A World without walls
everyday life while homeschooling overseas
The Beams! I hadn't seen my mom's side of the family for a VERY long time! Some of them, it had been a few years (my grandma). Some had been 10 years, some 20+, and some I'd never even met! It was a great time to be together. WAY too short, I thought, but it was good to enjoy even that short time! Our venue of choice this year was the Grand Canyon! We stayed in Williams, AZ. What a fun little town! It boasted as being the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed. It reminded me a little of Radiator Springs (from the movie Cars)--a small town still trying to be small while still trying to be noticed! There were live performances at many of the restaurants, and there was a live Wild West type show in the middle of the street every evening! So fun!! The Grand Canyon This place does deserve it's own title! It was amazing! It's SO HUGE that it looks just totally unreal. We had such a lovely time! Of course, it wasn't without its issues (like Peter screaming most of the morning, and Josh being a little on the grumpy side...and everyone was HOT HOT HOT and miserable during our little hike), but I think that's part of the 'charm' of family get-togethers! Ha! I could have only wished for a few days' more so we could have had more time to chat and play and maybe do some hiking! One of my favorite highlights from the trip were eating lunch by the clock tower! We had just arrived and were trying to find somewhere to eat (well, and someTHING to eat! My parents were in charge of dinner and had dutch oven on the menu--only no one counted on one thing--the fire alert was on extreme and you weren't allowed to start any fires with wood, charcoal, or anything else! Gah!! We looked and looked for somewhere to cook it to no avail. Finally, we just parked ourselves by a big clock on a street corner, dug into our coolers and came up with cold cuts and veggies, etc., and ate right there! We did run into one little issue: It started to rain while we were eating! It didn't rain very hard, and the sun was still shining, however, my poor displaced and exhausted children had some serious issues with that rain! Andrew loved it. Josh complained. Claire sobbed her little heart out. :( Poor little girl. It didn't last long and was pretty funny since it was sunny, but it was enough to throw a real wrench in the enjoyment of dinner for my little ducklings. My other favorite highlights were: going running with my cousin Leah! It was so nice to get out and run and chat with my cousin! Thanks, Leah, for running with me! I also enjoyed our one late night chat in the hotel hallway! Wish we could have done it again! Thank you everyone who came and made this a fun reunion!
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As I was sitting at breakfast the other day, I started flipping through a booklet that belonged to my brother in law all about scenic byways in Utah. I found one that was just a few miles away that looked super cool! You passed by petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks, an arch called the 'Jug Arch' that was a sideways arch (just as the name suggests), and brought you to a back entrance to Canyonlands NP. Well, the back entrance wasn't paved and said you needed high clearance, but hey, we have an SUV with 4x4 capacity and high clearance!! So, we decided to take the plunge and at least drive down the byway until the end of the paved road and see what happens! So, off we went!! :) We had a great time driving down through the canyon. We saw some rock climbers along the way and then stopped to look at all the petroglyphs: We found the dinosaur tracks on a big rock and hiked up to see them: We found the jug arch and I jumped out of the car and took some pictures: Then the real fun began!! Robyn and Eric were with us, but decided that their van probably wasn't high enough clearance. Um, it's a good thing they went the other way!! We went 20 miles and it took us 1 1/2 hours!!! HA!! I have to admit that, while there were some VERY scary white knucklers, it was super SUPER cool to enter Canyonlands NP through the back door and go up the side of a cliff to get to the visitor's center! We saw a Canyonlands that most people never see! It was totally worth it to me and made our trip there VERY memorable! In the backseat, we had Josh and Peter and two nieces: Jolie and Julia. Julia kept telling us stories about a jeep tour she went on with her family that was REALLY scary--how they went up HUGE boulders and went almost straight up. Then, she made the comment a little later, that the road we were currently on was even scarier! Ha! We had a great time and it took about 1/2 hour after we reached the top before I could feel my legs and arms again! Doh! I think I should have taken more deep breaths... So, here are a few shots from our backroad-offroad adventure: By far, the coolest picture I took was a panoramic view of the Colorado River Gooseneck while I stood on a ledge. Again, the picture just doesn't do this justice! That was an intense ride that cured my vertigo. Everything else pales in comparison to that ride! Whew!
Touch the ceiling! I had never heard much of this National Park before we went. Arches is much more famous, but it's only 30 miles away! How come no one knows about this one? It's super awesome--a lot like the grand canyon in some respects--but it's HUGE!! It has 3 different parts: The Island in the Sky (a HUGE mesa and canyon), the Needles (think Bryce Canyon-esque), and The Maze. The Maze, no one can get to. The Needles was 70+ miles out of our way, so we went to the Island in the Sky. (Yes, this is the one we went in the BACK way! Woohoo!) Happy Family Posing The Canyon View (from Above) A view WITH the kiddos in front: A view WITHOUT the kiddos in front: It was an amazing view! These shots just don't do the height and scope justice, but it gives you an idea. I think the canyon looks like a giant dinosaur print! :) I'd hate to meet that guy...! We've learned SO MUCH about the desert already! I didn't know half this stuff! So, I thought I would put in a few pictures that remind me a little of the things we've learned and studied--and inspires me to continue to learn more about this amazing and diverse world we live in! Mesa Arch We made a little hike to Mesa Arch, as it seemed to be one of the big attractions of the park (and it was a short hike--the kids were super tired!) Little did I know that not only was the view pretty amazing from the arch, it was the very edge of a cliff with a sheer drop-off! So, as you look at the pictures, you can see Devin gritting his teeth, and I'm seriously on edge! It was unnerving! And the kids asked if they could climb up and walk on the top of the arch! Um, NO! And they kept trying to walk over and peer over the edge which gave me some serious vertigo issues! We survived and it was amazing, but they could have at least WARNED you!! :) Jr Rangers and Family Fun! Arches was so awesome...we spent 2 days there!! We just couldn't get enough! Or maybe it was because we did almost no hiking the first day and we (ok, me, Devin and Eric) were aching to do some awesome hikes and at LEAST see landscape arch! But we enjoyed ourselves, despite the heat, and we would definitely go back again! My favorite comment from the whole trip was my little niece, Jolie. She asked why we were at the park. I said it was because it's a beautiful place and we like to see all the neat things there. She replied: "The only places I like to go are the bank, the mall, and the ice cream shop!" Ha!! What a girl! You can't argue with that one! All the kids were such troopers and got their jr rangers badges the very first day. Aside from that, I just couldn't get over the amazing delicacy of the arches...nor their HUGENESS!! The pictures of this place are really cool--but the reality is astounding. These structures are really larger than life and more amazing than what the pictures portray. It is a place everyone should visit. Day One Day Two We'll finish this off with a parade of elephants:
The family reunion being over, Devin and I decided to take a family trip to some National Parks that we (well...I...) have never been to! So, off we went to Moab: The hub for Arches, Canyonlands, and Dead Horse Point! We headed down Monday morning and by the afternoon, we were enjoying the views of Dead Horse Point. Amazing. What we saw on the way there... The View!! Cousins and Jr Rangers The National Parks are super cool--but even cooler when there are cousins there to share the fun!! We loved doing the Jr Ranger programs together and playing in the shade!
Life is, of course, full of hellos and good-byes. Some of us have to do that a little more often than others. It's all good, of course, as we really like having new experiences and meeting new people, but it never makes leaving the people and places you've come to love dearly any easier! Moving is sort of like ripping your heart out with your bare hand, throwing it on the ground, and watching someone wearing stiletto heels jump on it. Gross image, but accurate, I think.
I'll be starting here with our homeleave between posts (Helsinki, Finland to Amman, Jordan), so it's only appropriate I begin with leaving! :) One of the most exciting parts of moving (and this is where you can't hear the sarcasm in my voice) is packing your bags. Ugh. No matter how far in advance you've been planning the bags and the workings of them, you will ALWAYS end up with more than you have bags to accommodate. It's a rule. And it's especially aimed toward those of us who are moving, as Andrew says, to a different world. Overseas moving is literally and figuratively painful, and is only made worse by all the restrictions that keep popping up with international and intercontinental flights. We used to be able to have 2 checked bags each--and international checked bag could weigh 75 lbs!!--and 2 carry-ons (with no weight restrictions). Not anymore. Now, we can have one checked bag each--weighing no more than 50lbs, and only one carry-on each--weighing no more than 8kg. Oh boy. And for a family of six that is not only moving, but going to be 'homeless' for 3 months, this is super tricky. We try really hard to travel light, but even then, it's just plain difficult. So, one hour before the drivers were coming to pick us up and take us to the airport, we realized that we had enough stuff left over for another entire checked bag! Doh! That's sure cutting it a little close! Luckily, we had a wonderful, lovely friend (Georgetta, I hope you're reading this--I'm talking about YOU!) who had offered previously to lend us a bag or two if we needed it. So, I made a phone call, and as luck would have it (although, Obi Wan doesn't believe in luck--and I don't really either), she was actually just on her way out and could drop it by in a few minutes! Wow! So, we had 1/2 hour to redistribute the wealth, and we ended up with our limit of 6 checked bags and 6 carry-ons. Whew. The drivers came and had to wait around while we ate some lunch (they came about 1/2 hour early--I'll miss the punctuality of the Finns!) and then we were on our way! We found that this time was substantially easier in the airports/transitions, as the kids are much older than they've ever been. It is SO much easier to get your bags checked or to drag all the carry-ons if everyone call pull their OWN! The kids were such troopers--pulling huge heavy bags through multiple airports: over bridges, on trains, in elevators, through hotels... They did awesome! The flight from Helsinki to NYC was very uneventful. Eight and a half hours of the kids watching tv and playing video games. They were pretty much in heaven. We landed in NYC, went through customs (can i just say how WONDERFUL it is to have diplomatic passports when your kids are cranky?? makes it so much easier to not have to wait in that super long line if you can just go to the diplomatic line where no one else is!!), found our checked bags, dragged them around for miles (this was the 'over bridges, in elevators, on trains and through hotels that I had mentioned earlier), found our hotel shuttle, dropped our stuff off at the room, went to the hotel restaurant for dinner...and the kids almost didn't make it through! We all crashed. (Well, I actually went to the fitness room and took advantage of the treadmill for a few miles. I needed some exercise!) The next morning, most of us were up at 2am. Lovely. We managed to keep the kids mostly under control until about 5 am when we saw they were setting up for the buffet breakfast, so we took advantage of no one being there, so we could eat without scaring away the other guests. After that, we packed up our bags (Peter is helpful in unpacking), and went upstairs to wait for our shuttle to take us to the airport. The night before, someone (shuttle driver? loud speaker at airport?) had said we should arrive 3 hours before departure time, as it is a very busy airport. So, we were obedient. We arrived at the airport 3 hours before...and made it through all the security and check in process in 1/2 an hour. Doh! Now, we had 2 1/2 hours to kill with some pretty crazy kids. Luckily, there was a returning missionary hanging out, and the kids attacked him and it helped blow most of the time. :) Mr. Bean took care of the rest (via laptop). Now comes the fun part. This flight still had some lovely amenities that I wasn't anticipating--like the individual tvs for everyone that included satellite tv! Hooray for cartoon network! However, as we started to fly over the Rockies, we hit some serious turbulence. Now, I've been in turbulence before. We fly fairly often, so it's nothing new. Most of the time, it's pretty fun! It's sort of nice to have a change and feel the bouncy air. This time, however, I have to admit that I was scared. Have you ever gone on those free-fall rides at amusement parks? The ones that shoot you straight up in the air, then let you go and you drop? It was like that. Over and over. Most of the time, they were quick little drops--probably 20 feet or so. A few, though were some serious free falls. We're talking 5-10 second falls. You could see people rising up out of their seats a little because their seat belts weren't cinched tight enough! Whew! We got to the airport, went in for the landing, and then the plane started heading back up again. What? We did a bunch of circles over Salt Lake and tried to land again. No luck. The cross winds were too fierce. Instead, we needed to refuel before we ran out of gas and just crashed. So, we flew to Boise, Idaho!! We landed safely in Boise and had to sit on the tarmac and wait our turn to refuel--we definitely weren't the only ones re-routed! Luckily, around the time the severe turbulence started, Peter conked out. He slept for the entire 4 hour detour! Which wreaked havoc on sleep that night BUT sure made the flight and unanticipated detours much more endurable! So, we sat in the airplane for 2+ hours. We were all seated in the very back row (right by the bathrooms!) and while we were stuck, EVERYONE had to go to the bathroom. We met a lot of people! Ha! Then, finally, we heard the captain ask everyone to return to their seats and we were on our way! Woohoo! We hit some turbulence on the way back, but it was nothing compared to earlier, and we landed safely...3 1/2 hours later than we were supposed to. Oh well. We got our bags, pulled everything over to the shuttle to get our rental car, and got our car (they were out of mini vans, so we got an 'upgrade' to an SUV...it's pretty nice, but there is NO storage room--so when you're a family of 6, moving overseas, and on homeless leave for 3 months, we have a lot of luggage), and drove over to the Hendriksen's for dinner. We were all pretty loopy, so it was pretty much an 'eat and run' experience, as Devin and I were both sort of walking sideways, but we made it! We are now safely in Utah and ready to play!! In the foreign service, we jokingly call our 'homeleave' "Homeless Leave". It's a pretty apt name, as we get to go back to the states for months at a time with nowhere at all to stay. So, for our first few weeks here in Utah, we're staying at a cute little apartment in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The kids love it because there are baskets full of blocks and train tracks! We really like having a place to call our own...at least for a little while! |
Who Am I?
As a Stay At Home Mom of 4 wonderful children, I have the amazing opportunity not only to home school them, but to do so in many different places! I am married to the most amazingly wonderful (and handsome) man in the whole world! Together, we seek out, every day, that Joy in the Journey that makes life exciting! Archives
November 2020
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Emily's books
by Dan Brown
I like that the plot twists and turns a lot...and it makes you think. However, I don't appreciate Dan Brown's endings in his books. I find the endings incongruent with the rest of his stories--why make it a romance for the last chapter...
by Shannon Hale
I loved this book. I'm a sucker for fairy tales/fantasy. This was so well written! I can't wait to read all the rest of her books!
by Shannon Hale
I'm reading this one again. I liked it the first time I read it. I'm still liking it for the second time around. I like all of Shannon Hales' books.
**Still lots of fun the second time around! I do like this book for a comfortable...
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