Life

I hope that you are doing well. We just had a great house dinner and we laughed a lot. Deep laughter feels so good. It is like medicine. I'm really enjoying living here. Early today I went for a walk with Megs, one of my housemates. And yesterday at church Megs, Me and Kristie sat on pillows with our backs against the wall. Megs spread her blanket over me and Kristie sat on my coat since the pillows were all taken. We shared part of Krisities sandwich I had brought for her since she had to be at church early. It was a really sweet bonding moment. A guy and wife who work with Compassion showed up and spoke about sponsoring children. I have to admit that at the beginning I thought oh poor them they don't know that they've are going to share their hearts passions with a very poor group of people because most people in the Tribe are living by faith. But, afterwards I was pleasantly proved wrong as the booth was flooded with a constant stream of people who would skip away with a new child who shared their birthday, or who had liked to play soccer as well, or who lived in a high sex trade area. It was a really beautiful thing to watch as people showed off their newly adopted children to each other.

Today it has rained all day, buckets that make me feel like I'm going through a carwash. My laundry is hanging soaking on the outdoor line as we don't have a dryer. I hope a sunny day is in line for tomorrow as my underwear is getting low. I love the rain here, it is intense and heavy.

I'm reading this book called Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It is about the future of civilization, much like Fahrenheit 451 in theme. My favorite part so far was when this happy civilized people of the future venture to Santa Fe during a vacation to visit the Savages. The Savages are Indians who still give birth and are monogamous. They have dirt everywhere and mend their clothes. Everyone from the civilized city is programed from an embryo and conditioned with morals and beliefs that they repeat like robots at the push of a button. I'm enjoying it.

This weekend I'm part of a team from the Tribe that is driving two hours North to a town called Brisbane. There we are going to join a New Age Festival called Mind, Body Spirit. They are held all around Australia. We go and bring dream interpretation, spiritual cleansing, healing, and spiritual blessing. They also have stage time where they do prophetic words. The last one was a month ago and they everyone they prayed for healed, the queue was the longest of the whole festival, over 15 people were saved. If you think of it pray for us on your Thursday, Friday and Saturday because we are lights going into dark places.

Man, I wish I had a camera so I could show you all my life here, my room, little Tygar, the beach that I like to run on, where Simon works. But, my words will have to suffice until perhaps our wedding.

Vocab lesson #2

Here are a couple more words that I've been learning. Now, the best way to learn these are to take a risk and begin to incorporate them into your own life. Don't be scared... be brave and drop one word in here and there. Just like a fine sprinkling of salt on a dinner dish.

Australian/American

Cuppa/cup of tea
oua(this is just how it sounds to me, the spelling might be wrong)/afternoon
cruzy/easy going
carpark/parking lot
park/parking space
boot/trunk of a car
sparkie/electrician
dishie/dish-washer at a resturant
the letter z/zet
runners/tennis shoes


Dang . . . I know there is more. They are surrounding me here and then I forget.

Well, I guess Lesson two was shorter than I thought. Go ahead and take an early recess. We'll continue later.

Everything is cruzy

Nannying is good. I do enjoy the kids. Mali is three months but he is dang cute. He sleeps a lot on good days, but when he is awake I can make him laugh and giggle. He likes it when I sing. This causes a huge smile to spread across his face. Tygar is okay. He is very talkative and loves playing with a tiny dog named Sasha that lives downstairs. He says I can't be his friend because I'm an adult. And he thinks I come from a different world. Yesterday he told his nanna that I have cowboys in my world. He had asked me when I first started if there were cowboys where I lived and I thought yes, there are because in Texas and even the ranch that I worked at had cowboys. He said that he couldn't be my friend because I live in a different world. He doesn't understand this concept of America yet. This makes me laugh. I make a big deal out of him teaching me new things. The other day he taught me what eyebrows, noses, and ears were. :)

I saw a kangaroo on the side of the road tonight. It wasn't dead. It was just standing there and I was so happy that I started to laugh out loud and scream in delight. I have always wanted to see a real kangaroo and now I have. Next time I want to see it in the light, but do they come out during the day?

Simon has gotten some extra days of work because one of the girls is out of town for a month traveling. This is great because it means five steady days for him, but the down side is those days are during my days off. I have the weekends off and those are two of the days he works. We are still seeing each other but I wish it would be neverending.

I realized how in the country it is when Si and I drove up north to a city for our immigrations appointment. I forgot how strange it was to see tall sky scrapers and even stop lights. In Byron the tallest building is probably two stories and there are
only rounds abouts instead of lights. As I drive from where the Masons live to where I live it is a completely country road with one lay both ways and on either side of the road there are rolling hills with scattered trees and spread out houses. You can see the beach and lighthouse as you drive into Bryon and the coastline is like a magic marker painted line with a golden strip of coast.

Today we were supposed to go into a nearby town called Ballina. This is where we get most of our basic clothes, bath essentials and car registration. It is cheaper than Byron. Byron is one of the most expensive towns in Australia. I guess beauty has it's price. We were heading out of the neighborhood when our car staled. Yesterday I had taken it in for a tuneup and he had adjusted the idle speed. now it was too low and the car kept on turning off and actually Simon had to get out and push it while in neutral. It was a crazy adventure. Eventually we made it to the near by mechanic and we got him to change the idle speed but
this meant that we didn't have time to go to Ballina. We will have to wait until next week because that is the only time we both have off of work at the same time.

Life here is sooooooo much slower. Luckily I like it but I could see how this would drive some people nuts. You just sort of adjust. I was actually thinking about this on Saturday because every weekend and day off I'm like. . . Hum what will i do and it turns out that I always do the same thing. Read, journal, paint, and spend time with God. There isn't a whole lot of opportunities for activity. I'm liking it though and am really glad I don't live in a big city like Sydney. Everyone is really chill here. They call it cruzy.

The depth that Simon and I are going is such a confirmation that this is right. We are really growing in our communication and get along really well. We talk through areas of frustration and through theological differences and at first I had a fear that he wouldn't love me if he found out more about me but the truth is just the opposite. He is kinder, and more loving than ever. We both are getting very ready for marriage and I know that God is laying a beautiful foundation.


Hey Deb if you are reading this can you email me because I sent you an email but it was to the old address and I forget your new one. Love you and thanks for keeping up with my life. I wish we could gossip over a cuppa in your kitchen.

A New Stamp in my Passport!

Thanks for all of your prayers. This morning after working from 5:00-9:00 I walked with Mia to the bank to deposit the huge wad of cash we were borrowing. Afterwards Simon and I filled out some paper work for our intention of marriage and I took a five minute nap on the floor cushions in the waiting/meeting room at the Tribe office. After a quick stop at home to shower and get pretty we piled in our white now slightly tan van, there is a muddy road on the way to work, popped in a new CD and drove North up the Pacific Hwy. Simon had done all of the research on exits and location and we found the immigrations office with time to spare. We ate a lunch of Japanese delicacies which didn't agree with Simon's stomach and than sat in a nervous waiting room for our number of H5756 to appear on the screen and be read over the intercom. After 30 minutes our time came to enter cubicle 4 where our government man was ready to assist us. We told the skeleton story of our relationship, answered his questions correctly, and were rewarded with a new stamp in my passport which means I am legal in the country of kolas until we are married. All went really smoothly except for Si's stomach.

One mention of a miracle though. He was completely surprised that I had gotten into the country without a return ticket. This was the second time this happened as Simon got into America without a return ticket and less than 200 dollars to his name. With the government mans shock at this Simon and I both felt more confirmation that we were doing the right thing and that God has our backs.

Once again, thanks for your prayers. We know that God wants me here but the process has been a test of our trust and perspective. I wish you could see my new stamp. It is a real beaut!

Over these past two months I've been immursed into the Byron Bay culture and have been introduced to many new words.
Since some of these words will be now found in my writing I thought it would be good to teach them to you as well.

Australian /American
Nappy/Diaper
Dummy/ pacifier
lift / elevator
mossy / mosquito
togs / swimsuit
saultanas/raisins
popo / papaya
rock melon /cantalop
avo /avacado
You have a go / It's your turn
Iceblocks/popcicle
jumper/sweater
thongs/flipflops
bench/counter top
ta/thank you
footy/ football
rice bubbles/ rice crispies


Bascially they take a lot of words from the Britians. So often I have to ask people what they mean and really use context clues to understand. There are so many others so we will continue this lesson later. :)

Renewing a visa

I am going through total reconstruction. I'm needing to soak myself in the reality of God's grace and affection towards me. I'm asking God for a new revelation of his character because my old one has some areas where that are dominated with fear and performance. Basically he is taking the foundation of my identity and laying it again.

Today I opened a bank account and it was so easy and quick. I didn't have to fill out paperwork at all. I just had to present my passport, visa card and drivers license. We are opening one and having Mia put around 5,000 dollars in there because later on this week we have to drive up the coast for a couple of hours to have an interview with immigrations to see if they will extend my visa. We have to prove to them that I have about 1,000 dollars for each month I want to stay here. Since we don't have the money we are just using Mias money to make it look like this. Then after we get the visa we will put the money back into her account. Pray for us as we do this because it is just such a demanding process.

Tomorrow I work a 12 plus hour day. I awake at 5:00 and need to leave the house at 5:30 to get to Mullum by 6:00. There I'll fall asleep on the couch under layers of blankets until around 7:30 when Tygar wakes up. After breakfast and a quick play session we will pack into the van which he looks so small in and drive to daycare. I drop him off and head back to Byron to watch Mali who is 3 months and likes to sleep and has a smile that lights up his chubby face. I'll make sure to put him in his pram and take him on a walk so I can get some exercise and escape being indoors all day. At 2:00 Melissa will come home and I'll drive back to Mullum to watch Tygar for my second session which includes reading books and eating lambchops for this all he likes to eat. Well, that and sausages. We alternate from day to day. Today was lambchop day, tomorrow is sausage day. Never changes.

So, I'm off to bed because I have to tackle this mammoth of a day with energy and life. Dream land here I come.

Living in this house has been a good challenge and a good stretch. There is five other girls and two of them I get a long with really well. Because some of the connections aren't organic it has really caused me to come in the opposite spirit and to practice what I preach. I want a community that is loving and vulnerable and I've been challenged to be this even when it isn't reciprocated. This is always the biggest test isn't it? Doing what you believe when it isn't easy. Overall, this has been good. I've been enjoying swimming in the pool and the spontaneous conversations that fabricate. Also it has been nice to be so close to Simon. Time wise it is the same amount as when I was living in Bangalow but there are convenient paved paths inbetween. It is a lovely ride.

As you know Simon and I've been looking for a van and we were running short on time. This week I started working as a nanny for 41/2 year old named Tygar. He lives about 30 minutes away but it is in another town called Mullum. I need a car to get there. We bought the van on the day that I started work. We had been looking at others and non passed the registration check but this one did and it passed other tests as well. We bought it from two Germans who were here on vacation. We spent two days cleaning it and organizing the heaps of camping gear and fishing gear it came with. There is a huge bed in the back so we can go camping once we are married. I'm excited to see more of Australia and to get on the road.

Like I've said I've started working and the first day was crazy. I tried to get Tygar to eat a very small portion of peas. I reasoned that if he ate them he would get an iceblock for dessert. He didn't like the peas idea but he liked the iceblock idea. This set him off and he threw a tantrum for what seemed like the better part of an hour. He ended up falling asleep on a beanbag under the coffee table. I would have left him here but he needs to wear a nappy for bedtime and I had to wake him up and try to get him out from the table. He cussed at me and he ran out of the house. I cased him down the street and them gave him a timeout in his room. All day and into the night it was battle after battle. Luckily I won the big ones and the next day that I came he was nice to me and listened. It is difficult laying down boundaries on a child who has never had them. He doesn't understand choices because he's never had consequences.


Let me know how you are doing. I really enjoy hearing about the details of your life as well.

Togs

Well, you will be very happy to know that I bought a new swimsuit and I tested it out with Simon day at the beach. We just went for a little bit but we had so much fun body surfing. And tomorrow morning I'm waking up early for an 8:00 swim from one bay to the next. I'm doing it with Simons Aunt. She does it every Sunday morning. Since it is winter it is starting to get cooler but the water is still warm. I do wish it was a little bit warmer though. Here they call swimsuits swimmers or togs.

Things on the housing front have changed again. It turned out that the girl taking my place couldn't move in for five weeks so I'm going to live there while a guy named Fabian lives in the garage and then I'll move back after Serena moves in. I'm really glad with this situation and feel that everyone wins. Especially Fabian because his girlfriend Ruthie, who is my close friend doesn't have any money and needs a place to stay and I'm glad that he is coming back into town. Hopefully he will get a space with Simon after those five weeks. Also this way I get some time with the girls in the house and then I get to come back to the Masons.

I was supposed to babysit tonight but they called and canceled but I was away from home all day and had forgotten my phone at the church cottage. Phoebe tried ringing tons of people and even the people I was with and got ahold of non of them because we were tracking through the forest with fire torches and made a big fire at the beach. When I went to babysitting they didn't need me but I didnt' know so they paid me 20 dollars anyways. I tried to talk them out of it, but they insisted! Isn't that great? I'm getting paid for doing nothing and we had a great time on the beach. The stars are incrediblly clear. They have a constellation here called the Southern Cross and it is only in the Southern Hemisphere. You can use it to direct you towards south. They don't have the North star here however. I never knew this.

Well, I hope to connect with you all sometime.

Oh, If you could pray we need a car. Twice Si and I have taken in a van to get checked and twice the results have been fail. Since I start my jobs soon and will be living away from the Masons I need one ASAP! I'll be walking or hitching into town until we get one. We are holding out for a van but have given up on the dreams of the VW since the parts and services are rare and couldn't imagine being stranded in the bush.

Packing and Unpacking

Sunday I packed up my room and was all set on moving into a new house but I reallly didn't want to. I actually asked God for an out so I could stay with the Masons. I just really enjoy living with the Masons and they really like having me here. Being here I get to help Ree with the cooking and offer friendhsip. I am loving the behind the scene look at ministry and learn a lot from just being around. At church there was a girl who said she would move in instead of me and as I was puttting some blanket into the house Phil and Ree said Meag we were just talking and do you feel like you need to leave? Have we made you feel that way because you are really welcome to stay. And so tonight I unpacked and put clothes back into drawers and pictures back on the walls. I feel a peace about this decision and everyone is all around very happy. This way Simon and I can continue to save money because I'll just pay a low rent to them instead of the full deal of the other house.


This morning I went and helped in the soup kitchen that the Tribe runs. We made a chicken curry. I cubed the chicken, pealed onions, and snapped beans then served it to people in a nearby park. There is something really satisfying about being able to meet someones physical need of hunger. People are so grateful.


After soupie I went on a beautiful long walk today with my friend Ruthie. It is the lighthouse walk that passes by two surfing beaches and overlooks all of Byron. You might have seen the lighthouse in pictures of Byron. At a look out we saw a shark swimming in the waters below. It was huge and was just sailing along. There might have been two but we couldn't tell.


Tomorrow we are going to take a van in to get what they call a Regro check. If it passes we will buy it. Our dreams are answered in this bring blue VW van. It has a new engine but it needs some TLC on the inside. We are looking forward to working on it together.


Well, this update is going to be shorter than normal, which you are probably grateful for. I have a really hard time being concise.

Making positive progress

The Masons were out of town for two weeks and the home was so quite and lonely, now that the Masons are back my life is really active. Each day I go into Byron with them and help them in the office. I like being there because all day people come in and out. People are always so full of joy and life that it is a really healthy environment to be in. Sometimes there is no work so I lay on the cushions and read a good book. I just finished The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald. Simon has a continual book list for me and I have like six books waiting on the docket right now. I just started one called Affluenza about when too much is never enough.

I went in the Indian ocean yesterday before church. The two younger Masons Toby and Phoebe and I packed the surf board and boogie board into the back of the wagon and set off to enjoy the sunny, hot day. The beach was crowded with buff bodies decked in skimpy bikinis and tans. I have to admit I felt like a old prude woman in my one piece Nike race suit. I really had to build up my courage to get into the water because with each person that walks by there are fifty pairs of hungry eyes following them. I don't like this and I almost didn't go in. I'm not ashamed of my body but I just felt pressure to be hip by wearing a bikini which I've never liked. However, I did go in and I even spent some time on a board! It felt great to be out there in the waves and float so carelessly on the board. I've not done this since I was very young. I am looking forward to learning and expect to become fluid eventually. One of the girls I'm going to be living with is a surf instructor. She was talking about getting a group together on Sunday mornings.

I'm currently living in the Masons garage. I love my private space here and have gotten to dig into my chest and bust out all of my belongings. It is wonderful that everything I own can fit into one small room. But, I'll only be here for two more weeks because on Saturday my friend Christy picked me up and we caravaned with another car to a nearby neighborhood. Me and the four other girls were going to check a rental house that just became available and because of Christy's connections we got the inside scoop before it went onto the market. The owners showed us around the three story mansion ducking us in and out of rooms. Some of the great features of this house is it comes complete with a beautiful pool extending from the side of the second story. I'm excited to use this to work out in. The opposite side of that story has a veggie garden freshly manured! After a while of touring we decided that we would love to rent it and told them we were committed. Since it was through friends we don't have to apply or have the normal 100 point system that it takes to get a place here. The location is close to the main part of Byron and I can easily ride my bike there on the convenient bike trails. It is also only a couple of minutes away from the beach. You can't see the beach but we can hear it.

Also on Saturday night we celebrated my birthday with the family. We picked up Simon, Pete and his girlfriend Phoebe. Bev who is like part of the family came as well. There was a delicious banquet of Thai complete with Pad Thai and Lamb with Peanut sauce. I was really touched by their card that wholehearted welcome me into the family and encouraged me that I was a true gem suiting my name.

Simon worked today at the bookstore. It isn't a very nice book store aesthetically but I guess the owner is really helpful and he has been relying on Simon for a lot of wisdom is what books to order and stock. I think that Simon could easily become manager of this job since he is so well read. He will start Uni around August when the new term begins. He is looking forward to this and will most likely continue to work while he does. Here he actually gets paid to go to school. He will get 200 dollars every two weeks. Crazy, but cool for us!

I called a person about a nanny job today that was advertised in the newspaper. All I know is that it is for a 4 1/2 year old and it will start in Mid May and end in July which will be good for now. She is going to call me tomorrow morning but I have such good qualifications that it is very rare that it won't work out.

We are thinking about flying down to Sydney to buy a car. There are just no reasonable cars here. Byron truly is in the country. Did you know they don't even have stop lights? I didn't realize that until yesterday. It is very country and I love it. But, this means if you want to shop for anything reasonable you need to travel like 45 minutes away. There is a VW van we have our eyes on and I actually need to get Simon to call them since it is long distance.

Kiss someone we both love hello for me.

Love you heaps!
Meag

Every day's an adventure!

I've started to pick up on a slight Australian accent and would be greeting you with the question "How is it doing?" They ask that instead of "How's it going?" and also ending a lot of sentences with the word hey and looping the end so everything is said in a manner that seems to be hanging in the air dancing above our heads, unsettled. There are tons of little differences like that. For instance on the stove top the dial for heat is opposite. The high is to the left instead of the to right and they have all sort of different names for things. Here a comforter or blanket is called a duna. Right now I can't think of any others but they attack me sporatically all day long.

Today was the first day without rain since we arrived a little over a week ago. The Mason family jokes that it is because this huge Blues Festival is over and finished, now the sun can come back out. I guess it has rained for 88 years straight during Easter here. That is always when they have the Blues Fest and it leaves hundreds devoted groupies caked in mud and looking as happy as a soaking wet cat.

Sometimes I really look forward to rainy days because I feel that it gives me permission to kick up my feet, dig into the couch cushions and dive into the dream world of a good book. When it is sunny I feel beckoned to come and play and engage in the welcoming weather.

I'm just about to finish my busiest day yet. I helped the Mason clan get ready for their departure to Tasmania by hanging up laundry, donating a random suitcase, and in general staying away from the mad bustle of a rush. Simon and I walked the five minutes into Banglow downtown to meet up with some of his old college mates, twins actually, who were in town because of the Blues Festival. It was a brief catchup before we had to return home for lunch with a married couple called Liz and Hans. They brought over sandwich makings and to end our time together we played two rounds of this fantastically fun game called Killer Bunnies. Then they took Simon off to his new temporary home of a friends garage while he continues the search for a more permanent home. I didn't have enough time to get too sad before Bev came home to make dinner of buttered chicken, which is like a curry sauce and totally inappropriately unsuited for the name. We had a wonderful conversation while balancing our chopsticks. It was quite a change after having a flamboyant dinner table where the conversation is juggled and bouncing unpredictably to one where the conversation is direct and uninterrupted. It is nice to not have had to move to another house but to be able to stay here while the Masons are away, but it is a little stretching having to get used to a new persons habits and rituals while I was just adjusting to the Masons. I will be glad when Simon and I settle down for a more routine life.

Today something exciting yet devastating happened. I have been using my electronic toothbrush and it needed to be recharged. I plugged it into my adapter and saw the little green light blinking informing me it was getting power. After breakfast of bao and dumplings that Phoebe brings home from work I went to check my email and noticed something wasn't quite right with the toothbrush. I went to turn it around to see what was happening and it popped and sparked making me scream. The whole family came running to see what was wrong. Then the charger began to smoke like crazy and sizzle menacing. Someone unplugged it and it began to fill the room with a metallic stench and smoke. It definitely had met its end. We opened wide the widow, blasted the fan and shut the door to let the smoke escape. The reason this happened was that I had forgotten there was a difference in voltage. While I had used my adapter I forgot to use the converter! So, goodbye Sonicare. I'm very sad about this because it has keep me faithfully cavity free. There is always some drama here.

At first I was feeling really welcomed by the people here and then I began to get really overwhelmed with it all. There are a lot of adjustments big and small that I've had to do. One is being part of a big family. Everyone is demanding attention here and it makes me want to shrink back and become one with the wall paper. Everyone is really looking forward to getting to know me better and I'm excited to have some one on ones with people because I tend to be overwhelmed with small group functions where the only person I know is Simon and I want to cling to him like glad wrap to a bowl. One thing I'm finding is that Maria and Phil are so busy, often all three of the kids here will be trying to talk to them at the same time and figure out their mini dramas. It makes a flexible attitude and outlook absolutely key to survival.

We made another big decision. We were looking at possibilities for me to live. Simon thought it would be good for me to get into one of the girls homes since no official opening in a home has developed. I want to spend time with the girls in the church and get to know them but I'm not too keen on spending time on a random couch in a house full of strangers. Nice strangers, but still strangers. I feel it is really important for me to have my own space where I can retreat to if needed. Maria agreed and so we set it up for me to stay here in their home while they are on vacation and further extended if I need to. This was a relief to me at the moment. Si moved into Brads garage today. I am looking forward to the separation but I was really sad saying goodbye to him. I cried as we parted. Since we have spent 5 and half months together every day with only a 2 and a half week break in the beginning this will be an adjustment for me.

Here are some more pictures from our engagement party. Tommy my step father sent these to us. I think they turned out really well. I hope you enjoy! Well. . . unfortunately Simon isn't the most photogenic. I love him heaps anyways. And I get to look at the real deal not some captured moment.

Pemba is a stunning place. These pictures are taken from the local beach located right outside the Iris gates. Since didn't often have running water and had to collect it from the lower well I often would take my daily dip into the Indian Ocean for a cleaning off and refreshing cool down.

My house shared a compound with over 100 orphans. Each of these children have an amazing story of being saved and redeemed by Heidi Baker. Many were dying in the dumps of Maputu and were taken to live with the Bakers where they could get three meals a day and all of the love they needed for a healthy life. Many of the children where really rough when they first came. They would bite, kick, and run way from the home. Numerous times Heidi got scabies from holding these children who would hit her in return. She would just run and chase them and love on them until they were healed.

This is the women preparing either lunch or dinner. We would have a meal called matapa and it was like a spinach. They would sit stool that were close to the ground and would shave tons of coconut skin to flavor it. It was served on a heaping pile of rice. After breakfast was served immediately the preparation for lunch began. We would be eating breakfast to the thumping of millet. They worked very hard to feed the 130 students, the 100 pastors, and the 100 orphans. Needless to say this job was all consuming.

This is Alberto. He was one of my favorite children at the children's home. I was drawn to his quiet personality. Our joke was calling each other pastors. I'm not actually sure why he thought this was so funny but it made him laugh which in turn made me laugh. I called him my professor since he taught me some Portuguese and this is how we first became friends. In this picture he has a car that he had made with left over rubbish. There were multitudes of other things he had made as well. As gifts I would give him empty vitamin bottles as building material. He would come and sit by me during teaching and my favorite times where when he would fall asleep leaning on my lap. I didn't even mind the drool that would cover my skirts afterwards because of the trust he was putting in me.

Good day Mate!

The plane began to descend. It was our last couple of minutes of our 25 hours of transit. My eyes were filled with images of towering leafy trees, rolling meadow sides, and white crashing waves upon a welcoming shore. I was enjoying the view when a startling realization hit me. This was my life!

I had been sharing my story of meeting my future husband at a mission school in Mozambique Africa and how we had made plans to move to his home of Byron Bay. The story was a great romance and captured the heart of the listeners. It had beautiful tiny details of adventures traveling through foreign countries and falling in love with the backdrop of swaying palm trees and opportunities to love the dirty, rugged orphan. The only problem was I was telling it as a narrator to someone elses life.

The startling realization struck me as I was the one in the airplane descending into new community who spoke with a funky accent. This was a permanent move and I was going to be living with my new family of blond haired and blue eyes beauty.
Hold on here. . . I'm not the narrator, I'm the main character in this novel.

I began to cry and all of the grieving of leaving my parents, of not living a block away from Abby and Tim, of having a different local market than Metropolitan market became a fierce reality.

I began to recall the confirmation of peace that ruled my heart concerning this decision. This helped. I began to remember all the prayer from many people that went into the making of this decision. This helped. I began to remember that I was moving to Africa anyways and had decided to leave the lush Northwest for good. This helped.

By the time we had landed I was back in control and had the mindset of an adventurer who had exited one season of being a single in her mid twenties living in Tacoma and equipping the Sparkle Diamonds for a life time of learning. And the adventurer who was entering into another season of being a hippy engaged to a bookoholic living in Byron Bay and equipping the New agers for a life time of Jesus.

I'm really excited to be here and have already been learning so much about myself and trying to tape into what God is doing in the deep down places of my heart.
I'll keep you updated on where this adventurer embarks next.

Party time!

Thanks for all of you who came to our engagement party last Saturday. We felt very loved by all of the faces that made time in their packed schedules to met Simon, celebrate our engagement and kiss us goodbye again.








We spent the day decorating the house with fresh flowers, rearranging furniture, and handdrawing a timeline of our relationship. Dick and Dee were the first to arrive and it was nice getting to sit down for a bit before the mad rush began.

One thing that I don't like about hosting parties like this is that all of the conversations are interupted by an empty platter, or a new guest arriving. I constantly felt like I couldn't settle down for a meaningful conversations. Parties like this remind me of school openhouses where everyone wants to talk with the teacher all at the same time.

Overall the night was a big sucess and actually a miracle. My whole family made the two and a half hour drive up from Portland.My sister flew in from San Francisco. I was a little anxious about having my divorced family all together in one small room. We prayed for my mom to feel comfortable and that she would be able to be herself and that my dads would be able to interact. Well, it was so great because all of our prayers were answered. My dad and Tommy spent most of the night together talking, laughing and teasing Simon. After talking to both of them the next day they both said that they had a great time and enjoyed eachother company. Tommy said they have a lot in common. My mom found her space in the kitchen helping Abby clean and refilling the food platters. She also spent some time relaxing and mingling with my
friends.

I was also really pleased to see how well my family was getting along with Simon. He got to spend more time talking with them than I did. And he is offically accepted because they teased him relentlessly.

Once again, thanks for coming and thanks for supporting and loving us.
Cheers until the next time we meet!

Nights that make it all worth it

All day I was looking forward to hanging out with some of the coolest people I know in Tacoma. Around 6:20 Simon and I bundled up and and walked over to the artistic haven of the Llewellyns. A couple seconds into the door Deb announced they were starving and dinner was ready. We sat down to a table which breathed artistic inspiration into me with each place setting a different color bowl and unique shape, with candles acting like a table runner down the table and crusty cheesy bread to dip into our steaming soup.

Simon and I have told our story a couple of times a day for the past month and half. After a great lunch with friends were I retold our story like a stoic, passionless, salesman we agreed that Simon would get to do it the next time. Even your favorite Sinfield episode if seen 100's of times get old after awhile. But, tonight we enjoyed our time sharing. Instead of draining us we interrupted each other adding in missing details, we laughed and we were smiling when it was over. What a difference!

After dinner was done I saw Simon creaking his neck into the direction of the family room that houses a couple of towering book shelves. He and Tom walked through the house talking about quotes, authors and rare editions. Tom was the perfect guy to encourage Simon in his writing and one of his favorite passions, books.

For four hours I didn't move from my cushioned window seat. I got to fill Deb in on all of the scoop of who we had seen over coffee, lunch, and walks. We ended the night by looking at the Beautiful Angle posters Tom and Lance collaborate on. This was one of my favorite parts being caught in a swirl of artistic expression and hearing Simon exclaim that he wanted to do this in Byron Bay.

Walking home Simon said that he felt sane again. I agreed.Just being with them in their house makes me want to run home and do art. What a great feeling. Unfortunately we can't take the Llewellyns home with us to Australia but this interaction makes me long for the artistic, hippy community even more.




One of my favorite posters by Beautiful Angle called Hole.

Snow Shoeing

While in Tacoma Simon and I have been staying with Tim and Abby Isaacson and it has been really great to have a home base. We can let our suitcases explode without worrying about them being in anyones way. It has really warmed my heart to see Simon connecting with some of my best friends. I'm going to miss picking our next Nextflick order, debriefing about our days over delicious home cooking, and being comfortable enough to make fun of each others idiosyncrasies.



This past weekend it was around noon when we finally had the car loaded with our snow gear. We spent the morning gathering mixmatched waterproof wear. Simon looked ridiculous with black water resistant slip pants bunched over his jeans. Since Simon is used to the dry bush environment it was his one desire to tromp through snow.



Our two mile snow walk stretched into hours as we had a lot of intermissions for a snowball snacking your back or freezing chills as it slided down your jacket. The snow had this magical effect on us turning us from 20 somethings to elementary children. It was great. And for once I felt I had an equal advantage when defending myself because with help from the snow shoes with one push I could send Simon tumbling.



We had a great time as we ended our day in a pub to celebrate St. Patrick's day over chips and pints of amber beer. Our time here is quickly coming to an end and when the 26th rolls around it will be a teary goodbye to loving friends and snowy, wet adventures.

Shelly is awesome!

Dashing through the Gauntlet

What a beautiful day! The sun made a star appearance today and I got spring fever. I changed my outfit three times today because I finally got to bust out the short sleeve shirts and flip flops. It was a great break from the rain.

Last night Si and I were talking about this rigorous schedule I had arranged for us. We decided that we didn't need to be putting ourselves through the social gauntlet. It is difficult because I want to see so many of you but I want to enjoy doing it as well. It has been exhausting for both of us as we met and introduce ourselves to some of my favorite people. Constantly the best foot has to be put forward. Constantly we are telling and retelling the story of our meeting. Constantly we are packing the car and driving to our next destination. Gratefully, we have a wonderful base here in Portland and in Tacoma as well. Instead of packing, driving, and charming we are going to spend a couple more days at my parents home.

It has been really good for Simon and I to have this place with an overflowing refrigerator, space for individual time, and stimulating conversation with my stepfather who teaches at a university. This rest will do us well as we recuperate for another mad dash through the gauntlet.

But, I don't want you to take this personally. I have LOVED seeing those we have seen, and am looking forward to seeing those who will be seen. I love everyone of you and appreciate the effort and love we have shared.

In the next half an hour Simon and I will be piling into the Suburu and directing our four wheel drive up North. We are going to Tacoma today for a short visit. I have a doctors appointment to make sure all of the African bugs that were in me have now died. What I'm really looking forward to is staying with Abby and Tim and seeing some very important friends. On the 2nd we head back to Portland for dinner with my Podge and my sister who is flying up from San Fran. She is coming up to join us on our boating adventure.

This is quite a pleasant surprise; getting to see my dear friends so soon again. When leaving for Africa I really didn't know when I would be home again. What a nice turn of events.

We are off to pack the car!