Running...and Hills

We've been doing a lot of running in the last few weeks. And so this morning, my thoughts are tied to the those runs:

Leesburg Early Runs:

Our feet strike the brick sidewalks. In the early morning hours the quaint streets are empty and quiet. Everything seems to still be sleeping, even the white-columned court house, Lightfoot's restaurant, and colonial houses with their lazy front porches. The hanging baskets of petunias, their petals bright pink and deep purple, breath perfume into the morning air.

We reach Ida Lee park. A mist covers the rolling hills - like a blanket snug in the corners, tucking in the meadows. Our shoes become damp from the morning dew on the soft grass. We are knee deep in the midst as we forge our way across the open field.

And I count my blessings with each step. I'm not sure I completely appreciated the beauty, the calm, and the scenery of Virginia as much before living in Jakarta. The contrast is so polar, so complete, I can hardly believe both places can exist on the same planet. And yet they do. And both places are a part of me.

Madi's first Cross Country Run:

For years I saw the Loudoun Valley High School cross country team training on the roads and trails around Hamilton and Purcellville. So it was with mixed emotions I dropped Madi at her first cross country practice. How could she be old enough for high school? Wasn't it yesterday I was pushing her in a stroller with my friend, Jodi Harris, in College Park, Maryland - trying to keep her entertained with fruit snacks and primary songs? And yet, here she is. A Valley Viking runner.

Her first race was at the beautiful Great Meadow in The Plains, VA.  Oh the beauty!

It was hot and humid. So humid, it felt like we were wading through thick water. But her three years in Jakarta paid off. This was weather typical of Jakarta, and she'd spent the past three years playing soccer and running in the tropical conditions.

Watching my daughter race was quite exciting and surprisingly emotional. I wanted to throw-up at the starting gun because I felt so nervous for her! Then watching all her hard work pay off as she moved her way through the 100 runners to 10th place. Then fight her way to finish 4th. Oh wow. Such a joyous moment!

Here she is working hard during one of many uphill battles.

Which gets me to my final thought today.

Hills.

Elise and I talked about hills during one of our morning runs. Having just reached the top of a particularly steep hill, I said something like, "Ugh! That was a doozie!" (Yes, I use dated words like "doozie").

Then Elise said, "But oh the downhill sure feels good!"

It's true. I don't think I really appreciate the downhill until I've had to climb a killer hill. Certainly this holds true for literal walks or runs. But maybe more importantly, this holds true in the spiritual and emotional hills I face in life. I'm not sure I would appreciate clean air so much if I'd never lived in Jakarta. I know I would never have appreciated grocery stores (Target, Costco, Wegmans) if I hadn't had the struggle of shopping in Indonesia. And certainly, I would not have appreciated the good in my life if I hadn't faced struggles and challenges.

Our battles aren't over. My family is currently facing some hills. And as we fight, battle, sweat, cry, and work our way up those hills, I know we will become stronger. And those down hills, when we reach them, will feel oh so good.

Here's to running in Virginia! And here's to climbing the hills!

   

Back to School

After three glorious months of summer (saying goodbye to Jakarta, repatriating ourselves here in America, and visiting family and friends), the first day of school arrived!

It's hard to explain what happens to my heart on the first day of school. I enjoy summer so much with my children - I love the luxury of time when we can do lazy mornings and crazy adventures. I love relaxing under the shade trees, long road trips (St. George and NYC!), frequent trips to Dairy Queen (love the SMORE blizzard!) I feel sad knowing I won't see my children as much during the day. But of course, I'm also happy for them too - I know they'll have challenges and successes that come from attending school, making friends, and trying new things. And of course as I watch them work through their anxieties, my heart hurts for them too.

There was a lot of reminiscing about Jakarta International School yesterday. All of my children miss the JIS campus - the tropical trees and open spaces. They miss their friends and their teachers.

I bounced between feeling like a therapist and a life coach throughout the morning. "How are you doing?" "You CAN do this!" "Smile and be kind." Lots of hugs. An extra fervent family prayer.

Here are my favorite images of the day:

Lunch box line up! 

(Notice Charlotte's Monster High lunch box - her prized possession!)

When Charlotte saw the bus come down the street she started giggling. Her excitement bubbled until we were all laughing. So, there were no tears from me this year. Charlotte was just too happy to board the yellow school bus with her big brother and sister that I was simply happy for her.

Sisters! Both at new schools. Elise starts as a 7th grader at Blueridge Middle School and Madi starts as a 9th grader at Loudoun Valley High School. (Yes - no glasses, Madi got contacts this summer!)

I snapped this last picture as I dropped Madi off at Valley. Notice how they rolled out the red carpet to the school entrance...love this school!

I think my favorite part of the first day of school was just watching my children be a support system for each other. They buoyed each other up. Comforted each other when the tears threaten to come. And cheered each other on. 

How I will miss them during the 8 hours each day!

A few more reasons

The past week has been a healing time for me. I am enjoying reconnecting with people and being reminded of all the goodness in America. They say people who live overseas experience a "honeymoon" period when they return to their home country. And that's exactly how it's been. I go on my daily run and feel so grateful with each breath of air. I eat my breakfast of raspberries (fresh! not frozen), chia seeds, and greek yogurt and it makes me so happy. I start my car (thank you Joe for finding us a winner!) and look forward to driving on the rule-obeyed, orderly, clean roads.

Here are just a few more things, even though they're so very simple, that bring me joy:

1. "Look mom - no worms!" (Charlotte on eating American broccoli)

How strange (but wonderful) it is to NOT have to pick through my broccoli and cauliflower looking for little green worms. And just look how white the cauliflower here is!

2. Greek Yogurt

The last time I found and purchased greek yogurt in Jakarta, I think I paid the equivalent of $5 for one this size:

I found this on sale (oh sales are good too) for less than a dollar a carton. Chobani every day!

3. Lagoon!

We've been on a three year amusement park diet. Yes, we took the kids to water parks in Indonesia, but I steered clear of rides. Too risky. The safety standards in Indonesia were too low (or non-existent) for me to trust having my children ride the big roller coaster rides. So to end our diet, we spent 11 hours at Lagoon amusement park. The kids rode 8 rides in the first hour, and then I stopped counting. Charlotte LOVED the bumper cars and any other "big kid" ride she was tall enough to go on. 

We only had two "incidents" which is pretty good for my family. The first was when I decided I could handle a ride - wrong! By the fifth time around I had to yell to the attendant, "Stop! I'm going to be sick!" I required only one hour of recovery in the car (yes, I earned the lamest mom award!). And the second incident occurred when Charlotte got too scared and once again I had to ask the attendant to "Stop the ride, please!"

The rest of the day was filled with squeals, screams, laughter-to-tears moments, and tons of big roller coasters!

4. Grass

Who knew the grass in America was so soft? It tickles my toes, it cushions my bare feet, it invites me to sit down and linger in the shade, and it smells fresh and clean. Oh American grass! It is one of the best parts of summer.

Top 5 Reasons I'm Glad to Be Home

5. Open Roads and Blue Sky

I drove approximately 80 miles per hour for 5 hours from Centerville, Utah to St. George. No paralyzing traffic. No motorcyles. Just the open roads and the biggest, bluest sky. We rolled down the windows, opened the sunroof in the car, and breathed in the sweetness. 

4. Food

From Grandma's homemade blackberry pie to Cafe Rio salads, the food in America is wonderful. We have treated ourselves to raspberries, blueberries, and peaches daily (a rare and expensive find in Indonesia). I think we've consumed 15 pounds of fresh baby spinach in the past three weeks. We've also enjoyed Sonic milkshakes, Lion House rolls, and Dairy Queen blizzards. America is the land of plenty...especially when it comes to delicious food!

 

3. Temples

Our closest temple in Jakarta was a four hour flight away in either Hong Kong or Manila, Philippines. How wonderful to see the Utah hills dotted with beautiful white temples. During our first couple days here, we drove to the Bountiful Temple. Charlotte spontaneously started to sing "I love to see the Temple." How very true.

On Sunday morning we went down to Temple Square. Oh my heart! 

To think that Owen and I stood in this exact spot nearly 20 years ago...the beginning of our family!

How wonderful it is to be just minutes from the House of the Lord!

2. Friends

We met enroute. Lisa and her family were driving south to Las Vegas. The kids and I were heading north back to SLC. We met at Cafe Rio in Cedar City for lunch. It was symbolic. This crossroads meeting. She is leaving in just days to move to Japan for three years, and I'm returning home after 3 years abroad. 

The reunion was very sweet indeed.

I'm looking forward to reconnecting with friends who have been so good to my family while we've been away. We've missed you! And we can't wait to start making new memories. 

1. Family!!

My dear sister and THE cutest almost-two-year old ever!

We had the best time running in the rain in Seattle, playing in the sand on Pacific Beach, and enjoying the sun in St. George. How good it is to be on the same continent as my favorite people on earth!

What could possibly be better than family? Family AND FOOD! My cousin Luke is an amazing chef, and he has spoiled us with homemade crepes and homemade donuts. 

Six different glazes to choose from. (I had thirds!) Aunt Connie and Amelia loved the peanut butter chocolate icing.

Yes, it is good to be home.

What I Miss Most

It has been almost three weeks since I loaded my children, 10 suitcase (50 pounds each), and 5 carry-ons (all over the regulated weight limit) in a Silverbird taxi, rode through the crowded streets for one last time, and said goodbye to Jakarta, Indonesia.

My "radio silence" for the past three weeks is not because I was too busy to write. It was because I couldn't bring myself to write. I was still in mourning.

I finally feel like I can record my thoughts without breaking down into hysterics that might scare my children.

I will keep it simple. 

Here are the top 5 things I will miss most about Jakarta:

5. The Food

Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Gado Gado (Indonesian salad with peanut sauce), Yuli's saute ayam, Soto Ayam (Indonesian chicken soup), mangoes, pineapple, pisang goreng (fried bananas). Yes, there were weeks where we avoided Indonesian food and cooked western-comforts like lasagna and macaroni and cheese. But I will miss the food. The spices. The Hero grocery store (yes, even Hero!) And of course the fresh tropical fruit! 

4. Traveling

I'm not sure what to do with myself to NOT have a future trip on my calendar. I have discovered that I love (as in LOVE!!) traveling, seeing new places, and meeting new people. Australia, Uganda, Bali, France, Italy, Taiwan. The world is an amazing place, and I am so grateful to have seen and experienced a lifetime of travel in the past three years.

3. Jakarta 3rd Ward and the Jakarta Stake

From the thrill of actually finding the right building in the middle of crazy Jakarta to being the ones wearing the translation headphones - how I loved Stake Conference.

And of course the incredible people in my ward:

Oh I will miss these amazing women who taught me so much about service and love!

2. JIS    

I got to work my "Dream Job" for the past two years. I learned from the best of the best how to be a better teacher. I have never felt so appreciated, challenged, and fulfilled. 

I loved my students! 

 I loved my colleagues! (Best AP PLC ever - wow I will miss you Brian and Shana! And Carri Turner - best travel-to-Uganda-partner ever!)

I sobbed when I walked off the JIS campus for the last time. And that's all I can write about that for right now.

1. Yuli

Of all the people, places, and things we've experienced here in Jakarta, it was hardest to say goodbye to Yuli. She was more than an employee. She lived with my family for three years. Yes, she did our laundry and cleaned our house (for which I will miss her tremendously!) and made delicious food. But she also became a member of our family. She loved my children. She picked up Charlotte from Kindergarten every day. She taught me the beauty of living joyfully. The only times I ever saw her sad was when she was worried about someone she loved and when she said goodbye. 

I hope in my life I can learn to live as joyfully as Yuli does. To say we miss Yuli doesn't match the magnitude of the loss we feel to live apart from her. She was cheerfulness incarnate. She was a gift to me and my children. She was the best of Indonesia. 

I am so grateful for the past three years. It has been the best three years of my life.

And that's all I can write, for now. 

Braces Off!

In the middle of the pack out, something else monumental happened: Elise got her braces off!

Eleven months of dedicated rubberband wearing, tooth headaches, and vigilance payed off.  

Here she is just moments before removal:

We wish we could report that the removal was without incidence. But, we live in a 3rd world country, and the removal was pretty archaic. Unfortunately, I didn't know what to expect (even on 1st world standards) since Elise is the first to have braces in our family. 

Here's how they remove braces in Indonesia:

Step 1: Have patient bite down a piece of cotton. Hard.

(Please note that Step 1 did NOT include any anaesthetics or glue softening gel.)

Step 2: Dentist holds tooth pliers firmly on individual brace which is still cemented to the tooth.

Step 3: Pull individual brace from glue on individual tooth...without anaesthetics or glue softening.

Step 4: Repeat on every single tooth.

Needless to say, Elise only got through Steps 1-3 a few times before breaking down into tears because of the pain. I made some quick phone calls to find out if this was the "normal procedure." But I couldn't get through to anyone, and we were packing out, and we were leaving in just a few days, and three braces had already been ripped off her teeth. 

We had very few choices, and in the end Elise toughened through it. She learned that if she bit REALLY hard on that piece of cotton, it seemed to lessen the pain.

I cannot describe how difficult it was to watch my child practically be tortured. All I could do was stand next to her and let her squeeze my thumb. 

She took lots of breaks where she would wipe away her tears and get a quick drink of water. 

Once the braces were removed, they polished off the glue on her teeth...again without administering any anaesthetics. 

Can you see the exhaustion in my child's face? 

Elise now has a beautiful smile and a great story about third-world dentistry to share. We just hope the event hasn't scarred her for life!

When I asked her to describe the event in three words, she said, "Painful, Horrific, and a Relief!"

My Happy Place and a 20th Anniversary

Before the moving mayhem, Owen and I took one final escape to Bali to celebrate our 20th Anniversary. Although our anniversary isn't actually until this October, we couldn't think of a place we'd rather celebrate than Bali. 

My happy place is Sari Organik, sipping a Pink Treat drink while looking out over the rice paddies.

As an added bonus, we met Owen's cousin, Katherine, and her husband, Bruno at my most favorite restaurant on the planet. So fun to be with family on the other side of the world.

My other happy place: a morning run along the rice paddies of Ubud. I did not have my camera with me, so my words will have to suffice.

We cross the suspended bridge over the river. Vines dangle from the trees like an immense green curtain. Following the narrow path through the rice fields we catch glimpses of mist stirring and settling along the plunging cliffs.

While running through the village, we pass a store where round woven baskets are strung together and look like a bunch of grapes. Violet flowers pour over the stone walls, surpassing any manmade color in vividness – luminescent and florescent in the morning sun.

A man plants his rice field, wading knee deep in black mud. A plastic bin floats behind him holding the seedlings.

Women do their washing in the canals, white suds on the dark soil.

Ducks bathe in a flooded rice paddy. They bristle, flap, plume, and chatter with each other in clearly a social event - the image brings to mind Romans in a bath house.

A woman bathes in the roadside canal, she keeps modest with a sarong. 

A banyan tree with woven tendrils. Some branches are as thick as a trunk, some as thin as strings, together they make a fibrous tapestry.

In another village, country flags for FIFA World Cup decorate the main road. One small boy – maybe six or seven- wears a Messi shirt. We exchange a thumbs up.

Muddy paths – I have to keep my eyes on the trail more than I would have liked.

And my favorite moment...we take a wrong turn that leads off the main road. We stumble upon a view of a cliff terraced with rice paddies – a hidden paradise. Natural fountains trickle water from pool to pool. It is almost too beautiful to behold. I breathe deeply, count my blessing, and continue running with Owen.