A Joyful Thanksgiving to You...

So much to be thankful for. We hope that your day is full of joy, and we praise our God, from whom all blessings flow...

guitar turkeys...they make their Daddy proud

a few leaves from our thankful tree

Recently

Happy Fall! Life here has been so full, and I'm really just getting to the place (I think) where I feel like I have some sort of handle on things and can begin to function in a way that feels more normal. For instance, today we went to the craft store and bought some things to begin some projects I want to work on in the coming months, and up until now such a thought would have been totally overwhelming to me. I remember when we first moved to Bangkok that it was months before it occurred to me that we had a mailbox or that I actually thought to check it- I was just too overwhelmed to look outside the "musts" of each day. I guess it's been a bit like that coming this way, too, which I wouldn't have anticipated, but there you have it.

We've had some chilly days (as illustrated by the adorable little gnomes above), and some gloriously warm and perfect days, and the leaves are changing, and it's good to have Fall here. There have been so many good things lately and I'm going to take just a minute to share them...

I had the opportunity to get away with my girlfriends from Berry to a cabin in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago, and what a privilege that was! The surroundings were beautiful, the leaves were breathtaking, and the fresh air and chilly weather were just perfect. The best thing, however, is these girls. Our friendships just keep getting sweeter, and I'm so grateful.

And it was fun to share Halloween with these friends- Brea the adorable pumpkin and Christy the crazily believable old lady, along with all of our beautiful children. Life is so much more fun when you have friends that will don jack-o-lantern shirts and gray wigs. My bumblebee costume is an old standard I've had since we were married, and I was happy this year to get to prove its mettle as maternity wear, as well. I added my "smart glasses" from language school as a finishing touch, which Tim declared made me a "spelling bee". :)

Here are our lovely butterfly princess and her charming frog prince...

The frog prince caught on quickly to the idea of trolling for treats. We only went to 4 houses or so, but he continued to ask, "more trick or treat? more candy?"

And finally, our sweet girl and me heading out to vote on election day. It was fun to share this privilege with Em, and even better that they let pregnant ladies go to the front of the line! I'm 31 weeks and counting, and it seems to me that this baby is very likely to follow in sister and brother's footsteps and come into the world at a hefty and happy weight!

I Would Rather Sit Alone on a Pumpkin Than Crowded on a Velvet Cushion

Does this look like a girl who loves a good hayride?

Fall is in the air in Georgia, which means that you get to be chilly sometimes in the morning and the evening, and you might only sweat mid-day, usually because you're overdressed. And it's time for pumpkins! Now, in Thailand we have our fair share of pumpkins, but they're generally the smallish, greenish, Japanese kind that we cut up and eat in place of the squash that cannot be found. So it's been fun to enjoy the big orange kind and all the surrounding festivity! We trekked up to North Georgia with some friends to revel in the season, enjoy climbing on a real live tractor, take a hayride (during which we encountered mechanical talking pumpkins that the kids thought were magical), and eat some boiled peanuts...

Here's our Asa Bear with his adorable buddy SSB*. The best part of this day was being there with friends, and we got to spend lots of time with our wonderful friends/former neighbors, whom we love like crazy. On the ride up, as we showered Christy's van with trail mix and made ourselves a general nuisance, the kids had the important cultural experience of listening to Elvis, which we've shamefully neglected up until this point. I found myself saying silly things like, "Emmy, this is Hound Dog! You need to know this song!"

And a good time was had by all.


*SSB= SweetScooterBicks

God's Unchanging Hand

This is a group of friends from Berry, our beloved alma mater. I shared years in Friendship Hall with all of these girls. Two weekends ago, we celebrated Mountain Day, which falls on the first weekend of October every year and is a celebration of the birthday of the school's founder, Martha Berry. It's also a celebration of dear friendships and giving thanks for all God has done. I'm still amazed that I got to go to this school, and am so thankful to count these folks among my friends. College friends are so easy; we find that even when we're separated by time and distance (say, the other side of the world...), coming back together is natural and very low pressure. I love these girls, and so many others we were with that day.

The last two months since we've been in the States have epitomized transition for me. To feel that we're home yet everything is so different in our lives, to have the opportunity to be with so many we love from different periods in our lives (including our Thailand world, with our recent visitors...), to know that we'll be transitioning again so soon and considering the future- it's all been a roller coaster emotionally. The fact that this time is temporary serves to make it both sweet and bitter. And of course, pregnancy does nothing to calm one's emotional ups and downs, to say the least!

One "world" we're relishing being a part of right now is our Intown world- the church we've been privileged to be a part of for 10 years and that God has used so mightily in our lives. This weekend we're celebrating Intown's 25 year anniversary, and there was a "celebration" tonight that was a true joy- I laughed so hard, then cried, especially during the music. This song, particularly, has always been a comfort to me, and I loved singing the words tonight as we walk through this transition...

Time is filled with swift transition; naught on earth unmoved can stand.
Build your hope on things eternal, hold to God's unchanging hand.
Trust in Him who will not leave you, whatsoever years may bring.
If by earthly friends forsaken, still more closely to Him cling.
Trust not in this world's vain riches that so rapidly decay.
Seek to gain the heavenly treasure that will never pass away...

Hold to His hand, God's unchanging hand, hold to His hand, God's unchanging hand.
Build your hope on things eternal, hold to God's unchanging hand.

God is so good to be close and to be unchanging as the sand shifts all around us.

And now back to the Mountain Day pictures...

Brea and me with our baby bellies. Believe it or not, she's two weeks ahead of me! I like to think these two are buddies already...

And one of the highlights of our day was stopping at the Moon Building on our way out for Daddy to throw a pot. He spent many, many, many hours here (while the rest of us were writing papers!) It was fun for the kids to see him throw, and good for my soul to see his hands in the clay again, doing something he's so gifted to do. Hard to believe it was 10 years ago that we said goodbye to Berry...engaged and ready to see what life would hold. It's been a great adventure so far, and we hold with faith to the belief that God will be unchanging whatever the next 10 years may bring.

First Sip- A Photodocumentary

Emmy enjoyed her first taste of Coke at the museum last week. Being the expressive little one that she is, I knew I had to document what to her was a very "grown-up" milestone...

East Meets West

Two weeks ago we had the fun of seeing some of our friends from across the world here in Atlanta. Three of our Thai teammates came with our team leader for a meeting in Atlanta, then went on to some other cities for church visits. It was fun to see their first glimpses of America and hear their impressions. When asked what she thought of our fair city, Yu said, "I think wow! Just wow!"...

Pat gave us a beautiful bag made by the Akha people from his home in northern Thailand. Asa took quite a shine to it and has used it for Dog storage, among other things.

Pat with two of his favorite "farang" (foreigner) kids. They were all happy to see us, but I think even more delighted to see our children. They all thought Asa was thinner; not enough rice, I suppose.

Our family and our friends the Cunninghams took them to the Coke museum to introduce them to some real Atlanta culture. We found this Thai ad, which they thought was hilarious, especially the crazy dancers in the background doing the monkey dance (sadly, not a traditional Thai dance). The add says "Drink Coca Cola- Adds the Fun Every Time".

Cases of Coke being transported by elephants- feels like home!

Emmy and her dear friend Gracyn enjoying some refreshment at the end of the museum...this is an area where you can sample Coke products from all over the world, and you must be really careful or you'll leave with a serious tummy ache!

We took them to Mary Mac's Tea Room for a good southern lunch (which, sadly, they found to be very bland...they were really missing Thai food), and we celebrated Tim's birthday with peach cobbler. Even though it went by in a blur, happy birthday, dear Timbo!