And then there were - SIX!

I can honestly say that I never thought I would add another member to our household / family. We have a pretty complete family of five, with our three children, Toby, Carina, & Kaiya, but about a month ago we were presented with a fun opportunity to add another to our family.

Before you get any crazy ideas, no we did not adopt another puppy (nope, nope, nope, nope). Maple does a great job holding down the position of our family dog. She is certainly more than enough!

Rewind to late August at Meet the Teachers night for our kiddos. We walked through schedules and delivered school supplies to each classroom as requested. Finally, we stopped by Mrs. O’s classroom. Mrs. O. is Toby and Carina’s Spanish teacher. They love having her as their teacher, and she also happens to be our neighbor, so the kids have an extra special bond with her. Upon entering her classroom, Mrs. O. mentioned that there would be opportunities this school year to host short-term exchange students. These students are coming for 2-week trips in October and January, so after discussing this opportunity briefly with Darek, he said “Sure!” I was shocked, to say the least. We agreed that we could easily host an exchange student, short-term, as long as it was not during one of our planned vacations. I emailed Mrs. O. with our interest, and she forwarded the information to her husband, the director of international students at a nearby private school.

And so it begins

The long and short story is that we decided to open our home to a longer-term exchange student, and the addition of Paula has completely blessed our family. Paula is 15 and has come from Spain to stay with us for the entire school year. She has been with us for one month already, however, there is a strange mix of feelings that she arrived just yesterday yet has always been part of our family. Our kiddos love her dearly - sometimes too much! She is gracious and kind and seems to enjoy playing with them. One of their favorite activities is playing a board game Paula brought them from Spain. They laugh uncontrollably and the joy they all exude fills my heart.

We began our adventures in Minnesota with a trip to the Yellow Barn (MN’s largest candy store). This was fun for everyone, choosing some familiar candy and unfamiliar candy to try. Later that week, we brought her to Costco (A VERY American experience - Haha)! The jaw drop when she walked through the doors was epic. I love witnessing her reactions to the many new and different things that we consider normal. One interesting meal that I recently served was Octopus. Yes, you read that right. Believe it or not, Costco sells Octopus and I followed the instructions on the package to prepare it in a way that she is accustomed to. Darek and Toby also tried it and both said they enjoyed it. That’s in WIN in my book!! We have slowly introduced her to our regular eating habits and meals, including Chili (always a hit). Paula fits in well with our family and we are all incredibly happy having her here.

This pumpkin patch was a bit sad with mostly rotten pumpkins. We ventured on, however!

Darek and I created a list of things that we want to have Paula experience. Many are representative of Minnesota, and others are American traditions. It has been eye-opening for us, seeing the world through her perspective. We do a lot of comparing our cultures, and we have learned a great deal about Spain through the process already. I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to a trip to visit her family in Spain in the future. We have had regular email interaction with her parents, two equally lovely people! We look forward to meeting them in person someday.

We had the privilege of bringing Paula to a MN Twins baseball game shortly before the season ended. Target Field is a beautiful ballpark and this was her first experience watching live baseball (aside from the weekend fall ball games that Toby and Makaiya played). Thankfully, the weather was amazing and we were able to enjoy nice seats offered to us by a dear friend. We also had the opportunity to bring Paula to a MN Lynx professional women’s basketball game. That was a first for all of us! Paula and Toby had a great time cheering them on to a win, and participating in the crowd activities. The Lynx had an amazing season so it was fun watching a winning team compete.

Another new experience for all of us was Homecoming! The school Paula is attending had many events leading up to the homecoming football game, which were in line with what we remember, however there were also a few surprising events as well. This was Paula’s first live American Football game. The following day was the dance. The festivities of that day were well beyond what I remember from high school. I guess it is normal for kids to spend hours primping, getting nails and hair/makeup done, and going out to eat at 5 star restaurants. (I thought that was just a prom thing - and 5-star restaurants - what?!?!?!) Then, they go to the dance for about 1/2 hour and head to ‘after-parties’. Paula is a very practical young lady and did not spend the day doing all of those activities, but she was able to enjoy a wonderful dinner with friends at a delicious restaurant before experiencing an American school dance. This was surprisingly very different for her.

Our family returned from Vero Beach, Florida a couple of days ago, as we enjoyed Fall Break by the ocean and in the pool with some dear friends we call our Framily. If you know me, you know that I LOVE the ocean. I love the expanse of water over the horizon. I love the sunrise (but only wish to wake up that early once during our trip). I love that we have had different experiences with the ocean each time we have gone to this resort. The reminder that God’s magnificent plan is always at work amazes me time and time again. There was much destruction where the recent tornadoes tore through, and we empathized with locals who were in the process of helping their neighborhoods clean up debris and return to life again. The shoreline experienced major erosion, creating steep drop-offs just past the dunes. I wonder how long it will take to return the shoreline to a more normal grade.

Darek, Toby, & Carina

Showcasing the major erosion of the sand from the dunes to the beach.

The water was warm and the kids did some splashing and “wave-jumping” in the shallow water. We are very aware that there are many sharks in those waters, considering that Darek saw sharks circling in the calm waters when we were watching the sunrise. This was a unique experience. The ocean was nearly still, which I had never seen during our previous trips. Fish were jumping out of the water repeatedly, and we saw pods of dolphins as well. We later learned that anytime you see fish jumping out of the water, it means sharks are near. That makes sense now. We have a renewed respect for the ocean and the creatures living in those waters.

Unusually calm Atlantic Ocean at sunrise

Looking ahead, we do not have too many things planned. We selected pumpkins yesterday for all four kids to carve as we approach Halloween. We will trick-or-treat through our neighborhood and light the Jack-O-Lanterns. We are soaking in these final, unseasonably warm days, as we know the impending cold and snow are on the horizon. Leaves have fallen from the trees behind our house, revealing the pond that rests quietly beyond our gaze all summer long. The trees out front are burning with color, showcasing all of their beauty before they lie dormant for a season.

I am constantly amazed by the natural beauty all around us. If only we take a moment to pause, allow it to sink in, and fill our hearts with wonder and peace at God’s magnificent creation.

Ocean treasures

We found NINE shark teeth as we walked the beach!

Until Next Time!