February 22nd - March 14th

Sunday we tried another church called Riverview. The music was great, but perhaps a bit “over the top for us”. I’m so glad there are churches that have rock and rap music to reach teenagers but we have a few years before we “have” to listen to that (Do I sound old and uncool??). The message was so good. It was from the book of James, which I had just finished studying. It is one of my favorite books in the Bible. Plus, the kid’s weekly memory verses had been out of James so it was the perfect sermon for us. After church we went to Hillary’s Harbor. We have found that it just works for our family…mainly Luke. He is not fond of the waves, the sand, the wind...well, THE BEACH! I, too, find it very cold. You will see a picture of me in the slide show that Clint just HAD to take to get a photo of my beach wear. I WANT to wear jeans or sweats but I tough it out and put on the bathing suit and shorts but top it off with a jacket. Monday we went to the Embassy to close on our house. I have to say it was a bit hard for me to sign those papers. I am so thankful that we sold our house and that we do not have that hanging over our heads. For those of you who don’t know the story about our house I MUST share!!! Just a few days prior to December 19th I remember praying a very specific prayer about the house. The morning of the 19th I left the house thinking there is no way anyone would be looking at houses the last day of school before Christmas break so needless to say I did not “prepare” the house for a “showing”. I was up at the school for the girls’ Christmas parties and got a call that we were having a second showing. By that evening we had an offer on the house. The timing could not have been more perfect. It truly seemed like God had just lined everything up perfectly! In addition we met Aron, the buyer, and at that point I just knew that he was the one we prayed for! In just a few minutes we found out that he and his wife are Christians and that this was his wife’s “dream” home. Clint left for Australia and I started taking things off the wall only to find that a couple of days later I was putting the house back together because the offer fell through. Aron and Kelly’s buyer did not get funding. I wish I could say I was immediately at peace about it but it took me a couple of days. I sent our buyers an email and told them I would be praying on Saturday at the top of every hour for their house to sell if they wanted to join me. My heart went out to them because their daughters had already started school in Prosper. So I prayed, but nothing happened…UNTIL our last day in Prosper!!!! Isn’t that just like God to see if I would trust him until the very last second? I remember praying the day before and saying, “Okay God, you’ve got 24 hours before we leave…show me a miracle…show me how you are going to pull this off!!” Well HE did! Our original buyers got another offer on their house and we signed another contract with them! I am thrilled that Aron and Kelly are the ones that bought the house but find it hard simply to let go. I am very thankful for the space we had in that house as we aren’t always guaranteed that much comfort! You see, here we live in about half the space. I have to tell you that I had one of those moments by myself in my kitchen that should have been caught on video. I was unloading the dishwasher and I realized that I could do it without moving my feet! So now it has become quite the game for me. I will put some pictures of the house in the slideshow so you can see. Wednesday was the first day I actually turned on the windshield wipers because I really needed them. Most of the time I turn the windshield wipers on when I am trying to turn on the blinker. You would think after a month of driving on the “wrong” side of the car and road that I would have it down. Oh well. It rained all day on Wednesday, which was a bit disappointing because it was my first full day without kidos and no scheduled appointments. I had plans with Karis to go to this amazing outdoor shopping center. Thursday I had an appointment with an “osteopath”. Not sure exactly what that is but he was not Dr. Lomonaco!!! I am so grateful God led me to Dr. Lomonaco almost 3 years ago in the midst of my years of intense pain. Thank you Jesus! So my search is on for a “voo-doo” doctor here. Friday we left for Dunsborough and the Margaret River area with the rest of Perth! It was the Australian equivalent of Labor Day weekend. Evidently you have to book accommodations way in advance for “school holidays”; however, I was pleasantly surprised at our “beach cottage”. On the way we stopped at the “Red Rooster” to eat. This is an Australian “fast food” chain. We ordered the “family pack” that included a whole roasted chicken, pumpkin, peas, mashed potatoes and chips (French fries). Interesting, huh? They also have “Hungry Jacks”, which is Burger King and of course, McDonalds. While we were there we went to a few wineries, a chocolate factory, an ice cream factory and a sheep shearing farm. The wine country was so incredibly beautiful. We found an “organic” winery, which I thought was super cool! Many of the wineries also had an organic fruit and vegetable garden. The sheep shearing farm was really neat. It was amazing to see the sheep herder work the two dogs. The first dog, a border collie, would run to the field and chase the sheep into the pins. The second dog, a bordie collie/dingo mix, was released as soon as the sheep were in the pin. He would then run across the backs of the sheep until they all went through the “shoot”. It was amazing. We also went across the Busselton Jetty, the longest jetty in the southern hemisphere. At the end of the jetty there was an observatory where you could see tropical fish in their own habitat. Clint was wishing he was scuba diving with the divers we saw underwater. While I am also a diver, I don’t have a passion about diving like Clint. I got into diving for him and do it because it makes him happy. I actually do enjoy diving once I am below the surface…it’s the long boat ride out that gets me. The dare-devil in me went down a notch after having our little “joeys” (Australian word for babies/kids). We did see some really cool fish and the kids enjoyed that. It is a bit challenging “site seeing” with kidos as they don’t find it that much fun; however, we took turns between adult stuff and kid stuff and it seemed to work out in the end. We gave out “delays” to the kid stuff for whining or complaining during the adult stuff and I think by the end of the weekend they figured it out. I hope they remember what they learned on our next trip. There is so much to see and do here and when you are working against the clock you want to be sure to see and do as much as you can. Who knows if we will ever come back??!! Oh I almost completely forgot to tell you about the road block checking drivers for alcohol consumption. We found out that this is routine here. The police put up a road block and each driver has to blow into the machine. I would have taken a picture but I am not sure the police would have appreciated that I needed it for my blog. I was driving the next day when I came across another road block. I did not like that my kids were going to have to see me do this and thankfully they waved me on! I appreciate the officers checking up on people since just the day before I had a little “altercation” in a parking lot with a teenager. He was showing off to some kids in another car and came around a corner and could have easily hit Luke. The mama “horns” came out and I let him know that one day he was going to be a daddy and he would love that kid in a way he could not even imagine and if someone did something stupid to hurt his child he would be really angry (like I was!). I thought for just a moment he might have learned something really important that day but when he left the parking lot he “peeled out” to make a point and my perception that he was a “punk kid” was right. Did I forget to mention I actually called him that? I don’t really think I showed the love of Christ in that moment but I did apologize to him for grabbing his arm and calling him a “punk kid” so don’t be too disappointed in me! One night we went out onto the beach after dark. Clint decided that we would play the quiet game with the kids so that maybe, just maybe they could be still enough to hear the sounds of the waves and the “stillness” of the night. Reid soon gave up on the game (actually they all did) and went to the shoreline. After just a few minutes he ran back and told us there was a stingray in the water. We really didn’t believe him but Clint thought maybe, just maybe, there actually was! Sure enough there was a huge stingray swimming along the shoreline. It was amazing to see it so close under the moonlit sky. Also, on the way back we actually saw a possum climbing a tree. It is pretty cool getting to see many of God’s creatures in the “wild” doing exactly what God designed them to do. We were pretty wiped out the rest of the week after our trip to Margaret River/Dunsborough/Busselton. We quickly got back into our “new” routine. Reid is thriving in school. It cracks me up how he knows so many kids and is Mr. Congeniality. He tells everyone by name “good bye” as we leave the school. He has picked up a lot of Australian words already. He asked me the other day where to put the “rubbish” and now calls cantaloupe - “rockmellon” It just makes me laugh! He also used the word “smokie” but I missed the context to which he was using it…(so many words have an “i.e.” ending – breakfast is “brekkie”, kindergarten is “kindie”, etc.) anyway, I spent the next several minutes explaining the dangers of cigarette smoking to my five year old. Ugh! The word “smokie” probably refers to a hot dog or something but I wasn’t taking any chances! Friday was “doctor day” as Kennedy and I both found doctors!!! Kennedy is being seen by an amazing children’s chiropractor here for scoliosis. I also had a bit of pain reappear over the weekend. I was feeling a bit down about it as I have done so well for so long. BUT, I stumbled across a wonderful doctor looking for a grocery store…totally a God thing…and she is AMAZING! I would describe to you the tests she ran on me but it is really just too weird to explain. She did uncover a few problems that have caused me to go on a no dairy, no wheat diet. Anyway, I am already feeling a bit better. We played dominoes with Karis and Tyson Saturday night and Clint made us his famous chocolate molten cake. OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, I already cheated just a bit since I topped it off with whipped cream. We received our first care packages compliments of my mom and Susan. My mom sent us Uncle Ben’s brown rice and clif bars and we got chocolate and Valentines from Susan. The kids also got Valentines from Clint’s parents. Would you believe that kids don’t exchange Valentines here? There were no boxes of Valentines to be found so it was soo nice to get those in the mail. My mom sent every type of brown rice Uncle Ben makes (brown rice here is not so good or I don’t know how to cook it) and the customs agents went through the contents of the package. We received notice that they were holding the package of rice that had herbs in it. We could send it back to the US for $42.50 or they would burn it. I am sure you know what we opted to do (or not do) but I have a feeling someone enjoyed a nice side item with their dinner that night!!! We also got notice that our air shipment was being held due to the dog bed needing to be quarantined. Clint sent them an email informing them we do not have a dog and perhaps they were talking about his daughter’s “webkinz” house. They are serious about this stuff! The day we received our air shipment was a glorious day even though we knew we had wasted pounds on unnecessary items. The packing process back in Prosper was quite the experience. We really thought 250 pounds would go so quickly since we are always the family or couple at the airport shifting weight between bags because our luggage is over 50 pounds. Our air shipment was the last thing they packed and we had all kinds of space left over but the truck had already gone with our sea shipment so we could not add items. The good thing was that it gave us an opportunity to put those things that appear out of nowhere after you think you have packed everything. The most exciting thing we received was our Vonage phones, the IPOD speaker, 2 of our very own towels, garlic press and measuring cups. The boys got their power rangers, Kennedy got her webkinz house and few other little things and sweet Mackenzie did not get anything but her flute from school. I’m not sure what happened there. I felt so sad for her but she has made the most of it by playing that stinkin’ flute hours at a time. How can you ask her to stop playing it when that is all she has? I do draw the line with the flute in the morning!!! The one thing that I was sad about was our ATM blankets that my sister Kristine made were not in there. Clint and I both remember telling the packers to put those in the air shipment so who knows??!!! Well, I have decided to go ahead and include this week’s journal since I got behind. We have had numerous technical issues which have delayed me getting my blog updated. We’ve decided that Subiaco Church is the one for us. It is nice to have that decision made so we can focus on getting “plugged in”. We went to King’s Park for dinner to have our very own “sausage sizzle”. It was not very crowded and quite relaxing. Fortunately, I was able to find hot dog buns made with spelt flour. Not being able to have wheat and dairy is quite challenging but I am finding there are a lot of other options that are quite tasty! I had a hair appointment on Monday which always makes me happy and then went to Herdsman without kids and it was nice. It was at this grocery store that we found this incredibly beautiful lettuce that we as a family have named “happy lettuce”. We are doing much better with the food but found that it is simply better to eat at home. Eating out usually leaves us frustrated because it is expensive and it is not that good. Dinner has become a great bonding time for our family. Back in Prosper we got into the habit of the kids eating on the bar stools at the island and Clint and I would eat at the table. By the time we would sit down to eat the kids would be done. Here we set the table and put the food on the table and the kids LOVE it! Something so simple makes them so happy. In addition I am seeing some great changes to their eating habits. There were many times that the kids would not eat dinner because they did not like what I made…really, they didn’t even give it a chance. I think they have really begun to appreciate my cooking…even the healthy stuff. Almost every night we have a “happy lettuce” salad and a bowl of fruit. The funny thing about the salad is that they eat it without any dressing since the ranch here is absolutely disgusting! I’m also really happy that they all eat fish now and Mackenzie and Luke eat asparagus (for .50 more to their weekly allowance – you have to start somewhere, right??!!...more on allowance in a second)! I do have to update you on the ground beef situation. I tried spaghetti again this week and it turned out pretty good. We must have had spoiled beef before! Enough about food…good grief!! It seems as if back “home” everything centered around the meal. Here, everything centers around the drink! It seems wine is a part of every single function. I went to a meeting at the boys’ school, kinda like a PTO or PTF type thing and would you believe they served wine?? It’s a bit strange to me. I also heard recently about one of the local pastor’s wife being a good bartender. That really doesn’t sit well with me. Okay, back to the allowance deal. Since coming here we adopted a plan similar to the Harkins family (thanks Cari and Scott) for allowing the kids to earn money each week. We have a list of chores they are expected to do and once those are done they can choose to pick other things to do to earn money. We take money out for tithe, offering and savings and they get to spend the rest. I have to admit I use to be against giving kids allowance for helping around the house but I have really seen the benefit of teaching them about giving, saving and making wise choices on how to spend God’s money. The other day the girls’ (on their own) decided to give their offering to a man that was riding across Australia for Leukemia. They came to us and asked if it would be okay! Very cool! We had our first “inspection” this week; something we had no idea about. We received a notice in the mail that the rental company would be coming to inspect the house. After talking to some other people I began to get a bit nervous about it. Our house has white walls throughout and in the short, but very long six weeks we have been here there are precious black handprints all over the place. The kids nicknamed the inspector “Inspector Gadget” and fortunately we passed and are safe for the next 3 months. I forgot to write something in my journal involving Mackenzie. When I first met Karis I felt the Lord telling me to pray about her having babies so I asked the kids to join me in praying for her. Mackenzie asked me what she had to do to have a baby. Hmm…do we have this conversation right here, right now? NOPE! I told her that you had to be married. She said “Well mom that’s kinda funny because one of the teachers at school is Miss_______ and she is having a baby.” I responded that maybe in Australia Mr., Mrs., Miss and Ms. mean something different. She said, “No mommy, another teacher is Mrs. ______ and she IS married”. Now why in the world did the differences between the US and Australia NOT help me out in this situation??!! Somehow the subject was changed and has not been brought up again…whew, that was a close one. That Mackenzie thinks everything through! We are very excited about next Friday, which is Harmony Day at school. One of Mackenzie’s art projects was chosen to be made into a mural for the school and she has to get in front of the entire school, faculty and parents and give a speech about the meaning behind her drawing. I will likely throw up for her. I am not one that liked “Speechcom” 101! We are a bit concerned about the school situation as Mackenzie is not being challenged. She misses LCA so much and all it had to offer. Kennedy, on the other hand, seems to love having 3 recesses a day as well as PE for an hour and ½ each day. She was recently the “star” soccer player at school. Evidentially the ball hit her in the stomach and bounced in the goal (her brace allowed for a great bounce). Shortly after that excitement, a “gym bus” came to the school and she amazed the teachers with her strength and gymnastics ability. Yes, Kennedy is thriving in this highly focused recreational, sport-loving society! Mackenzie read for 7 hours last Saturday to get ahead in the “Read around Australia” program. The students earn kilometers for every minute they read and the first one to “travel” around Australia, wins! Kennedy informed us that it is “optional” and she was not going to do it. The two girls could not be more different! Friday night we went to Cottesloe Beach. Reid had been telling us that we had to go see the sculptures at Cottesloe Beach for the last several days. So our Friday night thing worked out perfectly – fish and “chips” on the beach and then a stroll to look at all of the sculptures. We took pictures of our favorite. My favorite was the one of ants crawling up a tree. I hope the pictures turned out so you can see. There was also one of ostriches made out of tires. Clint’s favorite was the tree one but many of the others did not look all that much like art to us. Oh well, we try to be cultural. Friday night I had a conference call with my company’s top client and Saturday we had what I would say was our first successful beach day. Luke expressed that he did not want to go to a beach with sand and waves, an impossible request don’t you think?? He chose not to wear his bathing suit but ended up changing into one after a while. Everything went smooth – the weather was perfect…not too windy, nice and warm, we brought a picnic, it was great fun and very relaxing. LOVED IT! Tonight we are going on a “double date” to a restaurant called the “Gypsy Tapas”. It is a function with the American Women of Perth organization. We have a babysitter, Hannah, who is the daughter of the couple we are going with. Very convenient! LOVE THAT!

The “Gypsy Tapas” house was fun and of course like everything else, an experience. It was all you can eat “tapas”, which is appetizer like foods. I am sorry to say that I tried kangaroo and lamb. I don’t feel as guilty about the kangaroo due to a news report I heard driving to school this week. A kangaroo broke into someone’s home and attacked a man and women who were sleeping in their bed. The kangaroo beat the couple up pretty bad. They tried hiding under blankets to protect themselves….the kangaroo finally left but then went into their son’s rooms. The man was finally able to get the kangaroo in a headlock and drag him out the front door just in time for the police to arrive. He was found badly beaten and in his shredded boxer shorts. ONLY in Australia!!!