Living the American dream

Haven’t heard from us since we arrived back in the US? and what does that mean?  Means a life of a sick family (after changing from 90F degree weather to 40F-50F degree weather) finding a roof for our heads, getting settled into said roof, re-adjusting to our “new” surroundings, experiencing reverse culture shocks, and living the American dream.

All that to say that we really are doing well and being blessed by our Amazing God!

Another reason for our absence from being online has been not having access to internet service.  9 days after our arrival back to the US we moved into an apartment that will be our home for the next 6 months.  Oh, and I just realized that today we have been in our apartment for exactly 1 month! After a few complications with getting internet service, we are finally got online last week!

Since it has been a while since my last post, I’m giving my planner a look and going to give you some highlights of the last month of our return to the US. 

Moving Day – After a very restful week staying at my friends’ hotel, we moved into a 2 bedroom apartment in the Everett/Mukilteo area.  The feeling I had was like I was a 20 year old and moving into my own 1^st apartment; exciting, thrilling, and a little unknown. The biggest blessing has been watching our apartment fill with furniture, kitchen items, toys, clothes, linens, and all the little “stuff” that makes a house a home because of the generosity of friends and family.  We have not even spent more than a few dollars and we have everything (and more Sheraz would say) that we could want. 

Mom’s award – On a Wednesday evening I got a Facebook message from a co-worker of my mom to let me know that my mom was getting the "Joe Alberstons Employee of the Year Award" from Albertsons and could we surprise her and be there on Friday morning. My answer, Of Course We Will Be There! (those who know me, know I LOVE surprising other people...especially my mother!).  After being out of the country for 2 1/2 years, it was SO special to be in the country for this wonderful occasion to honor my mom and her hard work for Alberstons for over 25 years!

Coffee, Lunch & Dinners Dates - As an extrovert I completely enjoy this season of seeing friends and family and sharing a meal together.  My calendar is full of these dates over the month and more to come, so this fills my heart to spend quality time together.  I have been so 'in the moment' that I have neglected to take pictures along the way.  Can hardly believe there is only about 20 pictures since we returned to the US.  Time to get the camera out a little more!  Here are what I've got so far...

For those of you in the Washington area (or the US in general) and would like mine or Sheraz's new mobile numbers, please email me at jennifergakhtar@gmail.com.  We would love to hear from you and plan a time to get together!  

(Kept telling myself to get a new blog post written...

...as soon as we have our internet

...by the end of March

...this Saturday

And so finally getting this out I get to check it off my "To-Do" List.)

Living the dream,

Jennifer

2 weeks to go

This weeks post is sort-of a Part 2 of my last post.  After my thoughts about how God has provided "things" and finances, He then showed me how He has provided relationships in abundance and many close friendships in these 2 years as well.

When we arrived at the Chiang Mai airport on October 9th, 2011, we came out of the Arrivals door and were on our own.  With two 4 month olds, one 4 year old, and 8+ heavy bags carrying all of our earthly possessions we found 2 taxis and made our way to the only place we knew in Chiang Mai...Payap University.

Fast forward to 2 1/2 years later, after dropping off Hope at school a few weeks back our truck was making a VERY loud noise and so I pulled into a gas station.  Of course that was the morning that Sheraz was at his very important appointment to defend his Master's thesis at Payap University. So, I made 1 phone call to a friend from Hope's school and 10 minutes later I have 2 guys from the school and a couple other friends right by my side...AMAZING!

An hour or so later I was sitting in the mechanic shop waiting as my truck was being fixed (at a great price I might add).  The TV is on...in Thai language, there are magazines on the table...in Thai language, my phone battery...is low.  So I was forced to sit and think without any distractions...this is not something I am used to (maybe some of you can relate).  I reflected on all the friendships that God has given me and our family since our lonely arrival.  Some have been acquaintances, some have provided a sounding board as a mom, and a handful have even created deep close bonds that will last my lifetime.  As I sat there I even started to cry thinking how blessed I am to have all of these people in my life here, and at the realization that one of these friends was also leaving the country in just a few days.  It was so good to take a moment to really FEEL my emotions, then had to "pull it back in" so the mechanic didn't worry that I was crying about my truck.

Whenever I read a book, have a good/bad customer service experience, have a conflict with someone, do a bible study, even watch TV shows; everything that I go through and learn always comes back to relationships.  God is a God of relationships, it is the most important concept while we are here; 1st with Him and 2nd with others. God is my provider for all the "things" in life, and most important than any-'thing' is that He provides relationships.  To those of you reading this in CM (or used to be in CM) please know that even if we have only met once or many times, I am so unspeakably grateful to God for providing you in my life here.

(Side Note: A week after our this truck incident, we sold our truck in great working order!  This is a great blessings as this is the main "item" that needed to be sold before we leave Thailand.)

As for an update about our family planning returning to the US:

Car seats - all have been provided!

Housing - Still praying for and believing for a more permanent housing option during our 6 months there.  We have a reservation at my good friends hotel for when we arrive up to 2 weeks.  Once we get there the search for a place will be in full swing.
(If you know of any short term, missionary housing that might be available in the Seattle area, please let me know.)

Transportation - we will have a car available for the 1st week or so, but will need more permanent transportation solution.  If you or someone you know who would be willing to lend your vehicle for 6 months. Or if you or someone you know have an older good running vehicle for sale at a reasonable price.

If you are able to assist us in any of these areas, please email me at jennifergakhtar@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook.

I personally would like to ask for your prayers as I am now without a vehicle and home most everyday with Zarah & Keziah. Also, I am again in the process of selling all our household items which is a slow and exhausting process.  And then there is the packing...oh the packing...please pray for me!

We will keep you updated through this blog or FB as I can over the coming weeks.

Here we go again...my life as a Traveling Mother,
Jennifer

It's official, 6 weeks until take off!

Tickets are officially booked and paid for!  We leave Chiang Mai at 11:55pm on February 28th and arrive in Seattle at 11:00am March 1st.  What seems like just a few hours in between is actually more than 24 hours of travel time.

And so it begins, we had our 1st major yard sale today and the next one is already in the planning.  As we enter this phase of transitioning, there is a lot of making-do with what we have on hand.  As I am cleaning and purging through toys, clothes, arts & crafts, etc., etc. I am reminded again how amazing God is in providing more than our needs.  

2 1/2 years ago, we came here with just our bags (and they were mostly filled with formula for the twins),   

...and now we have a houseful.

A few months back I was hanging towels out to dry and as I looked at my kitchen towels my thought was "wow, these towels are in bad condition, but don't really have the finances to buy any right now.

...30 minutes after that conversation in my mind I received a care package from my Aunt Jill which included 2 brand new Kitchen Towels!

Just a few short weeks ago I wrote an email asking for prayer for finances for 5 airfare tickets.  The dollar amount seemed so huge, 

...but sure enough He provided all the money we needed to buy our tickets through our generous supporters.

I am so thankful for these constant reminders of how much God loves me and my family.  Whether it is something so small as kitchen towels or something huge like $5,000+ for airline tickets, we can completely trust that He sees our needs and wants.  

If you are living in the Seattle area and reading this blog, please consider these ways we are still in need

1. Housing starting on March 1st for anywhere from 1-7 months.  Ideally we would like to find a source for missionary housing, but also looking to sublet something furnished.  We are open to other options, i.e. Mother-in-law basement, or apartments / condos for rent.

2. Two carseats for Zarah & Keziah that you could give to us or sell at a low price.  They are 2 1/2 years old / 23 & 24 pounds, so something like the pictures below would work.

Please email me at jennifergakhtar@gmail.com about either of these 2 areas of need for our family during our furlough time.

So now I wait and watch God in action, it is truly A-Mazing to watch Him work in our lives and for our family.  I will keep you posted on the ... for updates on how He provides these needs for us. 

Here we go again!
This is my life as a traveling mommy!
Jennifer

Celebrations!

This is a crazy statement to make, and I think I would have not been able to understood before I was a mom, but sometimes life can seem almost boring day after day of being a stay at home mom.  Now with 3 little girls at home, you might ask "how can that get boring?".  And it does even sound weird to say that because there are so many overwhelming moments throughout the day.  But the boring-ness comes from the monotony of wake-up, have breakfast, play, have lunch, take naps, wake-up, play, have dinner, watch a show, go to bed...day after day...weekday or weekend...sick day or well day...holiday or not.

As a stay at home mom, I think it is my job to try to find ways to add some spice to each day and hope that it will be fun (when I have the energy).  One of those ways I have found is be purposeful in what we spend time celebrating, which can be challenging as we are a family on the move.  This week I want to share 1 way that I have found to make a week a little funner.  Last month on November 20th was Zarah & Keziah's 1/2 Birthday, they turned 2 1/2!  Being honest, I've never really thought about 1/2 birthday's until my older daughter Hope was old enough to know about her's.  I think the first year was when she turned 4 1/2, and I realized in February that it was her 1/2 birthday.  She was so excited, and it was fun to do a little "laid back" celebrating.  Making the day special for her made such an impact that now we have incorporated this into our family's culture.

The best part about celebrating 1/2 birthday's is that they are NOT a big production like a actual Birthday can become.  This week, I made pancakes for dinner and added cake sprinkles to them and we sang the Happy Birthday song (with the added 1/2 in the middle).

Then comes Advent starting on December 1st, and it was great to celebrate Jesus' birthday and our faith.  I grew up in a large Catholic family, and did not have my own personal relationship with Jesus as my Savior until my late 20's.  And so I find myself still finding my way in my faith, and really it wasn't until the last few years with my kids that I have come to understand Advent and fully embrace the time for what it truly means.  Advent as a time that we prepare our hearts for the arrival of our Savior Jesus, whether physically as a baby being born and/or spiritually preparing our hearts to welcome Him anew.   Each day we read scripture and had a small advent activity to do together.  The month went speeding by and and we had such an enjoyable Christmas season as a family and celebrating with our Thailand family.

It is a hard time for me as I miss my family and the traditions that I grew up celebrating with my immediate family.  But that being said, my 3 little girls don't know those memories or understand my feelings of missing  family...because they are with their family. WE ARE what they are making memories about. And I feel as their mom it is my responsibility to not stand in my emotions, but to create those new traditions and memories with my children.  It can be a hard task to accomplish what I am talking about here, but as the saying goes...no one ever said being a mommy (& daddy) is easy.  This was my 7th Christmas (over my lifetime) away from my "home" and traditional Christmas, and it really doesn't ever get any easier...

Just downloading and looking over some of the memories that were made this Advent and Christmas season, looks like I have some work to do in the next couple of weeks to share our moments with you.  Here are some of my favorites so far...

Very proud "mommy" moment...I have officially joined the "I have 3 daughters and I made them matching outfits" group!  There is such a group out there right?...I've seen the pictures before ;-).  Earlier this year I had borrowed a friends sewing machine & thought life out a few steps ahead of time and made this dream a reality.  The best part is how much they LOVE them and when they are wearing them and look at each other they totally crack-up...Best Ever!

Earlier in the month of December we had a friend take some family pictures of us and they turned out wonderful!  Here is the finished product

Whew....this is my life as a traveling mother.  God Bless you today!
Jennifer

Back in the Blog seat

If you keep a journal, have you ever started your journal writing with "well, it's been awhile since I last wrote in here..."  I for sure have done this.  Recently in my women's small group one of my friends mentioned starting a journal entry with this sentence and we all had a good laugh, I think because we all had done it at some point.  It got me thinking...why do we start a journal entry like that?  who am I explaining too...myself?  isn't it obvious by the previous and current date that it's been awhile?  All that to say that that sentence is how this blog post should start.  Well, It has been awhile since I last wrote in here...

My post in September was about potty training my twin girls Zarah & Keziah.  It sure didn't go exactly how I was planning, but what about motherhood ever really does?  The first couple of days were pretty hard and I felt like I would never leave the house again.  The 1st week had me feeling like a failure, which is such a lie because potty training is about your child getting the idea of going to the bathroom...not about me as a mom.  But as we all know, being hard pressed causes insecurities to be magnified.  So we persevered and had some great days and even outings without accidents.

After a few weeks of working on it and the girls doing 'okay', I decided to let go.  Over all they both were just not getting the idea of telling me when they had to go so I was constantly asking throughout the day.  With 1 child that can be exhausting, but with twins it was overwhelming.  Also, after my first few days a friend loaned me her book 'Potty Training 1-2-3', which is what method I used for Hope and worked like a charm.  In the back of the book under "FAQ's" it said for twins you should choose which twin is showing more signs of being ready and start with that one and send the other twin off to Grandma's house for a couple of days...  Obviously they didn't take into consideration those of us mommy's living overseas far away from our Nano.  So, to all you mom's who are able to potty train in 2-4 days...BRAVO!...oh wait, I was one of those proud moms.  And now I know it is NOT always the case.  

There have been big changes and decisions going on in our family in the last few months, and that is probably why it is hard for me to sit down and write a post.  One of these changes is that our planned furlough back to the US in 2014 was moved up from June to February.  So after over 2 years of living in Chiang Mai, Thailand we have only 3 1/2 months left here until we "move" again.  We are currently in the process of making career path decisions about where we will settle after our 6 month furlough to the Seattle, WA area, so this means letting go of everything we have now except our bags for the plane...again.

Another reason for my lapse in posting is because I've been trying to figure out what this blog is for...why am I writing?  who am I writing to?  how much information can I share? should I make it private?  So obviously if you are reading this then I am writing for you and to you about my life, my family, and our travels.  This year God has been giving us an amazing vision about our next steps, but sometimes I will not be able to share everything on such a public forum.  At this time I will leave this blog as public, and I changed some of the search settings.  There are some small glitches/annoyances about changing a blog to private, so at this point anything we are not able to share here will be sent through email.  
A few weeks ago I sent out an update email and prayer request, if you did not get this email and would like to receive it (or hear more about our vision) please leave a comment with your email address or send me an email at jennifergakhtar@gmail.com.

Other than this big stuff, our little family is doing well and getting ready to enjoy Thanksgiving together.  Last year I did a big family meal and it was a great experience (click here).  I think I will wait until my girls are a little older and can help me with such a big task. 

Hope is doing very well in the 2nd grade, she enjoys going to school every day.  And just last week she received the Star Student award!

This was one of those days where I was running late going to Hope's school for chapel time.  And my thought was, "is it really worth it to drive there to be there for 15 minutes?"  As the girls and & I opened the door her teacher, Mrs. Cross, was just standing to talk about the star student, and her name was Hope!  Yes, it is always worth it!

Here is a recent picture of my favorite spunky lunch dates and the reason my days stay so busy....

My next project is getting some new pictures posted from this year on our Family Pictures tab, so check in again soon!

God Bless you and your family!
This is my life as a traveling mother,
Jennifer

1-2-3 Here we go...Potty Training for Twins

There are 2 things I have had on my "To-Do" list for weeks now.  One is a new blog post and the second is potty training twins.  The first item I really do enjoy... updating my blog, but when I get a week or more behind it becomes hard to get back on track.  The latter of the two I have been avoiding by using the summer and a birthday party to put it off...more than understandable, RIGHT?!

So, here I am on the eve of finally having potty training on my calendar.  We have blocked off 1-4 days, have the chair, purchased treats, stuffed animals are dressed in underwear ready to go, and even sequestered my helpful husband!  How do I feel?  Well, that would be the reason I am finally getting a blog post done...I am asking for you to pray for us these next few days.  Potty training Hope was one of the "mom" duties that terrified me, and now here we are ready for the twins turn.  To give you some perspective on how much I dread potty training, even when I was pregnant with twins I thought about having to potty train them in 2 years!  Even just posting this before I start is a step of faith that I can DO this, instead of waiting until after it's done.  

If you have any encouragement, please post it in the comments below, especially if you have potty trained twins!  I appreciate you caring and praying for us as we encounter life's terrifying moments.  Also, there are a couple of posts to update you on how we are doing that I have been working on and I will try to get them done very soon.

I will update you next weekend on how it all goes.  Here we go...

This is my potty-terrifying life as a traveling mom,
Jennifer

Impact-Full

YEA! So happy to say that the weeks of my husbands traveling, that I dreaded months ago, have come to an end!  

Plus, this week I had lunch with a friend returning from the US, and it dawned on me that she is the first friend of the many traveling this summer to return to town.  Definitely makes me feel that we are on the home stretch of summer furlough season here.  As I have learned after 2 summer school breaks living in Chiang Mai is there is a mass exodus in the 1st 2 weeks of June, and then a mass entrance in the end of July and beginning of August.  

Still going strong doing the summer bible study with Good Morning Girls.  If you are looking for a good book to read or looking for a bible study to start in the fall, I would definitely recommend the book we are reading.  It is titled "Anything" by the author Jennie Allen.  God is doing a great work in my heart and stirring up a fire in me this summer. 

I just want to share some highlights from my chapters this week that are challenging and impact-full.

"I don't want to make decisions based on my adequacy and capacity.  I don't want to miss what God has for us because I am afraid.  Just because we are willing didn't mean it was easy.  I still wanted God to be more clear, so we could be more sure." (Chapter 15)

"In parenting...you have two or maybe three babies who turn into toddlers. At some point you either live perpetually anxious or give in and embrace the fact that your life is now completely out of control.  Once you embrace that, parenting shifts from an agenda to an experience." (Chapter 16)

"Our reality is a cross, a heaven, and a God who sees us and gives us his Spirit so we can do something while we are here.  And that's not building a cute, easy life for ourselves where the pros outweigh the cons."  (Chapter 16)

"We doubt because of the risk, the cost, the abandonment of rights and comforts, the disapproval of people you really love, and then on top of it all, because you have now officially picked a fight with the devil.
The devil is real, and nothing ticks him off more than people waking up from the numb stupor he has crafted to keep us harmless."
(Chapter 17)

"To accept that life is supposed to be hard is the beginning of joy.  There is freedom in understanding that heaven is coming and we are not there yet.  We're called to live, instead, aware that we are at war with a ruthless enemy who is trying to destroy us if we are living surrendered to Jesus." (Chapter 17)

"God has bigger purposes in allowing us to suffer, bigger than just winning.  He allows us to suffer because we change through suffering.  We hurt with others better.  We become humble.  We want him more." (Chapter 17)

Even as I read them out of context of the book here, they challenge and inspire me to know God more.  This really is a great book to read, and study scripture along with it.  (She has lots of scripture references that go along the way with the above quotes).  

Today I will end with God's Word:

"Now I am coming to You, 

and I speak these things in the world

so that they may have My joy completed in them.

I have given them Your word.  

The world hated them because they are not of the world, 

as I am not of the world.

I am not praying that You take them out of the world 

but that You protect them from the evil one.  

They are not of the world, as I am not of the world.  

Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.  

As You sent Me into the world, 

I also have sent them into the world."

John 17 v.13-18

WE ARE THEM.

This is my blessed & non-traveling life,

Jennifer