I Wouldn't Have Wanted to Know

 I Wouldn't Have Wanted to Know

One year ago we boarded a plane with a four year old girl carrying her favorite doll, and flew off into the unknown.  Sitting on that plane, I remember wishing that I could somehow know a little bit of what the future had in store for us.  Now, looking back in hindsight, I can say I wouldn't have wanted to know.

 I might have thought that it would all be too hard.  I wouldn't have wanted to know that just a month after hugging our friend from this part of the world goodbye, she would be brutally murdered, leaving her children without a mother.  I wouldn't have wanted to know that every day for six months I would have to drop my daughter off at school as tears streamed down her face and she clung to my neck.  I wouldn't have wanted to know that one morning in November I would wake up to think that I had lost my baby and mourn for him like I never have before. 

I wouldn't have wanted to know these things because I would have focused on them instead of the beautiful things we had to look forward to.  Our friend would have still been killed, my daughter would have had to go to school anyway, and I could have suffered complications with the pregnancy anywhere.  Now, seeing my daughter wave goodbye with a smile on her face as I leave her at school makes it okay.  Hearing her carry on in the language with other kids makes it more than okay.  Hearing how much she loves her school and friends makes it great!  We've gotten to watch her play in the snow, pick beautiful wildflowers, and see the glow of the sun as it sets on the mountains.  We've tasted homemade baklava in friends' homes, and sipped coffee with them in cool little cafes all over the city.   We got to welcome a healthy baby boy into the world for the first time, the same little baby that I thought I had lost.  We've held him till it felt like our arms were going to fall off.  We've kissed his little face thousands of times, until he begs for mercy. We've watched him grow and develop a personality all his own.  We know that our friend is in Heaven, and one day we'll get to hug her and tell her how much we fell in love with this land of hers that she spoke so fondly of. 

As for the future, I am glad that I don't know it.  Hard days will always come and go, the incredible days will be remembered forever. Cheers to another year ahead of us!

It's the Moments That Matter

"Some moments are nice, some are nicer, some are even worth writing about"- Charles Bukowski

Our family has had lots of moments over the last few months.  Some have come and gone without any notice at all; like the wind blowing through our hair.  Then, there have been the special moments; the ones we hope to never forget.  They are the ones that stick with us like melted gum on the bottom of our shoes.   There have been lots of those here recently.

One to forget

As any woman who has ever been pregnant knows, it is imperative to have a bathroom close by.  Sometimes, they are needed at a moments notice, no time to spare!  Well, on our last eight-hour road trip and Elisa being eight months pregnant, bathrooms stops were highly anticipated events.  At one particular stop, Elisa was in such a hurry, that she ran straight past the bathroom, around the back of the gas station, across a parking lot, and into another bathroom, which she assumed to be the right one.  To anyone in less of a hurry they would have first noticed that first one inside the gas station.  They would have also definitely noticed the missing handle.  Elisa discovered that not only was the handle missing but the door was equipped with an automatic lock. She realized this though  as she heard the door click, and looked down in horror to find the handle missing.  What was a pregnant woman to do, stuck with her four year old daughter in a smelly, fly infested, sauna of a bathroom?  Well, the only thing there is to do in this situation; scream and pound the door of course...  The only problem with that was that Tim was still on the other side of the gas station, waiting for them to come out of the bathroom that was actually inside the gas station.  Finally he went looking, and heard shouting coming from the building across the parking lot.  Completely unable to open the door, and after Elisa forcefully rejected climbing through a tiny window located near the roof, Tim went to find the gas station attendant.  The attendant told him that the bathroom Elisa had chosen didn't even belong to them.  The man then went and searched through a toolbox for a pair of pliers and a screwdriver, and came to free the girls.  Embarrassed beyond belief, Elisa got straight back into the car, wanting to get as far away from that moment as possible, and as fast as she could.  The worst part was that she still hadn't done what she went in there to do in the first place!

One to Remember

On May 29th, around 2:00pm, after almost 9 months, we got to hold and love on our new baby boy, Tristan, for the first time.  This was a moment that makes your heart want to burst with happiness.  We will never forget how we kissed his little head for the first time; or when Sahara came in, so proud to be a big sister, and told everyone in the room, "This is my baby!  Isn't he the cutest?"  Our family will never be the same again, and that's a blessing beyond belief.

So, we have had moments we would just assume forget (although they do make for good stories), and we have had moments that were beyond amazing, and we'll cherish them forever.  To all the moments yet to be lived; we hope they are more amazing then embarrassing.  But then, life is full of surprises, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

When A Places Changes You

 When A Place Changes You

In our lives we have had the irreplaceable opportunity of visiting and living in different places all over the world.  There is something that occurs after you have lived in a new place for a while.  You wake up one morning and realize, wow its really happened.  It's when a place has become your home and it is now a part of you.  It has changed a part of who you are.   Bosnia has been our home now for six months and we find ourselves changing, or as we like to put it, growing.

You Know Bosnia is changing you when:

-You find yourself wanting bread in some form for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
-You cross a busy street just so you can walk on the side of the road that has sunshine.
-You hear lots of cars honking and turn with glee to see how they decorated the wedding party cars.
- No matter how tiny a cup of coffee is that you ordered, you learn to make it last for at least an hour.
-You never leave the house with wet hair, and be sure to have at least a plastic bag with you at all times, just in case it rains.
-You are a strong believer that a good scarf around your neck can make a world of difference on a cold day.  Let's face it, in Texas, they're just fashion statements.
-When you fall ill, you look first for the honey and tea instead of cough syrup.  Honey can cure almost anything.
-There are no bare feet in your house, you always wear socks or slippers; or even better, both.
-Walking anywhere under about 2 miles is much preferable to driving.  Pedestrians and parking are always a challenge, not to mention the random radar control and subsequent speeding tickets in the mail.


Even the size of our family is changing/growing.  And no, it's not because of the delicious ice cream we have here this time of year.  Well... never mind.  Anyway, we cannot wait for the arrival of our little boy in June. 



 Us At the Beginning:

 Us Today:
 

A Big Sister's Thoughts For Her Little Brother

Our family is expecting a little baby boy in June.  That's right, a little man is on his way and this week I am 28 weeks along!  His big sister could not be more excited to meet him.  In fact she has been telling people since she was two that she is going to be a big sister.  We kept having to tell her it wasn't time yet for her to be a big sister, but now that she is four, she finally gets to have that moment.  However, before she gets to meet him she wanted him to know a few things about the world he is about to be born into.

So from Sahara to her little brother, here are some thoughts about the world that will soon surround him.

"Hey little brother in there, I just love you so much!  You should know that we are a silly family.  Daddy is really good at playing hide and seek and I still don't know where he is hiding sometimes.  Ice skating with daddy is so much fun.  I like it best when we hold hands and skate together. We have baby stuff already for you.  I'll sing you lullabies so you can sleep.  In Bosnia they speak a different language, but the first thing I want to teach you is English.  Everyone speaks to each other in that different language here so you will learn it too. It snows a lot here.  I want you to know that snow is really just cold water.  All the windows in every building are cold.  Here they have chocolate eggs with little toys inside of them.  One day you will get to eat them too.  You will also get to eat some delicious bread called ustipci.  I just love it.  On sunny days they have really delicious, fresh orange juice that they sell on the sidewalk.  I want you to know that I am really silly too and that I just can't wait to love on you.

Your big sister,

Sahara"

Bosnia In Pictures

We realize that we have probably been negligent in giving you a glance at where we live.  We've begun taking photos around town, and will periodically post some here on the blog to give our friends a little view of what life is like here in our new home!

A New Year

Hello, 2013!  A whole new year is here, waiting to be lived, and we are definitely excited.  In this new year, we are certain that there are lots of new things to be learned, experiences to be had, and friends to be made, especially if 2012 was any indication of what is yet to come.  In looking forward to 2013, we reflect on 2012 and the head start that the last few months in our new home have brought.  Here are some insights that we have recently gleaned from our new home that we would like to share with you.

1. Humbling experiences are always just around the corner:
The question is, what you will do with them.  I found this out while walking Sahara to school for the first time in the ice and snow.  Like any good mother, I was being very proactive in warning her of all the hazards of icy hills, and on how careful she needed to be while while walking down them.  Practically in mid-sentence, a car drove by, and as I moved out of the way, lecturing Sahara all the while, I forgot to be careful myself.  In a split second, my feet were in the air, and I was looking up at the sky, flat on my back.  To make matters worse, I pulled Sahara down with me.  If you could have seen us, it would have been quite a sight.  A pregnant woman sprawled out on her back in the middle of an ice patch, and a screaming 4-year-old.  Now, whenever we walk to school in the snow, the rolls are reversed.  Sahara is the one constantly lecturing me on how careful I need to be while walking on ice.  Whether she does this for my sake, or so that I don't pull her down again, I am not sure.  Whatever the case, it was very humbling.  If she could only see her daddy, who has been spending some time on his own backside trying to snowboard down a mountain; I'm sure she'd have something to say about that as well. 

2. Four-year-olds have very unique perspectives about the world around them:
We could not figure out why Sahara would not eat the food at her preschool.  She said that it looked like it tasted good, but day after day she refused to even try.  Not even a bite.  Finally we sat her down and had a heart to heart with her about why she was refusing to eat.  In a serious and sad voice she said, "But if I eat that food from here, then I won't be American anymore."  Finally it all made sense.  Holding back laughter, we reassured her that just eating the food would not change where she is from, and what do you know?!  Now she eats and enjoys the food at school every day. 
 

3. Friends Are Like Cups of Coffee.  They Keep You Going Even When You Feel Drained: During this holiday season we have found that our friendships here and around the world have been so important in helping us keep going.  To all of you, you know who you are, and we sincerely thank you.  Our hope is that this new year will bring lots of new friendships, and that the ones we already have will be made even stronger.

So, here's to 2013!  Our hope for everyone is that this year is full of days we can love and live to the fullest, new strength to deal with new opportunities, new memories that we will never forget, and new friendships that we would never want to live without.  All the best to you, dear friends, this 2013!