Pile of Kids

Justin was on a trip and so I told the kids to pile on the bed so we could call daddy. When I looked over, here is what I saw. One of my favorite pictures of them. 

Splash Mountain

I think this might be my favorite family photo of all time. Katelyn especially is just hilarious. You can’t tell, but Andrew is terrified and screaming and crying. Right before the drop he changed his mind about going on the ride... a little too late. I was trying my best to comfort him. It was the the most terrified I’ve ever seen him. Afterward he said he will never go again. He did like the runaway mine train with G-ma though. It was a really fun day with all the SD family! 

School Nursing

One of my absolute favorite jobs in the world is being a school nurse. These girls, my 6th graders, were the most precious class to teach. Everyday with them was such a joy. I loved being there for all the kids at my school during their hard days. This time will always be a bright spot in my life. 

Emerald Bay

One of my favorite memories our family has ever had is this day we spent together in Emerald Bay, Tahoe California. We took a little inflatable boat out to the island in the bay. There is remnant of a beautiful little stone house at the top of the island. We loved exploring the island, and had a yummy picnic lunch on some flat stones we found. After we ate we swam in the water a little and then started to row back. During our trip back our ore-lock broke and one of our paddles drifted out of reach. We all laughed and began to row towards the paddle with one ore. Just as I reached out to grab it, it quickly sunk down far into the cold water. Andrew was on my lap so I couldn’t jump in after it. My strong handsome husband paddled us all back to shore with one ore. We then took a trip to the ice cream store before going back to our camp. When we got back to camp we went to the family camp campfire and had a fun evening. That was also the year we had MANY bears in our campsite. Almost every night I had to wake Justin because we had to chase a mom and her three bear cubs out of our campsite. They just loved rummaging through our stuff. Even Sara woke up and got to see them one night! 

Don Lyon

Don Lyon passed away at the start of this year. We flew back to San Diego to be with family and say goodbye to our Grandpa Don. He was a good kind man with a heart of gold. He helped so many students in his career as a school teacher. He was an active and loving father who had nothing but love and admiration for his kids. He welcomed me as a daughter and I felt so comfortable with him and Julie. They hosted great Christmas and Thanksgivings that we will never forget. He loved birds, gardening, and baseball with passion. We miss Grandpa Don. He will always live on in our hearts! 

Kazakhstan

We have lived in Kazakhstan for almost 3 years now! I can say without a doubt that I have absolutely fallen in love with Asia and the Kazakh culture. I have the privilege to get to know and love Kazakh, Russian, Uguar, Tatar, Uzbek, and Korean people here in Kazakhstan. Living here has opened my eyes to beautiful cultures I knew little about before. I feel it is a privilege and honor to be here and have this wonderful opportunity to live in Asia. The people of Kazakhstan are hard-working, sincere, loving, fun, and devoted friends. The community here is strong. People look out for each other. They take care of their families and friends and strangers. I have had SO many strangers help me in these first years as living as an immigrant. There have been times when we have been lost, confused, out of money, cold, embarrassed, tired... and strangers have noticed and jumped in to help. Strangers have also taken care of my kids. One time Katie ran ahead of me and took an incredible fall. I was far behind her but saw what happened and started towards her. A grandma took Katie up into her lap and cared for and cuddled her. As I approached she shooed me away... as if to say "It's ok, I've got this." Another time we were wheeling our wagon home from the store. It was full to the brim and we stopped at the bottom of our staircase which was four long flights up to our apartment. The kids and I were tired and we stood there for a second, gearing up to start up the stairs with the grocry bags. At that very moment, a large Kazakh man appeared from outside of our entrance. He didn't say a word but scooped up the ENTIRE wagon and as if it weighed nothing, and jaunted up 4 flights of stairs to our door. The kids and I were absolutely speechless. Who was he? Where did he come from and how did he know we were exasperated?? We still talk about him 2 years later and call him our Kazakh Angel. I have been changed by this culture and these people. I will never be the same. In my heart, there is now a huge admiration and love for Asia and for Kazakhstan and its people.
 "We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."   - 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3