In which I sit in a coffee shop and think aloud on paper...

Four months ago I took a new job. One month ago I was on the other side of the planet. A few weeks ago my eldest cut his hair and my middle hit a triple. Today my daughter finishes preschool. In two weeks we're getting a poodle.

Right now I'm sitting at Starbucks and the sun is shining. My brain is slightly scattered because I have two hours of quiet before I need to go greet the kids after school. Two hours of unaccounted coffee shop time!! I have so many things I want to do! Write a blog post, take notes for Oliver's 11th birthday poem, revisit my book proposal. Blog wins.

Truthfully, I'm oddly unsentimental about Sintayehu's last day of preschool. She learned to ride a bike without training wheels the other day and I acknowledged it as the First of the Lasts. There is no doubt that my children are growing up. Here I am to witness it. I can't think of anything other than joy and gratitude. I am still sometimes in awe of the fact that I am a mother and a wife, that we have a house and two cars and a cat.

Feeling grateful has been easy lately. My trip to Tanzania was a bold reminder in taking nothing for granted. The pothole in the alley that was bugging me? Our infrastructure exists, and that alone is amazing. The fact that Hy-Vee was out of leeks the day I planned to make potato-leek soup? Really? I get to go to a store and buy food that I'll cook with little time and the modern conveniences of a stove and immersion blender(!).

Upon meeting and interviewing women who have lost their children to crocodiles (gathering water), malaria, and other "mysterious" illnesses (likely due to contaminated water), there is nothing in this modern place where I live that I can't find something to be thankful for. Perspective is everything.

As I've taken all of this in, I've been reminded that gratitude leads to joy. Jake and Papa Frank are coaching Eli's baseball team. Do you have any idea how much fun this is to watch? Sintayehu skips everywhere she goes. Oliver created a Power Point presentation that has a picture of a cat to represent every letter of the alphabet. (Ex. A is for Angry Kitty, C is for Cute Kitty.) How can I not smile?

In Tanzania, I got to see how a little bit of support goes a long way. I met women who were able to send their children to school because they received two goats through the Empower Tanzania goat program and were able to pay for school fees. I watched men and women sing and dance because a well was being dug in their community. I got to hear stories about community health workers going out into their communities to offer dignity and care to the dying. Humbling stuff.

I guess all of this is to say that life is good and God is good and I'm pretty sure that Love endures. I've had some sad weeks over the last few months. The sun has refused to shine and I've felt busy and overwhelmed and I've wondered about the equity of this world and my place in it. But then I open my eyes and look around.

I wonder what you guys think. I'll admit that I'm a bit angst-y by nature, but do you ever take a step back from it all and wonder how you got here? Do you ever wonder why you were born where you were? Do you ever think about your relationships and wonder if you're giving enough to them and receiving from them what you need? Life is so beautiful and so complex, isn't it? Or is it just beautiful? Or is it just complex? Do these things ever stand alone? Can we?

Africa with kids: Let's Unpack That...

So my husband and two sons just returned from a two-week trip to Tanzania, a country in East Africa. I've been excited to tell you all about it, but first I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible, help them unpack, sort through pictures, and delight in the beautiful gifts they brought home. We've slowly gotten back to life as normal. Hence, a blog post! Here are a few details about their epic adventure...

THE LOGISTICS: There's a really great guy that goes to our church who lived and worked in Same, Tanzania for five years. He is now based in the states, but goes back often because he established a nonprofit called Empower Tanzania. Early last fall, he invited people to join him on his summer 2014 trip. Jake jumped at the chance. We then began the process of deciding who would go. Just Jake? All of us? We ultimately decided Sintayehu was a bit too young and that Jake and the boys would fly solo. My step-dad also decided to go, which was wonderful. It was nice for Jake to have an extra set of hands to help with the kids, plus he's just a great guy to be around. In all, eleven people traveled together on a two-week "learning trip" to Northern Tanzania.

HOW: A trip to Africa requires planning, especially when you're taking children. We started gathering documents and getting vaccines late last fall. We thought carefully about packing and I kept a running list in my planner for months. The boys had to update their passports and we spent months preparing them mentally and emotionally for the trip. Oliver was excited from the beginning, but Eli was on the fence up until a few weeks before the adventure. We watched videos, talked about travel in Africa, showed them pictures of our trips to Ethiopia, and studied the culture of Tanzania. We also stressed that they could watch as many movies as they wanted to on the plane and drink as much Fanta and Coke as they wanted to once they got there. :-)

PACKING KIDS FOR AFRICA: I wrapped up a few little care packages for each of them to be opened when/if they were having "a moment." These included baseball cards, candy bars, a tiny lego set, and card games. Jake said these were a hit. We packed plenty of snacks as well. (Granola bars, almonds, crackers, etc.) This was good to throw in their backpacks on days when they traveled and I suspect it was also nice to have something familiar to eat over the two weeks. Other than that, we packed what they might have if they were going on a long road trip. iPods, headphones, books, cards, a pillow, etc. We packed their rainbow looms, but they didn't use them at all. Eli loves to play catch, so we packed a ball, a football, and a frisbee. These ended up being used a lot and were great gifts for friends he met there.

TWO WEEKS LATER AND THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES: I'm still hearing stories about their trip. I love listening them talk about the people they met and the experiences they had. They've talked a lot about the safari they went on at the end of the trip, but also about all the people that welcomed them into their homes. They learned several words in Swahili while they were there and it's fun to hear them pull them out occasion. (JAMBO = hello; ASANTI = thank you) Oliver has been busy editing his pictures and Eli continues to talk about special friends he met there. These names are now sprinkled into our nightly prayers, which I think is beautiful. I'm quite sure they'll be unpacking this experience for months and years to come...

ARE WE CRAZY?: Honestly, we've gotten some strange looks when we've mentioned a trip to Africa with a 10- and 7-year-old. I'm the first one to admit that this was a HUGE DEAL for our family. This trip came with a lot of work and a lot of expense. However, we felt like it was a valuable experience that we wanted to give our children. We believe so much in teaching our children that the world is beautiful and enormous. We want them to see that there is more than one way to spend your days and that people are people everywhere you go. We want our kids to see the richness of culture and, in doing so, broaden their scope of compassion. Of course, you can absolutely do this without visiting every corner of the world, but for us, we've decided to make it a priority to pour our resources into the joys and lessons of traveling with our children.

THE LONGVIEW: For all of its struggle, Africa is a beautiful place. Sometimes we get so caught up in seeing images of extreme poverty that we forget about the richness of the continent. Jake and the boys did not go on a mission trip and I won't pretend that they did. However, they learned a lot about the ways in which we can help and love our brothers and sisters across the world. (I'm further convinced that it's all about water!) They also returned with ideas about how to live our lives here better. And finally, our daughter is from Africa. We wanted to share her continent with her brothers and, honestly, if we can pull it off, lay the groundwork for a future family adventure to Ethiopia.

More photos and reflection to come...In the meantime, please keep the victims of the Ebola virus in your thoughts and prayers. The stories coming out of Western Africa are heartbreaking.

July is for travel: Chicago

After NYC, my mom, Sintayehu, and I spent a few days in Chicago before we picked up Jake, John, and the kids from O'Hare. It was unseasonably cool, but we had a great time strolling and eating and chatting. We stopped at the lakefront to relax, people watch, and snap a few pictures; we ate at a couple of yummy restaurants (cinnamon rolls from Ann Sather on Wednesday morning was an especially good treat!); we watched Sinta play at a park; and wespent a late afternoon the the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Lakefront selfie.

We happened upon the MCA on a Tuesday night, which is when they open the garden, serve food, and have live music. It was so lovely!

I love spending time with my mama and we made some nice memories while our husbands and my sons were in Tanzania. I also loved that Sintayehu got to spend focused time with her grandma. My mom is brilliant and talented and strong. I still learn from her each time we're together. I'm very thankful.

And before we knew it...after two whole weeks...it was time to picks up the boys! Sintayehu got ready in her new hat and shoes. The reunion was precious!

July is for travel: NYC

July has been a wonderful whirlwind! The boys and Jake had an amazing time in Africa and I can't wait to devote several posts to their photos and stories. Many of you have had questions: Why send a 7-year-old to Africa? Why not go along? We'll get to all that. But first, I wanted to write a quick re-cap of how Sintayehu and I spent our days while they were away. We missed them, of course, but we also had no trouble finding our own fun. We spent a lot of time with my mother (my step-dad was in Africa with the boys). It's amazing how much conversation you can engage in when just one child is underfoot rather than three. Mom, Sinta, and I lounged on her gorgeous porch(es) in my hometown, enjoyed her garden, good food, nice wine, and spent several days in Chicago. It was delightful.

Celebrating my mama's birthday in style.

After just a few days back at home (a 1st birthday party for our nephew, a graduation party for a friend, lots of work, and a few dinners with girlfriends), Sintayehu and I left for NYC. It was perfect timing, really. A trip to Brooklyn was a great adventure for the two of us; we looked forward to it and then loved our time there. We stayed with Jake's sister and had a great time talking and being. I love that about Kait. She's so relaxed and so comfortable and we were happy just to be together. We did a lot of walking and restaurant-ing and talking. (My ideal weekend, mind you.) Since our "nice" camera was in Africa and my current iPhone's camera doesn't work, I used my old iPhone to document the trip. Here's what the lens (and Kait's lens) captured...

Subway Sintayehu. Posing with The New Yorker because, you know.

We found great parks. This was her favorite. (She loves water.)

I love this lady so much!

She's a fantastic auntie. This was on the Brooklyn Promenade. After we strolled here, we sat and drank a beer at a cute Brooklyn Heights restaurant. (I can't remember the name.) After that we went out for Thai food in Williamsburg and then walked home in the rain.

Sintayehu is ridiculously easy to travel with. She's a delight. Of course, we brought her ponies along for moral support. Here we are with Apple Jack at a beer garden in Brooklyn. Kait treated me to an Old Fashioned and then we walked back to her apartment and were lulled to sleep by her downstairs neighbor who plays the jazz saxophone!

We went into the city on Sunday afternoon because I really wanted to go to THIS exhibit about children's book at the NY Public Library. Unfortunately, the exhibit is closed on Sundays in July. We wandered around Bryant Park and took a ride on the carousel and then walked through Times Square on our way back to Kait's.

On Saturday morning, we went to the Brooklyn Flea Market. I loved it! (Especially the doughiest doughy doughnut I've ever had.) The merchandise was great, but as I told Kait, it's nothing I can't find at our thrift stores here. (A perk about living in the QCA! Love!)

Street art Sinta

On Monday while Kait was at work, Sintayehu and I wandered around. We had lunch at a cafe in Williamsburg. As you can see, the ponies came with us. Here they are taking a post-lunch nap. :-)

On Sunday morning we ate at a fantastic vegan restaurant. The graffiti in the bathroom was great. "Cheese pizza kills!' We did not heed the warning and went ahead and ate the pizza at Roberta's...delicious. Two things I miss and love about the city: inexpensive manis/pedis and inexpensive bouquets on the corner.

We flew back to Chicago to meet my mom on Tuesday. I hope that I never take for granted how amazing the opportunity to travel is and never fail to experience the wonder that comes with it. It refreshes and inspires like nothing else. It makes me remember how big the world is and how grand...

Weekending

• We're in a New York state of mind. Why? Because Sintayehu and I are heading to NYC for a lady-trip to see my sister-in-law Kait! We'll stay with her in Brooklyn and are so excited. (I may be a tiny bit obsessed with New York. Read about our two-week family adventure in an Upper West Side rental a few summers ago here.) The trip is well timed because ...
• ... Jake and the boys are in Africa! They've been there for a week and a half and this mama and sister are really missing them! As they made plans for their adventure in Tanzania, I (in what turns out to be a very wise move) booked a trip as well so that Sintayehu and I had a little something to look forward to while they were away. Sinta has been talking about "New City" for days and I just know traveling with her will be delightful. I'll tell you more about the boys' trip when they get back, but you can be assured they're having an incredible time. I've gotten lots of texts and emails and they're really enjoying their adventure. If you're curious, check out the blog their travel group is keeping HERE. Said Jake in an email, "Overall I can say that every part of this trip has exceeded expectations." I am so happy for them! I hope your weekend stretches beyond your highest expectations as well!

Lessons Learned Last Week

Life has been a whirlwind lately and I haven't had much time to blog. Jake has about a month off from work in the summer and we always tend to milk it for everything it's worth. Hence, lots of trips, projects, and time in the pool. It's such a great season. Perhaps even my favorite! Here are some things I'm thinking about from my front porch this morning...

• Time with girlfriends is worth the hassle. We all have kids. We all have jobs. We all have a bazillion things to do and it's not always easy to get together to nurture important friendships. However, I believe it's so important to make every effort to do so. Being with old friends helps me to remember who I am. Time away from home makes me extra thankful for the home that I get to return to. Plus, it's just so much fun!!! I had a great time in Chicago for a quick visit with my college friends, Leslie and Torrey. We also got to meet with some grad school/Chicago friends for dinner, which was an extra bonus. It was great to be back in the city and to connect with these wonderful women.
• Time with mama-friends is worth bending over backwards. I'd been wanting to visit my friend Holly in Atlanta for awhile and we finally were able to last week. Oliver adores her daughter Caroline and I knew that Eli would have a great time with Holly's son Han, so I decided to take them as well. Lucky for us, a few other of my Chicago mom-friends from back in the day were able to make the trip south as well. We stayed up so, so, so late. We sat on Holly's very southern and very beautiful front porch and watched the kids play. We ate barbecue and drank iced tea. It was a relaxing, wonderful trip.
• We encountered some bad luck with flights on our way home so Jake and Sintayehu (who had been enjoying some daddy/daughter time back in Iowa) came to our rescue in Chicago. They picked us up at about 5 p.m. and, throwing caution to the wind, we decided to grab dinner in the city before heading home. Soon we realized we were in Cubs' traffic and so we decided to go to the game! I am not known for last-minute plans, but I must say this is the perfect example of why impromptu adventures are the best!
• While in Atlanta, I got a call from Jake in which he said, "Well, the bathroom remodel is not going exactly according to plan." What?! We had not discussed a bathroom remodel, bless him, but my dear husband thought he'd surprise me with one while I was away and then got a bit stuck. By the time I got home, we decided to paint, replace a mirror, and add a cabinet. We bought everything from Habit Restore, so it required some extra love. Luckily, I've come to believe that a little manual labor is good for the soul. I'm really pleased with how it turned out and the late night painting sessions have helped me keep my mind off of the fact that some of My Most Important People are heading to Africa...
• ...So my husband and sons are heading to Africa. Someone hold me. Apparently, when your husband and sons go to Africa, your travel anxiety triples. I'm nervous for them and excited for them and just so incredibly thrilled by this adventure. It will be an amazing experience for the three of them and my step-father, who is also going. These precious, precious people are heading to Tanzania for 14 days with a small group from our church. We've always valued travel and, though Sintayehu and I are not going, I feel like this might be our family's biggest adventure yet. I'll be honest...I wouldn't mind your prayers and positivity as we head into this major life happening.

Weekending

• It's the weekend! I'm currently sitting in a coffee shop on a crowded city street looking out the window at the people and traffic and general hustle and bustle. Oh, Chicago! I've missed you! I love the urban life, so I'm currently in my happy place! I'm in town for a quick visit with a few of my favorites. Two girlfriends from college and a few more from grad school will get together for dinner tonight and I could not be more excited to see everyone!
• Early Sunday morning, the boys and I will hop on a plane bound for Atlanta to visit some of my other favorite people! I'm so excited to see my friend Holly and her kiddos. We've been talking about this trip for months and can't believe it's finally here!
• I love Jack Kerouac's wisdom for living well this summer: “Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don’t be sorry.” Have a wonderful weekend!

The time I *almost* did a handstand on a paddle board in Michigan

This summer is filled with all kinds of travel and I'm ridiculously excited. Flights are booked, plans are (mostly) solidified, and packing lists are catching fire. But first—before we go anywhere else—we wanted to squeeze in a trip to see Zach, Tesi, and our nephews and niece in Three Rivers, Michigan. After a long drive on Friday (if we're friends on FB, you'll know that we took a bit of a detour getting there!), we spent a glorious weekend catching up, playing games, drinking too much coffee and too much wine, and exploring Corey Lake via paddle board (see post title), kayak, and boat. Jake's older brother and his wife (Frank and Emily) made the trip with their two boys as well so there were lots of people and lots of sunshine. It was wonderful to see Z and T's lovely new life in Michigan and a great way to kick off a summer of adventure!

...

Weekending

• Can it really be the weekend? I feel like I've just now rested up after the big wedding weekend and am shocked that it's already Friday! The week was a happy one. Our schedule has picked up a bit (Eli is playing on a city league baseball team, both boys are playing YMCA soccer, and all three kids are in dance) and Jake has been traveling to a lot of conferences lately, but I can't complain because the kids are healthy and life is good! Tonight we'll have dinner with some lovelies (I'm bringing cupcakes and wine—what else do you need?), tomorrow morning we'll go to soccer, and then we'll pretty much relax the rest of the weekend. Nothing is on the calendar and I couldn't be happier! 
• Ever since our family trip to Mexico I've been dreaming about taking another trip! Jake and the boys are going to Tanzania this summer and though I'm excited for them and am very much invested in their trip, I don't have anything quite so big on my own personal agenda. But being in the airport…near the ocean…in a totally different place and climate…it all made the wheels start turning. Where to next? 
• If you're looking for some online reading this weekend, a dear friend wrote a lovely article about intergenerational relationships that you can read here. Also, I'm still very much interested in the idea of fast fashion and enjoyed this. Finally, I thought this post was awesome. "God made us all as an entire package. It all counts," Jen Hatmaker writes. "There are no throwaway qualities...Nothing is wasted: not a characteristic, a preference, an experience, a tragedy, a quirk. NOTHING. It is all you and it is all purposed and it can all be used for great and glorious good." Doesn't that make you feel good and strong and beautiful?!? Have a great weekend!

(Photo of Vernazza, Italy found here.)

A Few More Photos :: I Can't Help Myself

These two twin cousins kill me. I absolutely love this picture. They were inseparable the entire trip...

Beach shenanigans...

Tomas, my nephew, beautiful inside and out...

My youngest nephew, Julius. He was such a sweet little traveler!

I mean seriously...

Oliver…I love this boy. I love the age that he's at right now. He's still a kid, but he's so interesting! I love being around him!

The kids are much braver than I am. I wouldn't have touched it...

Sweet Bini. Not a great shot of me, but look at this boy! I love him to pieces...

My main squeeze…in Mexico and everywhere.

Adorable...

About five seconds later and she'd had it. (Still adorable, yes? This picture makes me laugh.)

Mexico was Magic!

Last week, 19 (!) of us traveled to Mexico to soak up the sun and enjoy time together. This was all because of my incredible mom and pop-in-law's generous Christmas gift to our entire family. Amazing! We had such an incredible time. Once again, when I open my eyes, I can't get over how lucky we are to have such an incredible, generous, supportive extended family. Jake and I got to travel not only with our family, but also some of our best friends. I am so grateful! The kids swam like fishes all day every day, we shared great food and tons of laughter, and we were lucky enough to feel the warmth of the sunshine on our skin. (Hallelu!) I've come back a little bit sunburnt and completely happy. And now, I shall bombard you with a few of the hundreds of photos snapped over the course of the trip! 

Weekending

• I have to be honest: my heart has been heavy this week. You’ve all read about Jake’s brother and his wife, Zach and Tesi, here on my blog. And you’ve read about my niece and four nephews. And you know how much we love them and what an important presence they are in our lives. They’re some of our people, as we like to say, our very important people. Well, they’re moving away and I’m really sad about the whole thing. Like crying-and-I-never-cry sad. Like can-this-really-be-happening sad. Like I-want-to-be-a-good-sister-and-a-good-friend-but-I’m-gonna-need-some-time sad. I’m bummed for me and Jake and our local Dport family. I’m heartbroken for my kids. It’s a great opportunity for them and all, but, ugh, change is hard.
• Just so you don’t feel too sorry for me, I guess I should tell you where we're going. Our entire extended family is heading to Mexico! Jake’s parents are treating all us—nine adults and ten kids—to a weeklong vacay! They're incredibly generous people and I cannot tell you how excited we all are! (Talk about highs and lows: “Kids, your cousins are moving five hours away!” // “Kids, only three days until the trip of a lifetime!”)
• I hope your weekend is awesome. Please appreciate the beauty of proximity and the impact of place. Nothing is permanent and each moment is meant for living and loving!
  
  

  (Pictured above are cousins + best friends. They've grown up together. Seriously. I can't talk about it.)