Thankfulness

Of Course the title is going to have"Thank" in it! It's almost Thanksgiving! The one time a year we remember what we are thankful for. "Thank you God for my husband, thank you for my kids, thank you for your love, Amen." Whew! Got that out of the way til next year! In all seriousness, throughout the entire year, as a mom we want to be appreciated. We want to know that what we are doing as a mom means something to our family. That we aren't just an invisible person walking around the house cleaning, washing, wiping, cleaning, washing, wiping.. you get the idea. Do we want that thank you every time? Or want an "Oh mom! That was so great! We love you and we are so thankful for all that you do!" Big hug, cue the music, dim the lights, and cut. That's a wrap! If you wanted that, you should turn on the Leave it to Beaver show. Ok, I can't lie, I would love some appreciation for just some of the things I do around the house. Ask yourself though, do we want that praise from our family? Or do we/should we want that praise from God? It's those two simple words, Thank You. On the other side of it, how often do we say Thank You? Or are truly grateful for someone or something? How often do we take people and things for granted? How often do we take God for granted? Because in all reality, everything we have is a gift from God. Our family, our salvation, our personality, our home, our food, our everything. Our trials, our hard times, our finances, our stubborn children (oh wait, how did that get in there?), our everything is His. With a thankful heart, we have an enormous opportunity to share God with our kids. We are their number one example of Christ and because we are to be Christ-like, as it says in Ephesians 5:1-2, we can't go around having a grumbling heart. How awesome is it that God entrusted our children to us? He knew that we were the right mamas to take care of the right children for us! I know, I know, ya'll are saying, Have you met my child?! Really! And seriously, yes, really! I have been there and at times think the same things! Then I am reminded of a few verses in God's love letter to us about our children, and I hope that you are encouraged to be thankful for your children like I have been through the eyes of God.

Psalms127:3-4, "Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth." (praise the Lord because imagine how much fun that would be at 50!)


Proverbs 22:6, "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

(And this is my favorite passage out of the 3) Psalms 139: 13-18, "For you created my inmost being; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your throughts O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you."

I have to say, these verses have been a huge blessing in my life when looking at my husband and children and other people through God's eyes. I was so important to my Papa that he knew me before I was even made in my mother's womb. He knew what my days would be like. He knew my struggles and my frustrations before they even happened! So, I sit and think. If I am THAT precious to my Papa, how precious is my husband? How precious are my children to him? It gives me goose bumps just thinking of the love my Papa has for me. When you look at life, people, etc through God's eyes, it's hard not to be thankful! He made your stubborn child stubborn. He made your little warrior boy. He made your compliant child compliant. And he knew that you were just the right person to help mold them and shape them and teach them about God. So even though the house chores are piling up and a little help would be greatly appreciated. Or even if you just got done with cleaning the bathroom and not even 5 minutes later the bathroom sink looked like the flood of the Bible just swooped in (true story) right behind you, laugh and be thankful that God has given you the privilege of being a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend. Be encouraged that God knows and sees your efforts and he knows your heart! He will give you the praise! And in all honesty, isn't that the most important praise we can get is from our Papa?

Authentic FB Friends

Ah Facebook. What a great invention. You get to reconnect with kids you went to elementary school, middle school, and high school. You get to stay in touch (or stalk) current friends and family members. You even get to be FB friends with the popular kids who wouldn't dare be friends with you at any stage of school. You also get to keep an eye on friends putting your own advice in when you feel it's 'needed'. On top of all that, you get to tell about your very exciting life! Poke people, play games, post pictures, ah, Facebook. (or post blogs like me. lol) I'm guilty. I've fallen into the fad of Facebook, until something better comes along. Maybe someone should invent something called MySpace or something.. oh wait.. Anyway. My point is that Facebook can be deceiving. I of course really only want to post the good things going on in life. I want to post the pictures of the one time a month I get down on the floor and play with the kids. I want to brag about my husband and kids! Post funny things happening and post moving scripture or video or whatever. The truth is, we should be posting real life. Of course not, "I had a huge fight with my husband and he's a meanie head and is totally wrong and I'm right. So there." Not saying to post all that, but let's be real. I honestly have a hard time reading posts about awesome husbands when I am fighting with mine. I have a hard time reading about husbands coming home when mine is getting ready to leave. I have a hard time reading posts about babies when I secretly would love to have more. I have a hard time reading posts about something exciting going on in a person's life because I am struggling. The list could go on. I just think that FB only shows a glimpse of our lives, the good parts. I think that at times, it's challenging to read posts and not feel jealous. "She must have it all together!" or "Her husband brought home flowers for her. Why can't mine?" Yes, all thoughts I've had. I've had many more, but that would take too long. So with the great capability to reconnect with family and friends and people we've met once or twice or is a mutual friend of a friend, sometimes I'd just like to know that people struggle with the same thoughts and temptations and all of that as I do. Then maybe, just maybe, we could all help each other and be there for each other. Maybe, just maybe, we can have deeper friendships than just the FB friend. Maybe, just maybe we can have real authentic friendships. Friendships where we can be totally and completely raw and open with each other. So, I am challenged to be just that. I hope that I have not portrayed in any of my posts or pictures that I am this person who has it all together with a perfect family, perfect husband, perfect relationship with God, a person who has NO problems.. I truely did not mean to misrepresenting myself. I am no where near the person I want to be. Here are my struggles.. I yell, which I can honestly say, God has really really helped me with yelling. Everyone once in a while I'll give into the temptation to yell because it is just so much easier to yell and get your way rather than working it out with your kids and actually talking to them. Or rather finding a different way to motivate your kids. When I fight with my husband, I get really mad and don't talk to him and then I start to think of all the negative things about him instead of focusing on the positive. Then I get into a downward spiral and I get even more mad at him to where I can be mad for days! God's definitely been working on that one as well. My kids make messes and I don't clean them up. Of course I help with spills, but I don't clean my house but rarely. If you are planning on coming over for dinner and my house is clean when you get here, that means I cleaned before you got here. Don't peak in the closets though. lol. I always have clean clothes around the bedrooms in piles waiting to be hung up or put away. I'm not real big on playing with my kids all the time. Horrible, I know. Don't get me wrong, I love them and we do have fun together, but I just have a hard time getting on the floor and playing. I feel like a failure as a mom, wife, and child of God. I place my husband ahead of God at times. I jump into things without thinking. I often feel alone. I have really high expectations for church and friends and customer service, I mean really. I am greatly humbled by God. He is continuing to work on me everyday. Even some of the things mentioned above, God's already shown me that things need to change in me. I am not looking forward to my Hunny being gone, but I am really looking forward to being able to take this time to focus on my relationship with God, my husband, and my kids. I am also really excited to see how God is going to help me grow in him!! I am so needing that time with God. I am so needing to focus on changing me and continuing to grow in him daily. And yes, it's a process. A process in which I have seen many ladies go through and continue to go through in which I am greatly encouraged! SO I would have to say that even though it's hard for me to read about different things going on in people's lives, that's where God is changing my heart. :) I truely am excited for all the wonderful things going on in people's lives. I have to keep my thoughts in check and realize that FB isn't 100% of real life! All I have to do is  get off of FB and look around! lol! I love my God and I love my life. I love that He continues to show me the things that need to change in my life. He sure does have a sense of humor seeing as I never thought there was anything that needed to be changed in my life. :) We have some good laughs God and I. lol.

Confidence

Well, I feel a bit better today. I was in the car thinking about what I had written yesterday. Confidence. The only thing I am confident in is Christ. So that got me thinking.. If I am confident in Christ, I should be confident in everything because he is always there and he made me to be the person I am today. So, in all of that.. he made me into the mother I am today, the wife I am today, the daughter I am today, the sister I am today, the friend I am today. I am who I am because of Christ. So, no more pity parties for myself. As I always tell the kids when we have a horrible day the day before, "Today is a new day." So, with all that being said, I am greatly humbled by God and his awesomeness. I may get sad and lonely and sad again, but that's ok. What's not ok is to let Satan take those emotions and turn them into his own party. If we are all really honest with ourselves, it feels kind of good to be in your own world and believe the lies Satan tells us. Lies about our spouse. Guilty. Lies about our friends. Guilty again. Lies about ourselves. Guilty, guilty, guilty. The beautiful thing is that the Bible tells us that God always provides a way out. He always gives us that option to get out of whatever sin Satan is tempting us with. That is a lesson I really need to learn and remember. So what I am really honestly tired of is Satan. I am tired of believing the lies and in reality, I am the one who becomes the judge of everyone around me. That's something I have honestly worked really hard at overcoming since I went off to college. It's funny how just when you think you've got things all together, Satan finds a way to break it all to pieces. Funny thing about God though, He knows how to fix it and heal it and mend it all together with his wisdom and grace and neverending love for us. He never ceases to amaze me. So, while I am having a pity party for myself, I just need to remember that the things running through my head, are only Satan's way from making me feel seperated from God, my husband, my family, and my friends. Anyway, those are my thoughts for today. 
So, on a lighter note, I really am enjoying it up here. I do remember going through the same type of phase in Korea. It's easy to look back and remember all the good things, but Korea had it's negatives too. I was also thinking that it took me really about a year to fully adjust and really start making friends. So, I am thinking that I need to cut myself some slack here and give myself time to adjust. And then of course, once I do adjust, it'll be time to move again. lol. hahahhaha. Ah the fun life of an Army Wife. But, as I always say, "Today is a new day". Full of bright sunny days, rainy days, and soon to come.. snowy days. So, I am really excited to see where God is going to lead this year. I have a lot of growing to do as a mother and wife and just as a person really. So I am really excited to see the changes in me this year. I am excited about my MOPS group and where God is leading there. I am excited that I might possibly be starting PWOC. I am really excited to be making cakes in the next few months for people other than my own kids. :) The next cakes are a Spiderman cake, Basket full of leaves and apples cake, a cake with a small basket on it with leaves spilling out, and possibly a birthday cake for my sister, and possibly a birthday cake for a soldier's son in my Hunny's unit. Wow! So looking forward to it!   

Lost but Not Forgotten

I feel lost. I feel as though I want to kick and scream and just jump outside myself. I feel as though everything inside of me just wants to give. I feel pulled and twisted and just plain overwhelmed. Do you ever feel that way? The last few months I have felt lost. I have felt as though my whole world is being turned upside down and downside up. I feel as though the things I am involved in only have half my heart. I don't feel as though my heart isn't in service anymore. Could it be the looming deployment? Could it be the move from one continent to another? Could it be a million of number of things going on in my life? Yep. On the outside, I smile, but oh on the inside, I am falling apart. Not able to bring myself to cry for fear that I'll just lose it and not be able to stop. I feel that if I do break down and let the dealing-with-it process start, it'll never end and I have to be mom to my kids. Maybe if I cry, it's real. Who knows. I'm probably in denial of some sort. The plus side is that I started my devotions again as well as working out. I'm hoping that both of those will bring back the joyful and positive spirit God has blessed me with. "And let us not grow weary when doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not loose heart." Galatians 6:9
 Me feeling lost in a sense all started a few months ago when I heard of the concept "Freedom From Religion." Since then, I feel as though my world has been turn upside down and I can't seem to find the answers. I feel frustrated as if something is stopping me. Maybe I am missing something. That seems to be the topic now days. My days are filled with running to school, MOPS, church, dr appointments, cakes, housework, and somehow finding the time to spend time with my God, husband, and kids. On top of that, I always always feel the desire to volunteer for things. I LOVE to volunteer before I really fully think through things. On the other hand, I love my kids. They crack me up.. which I am listening to them right now. It seems they are the only people I don't feel numb to. I feel numb to God, my Hunny, Church, MOPS, even making cakes. I know once Hunny leaves, it's going to be horrible emotion wise. I know that I can do it. I know that I can hold the fort while he's gone. I have total and complete confidence that God will give me the strength to do so.
I still miss Korea. How do I cope with that? I had a friend there who totally and completely got me. It was awesome. I had a great MOPS group. I had an awesome coordinator who was the pastor's wife who had amazing insight on life and whether I wanted to hear it or not, she had amazing insight on my marriage. I guess I feel as though if I move on from living there, I'll somehow let go of all the amazing people and memories there. I'll somehow forget them. I so badly want to open up and let go and make friendships and put y guard down, but frankly, I'm just tired of making new friends only to leave them again. I know I know, I'll be missing out on some amazing people and friendships. You're right.. uh.. self? lol. I just don't want to let go. Meeting new people is easy for me. Maintaining those friendships is what is hard.
I'm probably just rambling like a crazy person, but if just one person can understand what I am talking about, that would be awesome. A lot of me is really also just tired of keeping up appearances or feeling as though I have to be doing these certian things to be a Christian. Can we just break it down for a second. (it's been a long time since I've blogged apparently) In my head, I feel as though I went from going to church because I absolutely love being there to "I have to make sure I am just in church to keep up appearances". I feel as though if I miss a service, I'll be judged or not accepted. I feel that if I miss devotions, I'm not in God's favor anymore, well, to those around me. I feel as though I am constantly having to maintain my relationship so that other people don't think bad of me. And if life is falling apart, it must be because I am not in my Bible.
So, what is all this rambling about.. I have no idea. The only think I do know, is that I am God's child. The one and only thing that I am confident is God. I know that He will be with me every step of the very confusing way. I don't get it. I don't get why I am so stirred about religion and the freedom from it. I don't know why I am having a hard time letting go of being in Korea and embracing being here. I don't know why I feel as though I am lost and falling apart, but in the midst of it all.. God is there. Somewhere when I can't feel him or see Him.. He is there.

Separated

Have you ever had that feeling.. you know.. where you've done the unthinkable sin or the most common sin.. and you just feel as though, you just can't take it to God because you are not good enough for him now? Yeah, that feeling. I've had it way too many time than I'd like to admit. While I was reading my Bible this morning, these verses jumped out at me.. 

1 Peter 4:7, "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." 
1 Peter 5: 8-11, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Rest in him standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen."

Wait, how did God know that hundreds, thousands of year later, I would need to hear that? Even the minor sins, in our eyes, can be a hindrance to us in our walk with God. I really feel that those two verses go together. Peter is telling us to be clear minded and self-controlled so we can pray. Why is that so important? I almost missed it while reading. If we aren't clear minded and self-controlled, we sin. I know that when I'm not thinking right or my judgment is clouded, I tend to sin and then reason it out later. Then I feel guilty and feel as though I can't go to God because, well, "Here she is again" kind of feeling. (Which is so untrue by the way. God doesn't feel that way about us when we sin.) So in staying clear minded and self-controlled, we won't feel as though we can't pray to God. On the same note, he reminds us that the devil is prowling around us, waiting to pounce! What a great example and a great word! Prowl. Here this poor prey is just going on with their own regular day.. eating, playing, sleeping, etc. and what happened.. that dang lion prowls around the unsuspecting prey, just waiting for his opportunity to ruin it's day! Good grief lion! 

Now, I've found a constant pattern in the Bible.. God doesn't just warn us and say.. "Ok, now have at it and be careful! Glad I'm not you in this world!" No, God always will offer a way out and/or a promise of his provision. In the last passage he tells us that through all your trials, all your sufferings, He himself will restore you! Not just restore you to where you were before the sins and trials and sufferings, but he'll restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. Because once you've conquered that sin with God's help by telling Satan that he has NO power over you, it gets easier to resist him, with God's help of course.

So be encouraged and be on the lookout for Satan! Let his prowl around you, but give him no reason to pounce! He is so tricky and wants nothing more than to separate you from God. That is his one and only main mission.. to separate you from God as deep and as far as he possibly can. Don't let him make you feel like you are worthless and nothing and that God sees you as an annoyance! You aren't annoying God by coming to him for big or small sins! You aren't a failure or a disappointment to God. Don't let Satan make you think that you are! You are God's child. He will wrap his arms around you. The greatest thing is that He understands. What an amazing God! He gives us ways out of temptation, he promises greater rewards when following him, he give us salvation, he gives us hope. Thank you Lord!

Our last few days..

Wow! I can't believe where the time has gone! We have 3 days left here in Korea before we head to Colorado, Wisconsin, and then New York. I remember looking at the calendar 6 months ago thinking.. wow.. it's so far away! Now I look at the calendar and think.. where has the time gone? Today we cleared out of our apartment, which, didn't feel real by the way. It just feels like it's just not happening. The last week, I went through the kid's clothes, toys, games, etc and sorted out what we were and were not taking. Then over the weekend, we separated what was going in the first shipment in one room and the second shipment in the other room. Then we put in another room what we weren't taking at all. Then of course there were the things we were packing in our suitcase, which this is a really hard time of year  to pack for.. the weather bounces back and forth between Winter and Spring that the suitcases are overflowing. So, Saturday and Sunday we sorted like crazy and tossed things like crazy. The movers came Monday morning and took both shipments. Yay! Monday night was also Christmas at the Lang's house and most of our food and kitchen items were given away. Merry Christmas! :) Throughout the whole day, Hunny and I slowly went and cleaned each room. We waited for the living room and main bathroom til Teusday morning because our wonderful little ones were up til 1 AM!!! Yes, because their beds were taken in the shipment, they got to sleep in dad and mom's bed. So, they were on the bed long ways, so they didn't fall off the bed. Well, bed time came and went and they didn't go to sleep until 1. I finally crawled in there about 1:30. I was then woken up shortly after falling asleep, drool and all. Hey I was tired! Buddy was crying about something hurting, but didn't want to tell me what, men. hahha :) Maybe he thought if he told me, he'd have to go to the doctor. hahah jk. So, then he woke up another 2 times after that. Along with him waking up, I was waking up everytime I heard a noise, about every 2 minutes. I was afraid the kids were going to fall off the bed. I later found that Munchkin wasn't going to fall on her head off the bed, but was falling off by her feet. Not sure how many times I fixed her. Then Buddy, I discovered, pushes himself up (probably to touch the crib bars) while he is sleeping. So here I am, waking up every 2 minutes because the kids were moving and I was afraid that if I hell asleep, one of them would fall off. Finally, after 4 hours of this, I fell asleep only to get woken up at 6:30am. Good morning! :) So, I got up for the day, got the kids breakfast and off to work we went on finishing the apartment. We finally got things cleared and what not. The landlord and realtor comes over to check the place out and tell us our final bill. Well.. seeing as there are wall paper chunks off 1 wall in Sweet Pea's room, and 2 small walls in Munchkin's room with huge tears, that will be 250,000 won. WHAT?! Then, Korea, Korea. Why do you like Bidets?! So the top of the seat was broke, from whom, I won't way.. cough, cough.. me. So the realtor gets on the phone and that model is discontinued, so we have to pay another 200,000 won to have it replaced. I mean really! Would it kill you to just sit on a normal toilet seat? Brother. The onyl good news about that was that our utilites over the last month, came down to more than half of what they were yesterday. Yay! So now we are all moved out and no longer have a place called 'home'. We are staying with dear friends of ours, which has been a huge blessing. We are so thankful for God's provision, once again. Now I sit here.. the kids are SO passed out in bed like 2 hours ago! My Hunny is on XBox playing with his really good friend, who might I add.. is just in the next room! And they are still talking on their head phone to each other. hahahhah. I love them! They crack me up alot and I know that Hunny and I are really really going to miss this family. Ok, stopping before the waterworks come!
The next few days are really relaxing, for me anyway. For Hunny, not so much. He only has a few more things to do and couldn't be more happy to leave this unit who continues to throw him under the bus so to speak. Anyway, Tomorrow I am really looking forward to spending the morning with my good friends and their kids at the park, of course Starbucks is a must for me in the morning. Then we are going to do something with the kids on Thursday, hopefully, and then that night, enjoy some great food and and wonderful friendships with 2 very special families. I am certainly going to miss Korea. I am certainly going to miss the day to day friendships that God has provided over the last year and a half. I am excited to be opening another chapter in our family's book, but also sad to close this one, sort of. :) Well.. I'm off to bed. I fell asleep a few times today during the kids' quiet time, which of course, wasn't very quiet. Children.. how do you run on so much energy with SO little sleep!?! Until I write again.. only 3 more days here in Korea!! 

Harmony

So back a few months ago, I was taking a cab onto post, most likely to go grocery shopping. It was a Sunday morning and the driver I had was a female. She was listening to Korean worship music. The only reason I know why was because a song came on that I recognized. As I write, my brain goes blank as to the song, but it was one I knew quite well, again, can't remember the name of it though. But as we were riding into post, she began to sing in Korean and I sang the song in English. What an amazing way to worship God in song! Two languages coming together for the single purpose of praising and worshipping the same God! I was just reminded of that today and thought I'd share that. :) 

What a Weak

Well.. this week was horrible. Last week I found out that friends of ours lost their triplets. On top of that, we also found out that Hunny's grandpa's cancer is back. On top of that, we leave here in 16 days and my dear friend leaves in just a few days. :( I had a great weekend celebrating the death and resurrection of Christ. And then again at the gym, I was reflecting. This is my last week working out with my dear friend. This could possibly be the last year for grandpa. And my friends are hurting with the loss of their children. The Bible says to carry each other's burdens. What if I can't carry any more? I feel like I'm going to lose it. I feel as though I just can't handle one more ounce of bad news. Now on the flip side, God can. And there are verses reassuring me that he does not give us more than we can handle. Maybe I am just handling it wrong? Or maybe I am handling it, but just can't see it. Either way, I know that God is holding me up. I know that Jesus is praying for me and interceeding on my behalf. But I am still mourning the loss of babies, the sad news with grandpa, my friend leaving, and us leaving. Even Jesus wept in mourning. On the same, but different note.. I love reading through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Reading through those books, I wanted to know who God was and what better way to find out than reading about Jesus. He went through so many emotions as I do. I just love learning about Him and His life here on earth and His promises for His children. I know God's promises for me and I do have hope in Him. Don't get me wrong. Life is sad sometimes is all. Alright. well. off to bed for me!

Orders!

So, we finally have orders to leave Korea! Yay!! Monday was such a horrible day. Learning that we could possibly have orders that day seemed to prove very stressful for me. All of a sudden, it was real. I mean, Saturday it hit me that we are leaving in just a few weeks. There are a few major things that are going to be happening.. we will be having out last date night with our very dear friends, I have one last MOPS, we will be having out stuff shipped back to the states, we'll be moving out and cleaning our apartment, we'll be going into lodging, and then making our way to the airport. There's a few more things inbetween there, but that's about it. :) I do have to say that my anxiety from Monday has subsided. Maybe I finally took my advice and realized that God has it all worked out. I was so at peace coming here and yet so uneasy about going back. Maybe because, which you'd think I'd learn by now, that what my plans are, aren't always what God's plans are. :) Not being blasphemous, but in a way, the Army reminds me of God. Just stick with me a sec. We as individuals make plans for weeks, months, years, or days in advanced only to have the Army say, Nope, not happening. I have something else planned for you. And in the same way, I have learned through the Army, in a sense, that my plans and God's plans aren't always the same. :) I may think that things are going to go the way I want them, but they hardly ever go as 'planned'. And in a humorous way (just because of my own personal sense of humor), God's plans always come out better than mine. Isn't that how it always is though. Like with coming over here.. I wrote earlier that I thought that there were going to be these huge plans for me here with reaching out to people and God using me to help others and on and on. Then through being here, I learned that God had bigger plans for me with my kids and changing me as a mother and a wife. Being that witness to my kids and teaching them in the way of the Lord, that was way bigger than the plans I thought he had for me. :) So maybe I finally took the advice that I often give to other people.. To rest in the Lord.

Munchkin

So. Amongst all the mess of moving and sorting and AHHH.. I've almost forgotten that our baby girl Munchkin is going to be 5!!! I can't believe it! She is so smart and so funny and has such a great sense of humor. She is very helpful and mostly doesn't complain about doing what she is told. ;) I remember the day we found out we were pregnant. Hunny was out mowing the lawn while I was trying to figure out how to read the test! (I took 3 just to be safe) I came running outside and waved him to come in. "Look!" He of course knew before I even did. Apparently I don't pay that much attention to my body and my moods and whatnot and he does. He's always been good about that sort of thing. :) So through the next 8 months, I tried to prepare for what I thought I was going to be a natural at. April 29th. That was my due date. Of course you hear the stories that babies come early, so when 7 months came and I started having contractions, I immediatly thought, "This is it!" And of course, no luck with being early. So, April 29th, I had a doctor appointment. "Well, let's check and see where you're at!" said the doctor. "YOUCH!!! What are you doing!?!" I cried. No one prepared me for that! "Well, you're going to have a baby today!" So we went back home, ate lunch, rested a bit, and headed back into the hospital. We were ready! We were ready to have this little girl natural! Oh dear. So I tried the breathing. I tried to take a shower. I threw up. I just missed Hunny. Woops! Sorry dear! "Clean up on aisle 3!" Ok, that was it.. give me a shot of narcotics. Yes, apparently narcotics are legal in a hospital. Anyway. I guess my eyes rolled back into my head and I finally got some rest. No one told me it'd be this hard! So, after that wore off, I just couldn't take the pain, so I caved in and got a walking epidural. My sweet hunny whispered before we made the decision, "Are you sure. I know you wanted to go natural and I wouldn't want you to be disappointed in yourself for not." He is so sweet. :) BUT GIVE ME THE EPIDURAL! :) (I love you babe) So, at 7pm the doc came in a checked me. 7cm. Yay! Ok, now you can have the epidural. So the nurse comes in at 7:30pm. I have horrible veins.. so she can't find it. "Can you hold still?" And not in a nice tone at all. I mean really? I am laying on my side with my arm behind me trying to control breath through these contractions and you're asking me to be still!! Finally she got it in. Then came in the wonderful man with the epidural. With a walking epidural, I could still feel the pressure, just not the pain. So, the doc came in at 8pm and said, you are 8cm. You should be having this baby very soon. Let me know when you feel you need to push." 8:45.. Uh Hunny, I think you need to get the doctor! My doctor was so amazing! She was a mid-wife doctor and was so gentle and so kind and walked me through the whole process. She was amazing! She came in at 9pm and 3 pushes later, 9:21pm, I was holding our sweet baby girl! She was so precious and so beautiful! I was able to spend the first hour holding her a nursing her. Cuddling her and talking to her. Hunny stayed with her every step of the way to get cleaned, checked, and tested. I couldn't believe that this little person came out of me! I don't think it really hit me and that I really fully bonded with her until she was a week old. And, to this day, I feel really guilty about that. Not as though I could help it. That first week, was like taking care of a real doll, except, I couldn't just leave her in my pile of toys for a few days and play with her later. :) I still remember her sweet smell. I still remember her throwing up on me all the time and taking showers 3 times a day sometimes. I still remember those late night feedings and those 3 hours cries from gas. Oh what I wouldn't do to have one more moment with her 5 years ago. Not as though I am not enjoying her now of course. But thinking back and what I'd do different and taking more time to snuggle and cuddle and play. Makes me sad to think of how big she has already gotten. My sweet sweet baby girl. I love snuggling with her and talking with her and singing with her and laughing with her. She truely has been a huge huge blessing! It's funny to look back and remember that I thought I knew all there was to being a parent. I mean, I had nieces and nephews and worked in the nursery at church and and.. :) No one prepared me for the joys and heartbreaks of being a mommy. The joys of watching them learn and grow and the heartbreaks of watching them grow. :( I am so thankful that God has blessed me with my kids. I remember thinking 6 years ago that I'd never be a mom. I have endometreosis and was never really explained how severe it was. The longing and desire of being a mom and it might not happen! What a blessing and a joy it's been these last 5 years to watch our children grow from inside my belly to baby to toddler to preschooler. Sniff.. sniff. We always joke that we'll put bricks on their heads to keep them from growing up! Or that they can't grow! They have to stop! Then they say, "But I want to get big like you! Jesus will help me to grow and you can't stop Him!" Oh I love our kids!

Almost there!

We have orders! Sort of.. Hopefully we should get orders later today. Well with that.. I apparently am not handling stress very well today. I woke up this morning, ate breakfast, took a shower, checked FB, etc. I get a phone call from my neighbor's son because he wanted to say hello. He is so adorable and hilarious! Cracks me up. Then I was asked to make 2 birthday cakes for this Saturday! I am so excited! Then shortly after, I get a call from my Hunny saying our orders should be in today for Ft Drum! Yay! That mean that it's getting closer! We bought tickets from Colorado to Wisconsin over the weekend and now Hunny has to go to travel and set up a day and time for the movers to come get our household goods. Wow! We have to start sorting through all of our papers, clothes, misc stuff to see what is going to make the cut to bring back to the states. Now we're trying to see about getting a space A flight back to the states. I feel like the stress is elevating! To top it off, I'm putting pics on FB because everyone is so interested and demanding photos like I'm this super important person.. ;) jk. So I'm putting up pictures and I hear, "Mom! Oh NO! Buddy spilled his milk! Ahh It's going to get me! Here it comes!" "Get a paper towel and clean it up!" (me) (very calmly, I might add) Then I hear, "Oh no! Sweet Pea spilled her milk too!!" Followed by cries, because spilled milk is definitely something that needs to be cried about. "Again, get a paper towel and clean it up!" Now getting a little more irritated because apparently no one is listening to me about cleaning up. I walk in to find that there is an enormous paper towel pile that has little of the enormous milk spill on it. "Clean up the mess on the floor and on the table. Stop goofing around!" Voice is elevated. Went back to loading these super important pictures. Munchkin comes in, "Mom! Sweet Pea and Buddy are playing with the paper towel!" Now this paper towel roll was completely full and she came in with an empty roll. "Sweet Pea and Buddy!!!" I come out to find a nice 'red carpet effect' of paper towel unrolled on the floor and Buddy running across it. I quickly correct him and put him in time out. Sweet Pea was cleaning dutifully. Good job. It was too late though. By this time, I was yelling at Buddy because if they weren't playing while eating, they would have not spilled, which would not have lead to an entire roll of paper towel on the floor. After I was finished helping clean up the floor and table and I seemed to have calmed down, Munchkin starts singing...

"If you're happy and you know it, clap you hands
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands, 
If you're happy and you know it, then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands."

All I could do was laugh. I know, it's just spilled milk and just a roll of paper towel. And I know that the kids didn't deserve to be yelled at. I guess the stress of leaving is effecting me more than I know. Time to spend some more time in prayer and in the Word and in song. I firmly believe that God speaks to me through 2 things.. through his beautiful creation and through song. I tell ya, through the sweet voice of my Munchkin, He spoke to me.

Friends

Yes, according to my sister, I have been slacking on blogging. So.. here I sit writing, to the popular demands of my one reader. hahahah :) Today I looked at the calender.."24 more days!" My stomach is churning and the nerves are starting to set in. I'm not worried about the flight or any of that. I'm not really worried at all. I am just already missing friends that I know I won't either ever see again or that I won't see for a very long time. It's the one time, well of many times, I don't like the military. Sure, I love the adventure of new places and new people, but with that, comes friendships that one day, I'll have to say goodbye. I don't really think of that when making these friendships. My first thought is, Yay! Finally! A friend! :) Because it only took me a year after being here to really make a friend. Sheesh. I know that God will provide more friends at Ft Drum, but it's the saying goodbye that is really starting to cause my apparent stomach problems. I also know kind of what to expect when we get back to the states, and I'm a little scared of the thought of being back in the US. Weird, I know. In a way, I suppose I wish things were normal so to speak. You know, the same friends, the same church, the same school for the kids, the same stores, the same everything. Oh wait, I've had that my whole growing up life and somehow I wasn't content with that. And now I'm not content with always having to say goodbye. I guess I just need to get over it.

Oh Be Careful Little Eyes..

Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Oh be careful little eyes what you,

For the Father up above is looking down with love

So be careful little eyes what you see.

Oh be careful little ears what you hear

Oh be careful little ears what you hear,

For the Father up above is looking down with love

So be careful little ears what you hear.

Oh be careful little mouth what you say

Oh be careful little mouth what you say,

For the Father up above is looking down with love

So be careful little mouth what you say.

 This morning I was woken up by Sweet Pea's sweet little voice.. "Mom, can you pull Ken's pants up! Ew! That's gross!" How innocent are their minds. This song came roaring into my thoughts this morning as Sweet Pea sat there patiently waiting for me to help her. And I began to think, how often do we try to protect our children's minds from the world around us only to watch or listen to it in private? How often do we sit and talk about our husbands, children, family, friends, only to walk away from that conversation with a horrible attitude about that person. Your point of view on that person or people you were talking about has been changed.  You hear negative things about your friend's husband and you being to think.. "Does my husband do that? I think so!" You don't look at your spouse as that Knight and Shining Armor anymore. You see him as a man, sometimes a boy even, who sits and does absolutely nothing around the house, never helps you, blah, blah, blah. There have been many times I will get upset and start thinking of all the negative things toward my Hunny. When I go to talk it out with him, he'll be like, "What? I'm not helping? I've been doing some dishes, cleaning up after dinner, getting the kids ready for bed.." and can rattle off a whole long list of things he's been doing. Apparently gone unnoticed or unappreciated by me. "but, but.." But what really? I hear about negative things of other spouses from other people or just anything negative in general, and begin to view that person or that thing in such a horrible light. Being here in South Korea, the post we are at isn't the greatest, but it does the job really. The post has come a long way from where it was just 10 years ago. For about 6 months, I had the worst attitude here. Women from church even were always finding something wrong with the post and the wait at the clinic is too long and we have such a small px and commissary. The other day, I was in the commissary and there was a gentleman there complaining to a worker, who has no control of what gets ordered, that there wasn't enough of something ordered. Now this man wasn't just complaining, his voice was getting louder and you could tell the worker was getting uncomfortable. "if you have 5 of something and 15 people want to buy it, you should order more! The other base has this!" Well, to be honest, go to the other base! Anyway, my point is, the more negative things you hear, the more you are going to talk negative about that person or thing. Which also means, the more negatives you personally say, the more you begin to think it, the more you think it, the more discontent you will be. I was challenged last night by Pastor James MacDonald as I was listening to my iPod while working out, to renew my mind in His Word. In God's word. I find that surrounding myself with positive Christians, my mind isn't focused on all the petty stuff. I am thankful to be able to be here with my Hunny and our kids. I am thankful that there is a facility on post where I am able to buy food for my family. I am thankful that God has provided all of our needs. So be careful what you listen to, watch, and say. The song up above is a great reminder of that. Think of something positive to say about another person you don't really like or find something positive that your spouse is doing. It's easy to get caught up in complaining or watching that movie or hearing that joke or doing that thing you know you shouldn't be doing. Whatever it is, keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your mind in His Word and protect your own eyes, ears, and mouth. It's easy to watch something, but it's harder to get that image out of your mind. Ask yourself, is this really glorifying to God? With anything. It's something that I've been challenged with over the last few years. It's not easy, hence the word challenge. :) Oh to be innocent as a child again. Yep, I was sheltered at a child to a certain extent. My dad would record movies off the tv with his VCR (rock 90s!) so that we could still watch movies without the swear words, the nonviolent movies that is. I am so thankful for that. Wish I was 6 again. :)

What a Day!

Yesterday a group of girls and I had a day out! Yay! So, this is how our day went.. We decided to meet on poast at 7:30am and get Starbucks before we left.. because well, that is early. So, 7:45, we finally all meet at Starbucks. We walk up to the door only to see no lights on and read a paper sign on the door that said, "Closed due to shortage of water. Will reopen at 1pm." Huh? Well that's new. Oh bummer. Well, let's pick up one more girl and head off to the train station.. they have a Starbucks!! So, a little out of the way, but that's ok, it's coffee. We get to the train station only to remember, "Oh yeah, stores in Korea don't open til 10am." Although, what was that? A ray of hope! Dunkin Donuts! So a few donuts later, coffee, juices, and water later.. we were off!

So after a 45 minute drive, not too bad of traffic, we find our exit. Hey! Let's get in that lane! I think that says market! Woops! It did say market.. Grain Market. Well, I'm sure we'd see flour, but not the right kind of flower. Woops.. well, we're in the far left turning lane with no hope of making it to the going straight lane. Well, we turn. And we go down and down and down and turn. Whew! What a line! Along our way of friend drivin.. we saw, what I thought was kind of funny, Fish for Sale! So, traffic was crazy trying to inch our way through all these cars!

With lots of turns and turn arounds and Wait, which was do we turn? We finally arrived at the flower market. But wait.. that doesn't look right! This is the Whole Sale Flower Market! Oh Well. The flowers were still amazing! I was so taken back with such beautiful flowers, trees, and pottery! God is so good!!

Yes, God's work is absolutely stunning!

After we were finished at the flower market, we were on our way to Yongson Amy Post.

This is a gianormous post for Korea for the time being and is always a treat to be able to go up there. That had been my 3rd time I believe being up there. So we headed to the food court and had, of course, food from an asia style restaruant. In Korea, with the option of American food on post, and we eat Asian. Funny. After we got done eating, we headed over to the PX to browse around. With my waist line strinking, I thought I'd look for a belt. I've invested in some cheap jeans that apparently keep falling off. :) Woah! 28 dollars! Yikes! Guess I won't be getting one just yet. Then after a stroll around the px, we were off for a walk to the subway station to head to Dongsaemun!

Ah the walking began! The flowers on the way over were beautiful! So, off we go.. we are at Line 6 to Dongdaemun.. err skreech, hault, stop! Wait, but aren't we supposed to be on Line 4? Hm.. After a little confusion, we asked a Korean girl who seemed to be with an American. "Excuse me, could you tell us how to get to Dongdaemun?" She looks it up on her phone. In the mean time, the guy, "So, are you guys American?" Really? I mean, Really? "Yes we are". "So you guys are with the military then?" "Yep". (Me, because from the sound of it, it didn't sound or look like he was here with the military) "So are you with the military or just here for fun?"  "With the Army". Yep, that was a g conversation. Oh! She's done on her phone. We were to get on a connecting subway train. "Thank you!" And off we went. We get to the connecting stop and were again greeted by the same girl. "Follow me!" The connecting train was upstairs. That was weird. Anyway, We find out train and off we go! All crammed in! Nice! Whew! We made it! Yay! So, we pop up on the street on stair #6. Hey look!

There's the Gate! It's so awesome! So huge! Oh wait.. where's the buildings we need to go to? Hmm.. on the other side of the street with no cross walk. Hmm..  under the street to the subway. Let's try it again. Oh No! We can't get to where we need to be without a ticket! 1500won later! Yay! A ticket! Through the gates, to where we need to be, through the end gates! Yay! We made it! oh wait, weren't we just here? Let's try Stairs #1. Pop up! Hey it's the gate again! (different view this time). Wait.. where's the buildings? Eventually we found our way to the other side! Crazy Americans! :) 

So we were finally here! For all our fabric, button, ribbon, hair clip needs! How fantastic! All the little knickknacks to put on hair clips and all the ribbons and buttons and beads and wire and wow! It was 1 full floor of all of this! The other 4 floors consisted of fabric for clothes, uppalstering(sp), and drapes! Wow! I was able to get a ton of hair accessories for hair bows and lots of basic color ribbon for super cheap! Besides it being SUPER hot in there, I was able to find what I needed. Yay!

So, now that our wallets are empty and our bags are full, homeward bound we go. We get back on the subway and what do we smell at the connecting station? Nothing other than Deli Manjoo! I didn't get s picture of that. Fail, I know. :) We race one way up the stairs only find that the smell has gotten weaker. Wrong way. Turn around and went the other way! Success! They are these small cake like things shaped like corn on the cob. Yeah, who knows. Then in the middle, there is a custard like substance! Very yummy and delcious! That was my first time eating them and I have to say, they were good. So after I filled up on 12 (don't judge me, all that walking, I had to have been ok), we boarded the subway only to finally know what it feels like to be a sardine.

Pushing to get on, pushing to get off. It's a mad house! You know that it's full when the train moves, you don't fall over. :) We finally made it to the subway station by post. Yay! Another victorious shopping trip! And just incase the North invades, the first 20 people to get the masks at the train station will be safe. Whew! That makes me feel better! All in all, it was a fantabulous day out with the girls! We had lots of laughs, lots of great conversation, and made such great memories! Korea! I will miss you! Friends, family in Korea, I will miss you all dearly! Oh, we made it home safe and sound with no complications thanks to one of the husbands. :) Yay! And we made it home in record time too! :) Thank you ladies!! 

33 days and counting!

So, here we go again.. 33 more days left here in Korea and not a thing is packed! :) Oh that's right, the military will pack and move us. Check! Our first stop is Colorado. We are SO much looking forward to spending some time in the mountains. Soaking in God's beauty. We had lived there.. one of the many 12+ moves we made.. and every morning and evening, being able to watch the beauty of the mountains. I firmly believe that God speaks to me through nature and music. Seeing those mountains gives me goose bumps and makes my nose tingle.. which happens when I am going to tear up. :) With all the moves, I am so grateful that God has been able to share his beautiful creation with me. I have barely seen anything, but what I have seen has amazed me. I remember first coming to Korea. We landed when the sun was setting. We decided that taking a cab would be best instead of riding the bus for 2 plus hours. Anyway, on our way over this long brigde, I can remember the sky was purple, pink, blue, and some yellow. The mountains were raised high in the water with what looked like clouds all around the tops. I wish I had my camera. It was absolutely breath taking. I remember thinking, "God is so awesome!" So, then we got to our apartment. Almost 300 dollars later!!!!! AHHH!!! Yes, next time we'll be taking the bus. Funny how those 2 memories collide! :) So, we're on our umpteenth move and I couldn't be more excited. There's so many thing I am looking forward to doing! I'm looking forward to that 'stability'. The kids will be in school soon, I'll be going back to school soon, Hunny will be going back to school again. There's so many other things I am looking forward to. There are also a few things I am not looking forward to. I am not looking forward to leaving one of my best friends here. For the first almost year that we were here, I had a few acquaintance friends, but nothing real solid. And when I did make a friend, they moved back to the states shortly after. :( I love my friend. She's been a huge blessing to me here and things would not have been the same without her. Coffee runs, workouts at the gym, friend therapy, shopping trips, girl talk, and just plain being like family to me. I'm also going to miss MOPS, which, was a huge life line here for me. The atmosphere is tremendous. So welcoming and inviting. I ancourage any and all moms to get involved in their local MOPS group. To be in a room with women who are either going through the same things you are as a mom or have already gone through those years, is so uplifting! Some have the same struggles and the same successes! I will definitely miss my MOPS group. I will also miss Happy Quilt, Dongdaemun, and the flower market.. which interstingly enough.. I am going with a group of ladies tomorrow.. :) Yay Girl time! Anyway. So, very excited to see family, but very sad to be leaving my family here. And of course, the stores. :)   

Huge Plans

So, in just 33 short more days, My hunny, the kiddos, and I will be embarking on another adventure.. moving back to the states. I sat here thinking back on this last year and a half and God has taught me so many things. The funny thing is that when we first found out we were coming here, I had such high ambition that I just KNEW God had a plan for me being here. I was going to reach out to the people here in Korea and be a witness to them. I was going to work in the church and get involved in everything that I could. Oh wait.. I seem to be missing something.. Oh yes, my family. Huh. I seemed to have forgotten about them somewhere along the way and being that example of Christ to them. So many times when I think of 'others', I am not thinking of my own kids. God definitely humbled me a lot over the last year and a half. It hasn't been until recently that I've started to focus on my kids. I'm just sorry it's taken me this long to realize it. Since getting here, I felt like I was being held back, stunted, not being able to grow. Why was I here if it weren't to be involved in the church and Bible study and MOPS and this and that! For some reason, I felt as though I wanted to do more, but couldn't. I wanted to be important or something. So I joined a Bible study and tried to make friends. Well, that backfired and later I stopped going. So we tried going to a few churches only to settle at the chapel on post, not our first choice, but it was something. Then I helped with VBS. Then I helped at our MOPS. Then I helped as a children's church teacher. Why didn't I feel like I wasn't doing anything of value? I tried going to Faith Lift, only to be discouraged even more. So what was this emptiness I was feeling? What was I missing? Oh right, right.. my family. There's that word again. It wasn't until I discovered I was angry, that I realized that I was (including my hunny) setting the example for our kids. They were watching me. All of a sudden, I started seeing the kids yelling horribly at each other. Yes, I yelled. Can't say I still don't raise my voice every now and again, but only through God's grace, which seemed like it was never going to come, have my anger and yelling subsided. Anyway, I tried searching books. I tried searching through advice of other people. I tried talking it through with friends. Nothing seemed to work. Finally, I came to my knees, tears flowing down uncontrolably. "Lord, I'm here. After so much pride and anger, I am here." Again, I'm not perfect here, but things are changing. My eyes are being opened more to Christ and what I am really doing here in Korea. (Is she done rambling and where is this going?) Instead of trying to focus on those other people who aren't my kids to show them just how awesome I am in Jesus.. note the sarcasm... God's been focusing my heart on my kids. They are so precious! They are such an amazing gift from God that I have taken for granted and advante of. My heart's desire is not only teach my kids about Jesus and who he is, but to be living by his Word daily so that through me, they will see his love for them. I can't tell you how much my attitude and view has changed since seeing my kids through God's eyes instead of seeing them as burdens at times. Horrible, I know. So through all of that.. God did have enormous plans for me here. He had huge plans to overhaul me. A few years ago, I had gotten on my knees and asked God to change me. Now, if you aren't ready, don't ask him to change you. :) Because he doesn't mess around with that kind of stuff. This rollercoaster over the last 2 years has been testimony of that. :) Everything has changed. The way I view my husband, the way I talk about my husband, the way I view God, the way I view church, the way I view my kids, the way I speak about others, everything. I in no way believe that God is done working on me. I have no idea what Has in store for me, but if there is one thing that I want to succeed at, it's that my kids know Jesus. That they know Him not through hollow words, but through sound action.         

Hmm.. so much to say.. just not on here.

So I have discovered something this last year. Well.. I seem to talk a lot. It's funny that I started a blog and yet, find it hard to think of something to write. I think that for some reason, as I am talking with someone, I just keep going (because it's usually not important and I hate quiet in a conversation.). Yet, on here, no one is listening, so technically, I could write whatever I wanted. But what if someone does read it? Would my rambling really speak to them? Or would it be just that, rambling and non-sense? God's challenged me to be quiet and listen and I pretty much am failing at that. I guess that's why it's so hard to write something. I want it to be of value, to encourage others. There's so many things I could talk about.. decorating cakes (which I do not claim to be a pro here), photography (again, same thing), the Bible, Jesus, my kids, my husband, dogs, cats. I think you get the drift. Hmm.. The Lang's Travelling Circus. Boy has it ever been. Just when I think we're settled somewhere, we get moved again. That 'stability' is shaken. But what am I stabling myself on? Should it shake because of the things that are uncertain? Where should my stability be? Or better yet, who? If there is one thing that I have learned being married to the military, is that everything changes. You hurry up and wait. When Hunny and I first got married, I was a huge planner. 6 months from now, we are going to be going on vacation.. 6 years later, God has changed my heart. Besides all the 600 moves we've made and all the changes that have come with them and all the worrying, moving half way across the world was the most peaceful for me. In every move we made, my heart raced, doubts set in wondering if this was the right choice, my stomach was in knots. It was crazy. But something was different this time around. This decision to move half way around the world was prayed about and weighed out with the pros and cons. No matter what decision we were going to make, it would be the right one, we just had to take that leap of faith. The minute we made the decision for us to come here with my hunny, total peace filled my heart and I didn't worry about it because God has always, always taken care of us and has provided for us. And now.. here I sit. After a year and a half of being in South Korea.. yes that southern section underneath North Korea, I seem to have forgotten that peace. Why was moving here so peaceful? It's not as though I trust God any less. South Korea seems to be in so much danger with the North looming above us, and yet, I feel so much safer here than in the states. I do know that God will work everything out. I know that he is preparing our way as he promises in his Word. He knows our thoughts before we can finish them. He knows. So I do have peace about moving back to the states because I know he has always provided and will continue to do so no matter where we are. But just because I know it, doesn't mean I have full peace about it. I'm working on it though.   

The Travelling Circus

Well.. let's see. Hunny and I have been married for over 6 years now! Within that time, we have moved cross country and across the world over 12 times. WOW! That is SO crazy. Through all of our moves and all the craziness of life, we are still very funny, real, down-to-earth, and very strong as a family. So I am pretty sure I don't need to explain why I chose the title of our blog. :) I have a pretty odd sense of humor. I was talking to my sister, who also has a strange sense of humor, and we were talking about how we think things are funny that other people don't. We get that "Um, are you crazy?" kind of look from onlookers, which in turn, is really funny. I'm not sure what else to really talk about right now. I hope you enjoy travelling with us!