August/September 2009

August came and went and to be honest we were glad since the weather was really getting to us. With all the research we did before we moved we NEVER expected such a long, wet and cold winter. Australians have said that this was the worse winter in years. Just the other day poor Reid told me he was tired of being cold. I felt the same way. Fortunately, now, spring has sprung and the Smith family is very happy to see sunshine again.

August was full of birthday fun. Kennedy celebrated with a “stamping” party. My friend Stephanie is really into scrapbooking and card marking so she helped me with the party. The girls think she is super cool and crafty…and that she is! The “American Women Welcome Coffee” fell on my birthday and just happened to be at Stephanie’s house this month. She had a birthday cake for me and there was a lot of yummy food! Later in the week Lisa P., Lisa M., and Stephanie also took me out for a birthday lunch. Very nice. And over the weekend we celebrated with a date night with Steve and Stephanie and enjoyed the best dinner out we’ve had since being in Perth at Darlington Estates in Swan Valley. The food, ambiance, service and company were wonderful. Stephanie also made me a home-made birthday cake. I also got to celebrate Lisa Posell’s birthday with her in August with a fun “date night” and then also a murder mystery luncheon with the American Women Association.

September is somewhat of a blur. Stephanie left for the US and was gone for 3 weeks, needless to say our social calendar slowed down a bit. Unfortunately, we don’t think they will be in Australia as long as we had hoped. Not sure what life will be like in Perth without them. We have already had to say good-bye to Karis and Tyson and I certainly do not want to do that again anytime soon. It was actually good Steve and Stephanie were gone because Clint and I started a 15 day “cleanse” and we were NO fun to socialize with. We basically could only eat fruits, vegetables, whole meal…I mean whole wheat pasta (Australian terminology is rubbing off on me), beans and fish every 3rd day. We took lots of herbs/vitamins over the 15 days along with the “diet” in hopes to get rid of all the toxins in our bodies. It was really hard and there is no way I could have done it alone. This was all Clint’s idea just so you know. I was simply being a supportive wife. The first Saturday of the 15 day ordeal we about “lost it”…we were so grumpy! There is just something about the weekends…so much harder than during the week. We discovered sweet potato chips to be a great snack. We sliced them real thin and put them on a cookie sheet, drizzled olive oil and sea salt on them. Baked on 350 for 15 minutes and then turned up the heat and broiled for another couple of minutes. Not bad with guacamole dip either. The first thing I splurged on when it was all over was chocolate covered almonds. The 15 days was a good lesson in self control but I was sure glad when it was all over! I think it was really good for our kids to see us go through this “cleanse”. We certainly couldn’t quit or “fall off the wagon” for the sake of what our kids would learn from that.

One of the most random things that happened to me this month was someone offered to buy my jacket right off my back! When I told her I wasn’t ready to part with it she gave me her card and said, call me when you no longer wear it and I’ll buy it from you. She started to ask me where I got it but before I could answer, she said I’m sure it came from the States (before even my accent gave it away!!). Australians seem to really love clothes from the US (that were probably made in China).

We have made a big decision to move the kids to another school. We have not been pleased with the International School and while the boys love their school a few things have happened that have caused us to question the environment they are in. I just love how God works. So here’s the story that led me to this school. Before we left for Australia I got a call from someone in the children’s ministry at Prestonwood. She received the prayer request form I filled out regarding our move to Australia. She actually did an internship at North Beach Baptist Church here in Australia. She gave me the name of a very sweet lady and we visited the church the third Sunday we were in Perth. We met a nice family that morning and I happened to ask her where her kids went to school. She explained that they were at Kingsway Christian College and that it was the best “Christian” college in Perth. Over the following months I constantly heard advertisements on the radio about Kingsway and it being a “Christ centered” education. It always stood out to me for some reason. Then we had a little “situation” at Reid’s school which pretty much “sealed the deal” for us to make a move. So I began calling around to make appointments to tour some schools. I called Kingsway and the sweetest lady, Charmaine, helped me. We decided to drive to the school over the weekend to see where it was and after the TOM TOM took us around the world (it seemed) to get there, we ruled it out because it was simply too far!!! I had also set up an interview at Scotch College, which is where so many “ex-pat” kids go but got online to look at the fees and cancelled the appointment immediately. Oh my!...we are obviously not on the same “ex-pat plan”! So back to the drawing board! We decided to go ahead and tour Kingsway. I prayed that God would make it very clear to us that Kingsway was the place for our kids. And THAT he did! All six of us went on the tour. The kids were certainly hesitant to let their excitement show but I could see it in their eyes. We saw the fruits of the spirit on the wall, memory verses on the chalk board, positive character traits displayed…for a second I felt I was back at Legacy Christian Academy and it was REFRESHING! And then we walked in a first grade class and the class says “Good morning Smith family…and GOD LOVES YOU!!!” How precious is that? Then the most “God thing” happened. A little boy came up to Reid (it was explained to the class that Reid would be in 1st grade) and gave him a knuckle high five! Thank you God for being so involved in our lives and arranging something like a little knuckle high five for Reid! You see, out of all the kids Reid was the one I was/am most worried about. He loves his school and really, I do too! It has a real nice feel to it and I have made friends with a few of the moms from his class. The kids accepted him from day one and found him to be interesting with the “funny” way he talks and that he is from America. He has been invited to so many birthday parties and play dates. I love that when I walk him to his classroom each day he says hello to everyone we pass along the way and refers to them by name. So when we told him we were considering moving him to another school he said he did not want to!! I feel for him…my heart hurts…but I know that Kingsway will be a great environment. We handed in all of our paperwork and the earliest we could get an interview was mid-October. I made the comment to Charmaine that if by chance someone cancelled to please give us a call, that we were eager to get moving on this. Would you believe she called me back in less than a minute and explained that she was making a comment after we hung up and as the principal walked by that she wished all the families were as eager and excited as we were. The principal told her to call us back and work us in for Thursday! From start to finish I think God has directed us here. I have wondered myself why God didn’t just direct us to Kingsway from the get go and spare us some of the hardships the kids have had to go through. BUT, I trust HIM and know HIS ways are HIGHER than our ways. Oh…and I haven’t even told you about the other blessing. The fees for international students at Kingsway are much like the fees we were use to paying at LCA. However, considering the “food factor” in Australia we were “sweatin it” just a bit as Clint’s company will not pay for Luke since Kindergarten (called pre-primary in Australia) is not a required grade. Thankfully, during our tour Clint mentioned the type VISA we are here on and Charmaine informed us that we would not have to pay the International rates. I about fell on my face! How could this be??? So get this…all 4 of our kids will go to a private Christian College (School) for less than $10,000 per year! Crazy isn’t it?!! Oh what a blessing. And with making the decision to change schools we will be forced to move! DARN! I am sure you can tell how sad I will be about that! Just so you know it’s not just me…one of the guys from Clint’s office came over for dinner and nicknamed our house “Cell block A”…since it looks so much like a prison and we are at 39A Connolly! Nice huh??!!!

Steve and Stephanie came home September 21st and brought back lots of goodies for us from the US – vitamins, clothes, velvetta and chocolate chips!!!! They tried to recover from jet lag quickly before we left the kids with them for four days while we enjoyed a romantic getaway! We had a great time in Sydney. We have been so blessed in the past to be able to take at least one trip a year while family members have watched the kids. THANK YOU for that. We knew upon taking this assignment we would be giving that up. Even regular date nights are hard here since the cost of babysitting is $20 per hour for one kid. Fortunately, we have sweet Hannah who is from the US that is not accustomed to making quite that much!!! Anyway, when Steve and Stephanie offered we just could not believe it…but that is just the kind of people they are – very giving! The day before we left, the crazy dust storm hit Sydney and the entire city was orange. The pictures we saw online were incredible. The news reported that people were being forced to stay indoors and that everyone was wearing masks. We didn’t care…we were going! The first morning we were there we dressed as we would in Perth but had to return to change because we were HOT! We toured the opera house and even decided last minute to actually go to an opera just to say we did I guess. Operas are not my thing. People were laughing hysterically and frankly, I just didn’t get it. We went to Bondi Beach (there is a show on TV here about this beach) early on Saturday morning and then climbed the Sydney bridge. Our warm weather did not last long. It was soooo cold and so incredibly windy! The guide told us he has never experienced it this windy in the 3 years he has worked there. What is it with us being a part of so many “it’s never like this” situations??!! On Sunday we rented what we called “our Ferrari” for the day so we could go to church, outback steakhouse and drive into the Blue Mountains. This meant I had to navigate using a map! UGH! I would have chosen the driver’s seat but it was a stick shift. We went to Hillsong Church. We thought we were going to the big church but ended up at one of their many satellite churches. The service reminded us a little of what we have seen on TV of Joel Olsteen’s church in Houston. After church we FINALLY made it to Outback after several wrong turns. You know it is very hard to start off not knowing where you are on a map and as soon as you find yourself on the map, within seconds you are off the map and on another map. Can’t we just be on one map!?! Clint did really good keeping his cool but I will admit but there WAS a little tension in the car on our romantic getaway! Outback was a treat, even though it was still a little different. One thing was the exact same…the “Sinful Sundae”! YUM! YUM! We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We then drove into the “Blue Mountains” and had we started the day earlier and had it not been so cold, it would have been great for hiking. We made it to the main attraction “The Three Sisters”. There is a legend behind the formation of this mountain. We enjoyed a “Raiders of the Lost Ark” kind of experience riding down the side of a mountain in this tram/rail cart. I think they said it was the steepest tram in the world. It was very cool, literally! Afterwards, we had hot chocolate at this little chocolate factory. Not your standard cup of cocoa. They served you a platter with a bowl of big chocolate chips and a large cup of milk sitting over a tea light. Make your own hot chocolate I guess. It was yummy. That night we stayed in. Since our hotel was located in the business district, many of the restaurants were closed on Sunday night so we picked up a pizza and watched a movie. Fun and relaxing. We enjoyed many nice meals with great service, much different than what is typical in Western Australia. I had one of the yummiest meals I have ever had the first night we were there. I am just hungry thinking about those raviolis. It was a taste in my mouth I will probably never experience again. Kind of like how I feel about my granny’s chicken-n-dumplings. The hotel was great but the best part was the shower and the “Westin” smell. I love their bath products and I think they filter that smell throughout the entire hotel. One of the days we were there, I must have taken 4 showers!!! HEAVENLY! We got up early the next morning, picked up krispy kreme and headed to the airport. Oh…and don’t be mad at me…we had seats in FIRST CLASS! I felt a bit silly sitting in first class at first but quickly got over it. It was the only type seat we could get using points. It was nIIIIIIIIce! I had my computer so I could work on my recipe project. One of the flight attendants noticed what I was doing and asked me if I wrote my own recipes. I left her the paper copy I had of all the ones I had typed. She was thrilled and just think, there is a little piece of you in Australia since most of my recipes came from YOU!! It felt so good to miss the kids and it was nice to see their smiling faces when we walked out of the airport. Our sweet friends even dropped us off AND picked us up at the airport, took us home and had dinner prepared so we didn’t have to worry about that. Upon returning, the girls had a couple of days of school left and the boys were off for Spring Break.

I guess these last two months may have very well been the loneliest months so far. With the weather being so nasty, people just aren’t out as much and with Stephanie gone it was just lonely. I am so thankful to have gone through this journey with my precious kids. They have certainly made it much easier for me in many ways. But most of all, I am thankful that the Lord offers his companionship to me. I have enjoyed having HIM right beside me, helping me get through the hard days and enjoying His presence on the good! I would choose to do this all over again. It has been a blessing and I have seen God work in amazing ways and do wonderful things in the lives of our children. Would you believe one of their most favorite restaurants is called “Nine Mary’s”…Indian food!!! Reid had sushi at school one day and Luke frequently asks if he can have Japanese noodles for lunch. Who are these kids? The girls are growing up! They have both grown several inches and Mackenzie’s hair has gotten so long. We even had “the talk” with Mackenzie and all she could say was “Can I go now?” Then just watching them go through the trials of moving across the world away from everything that is familiar, well, I’m just in awe of what God has done. We started a thing called “family conversation” each night at the dinner table. We pull a card out of a box and on this card is a sentence we have to complete. The other night it was, “I’m most proud of…” and Luke finished with “my adventurous family!” Praise God that He made us the way we are to accomplish what He has planned for our lives. He has used so many of you to help us through this first year of living overseas. When we were going through something really hard a month ago many of you emailed me and simply said that God had placed us on your hearts and you were praying. What an incredible way to feel God’s love. We are counting the days until we come home – 65 days to go. See you soon!