We are back in the USA and drinking water straight from the tap! After six months of living in dread of getting stomach sickness from a drop of tap water landing in our mouths or on our food, it is SUPER strange to try to revert our minds to believing that tap water is safe. It is a welcome change, but still weird.
Another big change is that after six months of being required to mask both outside and inside, we are now living essentially mask-free. Another welcome change, but it felt very, very weird when we boarded our first flight and promptly removed our masks.
We arrived just in time to spend Mother’s Day with my mom – the first time in ten years we got to celebrate together.
We are thoroughly enjoying being home and visiting with family. We already got in a brief all-family campout with Carrie’s family at Refugio State Beach. A rare and special moment to get our parents, all four siblings and most of the grandkids together —
Our kids have been absolutely thrilled to have access to a full-fledged library again — and going to the library with a cousin? Even more amazing!
And finally — a housing update! We *think* we have our housing lined up! We’d hoped to have a single home to land in for this six month period, with the thought that a single place would help create some stability for our kids in this move-around lifestyle we are living. Instead, we will be blessed to have three lovely places to live this summer!
My parent’s barn will be our home until June 19th. Jason’s job provides a bunkhouse for employees, so he will bunk there during his work week and we’ll get to see him over the weekends. We are super thankful for the incredible support my parents have given us during our many transitions — storing boxes for us, keeping our car running smoothly while we’re away, providing lovely housing and most of all, welcoming arms.
After the barn, we’ll move to an airbnb near Jason’s work for three weeks before moving to our final destination – the Ponderosa Cabin for four months. We are thankful for the provision of each of these places.
And now…we’re on a road trip to the Pacific Northwest to spend time with Jason’s family before he starts his job. Such a huge difference in landscape and lifestyle from Guatemala and we are definitely in the thick of reverse culture shock! But, so so good to be here.
Love and miss you all! Your new housing looks awesome. Glad you are getting to spend time with your families!
You all look great! Love that you’re getting some special time with Carrie’s parents and siblings. Blessings and prayers for all the transitions and summer adventures.