301 Posts: Time to Update!

It's a good thing when you're too busy to blog, because it means that you are, well, busy.  I like being busy, depending on how to define the word.  To me, it means not waking up and wondering "I wonder what I can do today" and instead wake up thinking "excellent, first I will meet with this person, then I'll go there for a bit and do that errand, and then I'll tackle this project at home or cook/bake that...."  For all of my children's lives, up until living in Indonesia, I've taught them that you can't be bored, you're just being boring (need to use some imagination, get creative, find something to do!!).  That changed when I got here.  I got bored.  Many times.  You can only paint so many rooms, bake so many cakes (then later find out that those cakes are poisoning your body and now you need to learn how to make new versions of those cakes), and study so many pages of language or whatever the study of choice is for the week.  After 3 years of living here, I finally feel established.  I do things.  I'm beginning to have a better understanding of what I like to do, what I'm good at, and to be able to admit those things I'm not good at.  It's been stretching living here, but it's all good.  Right now we're on holidays (Lebaran) and have days of plans ahead.

The kids have headed off to Ruff Camp, which is being held in the 1000 Islands.  Trivia for you:  these aren't the same 1000 Islands that the salad dressing is named after, at least that's what we've heard.  Tris and I have 4 kidless days ahead of us, and we're kind of just wandering around our house trying to figure out where to start.  Is this what it's like when empty nest sets in??

Time of departure was 6:30 am and so at 6:31 we were waving goodbye to a carload of kids. At 8:00 Tris and I headed off with 2 other families to an orphanage that our family goes to about once a month (we're on a rotational schedule).  My favourite part of our morning at the home was when a little guy, Aditya, stood up, looked around, saw that my legs were crossed in sitting position and unattended, and came and plunked himself into them.  After a few moments he grabbed each of my arms and wrapped them around his little body.  And I was worried I might overstep by side-hugging the little ones.  These guys are used to visitors coming in and loving on them, and I can't think of a better perspective for them to have:  hey, you're here to love me, wrap your arms around me and let's sing together!

Thanks for reading.