Spring Update

Somehow, I blinked and nearly half of the year has passed. The newness and hope of a new year still seems fresh to me, and yet, January 1^st was ages ago. This year. Sheesh. It's been pretty crazy so far; and I feel like I'm always playing catch-up.  So, here's a brief snippet of what we've been up to:

We celebrated the New Year with our family in Colorado while we were there for Cole's third rotation. Oh man, Colorado just might have stolen my heart.  Our time there was so sweet, so refreshing and, in many ways, so healing.  We lived with Cole's aunt, uncle, and cousins - and it was wonderful.  I didn't work while we were there and spent many long mornings over coffee talking with Cole's aunt and cousin. I read a ton and cooked a lot and spent a lot of time with Cole's family who loved us unreservedly and extremely generously.  Our time in Colorado was so, so precious. I could go on and on, but words just can't capture the sweetness of that season. Needless to say, it was super hard to leave.

In mid-February, we roadtripped back to central Washington where we lived with Cole's parents during his last rotation - and where, consequently, we'll be to stay.  Cole enjoyed his final rotation immensely and I enjoyed spending time with my wonderful mother- and sister-in-law.  And, we both appreciated being just three hours away from Portland and three hours away from Spokane - two cities that house so many people we love.  It has also been so nice knowing that we are here to stay. After a year of moving, I'm excited to start putting down roots, and I couldn't be more thrilled to be living so close to family.  In March, I started working at a local grant writing company and have enjoyed the opportunity to stretch and grow and learn something new.  (and to get to write!)

Nearly a month ago, the house we've spent over a year planning was finally finished and we were able to move in.  With the help of a lot of friends and family, we have slowly unpacked boxes (some that haven't been unpacked in over 4 years!) and have started to settle in. I've loved making it "home;" and I still can't believe that we get to live there.

And two weeks ago, my husband walked across the stage, received his doctoral hood, was handed his diploma, and officially finished optometry school.  I could not be more proud of this man and his incredible work ethic and discipline.

As we reflect over the last five months, I am so humbled and in awe of God's faithfulness, grace, and utter generosity.  Despite the darker moments where my faith was lacking, He has continued to shower us with far more grace than we could ever deserve. Grace in the waiting, grace in the disappointment, and grace in the provision.

And we're looking ahead to a ridiculously busy summer.  Hold on tight, it's gonna get crazy.

The Latest

I've come to this space so many times in the last month, and I've turned right around and walked away.  I've started posts and ended posts and completely erased everything I've written.  I'm wrestling with this space, that is nothing new.  I've often wondered what to do here, how much to share, what to keep just for us.  And then, my grandmother died and a lot changed.  It seems like I see everything through a new filter, and there is a lot that seems far more trivial than it ever did.

Having shared bits and pieces of her here on this blog makes it suddenly feel like some sort of sacred space. As in, how can I come here and dance lightly with the silly things in life all while grappling with this deep, deep loss.  Such is the balancing act of grief, I suppose: recognizing the need to honor the memory and cherish the past, while growing and changing and moving forward.  

That said, I suppose it's about time for a trivial update.

Many days lately, I have felt left in the dust, scratching my head as to how it can even be possible that we're over halfway through October.  Riddle me that, my friend.  Wowza.  Where is this time and why has its marching cadence seemingly accelerated exponentially?!  We are now just under three weeks away from finishing Cole's rotation here in Spokane and heading to our next chapter in Denver, Colorado.  

This time in Spokane has been so sweet, but oh-so-fast!  Cole has been working 12 hour days, and God, in His outrageous provision and faithfulness, has blessed me with a full-time job as well.  With the days and weekends so jam-packed, it's no wonder the time has flown.  While we've been here, we have enjoyed reconnecting with old friends, exploring old stomping grounds, and a few weekend trips to central Washington to visit our niece and nephews.

One weekend, we were blessed with two nights at the Davenport Hotel.  It was a sweet, sweet time of reconnection with this amazing guy with whom I'm blessed to share my life.  We explored downtown Spokane like tourists and enjoyed every bit of this beautiful Spokane October we've had.

Last weekend was spent with Cole's family in central Washington: pumpkin patches, football games, and the most incredible niece and nephews we could ask for!  Every visit back there makes us that much more excited to be settled there in February.

With the remaining time we have left here, we're taking a quick trip to Oregon and one more trip back to Sunnyside before we leave for Colorado.  It's hard to believe how quickly the time has flown. It feels like we just stepped off the plane from Honolulu.  We're nearly halfway through this final year of Cole's schooling, and we could not be more thankful or in awe of God's provision through it all.

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.

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.

This is Not My Home

Living in Hawaii during this temporary season has been quite interesting and quite the adventure.  We have loved learning a new place, but we live very differently here than we did back home.  When we moved here, we brought very little with us; and, as I do things like grocery shop, I typically buy just what we need for the week so that we will not have extra food items leftover when we leave.  In other words, we really don’t stock up on many things because we know our season here is short. 

A lot of the time, we stick out like a sore thumb.  It is very evident to most people here that we are not ‘local.’  Between our skin color (and its propensity to sunburn) and our inability to pronounce the Hawaiian street names, it’s quite clear that we’re not from around here.

Even after being here for a month, it still does not quite feel like home.  Oftentimes, I catch myself thinking about my family “back home,” wondering what the weather is like, thinking about our new nephews, longing for the fellowship of our church family…  Our living situation here is great – ideal, in fact; but most days I find myself dreaming about our future house where we will live when we are finally settled, done with this transitory year.  I picture it filled with guests for a dinner party; or I imagine what the garden might look like in the late spring. Some days it is difficult to be fully present here while my heart is longing for there.

While I was reading this morning, it occurred to me that this is precisely how I should feel about life on Earth.  I should feel like a temporary citizen, like I don’t quite belong.  Just because I live in Hawaii right now, does not give me Hawaiian residency. My driver's license still says, "Oregon."  I do not walk through the door of our apartment and feel enveloped by that familiar comforting sense of home.  It's great, don't get me wrong, but it's not home.

I want to long for our future Glory the way I long to be home now.  I know my heart, and my heart is desperately tied to the things of this world. I find great comfort in familiarity and great security in what I can see. I want to gain a more eternal perspective of our time here on Earth.  What a blessing to spend this temporary season in such a beautiful place, but what greater Beauty awaits!  Hold on, heart, we're not Home yet.

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself." - Phil. 3:20-21 

Wave After Wave

This morning, we awoke to gray skies and threatening, dark clouds.  Today has been a day of slate-wiping, dust-clearing, blustery, totally cleansing rain.  And it's only 8am.  After days of hot, humid weather, this rainstorm is complete relief.  I always drink my coffee hot, but it's nice to actually want it hot on a morning like this.  Even in this cleansing rainstorm, this place maintains its own unique sense of beauty.  But, enough about today.  Yesterday is the real reason we're all here.

Yesterday was pretty incredible.  Not because of the weather and not because of the beaches.... but because we had the joy of becoming an aunt and uncle for the second and third time.  My incredible sister-in-law gave birth to our two handsome nephews bright and early yesterday morning.  Yes, we are loving it here in Hawaii, but I can honestly say, I've never wanted to be back in Washington more than I do right now.

So, after living on my phone watching for updated information and pictures of the boys, I figured it was time to do something productive with my day. (Not that following your nephews' births is not productive, I had just barely left our apartment all day)  So, I decided to put together a little picnic for Cole and drive him up to the North Shore after work for a surprise sunset dinner.  It was worth the drive.

After we'd finished eating, we just sat there watching the *huge* waves roll in.  I really don't know what it is, but waves can be so mesmerizing.  There were a few kids playing in the surf a bit down the beach and the waves were so strong that, even if they had wanted to resist, the kids were continually bowled over by the power of the waves.  Driving, overwhelming waves.  

And, all I could think about was God's grace.  Wave upon wave of driving, overwhelming, completely undeserved Grace.  Two brand, new, healthy lives back home.  Grace.  A safe delivery.  Grace.  Living in this beautiful place. Grace. A great local church. Grace. Nearly 3 years of marriage to this incredible, forgiving, loving man.  Grace.  The cleansing morning rain. Grace.  Bowling me over day after day after day.

5 Things

The View atop Diamond Head

1. It's incredible how a slight change in climate can affect so many things. My hair, for example, though hard to control in this humidity, has never been happier.  And, one thing that I've learned in the two weeks that we've been here thus far is that, given this humidity, food turns stale far more quickly.  Tortilla chips were chewy in a matter of hours; and the Oreos went soft overnight.  I guess that means we have to eat them faster.  Darn.  

2. I've learned that if you do not speak any English whatsoever and cannot understand the sign that says, "Cash Only," and all you have is your credit card and the attendant is irritated with you, my husband will step in without a second thought and pay for your entire family's admission.

3. Given the limited time that we are here and the *extremely limited* size of my kitchen, keeping dinner healthy, fresh, and creative has become a challenge.  Not wanting to load the shelves of our temporary home with seasonings and spices that will not be used up during our three month stint (and not wanting to take any home or have too much go to waste), we have learned to appreciate the beauty in the simplicity of a little salt, pepper, and garlic.

4. If you ever need motivation to workout, spend a day at the beach.  

5. It has been so refreshing to have our evenings back, now that Cole is done with the "schooling" part of school.  Perhaps life on the island is getting to me, but it has been so nice to slow down a bit. Easily, the highlight of my day is our nightly dinner that we linger over on our back porch overlooking the harbor.  I really like this guy.

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The First Week

And now, for a very non-sequitur update…

Well, we made it.  After all the packing and planning and travel logistics, we made it.  With three large suitcases, two small bags, and two backpacks, we moved to Pearl City, Hawaii.  While we have been extremely busy getting settled, we have most definitely been enjoying our time here.  We were even blessed to have Cole’s parents here for the first week to help us get settled.

The view from our back porch

 
 
 
It has been so fun exploring the surrounding areas.  Having grown up in the Pacific Northwest, warm ocean water will never get old to me.  Every time we swim here, I can’t get over the extraordinarily blue and amazingly warm water.  So cool.  We have so enjoyed trying some of the local restaurants and soaking up all the aloha spirit (can you say “live music and hula dancing during cocktail hour”??).  But, lest you think that our time here has been nothing but paradisiacal, let me give you a snapshot of our week.

***

A few years back, another Optometry student who was here on rotation bought a car; and it has since been passed down to student after subsequent student.  We were thrilled to hear of this arrangement and relieved to have an answer to our transportation problem.  The arrangement sounded great and we planned to pass it on to the student after us, until on Sunday night, just 4 days after Cole had inherited the car, it went belly-up on him.  The downside to the whole car arrangement was that this breakdown was inevitable and we were the fortunate students upon whom it decided to conk out.

I arrived on Monday night and spent the first day here at the mechanic trying to solve the issue while Cole was at work.  Long story short, it would have cost more than the car was worth to repair.  So, Wednesday was spent with my in-laws looking for cars.  By God’s grace, we found a decent replacement and have already beaten a path between Pearl City and Waikiki. Needless to say, dealing with car issues is one of my least favorite things.

***

We are living in a residential area about 15 minutes from the beach. Cole absolutely loves his placement and attending doctor. And our little studio apartment has a washer and dryer.  This is all far more than we could have asked or imagined.  We are so very thankful for this adventure and for the way that the Lord has showered goodness upon goodness – even in a dead car – on our time here.  We are so excited to see what the next three months have in store!

Again, lest you think every day here is sunshine, palm trees, and Mai Tais on the beach, we are currently experiencing our first – and quite blustery! – Hawaiian rainstorm. I may or may not have a sunburn that is thankful for a day out of the sunshine…  Don’t let our pictures fool you, it gets cloudy here too!

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Until It's Gone

Well, here we are on the other side.  One week ago with the help of some friends, we packed up all of our belongings, scrubbed our little apartment until it shone, and said goodbye to our friends, our family, and our very first home together. 

The reality of our move is sinking in very slowly.  It still just feels as though we're on an extended vacation visiting family and that we'll return to Forest Grove soon.  I keep forgetting that we won't walk through our front door again or that I won't make pizza in that oven next Friday or that someone else will soon occupy my office or that we won't get to see the leaves on the tree across the street change into the fiery red that heralded autumn's arrival.  It's amazing what you miss once it's gone.

Throughout this whole moving and transition process, I have to say, we have felt so very blessed.  I'll tell you, if you want to feel loved, just quit your job, leave your church, and move across the ocean. Okay, maybe not.  But, in the process of doing just that, we have been completely overwhelmed by the love we experienced as we said goodbye.  It seems that the old maxim is true; you really don't know (or, perhaps in our case, appreciate) what you have until it's gone.

I was quite surprised to discover how hard it was to say goodbye.  I know I shouldn't have been so surprised, but I was.  In reflecting on our three years there, Cole and I were both so very overcome with gratitude for the people who have invested in us and loved us and shown such grace towards us. I worked with some incredible people; Cole went to school with some amazing people; and our church family?  Well, there just are no words.  And, unfortunately, at the time of "goodbye," the words never come. I am never able to say what I want to say.  We may not have always appreciated what we had to the fullest until it was gone, but, boy, do we ever see the gift now. We leave changed for the better, by His grace.  

And, speaking of leaving, my wonderful man is currently somewhere over the Pacific on his way to Hawaii ahead of me!  Looking forward to joining him next week...  We'll try to keep you updated and hope to post more pictures!

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On Packing

Right now, there are three boxes stacked in the corner of our living room: packed, taped, and labelled.  Another rests half-full in the kitchen, packing materials and contents spilling over the sides. Three more lay hungry in the bedroom, waiting to be filled. And, here I sit.  Smack-dab in the middle of it all.  Stuck here partially due to physical exhaustion, partially due to being downright overwhelmed, but mostly because I've misplaced the packing tape. Again.

Such a weird migration this is.  From wall to box.  Dresser to bin.  Cabinet to crate.  These three years past, placed in boxes.  My heart doesn't quite know how to feel.

I know.  I see you there.  You, ticking off the months to come on your fingers... Yes, we still have much time before we leave.  Nearly 4 months, in fact.  And yet, here I sit with box upon box.  Strange as it may be, I suppose I find myself prematurely packing because I am a planner.  I like having all my loose ends tied up, everything just so.  Perhaps I pack because it gives me a sense of control, a fake, fleeting, selfish, and sinful pseudo-sense of control. Maybe, I am packing now to lighten my load for later, when life will no doubt be even more insane.

But, perhaps that which looms largest in my heart urging me to pack is the fact that I'm not quite sure how I'm going to say goodbye. How I will leave this place we two first called home as one.  How we will leave this church family who have loved us with open arms and open doors.  How we will leave these friends who have become more like family...  It's as though this gradual stripping of walls and emptying of drawers will ease the pain of that last day.  Much like a bandage, (and contrary to the common analogy) when pulled ever so slowly, one might almost forget the pain of its removal.  In much the same way, perhaps this gradual packing is readying my heart for the ripping.

I know I've said this before, and there is no doubt that further words and tears will be spilled over this place; but I sit here in the midst of transition with a heart torn.  This heart quickens wildly at the thought of the adventures that lay ahead.  Every vase wrapped is a step closer to that new horizon. While simultaneously, there is an ache that throbs at the thought of closing this chapter.  My heart is all here and all there and not at all emotional.  (ha!)

There is much to do before the door closes, however. Much to do, much to say (or not), and many to love.  I am thankful for this readying period, this time of preparation; but no amount of time is going to make this any easier.

Now... to find that packing tape....

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