Latest Musings

What is on my mind lately.

So we have our next posting list(s) in and are waiting ever so impatiently for an update of what will the future hold for us. Usually this time doesn't stress me too much but this time it is.  We research, we study, we pray over the list and take our ten we like and feel good about and turn it in with the thoughts that where ever God wants us to go from here is where we'll end up.

I can look at the past and see reasons in each of our posts of why it was good for our family. Moldova was a good first post (first for me -second overseas for Brent) it was a close knit community was good for the beginning of our family. Bulgaria had a lot of trying experiences we loved the country but the experiences have tainted the tour in general. However I know we were sent there for the school. I truly feel like my oldest needed that awesome Kindergarten teacher to help him get started on the right foot in schooling. It wasn't an easy step for him but she was great and the school was great. Ukraine was for the international church branch in English. After 5 years of Non English not totally pleasant church experience we needed that to boost ourselves. Here in Morocco has had its experiences and we've had quite a lot of ups and downs but all in all this is the first post I've just loved everyday life. (okay usually!) I love having the sunshine year round, seeing the beauty of our garden and everywhere we go, we've all  been blessed with good friends that have made a difference, a good school and good church group.

It is always the friends you come across in every post that make a difference. we come and go and it is always the people and the friends we miss the most. The examples of others in our lives that have strengthened us. The people that have stepped up and been our family while overseas loving us and loving our kids.

People hear about state department families and they either are shocked that people actually do this or

1. they think we must have an amazing and exotic life living in a different country traveling and meeting people all over the world.

2. They feel sorry for us thinking that must be a hard life living in such places.

3. They think we have turned our back on America which really burns me b/c ummm, my husband works for the American government. I think people don't actual realize that for some reason.

The reality is it's a little of both. We grow in experiences that change us and our kids think are natural. Being one of a few American's in your class, socializing with people from other countries, learning how similar people are from Bangladesh, to South Africa to England, to China. Yes, my kids have been blessed in their life to have friends that are Muslim, African, Christian and American.



I grew up in a small town in Wyoming where everyone was white and I remember one black child going to school and he was so mistreated and shunned even, they pulled him out and moved somewhere  else. An Asian friend recently asked me if there are only just white people in Wyoming because when they traveled through Wyoming and stopped somewhere she had people point and stare at her.  I know from a personal experience what  growing up a sheltered life is like.  So I'm extremely happy for my kids to be raised in such cultural experiences overseas.

We have amazing perks living overseas, beautiful houses to live in, household help, chances to travel and explore, good international schools, meeting friends from all over.

However, what people don't realize is that we sacrifice too. We sacrifice family, I've often said you realize who your friends are when you move clear across the world. We have a blog, we have facebook, we have a Utah phone number if anyone wants to follow us and keep in contact we are out there but life sweeps us all up and friends and family drift. Moving clear across the world changes things or maybe it just heightens the differences.  Unfortunately you're kids lose out.

We sacrifice an easy life, I mean the everyday occurrences like going to the store to buy something simple like white socks for your kids is ridiculously hard that you might not even understand had you not lived where you had to shop at three different locations and finally buy it online and wait 2-3 weeks for your kids to have socks to wear. Yes, that is the normality of my life.



Having to say the store didn't have any cheese you like so you'll have to wait for a few months and see if they get it back in. Yes, that's our life and that's normal for us. We sacrifice experiences we can't give our kids, I realize my oldest has never had a normal Primary (church youth group) his whole entire life and it makes me feel bad.  It is frighteningly ordinary for me to go to the store and not here a single English speaker and have people stare at you and you are pretty sure they are talking about you but you don't understand the language so you just tune it out. That's my life.

You pray daily that your kids will be safe and nothing terrible happens because one, you live in a country where medicine isn't totally up to par and second, you can't speak the same language as the doctors unless by some answer to prayer they speak English. And third, anything really bad gets you a trip to London where you juggle who is going to watch the rest of the kids and how do you handle such a traumatic experience on your own.  Yep, done this twice! After the last year of several emergency room visits and Brent's hospital stay we are feeling a little lax in this area but it's difficult regardless. Yes, this is my life.

We try to make up for it in other experiences . My kids have traveled to Egypt and seen the pyramids gone to London and seen Big Ben, seen the Eiffel Tower and been to the Sahara Desert. But if you ask them what their favorite thing was they'll say the squirrels running in the park in London or playing at the beach in Egypt. And that they really don't like flying on airplanes and chances are they don't even remember all these adventures. For  them this is normal life and from my eyes they don't realize how blessed they are. How many kids in the world get to have these adventures and get to learn in a global environment. I love it.

Yes it's our life and this is just how it is and I wouldn't trade it for anything else even with the good and bad. So we continue to wait anxiously to see what the future holds and hope that for whatever reason God sends us there, it will be a good place for our family.