A visit to the museum

Today our dear friend Laura came for a visit. What a wonderful day!! Todd took the kids swimming while Laura and I went to the museum. It was great to stroll through the museum and enjoy the company of a friend!

Zoo Pictures

A trip to the Zoo

It was so nice to get out and about today. We were finally able to find a car for Todd. I can now get out and explore a little while Todd is at work. We started off at Toto's. Yes, Toto's. It's a coffee shop. Pretty clever, huh. Since we are in Kansas. Zach has been asking to go there ever since we got here. We grabbed a few tasty treats and then headed for the Zoo.

It may be preference but I think the St. Louis Zoo is better than the KC Zoo. I won't go into my reasons for this observation but I think it's true. That said, we did have a nice time at the Zoo today. Zach's favorite thing about the day was riding a camel. Lia's favorite thing today was riding on the green train. I've posted a few pictures from our trip.

On the way home I missed a turn and got a little lost. I was feeling pretty good about my navigating through the city until our little detour. We were in a very upscale area so I felt safe . . . safe and lost. I decided to continue down a road until I saw something that looked familiar. Thankfully, this worked for me. I really need to get a Kansas map.

Oh, Todd just got home and guess what he brought me?! A map! :-)

elisabeth elliot

Here is a quote I read tonight--it's taken from a book by Elisabeth Elliot, Loneliness.

"The answer to our loneliness is love--not our finding someone to love us, but our surrendering to the God who has always loved us with an everlasting love. Loving Him is then expressed in a happy and full hearted pouring out of ourselves in love to others."

gotta love weekends!

I do enjoy the weekends. We can all be together as a family and we can sleep in just a little on Saturday! This weekend was nice for many reasons . . .

1. We had dinner with old and new friends.
2. We bought a chair at Nebraska Furniture. It's really the first piece of furniture that we've ever bought. As I type I'm enjoying our overstuffed and cozy chair.
3. We took Todd to KC Masterpiece to celebrate him being the "best daddy ever!" We shared ribs--yummy and so filling. I couldn't eat anything else the rest of the day. Lia also enjoyed the ribs. In her own words, "I really like meat!"
4. After two weeks of trying to find a car we finally found one. What a relief!
5. Our friend Ray-Ray (aka-Rachel) came up and watched the kids for a couple of hours so we could enjoy a date! Just to be out and together . . . alone . . . was pretty wonderful.

adjusting

I'm often asked how I'm adjusting to this new chapter in our lives. I think overall each of us is doing well. Our pace of life has slowed down dramatically--and that's not bad--it's been really good for us to connect as a family.

For the past 20 years our lives have been full of friends that we walked through ever major event of our lives with. We had been part of the same church for 20 years--we were part of the fabric of our church, knitted together with peoples lives--sharing joys, sorrows, births, deaths--my heart is just glad and thankful as I think about it. There is an ache in each of us for CoMO but we also know that God has ordered our steps and led us here. That personally gives me an assurance that though I currently feel out of place, God is with us and He is faithfully working in our lives.

We have visited two churches. Last Sunday we actually went to both of them in the same day. I'm not sure where we are going to plant ourselves. The first Sunday that we went to one of the churches it seemed so strange--almost like we were abandoning our church family that we had been part of for 20 years. That said, there is something also wonderful about gathering together to worship and hear from God's word with the people of God--regardless of where you are or if you know anyone in the room. I experienced that in Thailand and China--language didn't change that we all were worshipping and desiring to know Jesus more intimately--together!

Zach actually likes one of the churches a lot and has asked several times when do we get to go back. God could be using Zach to lead us to where we should be.

I'm pretty much just rambling. There are days I just ache and yet not without hope or peace. I told someone today that I think Jesus is doing a work in my heart which is always beautiful and yet the process can sometimes be painful.

Todd is enjoying his job. He enjoys the people that he works with and the project he is working on is both challenging and interesting.

Resting with hope and joy.

Pirate Adventures . . . Dragon Boat Races

Last week Zach went attended a three day art camp called Pirates Great Adventure. The kids made a pirates patch, hat and treasure box. On the last day they had a treasure hunt. Zach enjoyed getting out of the house and getting together with other kids for some pirate fun at the park. The park is beautiful and has become one of our new favorite places.

Today we went to the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival. The kids got to make their own dragon boats and we watched as 6 different teams zig-zag their ways down the course.

Here a few pictures to share the fun we had!

observations

A few observations after 1 week in Kansas. These are in no particular order.

1. Grocery stores don't sell wine. Beer that is sold in a grocery store is 3% alcohol. You can purchase both of these items from a liquor store but those places always look kind of shady.
2. The water in Mission doesn't taste good.
3. We are in Kansas and therefore surrounded by Kansas and Kansas State fans. We will not convert or abandon the Tigers.
4. We really like the area we are living in--there are lots of trees and cool houses.
5. Wild Oats--organic food store is fabulous.
6. Pei Wei is a very tasty place to eat.

I'm sure we will discover much more as we live here.

635-35-470-70 . . . are we going in circles

We had a wonderful day. It started with we all slept in! How great is that. We had a slow morning. I was able to sit for a few moments on the balcony, enjoy a cup of tea and read for a short time. We then set out for a little exploring. Which is why I titled this the way in which I did. It happens when you're in a new place--you get lost, turned around, confused. After about 15 minutes Zach said, "I feel like we are going in circles." We are!

Our first stop, the church we will be visiting Sunday morning. We decided to find the church today so that we won't get lost and show up late in the morning. We found it and decided there would be a better route to take then the directions provided by Mapquest.

Then we were off to Cabella's Outfitters. It was a lot of fun. Zach was able to do target practice at a range they have set up. It's like a video game--you drop in a couple of tokens and then fire away. The facility has different areas set up with stuffed animals--elephants, tigers, bears, coyotes (and more) from different continents. It was pretty cool but scared Lia. Lia was pretty much was clinging to Todd or me and saying, "I don't like those animals."

We then set off to Nebraska Furniture. Wow! We had heard things about this place--it's impressive. We are looking for a large overstuffed chair or loveseat--they had a lot to choose from. The kids loved trying out all the possibilities. No decisions were made. Todd and I usually take awhile to make decisions like this. We will have to go back.

Our last stop . . . the park. We had a great time climbing, sliding, swinging and blowing bubbles!

While I made dinner Todd took the kids swimming. Although the water was still pretty cool they had a great time.

Someone asked us yesterday if we missed Columbia yet. I think I started missing Columbia as we drove west to KC. I do miss Columbia but today I also thought how nice it is that the pace of our lives has slowed down. Our days are not packed full. We are spending much needed time together as a family and for these things I am extremely grateful.

Slowly this is becoming home.

More Pics

New Apartment

Our apartment is starting to take shape. Here are a few pics of the kids around the new place.