July 23, 2013

Epilogue

This is a long post, and it is a boring post, and it is all about my job.  And, if reading the ruminations of a sentimental fool isn't your jam, stop now.  Otherwise, read on.

I keep this blog for a number of reasons. The primary two reasons are to keep family up to date on the super thrilling goings-on of the Boboth family and to keep a running record for ourselves of our lives and God’s faithfulness therein.  It’s always interesting reading through old posts and tracing God’s hand in all of it.

I recently realized that the days surrounding our Oregon departure were such a whirlwind that I never had time to jot down what those last few days of work were like.  So many sweet memories were made and I would hate to forget any of it.

One week before my last day of work, my coworkers threw the sweetest going away luncheon for me – complete with incredible food, heartfelt memories, toasts, gifts, and a very special dessert. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. I felt so blessed to have been a part of that community for the last three years and began to feel the “bitter” in my imminent bittersweet departure.  After three years in the proverbial trenches with these people, I suddenly realized how much I would miss them. 

 The final week of work was a surreal one. Tying up loose ends, saying last goodbyes, going to a lot of “we’ve-been-meaning-to-do-this” lunch dates…  And my last day of work could not have been more perfect.  We had one final ‘going-away’ lunch with most of the staff, and –for one reason or another- most of my coworkers left at different times throughout the day, giving me an opportunity to say goodbye to each one individually.  At 4pm, one coworker called all those remaining into his office for a special toast.  We sat around for an hour laughing, telling stories, and toasting to our next exciting season.  As I looked around the room, my breath caught in my throat thinking that I was about to leave this team, this somewhat dysfunctional family, that I had grown to love.

As the day came to a close, I said my last goodbyes, hugged each person extra tight, and retreated to my car and cried – partially because I was going to miss these people, but also recognizing the end of a very significant chapter in my life.  It felt like turning in my keys that Friday finished the last sentence in that chapter of my life.  You know that feeling when you’re reading a book and you look forward to the satisfaction of its completion; yet, once you have finished the book, you feel a loss somehow, almost a “now what?” feeling?  Yeah, that is what it felt like.  And, because I am super awesome at not being overly sentimental, I cried.

Three weeks and one transoceanic move later found me employed – again – by the same university. Yes, you read that right.  In a stroke of God’s incredible provision and faithfulness (and a little bit of extra work on my boss’ part), I had a job waiting for me in Hawai’i.  For the last two months, I have been working at a satellite office playing a tiny role in helping the staff get the office up and running.  It has been great.  And, in a large way, it has kept some homesickness at bay because I have still been somewhat connected to my former job and some of my coworkers. 

Well, all this to say, today I turned in my keys again.  If my last key-turning-in was the end of that chapter, this has completed the epilogue. The impact that this institution has had on my life is inestimable.  Even with all the stress, late nights, long business trips, and frustration over the last three years, the personal and professional growth and the lifelong friendships have made it more than worth it.  I could not be more thankful to the people with whom I’ve been so honored to work for their patience, faith in me, and good humor – I’ve learned so very much from them.  But even more, I sit here astounded at and incredibly grateful for God’s outrageous provision for us through this job.   From Oregon to Hawai’i, He has provided again and again and then some.

I do not know why I can never seem to remember that - time after time - God is faithful. He is faithful! And, even if things do not turn out as I had hoped, I can be confident that He is always, at all times and in all ways, at work for His glory and my eternal good.  I still cannot quite believe that this season has ended - I think I'm in denial, yet so thankful for these three years. I am excited to see what the next seasons and chapters of our lives hold - and I am anxious to document His Grace in it all.

July 18, 2013

1000 Gifts: 541-640

**The 28th, 29th, 30th, 31st, and 32nd Installments of 1000 Gifts**

541
Pitted Kalamata Olives
542
Parchment paper
543
Easy company
544
Pizza stone
545
Hard truths, driven home
546
Goat cheese in my scrambled eggs
547
A productive night of work
548
A full weekend
549
Talking about adoption with my man.
550
Scheduling a visit with my parents!
551
Dreaming about baby names (for someday)
552
Dinner with Laura & Dave
553
Tulips on the table
554
Little hints of spring
555
Marshmallow Peeps
556
Lasagna
557
Morning fog in the valley
558
A sunny Thursday!
559
Waking up next to this wonderful man
560
Dinner plans with friends
561
Daylight Savings and an extra hour of sunlight
562
Event planning.
563
Blueprints.
564
Cable's out - more time to actually get things done.
565
Google hangouts
566
Hulu plus
567
Surprise visits from family
568
3 hour Starbucks dates
569
The smell of a newborn, hours old
570
Cole's incredible discipline and focus
571
Fresh pasta
572
Frozen yogurt dates
573
Ladies Night.
574
Kelly Anne Schlect.
575
Friends in ministry
576
Homemade pasta.
577
Lingering conversation.
578
Afternoons off.
579
Inside jokes with Cole.
580
72 degree days in March. (!!!)
581
A weekend getaway to Astoria.
582
A patient husband who stops for good coffee when the hotel coffee is gross.
583
Free movies
584
A beachfront dinner at sunset. You just can't make this stuff up.
585
Conflicts that get resolved quickly.
586
The grace extended by my God and my husband.
587
Weekends.
588
Free moving boxes.
589
Excedrin Migraine
590
Fresh cookies
591
A free Vanilla Latte on a day when I'm dragging
592
Lunch with coworkers
593
A full tank of gas.
594
Going home for the weekend!
595
Instagram. There, I said it.
596
Dinner with good friends.
597
Niece giggles.
598
Hide and Seek with littles.
599
Stain remover.
600
Friendly strangers at the airport.
601
A text from my Daddy.
602
Homemade bread.
603
A visit with my brother.
604
People-watching at the airport.
605
Free stuff, yo.
606
The Bay Bridge lit up at night.
607
A baseball game with Brian.
608
Garlic Fries.
609
An encouraging email.
610
Thoughtful friends.
611
A breakfast with the Beattys.
612
A moving party
613
Good packing tape
614
Our GTBC Church Family - because of God's work through them, we are forever changed.
615
Hard goodbyes.
616
Beth Carper.
617
Colorado relatives
618
Books. Amen.
619
Time with the niece
620
Movies in the middle of the afternoon.
621
Whiffle ball in the backyard.
622
Uncle Andy's margaritas.
623
A phone call with Brian.
624
Generous neighbors.
625
A returned deposit (and a super sweet letter from our old landlords)
626
A completed to-do list.
627
An incompleted to-do list - a reminder that my worth is not in what I accomplish.
628
Watching younger cousins turn into pretty darn awesome adults.
629
Seeing my baby sister graduate college - such grace and such Grace.
630
An unexpected bump to firstclass for a 6 hour flight.
631
And, complimentary POG mimosas. Yes.
632
Being reunited with my guy. Missed him.
633
Dinner overlooking the marina.
634
Strawberries en flambe.
635
Waikiki with my in-laws.
636
A fresh Hawaiian Lei.
637
A patient and gracious attending doc.
638
A picnic at sunset.
639
Access to a barbeque!!
640
Familiar worship songs keeping homesickness at bay.


July 8, 2013

Island Visitors

Oh guys. I don’t even know where to start.  I’ve obviously not done a great job of keeping this little corner of the internet updated.  Sometimes I feel like our day-to-day goings on are not noteworthy or worth writing home about – literally. Work, laundry, dishes, reading on the beach – you know, just your average day-to-day stuff – not super interesting to read (or write!) about.  That aside, this past week was more than certainly worth writing home about.  And so…. 

Dear Home, please pardon my cellphone photos - we were having way too much fun to pull out the big guns.

This last week, three of my favorite people visited us.  We hiked, ate some incredible food, boogie-boarded, ate more great food, toured Pearl Harbor, talked, ate some awesome food, hiked, talked, wore sweet hats, talked, talked…. It was divine.  Truly.  My theology may be off here, but I always feel like I taste a bit of heaven when my family is near.

The days flew by in a blur and it was over all too soon.  We kayaked up a river and saw turtles.  We ate KILLER tacos. We got sunburned. We hiked Diamond Head.  We had a sunset picnic at one of our favorite beaches. Mom and Dad wanted to get away from us for a few hours make sure that Kelly and I got some good ‘sister time’ in, so they took Tuesday for a cycling day while Kell and I did Pearl Harbor and lunch (and coffee and scones).  This week was totally not food-centric.  We loved showing our family the little parts of the island that we've discovered and, quite possibly, fallen in love with.

The Fourth was spent poolside relaxing.  Steaks on the grill and pina coladas in hand, we celebrated the beautiful, hard-fought gift of independence and prayed for God’s mercy on our country’s future.  From the backyard (of the house we were housesitting), we could see the beach fireworks; and we ended the night with our feet in the hot tub talking about theology, the future, and light matter like that.
It was pretty lousy saying goodbye to them.  We had an incredible time learning the beauties of combining mango and cilantro, pairing a great Sokol Blosser with mahi-mahi, and toasting to a wonderful week as the sun set over Waikiki.  Guys, seriously, words cannot even begin to explain how great this week was.  My family is pretty much the bestest. And I'm still trying to figure out how to convince them to come back.

Just Us

We will also remind you that this is just a BLOG…just the highlights. We don’t sit around happily smiling for pictures all day long. Our life is far from perfect: we are imperfect people serving a perfect God. We do strive to glorify God, but we fail miserably and find comfort in knowing that our debts have been paid and we have been set free.