Ollie- Our newest family member

For years David has wanted to add a dog to our family. He has been talking about rescuing a Greyhound since I met him and then about 8 years ago he started talking about Italian Greyhounds. 

I didn't know anything about greyhounds or most dogs for that matter. I did have 3 dogs while growing up that I loved and I feel very strongly that if you are going to have pets that they are a part of the family and should be treated as such. So....that meant I didn't want any. I figured I already had enough to do. (Selfish maybe, but this blog is about transparency). 

Over the last year I have been more and more open to the idea of adding a pet to the family. We have a gap in the ages of our kids and many times people have commented that it'll be like having two little families. I detest that idea. I want us to be one big family. We are very initial about how we structure our kids activities and our time together so that we function as a family of six. I had already starting getting sentimental about the idea of David having the dog he's wanted since we got married, add to that the bonus of the kids sharing memories and experiences of the same pet and I was ready to take the plunge. 

I started doing research and seeing what the options for rescue were available in the DC area. I found a great organization called the Italian Greyhound Club of America. We completed the application, had a home visit, spent time with several IGs (or Iggys) and in just over six weeks, on Sep 28th, we got to bring home Ollie!

He is WONDERFUL! I am so glad that he joined our family. Ollie is a great dog and a joy. The kids adore him. He loves to cuddle and burrow in blankets and believe it or not, he rotates whose bed he sleeps in. Ollie is 8 years old and in great health. Hopefully, we will have many years together. 

First Slumber Party

The week before school started Sybella finally had the opportunity to have her very first slumber party. It was particularly important for Sybella to have her friend Kylee over for one last extended play date before Kylee started kindergarten. The girls have been best friends for as long as they can remember (literally)! They have been in church, play groups, Bible Studies, Small Groups, and even 2 years of preschool together, not to mention numerous shopping trips, play dates, and lunches. But, with birthdays 3 months apart, Kylee meets the cutoff for starting school this year and Sybella didn't. Fortunately, the pain  sadness, drama, and absolute realization of this sunk in for Sybella in the spring so, now it's just about harnessing the last moments of summer. 

The girls dressed in their PJs from the American Girl Store trip in June and proceeded to giggle, play, giggle, play, giggle, play and not sleep very much. They had a blast! 

Who could've known then that Sybella would have Kylee's Ollie the Otter over for the night and just a a month later our family would get a rescue dog named Ollie. 

What beautiful friends! They don't get to see each other as often now with school in full swing, but they are still managing to find some quality time to hang out.  :)

Car Adventures

This week was hectic and I had a son who was sickish (long story). I didn't realize how off kilter I was until Friday though...here's the story:

Thursday, I came out to my Tahoe, we were in a rush,  as you often are with 4 kids. I noticed immediately that something wasn't right. My steering seemed sluggish and there was an "engine overworking" sound to the car when I got above 45 mph. There were no "alert" lights or indicators on. The tires seemed fine. So, I kept going to my destination with a cautious driving stance. It became clear thru the day that this was not a temporary issue. There was definitely something wrong with my vehicle. I suspected power steering or drive belt. I called the mechanic and told them the symptoms and said, "it's almost like when I drive in 4-wheel drive but worse." The mechanic said that could check it the next morning.
On Friday, I took it in and had an hour to kill with the 2 youngest kids. We walked a mile to enjoy a slurpee and visit the local fire station. When we returned to the garage, my mechanic told me, it's done- you guys are ready to go. I was surprised and asked what was wrong with it. He chuckled and told me, Nothing.
What?! I knew that couldn't be right; something was definitely wrong with my truck. I looked at him quizzically and he said, "you know how you said that it was driving sorta like it was in 4-wheel drive? Well, it was in 4-wheel drive...you must have hit the button accidentally or one of the kids did. The indicator light is hard to see in the sunlight, especially if you didn't mean for it to be on. (I think he was just being gracious.)
He told me that he checked out all the belts and fluids and everything looked great. He didn't even charge me for the time and effort he spent on it. All in All, "no problem, no charge" was a great thing to hear from the mechanic but I still felt silly!
There will be no more "driving" for the little kids and no more trips to the mechanic without checking the 4-wheel drive light for me.   :0)

~Sharon

Doing great...simply?

I am always amazed how people will throw money at a problem. Recently I have been more interested in the behavior of people working in austere condition throughout the world. When a decision is made to spend money and the end result is something that lacks longterm viability. A recent example was the purchase of a large generator for a village. Turns out the generator runs on petroleum which is near impossible to find in this region. The point...LOTS OF MONEY spent in a solution that didn't work. This morning I watched Arvind Gupta speak on the simplicity of toys that also serve as teaching aids. I love his passion, simplicity, and the great things he is empowering people to accomplish...and all of this at MINIMAL COST!

Enjoy...David

No words needed!

Vacation, Relaxation, & Expectation

Enjoying our time in Jamaica (kinda).

Like I've always said, I am more about transparency than some touchy feely posting. The first 24 hours was rough. DC left me so hyped and tense that it took all of the first day and most of day two to unwind. So now we are starting to relax...some lazy river, canoeing, and body surfing.

I know some of you think all those activities can't possibly produce relaxation but when your a Simon it's more about distraction and changing the focus of our attention. To prove that point...I read 74 emails during the first day of my vacation (hardly a vacation)...so I unplugged and stopped reading today.

So vacation is going great, the relaxation has begun, but the expectation was skewed (according to Sharon). We left the kids to play and disappeared to the floating river to grab drinks and drift along. Topic: My EXPECTATION of vacation.

See, my expectation of vacation is relaxation...which I accomplish with a whole lot of peace and quiet, several books, and adult beverages. When you have four kids...this isn't going to happen. So I have had to reframe my thinking and expectation of what this vacation would be like.

More to follow this week on being TIRED vs. being RESTED which is what really came out of today.

Bottom line- day two in Jamaica has been wonderful and it was time to get away. Cheers to all my friends.

David

Catch Up

When you have been gone this long from blogging, where do you even start????

I have no idea! So, I will just jump in with a little summary of life.

David- doesn't have to travel too much with work now (as compared to previous seasons of life) but over the last month, he has been very busy. The first week of February he stayed in DC for the week in order to support the President's National Prayer Breakfast and to work. DC isn't far away but his schedule is so packed during this week that it just makes more sense to stay downtown. The next week was Snowmagedden for us in Northern VA. Here at the house we got 30+ inches. Then David's travel went in motion. He spent 8 days in Germany, had 30 hours at home, then went to Columbus, OH for 4 days. He had 3 days at home and then spent 3 more days in Columbus.
He is home now and it is SO NICE. We miss him when he's gone.

Colin- He is doing well in 6th grade. He loves school and loves playing outside. He is participating in Area Orchestra (experienced students from 6 Elementary Schools). Their concert is in 2 weeks. Colin is prepping for Spring Soccer Season and already starting to plan his birthday party (he can't wait to be 18, so 12 needs to hurry up and get here). Just a couple of weeks ago, I attended the Parent Orientation Night for Colin's move to middle school next year. Colin has been attending Youth Group at The Falls Church since January. He loves it. There are about 200 kids for the first hour and then they break out into small groups of 12. He has a great group of 6th grade guys and 2 awesome leaders (we are thrilled that he likes it and BONUS- it's only 15 minutes a way!).

Connor- is ready for Travel Soccer Season to start. He has enjoyed Winter Training (for the last 6 weeks on Friday nights) but he is ready to be in fully engaged in the season. His team attended a Pre-Season Scrimmage Event last Sunday and went 2 and 2. In the last game, Connor scored the winning goal! Since he normally plays midfield or defender. He has had many assists but this was his first goal in a game since starting Travel Soccer. It made it that much more special to him that it was the game-winner! Connor is also doing well in school and enjoys it. He starts learning the recorder this month and can't wait for next year when he will be learning Violin.


Sybella- loves preschool and is ready to start swimming lessons. She has the vocabulary of a much older child and is quite certain that she is the "first born," it must be that 6-year space between her and Connor. She is a wonderful helper and so smart. I am constantly amazed by the conversations we have. She is truly a blessing to me. The highlight of Sybella's month is that while dad was gone to Germany, Sybella's room went from white (with marker drawings) to Lime Green (or Lemon Green if you ask her, she can't remember the word lime). Last week she wore her 'Cat in the Hat' Hat to school to celebrate Dr. Suess' Birthday. She loves Dr. Suess books, especially Apples up on Top, One Fish Two Fish, and The Cat in the Hat.


Cooper- This child is ON THE MOVE. He can crawl up the stairs (all the way to the top). He can surf down our short staircase (5 stairs) on his tummy. He uses sign language to communicate: milk, more (as in food), and down (when he's done in the high chair). He is trying to stand independently, cruises our furniture with ease, and will soon be walking. He has the cutest curls in the back of his hair and his eyes have stayed blue. He is starting to try to say words: DaDa, Dow (for Down), and shakes his head No whenever he doesn't want something. He has a contagious smile and is definitely going to be trying to keep up with the older kids! He has 2 bottom teeth and the top 2 are coming in now. The only thing he doesn't do that I am READY for him to do is.......you guessed it, Sleep Thru The Night!

Sharon- I am busy staying at home with the kids. I have taken on a role as the Connections Ministry Leader at our church. I have taken on a project for the PTA. I still attend Community Bible Study in McLean once a week. I am leading a Video Teleconference Small Group this semester (a new role and total experiment that I love-- post to follow soon). I am the treasurer for the Travel Soccer team. I am working diligently on weight loss. And drum roll........since I turn 35 this month, it is the year of the Marathon (post to follow)!

A Hair Cut

Sybella found some scissors today while I was feeding the baby (on the couch- just 15 feet away) and proceeded to RAPIDLY cut her hair. Seriously, she was speed cutting; by the time I got to her and stopped the fiasco, this is what I collected on the floor!!

I didn't take a picture of Sybella after the haircut but here is a shot I took 2 days later (on her birthday) and amazingly, Sybella has so much hair that you can't even tell that she cut it. Gotta love it.

Things I Think About

In any given day, we think about thousands of things. I suspect that most of the time they are habitual or repetitive thoughts regarding our 'To Do' Lists, E-Mails, Meetings, Phone Calls, Meals, Chores and the like.

I often break up the rut of my thinking by exploring things that I absolutely have little or no capacity to engage in.

This is an email that I sent this morning to my husband:

"I MUST be sleep deprived. Here are just some things that I was thinking about this morning:

Painting the two bedrooms

Bunk Beds for the Little Kids

My MBA (yes, graduate school)

Friends Colin could take to his Scavenger Hunt

The trip to Korea

Flying in Chad’s Cessna

Losing weight

Blogging

Working Out

Marathon Training"

Have a great day and THINK about some New, Exciting, Invigorating, and maybe even Spiritual things today (even if you won't get to them)!

Field Trip Fun

Today, I took Sybella and Cooper to Van Dyke Park. Connor's class had a field trip this morning and stopped at the park to enjoy their lunch and recess before going back to school. Parents and siblings were invited to join them.
We made the trek over to the park (since it's less than a mile from our house).
The skateboarding park is also located here so we got to watch some skateboarders (a big hit with Sybella and the 2nd graders).
I took some pictures of the kids: having lunch, Connor helping Sybella out with the Monkey Bars, Sybella driving the fire truck, Connor playing with a group of his classmates, and then Hugs "Good-Bye." Sybella had fun. Cooper ate and then slept through the whole thing. And Connor was thrilled and surprised that we joined him!
**Don't forget that if you click on the pictures/mosaics in the blog, they will enlarge for better viewing.

Dominican Republic Trip GROWS into Long-Term Missions

WOW!!!!!

We are so excited to share our friend Katie McFaddin with you. Katie was one of our teammates on the Dominican Republic (DR) Missions Trip in January. God has such big plans for Katie. He used the DR Trip, along with its people, our missions team, and the missionaries we served with to water a seed that He planted in Katie's heart.
I am including part of Katie's newsletter/announcement here. But the short story is that 7 days is GROWING into a YEAR of missionary service through Katie's willingness to listen to God's voice and take action on what God laid on her heart during the recent trip to the DR.

From Katie's Newsletter: I’ve shared with many that while I was on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic in January, 2009 that I felt called to serve on a long-term mission assignment, but I had no idea exactly what, where, when or how… After prayer and getting advice from other Christian friends, I interviewed for the World Race with Adventures in Missions. The World Race is a mission assignment to serve Christ in 11 countries in 11 months with a team of 50 young adults. In February, I found out that I was accepted to run the race!
…and then I developed a “Jonah-syndrome” and went back to the chaos of work and comforts of life in Washington, D.C. I’m grateful that God puts us back in our place because as of April 17, I was spewed out of the belly of the whale, or in other words, RIFFED along with a large chunk of my former co-workers due to major budget cuts.
I’m so grateful that God is in control and He’s working through me, calling me to be His hands, feet, mouth and heart in all parts of the world. I’m ready to go, serve, teach, and to be used by Him!

Katie's race will begin in August 2009 and will include the following locations: Cambodia, Egypt, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Romania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam and another country in Africa to be decided later.
If you are able, please consider supporting Katie. Prayers are always essential but consider financial support too. Katie will need to raise approximately $14,000 in the short-term just to embark on the journey and will need some additional support over the coming year. You can make a one time contribution or commit to monthly support. I assure it, it will not only be worth it but your contributions will have eternal value.

I am amazed at Katie's spirit, heart, and her willingness (in her words) to spend the year: ministering to the poor, sharing God’s love to widows and orphans, building community, growth, discipleship, and being a part of God's work all over the world. My greatest desire is to allow God to use me outside of my comfort zone and serve for His glory. During this trip, I will have the opportunity to pray for and minister to people who need to hear of salvation through Jesus Christ.

**Links to Katie's blog and support page are included.

Toddler Time

On Monday, Sybella and I attended her first Toddler Time class. We had fun! She enjoyed herself so much. There are about 8 kids in the group.

Since I worked when the other kids were little, I have attended Mom's Groups, playgroups, soccer camps, summer camps, and Library reading times BUT, I have never attended a structured "class" for 2-year-olds. It was a new experience: lots of songs, obstacle courses, bubbles, balloons, music instruments, puppets, & bean bags (along with Total Parent Participation). I felt a bit weird and silly, probably the structured & serious part of my personality...however, then I thought, "My mom did this stuff when I was little, and she LOVED it, I'm quite sure." So, I smiled and knew that I will get used to it. Abandoning the serious part of my personality (in a group setting) for a little while and feeling silly is a "minor" in the big picture of wanting to be a part of my kids lives!

Final Notes

Very sad to see this come to a close. Let’s be honest, it’s in the high 70’s and back home in DC it is in the 30’s…would you want it to end?

On a more serious note, it has been fantastic to have 3 generations of men in the mission field at the same time and working together (My father, me, and my son).

The team has gotten close and spent every day together, we have been able to spread the love of Christ and in just one short week we were able to:
- reach out to over 300 people with medical needs,
- engage, love, and share Jesus with hundreds of kids,
- see over a hundred families prayed for, and
- encourage and serve local leaders and missionaries who are on the frontlines daily.

I AM HERE

One of the team members pointed out something written on the wall of many of the homes in the community we visited. “Territoio de Dios” …in English…”God is Here” or “God walks here”. This is a clear demonstration of the cultural influence in the community; but I love that you can see this on so many homes.

Would you write this on the side of your house?

In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 we are given instruction on how we should handle scripture and one of the instructions is to write it on your door frame. Without going too ‘Old Testament’ on you…how many of the 10 ways described in Deuteronomy do you live out?

The team has truly become like family and we have really come together as one in the body. It is nothing short of miraculous all the things that have happened over the last 6 days.

Extreme Makeover – DR Style!

I watched that show several times and some of the episodes are pretty moving. But today we went in and cleaned and painted the home for a woman who has given everything she has to the community and I will tell you that I was brought to tears.

Elmi has lived for the last 15 years in Sabana Perdida (The Lost Delta) which is a section of Northeast Santo Domingo that exists right beside the Rio Ozama. The Ozama River flooded terribly in November of 2007 and tens of thousands of homes were simply

washed away in the 30 foot high flooding.

This past year Hurricane Ivan pounded the shores again and water rose to the roof of her home. Still she stays because this is home and this is where she feels called to serve. Words cannot fully describe the conditions and environment.

Over the last year missionaries have brought supplies to Elmi and she has NEVER accepted any of it for her personal use. She gives everything away and today to see her face and feel her joy as we served her and were able to bless this amazing leader in the community…it was powerful!

You want me to do what? Go West!

Today we headed west of the capital city Santo Domingo to a rural compo – Norte de San Cristobal. We spent the day doing medical outreach and after our initial concerns about running out of medicine, we were able to see more people with less chaos in the same amount of time. God blessed this day on so many levels:

- Over 140 were seen by the physicians and given prescriptions…and I don’t think anyone got out of there without being prayed for.

- The neighbor open his garage to us and we had over 75 children at one point all piled into the garage coloring, laughing, playing, and seeing the love of Jesus.

- We were able to work with Pastora Daisy Mena and gave her DVD’s, CD’s, and other materials for her youth ministry as well as all kinds of sporting equipment.

At one point Colin got hit with a ball and so I took him for a walk. After several minutes I noticed more and more children following Colin and I. As we headed west down a road the kids pointed out an area with ‘shin high’ weeds. They told us it was their ‘baseball’ field, to which my ‘inside’ voice said, “You want me to do what? Play baseball in that!”. A few minutes later we broke out some tennis balls and bats. There so many kids wanting to play…I think it shows how God takes one bad thing and turns it around to His glory.

It also showed me how grateful these children were for a few tennis balls, a bat, and a very crude baseball field. Pastora Daisy has an incredible church that has some remarkable young men

 being mentored and who will change the face of that community over the next 10 years.

Arrival in Country

We gathered around 5am at Reagan National with the wind blowing and the temperature around 20 degrees. This team of people coming from the financial community, healthcare industry, and government has a unique make-up, to include a pregnant mother (6 months along) and a 10-year-old. Without taking anything away from each member of this team, we all come from different backgrounds and I think it demonstrates that God doesn’t call the equipped…He equips those who are called.

We landed in the capital city of Santo Domingo and I have to admit that the 80 degree weather has been awesome as we embark on this journey. Our first day was more administrative in nature but necessary preparation as we will have a packed week. We brought over a hundred pounds of sports equipment, pharmaceuticals, and teaching materials. Bud and Karen Simon (yes…my parents) who we will be working alongside gave us a run down on all the areas where we will be spending time this week.

Our hosts Greg and Melynda Burge have opened their home referred to locally as the “The Mission House.” Just hearing their story as how they and their 3 kids came to the Dominican Republic (DR) was powerful. They have a beautiful home and we spent time on the roof of the home team building just before the sunset.

The team took advantage of a relaxed evening of spending time with each other, the missionaries, and our hosts to continue to ‘gel’ as a team as we prepare to serve the people of this beautiful and yet impoverished country.

Whirlwind tour for the holidays

Colorado, Arizona, and back again...

It was not my intention...as a matter of fact it is an unspoken rule not to travel after the 15th of December up through the New Year. 

But there I was heading to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit one of my mentors and his friends at Timberline. I had a wonderful time. When I arrived on Saturday morning it was in the 50's and sunny...by the time I woke up on Sunday morning it was in the teens, dropping, and 6 inches of 

snow had arrived. Now I know why they ski so much in Colorado. 

To make the trip a little crazy I left the Denver Airport (after being delayed 4 hours) around 12:30am and arrived in Arizona at 3am. I never really went to sleep because I had to be out on the golf course for a 10am tee time. The sun came up and my body was not to happy to never have enough darkness to really get quality sleep. 

I hit the ball around a beautiful course, Starr Pass, in Tucson, AZ. This is a new and incredible resort in Arizona that is 20 minutes from the airport. As part of my day to day responsibilities at ATS, I stayed the rest 

of the week to attend meetings at the Intelligence Warfighter Summit. 

Thursday morning caught the plane to Phoenix and started my journey home to DC. 

Lots of planning

Well we are officially heading to the Dominican Republic (DR) as part of the A1:8 Project (http://www.aoneeight.org/). In partnership with NCC and Salt & Light Ministries...Sharon and I will be leading a team to the DR in January of 2009!

We are meeting to discuss the details and inform people of how they can join us in the DR. Sharon and I will be at Ebz Coffeehouse in downtown DC Saturday night (Oct 25) at 7:30pm and then Sunday (the 26th) at 12:00pm in the Food Court at Ballston Common Mall.

More to follow...

Catalyst

Heading to Atlanta tomorrow. Sharon and I will be getting away to focus on how the year has gone so far, set some long range goals, spend time with wonderful friends, and have an opportunity for the two of us to just enjoy a few minutes of down time without the kids around. 

Great conference and incredible line up: Seth Godin, Jim Collins, Andy Stanley, Dave Ramsey, Craig Groeschel, Mark Batterson, and so many more.