Monday, August 6, 2012

We're Here

You know the time of day when your bare feet and fingers are free from restriction and adornment, and subdued time reigns? You can breath a little deeper, you are used to the noises, and which seats have the best lighting and the best views of what's going on.

We are here.

It has taken over a month physically and mentally, emotionally and logistically to get here and call it "settled in."  We were welcomed with open arms to our potentially new church, and I have already met with about 5 moms for play dates and park expeditions at the local "Castle Park," as Naomi aptly named it.  We even had people over for dinners and desserts, which is never perfect with lots of little ones, but always entertaining.  I think the record so far was 7 kids and 5 adults over for David's 2nd birthday.  After a birthday morning of me feeling heart-wrenched that no one was here to celebrate with us, we had a house full by evening.  God supplies with more than we need, even when in a seemingly foreign land.

Mike has officially moved away from a physician-in-training to a real physician.  With more prestige comes more responsibility, more patients with more complex problems, and a new form of training in its own way.  It seems that they really needed him here, along with the other physician they hired.  Apparently his first week of office patients was scheduled in 10 minutes.  He has sent several patients to the hospital because they came to his office so ill, and has completed procedures he never tried in training.  He is gifted at his work and is seeing the excellent training come to play, day to day.  I have not witnessed his heart of gratitude for his skills, and seen them used so thoroughly until this transition.  It has only been a month, so I'm sure he will only grow more into a better and better doctor.

For me, I am enjoying the the florescent amber sun when it sets through my new kitchen windows every evening, and seeing the moon in the mornings tuck itself back behind the trees.  Cooking on a gas stove and having central air are real treats.  Mike likes coming into the kitchen and seeing the flame hug the bottom of my pans, he says it looks like a chef show. We should probably call it the trial-by-fire show, as I am still getting used to the home-maker housewife gig with little ones in tow.  The first week Mike went back to work was terrible.  The second better, and the third even better.  It is a lot more fun now that the kids are walking and talking, and we can have conversations over meals.  

We were fit enough as a household to take a nice family tour this weekend, visiting our favorite part of the country, our families in New Jersey.  We get a lot of smack about being from NJ, something about having to pay to leave the state, but we don't care.  It's still our favorite.  It was a wonderful time and we got to be with just about everyone.  (We missed you, Oma!)  The children are privileged to have 4 great grandparents, and we were fortunate to get to see the three on Mike's side of the family.

It was refreshing to be around people and places so familiar.  I kept thinking and saying, "It's so familiar, everything is so familiar."  When David saw his only 1st cousin, he and she looked smitten;  as if they were saying, "where have you been all my life? finally, we meet! let's play!"  It brought tears my eyes to see how adorably they played together; I think to Noni's eyes, too.

Today is the first day Mike is on call, so we'll see how that goes.  Will it be phone calls throughout the night or a night in the hospital?  We don't know, but will find out soon.  They were gracious to give him the morning off on the days he is on call, so we were able to have a family breakfast and lunch together.  As it struck noon though, his phone started ringing already!  I hope that's not a sign of a strenuous night.  If it is, though, you know his work is well needed even more so.  That's why we're here, and it will give the kids and I more reasons to pray, specifically for him and his patients.

If we left you or moved farther away, we send lots of love and greetings! As soon as I find our address book, we'll get the moving cards in the mail.  As I said, I'm still learning this gig.  But that's a good thing.