Baby Brother

Deep down at the heart of embryology lies a simple, elegant realization that life is a miracle. It is a miracle with intricacies we do not fully contemplate or even recognize and many of us take it for granted.

As Adi has grown, many have asked when we were going to have another. To be honest, it took about two years to get over the trauma of being first-time parents to a sweet, colicky baby while in grad school. But when we decided we did want to brave parenthood again, pregnancy was elusive. Then, after several years we found out we were expecting but soon after announcing (after 12 weeks) the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. 

Sometimes God has a different plan that stretches us and tries our faith. But in following His plan we have the opportunity to witness His merciful hand in our lives. In Isaiah (55: 8-9) the Lord reminds us, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For was the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

So, yes, our children may be nearly 6 years apart. And while we don't claim to have tasted the suffering or longing of infertility that so many confront daily, we certainly have come to better realize and appreciate the miracle of life and are all (especially Adi) excited to meet baby brother at the end of December.

This Guy

This weekend we spent some time at the cabin. It was fun, especially because I got to spend lots of time with this guy. 

He leaves in less than two weeks and I'm going to miss him like crazy. 

But hey, Grenada or Bust!

Carpe Diem

Quite a few people have started asking questions about our upcoming adventures, so I thought I would clarify a few things and calm a few nerves...

First of all, while Grenada is a small, underdeveloped country, there are grocery stores,

Markets, malls, post offices, and high-speed internet (and anything is seriously better than the <5 Mbps that I'm getting through Comcast at this very minute. You can get almost anything--for a cost. Like Hawaii for example, milk is about $8 a gallon.

Steep, I know.

(Truth be told, I'm actually looking forward to boxed milk again. I actually liked it when I was in Spain.)

Secondly, we've been asked multiple times when we leave, are we nervous, will you work, what is your break schedule like, etc. 

To answer quite a few of these...

Ryan flies SLC --> DFW --> MIA --> GND on August 1st. His flight leaves at 6:00am MST and arrives at 7:50pm EST. It will be a long day of traveling, but lucky for him he'll be flying First Class all three legs of his trip. 

Adi and I fly SLC --> JFK --> GND via a red eye and morning connection on September 26th. 

Yes, you read that right. 

September. 

My colleague and I have been doing some neat research on Résumés, and we are presenting the findings at a conference in Denver in September, so we will be without our Ryan for 57 days. 

Let's hope he can get the internet up and running quickly when he arrives so we can chat with him on arrival. (:  

As to whether we're nervous, no (and yes). 

No, we have a place to live, an amazing Significant Other organization, and an active, caring, and very helpful branch. Ryan arrives with plenty of time to explore the island and really, this isn't our first rodeo. I moved around a lot as a kid--and loved it. Plus, Ryan and I have both lived and traveled abroad in both structured and unstructured ways, so we figure this is an exciting adventure! 

Yes... I just learned that they drive on the opposite side of the road in Grenada... This should be interesting! 

We plan on immersing ourself in the culture, food, and lifestyle, which is thrilling.

In fact, I've debated about how far I want to let my Caribbean alter ego go... I went by Kenzie in 8th grade when we lived in Chicago. I'm thinking a revival is in order. Kenzie would be kind of fun there! Especially considering the HUGE change in lifestyle...

I'm going to be a stay-at-home mom there. (Well, kind of)

I'm going to be a stay-at-home mom there! 

I'm going to be a stay-at-home mom there? 

Weird.

But oh. so. exciting. 

I don't know anyone who gets to have an extended vacation with their best friends like I'm going to. 

I'm pretty lucky. 

Adi will go to preschool or kindergarten (not quite sure yet) while we're there the first year and I'll be learning the ropes, getting for, and starting my own consulting firm. 

Yep!

Because of Visa issues, I am unable to work in Grenada, so I'm going to go out on my own in the Career Consulting realm. 

It's going to be awesome. 

It will give me an outlet, an additional source of income, and something to keep me busy. (I'm also really excited about learning how to surf.)

The amount of free time that I'll have is a bit overwhelming, especially considering hat when Adi and Ryan are in school... I'll be alone. On an island. As an extrovert.

Oh my. 

But, it's only two years and I'm crazy excited about meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds. 

Considering flights are so dang expensive, we figure it will be a fun time to learn and grow as we celebrate birthdays, holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Independence Day in particular), and the everyday life together and with our new Grenadian friends. 

The next two years are going to pass in a flash. I want to take advantage of this rare opportunity. C

I am so very excited. 

Carpe Diem!