Home At Last!

There were a few bumps in the road but nothing major. We made the trip in good time and my sweet little babe didn't cry once and any of the 32 hours of driving. A little fussing near then end of each long day but I was fussy too by that point! At left is a little traveling picture that also best represents how I feel to be home!!!

I was so glad to get there early to help my aunt get ready for the reunion. It all went off without a hitch. It was great for everyone to meet Ella for the first time. True to form there were only a few people that she let hold her without complete meltdowns. But as long as she was with me or grandma or playing on the floor she was a super smiley, happy little one that people loved!

We ended up staying and extra day so my mom could take care of a few things she needed to do in Michigan and we arrived home last night. I only managed to accumulate a few things....great things....like three large vacuum storage bags of hand me down clothes from aunt Kirsten, and some great wooden toys from great grandma Eklund!

BOY WAS I GLAD TO BE HOME!!! Missing my hubby, being on the road with a babe, not sleeping in my own bed, helping get ready for a reunion, being around 25 people for the weekend and driving for long periods of time really wipes me out! I've never been happier to see my AMAZING, loving, helpful hubby and be in my little abode!

Now the unpacking....blah! My least favorite part!

I Must Be Crazy!

I know many a family who drive cross country with little ones because they are required to be at conferences and such. But to do so voluntarily requires "a little bit of crazy" as my new pastor would say :) . However, as I am not willing to step on a plane with out my husband, that is what I am doing. (I know, I know, cars are like 10 gazillion times more likely to get in a crash, blah, blah, blah. With my background, planes are scarier and either I'm going down and going to meet Jesus with my whole family or I'm not getting on them at all. Logical I know!)

Tomorrow morning my mom, Ella and I will head out to drive to Michigan for the annual Eklund Family Reunion (I'm procrastinating packing this very moment!). We're going to make the 15 hour trip in two days because we have the babe. And we have no delusions that we will actually make it in 15 hours. We know there will be many a stops for the little one. We'll be gone one entire week, returning next Tuesday night. (We're staying a little extra before and after the reunion because we may as well get in all the visiting we can since I make the trip very seldom!)

It's been 4 years since I made the trip last. Jason and I went out to Michigan and Minnesota on a support raising trip in 2005. Oh, the memories, the nostalgia...it's all coming back. We visited and stayed with SO many of my family members. They were amazing hosts, encouraged us, prayed for us, joined our ministry and supported us financially as well as gave us many contacts from their friends and families who supported us as well. I am so blessed to have such an amazing family!

I'm embarrassed that I've not been back since then...it's high time.

Jason cannot come as he does not have enough earned time off from his new job yet. AND the reunion is over the weekend of our 6 year anniversary!!! :( OH, how I will miss him!!! He noted that this will be the longest we have been away from each other since we've been married!

So if you would, please pray:
#1) For safe travels to and from and anywhere in between.
#2) That Ella would travel well, and not be uncomfortable.
#3) That Jason and I would be well distracted by our individual adventures while we're apart and not miss each other too terribly much!
#4) For a rich, deep, quality, fabulous time of connection with my family!

Fishing, Family, and Friends

We went back up home again this weekend. Jason had a fishing trip planned for Fri-Mon with a friend. They went way out in the willy wacks for a really hard core fishing trip. They drove as far as they could drive and then they hauled their gear behind mountain bikes, riding the roads, exploring every inch of the river and just pitching their tent where they found good ground each night.

He said normally the fishing there would stink mid July, but due to unusually high rainfall, low temperatures and something to do with some migration of the fish to the lake, they "slayed 'em". He caught the biggest brook trout he has ever caught in a stream on a fly rod. 20 inches and really fat. He said it was a "mountain top experience" and he could've just gone home at that. But then they got into places where he said, "no exageration" they each caught at least 100 fish. He said every cast, had a fish on. He said "I got tired of catching fish and that has NEVER happened to me before!" After he had recounted each day, in detail, with the excitement of a giddy child he turned to me with a sigh and said, "Man. If I could do that once a year I wouldn't even need to fish other than that!" It was just the adventure my man was craving and it fully satisfied him. I can't even describe how wonderful I felt for him. It brought joy to me just knowing how much his sense of adventure had been fulfilled that weekend!

And as for me. I got some great time in with my mom. We did a lot of hard work (emotionally and physically) getting her house cleaned up...but I think it was good. She watched the babe two evenings for me so I got some good time in visiting friends and being able to have full, undestracted conversations. And then I got to go to "Mommy Monday" on mon. morning and see many of the girlies and their babes. Good stuff all around!

As for the sleeping through the night. I won't update every day anymore but this about sums it up. She always goes to sleep at 6:30 or 7pm and is always up for the day at 6:30 or 7am. The nights go one of three ways. She either:
1.) Sleeps through completely without waking up at all!
2.) Wakes up once or twice and fusses slightly and then falls back to sleep on her own.
3.) Sleeps straight through until 3:30 or 4 in the morning and then cries bloody murder so I nurse her and she goes right back to sleep.
And really, I'm okay with all of them. It is a major step in the right direction of sleeping soundly through the whole night. And a vast improvement from her waking 2-3 times a night out of what I'm sure now was habit.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

We tried out our first church down here today. Very different. Different is not bad….it’s just different. And I’m such a creature of habit that it made me miss CCOD very much! First twinge of homesickeness!

However some friends of ours go to this church and invited us over for lunch at their house along with all of their family. Was so nice to be included in their gathering. We had a wonderful time and felt very loved!

But I digress…I really wanted to write about Father’s Day. It has made me reflect a bit. So many fathers in this world are at worst abusive, or completely absent, or not involved very much in their children’s lives if they are around.

But not Jason. I can sincerely say that having Ella has brought us even closer. Watching him with her makes me fall even more deeply in love with him every day. When you see the two of them together it is obvious that she melts his heart. It has been so neat to watch her bring out a whole new side of him. Who knew that like the flip of switch such a monotone man would make ridiculously expressive faces and high pitched sounds, would read books in funny voices and sing songs, would stop in his tracks to say “awww, she’s so cute”, or “those are cute noises little girl, cute noises you make!”.

And he’s not involved just for the fun parts. His intuition as a father is so in tune. He is often dead on when it comes to knowing what she needs, or wants. When it’s been a rough day he takes turns with me watching her so I can nap and then we switch so he can nap. He also takes turns with me getting up to get her in the middle of the night. He’ll bring her to me to nurse and then take her back in when she’s done and then I’ll do the next one. And on Saturday mornings he gets up with her and lets me sleep in a few more hours! I am so blessed to be married to this man! Honor and respect and appreciation he deserves today and every day!

Grand Lake Stream

(I would like to preface this post with a small inside joke....Eat your heart out Jarred Lawson!)

We just got back from a fly-fishing trip at Grand Lake Stream with a group of people from church. SOOO fun! Following is a bit of a photo montage of the trip. (Stay tuned for the following post, "Tara Learns to Fish...as that experience warranted it's very own post! :)

We arrived Sunday night and just ate dinner with everyone...the food was ample and amazing! Thanks again you wonderful women! We stayed with Charlie&Cathy, Sam&Tara and my mom. We entertained ourselves around our cabin by dressing Ella up in silliness (poor child), listening to Charlie's mad harmonica skills, and playing cards.
Monday morning Jason woke up at 4:30am and went fishing with Charlie and Sam. Surprise, surprise he was the only one that caught fish! He caught 6, all keepers, released them all.Monday afternoon he took me fishing (yeah that's right...girls fish too!). I have a lot of head knowledge from living with the master, but actual experience...not so much. Don't get out too often. But when I go with J he tells me what to do and gives me his special hand tied flies and makes me look good...see....I caught 3, he caught one and Tara caught one. All keepers, released them all.Monday night Jason went fishing with Scott and Pete, J only caught a 10" brookie, Pete caught the one pictured below and according to Jason, "Scott put on a clinic down theyah!" But apparently he didn't get any pictures of those.And Tuesday morning Jason and Charlie woke up at 4:30am and had a grand old time. Charlie caught 4 and Jason caught 3. All keepers. Charlie took one home and they released the rest.

And here's a picture of the new "fishing chest pack" that Jason says he much prefers over his other one :)

The Rest of the Story...

I said a while back I'd post the whole story about Jason's new job and this new transition in life. Well, here goes. It is amazing to reflect on God's hand in this whole process. I'll try not to be too long winded...but who are we kidding...this is me here people!

When we first transitioned out of CCC in late 2007 Jason looked for Engineering jobs. He did not get job offers from any that he would like doing and/or would pay enough. So he went back to school for his masters. Instead of finishing his Masters straight through, he went into teaching, taking a masters class here and there, because our babe was on the way.

Two or three months ago, after another "family blow up" shall we say (Those of you who know us know what I am speaking of and know that these episodes are far too common, and truly heartbreaking for Jason.) Jason was at his wits end. He announced to me that he wanted to get as far away as possible. I thought he was just blowing off steam but he actually put in applications all over the U.S. We're talking, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana. I mean, the man wanted to get FAR away!

Although I told him I would support him wherever he wanted to go and would go with him if he really thought it was the best thing...(and I really would have)....After much discussion he decided not to move us cross country. Whew!

In this whole process of looking for jobs "as far away from here as I can get" Jason found numerous engineering jobs that sounded exciting to him. With curiosity peaked, he decided to look, again, for engineering jobs in Maine. He applied for several that looked good, but he'd been out of the field for too long. Although he really didn't like the Shipyard when he worked there last he decided to call and see if other departments were hiring than the one he'd previously worked in. They were!

Hurdle #1: Get an Interview: One in particular sounded good. He was told that he was being recommended for the interview but 10 or so other people were being recommended as well and a group of supervisors would have to agree on the candidate. He got the interview. Over hurdle #1.

When he went for the interview the person who was supposed to interview him got called away an hour before. The stand in interviewer turned out to be a Christian. Not only did Jason nail the actual work/job part of the interview with his mad skills, but they got to talking about personal stuff afterward and shared their testimonies, found out that they know a ton of the same people and determined they have a lot in common. I won't list all the details but it was uncanny and definitely a God thing!

Hurdle #2 Get the Job: He also had an interview for another department. We were praying for Department 260 because the Christian guy would be his supervisor. He could work 4 10's. It's a more family friendly environment. It's a more hands on job that he would like more. There is no forced overtime. The pay raises come quicker. And occasionally he might get sent to work at other shipyards....like San Diego or Pearl Harbor! A few weeks later he got the job offer for the one he wanted! Over Hurdle #2.

Hurdle #3 Break the News: He now had to tell the people at his work which he was very nervous about. Everyone ended up being very supportive and understanding. Telling him that they knew he was doing the right thing for his family. Over Hurdle #3.

Hurdle #4 Sell the Dirt Patch: Now we had to sell our house (a.k.a. trailer on a dirt patch) in one rockin' housing market! Jason knocks on our neighbors door and asks if he wants to buy our place. He says yes. He gets financing. We close whenever we want to. Crushed Hurdle #4.

Hurlde #5 Fill One Tall Apartment Order: Now we need to find a place to rent in Southern Maine. Oh, did I also mention it needs to have 2 bedrooms, storage, a W/D hookup, a yard, be in a nice neighborhood, allow pets, be a decent drive to the Shipyard, not be a dump AND be 800/mo or under...and we don't want to start paying rent until June? And after one LONG day of hunting, the very last one we looked at had everything on our list and MORE! Hurdle #5 obliterated!

Hurdle #6 Afford the Move and Keep Health Insurance: We needed to time the getting done of our jobs and the start up of his new job so that we can afford to move and so that we keep health insurance for the babe. (Ahh the carefree days of only having to worry about yourself are over!) It just so happens that both of our paychecks will carry through to exactly when Jason's new paychecks start coming in. And my health insurance will cover us until exactly when Jason's new health insurance kicks in.

Coincidence? Absolutely not! I would be remiss if I did not say that fervent prayers for guidance and provision were offered up every Day! You see, God can take even the most discouraging of circumstances, and some initially rash decisions and turn them into something wonderful! God is Good. All the time. All the time. God is GOOD!

THIRD DAY!

You may recall my previous post about how PUMPED I was that Third Day (my all-time favorite band) was coming to little old Bangor! Well they came last night! Jason had been sick for at least a week and I started to come down with something. I spent all day Saturday recuperating, and Sunday I napped. By the time the concert rolled around Sunday night I was feeling better! But lets be honest, I would have gone on my death bed! Nothing was keeping me from seeing Third Day live!

I took my mom with me and it was such and awesome time! My mom and I both love the band and we've never been to any kind of real concert together. It was just a really sweet time for me, getting to share the experience with her.

We sat with a bunch of my friends because we all bought tickets together. Despite the fact that Jessie looks absolutely stoned in this picture, rest assured, the night was totally chem-free! :)True to form Third Day put on an amazing show/time of worship! We had seats right in the middle at the very beginning of the stadium seats. It was a GREAT view and not too far away despite how the pictures look! Here's the best shot I got of the lead singer Mac Powel.My favorite part was when they went off the stage and had a little acoustic, all request jam session in the middle of the auditorium which was really close to us. Mac sang my favorite song that I had yet to hear live, "Love Song". This is NOT a good picture but it was awesome!The thing I love about Christian concerts is that there are people of all ages, from all walks of life united in Christ. Everyone is happy and polite and courteous. It's just a different feel than many other concerts I've been to. We left energized and uplifted! What an awesome night!

He Makes a Great Cowgirl!

Oh my! I still chuckle out loud as I remember last night....It all started so innocently. I went shopping with my mother-in-law Diane, my sister-in-law Erin and Erin's roommate. Actually...I didn't shop. Diane shopped, for Erin and I for my birthday and Christmas. (It's usually the same scenario. She really enjoys buying gifts for others so she keeps telling you to find something else you like, and you keep telling her you don't need anything because she's already spent way too much on you and she doesn't take no for an answer.) She's quite generous that way! Anyhoo, the day of shopping was tiring but fun and we all had a good time together. The men folk stayed home and watched manly football. But they joined us that night for Dinner at the Texas Roadhouse, (again a treat from J's mom and dad.)

This is where the real fun began. At the end of dinner the waitress comes over (I think she's coming to give the check.) and I hear her say, "I hear it's your birthday." Now...I was literally thinking she was talking to Diane at first because Diane's birthday is shortly after mine...it took a minute to register...she was talking to me. When I realized that, I immediately began trying to disapear into the corner of the booth, my face turned 10 shades of red and I practically yelled, "NO!" as I strongly and viamently denied that it was my birthday because #1) It was NOT my birthday and #2) I know what they do to birthday boys and girls at Texas Roadhouse. "No really," I pleaded with the waitress, "it's not my birtday! My birthday is next Saturday, I'll show you my liscence. I swear!" And she was like, "Oh, but you're celebrating this weekend." as the whole table urged me to get up onto the western saddle in front of the whole restaurant.

Now... I have never, ever been the "like to be the center of attention" kind of girl (unless it was for doing extremely well in school or on a soccer field or in a ski race) There was no way I was getting on that saddle. Seriously...no chace in you know what! In fact, I said, "No. I'm NOT getting on it." To which the waitress replied, "Is there anyone who wants to ride in her place?" And that I was all for. I looked to the person nearest to me on the left (which was Jason) pointed to him and quickly said, "Yeah, YOU do it." It took a little coaxing from me and his family, but he did it. He got up there... on that saddle... for me! (Oh, I love this man!)

And then it happened. The waitress turned the lights on him, and began announcing to the whole restaurant, "WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL COWGIRL HERE TONIGHT, with someone riding in her place." Our entire table erupted in laughter and I turned 10 more shades of red and tried to squeeze further in to the corner of the booth. "HER NAME IS SARAH AND SHE'S TURNING 26 YEARS OLD," the waitress continued, "EVERYONE SAY 'HI SARAH!'" The whole restaurant yells, "Hi Sarah!" to my husband...sitting on a western saddle...at the head of our table. "ON THE COUNT OF THREE, EVERYONE GIVE HER YOUR BEST 'YEE HAAW'" The entire restaurant yells, "Yee Haaw" and I am completely mortified for my husband, yet crying in laughter at the same time. And that my friends is how amazing Jason is. WOW! Do I owe him....for like the rest of our life!