Acai Bowls

We have been blessed to live in some delicious places. We fell in love with Lowcountry Boil and Shrimp n' Grits when we lived in Charleston, SC. We fell in love with the most deliciously fresh farmers market produce year round while we lived in Monterey, CA. We fell in love with Kalua Pork, Mac Nut Pancakes, Fried Rice Omlettes, and Acai Bowls when we lived in Hawaii. I am constantly craving dishes from places we once lived that take me back to sweet memories. 

Acai bowls are one of my more frequent cravings and for some unfathomable reason they are not available at most smoothie places on the mainland. We discovered one awesome crunchy smoothie joint in Santa Barbara a couple of years ago that I insist we go out of our way to get back to whenever passing by Santa Barbara. Anyway, it's been a long time coming, but I finally learned to make them myself after discovering that Whole Foods carries frozen packets of acai puree, an ingredient difficult to come by most places. So last week I went on a pilgrimage to Whole Foods which involved driving to another state, but I came home with an insulated bag full of frozen acai packets and a bag full of 10 pomegranates {because for some reason the stores near us feel like once Christmas is over we don't need pomegranates anymore- false!}. 

Without further ado... here is how I concocted my delicious acai bowl:

Blend the following:

Frozen acai packet broken into pieces

1/3 cup frozen strawberries

1/3 cup frozen blackberries

1/2 banana

2/3 cup apple cider (could use apple juice)

Top with:

granola (see my homemade recipe here)

coconut flakes

banana slices

honey

This was so good! Tasted just like I remember except for the nuttiness of the granola I used, which was still good. This is what I crave most post-workout so I am thrilled to now be able to make it. Hope you enjoy it too if you try it out, which I highly recommend!

Na Pali Hike

Several months ago when Sam and I were planning our Hawaiian vacation I selflessly suggested we consider hiking Na Pali, an idea he immediately jumped on because he has wanted to hike it ever since we first visited Kauai and went on a catamaran tour. As much as I dislike hiking, I am generally up for a challenge and realize if I don't do these things with Sam, he won't ever get to do them, so we made our plans. Then I spent the months leading up to the hike becoming more and more terrified as I read discussion boards and google image searched the Kalalau Trail going so far as crying envisioning my children as orphans after their parents fell of a cliff.

Our feelings starting this hike 

Finally the day arrived and despite my prayers, the weather was perfect and we embarked on our journey. Our plan was 11 miles in, camp at Kalalau Beach, 11 miles out, with a stipulation that if I ever deemed something too risky {for the sake of our children} we would turn back.

The terrain was tough. In many places very steep and narrow but nothing completely terrifying until just before the 7 mile point. At this point we had been hiking nearly continuously for 4 hours and were exhausted. We reached a series of dusty, steep switchbacks that you had to work pretty hard not to slide down and off the edge of a cliff. The trail opened up to a view of the valley and the next peak which included another set of narrow dusty switchbacks leading up to a portion that is referred to as Crawler's Ledge which is basically a completely exposed rock face that you free-climb across hundreds of feet over waves crashing off the rocks below. I lost it. Sat down on the dusty trail and sobbed. My legs were shaking with fear and exhaustion. My heart was pounding and though I never took a step that made me fear for my life, as I promised myself as a parent I absolutely would not do, discouragement was mounting inside me that for as fas at the eye could see things did not get better, only worse. Sam offered to turn back and I just set silently sobbing and praying, "God, I don't want to do this, but Sam really does, help me to make the right choice, the wise choice, not to quit from exhaustion, but not to step into anything irresponsibly risky as a parent." And this is what I clearly felt in response, "Can you take one more safe step?" Yes. "Don't let the trail ahead scare you, just take the next safe step. If you get to a point where there isn't a next safe step, then turn back, but not now because now you can take one more step." So I got up and took another step and another {probably much to Sam's surprise}, and lo and behold 3 hours later we collapsed on beautiful Kalalau Beach which is only accessible by this 11 mile trek. I am not going to glorify the experience because I truly hated every minute and never in a million years would I do it again, but I made it. And the next day, despite much complaining during the last two miles which I thought surely my feet could not endure a single step more of abuse, we made it back out. Facing Crawler's Ledge and the dusty switchbacks the second day I was much calmer and even able to appreciate the feat we were accomplishing because one of my better qualities is that when there is no other option, I am fairly good at sucking it up.

The view from my meltdown location {taken on the way back because on the way there I was in no mood for pictures!}

We made it to our campsite at Kalalau Beach!

Sunset from our camp

At some point on the return hike, just past the arduous Crawler's Ledge an older Hawaiian man, who must have been at least part mountain goat based on the way I'd seen him hopping along the cliffs like it ain't no thang, must have noticed the weariness on my face and offered encouragement. "The worst part is over and the rest of the trail never gets any longer or any shorter but you guys will be okay, I can tell you are pono, which is Hawaiian for righteous, you guys have a good vibe." I forced a smile and thanks and kept on walking wondering what the Hawaiian word for "wimpy and grumpy" was because that seemed to me a more accurate assessment of my "vibe." When we got back to civilization, and cell phone service, I googled "pono" and found this description,

"Pono, the word itself, means 'right,' and describes that exquisite sense of rightness that comes from being at one with everything. It is based on the ancient Hawaiian belief in spirit greatness and self power, in the unconditional love and compassion for, and the spirit connections between, all things."
~Connie Rios "Ka Hana Pono" 2000

I almost died laughing. I'm not sure where he got the idea that I was "pono" from. It certainly wasn't from my response earlier in the day when in passing he asked how we were doing and I skipped all niceties and answered point blank, "miserable." Maybe it was from the oneness with nature my previously white tank top was displaying at that point in the day after crawling over miles of Hawaiian dirt?

Aside from my second {horrible} birth experience, this hike was without a doubt the toughest thing I have ever done physically, mentally, and emotionally. I'm so grateful for my wonderful, supportive, encouraging climbing partner, my husband, because I truly couldn't have {and wouldn't have in the first place...} been able to do it without him. Not once did he tell me "it's okay," a pet peeve we both learned I have during that 2nd premature child-birthing experience, but he offered a hand and a steadfast belief that I could do it.

I wouldn't go so far as to say I am grateful for the experience, but I am grateful for the life lesson I took away from it. So often I want a sneak peak at God's plan for my life when in reality if He showed me I would probably be paralyzed with fear and discouragement like I was on that hike. All I need to focus on is taking the next step on the path He has set before me and though at times it may be scary and may lead to even scarier places still, I can trust in His guidance and take that step with confidence.

Na Pali. Climbed in and out and around and over about a million of these things. 

Kalalau Valley behind us. Smiling because we thought we were almost finished... we weren't!

Vision

Our family has spent the past 2 months traveling and moving cross country. But more on that later. Today I wanted to share a couple of entries from my journal over that time.

10/14/13
I've been looking forward to a new women's conference for months. The authors of many books that have been extremely influential for me over the past year are all on the leadership team for this conference and I was excited to go and learn from them and worship with them. A few days ago I even bought my plane tickets to Austin, TX for the conference. I was a little nervous when they announced pre-registration for email subscribers would open today at 11am CST when I would be on a flight and unable to register. During a hectic layover I hurriedly got out my smart phone to register only to find the event had sold out with-in an hour of opening, an hour which I was on a flight! I had told myself if this happened it would be a sign that I wasn't meant to go but it was still so disappointing. Reading the words of these women was like reading the beat of my own heart and I just knew I was meant to be there. In my disappointment as I tried to convince myself it wasn't meant to be I felt God whisper to my heart, "I AM all you need. You have My Word and My Spirit." Truth sinks in and heals all, including disappointment. Joy and peace overcome me as I thank my God for being my All in All, for empowering and inspiring me directly through His Word and His Spirit such that though other women have much to teach me, I have the greatest Teacher already who can speak to me, change me and move me without any conference. He already planned exactly who needed to be there and He planned that I would not be and made sure of it by putting me on an airplane while all the spots sold out. I think I was hoping for this conference to help give me a vision and a plan for how I can be used in the Kingdom when really, the only One who can do that is the King. I am so excited for what God is going to do through IF: Gathering and I am so excited and anxious for what He is going to do in me!

10/20/13
Standing in church this morning at our old church in Hawaii, Inspire Church Waikele, I think God may have given me a vision of the next step in His plan for me. When we left Hawaii 3 years ago I was on the verge of a major life change which triggered in me an identity crisis. I left a job I loved and felt called to (teaching) and a church and a small group where I was inspired and challenged, and moved to California and immediately became a stay-at-home-mom; the first "job" I ever felt under-qualified and inadequate for. It was a rough transition learning not to find my identity in my professional success, but in my Creator, not in my calling, but in Who called me. It took me nearly a year, probably more, to work through that and in some ways I still struggle with it. As a SAHM I often feel bored and discontented and want more purpose and meaning in my everyday. I want it for myself and I want to model it for my children. I want our family to make a difference outside the walls of our home and with two young children I have struggled to find a way to do that with them and their naps and bedtimes, etc. Over the past year God has also been teaching me through His Word (mainly the Gospels) and through Christian women writers about His serious call to all believers to care for "the least of these." He has developed in me a new tenderness and compassion for the less fortunate and I have been struggling to figure out what to do with that. We've crunched our budget, given more, planned and funded awareness events, and still the tug remains on my heart to do something more. I honestly don't know where to start. Even if I didn't have young children I don't know where to start. Giving money is good and necessary but isn't everything and I feel like there is so much more to this. People need more than money. I need more than just tightening the budget and throwing money towards them. We need real community, real relationships. But I don't know where to start, especially with children. I know there are other moms who feel the same way. I just talked to a good friend who doesn't even share my faith who is longing for a way to help her family give back to the community and those in need. Standing in church during worship this morning the Spirit overwhelmed me with His love and the powerful connection of the body of believers worshiping together and I felt like I was right where I belonged and He gave me a vision of finding opportunities for moms to make a difference in the community. A vision of partnering with churches and community organizations to find ways for moms and their children to serve and build community across boundaries. I don't have a clue where to start, but the passion is there and the vision has been cast. Father, help me. Open doors and guide me.

It wasn't until reading back through my journal that I recognized the connection between these two entries. But now it blows me away to see how God provided what I was seeking by shutting one door and opening another. Please pray for me as I continue to seek God's guidance and move forward with the vision He has given me!

Monterey CA {The Place We Call Home... for now}

It is a glamorous life being a military wife. I am currently laying on my completely bare mattress eating the last remaining food items out of my freezer which happen to be an "uncrustable" kids PB&J and a bag of lima beans, while I am stranded at home alone with no husband, no car, no kids {hallelujah}, practically no food, and a house full of boxes wondering how on earth we have accumulated an estimated 10,192 pounds of stuff?! The packers are busy downstairs packing up the last 3 to 5 thousand pounds of our belongings while I am supposed to be cleaning. But one can only scrub a bath tub for so long before they need to take a break and have a bag of lima beans and a frozen PB&J. Please try not to be jealous, I know you all want my life right now.

In all seriousness though, I feel ridiculously blessed to get to live in the amazing places the Navy has sent us over the past 7 years and Monterey is no exception. I knew nothing about this place when we moved here and it is pretty much nothing how I imagined, but regardless, it is challenging to let go of the very full life we have built here.

As a military wife, I am always meeting other spouses destined for the places we have already lived asking about living there and for any recommendations. So while Monterey is still fresh in my heart and my mind, I thought I would put off the cleaning a few minutes longer to pass on some of our local favorites for those of you who may end up living or visiting here in the future.

Some general information:

Monterey is on the central coast of California. It stays around 60 degrees most of the year. "Summer" occurs in September and October when the temperatures reach into the sweltering {ha} 70's. I do not recommend getting in the ocean, I once put my toe in and nearly died of hypothermia. The area is full of micro-climates and the weather can be significantly different 5 minutes down the road. Something to pay attention to if you're house hunting.

All the little towns from Carmel up Route 1 through Marina are very close together and there is practically no traffic. Unless it's the week of the car show or the motorcycle event, in which case, just stay out of town and pray for it to end.

Things to do:

Farmer's Market. There are farmer's markets year round practically everyday somewhere in the area. The largest is Tuesday evenings 4-7pm on Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey. Beautiful produce, delicious food vendors, street performers and more. My other favorite farmer's market for produce, meat/fish, and flowers is Friday morning 10am-1pm at MPC.

Monterey Bay Aquarium. Really nice aquarium, year-long passes are very affordable, kids love it. Make sure you bring quarters for parking.

MY Museum. The children's museum downtown is really fun for toddlers and elementary aged kids. Year-long passes are very affordable.

Earthbound Farm Stand. A fun place to go in Carmel Valley in the fall. They have a corn maze, gardens, a pumpkin patch, and a little store. Check online for schedule of events.

Carmel Valley Tasting Rooms. A bunch of wineries have tasting rooms in Carmel Valley within walking distance of one another. Makes for a fun afternoon.

Coastal Trail. There is a paved coastal trail along the water that runs for miles and miles along the old railroad. Great for running, biking, strolling. It goes right by Del Monte Beach, Lover's Point, Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the Aquarium. There is a free parking lot with access right across from the Del Monte gate to NPS.

Beach Bonfires. Most of the beaches you can have fires on. Our favorite is Carmel Beach because the sunset is breathtaking on a clear night from there. Make sure you are South of 10th street to have a fire though. And don't forget the s'mores!

Point Lobos. Really pretty hiking without leaving Monterey!

Gizdich Ranch Fruit Picking. The ranch is about 30 minutes from Monterey in Watsonville and they have various pick-your-own fruits available in season. Check their schedule online. We've been berry picking and apple picking there and the kids loooove it! There is also a nice little picnic area near their little barn store and make sure to try the Apple-Ollalieberry juice- yum!

Nearby:

San Francisco. Less than 2 hours North.

Santa Cruz. 45 minutes North. Check out the summer concert series on the beach boardwalk there.

Big Sur. Drive about an hour South for gorgeous uninhabited coastal views and some good hiking.

Sonoma & Napa. Drive 2 and a half hours North, or better yet, take a long weekend, and do some wine and olive oil tasting and tour some beautiful wineries.

Hearst Castle. Gorgeous old California estate 2 hours South.

Tahoe. 5 hours Northeast. Not exactly "nearby" but absolutely worth a trip!

Santa Barbara. 4 hours South, also definitely worth a trip!

Restaurants:

I think I will mourn the loss of the most delicious place I have ever lived more than anything else about California!

Red House Cafe. Home-y comfort food where you can taste the freshness. Quaint and comfortable little location in Pacific Grove. Wish I could eat there breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day!

Passionfish. Specializes in sustainable seafood menu items. A little pricier but unforgettably good.

Esteban. Spanish tapas place in the Casa Munras hotel in Monterey. Everything on the menu is delicious and it's probably the place we go most frequently on date night (like last night!).

Restaurant 1833. My favorite place for ambiance! And the food does not disappoint! More of a special-occassion type place. We have reservations with our beloved small group from church for our last night in town.

Trailside Cafe. One of my favorite places to meet friends for lunch after a walk on the trail or a morning at the close-by aquarium.

Chopstix. I had lunch nearly every single Sunday for 3 years at this amazing Vietnamese place. My favorite Pho anywhere {and I have lived in Southeast Asia, so that's sayin something}. You know you are a regular when the owner gives you a big hug and cries on your last visit before your move. Yep, that happened yesterday.

The Forge in the Forest. Another favorite place to meet girlfriends for lunch while shopping in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Try the San Francisco fondue- yum!

Lilian's. This Italian place is up in Santa Cruz, but worth the drive. And make sure you call ahead or you'll be waiting for at least an hour, for good reason!

Thai Bistro in new Monterey.

Crystalfish in new Monterey for sushi!

Full Moon in old Monterey for Chinese. Best Chinese restaurant ever! Think white meat chicken, fresh veggies and the best egg flower soup you'll ever taste!

Turtle Bay Taqueria for fish tacos

Other recommendations:

Pediatrician: Monterey Pediatric Group, Dr Dwelle & Dr Bennett. I cannot say enough good things about either of these doctors!

Family Practice: Pacific Medical Group, Dr Sweet

Obstetrician: Dr Keith (who I had and loved), Dr Alexander & Dr Walker are also wonderful according to several friends

Hair Dresser: Chris at Venus Salon

Preschool: I cannot say enough good things about Mother's Morning Out at First Presbyterian.

Church: we love Shoreline Community Church

I know there are many great doctors and hairdressers and preschools and churches but I can only speak from my experience and we have been so pleased with all of those mentioned above.

Hopefully those of you potentially moving to or visiting this area that we currently call "home" find some of this information helpful! I may be looking for similar recommendations from my fellow military spouses the next time we are moving to an unfamiliar place!

Home

The past couple of weeks I have been traveling. I went "home" to visit a few friends, two of which recently had new babies I just had to meet. As a military family, we move a lot and often where we call home is confusing. Over these past couple of weeks I've discovered what "home" means to me.

Home is...

... husbands old baseball glove becoming a permanent attachment to Q's hand

... sister snuggling Lanie Kate

... La Tolteca's fried chicken chimichangas

... an old school boom box in the back seat of sister's hand-me-down old Corolla because the radio stopped working

... Cracker Barrel's steak biscuits and a strangers friendly smile

... discussing life dreams over dinner

... a farmers market, a toy store, homemade local chocolate, and the best BBQ and hush puppies I've ever had

... staying up way too late talking face-to-face with dearly missed friends

... driving down VA 64 on a warm day in early spring with country music on the radio
... Colonial Williamsburg on a warm sunny day
... "turkey and provolone on french with house dressing" at the Williamsburg Cheese Shoppe with a good girlfriend
... chocolate covered gummy bears from Wythe Candy
... camera, backdrops, baby clothes, hot glue, elastic, fabric scraps, feathers, beads, and a creative friend
... mini vans, siblings bickering in the back seat, and soccer practice
... Q leading Granpop and sister in a porch dance
... playing with daddy's hair
... going to sister's restaurant for dinner, sister stealing LK to show her off, Q "helping" sister take orders, Daddy and sister arguing about who will get the check
... watching my best friend take care of her first baby
... holding my best friend's baby and trying to remember when LK was even smaller than him
... taking the babies to the bar for happy hour
... trying to guess when J is being serious or sarcastic
... shopping for Orioles gear in a physical store
... two-way challenge and encouragement from trusted friends
... keeping the kids up way too late to spend precious time with their great grandmas, aunt, and uncle
... going to Chick-fil-a five times in two weeks because you never know when it will be your last chance
... Q cheering when the plane touches down in California
... falling asleep in husband's arms
... talking for thirty minutes in the grocery store with a great friend because I have been gone for two weeks and thirty minutes doesn't even scratch the surface on all we have to catch up on

What a wonderful time the kids and I had on the East coast with our friends and family! We truly did not want to leave, but are also truly glad to be back with husband and our California friends who are like family.

Flying with Young Children

As I prepare myself for my littlest's first of many cross country flights coming up this year, I have been thinking back on all the things I have learned about air travel with young children from our many flights with our 2 year old. I frequently get asked for advice about traveling with young children based on my son's resume, which includes numerous cross country and international flights, and my willingness to travel alone and pregnant with my toddler.  Hopefully you will find some of our tips and tricks useful too!

Before getting into specifics, I'll start off with my general philosophy regarding traveling with young children. It might be miserable {probably not as miserable as you think it will be, but the potential is always there...}, but it is only ONE day {even flying to the literal opposite side of the world takes less than 24 hours. I know... I've done it... 6 months pregnant with a 20 month old :-) }. The more you can make that one day like your children's normal days, the smoother it will likely go.

Stick to your usual nap/sleep schedule as much as possible 
If your child takes a morning and afternoon nap at home, try to have them do the same while traveling. You obviously may have to adjust nap times based on lay overs and such. And I know it can be difficult to get kids to go to sleep in your lap with so many distractions, but even just encouraging at least a "rest" time that follows their typical nap times helps too if you can't get them to actually sleep. {I would advise planning nap/night times based on the time zone your child is use to when you start your journey as opposed to trying to acclimate them to a new time zone the same day as traveling}

Our kids both had/have nap time items they only get at nap and night time {pacifier/special stuffed animal/blanket} which help them know that it is time to go to sleep or at least rest. We have found the special "sleep-status" of these items extremely helpful when traveling.  Even if we can't lay them down in their crib or bed, if we give them their nap items it cues them to what time it is.

We never held or rocked our children to sleep because we wanted them to know how to fall asleep on their own which has resulted in children who have a hard time falling asleep in our arms {like they are on a plane}. The one exception to this that works for us is putting them in the Ergo carrier {any baby carrier with the child facing you should work fine}. So sometimes that comes in handy for us getting them to fall asleep on a plane or in an airport.

Nurse or Drink during take-off/landing/altitude changes
As babies, both our children followed a loose nursing routine in which they nurse every 3-4 hours during the days. As a rule, I do not let them nurse between those meal times {i.e. snacking} because I want them to eat good meals. However, I throw this rule out the window when flying. Swallowing helps clear the pressure that builds up in your ears when changing altitude.  Babies and young children do not understand how to do this on their own so giving them something to swallow helps. {p.s. a pacifier doesn't do the trick because they actually need to swallow, not just suck, to clear their ears}

Both my babies have loved nursing so they would nurse whenever I offered it to them, so just after the plane takes off and right after the plane starts making its final descent to land, I would always encourage them to nurse even if it hadn't been 3 hours since their last meal. One day of "snacking" never started any bad habits when I have done this in the past.

After a year of age when my son was no longer nursing I would give him sips of juice during these times. My son only gets 1 cup of watered down juice per day so juice is a real treat for him and I know he will drink it. Doesn't matter what it is that you give your kids to swallow, just pick something that they like so you know they will drink/eat it. After going through security I would always stop and buy a bottle of juice to put in his sippy cup when he was little so that I knew I would have something ready for take-off. {A little tip I learned the hard way... if your child loves juice so much that they will guzzle the whole cup the minute you give it to them like my son... only offer them sips every few minutes so they can continue to clear their ears throughout the whole altitude change}

Bring their car seat on the plane if you can
With children under 2, you may be planning to fly with them on your lap to save money.  You can still ask the airline when you check in if they have extra space, in which case they may let you bring your car seat on the plane rather than checking it. Do it! In our experience, kids do so much better in their own car seat than on a lap or in a seat without a car seat. Probably because they already know how to behave in a car seat from daily "training" as they ride around town. This is particularly helpful if your children {like mine} do not like to fall asleep if they are being held.

{Another lesson learned the hard way on a 21 hour international journey flying pregnant without my husband with a 15 month old I had purchased a $1,000+ ticket for so I could use his car seat... if you are really set on traveling with a car seat, make sure to call the airline -do not trust their website- ahead of time to make sure they will allow your car seat.  Some airlines don't allow rear-facing car seats.}

Give them ONE toy/book at a time and put it away each time when they are done
This strategy has helped us not need to pack so much stuff which is a life saver when hauling a toddler, a car seat, and all your stuff around an airport during plane changes. I pack a few books and a few small toys or activities and rotate through them. All you parents know that your kid does not mind reading the same book over and over and over again... for once, this love of repetition works to our advantage! And if you put toys aways after each use, young children think they are new again when you bring it out again 5 minutes later.

Entertainment ideas:
Books. Remember kids don't mind reading the same one over and over!
Songs. "Old McDonald" has helped my child get over many many tantrums and keeps toddlers busy thinking of animals. Or bring and ipod with some of their favorite songs and play it softly or through ear phones if your child will wear them {I figure other passengers would rather listen to The Donut Man softly sing than my child scream}
Pictures. My son is a narcissist. He could happily look at pictures and videos of himself all day long! I always have some on my iphone that I can whip out if need be.
Videos. Our kids don't watch TV before 2 years of age as a rule, but the exception to that rule is flights... I download an episode of a kiddie show on my iphone before traveling. Now that my oldest is over 2 and has a longer attention span, I will probably bring the portable DVD player and one of his favorite videos on our future flights.
Crayons and Stickers. Once they are old enough obviously.

Packing your carry-on:
Be prepared but try not to over pack.  Over-packing will just make it more difficult for you to find what you need, not to mention, more of a pain dragging it all through the airport!  I am easily able to fit everything I need in a large zippered Land's End canvas tote that fits under the seat so I can easily reach what I need with a child on my lap.

Healthy, simple snacks. If your kids aren't use to a lot of processed sugar, flying is not the time to introduce them to it as a "treat." Who knows how it will effect your child {hyper, tummy ache, etc}. Opt for tried and true favorites, preferably that your child can feed themselves if they are old enough. We loved organic mum-mums {dissolvable rice crackers} and organic puffs when our son was really little.  Then he graduated to goldfish crackers and craisins {which he thinks are candy}. Normally our kids don't do much snacking, but when we fly, as long as it's not junk, I use snacks as a weapon against melt-downs.

Blanket for the floor. I tend to use a blanket on an empty seat next to me {if there is one} or on the floor in the back of the plane to change diapers rather than waiting in line and trying to wrangle children into a minuscule bathroom and precariously perch them on a flimsy fold down diaper changer thingy. But, whatever is easiest/most comfortable for you, do it! The blanket can play double duty in airports during lay overs when you can lay it on the floor for your baby to roll around or sit on and play a little bit for a nice break for your arms.

3 favorite books and 3 favorite small toys for rotating. My husband hates The Peekaboo Book, however it was one of my son's fav's as a baby and we'd rather read a book we hate 2,376 times in a row than listen to a baby screaming for 10 hours {and so would the other people on the plane :-P}. Moral of the story... pick your child's favorites!

Nap/night time items and a baby carrier. Pacifier, stuffed animal, blanket... whatever tells your child "it is time to sleep." For us, the baby carrier helps to keep them relatively immobile and cozy, blocks some of the distractions, and keeps our arms from falling asleep after the baby finnnnally goes to sleep and we are scared to move :-P

Change of cloths for accidents. Layers of clothes for differing temperatures. A "wet bag" or plastic bag for wet/dirty clothes.

Empty sippy or straw cup for toddler drinks.

*If you use cloth diapers like us, consider using disposables on the plane and pack the cloth in checked baggage. We've done it both ways, and for us it just isn't worth all the extra bulk and having to carry all the wet/dirty diapers along with everything else.

*If you make your own baby food like us, consider buying the organic packets with the screw-on spoon for travel.  I always keep these in my diaper bag whether traveling or not since I never know when I'll be out longer than expected and my kids will need to eat.  Having a healthy, organic fruit/veggie snack option in my bag comes in handy frequently! Plum organics makes an awesome screw-on spoon for baby food packets that you can find at Target and is great for feeding the really young ones on-the-go.

And remember...
Ultimately you cannot control your children but you can control how you respond to them. It is a long, potentially uncomfortable experience for your children and they may not behave the way we would like them to. Being considerate to those around you on the flight is of course important, but at some point there might not be anything you can reasonably do about your child's behavior, and ultimately you are a parent first.  So be apologetic if your child is making it a miserable flight for everyone, and then just focus on being the best parent to your child that you can be and most people will be surprisingly understanding and even helpful and encouraging. It probably will not be that bad, and even if it is... it is only one day!

Safe and happy travels :-)

Home is where the heart is?

Today, spending our great American holiday, the 4th of July, overseas with my husband and child has me thinking of "home" and how that is such a difficult concept for me to define.  I'm an American, and being overseas for the past few months has made me appreciate and long for my home country. But where exactly is "home?" Is it even a physical location?

Happy 4th of July from Singapore!

My little grill master with his oven mit

Being goofy with our oven mits

We have a "home" in California where all our earthly possessions reside, the things we find important enough to lug around the globe on our many many military moves.  There is certainly something comfortable and "homey" about being surrounded by familiar things with years of memories hidden in them... the first piece of furniture we bought when we got married that now has a hole in the cushion from one of our dogs burrowing in it, the pie plate I use to make my husband's family's apple pie that is his favorite, my favorite serving dish that was a wedding gift from good friends bought in a place near and dear to all our collective hearts, our surfboards sitting in the garage that bring a smile to my face every time I see them remembering the good times we've spent with good friends surfing the beaches of Oahu, the house where we brought our first born home from the hospital, etc.

Despite having a home in California, we often refer to Maryland as "home" because that is where we met and fell in love and where our families and our best friends, our children's godparents, still live. We both grew up on the East coast and just don't feel quite at home when it is 85 and sunny on Christmas day (when we lived in Hawaii) or when it is 65 and foggy the entire summer (where we currently have a home in Cali). There is something about the familiar memories of our childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood... of unbearably hot summers spent at the pool or the beach getting 5 shades darker in the sun, crisp, beautiful fall evenings at football games in a sweater with a hot apple cider, cold, snowy Christmases and President's Day ski trips, and the hint of warmth and life in the spring sparking spring fever just in time for spring break... that strike a chord in both of us as "the way things should be."

Right now, having my family together is "home," even if our location is literally on the other side of the world from all that is familiar and comfortable to us.  The luxury of being together is not something we take for granted as a military family.  When Sam is deployed, I never feel quite at home until I am back in his arms again.

As the saying goes, "home is where the heart is" and in that case, my "home" and my heart are spread far and wide. There are pieces of my heart in California, Maryland, many of the other places we have lived, wherever my closest friends currently live, and mostly wherever my husband and children happen to be.

As of yesterday I will be returning to California from Singapore (where Sam will be staying to finish his Master's program) next week. We decided to move my return flight up because of pregnancy concerns.  As I've mentioned before, I have a bicornuate uterus that poses a greater risk of pre-term labor (Quinn was a premie). My doctor in Singapore doesn't see any reason to worry as of yet because everything looks healthy and I did carry Quinn till 36 weeks which means my uterus can handle at least that much. But she has begun frequent checks of my cervix to monitor for shortening which would mean that I could not fly the 20 hours back to the US and would be stuck in Singapore for the duration of this pregnancy and any hospital time the baby may require until baby and I are healthy enough to return. We decided that it was not worth the risk of me having to stay here potentially 2 months (or more) after Sam has to return to California, and delivering here alone, just for us to have a few more weeks together.  So we are optimistic that nothing will happen, but we are playing it safe by me and Quinn heading back to the US next week.

The thought of returning to California is bittersweet to me.  I do not love it here in Singapore and will be very glad to get out of Southeast Asia.  I can't wait to see my family and friends in the US again and get back to our normal routine. On the other hand, I am very sad to be leaving half my heart in Singapore. A two month separation doesn't seem like much for us, as we are use to being apart for about 75% of the year (with very little communication). And after all, what is a Fromille pregnancy without a move, some overseas travel, multiple OB's, and a significant separation?!? (yea... we like to keep things as complicated as possible :-P) But this will be Quinn's first significant separation from his dad.  We purposely planned to have our children during Sam's shore tour to avoid this scenario at least for a couple of years... but this will just be a good trial run for when Sam really does have to go back on deployment and at least we can still skype with him this time!

Quinn getting "giraffe kisses" while reading "Kisses for Daddy" before bed

Quinn will really miss his special time with his dad while we are on different sides of the world

I guess my concept of "home" will continue to be unclear for at least a little while longer as I head "home" without the most important aspect of "home," my husband.

Sentosa Island

Yesterday we spent the day on Sentosa Island which is pretty much a grown up version of Disneyland in Singapore. I can't believe it has taken me so long to get out there!  I guess I thought it would be more difficult to get to but it was just a 20 minute bus ride and then a 5 minute tram ride to get on the island from our apartment. It was a beautiful sunny day to be outside and I loved being out of the city where the air didn't have that distinctive city stink and there wasn't incessant traffic and construction noise. It felt like we weren't in Singapore at all actually because we didn't pass a single restaurant with whole dead chickens or fish hanging from hooks and noxious Singaporean food smells wafting out! What a nice little break!  I now understand why several friends who have visited their husbands on port calls in Singapore and stayed on Sentosa assured me I would love Singapore... because they spent most of their time in grown up "Disneyland" (which is exactly what I would recommend for any of you planning to visit in the future...).

As usual, our day revolved around activities chosen to suit our toddlers tastes and thus, the day began with a visit to The Port of Lost Wonder which is a pirate ship themed water play area.  Quinn loves to play in the water and loves fountains, but this was a little much for him.  Pretty much everywhere in the play area had some sort of water raining down on it.  He likes to splash and play in the water as much as anyone, but isn't a fan of having water raining down on his head unexpectedly.  I think in another 6 months he would probably love it.  After checking things out for awhile he settled for playing ball in a shady spot of grass off to the side- typical!

After the water park we walked over to Resort World for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe. On our walk over we passed the Merlion statue, which apparently is a Singapore icon, though I'm not really sure why. Quinn loved lunch at Hard Rock!  He gobbled up his mac n cheese and his yummy peach smoothie and was rocking out in his high chair the whole time to the music.

After lunch, Quinn passed out in his stroller while hubby and I proceeded to get lost trying to navigate our way to Underwater World, our next stop. If there is one thing to dislike about Sentosa it would definitely be the lack of signage and the layout that is not at all conducive to walking between attractions.  They do have a nice tram system, but with a baby sleeping in the stroller, we couldn't very well break down the stroller and hop on a tram. So instead we probably walked 2+ miles up and down steep hills in the midday sun to get somewhere maybe 1/2 mile away.  Q woke up from his nap just as we approached our destination and was bright eyed and bushy tailed so we let him play ball while we caught our breath and rested our legs.

Q's favorite thing of the day was definitely Underwater World where he got to see all the "fissss." Underwater World was really neat.  The major attraction is the massively long tunnel you go through and there are all kinds of fish and sharks and stingrays swimming around you and overhead.  Q just loooved it! I would have loved it a little more if it weren't so packed with people that you could barely move!  And naturally, since we are in Asia, among the most camera-happy people in the world, every display had at least one group of people standing in front of it not even looking at the fish, but waiting for someone else to take 523 pictures of them while they were blocking everyone else's view. Fortunately going through the tunnel you stood on a conveyor belt which kept people from stopping to block everyone else's view:-) 

They also had a dolphin and sea lion show that we went to. Q didn't care so much about the dolphins unless they were playing with balls (of course) but he liked the sea lions (so did I) and he really got into clapping along with the crowd at appropriate times. It was so unbelievably hot at the dolphin lagoon that we were all ready to get back home to a cool bath and the AC after that was over! 

All-in-all, we had a very fun day and were all in bed before 9pm.  There is so much to do on Sentosa (much of which isn't really appropriate for a 1 year old) that I would like to go back sometime without Q- we'll see if that ever happens! 

Thailand!

Last weekend we had the chance to spend a long weekend at the beach in Phuket, Thailand. We shared a gorgeous two bedroom villa on a small island off the coast of Phuket with our friends, the H's. Q and I left early Wednesday morning with Christina to get a head start on the boys and enjoy a few extra beach days.  Unfortunately, I forgot Q's stuffed bear blanket thing that he sleeps with and thus the first couple of days weren't all that enjoyable until he learned how to sleep without it! We got lucky when we checked in that the garden view villa we had booked wasn't yet available so we got upgraded to a fantastic oceanview villa with it's own infinity pool overlooking the water.

The first couple of days were kind of rainy and we spent a lot of time in the villa reading and relaxing. By Friday though it was beautiful (and Q was over the bear issue just in time for Daddy to arrive with the forgotten bear). The weather was really beautiful (albeit, very hot and humid) the rest of our stay and you could clearly see the countless off shore islands dotting the horizon that Thailand is famous for.

We spent lots of time just enjoying the resort.  Quinn was obsessed with the coy fish ponds and we had to stop at every one we passed every time to say hello to the fish. He also loved the pool and got very adventurous climbing down off the ledge where he could touch into the deep water where he knew we would help him. He did not however care for the beach or the ocean. If we were at the beach he would remain glued to a beach chair and only once was he enticed by a ball to get off the chair of his own will.  When he realized the ball was also sandy he got pretty upset. Such a goober! We enjoyed having the infinity pool at the villa where we could go for swims while Q was napping. And we were happy to have a wonderful kids club where Q could go and have fun for a couple hours while we actually relaxed (I even got a massage at the spa!).

Sunday we hired a driver and ventured into Phuket. We drove up to "big buddha," a massive statue on a very high hill where there were fantastic views of all of Phuket.  We also visited a collection of gorgeous Buddhist temples. And the highlight of my trip, we rode an elephant!

Mostly, I was just happy to be out of the city and away from the constant hum of construction that is ever-present in Singapore and to enjoy some fresh air!

Husband posted some picture on facebook if you are interested in those.  Here are just a couple of our family enjoying the resort.

16 weeks pregnant and constantly growing!

Q snuggling daddy while "stranded" on the beach chair to avoid the sand

Bali!

Sam had a long weekend off of school last weekend due to a national holiday here in Singapore so we took the opportunity to go do a little traveling to Bali, Indonesia. We have been previously spoiled during vacations and have left Q with grandparents or had the grandparents with us to take care of him when we wanted to relax, so we weren't sure how enjoyable a relaxing beach vacation would be with the little man, but we were very pleasantly surprised with just how enjoyable it was!

We left our urban apartment in Singapore (complete with constant construction noise and the smell of traffic) behind on Friday afternoon and after a short flight we stepped off the plane in Bali to the smell of the ocean and one extremely disorganized airport. After some confusion we made it through immigration and found our driver to take us to the resort.  The drive to the resort was a cultural experience... I've never seen so many motorbikes and scooters with 4 person families piled on zooming in and out of traffic which in general seemed to have no real organization.

When we made it to our resort, The Grand Mirage, and got checked in. It was Q's bedtime so we put him to bed and ordered room service and sat on our balcony listening to the ocean and chowing down on the best room service I have ever had! Yet again, I am in trouble with my doctor for losing weight during this pregnancy and was told to "eat as much of whatever I want" until I start gaining weight.  I definitely took that advice very seriously over the weekend! Sam kept complaining that he was going to get fat if he tried to keep up with my eating habits. Unfortunately, I managed not to gain a single ounce... I'm really not sure how that is possible based on the massive quantities of delicious food (and virgin coladas) I consumed!

The view from our balcony at the Grand Mirage

Saturday we got up and spent some time at the pool and then went on a glass bottom boat ride. We got to see colorful fish swimming under the boat and we stopped at a "sea turtle conservatory" which made me cringe. They let everyone pick up and handle the poor turtles and other animals they had there including huge snakes that had their mouths bound with plastic. I was relieved to get back on the boat and away from that place. The boat ride itself was a similar experience to the drive to the resort.  There were boats, jet skis, tubers, banana boaters, and parasailers everywhere and as a licensed boat driver and former waterski/wakeboard/tubing instructor and lifeguard I was a pretty concerned! It is a miracle that the parasailing lines didn't get tangled. I can just see my previous boss and camp director having an anxiety attack if she could have seen the mayhem!

Upon returning safely to the resort we enjoyed another delicious meal and Q and I took a nap.  In the afternoon we arranged a cultural tour for the following day and spent some more time at the pool.  We managed to get a babysitter through the kids club at the resort for the evening so that we could enjoy a late dinner and cultural dance show sans baby. I am generally not comfortable leaving Q with people I don't know, but Southeast Asia is the most child friendly place I have ever been.  People loooove kids here and somehow this makes me not as up tight about leaving him with sitters. The lady who kept him was wonderful and Q immediately bonded with her. Dinner was great and we got to talk to some other guests.  Most of the tourists in Bali (and most of Southeast Asia) seemed to be Australian. The show was... interesting.  Kind of like a boring version of hula with extremely elaborate costumes.

Little lunch buddy I noticed staring at us after finishing our picnic lunch on Sunday.  He may not look it, but this guy was large and I was not to fond of having him staring at me and my baby! When I noticed him, lunch was o-ver! Our driver said, "That's not a lizard, lizards aren't that big, that is a gecko." And I said, "where I'm from, gecko's are tiny..."

Sunday we had a private driver that took us around Bali.  We went to another cultural dance, a textile demonstration and market, a silver jewelry making demonstration and market, a wood carving demonstration and market, the "sacred" monkey jungle, the old royal palace, and the rice terraces in Ubud. The monkey jungle we almost skipped because we thought we'd seen plenty of monkeys before in the zoo.  Well, I'm glad we didn't skip this! The monkeys were all over the place and they were not shy.  There were signs warning not to take any food (even wrapped and concealed) into the jungle because "they will find it." And not to panic if a monkey jumps on you. A monkey did try to grab Q's foot while Sam was carrying him in his Ergo. It was fun watching the monkeys play, especially the little baby ones! And the jungle was really cool too including old temples and statues all mossed over. One of our observations while driving around Bali was that it seems as if about 50% of Bali is covered in Hindu temples.  Our driver explained that every house has it's own family temple in addition to the many corporate temples.  It was crazy walking around the busy streets of Ubud and all of a sudden you would pass a house that looked as if it had been there for centuries complete with a large family temple.  When we got back to Singapore we looked up Bali online and found out that 93% of the population is Hindu amidst the largest Muslim country in the world (Indonesia). We also observed that the cultural dances were choreographed to tell elaborate Hindu stories. Very interesting how the religion has infiltrated so much of the culture including the dance, textiles, jewelry, wood carvings, and architecture.

Not the best picture, but I like it because it reminds me of our family. The parents had just wrangled this little rascal away from his buddies and as soon as they think they have him settled, he goes flying back to his friends.

Again, not the best picture... but I named the 2 mommy monkeys sitting on the wall doing their best to ignore their squabbling babies behind them, Stacy and Molly, and the 2 baby monkeys playing in the background, Dawn and Quinn :-) 

The main temple in the monkey jungle

One of the entrances to the random homes we walked by in Ubud

Monday was our last full day and we spent it enjoying the resort and the lovely sunshine. Quinn and I played in the pool all morning and drank lots of delicious (always freshly made from whole fruit) fruit drinks while Sam went on a sea walker tour. They submerged him with a pressurized mask to look at the fish.  He said that one particular fish kept trying to eat his finger. We all had lunch together and Q and I took a nap before I went to the spa for a wonderful beachfront massage.  It was so nice that even at our 5 star resort, things like hiring a private driver for a day and getting a spa treatment were still super affordable.  Later in the afternoon Sam played beach volleyball and that evening we enjoyed some delicious Mongolian BBQ which unfortunately was accompanied by Q's only bad behavior during the trip. (I guess we should be really grateful that was the only real behavior issue we had the whole time...)

Tuesday morning we had a morning flight back to Singapore so we reluctantly got up early and left the jungle paradise and headed back to the urban jungle.

City Life {Getting Around}

We have been living in Singapore a week now and are finally starting to get our bearings. I am by no means an urbanite.  I have lived my whole life in the 'burbs and spent my youth riding around in my mom's minivan and now tote my own family around in our SUV. I have always been intimidated by big cities and in awe of people who confidently stride through subway stations and hail cabs like it ain't no thang. I see our time in Singapore as my shot to finally become cool and learn to navigate the urban jungle like a native {ha!}.

Now that I am completely reliant on public transportation to scout out American-ish food {vital for this pregnant lady}, I have gotten a few lessons in getting around this week.  We spent the first few days hoofing it the old fashioned way, but after seeing pretty much all there is to see in the radius that I am willing to walk in the humidity and threatening thunder storms, it became apparent that I needed to branch out and try some other forms of transportation.

First attempt: subway. Very unfortunately the nearest subway station is about a mile away and includes a pretty steep hill with a sidewalk barely wide enough for Q's umbrella stroller.  After doing that walk once I decided there had to be a better option {even if that option was never leaving our apartment}. The subway itself was easy enough. And there are even reserved seats for pregnant women, people traveling with small children, elderly, or injured and since I met 2 out of the 4 criteria, that is pretty sweet!  {especially when trying to juggle a 1 year old, a diaper bag, and a folded stroller on a packed train} People are extremely courteous and helpful too, which is a plus.

Second attempt: taxi. Being the suburbanite that I am, I have never in my life hailed a taxi.  I had a hard time even thinking of a time when I had even ridden in a taxi. Hubs gave me a lesson last weekend though.  It is a little disconcerting taking a small child in a car without a car seat... but I guess I'll get over it eventually? Anyway, I now feel perfectly capable of getting a cab on my own, which is a good thing because sometimes it is absolutely necessary, like when it is pouring buckets outside {pretty much a daily occurrence at some point}.

Third attempt: hotel shuttle bus. This is probably the most useful resource and it also happens to be free! There are two shuttles that leave our hotel/apartment complex hourly and do a loop to popular shopping areas around downtown. At first I didn't think I would use this service that much because I don't really plan on doing tons of shopping while here {gotta get back to the US in the same 6 suitcases that were packed full on the way here}. However, as it turns out, the major shopping centers are scattered around the city near things I do want to be able to get to like parks, museums, historic sites, restaurants, subway stations, etc. After riding the shuttles a few times now, we are getting a pretty good feel for where things are and which shuttle stops are close to the things we want to get to.

Yesterday was a test of our ability using the public transportation system in which we had to take a shuttle, ride the subway, and take cabs to get where we needed to go. Despite some hiccups {bad directions, a Hindu festival, lots of rain, a clueless cabbie} we made it to our destination and back in one piece. We're learning!

This Crazy Life

I know many of you have been waiting for updates from us and we have been "off the map" a bit lately. The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy and hectic for our family.  We were preparing for a move to the other side of the world while pregnant, then we thought we miscarried {but didn't... more on that later}, then we had to say "see ya later" to our wonderful friends and support system in California, pack everything we need for 6 months into 6 suitcases, and then traveled 25 hours to reach our new "home" here in Singapore. Now we are trying to get settled in despite some serious jet lag. {It's 8am and I've been up with Q for over 3 hours now and this is a significant improvement from yesterday...} So please bear with us as it may take some time for us to settle in and take a few pictures that so many of you are asking for!

Last weekend was very bittersweet for us.  We started out the weekend on Thursday by having Thanksgiving {complete with roast turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce} with our small group.  Our church small group is mostly composed of military couples and it has become a sort of tradition to send people off with a Thanksgiving meal.  A special way to show our thanks for the wonderful friendships God has blessed us with. We lingered a long time that evening, none of us wanting to say goodbye yet.

Friday some good friends of ours had us over for dinner and planned the entire evening as a Maryland theme {where we are from} as a farewell dinner. The menu consisted of crab dip and crab cakes and a special cake that I'd never had before that was the official "state cake" of Maryland. {eight delicious layers that must have taken forever to construct!} The table arrangement consisted of black eyed susan's which are Maryland's state flower and was complete with a sign showing how many miles to MD and how many miles to Singapore. We felt so loved and so special that they went through all the effort to plan such a fantastic evening for us.

Sunday I had my usual Pho date with the girls which I will dearly miss! And we went on one last American date {to see The Hunger Games and dinner at a favorite local restaurant} while our good friends kept Q and then we spent the rest of the evening hanging out with our friends around their fireplace.

Monday I was jittery all day because I was nervous about the long travel day ahead with Q. Some other friends were so kind as to take us out to dinner at a very "American" place and helped to get our minds off the "impending doom" while enjoying some good food and great company. We are so blessed by our wonderful friends in CA! We miss you all already!

Tuesday we got up bright and early, Sam picked up the rental car, we loaded up our luggage and drove 2 hours up to San Francisco. Upon checking into the airline Q and I were traveling on they informed us we couldn't bring his rear facing car seat on the plane because they only allow forward facing seats {this information was not on their website} so I knew I was in for a day and night of little to no sleep at that point. Since I was not flying with Sam {Navy bought his tickets but not ours} I was so fortunate that my friend C, whose husband is doing the same exchange program as Sam, was willing to fly with me to help out with Q. She was such a help!  It was a very long day.  Q was such a trooper but with no car seat or crib and so many distractions he found it difficult to sleep. I thought to myself many times during our 18 hours of flying, "This is so not worth it, I regret this decision to do this..." but once we arrived I immediately changed my mind.

Singapore is beautiful!  Even at 1:30am driving down the highway from the airport to our new apartment, it was gorgeous.  Even the highways are lined with beautiful tropical trees arcing over the roads and the city is so modern and clean. Our apartment building is amazing {which I guess it should be since the Navy is paying an obscene amount for us to live here}. I can't decide what my favorite part is... maid service everyday {I don't have to wash dishes for 6 months if I don't want to!}, free hot breakfast every morning in the lobby, or the central location such that we can walk to restaurants, shops, public transportation, etc. I have also been pleasantly surprised at the availability of "American" food and products. We were told that things like cheese and many convenience items would not be readily available, but we haven't had trouble finding them. {although groceries in general are ridiculously expensive, as in, makes groceries in Hawaii look cheap, which they are not}

We haven't gotten out and about exploring too much just yet.  We've moved in and are trying to get over our jet lag and have walked around the area immediately surrounding our apartment, but haven't ventured too far.  We plan to change that this weekend :-) Stay tuned for more updates and hopefully pictures soon!

Bon Voyage?

A few weeks ago I flew alone with my barely one-year-old son from our home in California to where our extended family live in Maryland. We flew a few days before my husband was finished with work so I could spend some extra time helping my mom get ready for Christmas.

Q is no stranger to traveling. He's been taking road trips since before he was a month old and this was his 5th cross country flight and it was the 2nd that I had done with him without my husband. He had always been an excellent traveler but that didn't keep the ball of anxiety from growing heavy in the pit of my stomach as the day of our flight approached.  Something told me that now that Q is weaned and very mobile, that this flight might be more challenging than previous trips.

The key to traveling with young children (actually, the key to surviving with young children) seems to be patience, and lots of it. Unfortunately, patience is not typically a strength of mine and it has been a virtue that God continually tests me on as a mother. Knowing this, and anticipating that this trip might require an extra measure of patience, I prayed that even if Q gave me good reason, that I would not lose my cool with him and that I would show love and compassion to my son while also being as considerate as possible to other travelers.

I had confidence that God would provide this for me because of a passage I had recently studied in scripture. 1 John 5:14-15 says, "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him."

In the past, I have had difficulty with this passage because, well, how I am supposed to know what is in God's will? I might pray earnestly for something that never happens because it wasn't part of His will.  So what exactly can I have confidence in? Then it dawned on me several weeks ago as our pastor was talking about praying for the fruit of the Spirit in his loved one's lives. I know that it is God's will for me to become more like Him and to demonstrate the "fruit" of my relationship with Him ("But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23). And I know that God has the power to do things through me which I am not capable of on my own, such as keeping my cool for 10 plus hours of travel with an exhausted one-year-old and no help. So I can be confident that He will empower me when I request His help in demonstrating any of those virtues.

I am pleased to report that despite a miserable trip, with God's help, I did not lose my patience with my son.  Throughout the flight I felt calm and capable of handling what my son was doling out.  I did apologize to those around me and tried to demonstrate my efforts at being considerate as well as loving.  And I am so thankful for the very gracious people sitting near me on both of my completely full flights!

God even offered me some much needed encouragement through the mouths of other passengers.  I had several other travelers come up to me after both of my flights to compliment me on my parenting. Seriously, who compliments the parenting of a woman whose child just wailed for the last hour of the plane ride?!? But, thank you kind strangers, your encouragement helped me get through a trying day! And my prayer is that God recieved the glory for any good parenting that was noticed because it was only due to answered prayer that I made it through that day!

When relating my story to my mother after arriving safe and sound in Maryland, she laughed and asked if I had ever heard of the saying 'Never pray for patience' because God will give you an opportunity to use it. He sure gave me an opportunity that day, but I do not regret asking. I do not regret asking because He faithfully provided and I am more like Him now than I was before that trip.

Do you struggle with any of the fruit of the Spirit like I do? If so, I challenge you to pray with confidence for that virtue and watch how God will refine your character.  And while you are at it, you can be praying for an extra measure of patience for me on my return trip to California soon...