Goodbye Oregon, Hello Peru!

It has been a busy few weeks since I last wrote.  I apologize for the lack of writing and I will now try to get better at updating my blog.  The last 3 weeks have been so crazy.  We spent two wonderful weeks with my family celebrating Christmas, enjoying time together, and making wonderful memories.  My brother Bryan and his wife came from Chicago with their two boys, and my sister Kara and her husband Bill came from Panama.  So the family was all there.  That was the first Christmas in 8 years that we have all been together, and the cousins really enjoyed spending time together.  Then as soon as soon as Christmas was over, we began to pack for Peru.  It was a chaotic week between Christmas and New Years as we sorted and packed.  We decided to send a shipment to Peru by boat, since we had so many school books (for our homeschooling) that we knew couldn't be replaced in Peru and were too heavy to carry in our suitcases.  The problem was, once we decided to send a shipment, the pile quickly grew.  It was easy to get into the mindset that since we were already shipping things, one more thing wouldn't make much difference.  But with a huge pile of things to ship, and only a few days left, my parents, and my sister and brother-in-law came to our rescue.  They did just about all the packing for us.  They were amazing, and without their help, I think we would have just left with the clothes we were wearing.  On the 30th we were able to drop off our boxes at the warehouse to be shipped.  Then early morning on the 1st (4:00 in the morning to be exact) we set out for the aiport and our new life in Peru.  It was a long day, but the flight went as well as is to be expected with 5 kids.  They did a great job being patient and going through all the security checks.  We had to change planes two times, but we finally made it to Peru at 12:15 AM on the second of January.  Unfortunately, our 12 suitcases didn't make it with us.  During our short layovers, I guess the suitcases weren't able to change planes fast enough.  So that was a bit of a worry, but we give thanks to God that 2 days later the suitcases came in on the flight and were delivered to our house safe and sound.  That is an answer to prayer.  So now we are here with Junior's family, trying to settle in and get a bit organized after the busyness of December.  It is hot here, so the kids are happy to be back in shorts and are eager to get to the beach.  I guess that is all for now, but I will update again soon.

At the aiport with my sister Kara and her husband Bill