Family Celebration

I hesitate to post about today's celebration as a photographer took photos and we'll have a CD of photos soon.....but here are a few snapshots..... 

It was a great day. It was fun to reconnect with  people who went to college with Mom and Dad, current friends, past friends, church family, ALL kids and grand kids, uncles, cousins and even  fellow missionaries from Liberia and friends from the Philippines.  It was also fun to watch a plan come to fruition. Sherri was our "officer in charge" and she did a great job of tasking each with manageable tasks and then letting them run with their vision.  The final product was fantastic. 

I think one of my favorite parts of the day was the slide show. Nate (and Heather) did a great job of documenting Mom and Dad's lives and marriage. 

There were a few tables set up with mementos...and Krista and Nadia made this great "family tree" wall hanging.  Mom and Dad and their parents were the foundation and bottom trunk...it branched into three branches for Nate, Will and I and then smaller branches for each of our children. I WANT something like this on a wall in my home....while we are leasing we could do something like this, stretch it around a frame and hang it.....I'll have to think about this a bit.

Bre made a tri-fold of showcasing their ministry. Heather grabbed mementos to display (and did much, much more). Amy made some great "Canvas art" - I'm sure there will be some cool photos coming of all this; as well as the great decorations.

Sherri and her grand Harmony - Mom and Dad's Great Grand

Mom, Dad and Heather 

Nate (Baby brother)

Nolan and Arielle

This is my cheesy dork look. Michael snapped a photo while I was sharing about Mom and Dad - with my granny glasses on....This was the one he took when I took off the glasses. LOL

Josiah (getting married in 2 weeks)

Mikhail (Nate and Heather's Son) 

My Uncle and Cousins with Mom and Dad 

After cleaning up the church some of us went out to Will and Sherri's to relax and enjoy a BBQ for dinner.

The kids played a game called "smash face"....

Zander sits in the middle 

It was fun to find this bus at our hotel as we drove up. Evidently a tour of Japanese teens were sharing the hotel with us.

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

ALL the Gherkins Have Landed!

Yes, I DID take the stairs so I could stage a photo! ::snort:: Krista brought Josiah and Jared over this morning. Jamin needed to get some homework and a test done so he and Bre came over later. We enjoyed catching up. It was FUN to see the older boys reactions to the growth and changes in the younger boys. 

We enjoyed the first family circle with all present in over a year. We talked a bit and then headed out to meet Sherri (Sister in law), Matt (her son) and my parents for lunch. Matt flew in today at noon. This will be the first time in over a decade when all of us three kids and all of our kids will be in the same spot WITH Mom and Dad. It's going to be epic! 

After lunch we converged on the church to decorate and such for tomorrow's 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration! It's going to be a lot of fun. During this time Mom Mary and Rebecca called. We made initial plans to meet them later but  couldn't reach them to finalize plans for dinner and dessert (It turns out Rebecca had turned the ringer down on her phone and hadn't seen the messages). 

We needed to get a few things for tomorrow's celebration and headed for Walmart before the photo department closed.....miles and miles of aisles! 

 At 6:30 p.m. we decided to get dinner alone as we couldn't reach Mom Mary and Rebecca. We would drop in at Rebecca's house after dinner if we'd still not been able to get anything but the message on the phone. 

I do not believe this booth is meant to seat twelve people. This perspective makes the table look longer than it is! 

Me, Stacia, Jamin, Krista, Arielle, Josiah, Nadia, Bre
Nolan, Alex, Jared and Michael took the photo

Seriously - how are you going to put PLATES between these napkins....

Not to fear - we scored another table - eventually. I left a hefty tip as the gal who waited on us had to trade tables with the one who didn't want to give us two tables. ::snort:: 

We zipped up the street and around the corner to say hi to Michael's Mom and Sister. 

Time to try to sleep so we can get up and tackle the big day tomorrow. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Jet Lag Gherkin Style

Six Gherkins working through jet lag makes coming up with a daily plan IMPOSSIBLE! I find it funny we seem to hit "the wall" at different times.  We've only been here 2 days - it will take a bit of time. I always forget how hard jet lag hits traveling THIS way.

Tuesday night, Zander was READY to find his new home - check out his suitcase. Four years ago, when our luggage was stolen, Armeda Dukes gave him this suitcase. He refuses to let us upgrade to lighter model. ::snort:: 

The flip flops are looking as rough as we are. LOL 

The first morning in OR - the girls were up early and the guys couldn't budge. That's not true...they woke up, had breakfast, and went back to bed until noon. We woke up at 1000 ready to explore. We headed to a mall nearby to pick up a few essentials.....

Culture shock - one WHOLE ROLE OF DENTAL OPTIONS!  We only wanted a simple toothbrush. ::snort::

The noise also overwhelmed me. Breanne points out  Japanese malls are MUCH louder with music blaring and lots of activity. I didn't understand all the conversations and announcements in a Japanese mall. Hearing all the conversations around me in restaurants and stores is tiring. LOL

THIS was a pleasant surprise. Produce in Target - and .24 a lb for bananas...we've paid 1.09 - 1.19+ a lb for bananas the past four years. Stacia was thrilled to find peaches too - though they aren't ripe yet. ::sigh:: Just a bit longer, baby girl.

I suppose Arielle's nerves of steel deserve a shout out. Driving a 15 passenger van on WIDE American roads after four years of small cars and small roads is an adjustment. Stacia reports, "Mom drives the van like a roller coaster." Michael hasn't seemed to master the skill to my level of expertise. I was being VERY careful.....I promptly changed gears when I tried to put on my turn signal....and then well....several times Arielle calmly said, "Little to the right, Mom." Yeah.....I found myself carefully driving in the left lane several times....and that is not the thing to do in Oregon. Watch out for the big red van.

Back at Grandma and Grandpa's Arielle is reunited with Yuuki...yes....the sleeping habit made the trip across the date line. Jet lag is a good excuse for a few more days.

We've spent the past couple of days reconnecting with family. We've not seen Nate and Heather for four years.  Heather teaches at International schools. They've been in China and Turkmenistan while we've been in Japan. We have seen Mikhail, their son, a couple of times on trips back to the states. Their daughter, Nadia,  has graduated and is relocating to America. It's been fun to spend some time with her.

Mom and Dad are the hub of family life and are watching Yuuki for us while we are here. We've enjoyed sitting in their shady back yard and watching the fish in their pond - a touch of Japan right here in OR.

We went by and saw Will and Sherri and their son Andrew  (and Harmony) this afternoon. Looking forward to catching up with Amy and Matthew in the next day as well.

We've tried to touch base with Rebecca, Michael's sister, and Mom Mary - but have only succeeded in leaving  messages at this point. Mom Mary is driving up for the anniversary party and should be getting in any day.

There is a lot of activity preparing for Mom and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary Reception/Party - which will be Saturday. Above is a picture of them in front of the barn where they had their first date - a barn dance. Their anniversary was in November and they wanted to wait until this summer to have a party, so  all of us kids and grand kids could be here.....international travel, employment and college schedules made it impossible for us all to be here on 17 November.

Michael and crew got our RV (aka The Caboose) out of the storage. It had been broken into and mice had partied this winter (ugh)...but all is ready now for our trip down to CA.

Will suggested a fun park for us to explore and we spent about an hour relaxing, grabbed dinner and then Michael hit "the wall." The boys will get in tonight but we simply can't drive across town in the state we're in....Michael went to bed. The rest of us watched Stacia and Zander swim in the cool night air. My hope was the pool would help them get to sleep at a more decent hour. We seem to hit a wall at around 8 p.m. and if we don't go to bed (which we mostly don't) we get a second wind and can't sleep until 0300 - 0400.

Michael and Bre

Stacia

Nadia, Zander, spare child, Krista, Arielle, Nolan 

Michael shakes Krista and Nadia

 The three "boys" from TX will arrive tonight

Dad, mom, Bre Arielle, Nolan, Krista, Zander, Michael and Stacia in front

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

The Day that Lasted Forever

Tuesday - 16 July 2013 - the day that refused to end. ::snort::  The day that was 48 hours long. 

Michael and I managed 3 hours of sleep on Monday. We got up at 0430 and walked around the base.  

I posted on Facebook that I felt numb this morning. That feeling persisted...the day was surreal. 

We woke up kids, had breakfast, finished downloading iTunes things, zipped up the bags and checked out of Misawa Inn. 

We ran the receipt by housing so they will pay for our 5 days in lodging. We ran by the bank and closed our local accounts and exchanged yen. We filled up the van with gas and took it through the car wash. We wanted to take it off base for a really good detailed cleaning...but ran out of time.  Zander (Alex) loved using the power wash hose. 

We enjoyed a last lunch at the club with Akiko-san.  I had a great salad - my last meal for over 24 hours. Discussion turned to the "right" time to visit CA....March is in the lead as it will be a good time to visit AK as well....but Michael threw out Christmas and Stacia in total seriousness looked at Akikosan said, "August 16th is a good day." Stacia's birthday.  We didn't say goodbye - we said, "Matane!" Akikosan reminded us we ARE coming back.

We usually drive off base, check the gate in the rear view mirror and keep moving....but this PCS was different. We FLEW and we had an impromptu party at the airport. We'd seen so many people off at the airport in the past couple of months that we were surprised how many dear friends we DO still have in Misawa. ::snort::   Stacia was happy to see Mags and Asia. 

Alex and Colton got in some last minute wrestling....and Colton was chosen to take home the yen coins we simply didn't spend. Alex gave it a great effort...treating all to ice water from the vending machines.

Friend of my heart - Christina and Lawson

Molly, Gracie and Arielle

Ah - sweet memories

Me and  Jen (fellow Chaplain wife)

Me and a couple of my gals

Nolan and Jaycob helped me every single week this year in the pre-school PCOC room. A friendship grew as their ministry grew. What a great year it was.  See that little box....friends who didn't make it to the airport sent homemade pretzel bites - YUMMMO! It's a good thing I'd not sampled them before this point.

Michael and some guys  

Friends sent a GIANT box of cookies - and they were deemed amazing by all who sampled. Me and the Cookie Lady (Andrea). 

Still don't get this game

There were others who showed up after the main crowd...and each one was appreciated. Thanks.

Flying out of Misawa defines bittersweet. All was boring - which was fine. Arielle wins the award for plane sleeping. She stretched out in the aisle, had her head in my lap and her body across Stacia. Michael and Nolan had little boys behind them who kicked their seats continually while their Dad slept.  Five hours into the flight Michael asked me to switch seats with him. I now had Michael's seat in my lap and a kid kicking me from behind....and THEN he spilled his OJ and it splashed all over me. LOL

A word about the "special meal" option on the patriot...don't bother. My vegan options were Chicken, pasta with cheese OR...the little salads people left on their plates. ::snort:: I ate carrots I'd bought the day before wondering if this may happen.

Getting through customs was QUICK for those of us LEAVING the airport....We were chased down as we'd left the Nikon DSLR in an overhead bin.

For those of us flying on (the gals) it took 2.5 hours to get through customs and on through security. We were all tagged for "random" checks...and I didn't realize after swabbing my palms they wanted to check them out so I walked away...not a good move....which resulted in more personal encounters and more swabbing of palms. At one point I commented VERY LOUDLY...my 7 year old is alone trying to get all the bags off the belt....and some lovely fellow passengers helped out by standing near her and talking to her until Arielle was cleared.

We laughed on the airport shuttle as we were listening and responding to the Japanese announcements and ignoring the English. At one point I asked Arielle to read the flashing sign "Gato C desu" - Ah. "Dozo, dozo." And we laughed - I think it may be the last Japanese we hear for some time.

We noted the planes are NOT on time as often as they are in Japan. The waiting areas are LOUD. People do not use headphones with their movies and music....and they talk LOUDLY on  cell phones without even TRYING to find a secluded spot.

Arielle suffered overload as we waited in SEA and chose to sleep. LOL 

We had 20 minutes between our flight which landed in Portland and the one which would take us to Eugene.  As we raced to check in, I realized my ipad was left on the previous plane. The clerk ran to get it, we hopped on the plane and made it to Eugene before Michael, the boys and Yuuki. 

We were met at the gate by my parents, a dancing Bre and my brother, Nate. Krista showed up shortly and we waited for Michael. We went out to dinner with my family.....Heather, Nadia and Mikhail joined us...where I enjoyed a satisfying vegan meal. LOL 

Back at the room all fell asleep fairly early. I hit a second wind and was up until midnight. 

I woke up this a.m. at 10:30 a.m. and have been trying to rouse everyone else...it's now LUNCH time on WED and I'm ready to get out and see America.  Stacia is complaining her eye itches and waters....need to go check this out. 

I was evidently too tired after SEA to take any more photos. 

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Matane, Japan!

Not Sayonara...Matane! See you later, Japan.  

I asked God to give me His heart for Japan. He answered by giving our family His heart for Japan. He reawakened our hearts to missions and changed our career plans to align us with His heart for Japan. We believe we will be back. 

We need to faithfully finish his call to minister in  the military community....two more years. We have no idea what doors will open or how we will return. Our latest, greatest plan is to come back and get a job at Pizza Hut so we have SOFA status (need that APO box). ::wink::  This is the Gherkin version of retiring and becoming a "Walmart Greeter." 

In the meantime, we have some research to do, a language to learn, some plans to discover....and a whole new set of friends and ministry partners to meet at Beale Air Force Base. 

I cannot adequately express God's faithfulness, the personal growth, the ministry growth we've experienced while living here these past four years.

I've learned to dance with God not only in the joyful seasons...but in the hard places - the vulnerable places,  where there is nothing to trust but God, Himself. He has proven faithful.

I've learned to dance in the rain.

"Lord, through all our generations YOU have been our home." Ps 90:1 Our roots are deepest in Him and not a location. Our home is always with us. HE has been our home.....

Matane!

Choosing Joy!
©2013 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...