September Mobile Re-Cap

I didn't realize how much transpired during the month of September until organizing my pictures!

There were so many I grouped them into collages for the sake of time and space.  :-)

I think this was the day before we left Albania, on our way to check our documents for residency.
Nathan said, "Apparently the can deliver anything in Tirana on a motorcycle, even the kitchen sink!"

Leaving Albania.  I got a 20 minute nap overnight.  As much as I planned, I'm never ready when the van shows up to take us to the airport!
We had a last-minute goodbye from our friend, Luli.  Reni was ready before any of us!  The kids were GREAT travelers, even with a nearly 5-hour layover in Vienna.  

The entertainment of choice on this trip was silly putty.  And it makes a real mess if you fall asleep with it in your hand.

We reconnected with the local public library as soon as we could

Reni's tradition is to fry up some crispy bacon for his first breakfast back in America.  We thought the kids were old enough now to make it themselves!

One of the joys of being with family is supporting each other by attending things like your cousin's volleyball game!  

And having your sister treat you to coffee at McDonalds or Reni getting to try Dunkin Donut's Donut holes

We celebrated Grandpa Van's birthday a bit late.  He wanted catfish.  Nathan decided to try the tenderloin.  Needless to say, he got two meals for the price of one!

We enjoyed worshiping with our friends at Dillon Mennonite and Cazenovia Menonite our first two Sundays in September. Both churches treated us to wonderful lunches afterwards.  And the list above is a list of synonyms for 'excited' after Nathan reported to the congregation that I chided him for using the word 'excited' too frequently.  The pastor's wife provided some alternatives she assured him would get me off his back. :-)

Often we are too busy during our short months in the States to make time for enjoying American pastimes.  This time we were pro-active and purchased tickets in advance to be sure we made time to take in a college football game.  We cheered on my dad's alma mater, the University of Illinois.  The kids learned about the practice called "tail gating" and the concept of marching bands -- which Ellie immediately wanted to join.

A new experience for us is to have both sides of our families living in the same area!  It was so surreal to one weekend to attend church together, eat lunch together at Steve and Rachels, and then enjoy a leisurely conversation together before returning to our respective homes. They couldn't understand why I wanted to take a photo of us just sitting around the living room, but it was so unusual, I didn't want to forget it.

It just occurred to me that those two ten-year-old boys could be college roommates in 8 years.  How fun would that be?
We got to visit Aunt Rebecca's houseboat-turned-AirBnB.  

 On September 23rd, we all wore red (oops! oh dear, suitcases were packed the night before!) and departed for Indiana.  First up, we met Jonathan and Anna whom we hosted in Albania in May.

Then we met up with Hannah (above) who spent several weeks with us in June/July 2018!

Our first destination was our home agency's office for three days of debriefing and renewal.  Ellie and Reni enjoyed a program for children while Nathan and I attended our own seminars and took part in reflective exercises that allowed us to reflect on some of the joys and struggles of our last couple of years abroad.  One of the joint (adults and children) exercises included a demonstration of the 'transition bridge'.  Reni volunteered to be part of the example 'family' that was all interconnected and required to walk the obstacle course-bridge tied together.  The purpose was to show how the family could only navigate transition as quickly as the slowest person in the group, and that some family members slowed to give assistance to each other. The facilitators noted that in all the years of leading this exercise, this was the first time a child led the way.  That's our Reni!

Reni was happy to reconnect with some missionary kids from the Texas-Mexico border that he met two years ago!  We hope we might be able to see them again later this winter as they too are based in Illinois!

(top row) So when our first restaurant choice was closed for lunch on Saturday, we Grilled and Chilled it at DQ with Todd and Mindy.  Great listening ears.  Even better laughs.
(middle) Reni with some new friends at Eaton First Church of God.  The sharp fella in the tie shares his love of Greek Mythology. Hoping to reconnect with these guys when we come back to Marion in November!

(Above)  We got to see Aunt Ruth and Uncle Jack not once but twice!

We rounded out the end of September with a quick trip to Michigan!  We were able to see two of our three favorite Key sisters!  The two of my three Allen-girl cousins!  Thanks to Nick and Rebecca for hosting us overnight and to Rachel for hitting Grand Rapids rush hour traffic with her two little girls to join us for supper!

Next up-- a quick stop over in Dayton on our way to Kentucky!