When it rains...run or buy some candy corn

    Like in a marathon, as a favorite piece of advice I once heard goes, "There will be highs and there will be lows, but neither will last very long."The same is true of living abroad. Appreciate the highs and ride out the lows. Look around and think We're really doing this, and experiencing life together as a family in another part of the world!! I have had to resort to this advice a few times this past month. The weather here has been nasty, rain, wind and more rain. I believe that Oakura is one of the most beautiful places in the world when the sun is shinning. However those days have been very limited. I am missing the change of seasons and all the holiday traditions that accompany each season. My Mom broke her leg, and the feeling of helplessness I felt as I heard the news. And not knowing where we are going to be a year from now is a little unsettling. Last week it was Hawaii, this week it is somewhere in the western states, and next week it might be Australia. The world is ours for the picking which makes for tough choices. Imagine having to  go into your favorite candy store and being able to pick only 1 piece of candy when you like all the choices. Owen ask me in the car the other day, "Will we ever live in a house again like we did in KC?" And before I could respond he said "because I really do like traveling around the world." Sometimes it takes the wise words of a 7 year old to reaffirm that living abroad and traveling as much as we do is what we are meant to be doing. We love it that our kids are developing a genuine curiosity about the world, and becoming independent learners, and since we have lived here they are all willing to take more risks. However there are days that we miss the familiar feeling of a home, and feeling more grounded. We left a home that we were happy in, packed up a bag each and traveled to a country that we knew nothing about to start a new life. But, we knew from the start that doubt might haunt us at times, and that this journey might require an occasional pep talk to help booster confidence and commitment.
   I apologize if this is more sappy than usual, but I want this  blog to paint the real picture, not always just the beautiful trips we are fortunate enough to take  My intent with this blog is to document the good times with the the bad so we do not forget them when we wax nostalgic a year from now. And anyone contemplating a similar  journey gets a more complete picture. So when I get sad or overwhelmed or wish I could spend some time with my Mom, I go for a run, which always seems to bring me back to middle ground (or Middle Earth as Peter Jackson would say). I can be a blubbering mess when I go out for my run, but then return feeling as if I could conquer the world. And to help with the missing of the familiar holiday, Halloween, we are attempting to throw our own party. I realize that this party might be more for me than my kids, just the planning itself is giving me some happy reminders of back home. I was more excited than I should admit to when I found a little bag of candy corn for sale at the movie rental store. I happily bought every bag they had and didn't balk at the $6.50 price tag. The funny thing is, I do not even like the damn stuff, but I also couldn't imagine a Halloween party without them. My friends from Ireland, Holland, and New Zealand are helping out with the planning. I have enjoyed explaining to them what a jack-o-lantern is, how to make caramel apples, and what American pudding taste like. International disco might be a better name for the party!!
    Since we can't seem to make the sunshine here in Taranaki we are going to go and chase it down in Fiji in a few weeks. It is only a 2 1/2 hour flight from Auckland and it has been on our list of places to visit since we have arrived. So happy voting to all our friends back home. I wish I could say that we sent in our absentee ballots and voted for our candidate but I was too late with our request. And of course Happy Halloween to all of my friends back home. Eat, Drink, and Be Scary!! Cheerio Jenny

Sometimes in life, it's the little things that matter.......