A Letter to Home

*To my general audience, you may find this blog post a bit dry and dull as I am going to write this blog more aimed to my family about life here in general.  How the children are, and Darron and life in the day in and day out. I may even talk about the weather…..just to make it really feel like a letter to home.  You are welcome to peer into this part of our lives if you would like……

 

Dear family,

It has been a while since I have sat down and really brought you up-to-date on our lives here in Papua.  Forgive me for blogging so little.  Honestly, it seems like we are on a bit of a treadmill of school, school, school.  Therefore, I have struggled to find “creative” things to write about.  Also after living here for 2 + years, things are beginning to seem “normal”, so I need to keep pushing to look at life through “fresh eyes”.  Overall, I would continue to say that the family is thriving and I take this as a blessing from the hand of God. 

Aubrey, is embracing high school.  His schedule has about brought me to tears, with transportation challenges.  I will be addressing this, as Darron is about to be gone for a few week stent.  I will be hiring some driving help.  Not only is Aubrey in school all day, but on Tuesday and Thursday he has soccer practice until 5.  In addition, on Tuesday night he has band from 7-8 and on Wednesday drama from 6:30-8.  He just admitted this last week that he was bored in Algebra I, so after a discussion with his math teacher and high school principle they decided to put him in Geometry also.  I am not sure we will continue to allow Aubrey’s schedule to be so full, yet it is all for just a very short season….as band and drama will be over by the end of the month and soccer by mid December.

Andrew is the tallest kid in 8th grade class and is now Darron’s height.  He is also getting quite buff as he hits the work out room several times a week.  These boys are consuming 3,000 + calories a day.  Often when Andrew gets home he heads to the kitchen and starts cooking.  He never uses recipes and makes delicious food.  Often, I am asking him how he created his latest dish…..not always will he disclose the secrets.  All of us would agree that our food has gotten much better this year.  I would say it is in part due to Andrew’s inspiration and I have not been so resistant to buying some of the more expensive tastes from home. Like cream cheese!!!!  We also make 4 dozen tortilla’s a week and these can be used as chips, bean wraps, pizza’s and veggie wraps.  Yum.  I am working very hard to get down to my goal weight, after spending the last 15 years huffing around quite a few baby pounds.  As the guys put down the calories, this Mom is counting hers.  Andrew is also doing soccer, which means Monday’s and Wednesday’s he is at school until 5.  He is composing songs.  And making us all laugh, everyday…..what a gift.

Jacob is enjoying another year at home with Mommy.  Though I do see him maturing and pushing out of the cocoon of the home.  Darron has been working on a tree house with him.  Currently, the ladder is done.  Not sure how many feet it is…..I would guess over 20 feet high.  Enough to make this Mom nervous.  His mind is just full of questions and analyzing everything.  He also has a sense of humor that is beginning to emerge.  Watch out Andrew…..Jake make try to steal the show. 

 

Nathaniel, is not going to let these brother out eat him.  This boy can put it down.  I do think he will be the biggest Boyd boy.  He and Jacob are still the best of buddies and school is going well.  Nathaniel loves art and is doing well in piano.  My days fly, as I run the older boys to school in the a.m., then home school usually until about 2ish now, with a break for lunch.  Then we are off to town to run an errand or two, or pick up boys, or exercise and do all the above in some sort of order.  Then back home and maybe try and bake something for the ever hungry crew and then it is time to get everyone settled in for the night and there is another day in the life of us.  Quite the merry-go-round.

Darron has been home for over a month, due to some appointments getting cancelled.  We have LOVED it!  He is staying busy with so many creative idea’s and projects related to ministry.  Some very neat doors are opening…..but I will let him blog about that.  He is close to all the boys and I so appreciate his influence as a father.  Darron treated me to a printer, the last time he was in Jakarta.  I just love these non-romantic gifts he buys me.  Seriously!!!!!  This has been a great gift.  Along with the blender he purchased me for my birthday…..it makes the BEST ices!!!!!   We went for a date last night.  Honestly it was horrible.  The music where we went was so obnoxiously loud.  It made me long for a lovely quiet American restaurant, or a sweet park to go walking through…..so many options for good dating in America.  Please go on a few for us, and we will make up for it this next summer.  Fortunately, good love it not about quality dates.  Its more about trust, security, communication, committed love, etc. etc.  So Indonesia…..our love will not wax old here, but you are forcing us to be very creative.

The weather……ha!  Just to bore you completely, is hot!  And rain almost daily right now.  I must say the pictures of fall leaves on Face Book are enough to make me want to jump on an airplane and crunch through a pile and smell the wet damp perfume of leaves on a wooded path.  Yet, it is not to be and this season will come and go.

My Nanny, is pressing on and my parents had a good visit with her.  I appreciate many of you asking me about her.

Our house helper with breast cancer decided that she didn’t want to work here long term, so we parted ways.  I still continue to pray for her healing and strength.

I still work at the clinic, on Sunday evenings.  It continues to provide a mature outlet for my medical love.  Our Dr. who has been on furlough since the end of last December is returning by the middle of this month.  I am very excited that she is returning, as she is a great teacher and a sweet friend.

As we approach the holiday season, we are thinking about being very non-traditional over the Christmas break and maybe heading out on a boat to go and camp and explore some part of Indonesia.  Personally I would like to fly somewhere and enjoy first world accommodations; however, the budget doesn’t match my desires.  None of the guys will complain about camping.  They are ready for adventure and new scenery.  Now that will be a good blog.

As always, we thank you for your love, your communication with us, your prayers…..we couldn’t do this without our family!

Love,

Ruth