Busy Bee

Busy in Youngstown. One week in Ohio makes for little sleep, lots of coffee, and hours of talking and catching up with the people I love. Friday in Pittsburgh. Saturday Alumni party with YMC and family dinner afterward. Sunday at my home church - Victory Christian Center - and a date-day with Sarah Graefe... one of our former team members from our base in Ethiopia! O and of course, lots of Izzy time!

Sarah and I at Mill Creek in Youngstown!

Lauren, Joelle and I

One and a half days left.. then I'm finally going home to my Samuel in Sweden!!! I'm so anxious and excited and happy and longing and...

Izabella Mae

Had the honor of hosting Izzy's first photo shoot this weekend! She's a pro...

Youngstown

I stepped on my plane in Kona, Hawaii... out of the thick flower-scented-humidity and then, two planes later, stepped out into the breezy midwest of USA! Ohio to be specific. The Y-town! City of my roots. Feels good and strangely surreal to be here.

May I introduce you to Izabella Mae?! My 2 month old niece :)

With her great-great-grandma Juanita!

With her daddy - my little brother, Jeffrey!

Love the opportunity I get to be here spending time with my incredible family. Love love love them.

Hapuna Beach

Well, here it is... my last weekend in Hawaii. Although I'm desperate and ecstatic to see my Samuel, it's always sad leaving mama and dad. We've been doing this for years yet that never changes! The next time I see them, hope they're finally coming to my side of the globe.

Tomorrow (mama's birthday!) night I'll fly from the islands and make my way to the mid-west where my little brother (!!!) will pick me up at the airport in Cleveland. Jeffrey's a new dad and I can't wait to see his little 2 month old baby Izabella Mae! I'm going to smother her with my auntie kisses!!! So happy to be able to spend one week in my home town - Youngstown - before flying back to Sweden. My plans are to drink lots of coffee with family at my grandma and great grandma's kitchen table, chat it up with my covies(best friends Joelle and Lauren) late into the nights, visit the greatest church and people in America at Victory Christian Center, eat at my favorite little middle-eastern restaurant called "Aladdin's", see my missionary-hero Sarah Graefe, and soak-up-my-incredible-family! Then on the 20th I'll jump the Atlantic and f i n a l l y run into the arms of my husband!

Hapuna Beach... July 9...

The cave - where we camped out for the day...

-over and out

After...

After...

More than 100 days. 16 weeks. 4 months. 1/3 of the year of 2011.

Relocating my life from Africa to Europe and then being told I must return to my home country of USA in the state in Hawaii.

Hours and days and weeks of paper work.

Interviews and applications.

Countless phone calls with embassies, airlines and consulates.

3 months apart from my hub.

A decision has been made...........

I am a "permanent resident of Sweden"!

Happy 235th America!

Some photos from our 4th celebrations with friends on the beach...

Waterproof fun

Yes! A waterproof-digital camera!! It's revolutionary!! This was our practice round in the pool..... just wait for more snorkeling and cliff jumping! It has panorama and video settings.... gah!

side of the road

Unedited sunset on the side of the road on my way home this evening...

beautiful beautiful Hawaii

Sunset stroll

Dad and I took a walk tonight to see the Hawaiian sunset... again. And I don't go anywhere without my camera!

Then we walked over to the Sheraton which isn't too far from our home and found these two pool-side front row seats.... just in time for Monster's Inc. on the big screen! Ahh...

*Correction on yesterday's blog: great grandma will be 87!

leave tracks

My great grandma Juanita will have her 86th birthday this Saturday. Mom got her a great card with the quote below inscribed over a picture of a seaturtle struggling to get to the water. I loved it! Made my own version with the faces of the some people who continuously hang out in my heart... boys on the beach in Jambiani, Zanzibar, Tanzania.

It's such a nice word, nice song, nice idea - legacy. But really... what is yours lookin like?? Who would you be remembered as if tonight was your last night on earth? Will people say that you left tracks on their hearts? How about when you celebrate your 86th?

One night I had a wondrous dream,

One set of footprints there was seen,

The footprints of my precious Lord,

But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared..

And I asked the Lord, “What have we here?

Those prints are large and round and neat,

But Lord, they are too big for feet.”

“My child,” He said in somber tones,

“For miles I carried you alone.

I challenged you to walk in faith,

But you refused and made me wait.”

“You disobeyed, you would not grow,

The walk of faith you would not know…

So I got tired, I got fed up,

And there I dropped you on your butt.”

Because in life there comes a time

When one must fight, and one must climb,

When one must rise and take a stand,

Or leave their butt prints in the sand.”

Author Unknown