Missing

I have never really been much of a beach person, but on our brief stint on the Gold Coast earlier this year, it became one of our favourite spots to visit.

Especially at sunset.

The soft light lingering in the sky before twilight turns to dusk and darkness settles in.  

 

 

Besides the people that I love back in the land of Oz, right now I am missing this beautiful place! 

Our new home....take II

So yes. As the title of this post indicates, this is take II of our new home and we are no longer re-locating to Vietnam. If you think you're shocked, imagine how I (we) felt!

The phone call came in the middle of the day just as I had packed the kids in the car and was about to head to MacDonalds (my most detested of all places, but something the kids had begged me for and it was an end of holidays, good behavior reward :).

It was Chad. He had been in Vietnam for almost 5 weeks and we spoke most nights on Skype. Why would he be calling me on the phone in the middle of the day?

In a moment of surprise, my first words were  "What's wrong?" "Are we not going to Vietnam anymore". I didn't really mean it when I said it, but the simple answer was "No. We're not moving to Vietnam".

Despite all the concerns I had about life in Vietnam, in that moment, my heart was suddenly so embedded there (I know. I see the irony :)! and the news was a bit crushing! Not to mention the time wasted on school applications, hours spent at the travel doctor getting immunisations or the last 5 weeks I had been single mothering our children while Chad was in Vietnam in prep for his new position.

But unfortunately the political agenda of Chad's employer takes precedent over what a family of 6 want!

So with all that, we have been offered another 'home'! Initially, based on what I had previously read,  I thought no. But ignorance is bliss as they say, and when we actually started asking questions and speaking to the right people, our answer changed. But not before Chad spent a few days there, looking at accommodation, schools, and getting a general feel for the city we could potentially call home (and blogs like THIS one certainly helped too)!

And so with that, I give you our new, new home.....

Jakarta, Indonesia.

Was there mixed emotions? Yes. Were there lots of questions asked? Absolutely. But just like Vietnam, once the initial shock of it all simmered down, and once we knew a bit more about the life we would potentially be living there, we both feel that this is right for our family. We are again excited for the adventure that lies ahead of us, and like I said here, I can't deny the pull I feel to this part of the world!

Week-Ending

Saturday morning jobs! Oh how I love thee and those magical little lists that children {generally} love to tick off.

 

Why yes. It appears that Rylan did sleep in his school uniform Friday night???? Rest assured Grandma, he did shower on Saturday and put on clean clothes :)

 

One of the benefits of living on the Gold Coast!

Just 10 minutes from our home and because we're local, we score crazy tickets for $39 that allow unlimited entry to 3 different theme parks (until the end of June)!! That's cheaper than a single entry to any one of the parks! Go HERE if you're a local too and want to score a bargain that your kids will squeal over (it also helps them to do their Saturday morning jobs really quickly :)

My own Justice League crew!

Spending time with 'Beep Beep' Grandpa and enjoying ward hopping! 

And finally, watching an amazing sunset at the beach Sunday night to farewell the weekend.

We plan to go back as much as we can before we leave!

A piece of my heart

Of all the things we left behind in Sydney. Of all the places and people that we, I, loved dearly. This place holds the biggest piece of my heart. 

'Mother and Child' intertwined. A bond and love that bridges the gap between heaven and earth. 

My first little flower. 

Because I know the spirit of my child and I know the plan God has for us, I know my daughter is not really there. And the closeness I feel to her when we are there, is brought on only by reflection. Deep heart felt reflection as we tell our children the story of her little life that ended as quickly as it began. And we sing the words to 'families are forever' that I cannot finish. 

As I soak in the voices of my family singing what I cannot, I feel of the privilege it is to be a mother and to have given this little spirit the body that she needed for such a short time. 

   

 

But I miss her. And what could have been. And quiet times of meditation take my thoughts to her and connects our spirits that are separated but for a moment.

And while it was important to say goodbye to this place. To our little one whose body resides there. I  know her spirit soars high. And where we go, I have no doubt, that she will go too. 

 

A new life

**If Life wasn't full of responsibility and we didn't have to rely on money to live, I would whisk my family off in a heartbeat to a third world country and bury us all in some kind of humanitarian service. Service that would help us forget our 'first world problems' and appreciate the 'first world privilege' that we experience every.single.day. This has been a dream of mine since I was a young teenager. That one day, I would provide my future children with this kind of opportunity, to open their hearts and hands to the people and places around our globe that desperately need, in all areas of life.**

This was a post I started writing back in October last year. 

Fast forward a couple of months to the day we moved into our new home here on the Gold Coast. The day Chad received a phone call from work. 

A phone call that we desperately wanted, but had no idea if or when it would come. A phone call that fufilled our '10 year plan'  and a phone call that had me screaming and both of us practically jumping up and down. And that was before he had even hung up the phone.

And with that little introduction, I give you our soon to be new home...

Yes that's right! You read the map correctly :)

In June this year we are whisking our family off on what I can only assume will be a crazy wild adventure! An adventure that fulfills the very desire of my heart.

I am under no illusion that we won't experience a bit of culture shock. It's one thing visiting a country and absorbing the culture for a few weeks and enjoying the challenge of communicating with the people you meet. But I'm sure it's another thing entirely when that 3 weeks becomes 2 years and the comforts we enjoy everyday in the land of Oz Aus are far from us.

But like I said. I am excited! We are all excited! For a long time now I have felt pulled towards this part of the world. And while this Country is almost the last place on earth I thought we would move to, I see so clearly Heavenly Father's hand guiding us every step of the way.

ps)  I realise that Vietnam is not technically a third world country but it is a developing country that will still offer the opportunities I am hoping for!

Heart day

Chad and I have never really been big celebrators of Valentines Day in a couple sense. Sure, we give a card here and there or a little note, and there's always love-heart chocolate or ferrero Rochers thrown in there somewhere. But we've never felt the need or pressure to buy into all the commercialisation that surrounds this one glorious day of love. I know it's cliche - but shouldn't we show love everyday?  And you are most welcome to bring me flowers (or a candle :) any day of the year, not just on Valentines day :)

But as our family has grown, so too has the idea of celebrating the love we share together. Not just as a couple, but as a family. And so 5 years ago our V day celebration was born (has it really been that long?)!

A 'fancy' dinner (oh I love that a wine glass, not even used for wine, and chocolates on the table make our dinner appear fancy to our littles :) followed by our favourite part of writing kind things about each other on love-hearts.

This year we added love heart pancakes for breakfast! They were an interesting yummy concoction of flour, milk, banana and frozen berries!

My little love!

Hang on. We can do better than that........

That's more like it :)

 

And then we stick our hearts all over the hub of our home. A gentle reminder of the things we love about each other that we leave up for the month of February. 

How I love these Valentines of mine!!!

900kms later

I originally called my blog 'bits and pieces' so I could alleviate any guilt associated with sporadic posting. Only posting once a month, that's OK - it's only meant to be bits and pieces of life not a full recount! But as the blogging has become more and more distant between each post, I have negated to include some pretty important bits and pieces from our lives.

Like the fact that we uprooted our family just before Christmas and moved from the city of Sydney that I LOVE with all my heart (I know, dramatic but true :) to Queensland!

Yes folks. It's official. We now live in the sunny state of QLD! 

 And unlike in Sydney where we almost never went to the beach, much of our holidays have looked something like this:

 picture taken by my sis Melissa! Thanks Mel. We love it!!

 
The reason for the move was for Chad's work. And without going into too much detail (really - does any husband want to have their every move recorded in their wifes perspective and out there for the world to read? :) Chad got a promotion that I am unbelievably proud of him for getting! I am amazed at how hard he works both at work and at home and how ridiculously capable he is. Infact, he might be the smartest person I know! I'm OK with the fact that the comment may be biased :) It's the prerogative of a wife to think highly of her husband!

Despite the fact that I miss my sister and wonderful friends back in Sydney, we are enjoying life here on the Gold Coast and it already feels like we've been here forever. But we won't be here for long.....

So much more to come :)
 

Omi.

Grief. It affects people in all different ways. Sometimes we express it through tears that seem like they may never stop. Other times it's somber. A quiet waiting. Often it's a combination of both, coming in waves. We cry. We stop. We wait. Wait for time to lessen the sadness and hurt that we feel.

Late last week our world lost a remarkable woman. A woman so full of life and love it was palpable in her presence. Chad's Oma. My Oma. Our Omi.
 

My heart is heavy and tears flow. I know it's not the end, but the separation hurts. I selfishly keep thinking, 3 weeks. We would have been with her in 3 weeks.

But she fought a good fight and it was time for her to go home. Time for her body to be free of pain and time for her to be reunited with loved ones passed before her.

 "In a beautiful blue lagoon on a clear day, a fine ship

spreads its brilliant white canvas in the fresh morning 

breeze and sails out to the open sea. We watch her

glide away magnificently through the deep blue ocean

and gradually see her grow smaller as she nears the 

horizon. Finally, where the sea and sky meet, she slips

silently from sight; and someone near me says

"there, she is gone". Gone where? Gone from sight

 - that is all. 

She is still as large in mast and hull and sail, still

just as able to bear her load, and we can be sure that,

just as we say, "There she is gone!"

Another says, "Here she comes!"

I can only imagine her reunion with loved ones long past. I imagine her greeting them with vigour and have no doubt that whomever she is with, she is singing. Her great matriarchal voice calling to all, she is home.

"Life is eternal and love is immortal; and death is only an horizon,

and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight"

In the words of one of my favourite hymns, "God be with you till we meet again" Omi. Please give my baby girl a kiss from me and sing her my favourite lullaby. The lullaby you have sung and rocked all my babies to. We love you deeply and will miss you in every way!

The beautiful photo taken by Alana!

 

Sunday Morning

Not every Sunday morning involves these things, but I am trying to consistently bring a little more music and nature into the hours we spend father-less at home on the Sabbath morn. There is a such a lovely feeling when these things are present.

 Music. Nature and Family walks. How I hope these things matter to my children!!