Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Today it is RAINING. Let me paint a picture for you: Matt worked this morning so I had to get the girls to school by myself. Eden is all bundled and strapped into her stroller which is covered in a nice plastic bubble. Attached to the stroller is a step with wheels on it that Isa rides on. Abigail is walking with her little rainbow umbrella and rain boots. I am pushing the stroller with one hand and clutching an umbrella with the other trying to keep Isa and myself dry.

While my backside is getting wet because of the way I have to hunch over to get enough leverage to get some momentum, my boot-cut jeans are getting soaked through up to the knees. It is at this point that I begin pondering the practicality of the fashion trend I have yet to adopt: tucking your jeans into your boots. I am of the opinion that this only makes my post-baby hips look even hippier (not hip-er) so I continue to wear my jeans outside my boots in that oh-so-two-years-ago way.

Anyway, about halfway to school is stops raining and starts POURING. Here we either all start whining and crying (yes, myself included) or we choose to make the best of it. Today I had the strength to choose to laugh (believe me there are days, when I don't) and we all ended up shouting at the top of our lungs the song, "Rain, rain, go away. Come again another day! Rain, rain, go away! Abigail and Isa and Eden and Mommy want to play!" In that moment our singing didn't make the rain go away, but it did make me feel better.

Later this morning I switched out with Matt at the café and after three teas I'm warming up and serving hot beverages to all the brave souls who've been out in this weather. Most days the rain doesn't really bother me, but today when one of Isa's teachers greeted me and said that the weather today was a horror, I looked down at my baby-under-the-bubble, felt the cold wet denim around my calves and agreed.

SAVE DARFUR

since 2003:

400,000 dead

2,000,000 forced from their homes

3,500,000 dependant on international aid just to survive

I know I don't often get political on my blog, but knowing that genocide is going unchecked as I'm still digesting Thanksgiving lefotvers made me a little ill. Read on:

SaveDarfur.org has a post called "Background" that's worth checking out...

Darfur has been embroiled in a deadly conflict for over three years. At least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million innocent civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring Chad; and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely reliant on international aid for survival. Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a calculated campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, and mass slaughter...

Check out the site and sign the petition to ask Secretary-General Kofi Annan of the U.N. and Prestident George Bush to deploy already approved peacekeeping forces and strengthen international aid to save lives.

Photo Story

I just figured how to upload video to myspace, so I added our latest Photo Story to my myspace page for anyone who wants to check it out. Have fun!

inspiring

This past Sunday Matt ran in his first race. He's been jogging pretty regularly ever since college and lately he's really stepped it up. So when a few weeks ago a friend mentioned that she'd be running in the local 13K Matt decided to join the 6000 other runners as well. Here are some cool shots of him the local paper took during the final km that winds through the old city - he's in images 12-15.

It was a long and hilly route and I am really proud of Matt for running and finishing well. We had such a fun morning cheering him on along with all the other runners. Abigail and Isa loved yelling and screaming to help their Daddy run faster. I was inspired myself to go for a jog later that afternoon. (Since I've only worked out twice since Eden was born, running in the race myself didn't seem like such a good idea - maybe next year!)

This is a picture I took of Eden at two months. She's a chunky, happy, smiley, pleasant baby. It must be from the constant attention and lovin' she gets from her two older sisters.  

an advocate

I love living in Spain, but being a foreigner here I frequently find myself feeling a little lost - like when I don't get the punchline of a joke yet I smile and chuckle anyway, or when I think about choosing a school for Abigail in two years: private or public, Catholic or not, more gallego or less gallego. . . but the place where I feel the most out of sorts is anything involving the government. Mostly because it is a completely different system, and then we're foreigners in this completely different system and so the processes we go through are different those of our Spanish friends. And then to top it all off, all of the official government publications here in Galicia are in Gallego. Legalese is intimidating for me in English, pretty complicated for me in Spanish and near indecipherable in Gallego. All of this adds up to a certain level of anxiety for me whenever I have dealings with the government and ultimately makes me want to avoid it whenever we can. Plus, I have this neurotic fear that if we totally screw up our paperwork that we'll get kicked out of Spain.

Which leads me up to last week. We've been in Spain for over 5 years and still had some unanswered questions about living here as foreigners. Somehow some of our questions came up in conversation with my good friend Betty and last week she went with me to speak to a lawyer for foreigners who could actually answer my questions. And since then she has traipsed all over the city with me the past four mornings from office to office providing moral support as I collected information and filled out forms.

We didn't do anything that I couldn't have done on my own, except that I couldn't have done it on my own. I would have gotten frustrated and put it off another six months to five years and continued to miss out. I needed an advocate - someone to support me and back me and walk with me when I was unsure.

The last four mornings have made me realize how thankful I am that God created us to be in relationship with each other. That we don't have to walk through life alone and when we hit a rough spot or get all tangled up in red tape we're there for each other.

To her I'm sure it didn't seem like much, but thanks to Betty I'm a little less intimidated by stamp wielding bureaucrats.

audioblogging . . .

Abuela's here!

My Mom got here last Tuesday and we all are enjoying having her here. It's always great to have family visit especially around such a significant time as this. The first foto was taken right when Mom walked in the door and met Eden. She'd hardly had time to set down her suitcases before Abigail and Isa attacked her with hugs and kisses and I put Eden in her arms.

Well, Eden just woke up so I need to go. . .

. . . hopefully I won't be gone from the blog for a month again this time!

6 days. . .

. . . till the due date. This is me at the park two days ago. Yesterday we had another false alarm. For about two hours in the afternoon I had some contractions again, and then they died down, and I'm still just as pregnant as I was yesterday. I guess this baby likes to practice - maybe she'll be a disciplined athlete or musician someday. . .

The girls

Abigail and Isa are getting excited for the baby to arrive (as we all are!!). The other day I mentioned to Abigail that the baby can come whenever she's ready and now every morning Abigail asks me and my tummy if the baby is ready to come out.

Isa knows that I have a baby in my tummy, but while I'm not sure if she completely understands what all that entails, I know she's feeling that change is coming. Lately she's been playing a lot that she's a baby, and this morning she head-butted my belly and said that she wanted in. We then talked about how that's not possible and cuddled as much as my belly would allow.

10 days. . .

. . . till my due date. I am ready to meet this little girl. She teased us over a week ago with some contractions, but nothing since. This of course has heightened the sense that it could be "any day" when she could be our first to arrive late. I have hopefully my last appointment this coming Tuesday, so we'll see. . .

One of my cousins in Ohio just gave birth to a very healthy 9lb. boy yesterday. We're really excited for them (and secretly jealous!).

odd isn't it?

The other morning, I woke up at about 7:15 am to pee (something I have to do about 5-6 times a night at this point) and I shut the window like I always do at this time of the night. You see I have to shut it because our bedroom is on the back side of our house which overlooks all of the terraces and gardens of our block. And one of these terraces or gardens boasts the home of a rooster who every day between 7 and 7:30 makes his presence known. Loudly. I don't mind shutting the window. By that time of day our room is quite cool and getting back to sleep is not a problem. I just remember thinking how odd it was that Santiago is the largest city I've ever lived in and I have a rooster who wakes me up every day. Something I would expect out in the country, but not really in the city. And it's even funnier because I've lived with this rooster for almost three years and two days ago was the first time that I even thought that maybe he was a little out of place.

Roma

About 3 weeks ago, my Mom spoiled me and took me on a quick trip to Rome with her best friend Gail and her daughter Adrienne. We had a blast - 4 women hauling it all over Rome with lots of laughs.

The Wednesday that we were there, our friend Father Sal, who happened to be in Rome at the same time we were, arranged for us to be able to listen to the Pope's teaching in St. Peter's Square. Very cool. On the left is a picture of the Pope's hand. (it was one of those hold-the-camera-over-your-head-and-click shots:)

Here we all are in Florence on the Ponte Vecchio - my Mom, Adrienne, Gail, me, and Father Sal. Florence was another great day - seeing all kinds of things that I've only ever read about in history class was pretty cool. Being there with my mom and great friends - even better.

A New Law

Over the past few years - through conversations with summer teams, with teammates, with friends from home - God has shown me how my tendency is to come across an issue, form an opinion about it, file it away as dealt with, and move on. Through these conversations, I've learned that in following Jesus we're not called to positions, or rules, or laws, but that we're called to love.

I remember one summer in particular when we hashed out different sides to many touchy issues and discovered that God wasn't calling us to either "side," but to learn to live in what we described as a tension. A tension born out of knowing that following Jesus is so much bigger than checking off a list of requirements and comparing our lives to all the do's and don'ts. A tension formed from living each day listening to the Holy Spirit and responding out of that love - knowing that sometimes my actions won't always match up to everyone else's do's and don'ts.

Living in this tension, listening to the Holy Spirit, I still have so much to learn and grow, but it's a tough journey that I want to make. I want to love well. I want to follow Jesus - not just stick to a set of boiled-down conclusions and ethics.

A few weeks ago, a friend had us listen to a few tracks from Derek Webb's new CD. I think I've listened to it just about every day since. There are several powerful songs on the CD that I could blog about (it you want to listen to a couple for free or watch the video for "A New Law", check out his myspace.)

His song, A New Law captures the heart of this message that God keeps bringing me back to. Check it out:

A New Law
words and music by derek webb

(vs. 1)
don'’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for

don'’t teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music

don't teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law

(pre-chorus)
i don'’t wanna know if the answers aren't easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me

(chorus)
i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law

(vs. 2)
don't teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice

don't teach me about loving my enemies

don't teach me how to listen to the Spirit
just give me a new law

(bridge)
what'’s the use in trading a law you can never keep
for one you can that cannot get you anything
do not be afraid
do not be afraid
do not be afraid

This is for you Bethany!

My sister-in-law has been begging for a belly shot for weeks, and it's not going to get any better than this. Matt snagged this shot while I wasn't looking. Here I am about 9 weeks away from delivery. Now if there was a community theatre around here doing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I'd get the part of Violet Beauregard (after she chews Wonka's gum) for sure!

Three girls

So we found out a few weeks ago that our third baby is going to be another girl! At first we were slightly disappointed at the thought that we probably won't ever have a boy (we've always said just three), but the idea of three girls is very exciting to us. My mom has three sisters and a brother and she and her sisters have always been very close. I am praying for that kind of relationship for my girls.

Abigail really wanted a baby brother, and still asks us from time to time why she's getting another sister instead of a brother, but overall she's really excited about the baby coming. She keeps asking me how much more my tummy has to grow before the baby can come. She also has no shortage of invented names for the yet unnamed sibling (I know, it takes us forever to decide!) Tops on Abigail's list are Kaylor, Ami (pronounced "am-" like ham "ee"), and Geeter. Yes, Geeter. I think if we ever get a dog, I'll let her name it Geeter, but I'm not really one of those people who thinks it's a good idea to let their four-year-old name their new sister.

I am getting big and summer is looming. Never having been pregnant during the summer, and only hearing friends' stories of having to soak their feet in ice water at the end of a hot August day to cool off, I'm really relishing the idea. Tania and I were talking the other day, and as much as I'm looking forward to this baby, pregnancy has really lost its novelty for me. Especially the mood swings. . .

selfishness

I had a great conversation this morning with a good friend. We started talking about how marriage has made us both aware of how selfish we really are. Here we are with the person we committed our lives to, the person with whom we spent thousands of dollars to declare our love in front of all our friends and family, the person we probably love more than any other, and they're the one who is on the receiving end of most of our personal junk.

For me that expresses itself so often in my own selfishness toward Matt. I need my time, my space, I'm the one who gets big and pregnant, I'm the one who has to do this, this, and this. . . The more I focus inward, the longer the list gets, the more selfish I become - blinding me to the countless ways that I am also being served in my marriage.

As much as my feelings and emotions often try to convince me that it's a one way street, deep down I know that I'm just listening to a lie. One verse from Philippians that has challenged me for years is this:

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Humbly considering others better than myself. . .that is definitely a daily challenge. Especially around those with whom I am the least guarded - my family. But, I would much rather have this light pointing out my own shortcomings and be challenged to grow than to misunderstand my marriage and my kids for years because of my own selfishness.

. . . grace. . .

. . . mercy. . .

Rest

This is the first weekend in a LONG time that our family hasn't had major plans. I am really enjoying it. It's 4:30 pm and most of us are still in our PJ's. (Isa decided that today she'd just prefer to run around in just a diaper - we tried big-girl panties for a while but she peed in them just so we'd put her diaper back on. I think I'm more ready for patty training than she is!) Anyway, later this afternoon we're going over to the Bailey's house to dye eggs with all the kids. That's the most planning we've got going all weekend.

Yesterday we saw a good Friday procession and had a great conversation with Abigail about why Jesus died and what it is that we're celebrating. It's great.

I should go now, all the grocery stores were closed on Thurs and Friday for the holy days, so I've got to go and get stuff for tomorrow (once again, everything is closed) before we go to the Bailey's. Thanks to all of you out there who exported to us Easter grass, jelly beans, plastic eggs, etc.

Happy Easter!

I'm back . . .

It's been quite a while since I've blogged, and a lot has happened since my last post:

• The day after Thanksgiving we found out we're expecting again
• We went to the states for Christmas and got to go to Bethany's wedding reception
• My best friend from high school Krista Rea came to Santiago and visited for a month
• Isa turned 2
• The Striblings and the Hellmanns both left Santiago to move to Georgetown,TX and start a business together
• Abigail turned 4
• Matt and I took over leadership of the team here
  
• I turned 29
  
• It rained buckets for 18 days straight
  
• We found out we're having another girl!

Those are just the highlights, and I'm definitely still adjusting to the new rhythms and patterns that our life has now. I used to always tell myself how flexible I was (and to be honest I was probably a bit proud about it) but really when it comes down to it, I'm not as flexible as I once told myself that I was, and the reality is that transition is really hard for me. Which might explain why I haven't blogged in a while . . .