Vacation and Fall

As mentioned below, I was surpised to find that blogger is prompting me to add labels to my posts today with the examples "scooters", "vacation", and "fall", which all happen to be profoundly on my mind this evening.

So, here is installment number 2: Vacation and Fall (sadly, in that order)

If the last time you heard from me -- electronically or otherwise -- was the last time you read a post on this blog (i.e. fall 2007), BOY do I have a lot of catching you up to do! I'll save you all the details and summarize thusly:

* worked "part time", though with quite a full plate, at Azusa Pacific University from the time I returned to the States in July 2007 to March 2008.

* was hired full time as "Special Programs Coordinator" for the American Language and Culture Institute at APU a year and a half ago

* am teaching four classes (mainly research skills and academic reading and writing for international students) as well as:
--heading the International Writing Center at APU
--overseeing the American International Mentoring Program
--leading the Summer University Preparation Program
--serving as the Level 4 academic advisor for our department
--and occasionally teaching some extra courses in the TESOL Masters program

* am parenting a delightful and very energy-consuming 4.5 year old

As you might imagine, given all of the above, I found myself in March very much looking forward to my late-August, between-semesters (we teach year round with three semesters) vacation.

When Matt and I realized that he would actually be teaching at Fuller through my entire APU vacation time, I nearly had a meltdown. Praise God, my wonderfully gracious boss was willing to find someone who could cover my Orientation responsibilites, allowing Matt and I to *gasp* TRAVEL TOGETHER AT THE SAME TIME!! (It's been a while... can you tell?)

The idea first came to me -- inconveniently -- in the middle of the night. Two little words with such power to delight!!!

.... Disney... cruise.....

I stayed up till about 3 a.m. researching and planning my sales pitch. We would drive to Florida to save money, take the 3 day cruise, and even get to see Matt's uncle and aunt as an extra bonus. And the price tag? A mere $*#&@...

In true "kid on Christmas morning form", I woke Matt at 5 a.m., giddy with my plans, and was thrilled to find that he was not only relatively unmiffed about the early wake up, but surprisingly open to my elaborate, expensive plan. (Actually, I shouldn't say I was surprised. He's usually pretty great about things like this. I really did get a Good One!)

Over the next few weeks (how does this happen?), the drive-to-Florida 3 day cruise slowly morphed into a cruise plus 2 days in the parks "because we HAVE TO see Epcot, but we can stay with your uncle to save money", which eventually became 4 days in parks "because it's only a few dollars more per day (really) once you get past a certain point", which ultimately ended with 4 days at a Disney resort with a day in each of the main theme parks before heading off for the 3 days at sea. I will say, in my defense, that Disney was offering a promotion where people who stayed on property got free Disney dining for the duration of their stay, which actually paid for the hotel, especially when you figure the cost of renting a car, parking, etc. Needless to say, this vacation became a Big Deal pretty quickly.

Despite the fact that I am generally a very spontaneous, last minute kind of person, I was pleased to discover that planning a vacation six months in advance allows for six months of sheer joy whenever the thought pops into your head that said vacation is drawing nearer. I was amazed at the power the planning and anticipating process had to literally bring me to the brink of tears. Yay for vacation!!!

After pushing through a very intense year+ at work, when the time finally came to depart, I was Beyond Ready. Anna and I spent the day before our trip shopping and packing, including a trip to the recently-discovered Disney outlet in Pomona where we purchase a size 7-8 (she's a size 4) Sleeping Beauty costume. This precipitated the maiden voyage of the "new" sewing machine that Matt bought me for Christmas at the Goodwill. $20. Yes, $20 -- did I mention what a great husband I have? (It worked beautifully!)

With Princess paraphernalia and lots of sunscreen in tow, we headed off for our Magical Vacation...

This is the part where you expect me to say how the "honeymoon" came to a crashing end in a spectacular explosion of sunburn, nap-less preschooler tantrums, muggy Florida weather, long lines, and sickness (both sea and otherwise).

You know what, though?? Despite having all of the above (except the long lines -- we hardly waited 5 minutes for anything!) the trip actually managed to live up to and even exceed the incredibly high expectations of six months of waiting and dreaming.

It was a gift.

Disney vacation 2009: Somehow the perfect exclamation point at the end of a significant chapter of my life. I'm being serious. I know I keep saying that, but I'm struggling to express -- without being completely cheesy -- how significant this time was to me.

In a few (days? weeks? hours? minutes?), we're going to go from being a cozy little family of 3 to a crazy household of (4? 5? ...?) This will happen suddenly and without the ability to plan the way I (a planner while also spontaneous -- yes, both!) NEED to plan. He/she/they may be newborn, toddler, preschooler, singular, plural, male, female, black, white, hispanic, ????? They may stay for a short time and leave forever or come and put down roots in our home and become branches on our family tree. So, we're tilling the soil...and waiting for Change to engulf us.

So, maybe my Disney dream vacation was just a decadent, unrealistic departure from "real life" that allowed me to push foster-adoption, work, house-cleaning/organizing, and other cares completely out of my mind for a week. Or maybe it really was a special little blessed time from God to say, "Hey! Take a minute to savor the last few days of the Daddy, Mommy, Anna chapter of your life."

Now, as I'm fully back into Fall (Fall! I used to love you so much! Why have you betrayed me?) and totally overwhelmed with changes, work, a "huge" class of students (well, 10 is big when you're used to 4), uncertainty, my cell phone dying, my sister moving out, my Tivo losing everything I had recorded while I was on vacation, etc., I'm keenly aware that we can't hold tightly to anything except God's grace. And as I begin to have tiny glimpses of what this new phase of my life holds, I am eternally grateful that He has "written my days in his book." I don't need to read the end first...