The Schweighardts Take Wien

The last two days have been crazy...crazy awesome.  And I can say that because I've now had more than 1 hour of sleep and didn't have to haul all our worldly possessions up two flights of stairs.

We left the Tri-Cities Wednesday morning at 9am, took a puddle jumper to Seattle and had a bit of a lunch break and an opportunity for the girls to run rampant before boarding our plane for the ten hour flight to Frankfurt.  At this point, we were all a bit giddy; we were on a fantastic adventure, we were feeling good and couldn't believe our unbelievable good fortune in scoring four business class seats.  Now, I understand that there's a difference between business class and first class, but I could care less, because I got to LAY DOWN on an airplane. I had more than enough room for my luggage and my mile-long legs.  Bailey could easily fit in my seat with me while sleeping and our flight attendants were amazing.  They also somehow managed to make all the food taste good and presented it well.  I felt like I was allowed to sleep in a full service restaurant. So, yes, I am probably spoiled for life.

Bailey only got about an hour of sleep on our international flight and Audrey racked out for nearly the last two hours of our flight.  John and I were both pretty much running on empty, but there's absolutely no complaining after that experience.  We were on to Frankfurt!  We really had no idea what to expect from our airport experience.  We knew we would have to go through passport control and security yet again, but we were totally unprepared for just how absolutely crazy busy the Frankfurt airport is.  Thankfully, fortune smiled on us yet again.  Because we had a stroller, we were directed to a family screening process involving about ten persons, who all loved and doted on our dazed girls while John and I tried to pull all our liquids and electronics back out of our disheveled bags.  It was a pretty hilarious experience for the girls--here we are at what should've been 11pm to their little bodies, entering a sea of babbling strangers who are rooting through our luggage, asking Mom to take her boots off, all while crooning, laughing and asking a million questions.  It was the jolliest bunch of airport personnel I ever did meet.  Even though it was an incredible ordeal, they somehow had us coming out of it feeling like we had the royal treatment. 

Our flight from Frankfurt to Vienna was only supposed to last an hour and twenty minutes, but we ended up waiting at the gate for an additional hour for an oxygen canister...don't ask me details.  At that point, Bailey was screaming from sleep deprivation and I was trying to keep my eyes open.  Thankfully, the flight attendants on this flight (also business class!) were fantastic as well.  They saved the day with a seat belt attachment that allowed me to buckle Bailey to my seat and let her sleep on my chest instead of having to move her once we eventually took off.  We were served yet another amazing meal on that flight and I actually got to relax a bit since both Audrey and Bailey were sleeping like angels.

Now, the catch with traveling with a seemingly angelic sleeping child is that when you arrive at your final destination and have an UNGODLY amount of luggage to see to, they never wake up refreshed and ready to greet any new situation.  We somehow made it to baggage claim with the two crabby monsters, I figured out the baggage cart system...and I tell you, those things appear soooo much smaller when you have a Mount Everest of luggage to put on two of them...two carts for thirteen bags and two car seats.  We drew quite a few gawking stares while we arranged everything and hauled it all to the arrivals gate in search of our driver.  Luckily (again) our driver was fantastic, if not flabbergasted by the amount of stuff we had--he even helped John lug it all to the curb across from our apartment building once we arrived.  Then, in a Herculean feat, John carried all thirteen bags and two car seats across the road, into the building and either up the lift or the two flights of stairs.  I was supervising kids...it's a very important job.  And, yes, I know what you're thinking.  I did my part; I rolled the bags from the lift (two yards) to our apartment door.

Understandably, John immediately passed out once his job was done.

I, in a crazy rush of adrenaline, proceeded to unpack all thirteen bags and started making our little temporary apartment a home.  The girls were excited to see the toys I had brought for them and played contentedly for several hours while I organized.  It was fantastic.  Our landlady left some toys and coloring supplies for the girls to play with and Audrey has pretty much been stationed at our dining room table coloring ever since. 

Since we initially thought we would be arriving on a holiday weekend, I had packed plenty of nonperishable food, so we hunkered down in the apartment for the evening and hit the sack early.

Really, I cannot imagine our trip going any better.  There were bumps and set backs, spills and crying...pain and bruising, but that was all expected.  The most important detail is that the Big Guy Upstairs was obviously with us through it all.  I'm going to go ahead and give any kind of kudos for success to Him, since I really don't think I've got much to do with it.  For the past year He has been demanding that we just sit back and surrender EVERYTHING to Him and this is one example of how He saw us through an event better than we could've ever managed for ourselves.  His plans are perfect; someday I may be able to convince my ever-loving soul of that.  Until then, I suspect He will just keep sending me challenges to get the point across.      

Hangin' out Tough

We've been taking it easy these days, and I kind of feel we deserve it.  We're tired of waiting to leave, so I, at least, am pretending I'm on vacation and that makes a convenient excuse for the logical part of my brain wondering why I'm living out of suitcases.  Also, at this point, everyone else is getting tired of saying goodbye to us.  There's really only so much Hey-we'll-miss-you-ing you can do before people start wishing you would just leave the country already.


We had our last goodbye shindig Saturday night at Kathryn and Jeff's house; they hosted a phenomenal weenie roast in their new place, complete with Bavarian folk music and cheesy German techno.  We ate sausage, drank beer and watched the rug rats run around the back yard until they were covered in sidewalk chalk and soaking wet and freezing from playing in the ice tubs for our beverages.  That's the good stuff, man.  The best part was that everyone present had already said goodbye to us about twelve times already or was coming home with us...so we've got that going for us. 

We came home and had the girls leave their Easter bunnies out before bed...and I'm going to straight-up admit that I was LAZY with Easter this year.  Remember how much effort I put into Saint Nicholas Day?  Well, I appear to be fresh out of inspiration, because the girls were lucky they had baskets this year.  In all fairness, I had expected to be in Vienna for Easter and didn't want to pack a boatload of stuff for it, but, honestly, my brain really just couldn't handle orchestrating anything else--we're lucky if I get lunch on the table in a timely manner these days.  I did, however, manage to take pictures of Audrey and Bailey in all their finery on Easter Day, which is a first for me.  High fives all around!

Otherwise, we've been enjoying time together in familiar surrounds.  Since John is off work, the four of us have been going on long walks to see the geese at the river, the playground and, especially, the girls' favorite hill.  I have no idea why the little grassy knoll at the end of our street is so enticing to small children, but it has been a favorite play area for the girls since they were old enough to run.  They scamper about attacking dragons (i.e. evergreen trees) with their sword-sticks and meatballs (i.e. pine cones) and rub dandelions on their subsequent dragon bites to heal them.  It's the stuff of childhood.


On our last particular visit, Bailey wormed her way around a sign that we usually only see the back-end of and we realized, after all these years of driving past it and playing near it, that it said: Welcome to Kennewick, Washington.  It's where both our girls were born and the only place they have lived in their short lives...and we're leaving. It was kind of a perfect farewell.  We're off on a brand new adventure that will open our children up to the concept of life outside one's hometown.  Coming from a small town of my own, I can understand how important it is to feel the safety of having roots, but, also living with a wandering spirit, I know how much more important it is to discover on your own how big and beautiful and diverse this world is.  I want my girls to know that they are not only a product of the small, safe microcosm they were born into, but also a citizen of God's great earth--and seeing how overwhelmingly amazing this world is only makes Him more amazing. 

Rest, Faith and Patience

We're all a little pooped these days

Rest, faith and patience; these have been my Rx for the last six months and I can tell it ain't gonna change anytime soon.  Lately, we've been pretty busy, which is understandable when you think you only have two weeks to pack, organize and say goodbye to everyone in your life before moving to a different country.

Well, given all that, God has still had some pretty intense plans for us.  John received his contract two weeks ago and the following eleven days were filled, quite literally--morning, noon and night--with errands, play dates, farewells and orchestrating details for a move that was rapidly approaching. I have felt overwhelmingly thankful that we have had so much time these past months to prepare our household items and general affairs, because I was completely unprepared for the outpouring of love and invitations from friends to get together once we were certain our move was approaching. 

Breakfast with Jackie!!

Now, I think its important to understand that John and I consider ourselves borderline hermits; we think it's a pretty far departure from our comfortable introverted existence to commit to meeting with our small group on a weekly basis, much less spend every night out of the house for well over a week. 

Reagan and Audrey...two peas in a pod

 

I spent a lot of that time reflecting on what exactly it means to be an introvert suddenly left adrift without time to recharge my batteries in solitude, as is my standard practice. Every dinner, every play date, every cup of coffee with a friend was precious to me, but what's a loner to do? Well, I started with prayer...because I knew that a nap wasn't remotely possible, and God did something really cool.  For this introvert, He showed me how to actively rest--how to live in the moment and draw energy from the joy in a meeting of friends. Although I'm still physically exhausted, I have been able to really enjoy the time I've had with friends and family, which has been an unspeakable blessing. 

In other news, Kathryn and Jeff have recently moved into their new home in the Tri-Cities; we were fortunate enough to have them and the D-Man staying in our house for a little over a week while they were closing and settling details with their new place. And no sooner had the moving van pulled out of their driveway than the invasion occurred; there has been a pretty steady stream of family in and out of that house ever since--I'm sure they can relate to the need for solitude and rest. 

This picture has been two years in the making

The culmination of all this socialization was supposed to be our last big shindig at a local pizza joint last night. Friends, family and coworkers came out in great numbers to wish us well--all that love was overwhelming, but we were so happy to see each and every person who made it out. I know that's the standard happy speech after one of these things (usually spoken through a plastered-on smile) but those cheesy words are truth; it was something special. 

Those who were able to join us know that the past twenty four hours have been pretty intense; we've been busting though the paperwork and checklist of items to expedite our move, yet still had not received our itinerary for our requested travel dates. Normal bureaucratic policy, plus the time lapse between emails and a lag in communication or two had suddenly landed us back in limbo; with the holiday weekend looming (Easter is a four day weekend in Austria) we had exactly one day left to see if we would be leaving the country within the next 48 hours. 'Intense' doesn't even begin to express the crazy range of emotions I went through yesterday. I spent a lot of time talking to God and getting my heart right with His plans, whatever they might be. 

Luckily, Gary is on spring break and he volunteered yesterday to take the girls to Kathryn and Jeff's house so I could have time to pack and get my ducks in a row. I spent the morning packing everything possible and dragging luggage back and forth between the bedroom and the scale in the bathroom; I may be a master packer, (thanks for those genes, Mom) but these 50lb. limits on luggage are killing me...and my back. So, John, wonderful man that he is, booked a massage and chiropractic treatment for me. It was much needed and appreciated. When I finally went over to the Payne residence that afternoon to see my children, they could've cared less that I had been missing for most of the day--they had a host of cousins running amok, playing in moving boxes with them. Just call me chopped liver. 

Kennedy loves John...I think the feeling is mutual.

After our pizza party extravaganza and wrestling our sleepy kiddos into bed, John and I collapsed in exhaustion and then woke up at 1am to see if our travel plans were solidified yet. As fate would have it, there was no HR miracle capable of pulling off our trip that quickly and we are now committed to a travel date of Wednesday the 11th. Not that we will have details or plane tickets until the day before, but we're starting to realize that God doesn't want us getting comfortable with this...and if that's His plan, then it's perfect and we're cool with it. 

 In the mean time, we're so prepared we now feel like we've got a mini vacation on our hands; John isn't working and our schedule (although it is rapidly filling) is obviously much more free than it was a week ago.  We're hoping to find some more traditional rest in the days leading up to our move and I now have a deep, resounding peace that we are on the right path.  God is good, folks. This life is crazy, but He is constant.

What We've Been Waiting For

Well over a year ago, John brought up the subject of a JPO (junior professional officer) job opening with the IAEA in Vienna, Austria. Having a naturally wandering spirit and a naive afterthought something along the lines of: 'Like that'd ever really happen', of course, I answered in the affirmative when John asked if he should really apply for the position. 

A friend of John's from work in a similar situation to ours (with two little girls near the same ages as Audrey and Bailey) headed out to fill a position at the IAEA a month later, giving us the unique situation of having guinea pigs going in our stead.  And, although their experience traveling and settling in was not exactly our ideal, it led us to a more serious evaluation of the possibility of at least applying for the position and seeing what God had in store for us.  

Fortunately, John and I had the opportunity to take a weekend away for our anniversary that spring, during which, our main topic of conversation was whether to apply for the JPO position, what role we felt God was playing in our decision and what every conceivable pro and con to the situation could be.  Understandably, these are topics that could not have been thoroughly canvased, had our two lovely and very rambunctious children been present for that weekend.  And looking back, it's quite apparent that God had his hands in that anniversary weekend in every way.  Our ride back home was spent in anticipation of seeing the girls and in absolute resounding faith that the path we had chosen was the right one.  

When we returned, John started the process of actually applying for the position and while waiting for some very useful advice from a colleague already ensconced in the IAEA, he learned that he had missed the deadline by hours.  We thought that we had just been given a big fat resounding 'NO' in answer to whether we should go or not. But, as fate would have it, John made a few inquiries and his application ended up getting pushed through anyway. 

Phew.  Take a breath. Step one, down!  Of many, many steps to come.  

A month or so later, John was contacted for an interview and was told he would be contacted either way to be informed of his status in the selections.  So, we waited.  And we waited.  And we found out through incredible happenstance that there were originally twenty-something applicants and that four had been selected for interviews.  So that was good news, but still not really that reassuring.

Then one day, the girls and I met John for lunch at our usual Mongolian BBQ place and as we were settling in to eat, he showed me an email from yet another previous coworker now working in Vienna; Zoe was about to vacate the exact position that John was applying for and had spoken to her manager, who had told her John was the official selection for her position.   

My jaw almost hit the floor. And I think it's very important to remember how difficult it is to surprise me.  I was ecstatic and freaked out and hyperventilating maybe just a little bit...In a good way.  But, this was totally unofficial, word of mouth news.  We didn't think it was time to start pouring the bubbly yet, so we kept it on the down-low.  There were still many hoops to jump through and many, many questions. 

God always has a way of bringing me back to reality--of reminding me who's in charge and who I need to be thanking.  At the end of our meal, we opened our fortune cookies, which read:

"It's time to break out of your routine and try something new."
 and
"An enjoyable vacation is awaiting you near the mountains." 

Ok, God.  I heard you.  This is Your plan.  You orchestrated this.  Everything is going to work out just how You want it.  I could stop hyperventilating and give it up to God. 

And really, I could.  Because, since the topic of Vienna first came up, I felt in my bones that we were going.  Again, not a feeling I credit to myself, but instead, something the Lord knew I needed to prod me into consistent productivity for months.  Since that first casual conversation John and I had last year about the open position, I've been steadily making mental and written lists, stocking up, purging, organizing, making appointments...preparing in any way possible.  And all that has led to a feeling of God-centered calm.  He's with me.  He's leading us.  He's the one who will be seeing us through this adventure. 

It's a good thing too, because this process has involved a lot of waiting.  Since John turned in his application last June, we have been on a roller coaster of emotion, hearing nothing for months, followed by uplifting, albeit, 'unofficial' news and subsequent rumors of bureaucratic procedures that could derail the entire process.  Basically, since November, we've been alert to the possibility that we might have weeks or months to move to another country.  And I haven't been able to do anything but hint at it on the blog because of the million and one aforementioned caveats. 

So, now I feel at liberty to announce that John has received and accepted the job offer and his manager is very eager to have him on board.  He sent an email that went something along the lines of: We've had this approved for months and HR has been sitting on it.  How soon can you start?  Well, there are still plenty of hoops to jump through; medical exams, travel plans, packing and repacking and organizing moving companies, but we are going!  Thank you, God!  We are going. 

I have no words for the ways God has been shaping and testing and remolding us this past year and I am humbled and overwhelmed to think of the work he will be doing in our lives while we are in Vienna.  I look forward to being able to dissect and document our travels and experiences so the girls will have a way to remember what it was like and so you all can share in the experience with us as well.  I know it will take time to form a new sense of community and I'm ok with that--I am a woman of solitude, but there is nothing like the silent support of those who love you.  And I thank you for reading and bearing with me through the good times and the bad. 

Lifting the State of Limbo

If this were my last day on earth, I'd die a happy woman.  God has placed us in a really interesting little state of limbo for the last six months or so.  And with every passing day, the limbo-intensity has increased.  We have a general idea of what's coming, but no idea when it will happen.  We're ready.  We're waiting.  All of our loose ends are tied. We're trying not to commit to anything more than two weeks in advance.  This is a strange place to be.  And, of course, God is using it to shape and remold us.

Lately, I've felt He's been giving me some pretty creative lessons in humility.  I've been having to eat my words or apologize for mistakes I never dreamed I'd make.  I've been beaten to the ground and gotten to the point where I realized my cup was empty--I called out to the Lord: "Coach...I've got nothin' left.  This is it.  I'm done." And after He let me wallow in my own self pity for an hour or two, He called me to commune with Him, He picked me up and told me that I've lived my entire life with nothing.  This has never changed.  Yet I have everything...in Him.  He is the one who has seen me through this crazy path and He's the one who will lead me through the rest until, eventually, He calls me home.  That's the good news, folks.  If we move to Vienna in two weeks or six months (I have the urge to bang my head on the desk, just writing that) He is the one who will take us there. 

So, this day? Is no longer a day in limbo.  It is His day.  This weekend is His weekend.  Not time wasted, waiting for the next step.

Today was an ordinary day.  We ran errands while God's sweet sunshine fell on our heads and warmed our hearts. At every stop we made, we were either greeted by someone who knew us by name--who knew our story--or met a new friend and learned a part of theirs.  We may be leaving this community, but I won't stop enfolding myself in it until the moment I am gone--in this city and the next and into the beyond.   

The Art of Storytelling

For the most part our little Audrey girl keeps to herself.  Don't get me wrong--she's entirely capable of stepping into cruise director mode and, let me tell you, she revels in it.  But, honestly, the majority of my little Dragon's days are spent playing make believe with her dolls, figurines--and when she doesn't have any of those--her eating utensils or hands.  She's very creative and obviously spends a lot of time running rampant in her own little imagination.  Lately, however, she has started doing a bit of story telling.  These are the scenarios I imagine are going down in her mind all day without any notice from us silly adults. And having the privilege of hearing these amazing tales first hand is probably one of the most amazing things (outside of pony riding) I've witnessed from this kid since becoming a mama.  I just can't make this stuff up.  Regardless, I doubt anyone would believe me if I typed one of her stories out on the blog, so here for your viewing pleasure are two videos of one total story that Audrey relayed at lunch today.

Living on the Edge

 We are in an interesting place right now, the four of us. We're standing on the edge of a great precipice, ready at any moment to take the leap of faith required to begin a new amazing adventure...and while we're standing there, hearts pounding in anticipation, waiting, God whispers in our ears "patience".

For months, that same word: patience. And for as long as He's told us, it has become no easier. We are so frail, us mortals. We moan and lament the lack of tangible progress. We ask for prayer and look with foreboding to the days we thought we wouldn't still be here. All the while, knowing we should rejoice with each day in our hearts: His timing is perfect.

It has taken months, but He has brought me peace; that whatever lies over that edge, He has prepared us for. 

Do not worry. Have patience. His timing is perfect.

 So, I've stopped checking on and checking off the to-do list. Anything that remains undone can stay that way. My life now is about savoring the day, time spent with friends, my family--in the middle of the little community we have formed around us and cling to like a warm, toasty blanket. 

And in this all, I see through my patience that I am unbelievably blessed. My worries are carried by a force more Awesome than I can ever fathom. And His timing? It is perfect. 

We're still here. 

And here, we will stay. 

Until He tells us to go. 

And then, like lambs, we will follow.