a good dozen

So I've got these 12 extra people.  You know besides my non-desperate-housewife-responsibilities to the 2 kids, husband, parents, etc.  And I think I have the best dozen a girl could hope for (granted they are all a bit strange).  I've got the six guys at Bethesda and the six students in the house.  And I think everybody (at least housewives) should have an extra dozen people or so to take under wing.  I think everyone's life would be better.  Maybe an old neighbor or "that kid" from your kid's class, or a foreign family, or a single parent, or that family that-has-had-too-much-cancer, or maybe I could be included in someone's dozen - you know, "that poor crazy girl who can't always handle her own dozen:) ".
Anyway - life isn't at all cheaper by the dozen. Just better.
Jesus had a dozen.
I should have a dozen.
Ok - that's my bad exegetical summary for the day.

I'd like to introduce my dozen for this year.  Not a bad one in the bunch.

(Ok so between what I wrote above and finding these photos I got side tracked for 7 hours.  I think that is what happens when you have a dozen.  I think that is why Jesus didn't have a blog. Please excuse the second logical fallacy for the day.)

(Also, in going through the photos I realized my "dozen" have fuzzy edges... so please don't count the following people - then numbers may not come out right.)

This is who lives in our house right now.  Lucy is behind the Carnival mask.

I love this picture of our house because we are all so easily lined up for introductions. (left to right)

Kahlad, Saudi Arabia:  I love Khalad because he is so gentle. 

Allen, China:  I love Allen because he plays chess with Jude while I cook dinner.

Lucy: I love her because no one has ever made me laugh so hard.

Me:  I love myself because Jesus is redeeming me.

Jude:  I love him because he is brilliant - he is just like his father.

Salah, Saudi Arabia: I love him because he will always be a part of our family.

Jarod:  I don't even know where to start.

Annie, China:  I love her because she wears big beautiful glasses and really knows how to clean!!

Cassie, China: I love her because she regularly takes photos of the food I cook. THANK YOU

Alice, China:  I love her because she is honest, because she is taking time to be my friend

Sometimes we do strange things... like dog pile... because we can... because we are a family

And sometimes my extended family comes to visit, and it is beautiful.  Mariah spent 10 whole days just doing life with us - and a month later the students are still talking about her beautiful daughter (though they may never be able to say Palmer).  Here we are trying to take a self portrait without double chins but we just ended up with weird neck veins and huge Stafford teeth.

But we made some beautiful girls, didn't we?

My husband's parents kind of take our family as part of their dozen - and they made us this beautiful porch swing that I just can't stop sitting on.  Which probably explains how far behind I am in things. 

Also, I like to go on trips, like to the state fair - where I watch 7 of them race down a giant slide.  I honestly don't care about photo quality people - just capturing the moment - because my memory is TOTALY WORTHLESS.

And here is Kingson on the mechanical bull.  He's an X-housemate, current best friend

The strangest $5 I ever gave our son.  I always wanted to ride one of these.

Salah and his cousin Yazzed... I also like Salah because he has his own dozen that he brings around to add to our circus.  Yazzed is like a housemate who never lived with us.

And then there is Tony.  He is our Uncle.  Don't ask - it just works.

And then there are the guys.  Did I say I took them under wing?  

I think I meant they take me under wing.

Check out the FENCE

Randy.  I love him because he makes my emotional instability look normal

Tom and Jay finally put Kingson to work and took a breather. 

I love Jay's smile.   

David.  How much fun could one grown man be?

John.  The face of negativity.  He makes me seem chipper.

How is that even possible?

Sometimes we even put the students to work.  

Alice and I planted some roses while discussing her future.

10 years from now both will look so different.

I wish 10 years from now he would look just the same.

FOREVER.

Annie and Allen cooked us a wonderful lunch to celebrate Mid-Autmn festival today 

And Jarod is in the business of making homemade soda in the garage.

Because as Kingson says, "Jarod, you really have a skill of staying busy."

Mark, hoever does not.  And we like it that way.

Carl was not pictured because he spent the last week with his sister.

The Mid-Autmn festival was not pictured because, well I am bad at photos this year.

The Lion King that the kids just went and saw is not pictured because they don't allow photos.

Other than that I think we are pretty caught up.

Bring on October...

So I guess I changed everything

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

Generally I think it is a good idea not to assume too much about the impact that one makes on the world around them. I think it would be pretty accurate to say that what I DO in any given day matters very little in the scope of the universe. That is realistic. Humbling. And realistic. However, there is also a Biblical paradoxical truth that clearly states that all human life has divine purpose and plan, and through unseen means each of our mere existence may drastically change the course of the lives of each person we encounter. And we don't know how. Maybe we catch a glimpse of it – but we never really know.

This weekend I caught a glimpse of how I may have changed everything. Jarod worked all labor day weekend out at Bethesda and the long hours and managerial position don't really suit him well. But I saw that when the children were present his job changed. The joy he found from merely having Lucy on the golf cart with him or Jude at the guys “movie night” changed a responsibility into a privilege. I mean, who gets paid to hang out with their children? And whose co-workers love your children the way each of the men love ours? As he cleaned the pool the children and David swirled around him in laughter and what would have been a task taking time away from family became an excuse to be with his children. And as we enjoyed our family time together – as we fried apple rings with the men and chatted over meals – I caught a glimpse of my own childhood from my parents perspective. I realized that as parents, my parent's job at Bethesda afforded them joys unimaginable and for those 20 years that I was around the job that kept them CONSTANTLY at home and CONSTANTLY active was a blessing. Then I left. And like the lights going out in a room – everything that was freedom to stay home became a cage that kept my parents from their “own” life. I was just born and I just left – and I didn't get it at all until this weekend. Perhaps if I wasn't. Had never been – my parents would not have had the energy and joy to do the work they did for 35 years. Perhaps if I had stayed they would still have the energy and joy to do it still. If I had just stayed 3, sitting on the golf cart laughing with David, that would have been the best thing I could have ever done with my life. My existence can give others ability. My children's existence is doing the same for me. They are a gift. Their being is my ability to do. To enjoy.

We telephoned 3 different handicapped men over the weekend, all of which still live at home with their parents, to invite them to a picnic. One of them couldn't come because he had to “care for his mother.” All of their parents are old now; frail and perhaps should live in a nursing home, but their handicapped children enable them to live at home. And I wondered, how many older people who have raised smart children to go and DO in this world wish now their children would just BE with them at home? How many of us have forgotten our first ability – our existence as improving the lives of others.

It's just my thought for today. Just my hope for tomorrow. That I may still BE joy in the lives of others, giving them energy to love the life they live. And that I may enjoy the gift of those around me, and not realize all the energy an ability they gave me just by BEING in my life only after they are gone.

So that' my thought. Who's life is your being giving energy and ability to, and who are you receiving from regularly without even knowing it? I'd love to hear about it.

Happy labor day... but don't forget his yoke is easy, his burden is light.

To our international family, far and wide

So yesterday the kids started school.  They were pretty cute and anyone can appreciate the first day of school moments.  

But there are some moments that I really and truly think only the students who have lived with us will enjoy... they are often and I should call the students who have "moved on" more - but I don't.  So Seonjin, Ma Lina, Jessie, Julia, Asli, Tony Salah, Saad, Kahlad, Kingson just know that we think of you often and have enjoyed sharing our lives with you - and wish that we could share little moments like this on a daily basis again... and we wish we could share in yours. 

Today was Jude's first full day of school and Lucy came home for lunch.  It was just the two of us in the house and I asked her what we were going to have for lunch.  

"noodles" of course.

And she wanted to cook them herself.  So she chose some noodles from the cabinet, asked for some chicken and an egg.  I pulled some chicken broth out of the fridge while she pulled her chair to the stove.  She stirred the noodles into the broth, scrambled the egg into the broth, asked for a little salt and pepper and splash of Maggi "sauce".  Then I poured into a bowl and she added an ice cube and sprinkled it with Jessie's black sesame seeds that she discovered yesterday.  She was so happy with her bowl of noodles.  She even got me a Mickey Mouse "Trivet"  at Disney world that will be perfect for setting her hot noodle bowls on.  I laughed the whole time she was cooking and eating.. think how much more her eating habits are like your's than ours.   

In other news, last night Jarod had the kids eat hot chinese peppers plain... and you would have loved that!! I have videos - I will include them in our year end video.

ALSO - Allen had this extra TV and last night Jarod decided to try it connected to his computer to see how he liked the larger monitor.  He LIKED the extra monitor.  Some things NEVER change huh?

Also, Judes is STILL in his bad photo posing stage... but I am finally learning how to take the cute self-portrait shots.  it turned out nice don't you think?  Thanks for teaching me :).

Anyway, all is good here... just been thinkin' of you all lots with the new semester starting. :) 

I should mention...

WE ARE HAVING THE TIME OF OUR LIVES.

Now, of course, this is tempered with my 2 a.m. anxiety attacks over time and rain - and the ongoing spiritual battle for me to remember that only God can make more of either - so I might as well CHILL.

So, if you'd indulge me for a moment I'd like to share a bit of the awesomeness that is our life.  Jarod and I celebrated 11 years of marriage last week and we came to the consensus that had you told us 11 years ago, "11 years from now you will be living in a big brick debt with a half finished fence, two energy filled children (one who has a really annoying allergy induced throat-clearing tick, and the other with all of Amanda's emotional instability), six people whose cultures and languages confuse you daily, and yard that needs constant water.  You will also be living 5 minutes from 18 family members and you are sure to see at least 2 of them each day.  You will also be caring for a giant dried out and dying tree farm as well as six mentally handicapped men.  Yes, you will foresee no possibility of leaving the desert land of Hays, Kansas anytime in the near future, but you can be sure that everyone you love and grow close to will."
NEITHER of us would have said, "sign me up."
In fact there may have not been an "I do" on that hill that morning, as we for sure would have looked at the other blamingly for this horribly foretold future.  But thankfully there is no fortune telling and also no telling how great our fortune has been... as we have walked this crazy journey hand-in-hand. Both SO glad SOMEONE knows where we are going... even if it never has been and never will be us.

First, I'd like to mention WE are having the time of our lives. (We didn't get a picture of us on our anniversary as our dinner was cut short by an emergency shellfish allergic reaction of the husband - just keepin' it real.  But Jude took this fine photo of us in Honduras.)

Besides us - I think two other generations have really benefited from our marriage.  In fact, all I have heard about and all I plan to hear about for the next ...oh six months... is a recent grandparent sponsored and chaperoned trip to Disney world.  Just take a look for yourselves.

If she follows suit we only have 10 years until the real prince charming enters our life - YIKES!

The sword and the stone.

Can I just say, one of my favorite things in life is watching this girl eat?  She just has a way about it. :)

Those are some IMPRESSIVE grandparents. And an adorable R2D2 - if I do say so myself.

But, we don't have to wonder to far from home to have quite a bit of excitement either. 

Here's the face that is either going to make or break year 12.

Now that is quite a pair.  Watch out world, here they come.

And we like to bring the world with us when we can. 

 Thanks Kingson and Allen for sharing in our fun!

Is it fair for two kids to have both sets of the world's most awesome grandparents?

... and most awesome dad?

And here's the guy who made all of my dreams (that I didn't realize I had - of living in Hays with a million RANDOM people in my life each and every day) come true.

Thanks buddy.

How I feel about Honduras

We have had so many good seasons in our life.  Jarod and I have enjoyed everyone we have had together in the last 11 years.  We often look back at the Portland years in fondness - we loved the adventure of the European year and even the simple life that we had for three years on 14th street - with a steady job, yearly vacations, my accidental daycare, community involvement, and little "trash garden".  

But then came  the Honduras season: the uprooting of our family, the draining of our savings - to... do what?  learn and language.... meet some people?  We weren't sure.  And when we came back a year later - we still weren't sure what the Honduras experiment was all about.  

It was far from an easy season - but being a "half-glass-empty" kind of girl and not ever being a fan of ANY change in my life, I have a tendency to idealize the past seasons and be overwhelmed by the present.  I bronze past seasons in my mind, erasing all wear and tear they may have caused - and I hang them in my memory as a reminder of the "good old days". 

I suppose that would be good except the non-reality of that memory and my general momentary ungratefulness have left me in disappear on more than one account.  I stew next to my microwave and dishwasher, listening to the drum of my drier and the laughter of my children with their cousin - daydreaming of our "meaningful" life in Urraco.

I told Sarah, when we arrived that I never got over Urraco, an she laughed, having been a missionary in Australia more than 6 years prior, she said she had just begun to "get over" Australia.

Jason said that had he known we were coming back to "get over Honduras" he wouldn't have invited us back.  But he didn't have to worry because I learned one thing this week:  You never get over love.  We learn from it, grow from it, and Lord willing allow the passion and energy of it to propel us into the next season.  Into today.  Into loving today and all of the changes it brings.  Giving us faith to know that when today is gone it will be bronzed like Urraco.  My soul will erase the trials of today like it erased the never-ending mildew and the wet dog smell of Urraco.  It will erease things even more painful than my millions of swollen ants bites, more uncomfortable than the sweat, the akwardness of relationships built on a second languages 1/2 understood, strange cultures, class differences, and even that overwhelming feeling of having new clue where to start and no confidence that the little you can do actually makes any differences.  Those things are really in Urraco - I found them there - but they were lost in my memory.  All that remained were Faith, Hope and Love.

I know God never lies and though the passage of 1 Corinthians 13 has been etched in my memory for years, I am just beginning to feel it in my heart.  This week I lived the reminder.  I noticed all of the temporal things long forgotten but I experienced the faith, hope and love that remained.  The relationships that were built there crawled out of the woodwork, they came trickling down the mountainside to say, "We remember..." and to give gifts of remembrance - a shared meal, chicken soup, fresh tortillas, the eggs I used to wait on, cheap jewelry, drawings, letters, photos, news, reporting grades and showing homework, reading to me in much improved style, crying over hardships, sharing about their pregnancies and dreams.  And they came to the still functioning library that now has music classes, computer classes, a storage room and play area, even a Friday night church service, special reward systems for good behavior and outdoor movie and game nights.  All these people that we love and who we were loved by were together - with new babies and new jobs - there were new people there too and ongoing dreams.  And we shared our lives again - just for a moment.  To see that Lucy had grown hair, Jude was taller, Give hope to kids had new buildings, animals, volunteers, and visions. We saw that the avocado tress were bearing, the hibiscus and birds of paradise were in bloom and the pineapples were indeed the best on the planet.  People make mistakes and move on - our stupid dog Rocky had babies and ate my baleadas - some thing never change.  

And in Ceiba and out on the Cayos - life goes on too.  Kelley and Abner have two new kiddos and Gabby still dreams of studying in the US.  Karla got married and is considering converting to Mormonism, Lori and Haus moved back to the mainland and all of our kids are getting big enough to snorkel and play for hours unattended.  The circus even came back to town.  Life just goes on.

And life here goes on - no matter who comes and goes - I will never get over Honduras because we shared life with people there.  Faith, Hope and Love were shared and you never get over those... because they REMAIN.  I will never get over any season at 703 Fort either... as students come and go... because faith, hope and love are shared - and they remain.  We will never get over our season (however long it may be) of Bethesda - because the men there are the very best at sharing faith hope and love.  And the faith hope and love multiply, in our dreams and goals, in the lives we go on to share with others.  They are bronzed as all of the temporal things fade.  All these things that I stress out over and am unsure about will disappear like my aunt bite and bacterial infections... and the love will grow stronger.

So thank you Honduras - thank you once again for sharing your faith, hope and love with the Tippy family - we will share it here.

Also - friends here - stay tuned for my plethora of ways we can share ours with Honduras.

Now here are a few photos:

Before we left Lucy had the most ridiculous 4th birthday party hosted and held by Grammee, Sawsan and Alice.  It was OUT OF CONTROL.

Here we are on our way (please look for these same faces on the delayed return trip.).

Some glimpses of what (and who) we love about Urraco.

Our miraculous encounter with Edwin on the bus solidified in my mind how much God really cares for each of his children.  Now how can we care for the Cruz boys???  If only I knew.

Here is Lucy with David and Olga's Abby - they were fast friends... and a delight to my heart after being there throughout Olga's pregnancy.

                                                               Two great men.

We planted these plants.... to bad my own yard isn't looking so good.

These are some of kids who live in the children's home now.  That was the home we lived in.  I have photos my kids just like that.

An avocado tree we planted.

Olga and I... she is pregnant again!!!

Sweeping the water out of the concha they built behind the library... it was only a dream when we were there - it is perfect!!!

We were there for Dia de Indio... my favorite holiday.  Here are a million photos of the school children who shared their lives with me and who were SO patient with my spanish

God will do great things with these Villa Franca women.. I just know it!!

They butchered a cow while we were there.  They had a cow to butcher and freezers to put it in and kids to eat it.  PRAISE GOD!!

Dona Angela... not only dos she make the best tortillas... she loves the people of her community with integrity. Thank you.

Olga wanted to go swimming but we needed to pull the beans first.  We got it all done before the afternoon rain!!

God and this family make it all possible.  Thank you Furrows. Thank you. And we can't wait to meet the next Furrowita :).

The circus in Ceiba.  Jude used his Lemonade stand money to buy everyone a light-up thingy.



Our teacher Karla.

Kelley and I making pb & J on the Cayos with our fingers... because I forgot the spoons.  Sorry about that one Kelley.  Strike 4??

Talk about Father- son bonding

 

This is our teenage friend Gabby holding little sleeping Susana with such gentleness.  God has the heart of this young woman and she will change the world.


I don't even know where to begin with the Arevelo family.  To us they exemplify everything we want to be to our friends.  They love more honestly and more completely than almost anyone we have ever met.  Let's start with this one, "Hey guys, we know you are PHYCO busy but we would like you to take one day and your 1, 2, 4, and 6 year old on a deathly scary boat ride to an island to get stung by jelleyfish and return home and cook for us, pray for us and give us spiritual guidance and an air-conditioned bedroom."  "sure" they say.  They always say, "sure".













We wore them out.  with 2 days of travel left to go!!

And 12 hours after we returned we had to say goodbye to our friend Sawsan.  She left us... maybe for a month... maybe forever.  But she left us as we left Urraco - having shared her life.  We will never get over her.

Oh, and this little girl is kinda cute.  Please pray for me as I try to remember that faith, hope and love will remain - with this one.  I tend to forget.