Family Vacations - Expectations vs Reality

We just arrived home from a glorious, difficult, exhilarating, exhausting, happy, dirty, budget friendly, expensive trip :) All of the above sound contradictory, which they absolutely are! I am learning, slowly but very surely, that life with little children is never as expected, straightforward, or carefree as one might hope, but always more joy and grace filled than we could have imagined in our wildest dreams.

In an incredibly valiant step towards establishing new family traditions and family culture my side of the family planned a camping reunion in Priest Lake, Idaho.  Valiant because we have not camped as a family for perhaps 20 years and because it was absolutely a step outside of comfort zones.

True to form we were relatively last minute in making our plans, for several reasons, and so ended up in a walk-up camp ground very close to Priest Lake. Our little family has always dreamed of camping but were deterred by the cost of acquiring gear, so this was a perfect impetus to start our collection and start living the dream.

13 people, 5 cars, 2 campgrounds, 4 tents, no facilities, a beautiful river, a stunning lake, a weekend of fun.

True to form, however, our two little ones returned from our glorious week on Nonna and Papa's ranch in Texas with stomach bugs. Despite the fact that we did our best to feed them only bottled water this time, their little tummies just don't seem to handle the foreign flora and so we headed into our relatively rustic camping situation with many many bouts of diarrhea daily still occurring. This really made the trip at times feel like a nightmare. This is real life, though! On social media one might only see little snapshots of the carefree moments, but in between were frantic middle of the night outhouse sprints, accidents, visits to the laundromat, the purchasing of new gear, 5:30 AM coffee on the campfire after being up all night with sick kids, and exhausted mommy and daddy at their absolute wits end.

There is something wonderful about parenthood, however, that even at your wits end the best still shines through because it is not about you. When there are other little lives relying on you somehow you find the strength. I'll never forget Joe in the middle of a chilly night in a tent, covered in poop (YES IN POOP) wiping off a hysterical child and telling them it was OK and it happens when your tummy is sick. I will never forget locking eyes over a brown bagged chelada in the laundromat as our kids licked their popsicles wondering how we were spending our long weekend in a small town laundromat with our fingers crossed that our gear would come clean. We laughed, we laughed so hard because it was either that or cry. I'll never forget falling asleep holding hands praying that this night would bring more rest than the next. I'll never forget the moments in between of carefree or ringing in our daughter's 5th birthday with campfire coffee and camp stove french toast, and playtime in the beautiful lake with doting aunts and uncles.

Despite all of the challenges we eagerly look forward to continuing the Christianson/Packard/Zohorksy/Di Lucca summer camping tradition as the years roll on. Maybe next year we will just make sure we find a place with closer bathroom facilities ;)

A few photos from our happy, dirty, hard, and carefree weekend....

My mom and dad with their 6 children and 3 grandchildren

Auntie Joc, Auntie Eve, and cousin Sophia Rose

Fun Uncles make every day better!

Sophia Rosie and Liliana Joy in matching bathing suits

Judah was obsessed with this water gun, I am obsessed with Uncle Luke's face in this photo

Birthday boy Grandad (61) and Birthday girl Liliana (5)

I loved summer mornings around the campfire and arms full of littles

6 children, oldest to youngest

My handsome men at Priest Lake

I hope your summers have been full of adventure, humour, and memory making!

Rainy Days but Happy Days!

Hello dear friends and family, from a very chilly Melbourne. As I write the rain is falling down and I sit bundled in our living room with the heater keeping me warm.

So, what’s the news from Melbourne? Besides the chilly weather that makes us not want to get out of bed each morning, we are doing very well and of course are very happy. Can I just take a moment to rave about my amazing husband? He has picked up yet another job here in Melbourne. Working at a warehouse 8 hours a day certainly isn’t glamorous and is so far from Joe’s dream job, but he doesn’t complain!  He is also still working night shifts at the gym and coaching, as well as playing basketball. I am just so amazed by his selflessness, the fact that he would sacrifice so much to support me as I study and to support our family as we anticipate Liliana’s arrival. I am so excited for the day when he finally gets a job he loves and when he doesn’t have to work 50+ hours a week. For now, we just count our blessings J

The little lady is growing and growing! We had our 28 week check up two days ago, and everything looks wonderful. She is active and spends much more time head down now, which makes my ribs one of her favorite things to explore with her feet. I love it though; those little kicks are a sign of a healthy and growing baby. Here are some recent pictures (at 28.5 weeks)…12 weeks left, WOW!

Joe’s basketball team continues to struggle to get a win in. With injuries crippling the team and various other difficult circumstances surrounding them, I am proud of the men but feel so bad that their morale is taking such a beating! Joe, of course, continues to play his heart out on the court, although I think I am getting used to seeing him skid across the floor and take beating on the court. Not to mention, he dishes it out as well, and almost every game finishes with 4 or 5 fouls.

We had some surprising news when Joe’s work visa was denied by the Australian government. Although, it is all starting to make sense as we follow the news and hear more about how the government is cracking down on the granting of work visas in order to lower unemployment rates here in Australia. So, it is time for us to re-evaluate, as Joe will be illegal in Australia at the end of September….good thing we love being spontaneous and we also fully believe that God reveals His plans for our life in beautiful and mysterious ways. More on that soon!

Well, I suppose that is all for now! I wish I could thrill you all with stories of daring adventures and exciting travel. Instead, we live an exceedingly low key life, as we strive to make ends meet and provide a little bit for our future. However, coming on ten months of marriage I can tell you that I am more passionately in love, happier, and more secure than I have ever been. With most things in our lives (waaaaay) up in the air, our marriage stays grounded in love for God, our baby girl, and each other. Joe is my rock and my prince. I am the luckiest woman alive, and in that senseI feel like I am still living my very own fairy tale. Praise God!

We miss you every day. We miss the smells of spring in Texas and Calgary, we miss Canmore and bonfires in Joe’s backyard, we miss hugging our mamas and dads, and the ability to just call anytime, but we persevere!  We love you!

xoxo

Speaking of Babies...

Hello dearest ones, it's that time again! I've got my orange juice at MacDonald's and am finally sitting down to write a little update. My darling husband is at work, oh how I love him, he works so hard for us! Did you all know he ended up with black eyes two weeks ago? Here is a picture of the night it happened. Unfortunately we never got a picture the next day, he looked quite shocking. Doubly unfortunately he kept telling people that his wife was trying to put him in line. NOT TRUE! Haha, I think very few believed him. It was actually a very nasty basketball game...hard to watch for the preggo wife in the stands!

Still SOOOOOO dashing if I do say so myself!

Anywho, as those of you who have been pregnant before probably know, it is hard to think of little else! Especially now that our sweet Liliana's kicks are sooo strong and often, I am constantly day dreaming about our beautiful little girl. She is well over a pound now, and large and in charge! We received some glorious packages from Auntie Libby and Auntie Ciara, who both put so much heart and love into sending things for her. I'm not going to lie, I have unpacked and refolded her drawer about 4 times now just to look at the cuteness! We are about due for a new picture, but for thos of you who aren't on facebook, here is a picture at 23 weeks.



Here we are at a Sorrento beach, thanks to Joe's great boss who played host and tour guide for us!

 Anyhow, it is an interesting experience because, as it becomes undeniable that I'm pregnant, more and more people get brave about asking about the circumstances of her conception! Most assume she was a "mistake," or a "shock" or a "mishap." There are those who assume that her conception was a contraceptive failure, and others who assume that her conception was a natural family planning failure, but almost NONE who assume that she is a result of our decision to be open to new life in our marriage! People cautiously asked, "so, is this pregnancy a GOOD thing?"  I do not feel the need to defend our family, because I truly don't care what people think, but I do want people to know that a) natural family planning (nfp)works perfectly, and b) part of Catholic marriage is the month to month discernment process of what God wants for our marriage in this moment. Joe and I both felt very strongly that if, at any point, we were putting ourselves in a position that we had to delay pregnancy for selfish reasons than we wanted to change that, because we didn't see any other serious or grave reasons for postponing pregnancy. Thank the good Lord, because now we have this beautiful little one who we love more than anything and can't wait to meet. So, to all of those curious types, she is here because God had a marvelous plan for her life, and we are so excited to cooperate with Him.

In other, less serious news, Joe's team is down 2 losses to 1 win in their season, so they are seriously looking for a win tomorrow! With two of their most senior and "scoring" players missing, it is going to be an intense game. I better put on lots of deodorant :)

 Well, our loved ones, that is all for now. We are seriously missing my side of the family who are celebrating Nanny and Papa's 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to the Holy Land.  Please keep them and their safety in your prayers! We love you all and miss you so very much, the autumn leaves are falling here in Melbourne, I hope the green grass is starting to poke through for you in North America.

Love always, xoxoxo

And little Liliana!

Little Tidbits

Dearest Loved Ones, our lives have been so very busy! I am sorry for not writing more...but we've been thinking about all of our loved ones and missing you so very much. We are very well here! The weather has turned cool and crisp, which makes both of us think of Thanksgiving dinner and pumpkin spice lattes, but that is ok we will adjust ;) It is so nice to sleep with the cool, fresh air blowing in the house.

I think I had better put our updates in bullet form or else you will never have time to read anything!

1. We are having a little GIRL! Yesterday Joe and I had an ultrasound (our first one), and we got to see her sweet little face, hands, feet, spine, legs, arms, even teensy bum. We asked the ultrasound tech. to write her sex down and then we went on a lunch date and opened it together. So much fun! Here is a picture of her recent growth spurt ...as seen through Mama's stomach (for those who havn't seen this pic).

 2. My incredible husband has been very busy! He picked up someone's shifts while they are on vacation, thus meaning that he works most days from 6:00 am until 9:30 pm (some days he has a break!). I am just so blessed to have him. For those of you who know Joe, you know how much he likes his sleep. 4:30 am is quite the sacrifice!

3. However, I suppose the mantra "work hard, play hard" could apply to us also! We have been so lucky to meet friends who take such good care of us. We have had dinner with the Hudec family (currently expecting identical twins!), been on a lovely hike out to King Lake with Joe's manager, and even found time for pizza picnics and beer bong (just the two of us) on Saturday night. Also, we went to The Belgian Beer Cafe in St. Kilda with Joe's basketball team. He is playing with such a great group of men and I think we both left there feeling super grateful! Finally, we even made it into the state library on a Saturday to take a look at a children's book illustration exhibit. It was fascinating! Here are some pictures of our trip to the city and beer pong date night. 

 My Handsome Hubby in front of the state Library...this is on Swanston Street in downtown Melbourne!

 I told you his muscles were getting big! How good lookin' is my man? I am a lucky woman! Joe won...even though I was playing with apple juice/soda water. GOSH!

Delicious! Thanks Gin for the Table cloth/picnic blanket...great shower gift!

Anyhow, I should sign off as I am in the library trying to get some school work done. It is difficult now that there is so much cute girl clothes to look at online! Must. Focus. We love you dear friends and loved ones. We miss you and pray for you every day. I hope you are all having a beautiful start to Lent, what a gorgeous and hope-filled season.  XOXO

(AND THE LITTLE LADY)

The Resident Athlete

So, all three of us in our house are growing right now...just in all different directions! The other day Joe walked out of the bedroom wearing his long sleeve undershirt that we'd bought last year and he was literally bursting out of it in the bicep/chest/back area. With an appalled look he wondered "what has happened to my shirt, did someone do laundry recently?" Oh, WOE IS YOU, I wanted to shout, your muscles are just getting tooooo big for all of your shirts. (Not to mention, who do you think I am? I never shrink your clothes!) He stands in front of the mirror lamenting that his shirts don't fit, while I lament at the same time but it is  not my biceps that are bulging! I truly do not lament, because I don't resent a single ounce of growth on the part of our wee one, but I do agonize over just how to clothe my new shape :) We had a good laugh about our growing pains. Little One has grown the most (proportionally) as he or she is now the size of a 6 inch or so sweet potato. We heard the sweet and strong heart beat the other day, and our wonderful doctor laughed over just how much the baby was moving around, we had to keep re-locating the heart beat! "We've got a little track star in there", Joe said!

Anyhow, I don't have much time to write more, but I wanted to post some recent pictures of Joe playing basketball (for all of his fans out there) :) Mama and Papa Packard (and Grandparents in California also) I'm thinking especially of you!

Look at that intense face!

Shootin' a free throw!

Hang time!

My man can JUMP!

Life is great for us! We have lots of challenges, but most of all we laugh sooo much! I am just so in love with my husband and despite all of his hard work and the frustrations of the job search, he is still so very romantic and thoughtful. We are reading a wonderful book right now called, "Parenting with Grace." We just finished a chapter on relating styles and we learned so much more about each other and our different needs based on our relating style. My dear Beloved has a kinesthetic relating style (or touch) while I am visual, which explained alot! Needless to say I am sooo thankful for these wonderful Catholic thinkers who aid us in our path to holiness and a joy-filled marriage, and help us understand each others "quirks".

If you want to keep up with Joe's team you can check out this link. Their first game is on March 19th and he is starting! Go Eagles!! http://www.sportingpulse.com/comp_info.cgi?a=ROUND&round=-1&client=1-913-0-151640-0&pool=-1

We love you, our dear ones. We pray for you always, especially those of you who may have extra suffering in your lives right now. We miss you so very much and can't wait to be home and close one day soon! XOXO

(AND THE LITTLE BEAR)

The Aussie Way...

Good morning to all of our dearly loved ones! It is just after 9:00 am on Sunday morning here in Melbourne, Joe is out coaching an under-18 girls team and so, after briefly tidying up (the JOY of a tiny house!) I am here with a few moments to write you. I thought that, for something COMPLETELY different I'd introduce all of our far away loved ones to some of the funny Australian colloquialisms that we've discovered. I staunchly refuse to be won over while, on the other hand, Joe has started to adopt little phrases here and there.

How you going? - how are you doing?
No Dramas! - Don't worry about it
She/he is GORGEOUS - she/he is a really nice person
It (the food) is gorgeous - it tastes really good!
I'm full on - I'm really busy
It was full on - It was really intense (as in a workout)
I'm knackered - I'm exhausted
I'm stuffed - I'm exhausted
Go for your life -  give it a try
I was blind! - I was very drunk
Pram - stroller
Grog/piss - beer, liquor, spirit
Nappies/ nappy bag - diapers/diaper bag
Bub - Baby
Bath Sheet - large towel
Doona - bedspread
Flat white - coffee with milk
Short black - coffee without milk
Capsicum - read/green/yellow peppers
Petrol - Gasoline
Bloke - male
Bird - female

Melbourne is very much a "cafe" culture, with a plethora of corner cafes where people sit down with a flat white or cappuchino and, most likely, a pastry of some sort. Meat pies are hugely popular here, as well as sausage rolls and the like! We didn't really understand why there is an obesity problem in this country, but I've come to the conclusion it is due to the most delicious pastries and savory pies you've ever tasted!

Also, they are just obsessed with Chicken Parma here! Most restaurants will have a "chicken parma special" one night a week, because everybody seems to love it. Havn't tasted it yet, maybe it is worth all the hype!

Anyhow, I'm sure more oddities will come to me, but I'll leave it at that for now! Here is a popular tv commercial here that really does capture this city quite well!

In other news, Baby at 17 weeks not only has eye brows and eye lashes, but also is working hard at turning cartilage to bone and has even started to develop some baby fat! Keep growing little one!!!

We love you all, our dearest friends and family. We miss you, every day we miss you! Lots of love, hugs and kisses...know that we pray for you with hearts full of love. xoxo

The Little Converse

One month ago I wrote my last blog post....and since then I've been suffering from a serious case of the "uninspired writer." Now, there are several reasons why I felt so uninspired, but the most prominent one was the fact that Joe and I were keeping a fabulous big secret around which my whole world seemed to be revolving and nothing else seemed to matter! Yes, that's right, Baby Packard is on the way...or, if you are Joe "little bear." We finally have someone in our lives to wear the teeny tiny converse high tops we are in possession of!  But, before I delve into that I want to wish all of our loved ones, far and near, a very happy year 2011. We have been thinking of all of our dearest ones, missing you, praying for you, contemplating all of the fabulous places that your lives are leading you. We will continue to do so!

So, back to our sweet little one, there is just so much on my heart! It's been an interesting few months, and certainly the experience of being newly pregnant (for the first time) is not totally what I expected it to be. Joe and I were totally open to the gift of a little life to take care of, so I was not shocked at all, yet at the same time I found myself, in the days that followed discovering our pregnancy, to be wondering if it was all a big dream. In an odd way, I found myself thinking that if I were to discover that it was, I might feel relieved! Truly, in a way that I did not imagine, in one moment my whole life changed, our whole life changed. I was going back and forth between jubilation and trepidation, so many thoughts going through my head at one time ranging from "what color of hair will our baby have?," to "how in heaven's name am I going to be a wife, mama, and masters degree student?", to "am I open to putting on the weight necessary to carry this tiny little thing?", to "whyyyyyyy did we move so far away from our family???". In retrospect, some of my thoughts and questions were entirely superficial, but they were my thoughts! I told Joe the day that I found out, but I waited all day, from 8 am until 9 pm when he finally arrived home from work!! I wrote him a card telling him how much I loved him, and then at the bottom I put the ps: you are a daddy!. I was really shaking, I don't know why, but it's like my heart and psyche were, in their deepest part, aware of what life-altering news I was sharing. Joe was immediately ecstatic, but he did have to sit down and breath deeply for a moment :) The next day we went for a celebratory market trip, bought me and baby some prenatal vitamins and Joe a victory beer, sat in the park and just marvelled. There is something quite wonderful about knowing that you have a little soul in your life that no one even knows exists yet! Quite soon we did tell our parents. Initially we had thought to wait until Christmas but I immediately had questions for my mom and we felt the need for support. Honestly, I thought I know a decent amount about babies from taking care of siblings but as soon as we found out we were expecting I felt totally clueless. We told our parents over skype, by sending them a file while we were video-chatting. This is the file they received...and, of course, they were elated. We are so blessed to have parents that are open to our openness. Praise God!

I know that many in our lives have questions about what this means for our plans, so I will try to answer some FAQs:

1.  What does this mean for Emily's grad school? I am continuing with my master's degree as planned. I start on January 24th so of course I feel nervous. The goal is to finish almost a full year of degree before Baby is born, which means I will be participating in quite a few "intensive" courses so as to accomplish that. Then, after that we will discern, but the plan is that I will continue to attend night classes a few nights a week, and Joe can accompany us to take care of our little one and bring him or her to me when he or she needs to eat. Yes, we recognize that there may be challenges along the way, but we will simply take one day at a time.

2. So, is Baby going to be born in Melbourne? Yes, wonderfully enough through my international student health insurance my pregnancy is 80% covered and so we are booked into the Family Birth Center in Heidelberg, Victoria. The center is a midwife center and Joe and I feel very positive that it is a great place for us!

3. Due date? Well, Baby is tentatively due August 1...we will confirm when we have an ultrasound!

Yes, another big step in our journey. While it is overwhelming, we couldn't feel more blessed! I look back on the last years of my life and from the move to Dallas, to engagement and marriage to Joe, graduation, the move to Melbourne, and finally this pregnancy, it has been an absolute whirlwind. Do I have moments of feeling the need to breath? Yes, totally. If I allow myself to feel sorry for myself, I crave what, in my mind, is "normal." A husband who works 8-5, a cute little house, friends who we can have over for dinner, weekends in the mountains. Yet, when I stop to think about it I'm pretty sure everyone has a "normal" that they crave, and secondly it is undeniable that the more we trust the more we are totally showered with gifts and blessings. Those gifts and blessings make it so apparent to me that we are called to persevere. And so, we do, with great joy! I'm certainly not the best at living the joy I know we've been given, but I have an awesome husband who reminds me to look for every day miracles. Thank you, Joe, and thank you God for knowing better than I do what and who I need.

Well, that's it for now and hopefully the uninspired feeling stays at bay for a little while. Until then, though, know how much we love you and pray for you. We thank you for your prayers, congratulations and love.  We miss you, dear loved ones!

xoxo

Time Marches On

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I wrote last. Honestly the days have sort of melted together and the weeks have flown by! We really are in quite a pattern now, Joe with his regular work shifts and me with the ins and outs of my days. I've been working hard at the primary school, and hard at my writing...all in all it makes us both exhausted at the end of the day and so ready for rest. Isn't it funny how life is? I mean, in a sense it's tempting to be disillusioned by the fact that our dreams are so big and sometimes reality is a far cry from what we envisioned for ourselves. For example, before we came here I had these big aspirations for travelling on the weekend, exploring, camping, etc. Yet, we don't have time much less income for such things! Goodness Emily, what were you thinking? And so instead, here we are in Australia and for the most part we can't even really explore the city we are living in because at this point we are still trying to get our feet on the ground. Yet, at the same time life has sent so many hidden blessings our way because we are having to work so hard. We are closer than ever, and the simplest things give us SUCH great joy! We worry together, yes, but it unites us in our faith and hope and drives us to aspire in a new and better way. We rejoice over a teensy, semi-rusty, 13 year old car that seriously seems a miracle to us. Just a few years ago I would not have felt that way about it. God knows what He is doing, and He has made us so HAPPY, that's all I have to say about that.

What can I tell you? Well, last time I wrote I promised to recount our Thanksgiving celebration. On Thanksgiving Thursday here in Melbourne we rejoiced in Joe's day off! We headed into Melbourne to do some errands. While we were in the city we stopped at the Queen Victoria Market. Usually we are pretty simple when we shop there, the prices are just so amazing, but on Thanksgiving we bought a whole roasted chicken, a loaf of olive bread, and hummus. OH. MY. GOODNESS. You've never seen such a feast! We ate it right then and there, and honestly in that moment I was so content....we felt so rich and so spoiled. We had to sit and digest for a bit after. Here are some before and after pictures of my American hubby on his holiday.




Also, we picked up our beautiful little miracle car! Joe was seriously a CHAMP learning to drive manual and learning to drive it on the wrong side of the road. He picked it up in half an hour, and that very day we were able to drive half an hour home without so much as one stall or tense moment. I can't quite describe the sense of freedom I had when we were driving home. I was thinking...this was all us, we accomplished this together, and boy does it feel amazing. We took a picture with our new set of keys....

I think that is all for tonight. It's 9:00 pm here, and Joe will be home in about 45 minutes from work so I am off to make him some dinner. We are striving to live a holy and faithful advent, but it hasn't been easy! It is so easy to lapse into routine and forget to make time for prayer, or to start feeling tired and allow prayer to be the first thing to go. In a way, it's quite easy to feel united with the Holy Family this Advent. We are far from home and uncertain of what is next. Unfortunately, so often I find myself behaving in ways far from Holy Family behavior (aka selfishly)...and so we try, try again!

We love you all and miss you so very much. We pray for you and all of your intentions this Advent season and of course we ask for your prayers. xoxo

These are a few of my favorite things! (and least favorite)

It is a beautiful Saturday here in Melbourne. I have taken a few days to write another post because I've been in a foul and negative mood, my poor husband, and there is no use complaining about things that are only made more dramatic by my perspective. So, I took a few days to breath and everything does seem to be brighter! I've not had really any reason to be in a foul mood, all things considered we are so blessed and things are going well for us, but I must admit I'm desperately lonely. Lonely days are not easy days. I'm hoping to meet some friends soon!

Anyhow, moving forward let me start with my least favorite thing about Australia so far. Australians are coffee snobs. They do not believe in perculated coffee, you know, the good old coffee machine that you put the filter and the grounds in, press start, and soon have the comforting sound of the drip, drip, drip, and the comforting smell of the deliciously hot mug of java? That's right, they don't believe in it. However, most Australians are either too lazy or don't want to invest the money into an espresso machine, so instead they drink, get ready to die of horror, INSTANT COFFEE!!! Not only that, but the decadently delicious flavored creamer we are so spoiled with in North America, doesn't exist here. So, you stumble out of bed exhausted, only to sip into a thick and bitter cup of coffee with skinny milk. Bleh. :) Poor Australians, they do not know what they are missing! I know, most of you are probably thinking "if thats the worst things are going well!" and it is true, if that is the worst we oughtta see just how lucky we are. But STILL......cooooooffffeeeeeee!

Joe and I have discovered a favorite thing about Melbourne, and that is the plethora of walk-up Sushi stands. They don't sell the rolls like in North America, sliced into small rolls of bite sized sushi. Instead, you can just order a roll and it is long, seaweed covered, rice and fish filled, meal on the go. They are only ever about 2 dollars a piece and two seems to be enough to satiate Joe so, we have taken quite a liking to them. Case in point...YUMMY!

Another of my favorite things is seeing how well my husband is making his mark on the basketball community here.  Joe is truly thriving. He is working very hard, taking every shift possible upon himself to earn a little extra money, getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning to train kids for basketball or to train clients. He has been asked to sit in on several meetings for the basketball corporation here in Melbourne to contibute a marketing perspective, and just the other day he recieved an email from the secretary of the CEO of basketball Victoria (the state we are living in) asking if Joe had time to meet with him. Who knew? I am amazed at how confident, tenacious, and dedicated Joe has been, he is putting me to shame with his determination. I have so much to learn! Today, he marched in a local parade with a few teammates and some of the little kids from the community. The kids just ADORE Joe, so much so that one little boy has been asking his parents every day if he could please bring Joe to show-and-tell. How cute is that? Anyhow, I took a few pictures of Joe today marching...the little one on his shoulders is Ben, the show-and-tell buddy, and the cutie whose face is in the "c" is Kristie, the girl whose family we are living with.

Anyhow, that's all for now. Tomorrow we will have been here a full month, I can hardly believe how the time is flying. I am grateful for everything we've experienced so far, good and bad, because as my friend said in the letter from my last post, in the bigger picture it seems that the good and bad are both part of the greatest good. So, we persevere, we find so much joy in the little things and in being with each other. What more could someone ask for?

We miss you, we love you, please pray for us and we continue to pray for you! xoxo

The Quang-er

So, it was a rainy rainy day here in Melbourne. We went to bed last night with high hopes for for the day. We were going to wake up and walk to the gym so that Joe could shoot hoops and I could do zumba! Let me tell you, without a car we have been walking miles upon miles every day, I suppose it's good for our waist-lines, but not for our shoes. I've already broken one pair!! After the gym we were going to take the train into West Melbourne to go to confession and mass. Anyhow, I woke up to the sound of rain pelting against the window and immediately my heart sank because we can't even walk to the bus in that kind of rain, it's 2 km away and the roads all get flooded.

However, it was ok. Friends of Peter and Cheryle were over for breakfast and they offered us to borrow their bikes until we have a car. I am SO SO excited. There is a path that runs from Eltham into the city and we have been dying to take a day, ride into the city, visit the market, and have a picnic. Now we can! I'm so grateful for Joe and Mandy's generosity. We picked the bikes up today and they are just beautiful. Oh, and more good news, because Joe is starting his first shift on Monday at the gym! Now that his accreditation has gone through he gets to start work. I know it is going to be good for him, because he's started to feel like he is going crazy not doing anything. Also, the security of having a job until something better comes to fruition is just awesome. Now, hopefully I can get one because who knows what I'll be doing all day without him, 'sigh', I'm going to miss him. It is amazing how much you cling to each other when you are the only security that each has. He gets to work the floor at the gym, but the big bucks will come when he gets clients. Actually, he already has two. Funny story about that also. Everyone has been teasing me that the "yummy mummies" at the gym are going to be all over my hunky hubby. I really don't care, because he is mine and so they can only look :) Not only that, but he is so proud of his wedding ring and the fact that he is married. Anyhow, his first two clients are gay! No yummy mummies for me to worry about. I think it will be really fun for Joe to train these two guys together, it's just great.

Well, the highlight of our day was Quang. For those of you who don't know, Quang is Peter and Cheryle's 14 year old exchange student. He has been here since he was 12, and will be here through the end of high school. Joe and I absolutely love Quang, he is a sweet boy with lots of insecurities that sometimes manifest as "acting out." He just CLINGS to Joe, "joe joe joe joe joe" all day long! Joe is so good with him. We got to go watch his basketball game today, and he scored 4 points. This from a kid who had never played organized sports before coming to Australia. Apparently he performed extra well, I think it was because Joe was there cheering for him :) I felt so proud of Quang, and I'm going to miss him when he goes home to Vietnam over school break.

There he is! You can just see us in the background there too! I'm sure there'll be many more Quang updates. I suppose that is all for now though. A day that seemed to have gloomy prospects turned out not so bad at all. Tomorrow we will head into mass here in Eltham before Joe has basketball practice, and perhaps I can get some zumba in too. Who knows, one day at a time!

I hope everyone at home had a very happy Friday. I miss you all, so very much. Sending long distance hugs and love!

We pray for you, please pray for us!

Status Update: Persevering

Well, Joe's interview went really well today. As a matter of fact, it went so well that they hired him on the spot! Now, consider us two very sweaty and flustered individuals arriving at his interview after walking in business apparel in the muddy grass to the train, finding the wrong Leceister (sp) street (because Melbourne has multiples of every street), and finally arriving in the rain to his interview. It certainly was a relief that it went so well! But, the truth is that it is a commission only job and it simply isn't the right choice for Joe to work on a commissions only basis while he tries to support his wife and help us establish a foundation here. So, with heavy hearts we got back on the train. On the positive side, Joe had a great interview experience and is only more practiced in the art of an interview. We are certainly grateful for that!

More later, love and prayers...

Today was a really good day! Joe and I decided that we were going to take a breather day, and go on an all day date. I think it was just what we needed. I woke up optimistic and totally excited to "live a little." We've worked so hard lately, and put alot of pressure on ourselves to make tons of progress very quickly...today it was such a gift to simply "be". Or, as one of my favorite authors, Matthew Kelly, would put it, we took time for "carefree timelessness"

So yes, we took off to, you guessed it...the beach! The sun was shining, it was a glorious 28 degree Celsius day, we packed our bags and took off for the train. It is only about a 1.5 km walk along the train tracks from where we are living to the Eltham train station. The last time we walked it we were jumping puddles and I was trying not to whimper from my blisters! This time, though, everything had dried out, and it was a beautiful walk. While we were walking, my handsome hubby's phone rang and, you'll never guess, he got called in for an interview with a sport's marketing company tomorrow. We are SO excited, and he is so nervous (ok, ok, I'm super nervous for him too). The interview is in Carlton, which would be close enough vicinity to my school that we could even travel into the city together daily. How ideal!

Anyhow, I need to make a long story short. Our day consisted of the train, delicious sushi rolls, the tram, a stop for sandwich makings at the iga, lemonade, a picnic, walking on the beach, another tram, and, one of the best parts, meeting up with the amazing Hudec family to watch their boys play hockey at the Icehouse. Isn't Chris just the best Canadian dad in Australia ever? I just LOVED watching teensy John Paul playing with such heart amongst all the big players. We had such a nice visit with Chris and Paula, they are a gorgeous couple, truly generous and Paula calmed so many of my fears. I can't wait to see their family again (Sunday for mass!). We finished the day off with Italian and here we are, home again. Whew, what a good day.

We are truly blessed. It reminds me of a line from a hymn we used to sing at mass, "the wilderness will lead you to your heart, where I will speak." We have felt as though we entered into a sort of wilderness, feeling confused and uncertain about what to do next. Lo and behold, He is showing us the way.

Time to practice for the interview! Pray for us please, we pray for you every day.

Love and prayers,

Our world is topsy-turvy!

I suppose one just has to start when it comes to writing a blog entry. I have so much on my heart and mind that I really don't know where to begin! What a time this has been for us, my beloved Joe and I, as we begin our adventure. Sometimes I find myself questioning just why we've chosen a path like this for ourselves. It's funny because we received so much encouragement from all of those around us, people who never made the choice to up and leave what was familiar and establish themselves somewhere else. All of these people said that it was something they wished that they had the chance to do, and now they never will. I understand why we were so encouraged but at the same time I think it might be harder than it looks (and harder than I anticipated!). For those who don't know me as well as others, you need to know that I tend to be an incredibly introspective person, so I probably spend too much time dwelling on all the things that are bothering me! For instance, I want to set up a home, with pretty scented candles, matching linens, my own cookware, pictures of us on the wall, and planning our first Christmas together. I find it hard to be boarding in someone else's home, not knowing where we are going to live or what the next day is going to bring. I find myself clinging to any semblance of control I can have over our lives, which is very little. Truly, the only control we can have over our lives is to put our lives in the hands of our loving God, who we believe has led us this far. But, let me tell you...my faith is being seriously tested living in the home of a devout atheist and his devoutly atheistic children. Time to find an apologetics class!!

Anyhow, enough of that! Topsy-turvy is so much better than unchallenged or lacking passion. I can tell you, we are neither unchallenged nor lacking passion. We have to fight each day, sincerely seeking the path that is right for us, and, with some trepidation, reveling in the mystery of it all. God is so good, and God's plan for our lives is so much bigger than we could ever anticipate. I can't wait to find out what it is, little by little! What I can tell you right now is we are making our home in a gorgeous city. I can't believe how beautiful Melbourne is, albeit truly metropolitan it has maintained a sense of natural beauty. We are living in a suburb named Eltham right now, and there are miles upon miles of trails through gorgeous "bush" as they call it here. We've seen the most beautiful tropical birds, parrots, and yes, even a troop of kangaroos. We love walking and exploring! There is even a bike path all the way from here into downtown, and that trip takes 45 minutes in a car. We are excited to start getting pay-cheques so that we can buy ourselves some used bikes. Moreover, we are making our home in a thriving city, and for that we should be truly grateful. The city is in full development mode, with plenty of room for young, innovative minds. We know that once we find our niche we'll be very challenged, which is wonderful! Joe is playing for a basketball team with really wonderful teammates. I can tell already that we fit in very well, despite being one of the youngest and the only married couple! We have been welcomed with open arms and everyone is eager to show us around. Yes, all is well!

Now, this isn't much of a first posting. No exciting news or tantalizing tidbits. Yet, it's whats going on for us, we are striving, we have had many ups and downs, but we are excited and we DEFINITELY aren't throwing the towel in yet. Not only that, but through it all we've only grown closer. On our wedding day I could have never imagined I'd only grow more deeply in love with my husband, but each day I wake up filled with such a sense of gratitude that this is the man God gave me to fight for heaven with.

I love you and I miss you!    XOXO