To China and Beyond

On Thanksgiving day we are heading to China. It seems so weird to say "I'm going to China." It seems so exotic. We have it all planned out except for three of the ten days of the trip. We can't decide what to do, but settled on deciding once we get there. One possibilty is taking a train to the border with North Korea. We are interested in someday living in China so I am anxious as to how this trip might effect that desire. We will be meeting with an American professor, Lonnie, that has been teaching and living there for a while so I hope to glean some insight from him. We are also spending two days with a British friend, Tania, who taught English here in Japan and is now teaching it there in China. I am interested in teaching English there so again I hope that yields some good information. Plus, we are going to have loads of fun...

Who are you?

Have you ever noticed that the people you feel closest to or connect with are those who open up and make themselves vulnerable to you? Well, I have. Maybe it is simple psychology. I don't know much about that subject, although it intrigues me. Anyway, I have noticed this phenomenon among my friends and family. It is so refreshing when someone is real, an open book, sharing their shortcomings and weaknesses, and giving insight in to their strengths. I believe much growth, relationally and individually, can come from this type of sharing. On the otherhand, it is a stifiling downer when someone you feel you should be close to because of whatever circumstance is closed, simply cordial, and only let's you see their surface.

I think the distance is usually the fault of both parties because once one person opens up, the other usually reciprocates. So I encourage whoever may be reading this to open up to people, and in the same way, open up to God about your thoughts and feelings about life and about Him.

Over the past couple of years it has been very refreshing to experience this phenomenon with my mom as we open up to one another. It has given me much enrichment and insight into my life and hers. Open up and experience the difference.

First time I felt her move

Tonight was the first time I felt our baby move. How awesome of an experience is that? I think she was doing summersaults. We just stared at Trish's belly and every once in a while you could see it move. Amazing!

Hawaii or Seattle?

Decision: The Next Few Years

I feel like I have come a long way from being an indecisive person, but this decision is really weighing on me. I had my mind made up to get out of the Navy, but having a family changes a lot of things. I desire NOT to make these kind of decisions based on money, but at the same time I have to be responsible. If I want to stay in the Navy, I need to give them a decision very soon and probably should have already.

I thank God that I have so many great choices. However, on one hand, that is one of the stressful factors, too many choices. We have the world open to us: nothing to tie us down, money in the bank, education paid for by the Navy, and the Navy will move us anywhere in the States. We truly are blessed and thankful. Trish and me spend a lot of time just talking about all of the possibilities.

We are thinking about two main choices right now. One would be both of us getting out of the Navy early, August 2005, and me going to Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle and getting my Masters in Divinity and Trish finishing up her Bachelor’s degree. The advantage to that is getting out of the Navy, out of this no-so-enjoyable job, and regaining some freedom. I am also really excited about this school and ready to engage in what I think will be a life changing experience. The disadvantage is finances and perhaps less time with family. The other choice is for Trish to get out of the Navy in May and me staying in and doing a three-year tour in Hawaii with Trish and baby as dependents. The advantage to that is geography (we love Hawaii), finances, and it would be easier to have a second child and for Trish to get a degree (she is interested in getting a degree in Radiology leading to being an Ultrasound technician). Then after we leave Hawaii, she can have a good paying job while I go to seminary. The disadvantages are I don’t think I will like the job, I will perhaps have to do shift work, and the big one, it may delay us getting to the missions field by three years. Those are just two of the good choices. Others involve Korea, China, other seminaries, or other degrees.

So if you have any wisdom or advice to offer, I would really appreciate it. Thanks for your prayers.

It's a Girl

So I guess we will finally post that the results of our ultrasound. We are having a GIRL. Let's hope it's right because we will have one confused little boy with all of the pink clothes we have gotten. Oh well, there is an old saying from a T-shirt of a guy we know that says, "Real men wear pink".

29 Hours Later

Yep, it took us 29 hours on trains, planes, and automobiles to get back to Misawa from Ocala. Everything went smoothly, it just took that long. After a a couple plane changes in the US and a 4 hour train ride to a nearby town, our good friend Curtis gave us a ride home so we could finally get to our long awaited bed! Thank God for such a good friend! Now we need some time to rest from the busy time we had at home. We had such a wonderful time visiting with all our friends and family. We do wish for more time to spend with all of them in order to deepen and strengthen our relationships. I feel like relationships are the most important thing in life, our relationship with God being foremost.

Florida Leg

We also thoroughly enjoyed our time in Florida. I was pleased that I was able to see so many of my family members. On Saturday, we had two parties and I wasable to see so many people. We loved staying with mybrother's family and being able to be around my smart, adorable 2 1/2 year old nephew. Ken and Leah are great hosts. Leah even had a basket of goodies awaiting us in our bedroom. We also stayed two nights with my mom, also a great host, and visited an intriguing butterfly observatory with her. We visited the new and intriguing "downtown" area at The Villages a rapidly growing community with my dad and step mom.
One highlight of the trip was a pontoon boat ride down crystal-clear Silver River (where the first Tarzan was filmed) with my brother's family and skippered by Lamar, Ken's father-in-law. We saw lots of alligators (one hissed at us), birds, and had to carefully navigate through fallen trees from the hurricanes. Me and Ken also disembarked the boat for a thrilling experience with a rope swing.

Missouri Leg

Our trip to the Show me State was a blast. In St. Charles, we did a whole lot of eating, shopping for baby stuff, visiting Starbucks, and most importantly visiting with friends and family. On the weekend, we went to Branson and stayed in a cabin on Table Rock Lake with Trish's immediate family (parents, two sisters, and their husbands). We went to Silver Dollar City both days and I was overwhelmed by the myriad of old country themed merchandise, booths, and shows. Luckily they had an awesome roller coaster with the best drop I have ever been on. The other highlight was the gigantic cave below the park grounds. The first room you enter is so big that they fit 5 hot air balloons in there.