MAY REFLECTION

 My Favorite Photo(s) from May: 

I can't choose just one.  May was one for the books, as Tae likes to say now. 

Date nights

Connecting over goblets 

Getting beat by our 6 year old 

Finding new flowers 

Rock climbing with a view 

Charming Chiado

One of our favorite restaurants 

Coffee with papai

Growing independence...even for picture day 

Finding a new coffee joint 

Dating my sexy best friend 

Stumbling upon beautiful architecture (and that cute belly!)

Admiring their friendship

Sick cuddles and not being to old to fall asleep on (working) mommy

Her letting me get her hair out of her face (and keeping it!) 

The joy of water games at field day 

Close friends and bathing suits 

All that confidence 

May they always be proud of their accomplishments 

A budding runner. 

Beauty in the mundane.

Name a thoughtful moment from May: 

I've come to cherish my morning routine. Stretch, coffee, getting in the Word and connecting with the Creator, and not checking my email or social media.  Some things God's been revealing and teaching me: 

• My competency is found in Christ, not myself. 
• Vulnerability with those closest to me is scary, but worth it 
• I need Jesus to renew my spirit each day. 
• God's story of redemption and endless pursuit of us is unfathomable, it has been so neat to see all the connection and ties between the old and new testament. 

What's something I'm looking forward to in June: 

Ending our time in Portugal on a high note.  We have a fun weekend away planned for the first long weekend and then we are just getting things ready for our next adventure. I want to be intentional with my time and take all the beauty of Portugal, conversations with my colleagues, amazing culture, and delicious food in. 

2020: THE YEAR OF FAMILY

At the start of 2020 I prayed about a word to help me focus my intentions and to develop for the year.  My word was inconvenience, I kid you not.  At the time the reason I chose it was because God was showing me how I am too comfortable and loved our lives as we had planned them. I didn't enjoy taking risks or stepping out of my comfort zone because I viewed things as an inconvenience that drew me away from where I wanted to go. So I asked God to help me embrace inconveniences--big, small, personal, professional, I wanted to see what I viewed as my inconveniences as HIS lessons, and more importantly opportunities.  

                   

I thought it would look more like hosting and opening our home to friends and colleagues to connect with on a deeper level or going out of my way to help someone just because.  Little did I know our lives would be uprooted with no closure between moves or that we would inconvenience my sister by living in her basement for 6 months. I didn't know my patience with paperwork and airlines would be tested in multiple inconvenient changes to our plans.  Inconvenient is a word that is fitting for 2020 and yet through all of the foiled plans and a global pandemic, the inconvenience redefined our family.  

We slowed down, we spent intentional time together.  We through expectations to the curb.  I took a social media break and savored the time we were blessed with.  We got to spend months with our family that we normally get to see once a year for a few weeks.  We lived with just our beach stuff for months and have still yet to get our stuff from China. We set new routines that revolved around each other, not things or places. We had long conversations about some really hard things. 

All this does not go without saying that I know 2020 was not kind and was downright horrible for millions of people and I feel thankful that we had a support system, the proper "accepted" passports, and the financial resources to move about and stay safe.  I know I am speaking from a place of privilege and that is not lost on me, but I've also learned this year that it doesn't negate the feelings I had/ have. 

There is no one I would rather be riding the COVID wave with than Jess and the kiddos.  We have all had our moments of inconvenience and learned how to extend grace, space, or a shoulder to cry on.  Honestly, I've yet to process it all because I haven't had the time (or made the time) because I just don't want to. I figure it's in the past and although we learn from hindsight, we don't need to live in it.  So I am choosing to focus on the good that came from the inconvenience.  

The good things, like how Tae and Elea's relationship and friendship grew, they are each other's best friend.  They had a built-in playmate when we moved all around.  They became more aware of the other's feelings and offered help, like going to get Elea's hop-hop or wiping off a hurt knee. They fought and got mad, but learned quickly that they were stuck with each other so they forgave and moved on.  They spent nights laughing in their shared beds and mornings giggling until we woke up.  They stretched their imaginations--they made up games, opened restaurants, became animals in the safari, and played puppy dogs. They learned to be flexible and adapt to where we were at any given point in time.  We had some good conversations about missing friends and new adventures that await. 

We became better parents.  We carved out time to designate only to family.  We (I am still working on it) put our phones away and focused on the family. We played memory, Uno, Guess Who, and a million rounds of I'm Thinking of an Animal... We started a tradition of Friday movie nights with the Talleys that has continued in Lisbon.  We eat "fancy" meals with candlelight dinners and go around the table and share our highs and lows of the day, with a side of a challenge that we can work on. Elea's high is normally centers and Tae's favorite is drawing or playing "animals" at recess. We got into a family rhythm and found a church that welcomes and connects with everyone, it is truly something to worship with people from all over the world! 

We've shown each other grace when we felt inconvenienced for one reason or another.  We managed to both work from (another family's) home and raise two kiddos.  We've snuck in date nights (more like moments) by playing Azul, making cappuccinos, talking late into the night, and watching all the Avenger movies.  We've encouraged one another to grow professionally and personally.  Jess' walk with God has grown and it is so awesome to see him open up to the Lord's plans. I've been challenged to assume positive intentions and look at education from a different perspective.  Inconvenience seems like the perfect word for my first principalship at a start-up school in the middle of a pandemic.  But I am proud of myself for rolling with the punches and reflecting on what I could improve and do better. 

Top of the List in 2020 

Chinese New Year celebrations 

A bonus trip to our favorite resort in Thailand 

Celebrating Elea's birthday with family 

Triple date with the Campbells and Talleys 

Surprising Mom for Mother's Day 

A teraful goodbye to my SIS community

Cousin Camp 2020 

Hours upon hours talking and laughing with the Talleys 

Celebrating our 8th Wedding Anniversary (and first time alone in forever) with a night in Greenville

Beautiful Colorado 

Tae, Elea, and Grace's Birthday Party with the Kuemmerlins 

Annual Mom and Scott girls night out 

Tae and Elea becoming Fish 

Moving to and exploring Portugal

Opening a school! 

Picking up running (again...) 

Movie and Pizza Nights 

Drawing and creating with the Kids 

Tik Tokking with Katie (and the kids) 

Family Beach trip to NC 

All of these things wouldn't have happened or would have had less intention and appreciation for the moments we shared. God is always in control and always knows what He is doing, perhaps the inconvenience of 2020 created more joy, mindfulness, and gratitude. 

 

Regrets

I've been thinking a lot about regrets lately.  As my time in China is coming to an end I look back at all the things I have done here.  I don't have any regrets about things I did or didn't do, but I want to make sure I don't have any for my time left in this great, different, and unique country.  Things are stressful here, for multiple reasons (but that's neither here nor there).  I don't want to let people's negativity affect my memories of this place.  I want to take advantage of all the opportunities God gives me and build the relationships I have with the people I have crossed paths with.

via pinterest

As I move into these next 13 weeks (yes I counted) here I want to take it all in.  I want to...

-take a colleague (preferably a member of the Chinese staff) out to eat (or have them over for dinner) at least once a month

-go to Xian for a weekend to see the Terracotta Warriors--update: going in May

-go to Beijing again and spend a day being a complete tourist (every other time I've only done one or two things)--update: going in May

-buy gifts for people I love--both back home and here (i love shopping for bargains)

-continue enjoying my maids

-take weekly (if not daily) walks to the beach and around my apartment--update: have gone a couple times, need to go more

-eat hotpot and street food whenever I can Mission Accomplished in Shanghai
-love on those little orphans as much as I can

-try to make it to Hong Kong one more time

-cultivate the friendships I have made here

-take cheesy Chinese pictures with Jess

-get a couple more clothes made, particularly some coats (haha mom and dad)

That's my list for now...I'll add to it and cross it out as I hopefully do them