Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

We had a marathon day last Saturday. First on the agenda was Sophie's ballet performance. Sophie, Becca and Rae were pink butterflies in a 5 minute performance with their ballet class. There was a private school expo at the local mall and the performing arts school they attend (HUG school), used it as an opportunity to showcase all the talent being developed by their teachers :-). The girls had to be at the mall at 11:00 am for a 1:00 pm performance. Our plan was to then rush home to Blaa's baby shower (yes the same Blaa who was married this time last year is about to have her first baby!!!), which was at my house starting at 2:00pm. But, because we live in Thailand and are pretty accustomed to the laid back "May Pen Rai" ("no problem") attitude, we knew it probably wouldn't work out quite that neatly. The girls ended up getting on the stage at 2:45, danced for 5 minutes, and we made it back home by 3:15.


By then, the shower was in full swing and we were able to pop right in and join the party. If that wasn't exciting and eventful enough, we planned Betsy's surprise 50th birthday party for the same night. At the end of the shower, we turned the "CONGRATULATIONS" banner around and it read "HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY", only it was backwards- you don't wanna to know. We then told Betsy to go home and pack a bag because all the "big girls" were going to have a slumber party in her honor. She went home, we decorated Terri's house for a retro birthday slumber party: streamers, balloons, penant banner that read "YADHTRIB TH05 YPPAH"- again, you don't wanna know- it had nothing to do with the fact that I spent hours hand painting a dual-sided penant banner only to realize that I didn't quite think it through well enough and one side was backwards. Terri quickly redeemed my blunder by assigning the theme "Back To The Future". We later picked Betsy up, went out to dinner, then all spent the night (16 adult women) at Terri's house. Now, I mean true blue slumber party, complete with birthday cake (amazingly decorated by Terri), games, sleeping bags on the floor, lots of laughing and non-stop talking. Of course we never got around to watching the movie, too much to talk about. We all got in the bed by 12:30 and were up again bright and early at 6:30, ready to eat and continue talking. I LOVE girl time. My tank was filled.

I may have been exhausted the next day but it was all worth it.

Friends, friends, friends.

These are Sophie's schoolmates at "Miss Sherry's School For the Exceptionally Adorable and Uncommonly Sweet Female Child" (I just came up with that).



They are quite the threesome. Becca, the tall blonde with beautiful blue eyes, is the eldest. She keeps things peaceful around here as she has one of the most amiable personalities of any 5 year old I've ever met. Whenever I hear a "Hmph! Then I'm not playing with you anymore!", it is not uncommon for Becca to step in as the peacemaker.



See this adorable thing with the big brown eyes and the radiant red ringlets? This is Lillie Belle. I like to call her lil' Lil'. She is our "free spirit". She absolutely cracks me up on a regular basis. This is something she can be heard saying, "Ms. Sherry, I don't like my picture, it's all jacked up!" It took me off guard the first time she said it, then it became our favorite way to describe something that just wasn't quite right. Whenever I need a hug, I know I can always look to Lillie, she's the affectionate fireball.



Then, of course, there's this one. The petite, dark haired, dark eyed beauty. I cannot describe how thankful I am that she has such sweet friends, what a blessing. I'm not sure if its because she's an only child (Lillie and Becca are both one of four in their families), but Sophie insists on giving me the play by play of everything they do, getting my approval. "Mom, Lillie wants to play restaurant while Becca wants to look at books so we will play restaurant first and then look at books, is this ok?" ... "Mom, I told Lillie that I didn't want to play with her, but then I said I was sorry and then we decided to play school. Ok?" Maybe some control issues. I'm sure they have nothing to do with her parents. :-) Sophie is definitely an extrovert, totally energized by people. As soon as her friends leave, she's sad and trying to plan the next social event.



Though Rae doesn't go to our school (she's in a private Christian school in town), she's another sweet friend. Sophie goes to her house on some afternoons to jump on the trampoline. Rae has a magnetic smile and a personality as charming as they come. Who knows, Sophie and Rae may be classmates at some point.



Finally, we have our new friends Rumi and Raine. They came to Sophie's birthday party. I wish I had been videoing when Sophie opened her gifts. Rumi was beside herself with excitement over every gift opened. It was the sweetest thing, she was genuinely excited, squealing, for Sophie. We are going to Rumi's pool party today and I can't wait to see her open her own gifts. We look forward to spending more time with them and making some fun memories.



God is faithful to give us what we need, when we need it. We are definitely a family who loves and needs friends, and our cup is overflowing with them!

Five Years Ago

I wish I could remember what I was doing on this day five years ago. Whatever I was doing, I was oblivious that my baby girl was being born in China. I was dreaming about her, praying for her, hoping for a phone call. But, on this particular day, my life was changed FOREVER and I had no idea. But Providence knew.

On most days, this whole scenario doesn't enter my mind. We're doing life: learning to read, putting puzzles together, laughing, crying, taking temperatures, snuggling, kissing, pouting, correcting, singing (to which she will say, "that's ok mom, can you just let daddy sing?"). She's my baby girl who's turning five. Its not until I get the question, "why doesn't she look like you?" that I'm reminded that I didn't actually give birth to her. From day to day, I'm not really thinking about where our journey began.

But on days like today, I just need to sit and think about that day. I wasn't there for her birth, but others were. If no one else, there was one Chinese woman there. May the grace of the Lord be with her on this day. We will never know all the details of that day and the days leading up to it, but what we do know is that Jesus was there, caring, protecting, carrying out His plan for the life of this precious child, our daughter. Reflecting on this day carries me to the Cross where we see the redemption of all things. Difficult, painful circumstances become beautiful, life changing gifts. I am humbled on this day.

Marc and I want to help Sophie view all of life through the lens of God's greater story of redemption. We are a part of that story, our beginnings, our endings. Our personal histories are important but not ultimate. The ultimate story is that God's people, his creation, were lost and He found us. We were hopelessly trying to do life our own way. God, compelled by love, pursued His people- His stubborn, prideful people. He redeemed us by His own blood. He gave us a new identity, a new life. And then ultimately, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. And he who was seated on the throne said, 'Behold, I am making all things new.'"- Revelation 21:4-5

My Love Muffin, my Princess Buttercup, my Sunshine, my Sophie Mei, she's five today and I'm so thankful for her.

Princesses and Hovercrafts.

Wow, its 2011! That sounds so weird. When I was in high school, we just knew that we would be all be driving hovercrafts by now. Where's my hovercraft? Where's the robot that's supposed to be cleaning my house? What about my personal vending machine that will prepare and cook whatever I want? We may not have these things but we have some crazy phones and electronics. My friend sent us a kindle over Christmas- amazing gift!!! We can, from the other side of the world, order a book- just about any book- and it will download to this handheld device in a matter of minutes, any time of the day. I think she meant it for me, but since Marc reads about 3x's as much as me, its usually in his possession. :-) Technology is progressing, societies are changing, some for the better, some the worse. When my heart is tempted to get overwhelmed with the spiritual condition of those around me, the poverty, the pain, the enslavement, I have to discipline myself to look to the promises of the Lord. But what I KNOW is that "the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning. Great is your faithfulness O Lord, Great is your faithfulness." The Lord is good and with every passing year, He draws us closer and closer to Himself. "He who began a good work will carry it out to completion." - Phil. 1:6



The last couple of months have flown by! We've celebrated Thanksgiving, lots of Christmas parties, my birthday, many spiritual births, Sophie's gotcha day, Christmas, Sophie's Princess birthday and now we're girding ourselves for another busy season. We've got lots coming up on the horizon: showers and parties to celebrate Blaa and Nai's wedding (more on that later), ministry parties, a three week training project for the students, the wedding, staff training- then before we know it, the school year begins again. Whew! Lord, help us to be on your agenda and not our own.

The new marriage of a Thai Christian couple is really a huge praise! Thailand is a spiritually dark place and when two of our student come to know Christ, continue to walk with Him to a place of maturity, fall in love, and marry one another to begin a Christian family- we CELEBRATE!!!! Blaa and Nai need to be bathed in prayer. The Evil One does not like the formation of a Christian family, because its powerful. Please pray for them. Also, its a little long, but please enjoy watching their fairy tale engagement........



Until the next time I blog...... whenever that may be....... the Lord be with you.

Daisy the Dog

We now have a dog. She has been a part of our family for apx. 2 months. We had talked about getting a dog for a while. Sophie has very high social needs and seeing that she doesn't have a little brother or sister yet, we figured a dog would be the next best thing. There is a sweet missionary family in the neighborhood whose teenage daughter was moving back to the US and they were looking for a home for her dog. It seemed to be a situation we couldn't pass up. First of all, she is adorable. Secondly, she was already partially trained and very well mannered- for the most part. Her biggest weakness is the burst of high energy she gets on the arrival of anyone through the front door. She is OBSESSED with toes. She bites, nibbles, licks, sniffs- while simultaneously jumping and running circles around your feet. The sight of fresh feet (meaning new feet, not clean feet- actually, I'm pretty sure she prefers dirty feet) acts like a visual amphetamine for her. I need to figure out how to take her through detox. I know there's probably a very easy way to train your dog, but I'm challenged when it comes to training. We're still working on going potty outside- all the time. Isn't this supposed to be relatively easy when working with an intelligent dog? I believe the experts, its normally a problem with the trainer, not the trainee. I need someone to train me on how to train.

Nevertheless, we really do love her. I secretly love the fact that she usually follows me wherever I go. When I'm cooking, she always gets snuggled up in the corner beside the oven, right by my feet. When I'm having a quiet time on the couch, there she is, right at my feet. I'm trying to ignore the fact that if she doesn't get a bath every other day, then I'm constantly sneezing and my eyes are bloodshot. This too shall pass- or not.

Sophie does well, but she can't handle Daisy first thing in the morning. Sophie always stops on the second from the last step and calls me to come and get her. Daisy is especially excited to see Sophie in the morning, but Sophie needs to enjoy Daisy from a secure location- the couch or living room chair, too high for Daisy to jump on. After Daisy comes down from her high, the playing begins. Sophie loves to play with the leash. The great thing is Sophie can't clip it to her collar, rather she lets Daisy hold it in her mouth and leads her around the house. Daisy always cooperates and keeps it in her mouth, following close behind Sophie. That's a good friend.

I hope we have Daisy for a long time, I just need to get trained on how to train. It's not that much different from training a child, except I don't have to "shepherd" the dog's heart. Speaking of shepherding a heart, I need to go read that book again. I need to get trained on how to train a child too, or at least a regular refresher course.

Poor Child

Hmmm, I guess I'm not a blogger. My last entry was almost 4 months ago. The Pioneer Woman would be so disappointed. Maybe its just not in my blood. My sister finally wrote me an email and said, "Ok, enough is enough. Its Thanksgiving, write on your blog." Once I do it, blogging is really therapeutic. And I'm all about therapy.

I really can't believe its Thanksgiving already. Where does the year go? We have a big team Thanksgiving dinner. The only thing we'll be missing is turkey. Turkeys are really expensive here and to make enough to feed 40 people just seems like too much. We'll have grilled chicken instead. But we'll have everything else: pecan pie, hashbrown casserole, dressing, sweet tea, etc. The only other thing missing is weather cool enough to wear a sweater and boots. Ahhh, the joy of winter ensembles. Its so much more fun to pick out an outfit in the winter. I wear the same shorts every other day, the same 5 shirts, the same flip-flops. Though, I guess I should be be counting my blessings- clothes to wear and food to eat.

Something else that is flying by is Sophie's age! She will be 4 years old in two months!! She is getting smarter, spicier and funnier. Here are a few funny things she's said lately:

Sophie is really good at turning some of our corrections around and using them on us. Marc will periodically comment, "Sophie if you don't like Daisy trying to play with you, maybe we'll have to let her go play at someone else's house." Then the other day, Sophie said to me, after she witnessed my frustration at cleaning up after the dog, "Mommy, if you don't like Daisy tee-teeing on your floor, maybe we'll have to let her tee-tee on someone else's floor." My reply, "Well, who would like to have Daisy come tee-tee on their floor?" ...Sophie- "Hmmmmm, I'm not sure."

We were at a retreat and Sophie was really in the mood to play, she came to me and said, "Mom, I love you and everything, but where is Daddy?"

At the Fall Festival there was an ongoing game where our friend Brandon played the part of sheriff and would periodically arrest people. Brandon came to arrest Blaa and put her in jail, Sophie was standing with Blaa at the time. (Blaa is a dear friend who hangs the moon in Sophie's eyes). Sophie was taken off guard, and as Brandon pulled Blaa away by the arm Sophie aggressively pulled Blaa back by the hem of her dress. She was determined to save Blaa, it was serious business. She was utterly confused and Blaa was playing along saying, "Help, help!!! Sophie, help me!!" Finally, Sophie let go of the dress and took off running to her daddy, crying hysterically. She couldn't help Blaa. Marc kept trying to explain that they were just playing but as soon as I took Sophie in my arms, she said, "I'm never coming to church again!!!" She continued to say this on the way home, through her tears, "I'm never going to church again. Only you and Daddy. You can get me a babysitter!!" Poor child.

Until next time......

A Tribute to Sisterhood

Well, the visit by my sister and her family has come and gone. We had a great time. Their visit was short but we tried to fill our days with good time together, eating (as usual) and seeing lots of everyday Thai culture. There's never a dull moment with my brother-in-law Gary around, he never meets a stranger. They say the people who learn the language the quickest are those who aren't afraid to go out and use the vocabulary they've learned, Gary would have the language in no time. He was trying to speak Thai the minute they got off the plane.

Hailey and Emily were so sweet, just glad to be here, going wherever we took them and eating whatever I asked them to try. They colored endlessly with Sophie in all her new coloring books. They watched Pooh. Hailey even shared her i-touch with Sophie whenever she asked. They are great cousins.

Melissa, however, was such trouble, more trouble than it was worth to have her here. I hope you can hear the jest in my typing. If I could wrap her up and stick her in my pocket to have with me all the time, I would. She's adorable. She's sweet. She's as easy to talk to as the day is long. She loves her family. She can make a cheesecake better than Paula Deen and the Pioneer Woman put together. She's addicted to sugar- I mean BAD. She's got extreme maternal instincts- (she still tries to mother me and I don't mind a bit :-). She loves Jesus and loves to talk about Him. She loves to cuddle with my baby Sophie. She thinks my husband is funny. She flew 1/2 way around the world to see me. And best of all, she loves me like a big sister should. I mean she really loves me. She is at home trying to slay the jet-lag beast because she loves me so much. I absolutely, positively cannot imagine not having sisters. I'm so sorry to all of you out there who don't have them. I'm sure having a brother has its perks. Having one sister is a great thing, but having two sisters is, is... extra great. I have a friend with 3 sisters (you Lute girls are blessed) and I can't even imagine the joy and the fun. Its in the works for my oldest sister and mom to come along next time. I will have to send out warnings that the Marechale sisters are in town and in full effect. My dad has graciously declined an invitation to ever visit us in Thailand again. He says he enjoyed his trip last year but he never cares to get on a plane for 27 hours again. I don't blame him.

So, anyway, that's pretty much all I can talk about right now. I will go and make something chocolatey so that I can think about my Sissy some more. Until next time. Sawasdee Kha!