Saying Goodbye....again

Today brings another goodbye. This goodbye is one that is a difficult one.  For the last 3 years we have had THE BEST teammates.  The day we arrived in this country, they picked us up wide-eyed and English speaking from the airport, had an apartment ready for us, food in the refridgerator, and several dinners that first week if I remember correctly.  Since then, their kindness, generosity, and friendship have never ceased.  They have been a constant in our lives, and now they will be gone.

While we love K and his excellent leadership, I am especially going to miss my friend B.  She and I have very similar upbringings, experiences, and tempermants.  I don't think I ever realized how deep of a friendship I would make here, but I truly have found a friend in B.  It has been such a blessing to know she was "down the street" for a quick phone call or recipe or even a late night foot massage and milk tea. 

They have shared their girls with us and allowed us to love them like the cousins we have been missing. We are so thankful for their kindness in sharing them with us! Today we all feel like we are saying goodbye to family again. 

We will miss you G Family! You have been such a blessing to us and treasured gifts from a faithful Father. Good thing we aren't getting rid of you, since your daughter told Hudson she was marrying him.

The GIRLS!!

We love K and J who live with us out in the countryside!! California girls seem to know how to have a lot of FUN!!!

WEDDING!!

We were so pleased to participate in our good friends' wedding this weekend.  It was such an honor to be apart and to witness their special day!  This couple has become such a huge part of our lives and even our family. We will truly miss them when we are back in America!  Rob and I have done their marriage counseling, which has been quite a learning experience  and fun for us as it hasn't been in English.

We have all been looking forward to this day and were so happy that it has finally come!

Rob and I emceed the wedding, meaning we were a lot like talent show hosts, telling what came next. Hannah sang a solo and Rob and I also sang with the bride and groom. :) It was a fun day!  

This wedding was the first Christian wedding most in attendance, including their families, had ever seen.  Again, we were so thankful to be part of this event!

Spring Has Sprung

Living in a humid, tropical climate has few advantages, but mostly disadvantages. The main disadvantage is the constant wetness that is everywhere....either you are sweating/soaking through your clothes, or you are experiencing a damp cold that chills to the bone, or you are getting rained on, or the air is so thick with humidity you can't breathe.  However, there are a few beautiful days in the fall and a few in the spring, where it feels like spring.  The humidity is less than normal and it is actually comfortable to be outside.  Right now is one of those times!!

I have been very cautious about Hannah and Hudson riding bikes here.  The traffic is a little crazy, meaning cars and motorbikes feel free to ride on the sidewalks as well as people EVERYWHERE!  So, their opportunities to ride have been slim to none.  I have decided to allow them to ride around our apartment complex which is large, but they have to constantly be aware of bikes, cars, people, strollers, motorcycles, tractors,  and anything else that might suddenly jump in their paths or come around a corner very quickly.  Not fun!  However Hudson enjoys riding his bike to the little market inside our complex and getting toilet paper, or drinks, or whatever else is needed.  Then he likes to arrange it all on his bike and ride home.  Frankly, it is quite convenient for me!!

This week, on one of those beautiful nights we loaded up our bikes and went out a ways so the kids could ride their bikes with no traffic or people or anything.  They had so much fun and rode for a few hours.  And mom didn't have to worry at all!!

Kinda like Grover....NEAR.......

 FAR........

 My boy...

 Rob giving a little instruction on something.....

 The parents....

I will add that last week was a moment of pride in my husband's life (as it will be in Pa's too).  Hudson was out riding his bike with his friends. We looked out the window and saw Hudson leaned over his bike working on it.  Upon calling out to see what the problem was, he said his chain had popped off and that something on the handlebars was messed up, but he had it all under control.  Rob surmised he would probably have to go down and help him fix the problems, but several minutes later off he rode, fixing his own bike.  Hopefully he has inherited Rob's "fix-it" genes.

Easter 2011

We have had such a fun Easter weekend.  It started on Friday when our friends came into town for the weekend.  We all had a big dinner at our favorite place in town, then our friends two oldest boys,  who happen to be Hudson's very good friends, came over to spend the first of 2 nights with us.   On Saturday, all 8 kids spent the day with my amazing friends B and A.  They graciously dyed eggs, hid eggs, facilitated egg hunting, made dinner, cleaned up said activities and PHEW......they looked tired when we saw them that night.  

We had a great weekend for many reasons and truly celebrated that HE IS RISEN!! So thankful to do this with our friends, both foreign and local!!

Here is the crew dying the eggs.

 Hannah helped her little friend make some beautiful eggs!!

 Time for the hunt!

 Hudson and his buddy taking a break

 Easter Sunday morning brunch....YUM!!

 We acted out the Resurrection Story with all the kids.  My favorite part was our friend, (the man in the pic) acting out the part of the stone.  Here he is rolling away. :)

 Rob reading the story as the kids act it out.

Happy Easter from the O Fam!!

THREE!!!!!

If you have been reading my blog since we moved, or for any length of time you perhaps know what this title is about. You can look back here and here and even here to see where I have chronicled the time stamps of this journey we are on.  

Today is a big milestone for us.  We have now lived overseas for 3 whole years.  I think at the outset of this adventure I wasn't sure we would make it this long.  There have been lots of difficult days, but also many days of triumph.  There have been days of longing for family and "home" and days where we have felt we wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here in Asia.   We have truly been blessed to live here and have one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. 

We have made amazing friends and relationships here, more than we ever dreamed.  We have learned a lot about ourselves and seen so many ways we can grow and change to follow our Lord even more.

I want to say "thank you" to those of you who have continued to support us and love and encourage us through prayers, emails, and encouraging words.  Our family has been a constant support to us and has encouraged us in so many ways, from packages, to phone calls, to sending pictures, to actually coming to see us!  We have been so blessed over the last 3 years to have so many visitors as well. Our TN friends are always welcome in our home....we are so blessed to have so many new TN friends and relationships!!  Christmas teams from OH and MO were soooo fun and my kids still talk about the amazing performances we were able to do together! :)  As I relflect on all the events and fun from the last 3 years I am overwhelmed with the Father's faithfulness not just to us, but to the people we serve.  

So now that 3 years is behind us, we continue to count....for we are not through here, only just beginning.  However, we are about to take a break and come home for 6 months.  So for a little while, we are going to be counting down the days until we go home!  July 1 is coming soon!!

Suprise Visit to the USA!!

I was truly blessed at the beginning of this month to make a quick trip to Oklahoma!  My brother, Ryan, and I were given the opportunity to travel home and help my mom celebrate her 60th birthday.  We had a wonderful time seeing people and catching up with so many loved ones.  It was truly amazing to be in Oklahoma again, but sad to not share it with Rob and the kids.

Here are Ryan and I leaving our city, you can see the characters of our city between our heads, can you read it?

 Here we are....almost to TX!!! We documented every leg of our trip...we are a little awkward.

 Hooray for seeing Dad!!! He faithfully picked his wayward children up from DFW airport and brought us back up I-35 for a familiar passage back into OKLAHOMA!!  By the way, Ryan did take a picture of the OK sign as we entered....but he is yet to send it to me.   I was sad Rob wasn't with me, so I called him and was talking with him so we could enter OK together.....kind of.

 Suprising my mom!!! And she was suprised, never expecting us to come from Asia to her birthday party.

 My family....those who were present.  Back row: me, Ryan.  Front Row: Grandma Veta, Mom, Reagan, Heather. 2 cute kids: Reese and Ty

 My other family....more were present, just not in the picture (Rikki and Tom).  Bob and Donna Olmstead, me, 4 cute nieces: Ashley, Abigail, Ainsley, and Audrey.

 Me and my Grandma.  Yea for seeing and spending a short time with her!!  (and Ty hangin' out with his great-grandma)

 The birthday girl and her cake

 I don't think I have ever participated in a family event where I didn't sing. So, in keeping with traditions, the Wagoner kids sang/played the guitar together.  I will tell you that Reagan and I started out sharing a microphone but that didn't last long.  Let's just say we don't share well.....and he was breathing Chili's salsa breath on me. Brothers......

We are really looking forward to our time home the second half of this year and know we will love seeing and spending lots of time catching up with so many friends and loved ones. I am so thankful for the time I got to spend at home, but really missed Rob, Hannah, and Hudson!!