I read through Proverbs over the last couple of weeks. I just thought I would share the verses that jumped out at me.
11:9 - The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked
12:1 - Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.
12:4 - A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.
12:16 - Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook insult.
12:22 - The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.
14:30 - A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
16:1-4 - To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The Lord works out everything to its proper end - even the wicked for a day of disaster.
18:2 - Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions.
19:21 - Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
20:1 - Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
21:9 - Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
21:13 - Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered.
21:19 - Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.
22:2 - Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.
22:6 - Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.
22:9 - The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
22:24 & 25 - Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared.
23:3 - Do not crave his (a ruler) delicacies, for that food is deceptive.
23:4 - Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.
23:6-8 - Do not eat the food of a begrudging host, do not crave his delicacies; for he is the kind of person who is always thinking about the cost. "Eat and drink," he says to you, but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the little you have eaten and will have wasted your compliments.
23:13 & 14 - Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish them with the rod, they will not die. Punish them with the rod and save them from death.
23:20 & 21 - Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
27:1 - Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
28:11 - The rich are wise in their own eyes; one who is poor and discerning sees how deluded they are.
28:13 - Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
28:22 - The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.
29:13 - The poor and the oppressor have this in common: The Lord gives sight to the eyes of both.
29:20 - Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.
29:21 - A servant pampered from youth will turn out to be insolent.
30:15 & 16 - "The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry. "There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, 'Enough!': the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, 'Enough!'
31:10-12 - A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
31:25 & 26 - She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Difference of a Few Days
Woah! It's amazing to me the drastic changes that can take place in just 15 days! To quickly recap, Ryan had gone back to Barcelona on January 4th without us because the girls and I still didn't have our visas. In the mean time, I have been homeschooling the girls so they wouldn't be behind when we eventually made it back to Barcelona and the British school. Well throw all those notions out the window!
Just about a week ago, we heard from our immigration attorney that it has been such a long process that all the clearances we had previously turned in (back in July) were now too old and they need all new ones. If we got all that done and turned back into her early this week (didn't happen) then the "best case" projected visa approval is late February.
Now, I was willing to attempt to homeschool the girls for about a month, but two months is just too long, in my opinion, for them to be out of a structured school environment. So, we made the decision to enroll the girls in public school in Avon. I am now in the process of getting them into their classes and getting all the proper paperwork filled out for the school. The principal (a wonderful, wonderful man) is trying his best to get Alexis back into the MAP program, but he couldn't make any promises. I think Alexis will be happy just to be out of the British school! We will put Kaylee in half day Kindergarten, even though her abilities are way beyond what they are learning there. I think it's more important for her social/physical development to be with kids her age. Plus, I am confident that once she is able to join the higher abilities program, she will be challenged on a regular basis.
We are still attempting to obtain our residency visas. But I don't plan on withdrawing the girls from Avon to go back to the British school. I really don't see the value in that since the plan has been to get them back into the Avon school system for 2011-2012. I don't know what we'll do once our visas are actually ready. At this point we really haven't thought that far ahead.
Yeah...a lot can happen in a matter of days. You can plan ahead all you want to, but you definitely need to be prepared for changes along the way.
"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
I didn't think when we were leaving home on December 17th that we wouldn't be coming back. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's definitely not what I had planned. I sure wish the four of us could just be together. And I wish I had planned for the unexpected and packed a few more clothes! Living out of a suitcase's worth of stuff is ummmm.....interesting. But I know that's not what's important. I have many, many blessings!
Stay tuned....I'm sure there is much more to come!
Just about a week ago, we heard from our immigration attorney that it has been such a long process that all the clearances we had previously turned in (back in July) were now too old and they need all new ones. If we got all that done and turned back into her early this week (didn't happen) then the "best case" projected visa approval is late February.
Now, I was willing to attempt to homeschool the girls for about a month, but two months is just too long, in my opinion, for them to be out of a structured school environment. So, we made the decision to enroll the girls in public school in Avon. I am now in the process of getting them into their classes and getting all the proper paperwork filled out for the school. The principal (a wonderful, wonderful man) is trying his best to get Alexis back into the MAP program, but he couldn't make any promises. I think Alexis will be happy just to be out of the British school! We will put Kaylee in half day Kindergarten, even though her abilities are way beyond what they are learning there. I think it's more important for her social/physical development to be with kids her age. Plus, I am confident that once she is able to join the higher abilities program, she will be challenged on a regular basis.
We are still attempting to obtain our residency visas. But I don't plan on withdrawing the girls from Avon to go back to the British school. I really don't see the value in that since the plan has been to get them back into the Avon school system for 2011-2012. I don't know what we'll do once our visas are actually ready. At this point we really haven't thought that far ahead.
Yeah...a lot can happen in a matter of days. You can plan ahead all you want to, but you definitely need to be prepared for changes along the way.
"Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Proverbs 19:21
I didn't think when we were leaving home on December 17th that we wouldn't be coming back. I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's definitely not what I had planned. I sure wish the four of us could just be together. And I wish I had planned for the unexpected and packed a few more clothes! Living out of a suitcase's worth of stuff is ummmm.....interesting. But I know that's not what's important. I have many, many blessings!
Stay tuned....I'm sure there is much more to come!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Come on, everybody's doing it!
A "2010" review that is. I just thought I would post some of my thoughts about the last year. Wow! What a learning experience 2010 has been!
Our year started off with Ryan spending his time travelling back and forth to Barcelona while the girls finished up their school year in the U.S. I spent my time supporting, playing single parent, maintaining our home and cars, and preparing for our move. There were many ups and downs during this phase, but mostly we all realized how important it was (and is) for us all to be together...living in the same place.
We finally made the big move in late July. Ryan's visa had been approved and we wanted to make sure the girls had time to adjust to the new country before the beginning of the school year. The movers came in late July and a couple of days later we left the dogs behind and got on our flight to Barcelona. We enjoyed the rest of the summer playing on the beach, swimming in the pool, and playing on the playground across the street from our house. During this time we also added to our family. We 'rescued' little Artemis our kitten. She has been a very nice addition to our family, but she is definitely not a dog...no matter how much I have tried to turn her into one!
September 6th was the first day of school. Kaylee had a very rough first few weeks adjusting to her new school routine. Previously, she had only gone to school three days a week for two hours a day. All of a sudden she was in school five days a week for 7 hours a day. Throw on top of that being surrounded by people who speak a different language...even the "English" sounded different and you have a very overwhelming situation. But thankfully, she adjusted quite well and is now doing great in her new school. Alexis was the opposite. She integrated quite well in the first few weeks of school. She quickly made friends with the other new kids at school. It took almost no time though, for us to realize that she was not going to be academically challenged this year. Her attitude toward school had begun to degrade as the year went on. Eventually she didn't even want to go, which is very uncharacteristic of Alexis. So that has prompted discussions about beginning the next school year back in Avon. We are doing everything possible to make that happen.
To add to the educational experience, we have high hopes of doing a lot of travelling around Europe. We had our first excursion at the beginning of December. We flew to Paris, France and spent four days exploring the great city. You can read all about our trip here. Other trips we hope to make are Italy, Greece, and perhaps Egypt or Turkey.
We were able to travel home to visit family and friends during Christmas break. Unfortunately though, Ryan has had to go back to Barcelona without us because the girls and I are still waiting for our visa approval. Until then, we are legally barred entry to the country. On a passport or visitor's visa, you are allowed to stay in a particular country for a period of 90 days in a 180 day period. We have reached our limit. Hopefully the visas will be approved in a few weeks and we can get back to being together as a family. Until that time, I am going to be homeschooling the girls with some familial assistance. We plan to take a few field trips and work on things at home so they are not behind when we finally make it back to Spain.
Looking back, would I ever recommend an international assignment to anyone? Probably not. That being said, I would not give up our experiences in the last year for anything. We have learned so much, talked so much, and this experience has really reshaped our future. There are some big changes we have planned for our family...some of them will take a while happen, but I am excited about the future and I'm ready to get started!
Our year started off with Ryan spending his time travelling back and forth to Barcelona while the girls finished up their school year in the U.S. I spent my time supporting, playing single parent, maintaining our home and cars, and preparing for our move. There were many ups and downs during this phase, but mostly we all realized how important it was (and is) for us all to be together...living in the same place.
We finally made the big move in late July. Ryan's visa had been approved and we wanted to make sure the girls had time to adjust to the new country before the beginning of the school year. The movers came in late July and a couple of days later we left the dogs behind and got on our flight to Barcelona. We enjoyed the rest of the summer playing on the beach, swimming in the pool, and playing on the playground across the street from our house. During this time we also added to our family. We 'rescued' little Artemis our kitten. She has been a very nice addition to our family, but she is definitely not a dog...no matter how much I have tried to turn her into one!
September 6th was the first day of school. Kaylee had a very rough first few weeks adjusting to her new school routine. Previously, she had only gone to school three days a week for two hours a day. All of a sudden she was in school five days a week for 7 hours a day. Throw on top of that being surrounded by people who speak a different language...even the "English" sounded different and you have a very overwhelming situation. But thankfully, she adjusted quite well and is now doing great in her new school. Alexis was the opposite. She integrated quite well in the first few weeks of school. She quickly made friends with the other new kids at school. It took almost no time though, for us to realize that she was not going to be academically challenged this year. Her attitude toward school had begun to degrade as the year went on. Eventually she didn't even want to go, which is very uncharacteristic of Alexis. So that has prompted discussions about beginning the next school year back in Avon. We are doing everything possible to make that happen.
To add to the educational experience, we have high hopes of doing a lot of travelling around Europe. We had our first excursion at the beginning of December. We flew to Paris, France and spent four days exploring the great city. You can read all about our trip here. Other trips we hope to make are Italy, Greece, and perhaps Egypt or Turkey.
We were able to travel home to visit family and friends during Christmas break. Unfortunately though, Ryan has had to go back to Barcelona without us because the girls and I are still waiting for our visa approval. Until then, we are legally barred entry to the country. On a passport or visitor's visa, you are allowed to stay in a particular country for a period of 90 days in a 180 day period. We have reached our limit. Hopefully the visas will be approved in a few weeks and we can get back to being together as a family. Until that time, I am going to be homeschooling the girls with some familial assistance. We plan to take a few field trips and work on things at home so they are not behind when we finally make it back to Spain.
Looking back, would I ever recommend an international assignment to anyone? Probably not. That being said, I would not give up our experiences in the last year for anything. We have learned so much, talked so much, and this experience has really reshaped our future. There are some big changes we have planned for our family...some of them will take a while happen, but I am excited about the future and I'm ready to get started!
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