EGBOK, by Jodi

Today I finally realized everything's going to be ok. As a I made a smoothie for my kids for breakfast and listened to them all raving about it and asking for seconds and thirds over something that I'd just thrown together with the fruit that was going to go bad soon and some ice, I realized we're going to be just fine in this foreign land. Not just fine, but really, really good. We've still got some really loose ends to tie up that are making me anxious, like where we're going to live in a week after our vacation rental time is up--apparently most places are booked from Christmas through New Years already, so there are very slim pickings. And, finding a car to buy so we don't keep spending almost $100/day on our rental car, which, I accidentally backed into a cement retaining wall today. My kids heard me curse for the first time...well, maybe not the first time for Autumn since she hangs out with me more than the rest. I was backing out of our driveway and when I started to pull forward, the car rolled backwards slightly on the wet pavement and bumped a cement wall. I barely touched it, but it scraped the whole back corner and broke the tail light enclosure. I went ahead and drove down to the beach since we were already loaded up, but when we got home, I just brought the pieces of broken plastic in and laid them on Kevin's desk while he was on a call. He just looked up at me with these big, surprised eyes. Poor guy. I really shouldn't drive anything that doesn't have plenty of wear on it so all my dings aren't as noticeable. I miss my minivan and all the love taps I've left on it over the years.

We were supposed to go to a ward party tonight. They were having a fiesta for a missionary in the branch who just returned home from his mission. So crazy and cool that they have a party when a missionary returns home--that it's that infrequent and that celebrated. Sadie was having a home body day today, though and despite all our coaxing and bribes, refused to acquiesce and go to the party. We were talking to the branch president's wife about how she was just feeling shy and uncomfortable about her first exposure to all these other kids who only speak spanish and she referred to it as "sentimientos en contrados." Anyhow, the gist of it was just this roller coaster of emotions she must be experiencing with so many changes in her life. I hadn't really thought of it that way--up to that point I'd just seen it at Sadie being stubborn, since she couldn't seem to verbalize why she didn't want to go. But, that made total sense. So, we went down to the beach and then grabbed some dinner and came home because she was exhausted and wanted to go to bed.

It's crazy how early the kids get tired here. It gets dark between 5 and 6 p.m., which is weird because it's the middle of summer here. Within an hour after it gets dark, the kids are all yawning and ready for bed. But, it also gets light really early, too, so they're all up a lot earlier...well, according to Kevin. I wouldn't know. I sleep happily through all of it with my beloved ear plugs.