DEPARTURE DATE SET!

Well, the day has finally arrived. We have bought tickets for Dec. 3! We are very excited and are looking forward to this new and exciting chapter of our lives. Our visas are back and we are packing fools! Thanks to everyone for remembering us during this time. Happy Thanksgiving!

Looking for Plane Tickets!

Well, we are getting closer and closer to getting back to China. We have enough in our bank account to go ahead and buy our tickets! We are looking to leave the first two weeks in December. This is excellent news. Our kids have been asking, 'When are we going to China?' for about 3 months now. We have a lot of work to do before we go, but it is very exciting to have a departure time and a goal to shoot for. Thank you for all of yall's support and love to help us get to this point. We are all thrilled!

Not in China...yet

Well, we are still in the old U.S. of A. We have moved out of our house and sold most of our stuff, but are still short of actually being on that midnight plane to China. Hopefully it won't be too long, however. Felicia wants to have plane tickets by her birthday (Oct. 18) and I am hoping to be celebrating Thanksgiving with dumplings and roast duck, but we shall see.

Heartbreaking

I found this video while looking at some blogs on China. I really can't say anything else about this. These are someone's little girls. Heartbreaking.

Back From Brasil

Well, we made it there and back again. We looked for the Southern Cross, saw the toilet water drain in the opposite direction, and enjoyed Winter in July. We had a good time learning about cross-cultural experiences and made a lot of new friends who are going all over the world. The area we were in was just beautiful with mountains and rainforest and a nice warm sun. We also experienced a little bit of Rio. Here are some shots of us around town:

Felicia and I at Christ Redeemer. That was impressive.

Me at Copacabana.

Our last night in Rio.

Off to Brazil

Well, we are leaving today to head to Brazil. We'll be gone for a little over two weeks, but our kids will be staying with the grandparents here in the States. Please pray for our travels and for the kids to be safe. Thanks, yall, for remembering us!

"Life Should Be Full Of Joy"

I heard this line recently.

On the radio.

In a Walmart ad.

Nothing wrong with the line, life should be full of joy. I'm not exactly sure how Walmart makes my life full of joy. I could make a long-winded response of how western culture tells us that the accumulation of things makes us happy and full of joy, yet always fails at doing it. It really seems to do the opposite. But anyway.

(photo of Chinese walmart to tie into the blog)

But hearing this on the radio added to something I was reading in the book mentioned below and I thought I'd share it. (I guess I should give the book I'm reading more credit, bc it has obviously got me to thinking, and, sadly, I don't do that enough. At least about things of relevance.)

I was reading in the book about joy and the author was speaking of how we try and numb the pain inside us and where we look to for joy.

Then he asks this question, "Do I love my life?"

Boom! (that's what I heard when I read it, at least)

Do I love my life? I like to think that I do, but I know there are aspects of it that I don't. I haven't really loved my job(s) for the past four years. I never grew up wanting to be in construction. Someone once asked me what my dream job was, and after saying being a NBA player (not on the bench, but a player) I said it was to be in China. Some people may not think that is a dream job, but it is for me. I love that. I love being a husband and a dad, but do not love how poorly I fill those roles most of the time. I don't love the compromises I feel like I make everyday.

I guess my thought goes to this: When I close my eyes, does the life I picture match the one I lead? Has what I dreamed life would be when I signed up for it come true? Obviously, being 6'1, fat, slow, uncoordinated and a bad shot has and always will keep me from being in the NBA. And my occupation will change from time to time. But have I found joy? I don't know.

Is joy a choice I make? Can I just decide to be full of joy? Should I just shop at Walmart more? Maybe a Chinese Walmart. I don't think I can just make it happen, but I can posture myself to be more open to joy.

Of course I want to love my life, and I want it to be full of joy.

But do I? and is it?