GRADUATION!
It has been a while...I guess it is time that I updated our blog.
Well...it's done. It's over. Madeline has graduated high school. What a ride these last three years have been. While I am happy that she is done and the next chapter has started, I sure am going to miss our times that we spent together in NYC. I have spent the three years getting to go visit her and explore NYC and all it has to offer. She has spent the last three years surrounded by good friends, awesome teachers, amazing dorm parents, and just an amazing little community. She has had all the comforts of small little town in Westchester with the big city just a quick train ride away.
We all flew to New York for graduation and then one final Watkins Family NYC blow out for a while. Janie, John and I went up a few days early as I knew it was going to take more than a few hours to pack up her dorm room and send it home. I was hoping that she might have it finished, but I was also aware of how stressful the last month of school was for her so I wasn't surprised with what we saw when we got there. Alison and Susan came up a few days later. After banquets and packing and finally graduation, we moved to into the city. We saw several shows (Wicked, Fish in the Dark, Drunk Shakespeare, The Book of Mormon), ate at our favorite place (5 Napkin Burger), shopped, ate some more, explored the last few places we hadn't been yet (Chelsea Markets, Brooklyn, Highline), and just enjoying our last family vacation in New York before everyone is grown and living their own lives.
Graduation and NYC Pictures
Now that we are back in College Station I was assuming that since we have spent the last few summers doing workshops and camps and traveling we would have this quiet slow summer....I was wrong. Apparently all the things that a teenager does that Madeline has not gotten to do is what we are doing this summer. She is doing dance classes, taking piano lessons, learning to drive, and she got her first job. So that is what we are doing this summer. John went home last weekend and we miss him so much already.
Janie is still in College Station. For the first time since she started college she is not taking summer classes. She is helping me with my chauffeur duties, working out, and getting a job. She has also been cleaning out our house and getting it less cluttered...thank God for her!
Alison moved to Sugarland in January to teach at Wharton Junior High. While she liked Sugarland, it was a really tough job. Wharton is one of the worst school districts to work in and she had little help. She is teaching summer school in Wharton and getting ready to move to Pearland. She starts her job at Sweeny Junior High where she will be teaching English and coaching volleyball and basketball. We are so excited that she has a career in something she is good at and seems to enjoy. I miss her being here every day like the last few summers, but she does come visit most weekends.
I will be in the U.S. until Madeline goes to college. She starts Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA, in the fall. It is a small school of about 4,000 students in the heart of the city. Their saying is "the city is your campus." While it's not New York, it is still a decent sized city compared to College Station. She will be living on campus for the first year and she will be going through their Conservatory program for performing arts/musical theatre/writing. LOL. She wants to do it all so she is having a hard time trying to narrow it down. She will choose her second major after this semester.
John and I will be in Saudi for the foreseeable future. We enjoy our little life there even though it is just the two of us...we miss the girls desperately, but we have a routine that works for us. John likes his job and we have a great group of friends.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Belated Spring Break Post...
It has been so long since I posted! I have jet lag so I decided to spend my time wisely and update the blog...lol
Because none of the girls spring breaks are ever at the same time, we have spring break with Madeline solo every year. This year she had a trip to Ireland with an acting/writing group from school planned in the middle of her spring break so it was difficult to plan a trip. We decided that she would fly to Bahrain and we would stay there for a week before she was off to Ireland. She had not gotten to see her Bestie, Iman in almost two years so she was excited.
We had planned to be in Bahrain the Friday before Maddie got there on Saturday until the entire plant shut down on Thursday. John informed me that he wasn't going to be able to come with me and maybe not even at all. I was a bit upset...needless to say. But I decided to make the best of my night alone and schedule a massage. Around 5:30 p.m., John called me to tell me I needed to pick him up ON the causeway. It was surreal. I have been across the causeway a hundred times, but I have never driven across it. You should have seen the tollbooth guy when I paid the toll...he did a complete double take. It was funny. Because women can't drive in Saudi, obviously I could only drive up to the Saudi side. I picked up my hubs and the weekend started. The only problem was that every single day started with the same understanding that he had to leave that night to get back to the plant. Every day he made plans to go back and every evening he got to cancel it because they weren't ready to start up.
Madeline flew in late Saturday night. No matter how many times they fly solo overseas I always have a major panic attack. It never gets easier.
Because none of the girls spring breaks are ever at the same time, we have spring break with Madeline solo every year. This year she had a trip to Ireland with an acting/writing group from school planned in the middle of her spring break so it was difficult to plan a trip. We decided that she would fly to Bahrain and we would stay there for a week before she was off to Ireland. She had not gotten to see her Bestie, Iman in almost two years so she was excited.
We had planned to be in Bahrain the Friday before Maddie got there on Saturday until the entire plant shut down on Thursday. John informed me that he wasn't going to be able to come with me and maybe not even at all. I was a bit upset...needless to say. But I decided to make the best of my night alone and schedule a massage. Around 5:30 p.m., John called me to tell me I needed to pick him up ON the causeway. It was surreal. I have been across the causeway a hundred times, but I have never driven across it. You should have seen the tollbooth guy when I paid the toll...he did a complete double take. It was funny. Because women can't drive in Saudi, obviously I could only drive up to the Saudi side. I picked up my hubs and the weekend started. The only problem was that every single day started with the same understanding that he had to leave that night to get back to the plant. Every day he made plans to go back and every evening he got to cancel it because they weren't ready to start up.
Madeline flew in late Saturday night. No matter how many times they fly solo overseas I always have a major panic attack. It never gets easier.
I know that is a horrible picture, but it is all I have.
We had the best week. She spent a few days at the school and hanging with Iman. We went prom dress shopping, she got her hair done, and basically hit all of our old haunts.
The week went by way too fast. She hopped a plane late Thursday night for Ireland to meet up with her group. I get to pick her up from boarding school in NY in three short weeks and I am so excited! I have not seen her since March 20th!
After she left, we got to spend a day together before we had to go back to Saudi. We visited the Tree of Life and the Grand Mosque...two things we never did when we lived there.
It was a nice vacation just a few hours from home in our favorite country.
Maddie had a great week in Ireland writing and collaborating with the group in Ireland. If you're interested in knowing more about their project here is the link to their site: http://tower.mastersny.org/category/blogs/the-ireland-project/
Because there were three days left of spring break when the Ireland trip ended, Maddie flew to Washington D.C. to stay with some friends we met in Bahrain, The Buntings! We love the Buntings and we are so thankful that they allowed Madeline to come and stay with them. Sometimes boarding school logisitics are really difficult and it is great to have people in our lives that will help us out. Maddie texted me several times while in D.C. saying that she didn't want to leave. I suspected that would happen. They an amazing family. We love them and are so thankful for them.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Wow...it has been almost a year since I updated the blog. I have spent so much time back and forth between America and the Middle East this year that I haven't updated the blog.
This summer was packed full of stuff. It started when John and I flew to NYC to pick Madeline up from her first year at boarding school. Because Madeline's birthday falls in the summer, she never gets to celebrate her birthday with her friends so we decided to let her plan something before we left NY. We were in for a real treat....hehe. She decided she wanted to take 6 of her friends in to the city and eat at Jekyll and Hyde's in The Village and then go to Rocky Horror Picture Show. To begin with...logistics were difficult to say the least as the trains stop running to Dobbs Ferry from the city at 1:00am. Rocky didn't start until midnight so that wasn't going to work. We thought about a taxi, but they aren't required to take fares to the outer burroughs so that wasn't a guarantee either. We had a rent car, but it wouldn't fit 9 people, so we decided to rent a minivan as well. John and I each drove a vehicle with a group of friends in to the city...in the rain...ugh. We had eaten at Jekyll and Hydes on New Year's Eve in 2009, and it was such a cute little place that had good food and a fun "show." Fast forward three and a half years and that place went DOWN HILL. There is a new one in Times Square that we should have tried instead, but we didn't. It was HORRIBLE and expensive and annoying. We then took the group to Rocky Horror. It had to be one of the worst troupe of Rocky actors EVER...just a big group of young adults with huge daddy issues...lol. I actually fell asleep. She has some good friends to endure that with her....while the entertainment was questionable, her friends were fun to be around none the less.
From NYC John, Madeline, and I drove six hours or so to Washington D.C. to see some of our friends, the Buntings, we knew from Bahrain that are now stationed there. They had just bought a huge house outside D.C. and we were so excited to impose on them because we just LOVE this family. They are just some of those people that when you meet them you are just in awe of how amazing they are. They have the best family dynamics and are just good people. Madeline and I had never been to D.C. so we were excited to do the sightseeing thing. Maddie wanted to read The Things They Carried as we walked the Vietnam Memorial and see Arlington Cemetary and the Lincoln Memorial. It was such a fun time. We visited D.C. Cupcakes from the show and drove around Georgetown. Best of all, we got to catch up with our friends. We love their new house and are so happy that they are finally getting to put down roots after 20 years of traveling with the Navy.
From D.C. we drove back to NYC and flew out to Houston. I had not seen the girls since January so it was nice to be back in College Station with them. Alison spent the summer working at a law firm in Houston and she was the Maid of Honor in her best friend Lizzies wedding so we didn't get to see her much. Janie did the first session of summer school and Madeline went to Super Summer. John only got to spend two weeks at home before having to go back to Saudi. Between Super Summer and Theater Camp at Stephen F. Austin University Madeline wasn't home much. We spent a week in Lousiana visiting the family and before we knew it August was here and it was vacation time.
The month of August was long and eventful. We started the month by picking John up in Houston and driving to Louisiana for a week to visit my family. We then drove to Orlando to do Disneyworld for two days and Universal Studios Harry Potter World for a day. It was something we probably will never do again...until we have grandkids. It was hot...it was crowded...it was taxing and grueling. It was not my favorite thing in the world to do, but we can now tick that off our bucket list.
From Orlando we flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a seven day vacation at La Concha Resort. I really liked Puerto Rico. It was tropical and adventure filled. The girls and John went rappelling and zip lining in the rain forest one day. I spent that day sleeping and recovering by the pool with high doses of vitamin C and a massage trying to nip an illness in the bud before it became full blown. It was hands down the worst massage of my life. He looked and sounded JUST like Tone Loc (the 80s rapper...funky cold medina). He did WAY more damage than good. My knees and back were out from the time I left the spa until we went home. I still managed to hike the rain forest to the waterfall, but it was painful...beautiful and worth it although I am not sure the girls would agree with me. We got to sight see and shop Old San Juan, swim in the Atlantic, kayak in a bioluminescent bay, drink cold umbrella drinks by the pool...it was nice. John and I spent our 23rd wedding anniversary in the hot tub at the pool. This was our first vacation where the girls were old enough to go out and do things on their own at night and it is unfortunate that they have the mother that they do....I am always a nervous wreck when my kids are out and about. Even in College Station. It's my nature. My poor children.
We flew back to Orlando and promptly drove to New Orleans, La. the same night. Huge mistake. We were exhausted but everyone was ready to be home so we did it anyway. It was gig 'em week back at A&M and the girls were anxious to get home. We stopped in New Orleans long enough for us to take a nap, a shower, eat a poboy and get back on the road. We made it safely back to College Station and they got to partake in their gig 'em week activities....here's to hoping that next time I strongly suggest we FLY to Florida instead of DRIVE that my husband will listen to me. THAT was an exhausting vacation...and road trips aren't any more fun when they girls are older than they were when they were younger.
From vacations back to school. John and I both flew with Madeline back to NYC to get her settled back in to her dorm for her Junior year of high school. It was a quick stop. We were only there for a day or two...just long enough to make 25 trips to Target and Walmart for all the various sundries and essentials Madeline needed.
From NYC to Nice, France. John and I had a layover in Nice, France for four days before we made our way back to Saudi. It was one of the best vacations. Lazy days on the French Riviera, sight seeing, walking the Promenade de Anglais...it was just lovely. We visited the same bakery for a jamon formage every morning for breakfast before setting off for the day. We took the train to Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Italy. It was just perfect.
I came back to Saudi for a month or two before heading back to the States for Alison's Ring Dunk - WHOOP! and Madeline's Parent's Weekend and Play. Alison got her ring in October and she had a ring dunk with a few of her best friends from A&M. It was fun and interesting. Most of the entire ring ceremony was cancelled due to a torrential downpour...the first rain in a year and it happened on ring day.
We are so proud of her and can't wait for graduation in May!
From America back to Saudi for another month after which John and I both went home for Thanksgiving with our family in Louisiana and Texas. It was a short two week trip for him, but so worth it. Any time all five of us are together is the best! We had so much fun. For Christmas I stayed in Texas/Louisiana with Madeline and Alison, John was working in Saudi, and Janie spent a few weeks in Bahrain visiting her old friends. It was a strange Christmas and I suspect the first of many to come where we are all not together. It makes me sad that the girls are growing up and getting ready to start their own lives, but I am immensely proud of them.
Things to come....
Madeline is spending half of spring break in Ireland this year. She auditioned for and got a spot in an acting group that is writing its own play and collaborating with an acting group in Ireland. They will be spending the week sight seeing and working with this group to finish their play where they plan to perform it back in NYC. We are hoping that she will be able to spend about a week with us in Bahrain/Saudi as well.
Janie will finish up her Sophomore year in college and is doing very well. She has had her best semester ever this semester. She is such a joy to be around...
Alison graduates in May and we hope will have a job somewhere. She is debating whether to go on to grad school or to get certified to teach, but has applied for several programs and jobs. As of now we have no idea what she will be doing, but I am sure it will be spectacular!
I will be here in the Middle East for the next 5-6 months with the exception of the week of Alison's graduation. This is a long stay...sigh...but I am so happy to be back with John. It is so hard because if I am in the U.S. with the girls I miss my husband desperately and if I am in the M.E. with John I miss the girls desperately.
All in all...I am excited to see what God has planned for our family.
This summer was packed full of stuff. It started when John and I flew to NYC to pick Madeline up from her first year at boarding school. Because Madeline's birthday falls in the summer, she never gets to celebrate her birthday with her friends so we decided to let her plan something before we left NY. We were in for a real treat....hehe. She decided she wanted to take 6 of her friends in to the city and eat at Jekyll and Hyde's in The Village and then go to Rocky Horror Picture Show. To begin with...logistics were difficult to say the least as the trains stop running to Dobbs Ferry from the city at 1:00am. Rocky didn't start until midnight so that wasn't going to work. We thought about a taxi, but they aren't required to take fares to the outer burroughs so that wasn't a guarantee either. We had a rent car, but it wouldn't fit 9 people, so we decided to rent a minivan as well. John and I each drove a vehicle with a group of friends in to the city...in the rain...ugh. We had eaten at Jekyll and Hydes on New Year's Eve in 2009, and it was such a cute little place that had good food and a fun "show." Fast forward three and a half years and that place went DOWN HILL. There is a new one in Times Square that we should have tried instead, but we didn't. It was HORRIBLE and expensive and annoying. We then took the group to Rocky Horror. It had to be one of the worst troupe of Rocky actors EVER...just a big group of young adults with huge daddy issues...lol. I actually fell asleep. She has some good friends to endure that with her....while the entertainment was questionable, her friends were fun to be around none the less.
From NYC John, Madeline, and I drove six hours or so to Washington D.C. to see some of our friends, the Buntings, we knew from Bahrain that are now stationed there. They had just bought a huge house outside D.C. and we were so excited to impose on them because we just LOVE this family. They are just some of those people that when you meet them you are just in awe of how amazing they are. They have the best family dynamics and are just good people. Madeline and I had never been to D.C. so we were excited to do the sightseeing thing. Maddie wanted to read The Things They Carried as we walked the Vietnam Memorial and see Arlington Cemetary and the Lincoln Memorial. It was such a fun time. We visited D.C. Cupcakes from the show and drove around Georgetown. Best of all, we got to catch up with our friends. We love their new house and are so happy that they are finally getting to put down roots after 20 years of traveling with the Navy.
The month of August was long and eventful. We started the month by picking John up in Houston and driving to Louisiana for a week to visit my family. We then drove to Orlando to do Disneyworld for two days and Universal Studios Harry Potter World for a day. It was something we probably will never do again...until we have grandkids. It was hot...it was crowded...it was taxing and grueling. It was not my favorite thing in the world to do, but we can now tick that off our bucket list.
From Orlando we flew to San Juan, Puerto Rico for a seven day vacation at La Concha Resort. I really liked Puerto Rico. It was tropical and adventure filled. The girls and John went rappelling and zip lining in the rain forest one day. I spent that day sleeping and recovering by the pool with high doses of vitamin C and a massage trying to nip an illness in the bud before it became full blown. It was hands down the worst massage of my life. He looked and sounded JUST like Tone Loc (the 80s rapper...funky cold medina). He did WAY more damage than good. My knees and back were out from the time I left the spa until we went home. I still managed to hike the rain forest to the waterfall, but it was painful...beautiful and worth it although I am not sure the girls would agree with me. We got to sight see and shop Old San Juan, swim in the Atlantic, kayak in a bioluminescent bay, drink cold umbrella drinks by the pool...it was nice. John and I spent our 23rd wedding anniversary in the hot tub at the pool. This was our first vacation where the girls were old enough to go out and do things on their own at night and it is unfortunate that they have the mother that they do....I am always a nervous wreck when my kids are out and about. Even in College Station. It's my nature. My poor children.
We flew back to Orlando and promptly drove to New Orleans, La. the same night. Huge mistake. We were exhausted but everyone was ready to be home so we did it anyway. It was gig 'em week back at A&M and the girls were anxious to get home. We stopped in New Orleans long enough for us to take a nap, a shower, eat a poboy and get back on the road. We made it safely back to College Station and they got to partake in their gig 'em week activities....here's to hoping that next time I strongly suggest we FLY to Florida instead of DRIVE that my husband will listen to me. THAT was an exhausting vacation...and road trips aren't any more fun when they girls are older than they were when they were younger.
From vacations back to school. John and I both flew with Madeline back to NYC to get her settled back in to her dorm for her Junior year of high school. It was a quick stop. We were only there for a day or two...just long enough to make 25 trips to Target and Walmart for all the various sundries and essentials Madeline needed.
From NYC to Nice, France. John and I had a layover in Nice, France for four days before we made our way back to Saudi. It was one of the best vacations. Lazy days on the French Riviera, sight seeing, walking the Promenade de Anglais...it was just lovely. We visited the same bakery for a jamon formage every morning for breakfast before setting off for the day. We took the train to Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Italy. It was just perfect.
I came back to Saudi for a month or two before heading back to the States for Alison's Ring Dunk - WHOOP! and Madeline's Parent's Weekend and Play. Alison got her ring in October and she had a ring dunk with a few of her best friends from A&M. It was fun and interesting. Most of the entire ring ceremony was cancelled due to a torrential downpour...the first rain in a year and it happened on ring day.
From America back to Saudi for another month after which John and I both went home for Thanksgiving with our family in Louisiana and Texas. It was a short two week trip for him, but so worth it. Any time all five of us are together is the best! We had so much fun. For Christmas I stayed in Texas/Louisiana with Madeline and Alison, John was working in Saudi, and Janie spent a few weeks in Bahrain visiting her old friends. It was a strange Christmas and I suspect the first of many to come where we are all not together. It makes me sad that the girls are growing up and getting ready to start their own lives, but I am immensely proud of them.
Things to come....
Madeline is spending half of spring break in Ireland this year. She auditioned for and got a spot in an acting group that is writing its own play and collaborating with an acting group in Ireland. They will be spending the week sight seeing and working with this group to finish their play where they plan to perform it back in NYC. We are hoping that she will be able to spend about a week with us in Bahrain/Saudi as well.
Janie will finish up her Sophomore year in college and is doing very well. She has had her best semester ever this semester. She is such a joy to be around...
Alison graduates in May and we hope will have a job somewhere. She is debating whether to go on to grad school or to get certified to teach, but has applied for several programs and jobs. As of now we have no idea what she will be doing, but I am sure it will be spectacular!
I will be here in the Middle East for the next 5-6 months with the exception of the week of Alison's graduation. This is a long stay...sigh...but I am so happy to be back with John. It is so hard because if I am in the U.S. with the girls I miss my husband desperately and if I am in the M.E. with John I miss the girls desperately.
All in all...I am excited to see what God has planned for our family.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Postcards from Oman and Abu Dhabi
Well, it has been a while since we have been on a trip to post about. With the girls in the U.S. going to school we are unable to take many trips. Madeline's spring break didn't coincide with Alison and Janie's spring break so she came to the Middle East solo. Because Saudi Arabia is such a rough airport to fly into especially if you are a fifteen year old girl, we decided it would be best for us to fly in with her. If something is wrong with your visa...or even if the visa is correct but someone made a data entry error in to the computer system...they will put you on a plane and send you home. John and I haven't left Saudi since January so we decided we would make it a mini vacation. I know it doesn't seem like a long time, but when you live in Jubail, Saudi Arabia and you are here for weeks on end with no breaks it starts to wear on your psyche.
A good friend of ours in on temporary assignment in Abu Dhabi so we decided it would be the perfect time to go and visit her and maybe add a quick stop in Oman. Unfortunately our friend, Toni, was going to be in Nepal at the same time so we were going to miss her, but she offered her apartment to us. John and I flew in to Oman a day early to make sure that the Omani visa process wasn't difficult before Madeline flew in to the airport.
We spent four days in Oman and about four days in Abu Dhabi. We had so much fun with Madeline. Oman is such a beautiful country...nothing like Saudi. It has mountains, and coastline, and Omanis that actually work. It is laid back and accommodating and friendly. We didn't have nearly enough time to explore so we will definitely be going back.
We flew from Oman to Abu Dhabi a few days after Maddie got there. We thought Abu Dhabi would be just like Dubai, but it is a lot different. It's got tons of malls, tons of culture, a great coastline, and Ferrari World. Toni's apartment was in the BEST hotel. We loved it. It had everything...pub, spa, Italian restaurant, pool, Sushi, etc. We loved loved it. We are just sorry that Toni wasn't in town for us to hang out with her!
After a week out of Saudi all three of us flew back in to the country for Madeline to spend her last week of spring break at the compound....in the thriving city of Jubail. She spent nearly every day going up to the school and hanging out with all of her friends and teachers. She had to much fun! She is the only kid that I know that wants to spend a week of her spring break at school. It was just like old times...I had to get up early and make her breakfast and lunch...take her to school...make dinner. Kids were in and out of the house all hours of the day and night. I loved it! I had a purpose for a week...hehe.
Maddie is back at school. We have a countdown of 7 weeks until we get to go pick her up in NYC for summer break! I cannot wait. We plan on taking a road trip from NYC to D.C. to visit the Buntings (YAY!) to Atlanta to New Orleans and home to my other two loves in College Station! It should be a blast! So excited!!!!
A good friend of ours in on temporary assignment in Abu Dhabi so we decided it would be the perfect time to go and visit her and maybe add a quick stop in Oman. Unfortunately our friend, Toni, was going to be in Nepal at the same time so we were going to miss her, but she offered her apartment to us. John and I flew in to Oman a day early to make sure that the Omani visa process wasn't difficult before Madeline flew in to the airport.
We spent four days in Oman and about four days in Abu Dhabi. We had so much fun with Madeline. Oman is such a beautiful country...nothing like Saudi. It has mountains, and coastline, and Omanis that actually work. It is laid back and accommodating and friendly. We didn't have nearly enough time to explore so we will definitely be going back.
We flew from Oman to Abu Dhabi a few days after Maddie got there. We thought Abu Dhabi would be just like Dubai, but it is a lot different. It's got tons of malls, tons of culture, a great coastline, and Ferrari World. Toni's apartment was in the BEST hotel. We loved it. It had everything...pub, spa, Italian restaurant, pool, Sushi, etc. We loved loved it. We are just sorry that Toni wasn't in town for us to hang out with her!
After a week out of Saudi all three of us flew back in to the country for Madeline to spend her last week of spring break at the compound....in the thriving city of Jubail. She spent nearly every day going up to the school and hanging out with all of her friends and teachers. She had to much fun! She is the only kid that I know that wants to spend a week of her spring break at school. It was just like old times...I had to get up early and make her breakfast and lunch...take her to school...make dinner. Kids were in and out of the house all hours of the day and night. I loved it! I had a purpose for a week...hehe.
Maddie is back at school. We have a countdown of 7 weeks until we get to go pick her up in NYC for summer break! I cannot wait. We plan on taking a road trip from NYC to D.C. to visit the Buntings (YAY!) to Atlanta to New Orleans and home to my other two loves in College Station! It should be a blast! So excited!!!!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Love...
It's so easy to judge, isn't it? It's in our nature really...we meet someone for the first time and we form an opinion...most of the time we are reserving final judgment for later, but most of us form an immediate opinion based on looks or conversation or whatever it is. We judge people on what they wear, their accents, their hair, their Facebook posts, etc. We are a people who judge. We try to prove to others that we don't, but even the best of us do. It's inevitable.
In that same tone, we, as Christians, are some of the most judgmental people there are. I don't know if we do it to make ourselves feel better about our own sin, but we all do it. We compare other's sin to our own. A murderer is much worse than a rapist is much worse than an adulterer is much worse than a thief is much worse than a liar which is much worse than I am because I just tell little white lies so as not to hurt anyone's feelings.
Because I understand that it is human nature, I accept it with a grain of salt and move on...but some days that isn't enough. Don't get me wrong, I am including myself as one of these judgmental offenders, but there are days I just want to scream at the top of my lungs at some of my Christian counterparts.
When one, in particular a Christian, uses social media to make their point...plead their case...judge...that is their right, but I hope they put much thought in to their statement before they post it. Think about those friends they might have that don't know the love of Christ yet...those that aren't saved. Think about the message you are sending. Are you telling them that God loves us all...every single one of us? That we were ALL made in His image? That he loves people of all colors, all sexual orientations, of all religions....is that the message we are sending? Because it should be...because it is true. He loves us ALL...
If one is a Christian then one, by definition, professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. While my inner circle of friends and family most likely know what that means, I have plenty of friends that do not. So, in that instance, what do I want my message to be? Am I living my life as a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus? Are my social media posts portraying that?
It seems easier to be a "good Christian" when you live in a small place surrounded by like-kind...even if you don't live in a small town, you most likely are surrounded by like-kind. It is when God moves you out of that comfort zone to a place where there are few like you, when you may even be the minority that it matters. The same litmus tests don't work anymore. You find yourself judging everything harshly because it isn't like you. You waste so much of your time focusing on the differences that you might miss the purpose. You might just find the purpose when you stop judging and start praying, not praying that they become more like you, but that you would become more like Christ. In a world where everyone around you is different from you...you SHOULD stand out...but in a good way. As one who is forgiven and has hope and love. Someone who has joy in their heart...(not someone who is necessarily always happy).
I know what the bible says and I believe it. Every word of it. Just because I believe something differently from you doesn't mean I should hammer my beliefs in to you. I do not believe that God has called me to do that. Do I think that people are called to preach the truth? Certainly... But those people that we so harshly judge in our lives that are not saved are not playing with the same rule book and as such, cannot be judged using that same rule book. However, in that book it calls ME to LOVE. It tells me that above all else LOVE is the most important thing. It calls me to love my neighbor. I believe that God left us that instruction because He knew that without LOVE....and I mean genuine love for our fellow man...our motivation would never be right. Without love you will never be successful at planting seeds. Love has to be the motivation for everything.
That is my hope for my children. I hope that I teach them to love. Love everyone...more than jumping up on a soapbox to rail against gay marriage, homosexuality, Muslims, or whatever the flavor of the day is...I hope I teach them to love their neighbor. You don't have to love their choices or their religion...loving someone doesn't necessarily mean agreeing with their choices or their lifestyle...I think any parent can attest to that! Love people as someone who was created in God's own image. I hope they continually step out of their comfort zone and surround themselves with new...but I hope they always carry that love, God's love, with them. I hope that they reserve judgment and exude joy!
My friend posted a quote of Gandhi's the other day and it has been bouncing around in my head. Gandhi said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." That post goes on to explain that we are all just sinners. We are human. But, the big difference is that we are FORGIVEN. We can thank God that we have a Savior that loves us and has forgiven us.
In that same tone, we, as Christians, are some of the most judgmental people there are. I don't know if we do it to make ourselves feel better about our own sin, but we all do it. We compare other's sin to our own. A murderer is much worse than a rapist is much worse than an adulterer is much worse than a thief is much worse than a liar which is much worse than I am because I just tell little white lies so as not to hurt anyone's feelings.
Because I understand that it is human nature, I accept it with a grain of salt and move on...but some days that isn't enough. Don't get me wrong, I am including myself as one of these judgmental offenders, but there are days I just want to scream at the top of my lungs at some of my Christian counterparts.
When one, in particular a Christian, uses social media to make their point...plead their case...judge...that is their right, but I hope they put much thought in to their statement before they post it. Think about those friends they might have that don't know the love of Christ yet...those that aren't saved. Think about the message you are sending. Are you telling them that God loves us all...every single one of us? That we were ALL made in His image? That he loves people of all colors, all sexual orientations, of all religions....is that the message we are sending? Because it should be...because it is true. He loves us ALL...
If one is a Christian then one, by definition, professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ. While my inner circle of friends and family most likely know what that means, I have plenty of friends that do not. So, in that instance, what do I want my message to be? Am I living my life as a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus? Are my social media posts portraying that?
It seems easier to be a "good Christian" when you live in a small place surrounded by like-kind...even if you don't live in a small town, you most likely are surrounded by like-kind. It is when God moves you out of that comfort zone to a place where there are few like you, when you may even be the minority that it matters. The same litmus tests don't work anymore. You find yourself judging everything harshly because it isn't like you. You waste so much of your time focusing on the differences that you might miss the purpose. You might just find the purpose when you stop judging and start praying, not praying that they become more like you, but that you would become more like Christ. In a world where everyone around you is different from you...you SHOULD stand out...but in a good way. As one who is forgiven and has hope and love. Someone who has joy in their heart...(not someone who is necessarily always happy).
I know what the bible says and I believe it. Every word of it. Just because I believe something differently from you doesn't mean I should hammer my beliefs in to you. I do not believe that God has called me to do that. Do I think that people are called to preach the truth? Certainly... But those people that we so harshly judge in our lives that are not saved are not playing with the same rule book and as such, cannot be judged using that same rule book. However, in that book it calls ME to LOVE. It tells me that above all else LOVE is the most important thing. It calls me to love my neighbor. I believe that God left us that instruction because He knew that without LOVE....and I mean genuine love for our fellow man...our motivation would never be right. Without love you will never be successful at planting seeds. Love has to be the motivation for everything.
That is my hope for my children. I hope that I teach them to love. Love everyone...more than jumping up on a soapbox to rail against gay marriage, homosexuality, Muslims, or whatever the flavor of the day is...I hope I teach them to love their neighbor. You don't have to love their choices or their religion...loving someone doesn't necessarily mean agreeing with their choices or their lifestyle...I think any parent can attest to that! Love people as someone who was created in God's own image. I hope they continually step out of their comfort zone and surround themselves with new...but I hope they always carry that love, God's love, with them. I hope that they reserve judgment and exude joy!
My friend posted a quote of Gandhi's the other day and it has been bouncing around in my head. Gandhi said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." That post goes on to explain that we are all just sinners. We are human. But, the big difference is that we are FORGIVEN. We can thank God that we have a Savior that loves us and has forgiven us.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
The New Normal...
Life was CRAZY this summer and it doesn't seem like I was in one place long enough to update the blog. Now that I am in Saudi Arabia with no children and what looks like endless hours on the horizon...I guess I have no excuses.
As everyone knows, we moved from Sweeny to College Station this summer. It was an interesting few months trying to figure out how to fit 15 years of junk from a four bedroom house with a two car garage into a new three bedroom townhome. We did a lot of downsizing this summer. It took a few months, but I think that we are almost finished. There is still a twin bed standing upright against the wall in poor Alison's room, but hopefully she will move it to our bedroom now that I am gone.
Alison spent the summer working at a law firm and living with her aunt Susan in Houston. Janie spent the summer taking classes at A&M, and Madeline and I spent the summer going back and forth from College Station to Clear Lake so she could be in "Holy Musical Batman." Thank goodness Jerl and Sue moved to League City, which was only ten minutes from the theater, so that we had a place to stay during the week. They were kind enough to let us crash at their beautiful home for weeks. The musical was so fun. It was a great group of very talented kids! We are so glad that Maddie got to spend the summer with her friends, Patrick and Ethan, before leaving for boarding school.
Madeline, as she is now known in NY because she moved in to a dorm with THREE "Maddies" of various spellings, is at boarding school in NY. It is about 30 minutes outside of NYC in Westchester County. She is loving it...she is doing MUCH better than I am with this situation. She has been busy since the day she moved in to the dorms. She has gone to street fairs and shows in the city, the renaissance festival, a Mets game and has tons more on the schedule in the upcoming months. She has made some really great friends and God is so good that he moved her in to a dorm with a group of girls who all like the Avengers and Dr. Who. It seems as though she has found an entire school full of students and administrators with similar interests...and it HAS to be a God thing because her interests are a little off the beaten path.
Ali and Janie are learning to live with each other in College Station. They are going to Aggie games and tailgating with the Marsh clan (thank God for them...they truly are a blessing to our family). I am so glad that they have each other because it puts my mind at ease....BUT...the caveat is that it has been an adjustment for both of them. Those of you that know them well won't need an explanation as to why. He He.
As for me....I am getting used to the empty nest. It has been a week and a half since I've been back and I am just getting over my jet lag. I think it was so bad this time because I was also facing life without kids...I always prided myself on having an identity outside of my children, but when we moved overseas that all changed. I apparently had no identity outside of my children. HA! So I am adjusting. I am slowly starting to go through the stuff the girls left behind and making decisions as to what to do with it. I have started Beth Moore's James bible study with an incredible group of women here. I am officially over my jet lag thanks to a 14 hour slumber the other night....just in time to go back to the States to visit Madeline. It is parent's weekend in a little less than two weeks so I will be going back to NY. I can't wait to see Madeline and she can't wait for me to get there so I can take her to get her hair done...HAHAH!...I guess she still needs me for SOMETHING. Please pray that my visa gets renewed in time for me to go. You just never know with this country.
I would post some pictures, but my children take very few...or if they take them the pass along very few to me. I will be taking a TON in NY because the leaves will be changing and I cannot wait to see it and to experience cooler weather!!!!
I miss my family and friends but it is nice to be back with John...poor guy, he was lonely here without us.
Until next time....
As everyone knows, we moved from Sweeny to College Station this summer. It was an interesting few months trying to figure out how to fit 15 years of junk from a four bedroom house with a two car garage into a new three bedroom townhome. We did a lot of downsizing this summer. It took a few months, but I think that we are almost finished. There is still a twin bed standing upright against the wall in poor Alison's room, but hopefully she will move it to our bedroom now that I am gone.
Alison spent the summer working at a law firm and living with her aunt Susan in Houston. Janie spent the summer taking classes at A&M, and Madeline and I spent the summer going back and forth from College Station to Clear Lake so she could be in "Holy Musical Batman." Thank goodness Jerl and Sue moved to League City, which was only ten minutes from the theater, so that we had a place to stay during the week. They were kind enough to let us crash at their beautiful home for weeks. The musical was so fun. It was a great group of very talented kids! We are so glad that Maddie got to spend the summer with her friends, Patrick and Ethan, before leaving for boarding school.
Madeline, as she is now known in NY because she moved in to a dorm with THREE "Maddies" of various spellings, is at boarding school in NY. It is about 30 minutes outside of NYC in Westchester County. She is loving it...she is doing MUCH better than I am with this situation. She has been busy since the day she moved in to the dorms. She has gone to street fairs and shows in the city, the renaissance festival, a Mets game and has tons more on the schedule in the upcoming months. She has made some really great friends and God is so good that he moved her in to a dorm with a group of girls who all like the Avengers and Dr. Who. It seems as though she has found an entire school full of students and administrators with similar interests...and it HAS to be a God thing because her interests are a little off the beaten path.
Ali and Janie are learning to live with each other in College Station. They are going to Aggie games and tailgating with the Marsh clan (thank God for them...they truly are a blessing to our family). I am so glad that they have each other because it puts my mind at ease....BUT...the caveat is that it has been an adjustment for both of them. Those of you that know them well won't need an explanation as to why. He He.
As for me....I am getting used to the empty nest. It has been a week and a half since I've been back and I am just getting over my jet lag. I think it was so bad this time because I was also facing life without kids...I always prided myself on having an identity outside of my children, but when we moved overseas that all changed. I apparently had no identity outside of my children. HA! So I am adjusting. I am slowly starting to go through the stuff the girls left behind and making decisions as to what to do with it. I have started Beth Moore's James bible study with an incredible group of women here. I am officially over my jet lag thanks to a 14 hour slumber the other night....just in time to go back to the States to visit Madeline. It is parent's weekend in a little less than two weeks so I will be going back to NY. I can't wait to see Madeline and she can't wait for me to get there so I can take her to get her hair done...HAHAH!...I guess she still needs me for SOMETHING. Please pray that my visa gets renewed in time for me to go. You just never know with this country.
I would post some pictures, but my children take very few...or if they take them the pass along very few to me. I will be taking a TON in NY because the leaves will be changing and I cannot wait to see it and to experience cooler weather!!!!
I miss my family and friends but it is nice to be back with John...poor guy, he was lonely here without us.
Until next time....
Monday, June 18, 2012
I just realized that I haven't posted in two months! WOW! Time just flew by in Saudi as we were preparing to leave! I will update the past two months...
Janie graduated! WOOHOO! Not that we were worried, but the homeschooling portion of our year did not go as smoothly as we thought it would. There were numerous technical difficulties that proved to be very frustrating given the eight hour time difference and the fact that Saudi weekends don't coincide with American weekends! Well, after much angst and effort on Janie's part to resolve the various issues, she finished her coursework and graduated from the University of Texas High School. Thank goodness that is over. After seeing pictures last night of the Bahrain School graduation it made me kind of sad that she missed out on a normal graduation with her friends. But, God has a plan and we are going with it! When Janie finished school she got to spend a while in Bahrain staying with our friends so she got to hang out with her friends and say her good-byes. I know it was so hard for her because she loves Bahrain and her friends, but she will be back to visit this Christmas. She starts classes at A&M at the end of the month so she will be very busy getting acclimated!
Janie has grown in to an amazing young woman...we couldn't be prouder of the person that she is! She seriously has been such an easy child to raise...she kept me sane this year when we moved to Saudi...we spent hours doing nothing but watch TV and Pinterest crafts. I don't know what I would have done without her. I will miss her immensely, but I know that it is time for her to go off on her own and become something even MORE incredible than she already is!
Madeline had a very busy last few months. They had their Performing Arts Spring Concert and she is in both choir and rock band. The band and choirs did such an incredible job! She loved both choir and rock band. After they finished their spring concert, the production she and her cast mates had been practicing for for months kind of fell apart, but a great core group of six committed to getting it produced. For the last several weeks of school she spent 25 hours with her 5 other cast mates practicing this hilarious adaptation of sleeping beauty. The finished product was absolutely fabulous! We just absolutely loved it! She had her last performance on her last day at the school so it was a happy and sad occasion.
Madeline had a few other challenges in the last few months. She started getting sick again with similar issues that she had earlier in the school year along with new symptoms. She started getting migraines and stomach pains. Thank God that he brought us to a country that had someone who could help us because modern medicine couldn't figure it out! Madeline is still suffering from Epstein-Barr and now we have found that she is allergic to wheat. If you know Madeline, you know that this is a devastating diagnosis as she mostly subsists off of wheat and bread products. It has been a very challenging few weeks to try and find food in the Middle East that was gluten free that she would eat. It is somewhat easier in America (although not where we live), but the challenge here isn't buying the gluten free food, but getting her to eat it. It takes Madeline quite a bit of time to change her palate...if at all...so you can imagine my challenges! She goes to camp this week and is very scared that there will be no food for her to eat. She has back up food (with little to no nutritional value) just in case.
In spite of Madeline's year long battle with this horrible virus and allergy, she had an AMAZING year. She made some awesome friends, did two productions (adaptations of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty), performed in choir and rock band, wrote like crazy for her favorite English teacher EVER (Mr. B), sang and performed in our compound choir, took a song writing class along with guitar lessons, and managed to go to Bahrain to see all of her friends over there as well! She will miss Saudi dearly, but she is excited about her move to New York in September to attend The Masters School!
Alison has been working at a law firm in Houston since May. She will be working all summer so we won't get to see as much of her as we would like! We are so proud of her...she had another AWESOME year at Texas A&M...WHOOP! She and Janie will be living together next year and I know they are going to have a blast together! I am glad that Ali is there to help her get situated.
WE SOLD THE HOUSE! After seven days on the market and a negotiation period that was nearly double that, we are scheduled to close this Friday. John was supposed to be here to help me close and move, but circumstances at the plant forced him to postpone his trip home....but just until July! He will be here for a month, but unfortunately for me (and fortunately for him) not in time to help me close and move. We are downsizing our furniture because we are losing 600 SqFt AND a two car garage so it is a necessity...it also helps me with the moving! I still have a dining table and 6 chairs, a washing machine, a coffee table, and a lawn mower for sale if anyone is interested ;)
Maddie and Janie leave for Super Summer tomorrow morning...Alison is a Team Leader again this year so she has been gone since Friday evening preparing for the students to come to camp. The girls will be gone for five days and will be back in Sweeny just long enough to get Alison's car and drive to College Station. I am sure that it is a little bittersweet because we have lived here in the same house for fifteen years. I don't think that they are attached to the house or the town so much as the people. Because we have had to move four times in the last three years, they have learned to adapt and change. God is good. He saw what was coming and provided a way.
This has been such an incredible year. As we flew in to Houston this week and I was filling out our U.S. Customs form, there was a place that asked me to list all of the countries that we visited since our last visit to the U.S. and I realized how truly blessed we are. We visited Saudi Arabia (obviously), Bahrain (the country we LOVE), Istanbul (Turkey), Bulgaria, and The United Kingdom. What an amazing ride we have had this year. We are so truly blessed and are loving every minute of our adventures!
As we close this chapter of our lives, I want to tell those of you that have been our friends and extended family how much we appreciate you. My children were raised in an amazing town with amazing people. They were surrounded by friends, family, and mentors...they were raised in an incredibly Godly church with people who loved us enough to pray for us. We will always consider Sweeny our home and we will miss the people very much.
Janie graduated! WOOHOO! Not that we were worried, but the homeschooling portion of our year did not go as smoothly as we thought it would. There were numerous technical difficulties that proved to be very frustrating given the eight hour time difference and the fact that Saudi weekends don't coincide with American weekends! Well, after much angst and effort on Janie's part to resolve the various issues, she finished her coursework and graduated from the University of Texas High School. Thank goodness that is over. After seeing pictures last night of the Bahrain School graduation it made me kind of sad that she missed out on a normal graduation with her friends. But, God has a plan and we are going with it! When Janie finished school she got to spend a while in Bahrain staying with our friends so she got to hang out with her friends and say her good-byes. I know it was so hard for her because she loves Bahrain and her friends, but she will be back to visit this Christmas. She starts classes at A&M at the end of the month so she will be very busy getting acclimated!
Janie has grown in to an amazing young woman...we couldn't be prouder of the person that she is! She seriously has been such an easy child to raise...she kept me sane this year when we moved to Saudi...we spent hours doing nothing but watch TV and Pinterest crafts. I don't know what I would have done without her. I will miss her immensely, but I know that it is time for her to go off on her own and become something even MORE incredible than she already is!
Madeline had a very busy last few months. They had their Performing Arts Spring Concert and she is in both choir and rock band. The band and choirs did such an incredible job! She loved both choir and rock band. After they finished their spring concert, the production she and her cast mates had been practicing for for months kind of fell apart, but a great core group of six committed to getting it produced. For the last several weeks of school she spent 25 hours with her 5 other cast mates practicing this hilarious adaptation of sleeping beauty. The finished product was absolutely fabulous! We just absolutely loved it! She had her last performance on her last day at the school so it was a happy and sad occasion.
 |
| The Misadventures of Bubbles (Sleeping Beauty)...the awesome Mr. White (drama God) on the left! |
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| Madeline as Bubbles |
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| The CORE 6 that salvaged this hilarious and wonderful production! Love these kids! |
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| Maddie and Patrick....The Best Friend! |
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| Maddie and Alex...The OTHER Best Friend! |
In spite of Madeline's year long battle with this horrible virus and allergy, she had an AMAZING year. She made some awesome friends, did two productions (adaptations of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty), performed in choir and rock band, wrote like crazy for her favorite English teacher EVER (Mr. B), sang and performed in our compound choir, took a song writing class along with guitar lessons, and managed to go to Bahrain to see all of her friends over there as well! She will miss Saudi dearly, but she is excited about her move to New York in September to attend The Masters School!
Alison has been working at a law firm in Houston since May. She will be working all summer so we won't get to see as much of her as we would like! We are so proud of her...she had another AWESOME year at Texas A&M...WHOOP! She and Janie will be living together next year and I know they are going to have a blast together! I am glad that Ali is there to help her get situated.
WE SOLD THE HOUSE! After seven days on the market and a negotiation period that was nearly double that, we are scheduled to close this Friday. John was supposed to be here to help me close and move, but circumstances at the plant forced him to postpone his trip home....but just until July! He will be here for a month, but unfortunately for me (and fortunately for him) not in time to help me close and move. We are downsizing our furniture because we are losing 600 SqFt AND a two car garage so it is a necessity...it also helps me with the moving! I still have a dining table and 6 chairs, a washing machine, a coffee table, and a lawn mower for sale if anyone is interested ;)
Maddie and Janie leave for Super Summer tomorrow morning...Alison is a Team Leader again this year so she has been gone since Friday evening preparing for the students to come to camp. The girls will be gone for five days and will be back in Sweeny just long enough to get Alison's car and drive to College Station. I am sure that it is a little bittersweet because we have lived here in the same house for fifteen years. I don't think that they are attached to the house or the town so much as the people. Because we have had to move four times in the last three years, they have learned to adapt and change. God is good. He saw what was coming and provided a way.
This has been such an incredible year. As we flew in to Houston this week and I was filling out our U.S. Customs form, there was a place that asked me to list all of the countries that we visited since our last visit to the U.S. and I realized how truly blessed we are. We visited Saudi Arabia (obviously), Bahrain (the country we LOVE), Istanbul (Turkey), Bulgaria, and The United Kingdom. What an amazing ride we have had this year. We are so truly blessed and are loving every minute of our adventures!
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| Skiing in Bulgaria |
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| The Blue Mosque...Istanbul |
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| Tower of London, UK |
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