Team Retreat and Departure

We are connected to the internet at our home. We are so thankful for this. Time to catch up on the blog.

Backing up...at the first of the year we had a team retreat at Pickwick Lake in Tennessee. It was a good time for us to be together as a team before leaving. We enjoyed planning and playing.




I found Ella like this on the sofa. She tends to get toys "caught" on her arms and legs, or in this case her face. She just lays there and waits on someone to rescue her.



Before the team retreat though, we had to say our goodbyes to Jason's family. We spent one last night in Austin celebrating the beginning of another year with them and the Kohl family. Ella learned to play UNO.




After the team retreat we spent a few days in Memphis. We stayed with "Aunt Kari" and savored a final meal at El Porton with cheese dip and said goodbye to the Kohlbacher boys...





January 7th finally came. We drove to Nashville and spent some time at Emily's parent's home. Several friends came by to say goodbye and then it was off to the airport. The emotions I felt that day are still hard to put into words. Even six weeks after our arrival in Australia, it still feels quite surreal that we are here in Wollongong.





Many have wondered how Ella Rhys travels. She does great. At five months she had flown ten times. On the flight from Los Angeles to Sydney (which is almost 14 hours nonstop), we had a bassinet that pulls down from the bulk head wall. This was a great help - letting Ella sleep and giving my arms a rest. We are so blessed with a great traveler. She also wins hearts as we travel around the world. There is nothing like seeing your daugther bring joy to people just by her sweet smile and innocent existence. Traveling to Australia with her at five months was good timing. I really believe that God in his goodness and wisdom allowed our funding and visa and all that to come together at just the right time. I know we will eventually travel with a more mobile Ella...but for this trip, I am just thankful she was still baby enough and immobile!

The journey begins. Heading to LA...


Waiting to get on the Qantas flight to Sydney. She has NO idea what is about to go down in her life!



And we made it.


Thank you God for safe travels, a happy traveling baby, family and friends who have let us go, prayer warriors and supporters making sacrifices for us to be here.

Arrival in Wollongong

As many of you already know, we have arrived safely in Wollongong. We have been in Australia for almost one month now.

Unfortunately we have limited email access so we have not been able to update our blog with pictures. In a couple of weeks we will have internet in our home and will look forward to communicating more regularly.

God has blessed us richly. We found a great three bedroom home about 15 minutes from downtown Wollongong to rent. The house is perfect for our family and for entertaining new friends...we hope that time will come soon. We have a beautiful view of Mt. Kembla from our kitchen window. We hope to post pictures soon.

We have also purchased a vehicle and some basic furniture. We have met our neighbours and others along the way. Ella is going to have her first 'Music with Mummy' class next Tuesday and I hope to connect with other young families.

Ella is now sitting up, eating her toes, and blowing bubbles. Today is a big day for us -- she is going to have her first solid food. Something about it makes me a little sad but it is time! I can rejoice in having a healthy, thriving baby. She is just over 16 pounds now with new rolls appearing each day!

We look forward to sharing pictures soon! Please keep us in your prayers as we adjust, make contacts and begin sharing the good news of God's love and redemption to people in this community.

Wollongong Bound

Today is a big day. After years of planning and praying our family is moving to Australia. At 6pm we will fly from Nashville to Los Angeles and then on down to Sydney.

Preparing for an international move is a lot of work. The past months have been marked by road trips, paperwork, packing. And most recently goodbye after goodbye. I have said some difficult ones this past week.

We don't know what the next year, or five years will hold for our family in Wollongong. But I am so humbled at how God has worked. And the truth is I don't even know ALL of the ways He has worked. God has been preparing us so much deeper than just providing us with the money to go. I have experienced tremendous emotional and spiritual transformation over the past years. I am so thankful to God for all of the ways he has refined me and for the ways He will continue to do so. It is not finished yet!

Today is a new beginning. Please pray for us as we begin this new chapter of our lives.

Five months old

We can't believe how BIG Ella is getting. Her doctor has no concerns -- she is definitely getting what she needs! Thank you, God, for a healthy, thriving and happy baby.
(scroll down for several new updates)

Ella Rhys' first Christmas

Ella celebrated her first Christmas in Abilene, Texas. She woke up at 1am and 6am, taking us back to those newborn nights. I'm going with the theory that she "gets" Christmas and couldn't sleep for the excitement. Christmas morning treat was to sleep in bed with her parents after eating at 6am. Okay this was really our treat.









Getting Ella's Australian passport...the last necessary document was a good Christmas present

T'was the night before Christmas

On Christmas Eve, we "let" Ella open her first tree ornament. This will probably become our family tradition and we hope her excitement will increase as the years go by. :)

Bringing you up to date:

Jason's visa has been granted. He has a Religious Worker visa good for two years. God has faithfully and generously blessed us with what we anticipate to be the necessary funds for the work in Australia. We are so thankful. We received Ella Rhys' Australian passport about an hour ago. This was the last document we were waiting on. And in contrast to her US passport - her picture is awfully CUTE! (she is mad and redfaced for her US passport).

The congregation here at Round Rock had a send off for us. The elders met with us for fellowship and prayer. Many members came to a come-and-go reception we had yesterday. We feel very supported and loved by the people at Round Rock.

We are in Abilene for Christmas. We fly from Austin to Nashville on January 1st and will have a team retreat the first few days of January. On the 7th we fly from Nashville to LA then down to Sydney arriving there on the 9th. We will visit my family in Brisbane from January 13th - 21st.

We covet your prayers as we spend the last couple of weeks in the US and transition to Australia.

Merry Christmas by the way.

Denver trip

We made a quick trip to see Jason's cousin Brian in Denver, Colorado this past week. We had a great time. Brian and his wife Heather have three kids - Cade (3.5), Aubrey (23 months) and Luke (5.5 weeks). Adding Ella to the mix meant a game of tetris getting in and out of the car, lots of toys, and loads of fun.

It was Ella's first time in the snow. The weather was kind to us until we tried to leave Denver. We ended up giving up at 10pm that night and opting to stay in a hotel and fly back the next morning. We made our flight in spite of the additional security screening our family was lucky enough to be chosen for.

Here are some highlights including baby Ella and baby Luke sporting their cute Christmas onesies as a gift from Aunt Cindy.



Jason calming the babies



The babies





What do you mean we have to wait for Christmas???



Cade and Jason

Citizen by Descent

Ella was granted Australian Citizenship by descent on October 28th. Yesterday we traveled to Houston to apply for her Australian passport.

Four Things

My friend Faith did this on her blog. She didn't 'tag' anyone . . . but it looked like fun so I 'tagged' myself. Ella updates coming soon.

I tag y'all by the way. Leave me a comment if you participate so I can swing by you blog and learn about your four things!

Four things....

Four jobs I've had:
1) Waitress at the Outback
2) English teacher in Japan
3) Travel agent
4) Mom

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1) My Best Friend's Wedding
2) Elf
3) The Sound of Music
4) Dumb and Dumber

Four places I've lived:
1) Brisbane, Australia
2) Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada
3) Ibaraki and Tochigi, Japan
4) Memphis, Tennessee

Four TV shows I watch:
1) Seinfeld
2) Heroes
3) Lifetime (Shameless!)
4) ? Could only come up with three unless the Weather Channel counts :)

Four places I've been:
1) Riviera Maya, Mexico
2) Jamaica
3) Fiji
4) China

Four people who email me regularly:
1) Mum
2) Aussie Mission team members
3) Kari
4) Cheryl

Four of my favorite foods:
1) Sushi
2) Pho noodles
3) Cake batter ice-cream with almonds
4) Chick-fil-a

Four places I would like to visit:
1) Hawaii
2) New Zealand
3) New York
4) San Fransisco

Four things I'm looking forward to in the coming year:
1) Watching Ella grow
2) Working in Wollongong with our entire team
3) A summer in Australia - its been 7 years
4) Watching how God will work

Visa Update

Please pray about visas to enter Australia . . .

The Griffiths are waiting on their permanant residency visa. They have been waiting around eight months already. All they know is that their application has been recieved, but not yet processed. Pray that it is processed and granted soon! And pray for them as they wait.

The Mullins should have a religious worker visa any day. Their medical exams went smoothly and they were notified that the results were being sent to D.C. From our understanding, this is the last step. A visa should be granted soon after the paperwork from the medicals arrive in D.C.

We are on a similar track to the Mullins. With a glitch. Jason's chest x-ray had to be re-done. In Memphis. So we overnighted the new x-ray back to Atlanta. Today we called and the radiologist has not yet give the readings to the doctor. The secretary is less than impressed with our phone calls. Please pray that the radiologist moves on this, and that Jason's medical results will get on up to D.C in a timely manner.

Ella Rhys on Halloween

We spent Ella's first Halloween at the Fall Festival at the Round Rock church of Christ. I was in charge of the fishing pond booth. Ella just chilled out by my side or slept. The 31st was our first day home after our long road trip to Oklahoma. I didn't get out to look for a costume for her until around 2pm on the 31st. I know, I know...but I will pull the 'I'm-Australian-and-we-don't-do-Halloween' card and the 'first-time-mom' card on this one.

In spite of myself, I was able to find a cute onesie complete with English spelling to create a double meaning, and an adorable jack-o-lantern bib. We called this a costume - opting out of the other very hot looking costumes since it is still around 80 - 85 degrees in Austin. Ella should just be thankful that she didn't end up in a costume made for pets. I had one all picked out and was headed to check out when I saw the sign 'pet costume'. Bless my heart.

Road tripping with Ella Rhys

We have been on the road a lot lately. We are still fundraising, and are also saying goodbye to people. In October, we spent 18 days in Oklahoma. We were back in Austin for four nights, and then off again to Tennessee and Georgia.

Ella Rhys is an incredible traveler. She is still young enough to be sleeping a lot. I do feel bad for her though. So we stop often and let her stretch. On our most recent trip, we had some 8-10 hour days and she did great. We are so thankful.

The nice thing about road trips for me, is that I can pack liberally. As in, everything but the kitchen sink. I don't have to worry about 3 ounce bottles of liquid, or 1 quart zip lock bags. Of course, Jason might say otherwise since he is the one that gets to play tetris everytime we have to pack the car.




This is how we check on Ella. We do have a car mirror but have not attached it yet. This works for now. What a cute little girl. When we get tired and weary on these trips - Ella can instantly revive and rejuvenate us with her sweetness.

Thoughts on Re-Entry

Well folks, it looks like we might just make it to Australia after all. I know many have doubted! However, with the completion of Jason's medical recently, we expect that his Religious Worker Visa might be granted by early December. The medical was a slight ordeal and a major rip-off but thats a story not really worth retelling.

December 9th we will travel to Houston to have an interview for Ella's Australian passport. An in-person interview is mandatory for all first time, child passports in the US and Australia. The US passport is easy - just go to a post office. But the Australian one has to be at an Embassy - hence the trip south. The passport is then issued about 10 days later. Once that is done, we will have all the paperwork we need to get on a plane and enter Australia legally.

I left Australia on January 31st 1999. I was fresh out of college, and on my way to China and Japan with college friends to celebrate our graduation. I intended to look for a job teaching English in Japan and was hired on my second day there. My poor mother. Since leaving in 1999, my longest trip back to Australia was three weeks (for our wedding), and our most recent trip was two and a half years ago.

I wonder what it will be like to live in Australia again? Many quickly say 'oh you're going home'. True. Yet false. I grew up there. My family is all there. But for the past ten years I have lived and worked outside of the Australian culture and norms. Most of the 'firsts' of my adult life were in Japan or the United States.

I have so many thoughts about this thing called 're-entry'. They are difficult to define. What is my point? I am not really sure. I hoped to be a little more articulate but . . . Probably more than anything its just to ask for a little grace! Have mercy on me if I sound a little different, if I forget you can't do drive through banking, or shop 24 hours a day. If I call a dummy a pacifier or a nappy a diaper. If I fill the car up with gas not petrol. I'll do my best to fit in and adjust to the cultural norms. It might take a while. Someone likened the re-entry experience to changing colour. I was green in Australia. I turned a little yellow in Japan/America, and now I am blue. Like a square peg trying to fit back into a round hole.

Regardless of how difficult re-entry might be, I will commit to finding joy in it and being thankful. I am so thankful for the many blessings of the past ten years. (and the 21 years prior to that, too).

Together again

We made it back to Texas after 18 days on the road, mostly in Oklahoma.  We enjoyed Ella's first Halloween (pictures to come), and a visit from the Lawries before heading for Tennessee.

We are currently in Jackson, Tennessee enjoying time with our team mates.  We have not been together since the day of Ella's birth.  It is difficult to be apart while we are all in this time of preparation, transition and waiting. It is good to be together with our good friends. And wonderful to enjoy the fall.

If I'm bald the next time you see me . . .

. . . its because I set my hair on fire.

I picked up this saying for a friend, and it works well for me. There are just some times when 'I want to set my hair on fire'. Its usually during times of high stress. Don't get me wrong, we are doing fine, things are great. But its just what an upcoming move across the big pond does to me.

We've done it several times before. But this time is signifanctly different. For one thing we have a daughter to consider. We still have money to raise. People to see. Goods to sell. Boxes to pack. Affairs to put in order. Not to mention my job as a travel agent, and relationships to maintain in the meantime. And then there is the emotional aspects of any move. Our days are filled with 'lasts'. Last time to see this person and that person. Honestly, I'd take care of the physical things any day.

One of the biggest things is making sure all of our paperwork is in order. Good news - the sponsorship for Jason's Religious Worker visa has been approved. Now we just have to gather all of the appropriate, certified documents and mail them off to DC. And wait. Ella has her US passport, and her paperwork for 'Australian Citizenship by Descent' is also in the works. Once we get that back - we apply for her Australian passport. Just found out yesterday that means a trip to Houston. We have an appointment booked for December 9th. Now I pray that the her paperwork, and all supporting documents, are in fact back in my hands by the 8th.

We have to move out of our apartment by November 30th. So I am anxious for all the paperwork we have out there to be back by then so we don't have to be too concerned about the whole forwarding address thing. Both of my passports, Ella's US passort, our original marriage certificate and original birth certificates are all at the mercy of the USPS right now. Yes - I often wake up in the middle of the night thinking of yet another thing I have to take care of.

We are currently in Oklahoma on an 18 day road trip. The trip was extended because of an opportunity to meet with another church. This is a good thing. We will be home in Austin for four nights before getting back on the road. This time bound for Tennesee and Georgia. Once we get home from that trip, we will be furiously packing and getting rid of our things, arranging for international movers to come and get our things, before heading to Abilene for Thanksgiving. You can probably see why I was not thrilled about another road trip to Houston.

Please remember us during this time. Pray for our strength. We get tired. Pray we will provide Ella with a safe, happy and loving environment in spite of the constant physical changes. Pray that we all remain healthy. And please pray that Jason's visa, Ella's citizenship and all goes smoothly and comes back in a timely manner.

We sure are blessed though to carry this little one with us on our journey . . .

Ella Rolls over

Mark this day: October 21st, Edmond, Oklahoma . . . Ella rolls over for the first time -- one week shy of three months.

Step One: Raise head and get bearings


Step Two: Push up on arms. Get the go ahead from Dad


Step Three: Use chipmunk cheeks to gather momentum


Step Four: ROLL!


Steph Five: Regain bearings. Watch parents celebrate.