Northern Maine

Jarrod and I have spent the past week in Northern Maine visiting with my family. It has been a great vacation and relaxing time after the busyness of packing and moving.

Jarrod has only been to Maine one other time - Thanksgiving 2007 - so this is his first experience here during summertime. He has been able to experience my mother's gardening madness (well.. perhaps not madness, just consumes every minute of her summer that she is not working... but at least it provides her all the veges she could want for the next year and more!) We have spent lots of time outside - playing basketball, long bike rides, and four square (yes, my siblings are in middle school). Jarrod has also had some authentic Maine experiences... seeing a moose on the roadside, tasting ployes, eating Maine lobster, and -my favorite- getting ice cream at Houlton Farms (a significant childhood memory for me!). We taught the family some new games, including "greed" or "chicken" - a dice game.... and.... drum roll please.... my mom rolled six 1s at once! (That means you automatically win, the game is over.) It was amazing.
We also went to the "Camp" - what those in Maine call their cabin on a lake - and had fun kayaking, playing games, and squashing ants. :) Their camp is "new and improved"... and has become quite the vacation spot. I am told that it is open to all who want to visit Northern Maine... so if you are looking for a rustic Northern getaway experience.. I have some connections! :) There have even been reports of moose sightings from their driveway (although, sadly, I cannot personally confirm this with my own experience.)
Tomorrow we head to Mississippi (well, a suburb of Memphis... one mile into Mississippi) for Pre-Field Orientation (PFO) with the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS). We are not exactly sure what to expect, but look forward to meeting others that are going to the same school in Seoul as well as the NICS missionaries that will be going around the world. The orientation will last for two weeks - before we return to VA for our final goodbyes.

Please conatinue to PRAY for our visa process, we are hoping and trusting that we have jumped through all the necessary hoops to get our Korean visa and will be able to arrive to the school on time.