You have GOT to be kidding!!??!!

12 weeks is almost over??  You've GOT to be kidding me!!??

I really, honestly, can't believe that 3 months has come and gone.  It seems like yesterday that we were scurrying around the house trying to get packed and get out the door to leave town.  As our trip winds down and the girls and I get ready to pack up next week and be reunited with Melodie and Walker, I am reminded how much I love my wife and kids.  Absence makes the heart grow fonder seems to be true.  I can't wait to hug my wife and hold my son.
As I get older I remember back to being younger and hearing people say how time flies and you'll blink and you're kids will be graduating high school.  That thought is really one that you can't understand until you get a little older and have a little more life experience.  Well, I am still relatively young (at least I think), but I am starting to see that that statement is absolutely true.  I feel like I blinked and my oldest is 8.  I feel like I turned around and my middle one is almost 7.  I feel like I sneezed and my youngest is almost 15 months old.  And the time on this trip to Antigua follows that same trend.  It has flown by.
I always say that most of us live in a 5 or 10 mile bubble.  Think about it, for the majority of our lives, I mean, probably 90% of our lives, most of us live in a 5 or 10 mile bubble.  School, church, Wal-mart, Target, ball fields, restaurants, gas stations, banks, whatever else it is that we do to consume our time, money and energy, for most of us that is all encompassed in our bubble.  This was the first time (other than a 4 month stint in Nashville right after college, before love brought me back to my bubble) I have lived outside of my bubble.  I have adjusted, my kids have adjusted, and before she left, my wife had adjusted to life in a new bubble.  And think about this, our new found bubble here, well, the whole island is just over 100 square miles, so basically is 10 miles by 10 miles.  So this whole island is the size of a "bubble".  Our lives for the last 3 months have been in this bubble called Antigua.  It is truly an amazing 108 square miles.  We have experienced things that we never thought we would experience.  Witnessed things we would never experience in our Florence bubble.  We have met people and grown to love people that we would have never had the chance to if we would have stayed in our normal 10 mile bubble.  I would do it all over again tomorrow.  I think my family has realized that we can make it in whatever bubble we find ourselves as long as we are together.
So, how is life treating the girls and me here without Melodie and Walker?  It is different.  It is not ideal.  But, it is working.  I have a new found respect for single parents.  I am working here as we have mentioned before I think.  Making phone calls and sending emails to customers and prospective customers back on the mainland.  So washing dishes, washing clothes, sweeping sandy floors, brushing hair and fixing ponytails, cooking, cleaning, handling emotional meltdowns, playing referee for 2 sisters who are best friends  90% of the time and then at each other's throats the other 10%.  AND doing all of this while working and keeping up with that too...it has been a challenge, but actually has been really great.  Getting to lay in bed at bedtime and talk to my girls about who we spent time with that day, what we learned from different experiences that day, getting to take them to the beach in the late afternoons to watch the sunset, getting to minister to kids in the Villa and Point areas together...it has been really rewarding.  These little girls have been vital to this work and have really been adapting to every situation so well.
Here's the thing...when it was time for Melodie to leave almost 13 days ago, we were both saying, "Why in the world did we plan things this way?"  It was very hard, especially for her, to leave this place anyway, and then you lump on top of that the fact that she was leaving the girls and me...it made it very difficult to leave.  But I kept saying and she kept agreeing that we planned the trip this way for very good reasons...and as the time has gone by, I know now at least one reason for His plan for the girls and me staying a little longer.  I shared with the church here as I was teaching Wednesday that I really miss my wife and son.  I miss them a lot!!  When she left I struggled with her leaving, but I honestly wasn't ready to leave and she was jealous that I was getting to stay.  I didn't want to be separated from her and Walker, but a little part of me was glad to get to be here 16 more days.  But now I see...it is going to be a little easier to go back to the States because my best friend is there waiting on me.  That makes it a little easier to say goodbye.  It is true, I wish she could just come back here and we could keep this thing going, but that is not possible right now for many different reasons.  If we would've both been leaving at the same time, I think the emotions would have been overwhelming.  God knew!  He knew that by me (and the girls) longing to see Melodie and Walker that the emotions of leaving here, while still difficult to wade through, will be a little more manageable because we are going home to reunite our family.  God is good and He knows just what I need, oh yes, he knows just what I need.  He satisfies and...I'll stop now.
What have we been doing?  Well, Paden is here and we have been spending our mornings and early afternoons here at the condo while I work.  Then in the afternoons we are going up to the church building and playing with the kiddos.  The kiddos that we have grown to love so much.  We have had many swings and changes in the group that shows up each day, but each day has given us a chance to talk to our kids and with the smaller groups that we have been having since our big CrossPoint came it has actually given me a chance to have some really good one on one conversations with the kids and even some of their parents.  God knew!

So here are some pictures from the last 12 days...

We had Subway for the 1st and only time while here.  It wasn't as good as home.

 On Paden's 21st Birthday we spent a few hours on a catamaran ride, snorkling and having lunch.  The group that was here from Texas invited us.  It was a really fun day.  

FaceTime is great!  I miss my wife!  They miss their mother!

 Paden had a little time with my favorite 2 year old!

 Our wonderful neighbors have been gone for a while now, but the girls loved having lunch on their porch.  We miss Steve and Joan!

 I think Melodie and Ka-nihja were glad to see each other!!

Paden has really been great with these kids.  John O. would be proud of him.  

All of the kids love Uncle Paden!

 Melodie has been deep in the weeds this week with WeeSwap! (Which, for your info, opened to the public today!  Go shop at WeeSwap!!)

 Paden has fallen in love with one of my favorite things here!  Meat Patties!!!

 Really going to miss these sunsets.

 But, seriously, I miss my little son more.  I can't wait to hold him and play with him.  The girls are missing him too!  He is a stud by the way!

 While I was working the other day the girls got bored.  They entertain themselves great most of the time.  This is what walked down the stairs.  It was hilarious!

 Paden has to deal with something I don't....hair.  So he had to stop and get a little trim after dinner.

 Mark Killen has been saying he has wanted to go to a movie in Antigua for 6 years and has never had the chance.  Well, we checked it out for him.  The theater is actually very nice and far less expensive than back home.  For example, a large drink was only $3 here.  What is it $8.75 at home?  The movie was just ok.  But it was a nice treat for these little troopers.

The men and the boys of the Villa Church of Christ have been working diligently to finish up some major summer projects on the building.  It has been awesome to watch how hard they work and they work as a team so well.  The building is really coming along.  Here are a few pictures from the last week or so.

This weekend into next Tuesday is Carnival here on the island.  It is a huge party they have at this time every year.  It began in 1834 as a celebration of emancipation from slavery.  In order to get out of town and away from all of the negative aspects (lots of debauchery and wild partying) of Carnival, the youth of the Villa church go to Bible camp every year.  They left yesterday.  I am excited to go the camp today and see what it's all about.  It is really a great thing that they do and 4 of our Villa community kids got invited to go this year.  Please pray for Rahkeem, Jamaiy, Kiara, and Erick as they spend time with the church kids.  Pray that their hearts will be drawn to the church and to Christ this weekend!

See you guys very soon!