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About the wild somewhere

so this is the low key blog of us, Morgan&Chey, and our lives. We currently live in British Columbia, but we like to spend our spare moments traveling and taking our feet all over this good earth. We live full time in a school bus that we rebuilt into our home. Follow along with our lives!

week two.

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Sunday the 30th of June was our first Sunday here. We called in church in the morning. Around one, Megan, another volunteer here from Red Deer, and Jane’s daughter Jazmine took us to West End and showed us around there. There are lots of dive shops and West End and West Bay are where the tourists go since it’s the nicest part of the island. There are little cute restaurants and shops and a couple of the long term volunteers here work in West End on weekends. You dont need a visa to work here necessarily if you find someone looking for help. If you speak English some of the places will hire you on the spot. We ate these huge banana pancakes for lunch and watched people. Then Megan and Jaz headed home and Morgan and I took a darling little water taxi over to West Bay because it’s the fastest way to get there. When were on the boat we skim along over turquoise water and we can see the whole coast of the island rimmed with palm trees and fronds and white beaches.

The water taxi takes you and just randomly docks on the sand wherever you need to go so he dropped us off at Bananarama. Bananarama is a resort that all of us go to every Sunday at 1 or 2 ish. We spend the day there swimming and this last Sunday we went snorkeling which was crazy! We saw lots of angelfish and any number of all kinds of beautiful bright fish. Then at 5:00, Miss Valerie and two of us go around and start selling hermit crabs for the crab race. The crabs have numbers on their shells and people pay and pick out the crab they want in the race. At 6 or so the crab race starts and it usually has quite a big crowd. Matthew (Jane’s son) makes a big circle with the rake, someone dumps the crabs, and they race to the outer circle. The money raised goes to buy baby formula for the clinic. Its an interesting evening!

School here is 5 days a week, 9-2:30. I work in Grades 1-4 and Morgan works in Grades 5-9. We teach students one on one alot and help do art or whatever needs to be done. Lunch is always vegetarian so on Mondays its bean soup, tuesday is meatless spaghetti, Wednesday is rice and beans, Thursday is mac and cheese and Friday is baleadas which are my favorite. Friday afternoons they have gym so we walk a mile to a little enclosed football field where we play games and have relays and play football. Wednesday’s is music so another ex pat, Miss Deborah, comes and leads them in singing. They are so cute! This is exam week so there hasn’t been as much for us to work on as there will be in the next month. August 16 is science fair so we will have a busy month! The kids have all warmed up to us already and call us Mr. Morgan and Miss Chey. They hug us when we get to school and when they leave and lots in between.

So we had school Monday, July 1, and it was Canada Day so each class did a small presentation about Canada and we had poor mans poutine for lunch and Canada cupcakes! Wednesday evening, July 3, we went out for sushi with faith, alicia, miss valerie, megan, and a couple guys from South Africa to celebrate Faith’s birthday. Thursday the 4th, Morgan and I got ready when we got home from school and drove out to the Infinity Bay Resort for the evening. They had a big burger bar for the 4th so we actually ate meat for a change and swam in their awesome pool all evening. They had fireworks there later.

Friday the 5th, Morgan and I went in the morning with Miss Deborah who owns Steel Pan Alley where she teaches students to play the steel drums. I didnt know what steel drums were but we got educated for 2 hours. She gave the lessons to us for free since we are volunteering and it’s too bad each steel drum costs 1500 or more so we wont be getting those. Haha. I turned out to be a natural at them and Morgan did too. A steel drum is the bottom of an oil drum heated until soft and shaped into a deep bowl. Then a tuner guy uses a hammer to pound all the different notes. It takes hours to get each note on the correct tone. Anyways the 5 senior kids learning to play taught us 3 different songs so it was worth it! I like learning the history and what makes an island so the steel drums were awesome! After school Morgan and I had a date at Eldons. Our favorite thing to do is to go to Eldons Grocery and shop in the only air conditioning we get and drink slurpees. Eldons is a very clean store and Eldon actually owns half the island I’m told. He was in there this time so we went and met him. Most people here know Miss Valerie so when we say were volunteering with her they all know who she is. We went home and made food for T.G.I.F. they call it which is us all here at the compound having supper together on the deck since we do our own thing the rest of the week nights. It’s a very fun evening just relaxing and talking and swapping stories.

We had a good weekend mostly just relaxing. We are getting into the groove of island and go to bed early and are up with the sun. The dogs start a neighborhood howl several times in the night and the rooster wakes us every morning and the wind comes through our windows and we can hear the palm fronds rustling by the window. Several nights there has been lightning and thunder so we fall asleep to the rain. Our windows and doors dont close so we always have various animals wandering through or laying on the porch and ants and cockroaches try to live with us. I punched a cockroach with my bare hand the other day so I’m pretty proud of myself. We ride in the collectivos with the locals and refuse to pay “tourist price” when the taxi drivers try to rip us off. Morgan walks to the pulperia every few days to get jugs of water because we cant drink from the faucet. Also we cant flush any toilet paper because the island has basically no sewer system so all used t.p. goes in the trash cans. Because of the humidity and salt air, lots of little things break or wear down that we don’t think of at home so Morgan has had to fix different things this week.

Please keep praying for us that we can be a light in the short time we are here. There is so much sadness and hurt on this little island. Nowhere have I been is it more evident than here what humanity is capable of. It breaks my heart. One of the students came through the gate the other morning with the beaten look we are getting to know all too well and when she walked through the gate she just sighed a big sigh and her face changed and she was suddenly just a little girl at school. I love how we are the safe place for them to come be kids and just be loved. It’s the best.

roatan, honduras.

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First of all, if you fly to honduras you have 90 days to visit without a visa. If you come without the visa like that, you MUST have an onward flight out of honduras booked so they know you wont overstay the 90 days. That’s what we dealt with in san fran before we could leave. So we bought refundable tickets before we could even check in to leave. We had a red eye flight and arrived in roatan friday at noon. We unloaded on the tarmac with teal ocean on both sides of us and it was glorious. The humidity is high obviously but with a breeze it’s totally workable. Emily, the girl we are living with, picked us up in the school vehicle. The vehicles here are all pretty bad with rust and really full of rattles. The driving isn’t as bad as it was in Rome, but only because there aren’t as many people. There are mostly little motos that people drive crazily around and Emily says there are wrecks every day because people are bad drivers here.We stopped at the grocery store, Eldon’s, and picked up stuff for breakfast and supper for a couple days. The store mostly has everything we’ll need to live but some is super expensive. Cereal is easy so we wanted that but a box of Capn Crunch was 300 lempira or about 12 USD so we passed. Then we stopped at a gas station for lunch. The gas stations here have medicine and cosmetics and are like a tiny walmart basically. They also have made to order “island food” and that consists of meat empanadas and baleadas. Baleadas are floppy flour tortillas with beans and crema and salty cheese in them and they are honestly insane. Three of them and a coke cost $3 USD so that’s definitely going to be a regular! We met a native islander man named Alex who has lived in Quebec and San Diego. He thinks the Quebec French are snobs and is interested with the name Cheyenne, as are other islanders we’ve met. They’ve never heard that name and several have commented on it. Driving back to the compound was rough curvy road and honking motos and green tropical trees and brush beside the road with glimpses of water. There was also smoke which Emily says comes from their island dump that’s been on fire for a couple weeks. They burn it because what else can they do so the smoke stinks terribly and honestly the environmental hazard it causes is crazy. Luckily we dont live near it.We are living with Emily who is from Leduc, Alberta, and has been here 3 years. She’s my age I think. There are 3 houses that make up the compound and are all painted bright colors and joined by wooden deck. Our house has 2 little rooms, a bathroom, a tiny kitchen with a stove and tiny fridge and no cupboards, a cat named Shadow who’s adopted my suitcase as home, and three geckos that sit on the livingroom wall and chatter. There is no AC anywhere here except Eldons Grocery so I may get a job there. Our room has a little fan at least. Valerie, the director who’s probable early 60s, lives in another house with 1 of 14 of her adopted children, and Jane, Valerie’s daughter is in the third house with her 2 children. Valerie is the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. I will write about her more later. Morgan and I slept for abit outside with our chairs facing the water and the breeze. We met two other girls from Nebraska who are here for 3 weeks volunteering as well. Every Friday night here at the compound is potluck so Valerie made vegetarian lasagna and I made cucumber tomato salad and the girls brought fried squash so we had a good supper and made new friends. A thunderstorm came through that sent us inside and valerie told us a bunch about the school kids and different situations. Oh my. As I listened I wondered what we’d got ourselves into. It’s honestly overwhelming. The 60 children in this school are picked by valerie as the children who are the most in need whether it be because of AIDS, a no income family, or sexual and physical abuse. There are 180 on the waiting list for the school. Most of the children have lost at least one parent or sibling to AIDS and many live with another family member, mostly a grandma, etc. because of the effects of cocaine on their moms or dads. Many of them have had terrible abuse sexually or physically so Valerie is super excited that Morgan is here to be a positive male figure in the school and these childrens lives. Some of the children have watched a family member get killed while they hid behind a couch. It is just so hard to hear. We just feel so inadequate to be here to help these children so please pray that we can shine for Jesus and they can see Him in us.

This school runs only on the goodwill donations of random people. It costs $200 a week to feed the 60 students breakfast, oatmeal or cereal, and lunch, baleadas, spaghetti, etc. They rely on donations for books, supplies, etc. so we brought a suitcase full of notebooks, a wall clock, etc. that they needed. Some of the kids dont eat over the weekend and their meals come strictly from the school. Each of the children is also sponsored and if they cant be paid for by someone they just cant come to school so they are constantly looking for donations and ways for the kids to make money. If any of you are still in Vacation Bible School, valerie has a paypal account that money can be sent too for food for the kids! She herself gives all her money to the cause and lives on so little its astounding. It’s a very good place to give where you would actually see the money at work which is one of the reasons we came here is so we would be directly involved and not just for show, if that makes sense. Headed to bed. Slept amazingly in spite of the chattering geckos. Fell asleep to the sound of rain on the tin roof.I thought I’d do a first day post just to get some of the main stuff written down.

Saturday:

At 10 this morning Valerie took faith, alicia, and us on a tour of the east end of the island. The island from Coxen Hole (named for pirate John Coxen. Most of the towns on the island are named for the pirates that lived here in the 1700s. There were around 5,000 pirates here in the 1700s) east is mostly green jungle on hills with tiny villages here and there. While we drove valerie told us where different of the kids or women she helps live. She is a doula as well as taking care of everything else! Over half of the school children were born at Valerie’s house and lots of them have lived with her for varying amounts of time while stuff was sorted at their homes. We may get a baby at the compound at 2 am or a woman delivering or children. You never know. We had iced coffees at the “mall” and went to Megapaca which is a giant place where they get shipments from Value Village and Goodwill and sell it here super cheap. I scored a pair of basically new Birkenstocks for 10 bucks. Then we went to an iguana farm where they come and go as they please but there are over 4,000 iguanas on 12 acres. They grow to five feet long and I’m very proud to say we all held a smaller one. It sat on morgans head.

We ate at a little chicken place for lunch and stopped at one of Valerie’s clients and looked at jewelry she makes to make money. We got home and napped because humidity is tiring, and had spaghetti for supper outside on the deck. Our house is usually warmer than outside so I think we’ll eat out there lots. The cicadas are in the trees and stray dogs wander in and Jane’s beautiful children come say hi. I like it.

memories.

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Mom in law took me to the train station in Merced on the morning of Thursday, June 6. Little did I know that my opinion of Amtrak would soon go down the hole. I waited five hours once I got to Sacramento. On the platform. When the train finally arrived I was already hot and grimy and the trip hadn’t even begun. I found a seat and spent Friday and Saturday on the train. The scenery going through the mountains was absolutely worth the wait. When the train went through Nebraska and Iowa I got to see the awful flooding happening there. The railroad tracks went right on a path through the water, maybe a foot above the water. I didnt know if we’d make it or not. I got to Chicago 7 hours late, so missed my train into Kalamazoo. Instead, the 10 of us going into Michigan were forced onto this “party bus” where bachelor parties are held. Yes. Tinted windows and big speakers and leather seats and a mini bar. Well we 10 smashed in there literally knee to knee and shoulders touching with all of everyone’s luggage and two drivers who weren’t sure “whose stop was first ” which made us all insecure. It was the coolest ride ever, people wise. We had an older lady who was a lawyer with her mom, a lady electrician from Somalia originally, an older couple, a guy who was a genius, a corporate high roller, and a couple other random people. We had a lively intelligent discussion about religion, travel, billionaires, and con men and criminals of the past. It was so fun. This random group of people just shoved together. I loved it. Mom and Madi picked me up and we helped a lady with some car issues and then headed home.

Tuesday renae, mom, madi and I drove to PJ Hoffmaster and spent the day on the lake. It’s not really warm here at all yet, since I’ve been here anyways, but it was sunny and the sand and waves hadn’t changed much but the water was 50*. It was beautiful.

Wednesday my favorite Morgan flew into Detroit so mom, madi, and I went and picked him up. Dillons met us at this amazing cajun southern place in Owosso called Lula’s. Honestly the best chicken and waffle ever. The waffle was infused with vanilla and cinnamon and had maple syrup on it so if someone could make that for me in California that’d be nice.

Thursday we started the chore of going through moms garage. Most of it is school stuff and things like that but we kids each had a box mom had stored for us from our school years and our old baby clothes and different things. It was quite funny reading old school essays and reminiscing about those days. I am embarrassed honestly. So we organized and sorted and got rid of most stuff because finally you cant keep everything. Then we had to go through all of Dads things. That was difficult. When we moved from Kansas to Michigan, we’d put all of dads stuff in boxes and didnt go through it until now so there was sadness for us to finally go through it. All of his shirts and his special fishing shirt and swim trunks that he wore when we went fishing in Mexico and his loafer shoes he wore to grill literally every day. He collected vintage tennis rackets and vintage hockey/goalie gear and vintage baseball bats. Then we found his wallet and the clothes he was wearing the night before he died and I just sniffed all his shirts and wished i could somehow smell him but he is gone from them. It makes me so sad. We got it sorted and each took what we wanted. I took a couple of Dads Sublette EMS shirts and a shirt that was my favorite on him. Since we’ve gone through those boxes, I’ve had just awful nightmares every night so subconsciously must be dealing with it again. Its real folks.

And then I think of the Duecks at Westlock and the Millers at Swan and the people involved there that I love and it’s hard to know that they have a journey now too. I have lost my dad, but I have not lost a close friend, or a daughter, or a sibling, and that must be equally as awful. Dont forget those families. Pray for them because you never know what small or big thing your prayer may help. The battle is never really over with grief. There were the well meaning people who held my hand and said “it’s been a year dear. Dont you think you should have dealt with it more by now?” I think it was people’s prayers that stopped me from totally losing my marbles on those people. And the days you think will be normal are the days you hear your dads favorite song, or see someone who kind of looks like them that you want to go up to and hug in Target, just so life seems ok again. Those little times hit the hardest. Just remember those sad hearted families who have lost someone very special.

Thursday evening Mom went to Battle Creek and picked up Grandma Jul from the train!

One night we went to Ross and Nats for supper with the Breakfast Club and sat around the fire. Saturday we went to Grand Rapids shopping at Cabelas. Sunday was Fathers Day of course, and we called Wynn&Katie’s wedding in. Then we took Morgan back to the plane Sunday afternoon and Grandma wanted to eat at Cracker Barrel on the way home so we did. Morgan is going home to hike with Jalen for a week on the Pacific Crest Trail. Tuesday us, grandma and Nae went to Shipshewana Indiana to shop for renae fabric for her mission dresses and also to go to the flea market. Shipshe is very interesting with lots of different types of amish and Mennonite people everywhere. I cant say it was the coolest place but it was interesting yes. One day we stopped at church and visited dads grave too.

Grandma Jul left this morning on the train and it’s way too soon. I love being all of us together here! I fly home Saturday so more updating then since well be getting packed and ready to leave for Honduras! Super excited! Have a good week☆

unreal.

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Well it’s been a month since my last post and lots has happened of course. I put my blog on hold for May because it seems like it’s such a busy month at school. On top of the end of year activities, we moved to a new house! So basically I will start writing again now that stuff is settling down (sort of) and I’ll have time to write.

May l8 which was a Saturday we left early in the morning with Jalen and David and Paul and drove across those snowy Sierras until we came to Lone Pine. We met some of Jalens hiker buds and I liked them immediately although they all stink from not showering much. And one girl I talked to said she hadn’t shaved her legs for 3 months. I guess a dinky frozen mountain stream is less than ideal. We had coffee with some of the people and went to some gear shops before the 5 of us found a campsite outside of Bishop and set up tents for the night. It was nice and breezy while we cooked tacos over the fire. We woke up to cold cold cold and it had snowed all over the mountains around us and Bishop so it was a beautiful thing to wake up to. We packed our gear up and drove over to the hot springs which is honestly the best part. I sat on the rocky bottom of a spring that’s in the middle of grassy flats between mountains and watched the sun on the mountains and watched the moss floating on the water and it was truly glorious. Later dropped Jalen off after we ate lunch. Sad to see him go again!

End of school program was Friday the 24th with each class bringing their part in poetry. My class said the poem “Shut the Door”, a poem Miss Connie Wedel had us learn in Grade 2 there at Copeland! My kids were honestly the cutest. We were invited to stay at the grad party after of two of Morgans cousins graduated. Saturday was play day and it was a very interesting day. I’d never been to a play day here since last year we were at Moms program in Michigan. The games committee had the morning planned with different relays and contests. After lunch the 9th and 10th boys played softball with their dads in a very political game that stressed me out. We spent the afternoon there watching the game and i went home when it was over. Morgan stayed to play abit with young couples and youth. We went to villas for Mexican food later. I am completely stunned that school is over again. I told my students if they were younger or going into grade 5 again I’d teach them but 6th is just too old for me and they all said they wished to flunk and stay in 5th so hopefully they didn’t have toooo tough of a year with me! 😁

Memorial Day was very lowkey. Morgan worked part of the day and we spent the afternoon packing and organizing. We went to folks for a pie iron supper with the Koehns later.

Tuesday morning we finished packing and at 4 Joe’s, abe, Hayden, and Levi came over and helped us move to our new place. Which brings me to the sad news that justin&shenda went away to georgia with their little dog and left us this cute house to move into but also they’re living in georgia now without us and only their cat remains here. So we moved all of our stuff into this new house and Rachel made us this awesome carnitas supper and afterwards I organized our closet and then we sat around our new firepit with the Koehn boys. It was a happy start to our house.

I worked at home today, Wednesday, trying to sort and set up and clean the new house. Morgan grilled pork loin for supper and we had that and wilty green beans. Guess grocery shopping is being forced upon me now that we are moved. After supper we went to Chance&Charity and spent a very fun evening with Melody and Kaden who are our cousins from Scott City and Glen&Charlene who are also out visiting. I always think it’s such a mental boost to be with people who knew/know my family and parents and who I am and where I come from. Sometimes living away from my family makes me feel alone because nobody knows my story here like the people do in places we used to live. Confusing I know.

So we will get settled and I leave on the train next Thursday for a couple weeks in Michigan where Morgan will fly to join me for a few days. I find it so funny I’m taking the train but I’ll be so busy up until when I leave that I thought itd be fun to relax and watch the world go by for a couple days. We also have our tickets bought for Honduras and are leaving June 28 so shortly after we get home from Michigan! Lots of things to look forward to. Have a good week everyone♡

depression.

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i haven’t written for a long time and i keep telling myself to buckle down and do it so here i am. we have had a very busy april and now it’s almost the end of it. I wanted to just write a little piece this morning about depression, which is somewhat of a taboo subject among us. I decided this morning to just be humble about this and write to you like you are sitting next to me while we drink coffee.

I was diagnosed with severe depression after dad died in 2013. I don’t think i went in right away after he died but kind of just lived along until after we moved to Michigan, where i was diagnosed and started a medication for it. It’s interesting to see how people react when they find out you take medication for depression. Some people tell me they believe if you are depressed, you have something spiritually wrong or are trying to quiet your conscience. I feel my depression is caused by deep sadness and my brains inability to cope with the loss of something important. Some people’s depression is caused by something else: life changes, the world around us, loss of a loved one, sickness, family issues, inferiority, being unable to have a child, etc. It is no respecter of persons. All walks of life experience varying degrees of depression and it is not abnormal. I fully believe God can help heal depressed minds or feelings. I also believe the medication i take enables me to see a little more clearly what the ultimate goal is. I do not take it to replace a need in my life, or to replace my conscience. I’ve had friends shame me quite publicly for depression itself. I am not ashamed of it. My life has been a very different journey than theirs. If you have never been depressed, it would be hard to understand. But for those of you who have been depressed or fight it every day, I love you. I understand. I know the feeling of the cloud that just covers everything. I know the feeling of wishing to be invisible so nobody can see your faults and worse, the feeling that maybe you ARE invisible. Text me sometime and let me know you’re low so i can pray for you. It’s a battle nobody should face without God and friends.

That all said, my month felt off because of different things. It seemed like i’d have a bad day and God would send an open door for me to give of myself and it would cheer me up. Some of the highlights since the last post: Saturday the 13th folks and Reubens came for burgers. An excellent evening. Wednesday the 17th we went to Geneo’s for supper with Jakes and Jons. I went home and did a yarn project afterwards and Morgan went to basketball. Friday the 19th we went salmon fishing with Jon&Alicia and Dad Kevin. Our group limited out and none of us got seasick so that was a plus! Madi and some friends came out to our place over Easter so we had a grand time for several days. Explored San Francisco Saturday which I can never get enough of. Easter lunch we all had at folks. I think Mom served 40 people that day! We had taco truck for supper with Jake&Hannah and the kids went to the Peasters later after church. Wednesday evening the 24th Morgan made supper YAY and Hayden and Levi came over for supper before they went to ball. After they left we went to Jons with Bennys and Grandma of Jon. Friday night was the Grace Home benefit in the evening. We helped folks fry catfish again this year so you could have catfish or brisket for supper. I peopled out pretty quick but we stayed for part of the auction at least. Saturday Morgan went to pick up Harry Peters for Ty&Charity’s reception in the evening. I met them for lunch at John Martin’s appreciation lunch in Winton and then i went to sherri’s and swam and spent the afternoon forgetting my cares. Morgan went to the reception in the evening. Sunday we had lunch at folks and went to Livingston in the evening for the Grace Home speech and stuff. Today was our field trip to Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was a swell day and I thought again how much I’m gonna miss my kids!♡

I hope you all have a wonderful week. We’ve been having some 95 degree days already so summer’s definitely coming! Another sad/exciting bit of news.our friends Justin&Shenda are moving far away to Georgia, but leaving their house open for rent so Morgan and I are going to be renting their house when they leave mid May. Year end program, practice, packing up at school, packing up at home, and moving are all happening in the next month. think of me. xo, chey

changes.

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Kelsey Baerg came to visit March 28th so i didn’t have too much time to be sad i wasn’t still in Italy. He was out for several days and it was honestly the best thing to hang out and talk and be with someone who knew “before marriage”. I drove him to the airport on Monday the 1st. When i got home Morgan and i went over to Jenn and Audrey’s for Southern food with Reubens and Levi for a trip report of sorts. Otherwise our week was pretty normal. Grocery shopping, fire meeting, folks for supper.

We flew out of San Francisco late Thursday night the 4th, for Grant and Cori’s wedding and had an overnight flight to Atlanta. Dillon&Renae, Madison, and Mom picked us up Friday in Dillon’s work pickup, a tight squeeze, and we did some shopping and got lunch before driving out to Louisville, Georgia. We met Dan&Brenda and Ty&Alyssa for supper at this southern buffet place called Angie’s for supper Friday evening and spent the night at Dwonn&Tam’s. Their house is wonderful and in such a quiet, relaxing place that we didn’t really want to leave ever. Saturday morning we were with the family, Mark&Rhoda, Mike&Nada, Ty&Alyssa, Tyson&Megan, Peter&Rach, Les&Lanae, to name just a few. Oh my. I love those people. Always seems way too short with them. We had breakfast and listened to choir and talked and caught up with everyone. Supper in the evening was at school. Ty’s came over to Dwonn’s and the guys went swimming later. Sunday was the wedding where Cori was darling in white and Grant was happy and our emotions were high because we missed Brett and my Dad. The wedding was nice and we got to eat beside Dillon’s and Madi which was a rare treat. Thought about our dear friends Lilly&Sanford in Othello and Charity&Ty in Homeland who got married Sunday as well. Very sad occurrence to know all six people and only go to one of the weddings! Sunday evening we went to a supper at a shed and had to tell everyone goodbye and it seemed we’d only just arrived. Monday for lunch Dillons, Mom, Madi, and us went to Dwonn’s restaurant Home Fresh Bistro for lunch and met Papa Jay & Mama Mary there. So neat to visit places where we have friends like that. My family dropped us off at Atlanta airport late afternoon Monday and we got back to our little house on Hull Road at 130 am or so.

This week we have achievement tests at school so i’ve done some work on my smash book/ travel journal thing and blogged and caught up on some things while my students are thinking their brains out. We were just at home last night which was so great! I made this chicken bruschetta recipe i found online and corn casserole for supper which i never make really but every time i do i absolutely love it. Morgan is working in LA today so not sure when he’ll be home this evening. It’s been windy the last few days so my skirts blow and my hair is tangled and my lungs feel pleased with the fresh air.

So something fun and exciting is happening for us at the end of June! Morgan and I have been wanting for awhile to volunteer or give time somewhere and checked a couple options out that didn’t seem to open up. A couple months ago we got connected with a lady from Edmonton who lives in Honduras now and runs a clinic and a school for children with HIV/AIDS so we’ve been talking to her and we submitted applications, had a phone interview, and were “hired”! So we will be going to teach Grades 1-8 for several months in Honduras, on a little island called Roatan. Honduras has the highest HIV rate in Central America and there is lots of discrimination against the people who have it. The children at this school either have HIV or live in a family that has it so we will be loving these children and hopefully helping them to feel safe. We are so excited about this opportunity to give back for a little bit of time for now at least! We will be leaving the end of June sometime.

That said, Dillon&Renae also called us last week and informed us they put their names in to serve in the mission for a 3 year term! They don’t know where they’re being placed until May so we are waiting to hear! We are very excited about them going…it’s hard to believe i have a younger sibling going to the mission. Makes me feel like I am 45 years old. Dillon&Nae will be the youngest couple in the field when they go i think! So please keep them in your prayers while they await orders from headquarters.

As you can see, it was time for us all to be together as a family and process all this craziness. I just keep thinking how proud Dad would be of all of us growing up and trying to live for God and serving others. Madison teaching in Scio, (she’s going back next year), Mom teaching in Michigan, (also going back) Dillon’s going to the mission. I’m so incredibly proud of my family. Five years ago when Dad died, I never would have guessed this is where we would all be right now. God has truly been so good to us. Thank you, each of you, who prayed and continue to pray for us and help us out, especially those who help Mom when we aren’t close by. We will never forget it.

dachau.

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Our plane didnt leave Munich until 730 PM so we had a good portion of the day to do some sightseeing. We researched beforehand and decided on going to the Dachau Concentration Camp, about an hour and a half train ride from where we were staying by the airport. I had never been to a concentration camp before and wasn’t sure I wanted to go but i love history and have read extensively about the World Wars so I knew I would rather go than not. The Dachau camp was the first WW2 concentration camp and ended up being an example for the rest that followed. Here is the link for more info. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau_concentration_camp

We took the bus from the train station to the camp and walked down the road from the railroad tracks to the entrance where thousands walked before us. The entrance to the camp itself, past the visitor center, is a once-white building that stands guard. The entrance gate in the middle of the building is a thick, wrought iron one that reads “Arebeit Macht Frei” or the Nazi slogan, “Work sets you free.” This particular camp was a forced labor camp, not necessarily meant for mass killings, although they later built a gas chamber and crematorium for those who succumbed to the workload.

We entered the gate into a large yard that contains a museum that once was the metal work shop, watchtowers, the prison, the crematorium, and rows where the barracks had stood. We walked through the museum and around the large yard. Most of the buildings are original. The walk to the crematorium is long. Morgan and I walked slowly and looked at it all quietly. It’s so much to take in and try to understand. There were lots of people here today, more than we expected. I wonder what is going through their minds.

My heart aches. It’s an ache that comes from being a problem solver and wanting to help the people who had been here but being unable to. It aches because these barbed wire fences and dirt paths have witnessed the cruelty of a world who needs Jesus. It aches because I feel hope for my future, and guilt because their future had none. It’s easy for me to over sympathize and think I can take away some of their hurts by letting myself hurt. But. I was put where I am for a purpose. I am not meant to live in guilt and fear of the past. When we have children, I want them to grow up knowing these pieces of history that shaped us. I want them to understand the incredible blessing we have of living in a free country. And mostly I want them to know that even through all of that death and hopelessness, God reached down to His children in those times and somehow gave them a glimpse of something beyond this world that carried them. I hope your children know this too.

We flew into San Francisco last night at 830 and Gary picked us up. I think we three slept on the way home. It was so happy to wake up in our own little house this morning!♡ my mobility is limited still so I’m mostly on painkillers and sleep. I ended up getting a sub today and will see about tomorrow. Thanks for the well wishes.

ciao.

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This morning we got our little flat cleaned up and had c(H)eerios and oranges for breakfast. We stood on the terrace awhile and just watched the Italy water because we soon have to leave. Then we walked down all the mazes of steep stairs into the Main Street. We went through the shops and had pizza for lunch before catching our train to La Spezia. From La Spezia we got our last train that took us through green hills and by Spanish style houses and into Rome. We took another taxi ride which are hilarious in Rome and got to the airport. It’s very sad to leave Italy. This trip has been unreal. Houses, pasta, canals, pizza, motos, the sea. Shout out to Cy Schmidt for having the best pizza we’ve had that compares closely to the pizza we’ve had here!

Today I feel rough. Its good the cliff jump was sort of at the end of our trip and not the beginning. We found out this morning the cliff that I face dove off of is actually 53 feet high. I cant move very well today.

We flew into Munich, Germany, at 9 this evening and got a shuttle to our hotel. The airport here is about an hour away from the city so were staying night right near the airport tonight. Just like that with an hour flight we are away from bustling, graffitied, old fashioned Rome and into clean, organized Munich. Such a vast change in cities! We were talking on the plane and we all agreed we didnt ever see a modern building in Rome. Today is Levi’s birthday! We spent most of it traveling kinda towards home. We all got to bed early ish.

cinque terre.

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2 letters grade 5!

Thursday March 21

We were up early getting ready to leave our place in venice. The alleys were empty and the pigeons were just starting to coo. We walked to the train station and caught a train to Cinque Terre, a national park of 5 little coastal villages on the northwest coast of Italy. It was a couple hour train ride so I slept awhile. We arrived mid afternoon to La Spezia which is a little train ride from the first of the 5 towns, Riomaggiore. The train runs between the 5 villages so its easy to get around. We went first to our AirBnB that overlooked the sea with a big balcony outside and steps that lead down to the rocks where you could cliff jump. It was a very cool place and the view was unbelievable. The houses fill the sides of the hill in each town and the colors are the brightest we have seen in Italy. We watched the sunset from a terrace here in Rio and stopped for supper at a seafood place on the beach that has actual(L)y been nominated for a Michelin star! It was very good food.

Friday March 23

This morning we were up and ate breakfast here. Actually found cheerios and milk in the little store here so had that. Then we took the train along the coast to the last town of the 5, Monterosso. Spent some time wandering there, then we split up with Levi. Morgan and I went to Manarola next and shopped around and shared a lobster linguini for lunch that was amazing. The water all along this coast is very clear and looks like Caribbean water. There are lots of rocky cliffs but only one little beach in Manorola so hence the cliff jumping.

Morgan and I took the train back to Rio, got gelato, and picked up groceries for supper. They have the (S)ame noodle brand in this tiny store as they do at Walmart at home! We got ravioli and asparagus and bread with olive oil and vinegar. Levi got back and the guys got on their trunks and went cliff jumping. I’m not really scared of heights so I wanted to try too since I had jumped off a shorter cliff in Mexico and itd been awesome. We figured it was maybe 40 feet high so I gave it a try and I think I’m lucky to be writing this. There were rocks the guys could easily clear because they can jump farther out but I was a little worried so I pushed out quite far to jump and ended up landing wrong. It knocked me out so not sure what happened really, except that Morgan and Levi jumped in and hauled me to the cliffs which is when I came to. I’m bruised pretty bad and I almost bit my tongue off and I ache everywhere but I’m doing fine. Wont try this cliff again I guess Haha so I slept then and the guys made supper and we watched the water and the day end and it was a pretty good day♡ keeping this post shorter because I feel sorta meh. This coast is also at the top of places I’ve been. I think we’ll come back here! Gnite!

venice.

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2 letters today grade 5!

When I was little I used to look at the pictures of venice and imagine the people who lived there and the water being out your front door and what they did for jobs. Lots of years later, we are here and I cant believe it. Our overnight train from Rome arrived this morning at 730. We stepped off the train and directly into a KFC where I forced the guys to buy a donut so I could use the bathroom. Once outside, I lost my heart. Some of you know that my family loves Frankfort, Michigan. Part of the reason i love it is the low thrum you hear from the boats making their way out to the lake. Well. It’s like that here all the time except its Italy.

There are canals running everywhere with more canals branching out from them. There are big intersections with all sizes and shapes of boats idling through. We counted at least 20 at one point. They drive on the opposite side though, even though the cars here in Italy drove on the right side like we do. They all go very slowly, with the ambulances and police having their own boats too. Morgan and Levi saw a cop with a radar checking the boats speeds off the dock. The water is green and beautiful although I think it’s part sewer even tho it doesnt smell. Every canal we saw was the green color with little bridges everywhere and houses whose basements are the sea.

We dropped our bags at The Silk Road hostel where instead of bunk beds we were given basically a privat(E) apartment that was nice and clean. Then we started walking. We first went down some of the market streets where there are lots of blown glass and mask shops. The masks are a huge thing here because of the Carnival of Venice. They are from years ago when people would wear elaborate masks to hide their identity so they could act more freely apart from their social status. There are lots of these stores here and even design your own mask shops.

There are no streets or cars here, only a maze of cobblestone alleys to find your way through. Very few street signs to help us out but usually we end up at another canal and figure out where we are. The Italians aren’t a very friendly people as far as smiling at you or greeting you on the streets. We got lunch to go at this place I’d seen online called Del Moro. We had fresh pasta in a couple minutes that we ate outside by the canal. We were sitting there eating and a middle aged couple from England asked if we’d like to split a gondola ride so we talked with them while we ate and found out they were from Devon and were celebrating their 20th anniversary. They were super nice and wanted a picture of us all when we split ways and we got their name and number so we can keep in touch. The gondola ride was amazing.

It’s very peaceful in Venice anyways with no cars and quiet canals but on a gondola…even better. I’d heard the gondoliers dont sing like they used to but we got a nice one who sang to us in Italian and whistled while he rowed us around through the water and it made for an awesome experience. The gondoliers all wear a striped shirt with a (F)lat straw hat and a red kerchief with dark pants. After the gondola ride we got tickets and rode around on a boat on the Grand Canal for awhile. The Grand Canal is huge and full of boats and yachts and little dinghies. We made friends with another couple from Ireland who were hilarious and an older couple from the UK.

We ate supper in St. Mark’s Square at a pasta place before heading back down the alleys to our hostel for the night. This old, story-filled city is definitely one of my favorite places.