. I go through the entire process and right at the end the woman says "I'll be right back." Great, this can't be good. Five minutes later she comes back with a police officer - who ends up just being her supervisor. He asks me about my Birth Certificate. It is a pretty bad copy but it has a raised seal and more importantly, it's the one I've used for EVERYTHING since I was born. In face, I had just used it about three months ago when I got a Louisiana DL without any proof of insurance or my car being registered in LA. Anyway, after talking for a couple of minutes he tells me they won't accept it and I'll have to order another one from LA and come back. AHHH. I came close to crying and somehow made it out without being rude. Obviously a Birth Certificate that has worked in 4 other states as well as for the federal government to get both a personal and diplomatic passport (as well as identification for a background investigation) isn't good enough for Texas. I go to the car to wait for Damien to finish - also so everyone won't see me tear up - for some reason I always get emotional in the situations. I'm looking at the form I'd filled out and I notice something about a passport. Duh, you can use a passport for identification too - why didn't anyone ask me about that? So I run back in, stand in line again, and ask if I can use a passport instead of a birth certificate. So I run home (another 30 minutes) drop Damien off and grab my passport, and make it back by 4:45pm (they close at 5pm). Show my passport (again to the document checker person), get a number and wait another 20 minutes. Finally to the front and ironically get the same woman I did the first time. The police man was still there and seemed happy that I was able to work it out - although he did suggest I still order a new birth certificate. I was tempted to tell them that I used that same birth certificate to get the passport I was showing them right now, but I'm not much of a trouble-maker. The woman said she didn't ask about the passport because people usually get offended as if she's questioning their citizenship. That seemed silly. Of course, I was the last person in there. But I had my DL (or at least the temporary one until they send mine in the mail). Then I was off to to the grocery store to finally do some real shopping - boy, talk about pricey when you have nothing in your pantry or fridge!
Yesterday I had another long day of driving. My mom took me to Monroe to pick up our car. We had hoped it would be ready last Friday as we were driving through, but ironically, when the glass store received the new window that they were going to put in, it was somehow already shattered. They wouldn't be able to get a new piece until Monday or Tuesday. It was ready Monday evenings so we drove the 4 hours to Monroe (plus an additional 45 minutes for lunch with Ryan) and got the car. The windows look good - at least like they did before. I drove another 4+ hours back (got stuck in traffic this time) and got home around 9pm. Today I'm going to take it to get inspected (so we can register it) and then to the body shop to repair the dent from the branch. We still have some other errands to do and changes to make, but I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Most of the boxes are unpacked. We're home - at least for now.
The only thing worse than your car being damaged when you left it in New Orleans during a hurricane is evacuating it 5 hours away (technically 8 because of traffic) and it being damaged there - when it probably would have been fine in New Orleans. Even worse is not actually being there and wondering if you could have prevented it - and on top of that feeling bad that other people have to deal with the mess. As hurricane Gustav began to present a danger to New Orleans, we were flying to VA to pack up the rest of our belongs (about 1/3 of what we own we had moved to New Orleans when we lived there for 4 1/2 months). If you've ever evacuated from a hurricane, you know that the most important things to take are the sentimental things - those that can't be replaced. It's a stressful time as people have to determine what those items are, pack them up, board up their house, find a place to stay, and fight traffic to get there. So you can imagine how bad we felt that on top of that, they had to worry about taking a few of our belongings that we wouldn't want destroyed (mainly our computer, our filing cabinet with important papers, my baby books & calendars and baby boxes that have special memory items such hospital bracelets, foot prints, etc... as well as a few other small items). Uncle Rob and my dad were wonderful to pack up these things into our car. My parents took it with them up to Monroe, LA - the rest of our "stuff" left in New Orleans. If it was destroyed I was emotionally ready (I think) that it wouldn't be a big deal - God would provide more if we needed - it's just "stuff". The storm hit early Monday morning - thankfully weaker than expected and New Orleans was spared for the most part. Although you don't hear much about the people just west of New Orleans who did get hit and have a long recovery ahead of them. Anyway, all that to say, I was already feeling bad about the extra work our families had to do to evacuate our things. So when my dad called Tuesday morning, I was shocked when he said that some tree limbs had fallen on our car putting a large dent in the side above the window and completely shattering the back window. Since it was raining at the time water got in the back as well as broken glass all in the car. So for about 30 seconds I was feeling sorry for myself. I don't think it was much because of the car being messed up, but because of the extra work it would be during our move. But then I came to my senses and remembered God was in control and everything would work it. And from that point on, we've been amazed at how many people have worked to get it fixed. Our insurance agent at first said that it could be weeks before it could even get looked at, but about 6 hours later my dad called and said the B family who's house they were staying at when it happened had a friend who was a State Farm agent. They took it to the agent, who opened the claim and estimated the amount of price for the damage. They then took it to a glass shop down the street. They ordered the class on Tuesday, and amazingly it might be ready tomorrow (Friday). Even more amazing is that we drive right through Monroe on Friday on our way to Dallas. If everything works out we may be able to stop and pick up our car on our way. Otherwise, we'll have to drive back from Dallas next week sometime. Once we get to Dallas we'll find a shop to fix the body damage. For having the extent of damage that we did, we've been blessed at how people have helpped and worked to get it fixed.
I can't believe how quickly this summer has flown by. August 3rd marked four month living New Orleans! We've had such an amazing time. Orin and Micaiah have fallen in love with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I don't know how we're going to be able to leave. We got a glimpse of what it would be like to live near family all of the time. How nice it would be to have that constant support - the ready-made relationships. But the time is coming to an end. It's sad and exciting at the same time. We're finally going to be taking our first assignment as missionaries. August 9th marked two years since we were accepted as Wycliffe members. Two years! Boy, I can't believe that we've been "preparing" for so long. When we first were called into full-time missions we of course wanted to start right away. But after two years of training and raising prayer partners and financial supporters we fully understand why God allowed us to go through everything we have the past 24 months. We are even more committed to the ministry we will be doing and realize to a deeper extent what it means to trust God. There were definitely a few times where I wondered (and worried) if we were ever going to have the full support we needed to begin working. Luckily I have a husband who kept me grounded in those times and reminded me that God is faithful and that it will work out in His time and in His way. We don't know what God has in store for us during the next few years - we know what we feel that he has given us a heart for and what we "hope" will happen - but it's comforting to know that whatever it is, it's the plan God has for us. I'm just excited to live it! Right now we are back in Virginia to be commissioned by our church tomorrow. Most missionaries are "commissioned" which is comparable to a minister who is "ordained." Our church will commit to praying for us and supporting us in many ways. We are so incredibly blessed to have our sending church be a part of our lives and ministry. After commissioning we'll pack up the rest of our belongings and drive back to New Orleans (with a short stop in North Carolina to visit my brother) to pick up the few things we have here and on to Dallas hopefully by September 8th. Our monthly support is at about 97% so that combined with the one time gifts over the past year averaged to 100%. I'm definitely using every bit of "faith" I have to not worry about what will happen if people decide they can't continue their financial support. God will take care of us. In about an hour we'll leave for the Saturday night service at the church. We have to attend all three services this weekend so it will be interesting to hear the same sermon that many times. I'm sort of curious how it will change each time he preaches. We have a busy week this week. Three shepherd groups to attend, meeting with our old couples Bible Study, a play date, commissioning, going through all of our "stuff" trying to get rid of as much as possible and of course, packing and moving. Luckily we have Aunt Christina who will be coming up to help! We haven't started off very well as Micaiah and Orin both have fevers and Micaiah woke up at 4am throwing up everywhere. Luckily after about an hour it subsided and it seems to be done.
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Ok, 
yes t
hat is a dorky name. But when we were researching where to vacation, we looked at the hotels rated high on trip advisor. The caves was actually the #1 rated. But we also wanted to go to a typical beach resort with an actual beach. So we spent two nights at the caves and yesterday came over here to Couples Swept Away. The rest of our time at the caves was wonderful. It would have been nice to stay longer. We spent our last morning there eating a typical Jamaican breakfast and jumping off of the cliffs one last time. Once we checked out, we were driven the 15 minutes to Couples Swept Away. This resort seems huge compared to the other one (over 200 rooms compared to 10 at The Caves.) The room is very nice - more hotel like with a TV, air conditioner and inside shower. Plus a lot less bugs . :-) The grounds are very lush and we're on the third floor o
f a small building overlooking the ocean. There are 5 restaurants here that have food throughout the day. Lots of free activities too. Little huts are all over that serve drinks any time you want. Yesterday when we got here was was raining and it didn't stop until evening so we hung out in the room and on the balcony. We had dinner at "The Palms". A live Reggae band played while we ate. We're both really enjoying the culture and food of Jamaica. It's a neat little country and it's been fun to learn about it's history and people. Today the weather has been beautiful. After a late breakfast this morning we went to the beach. The water is clear and gorgeous. I kept putting sunscreen on but still got a little burnt - not too bad though.
The food and service here is good but unfortunately can't be compared to how wonderful it was at the caves. Tomorrow we're going snorkeling and on a Catamaran cruise. It's our last full day here so we're going to enjoy every minute! We're off to walk along the beach. Most of Jamaica doesn't actually have sand and beach but our resort is set on a 7-mile stretch.
Here I am sitting on our balcony overlooking the beautiful water off of the coast of 
Our driver was pretty good and only gave me a few scares. The place we’re staying now is called “The Caves” and it is breathtaking. The resort is built at the edge of cliffs. There are caves that go underneath the resort where you can hear the waves crashing. There are only seven little hut-like buildings – enough for about 12 couples. We’re in a two story bungalow. Our bed is upstairs with a balcony that goes right to the edge of the cliffs. Our only shower is outside (well hidden of course). There is no air conditioner and the windows are just slats that we can close –sort of – at night to keep out the insects. We have a mosquito net around the bed which we used last night while we slept. It’s actually pretty cool here – although a bit humid – we were comfortable with the two fans in the room. With no TV or working phone, we definitely feel secluded. Our cell phone actually has service but it’s $1.99/min so we won’t be using it much. Along the edge of the cliffs are “diving” points specifically made to jump into the water. It’s hard to
say how high they are. We jumped off of about a 30 foot one this morning. This place is relaxing. We did have a bit of excitement last night. As we walked back from dinner to our room, we could hear footsteps on the upper floor. The person must have heard us because we heard him running down the stairs. He hopped out of the back window and Damien sort of followed him around to try to get a good look at him (which he did not). We were a little confused at first but went to the office and got security. When we went upstairs we found that our camera bag and been opened and gone through as well as pockets in our suitcase. There is a small safe in our room and as we were leav
ing for dinner and had put our wallets, passports and camera in it. I’ve never used a hotel safe before and the only reason I did was because the place is so open I knew anyone could easily get in…I was mostly thinking of other guests or something. But I’m so glad I did. The management came over and spoke to us and called the police to file a report. We never got a good look at the person or what he was wearing so we weren’t much help. They handled it really well and seemed pretty shocked by it. They said the resort has been here ten years and it’s never happened. I was definitely a little scared and they offered to move us to another room. I was all for that but the place is entirely full. So they put a security guard outside our bungalow all night. Today the owner was here and talked to us about it too. I’m feeling much more comfortable today and really feel like it was an isolated thing 
– someone just looking for some money or something. We’re really enjoying the amazing authentic Jamaican food and service – the people are so nice and because it’s such a small place they all know your name. It seems like there are three employees per one guest. Tonight we have a reservation for private time in the hot tub inside one of the caves, as well as a private dinner. There is a little club next door that has live reggae music most of the day which we can hear from our balcony. This is such a cool place place!
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