Has it been a YEAR already?

THAT WAS THEN...

Exactly a year ago, the five of us posed in front of LAX's
Tom Bradley International Terminal before our flight.

THIS IS NOW...
Last year, it was Verity who attended this preschool (4-year old class). This
year, it's Annalise's turn to have fun in her 3-year old class. Here she is (obviously
the one in the middle) walking the dusty road to her school with friends,
Annie (L) and Sophie (R).

First things first ... HAPPY GRANDPARENTS' DAY (Sep. 9th) to our "there-are-not-enough-positive-adjectives-to-describe-you" grandparents ... Floyd & Nancy Willams (Memphis, TN) and Peter & Holly Lee (Upland, CA). You four are the most involved, sacrificial, loving, thoughtful, caring, fun, sweet and amazing grandparents we could have ever hoped for for our little girls. Each of them dearly love their "Nana & Papa" and "Halmoni & Haraboji."

And another holiday worth mentioning is Labor Day. Apparently, all of you back in the States celebrated this last week. We have lost track of most American holidays but we were reminded of this holiday by a few friends who remembered that we flew out of the LAX on Labor Day.

Is that right? Has a year passed already?

Wow.

As I reflect on our past year, a recent e-mail comes to mind. A friend mentioned that she ran into Target for some shopping and I wrote back that I missed being able to shop there.

She responded, "Life is simpler there ... count your blessings."

I mulled that over for awhile. Is life simpler here? In some ways ... yes. One small example: David and I were talking last night about how thankful we are that our kids aren't growing up being exposed to commercials (and their constant messages of "buy more.")

In other ways, life is NOT simpler here.

But she does have a good point, I do need to count my blessings.

Life is not simpler here...
I miss my family and friends. Not a day goes by that we don't miss being with you all.

But I do count my blessings...
Technology (e-mail, skype, webcam) allows us to stay connected. And because times together are few and far between, times with grandparents (and friends & relatives) are more rich and purposeful knowing that we have to take advantage of those rare moments. And we really are thankful for the amazing community of friends God has given us here in this country.

Life is not simpler here...
I miss my modern conveniences. Life seems more physically exhausting here. Cooking seemed easier in the States (and more food was "ready-made.")

But I do count my blessings...
I am burning calories while hanging up wet clothes on the drying rack. And all 3 girls lend a hand with the laundry, even little Moriah. They love helping me hang up the clothes (although I have to "re-hang" Moriah's work so they don't dry wrinkled). I've learned to cook many things from scratch. Hand-washing every dish makes me appreciate my mother's hard work (who didn't have a dishwasher until recently). And the lifestyle here has encouraged me to depend more on God.

Life is not simpler here ...
Utilities aren't perfect. We have it better than most but water, gas and electricity do go out some.

But I do count my blessings...
I'm thankful that we do have basic utilities, which is not the case for many people in this country. Our girls are learning to pray when the lights go out and to say, "Thank you, God!" when they come back on.

Life is not simpler here ...
I can't understand anybody on the streets.

But I do count my blessings ...
I'm thankful for the opportunity to learn a new language. I'm hopeful that someday down the road, I'll be fluent. I'm thankful that David came in already fluent in Russian (another major language spoken here) so that he can communicate with people here.

You get the picture. I feel like this past year has been one long lesson on replacing my complaints with prayers of thanksgiving for how God has and/or will provide for our needs. And celebrating our one-year anniversary means we're also that much closer to seeing you all this summer! Leave some room in your summer plans for us!

You can click here for a few random photos from the last few weeks.