Passports To Our Future

Hey, I never thought I would have a passport, but it is official. The pictures are proof that we will now be an international family - living our lives between two worlds. We are excited yet so nervous.

I have been having trouble sleeping - what a surprise. My mom has always told me that I was the worst sleeper out of all her children - even as a baby I had to be IN my own bed to sleep, none of this drifting off peacefully on my dad's shoulder stuff for me. I'm sure it made for some long whiny nights of traveling for my parents. These days my brain will not turn off, because I keep checking off the lists in my mind and worrying over the items not yet checked off and the items not yet discovered that should be on my list. And yes, the lack of sleep is causing some major whiny nights.

Among many, one sad milestone we have come to is selling our car. You wouldn't think a gold minivan would be near and dear to our hearts, but it has been a faithful car, and we bought it just when Kristy and Jared were getting engaged. We somehow knew that Colorado would be in our future travel plans. Now our future doesn't involve the car that Abbey named The Silver Beezungus anymore (even though it is gold the silver part stuck). Yesterday a family came and gave us an offer on the van. I wanted to refuse it and tell them that there was no way that they could appreciate all the hours we (including a pregnant Kristy) all spent driving to New Mexico to see my brother Randy or the many games we invented to help us get through that long stretch between Price and Grand Junction. Our family cars have always been more about feelings than metal and mechanics, and it is difficult to let those feelings go.

I've told a few of my friends that I really have more empathy for my pioneer mothers who had to choose only a few items to put into that all too small handcart, the contents of which had to provide the family with all the necessities, comforts, and feelings for their new home. It is agonizing to decide which blanket, toy, or outfit will help Abbey adjust to life in Qatar. What food items will we not be able to find in the markets of Doha? Packing my duffel bags and suitcases has made me think of the movie One Fine Day with Michelle Pfieffer and the magic purse her character carried around on her busy day. From this purse she was able to miraculously pull two Halloween costumes, items to create a new outfit when she spilled food all over herself before an important meeting, and a variety of other things, even surprising herself and George Clooney's character. That is what I want - a suitcase that will anticipate my family's needs over the next few months so that we will be prepared for anything. Hey, if any of you know where to find one of those suitcases or if you just have some good suggestions for sleeping under stress and traveling overseas, let me know. All I know is that the Silver Beezungus won't be the handcart I get to pack for this grand adventure. It's too bad too, because those fold down seats have been quite handy for carrying just about everything!

Doha Here We Come

I haven't blogged for quite awhile, but the latest life decision begs for some explanation and elaboration. Brett just accepted a teaching position with Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. We are leaving August 1. Last summer Brett's friend Kevin, who teaches at VCUQ, came to our home and asked Brett to consider applying for a position with the school. He thought Brett would be well-suited for the faculty and the challenge. We thought he was crazy at the time. Qatar is in the middle east, a small peninsula off the east coast of Saudi Arabia. It is a safe country that is very westernized, but still . . . The more emails Kevin has sent over the last year and the more overtime Brett has had to work with his present job has made the nine month 8-5 job in Doha, Qatar look quite appealing. Brett has worked so hard all of our married life - at least two or three jobs at a time or a full-time job and full-time school.

A new experience in a foreign country and a chance to travel with student field trips are also part of the appeal. Abbey is very excited. When she was three she kept asking us if we could move. We were surprised by that request and would try to convince her that our neighborhood, our home, and her friends were wonderful. She would agree with us and then just say, "But I want a new experience." I was dumbfounded - isn't every experience a new one for a three year old?! Well, Abbey hasn't voiced that request for a long time, but we certainly are going on an adventure that qualifies for long ago desire.

During the decision making process our son Ben announced his engagement to his sweet girlfriend Mary Smith. They haven't been dating a long time, but hey, when your parents get engaged after only three weeks of dating, two months of dating is LONG. Even though the engagement is such happy news, we will now be leaving them during their engagement and missing out on being here for all the planning. I am trying to get everything planned before we go, but it will still be difficult to miss the showers, the little details, and especially all the bonding time with them as they continue their courtship. We will be coming back for a week at the end of October for the wedding, but I feel like I want to split myself in half. When it came down to the wire and we had to make the decision, we kept saying, "How will we feel if we decide not to go to Qatar?" Answering that question helped us move forward with plans to go, because we knew if we turned down the offer, we would always wonder "what if . . . "

So I will have a lot to share here in the coming months. I hope you will tune in and join us on our once in a lifetime adventure. One of my friends said, "Dianna, this is just so out of character for you guys." She is right, but maybe that is the point.