We're Not on Vacation

I was chatting with a friend yesterday and had a little epiphany. I think I may even further promote this delusion because of all of the pictures from our weekends and holidays.

So let me just tell you - this is not a vacation! I know it looks like it, or seems like it should be - I mean, we live in the French alps, land of the best chocolate, cheese, bread and wine. But for so many reasons, these last 4 months have been some of the hardest in my life.

As hard as raising 3 little boys in my secure little Mayberry was, it's about a hundred times harder here where I have no support, no idea what I'm doing most of the time, no women's Bible study for encouragement and often I'm on my own at home as well. Did I mention that I can hardly communicate with their teachers?

Kevin is working even later hours - I didn't think that was possible, but with the latest year end financial reports they have had to take yet another look at their capital expenditures and find more ways to cut their budget. Every night he is stuck translating e-mails and calling back to IL until all hours of the night. Even a workaholic can be over-worked. I try my best not to complain too much, because we're the lucky ones - we aren't being sent home and we have a job.

I know many of you don't understand why we would uproot our family and move across the ocean. Why we would want to struggle through adapting to another culture and language far from friends and family and loved ones. We didn't take the decision lightly, and we really do feel we are where we are supposed to be. While that helps, when the day to day efforts leave me exhausted and lonely, it's just hard to stay encouraged.

There are some definite rewards: We are slowly learning French, making friends and just learning how to do the day to day things to make the wheels revolve around here. We are able to hike and bike in the mountains and now in the winter, ski. We are able to see much of Europe and we love the history and architecture and landscapes.

But the day to day is really more the norm, and it's not nearly as glamorous as you'd imagine. Or as you'd think from my blog. I just forget to take pictures of when Piper colors in the tiles of the house with a blue crayon, minutes after he has dumped his bowl of cereal in the kitchen. I can't give you the smell of our sewage leak that they didn't come fix for over a month. I can't explain how I was once a very competent, even slightly proudly self-sufficient woman and now I have trouble answering the phone/door or trying to order/find anything special in the stores. It's all quite humbling and depressing all at the same time.

All of this to say - please continue to pray for me/us. It's not all skiing in the alps and off to wonderful locations, that's just the more interesting part of our life here.

Also remember and pray for all of those who have lost their jobs or will be losing their jobs in the next few months. If you have a secure job, be thankful and generous to those who are less fortunate.

Thank you for all of those who regularly e-mail, call and send letters and for all the wonderful Christmas packages. Those were truly the highlights of our holidays! We love you and miss you all.

Also, we are excited to come back to the US for our home leave in August - we just booked our flights and will be in OH and IL for the last 3 weeks, and hope to see many of you then!