Moving To Brazil

Aside from the obvious lack of posting updates here, life has continued for us. We have had many joyous times as well as our share of sorrows here in the United States. The time has come for us to move back to Brazil.

The economic conditions in which we arrived here were not easy, and have continued to worsen. Though there is light at the end of the tunnel for the economy, it is still to far away for our family—also, that is not the only factor; Nádya is once again pregnant! She is finishing up her first trimester, and looking very much forward to not having morning sickness anymore. The baby is due in September.

This one factor has made it all the more difficult for us to tell family of our decision, as we know that they were looking forward to seeing the little one.

There is a longer version of events which would make this post far to long to read in one sitting, however I would like to say that this decision is made to keep our family relationship strong rather than a triage to prevent estrangement.

Our relationship is strong, but the continued and combined stresses of living on the fringe of poverty along with being far from family, friends and all things familiar has taken a large toll on Nádya's well-being. I am not placing blame here, as I remember to some degree how it felt. To the contrary, because I remember how it felt, and because I can see how this situation is taking its toll on all of us I can better understand how this will help all of us.

There are many challenges ahead. We don't have jobs in Teresina. We are leaving the 17th of March, and still have to figure out what we are doing with all our stuff (probably a moving sale of some sort...), and there are many other unknowns. This is without question a step of faith. Maybe it is even stupid.

As I post this we only came to a final decision last night, and the emotions are fresh, raw, and maybe a bit less guarded than they should be. I can only hope that, given the resources we have, we have come to the best conclusion we could. We see God's hand in this and continually seek to remain at the center of His will.

We are aware that goodbyes will need to be said, and maybe some will want to help in some way or another. We are not asking for money, just have notice that many people have offered to help in various ways. If you would like to help, call my voicemail using the link on this page (Where it says "Call Me!"), and leave a message. Don't worry about the time, as it goes straight to voicemail and does not ring my phone.

Two weeks is not a lot of time to tie things up here. We will surely not connect with all those we would like to, that does not mean you are not important to us. Please call or send an email if you would like to. Don't hesitate!

Announcment: A Party

It has been a summer of huge adjustments, ups and downs—and sometimes sideways. Writing has taken a back-seat to other priorities, which is why it has taken so long for an update.

But today I am not writing an update:

Karl and Nádya's Reception

We got married a little over three years ago, on the 27th of August, 2005. Since it was in Brazil our friends and family here in the States could not come, so we are holding a reception in honor of the occasion.

We would love it if you could come to our reception on the 11th of October at 6:00 PM in Vancouver Washington. We sent out invitations a couple of weeks ago, so if you got one and have not done your RSVP then now is your chance. If you did not receive an invitation, then here is your chance (I have heard that some people nearly mistook them for junk-mail, so if you misplaced or round-filed it you are not alone!).

In either case, you may click here for our page with all the details, directions, RSVP instructions, and gift registries.

If you just want to RSVP at the moment, here is the link to do that: RSVP to Karl and Nádya's Reception.

Oh, and if you bring a digital camera or video camera to the event you can share your photos with everyone else here.

We look forward to seeing you there!

PS: I started a new job this week that I really like, and look forward to working there for some time to come. More to come on that in another post.

What Is Happening?

The last month, or so, has been full of news. All of which I want to share, but have not had the time to put it all into written word as of yet. Part of that is because of the emotions involved, and part because I have been so busy running to and fro to various doctors. Following is my attempt to explain summarize it all.

Patrick Visits

My good friend Patrick Borter came to visit his fiancé, Nyna (who also happens to be my sister-in-law). It was really good to see him, especially since he had some adventures getting here.
We really enjoyed having them to our house a couple of times, and just kind of hanging out together. When we did make it to Nádya's parent's house on a couple of occasions it was quite fun for the whole family to be together (Well, nearly the whole family. Jr. still lives to far away—in Parauapebas—to come visit for things like this. We missed him.) for a short time.
Patrick and Nyna are awaiting their fiancé visa, and the last time they were together was in September of last year.
What photos we have of the visit are here.

The Move

We have moved. We are once again living with Nádya's parents. It was not exactly our first choice, but with Nádya returning to work, and me going under the knife soon (keep reading for more info on that), we were running out of options for child-care.
Also, amerInglês has lost a lot of students in the last few months; mostly due to financial difficulties. So the student's financial difficulties became ours.
It is kind of comical, when one steps back from the situation, looking at us trying to fit the stuff from our house into our room. Ha! We might get the 3-D jigsaw figured out someday. More on this later.

Health

Some members of my family in the States has had some pretty serious health problems of late. Here are a couple, followed by my own situation.

Grandpa

My 93-year-old grandfather recently fell—I have not heard why, but my guess is that he was pushing the limits of his abilities. ;) He likes do live that way. Anyway, as a result of the fall he ended up with a blood-clot in his lower leg, and is in the hospital.
Grandpa is an old farmer; he does not go to the hospital for something minor (like cutting off part of a digit, or splitting his head open after falling off a ladder). He is an “It's only a flesh wound!” type of guy.

Rebecca (Karl's Cousin)

Rebecca was in the hospital for a few days (maybe a week—I lost track because of so many other things going on) because her platelets were so low. The diagnosis is “Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura.” Which is medical speak for “blood problems of an unknown cause.” (Okay, so that might not be an exact translation, but that is what it means to me.)
She is on the mend at home now (since last Thursday), but still does not have much energy, and is on chemotherapy treatments. Her platelet counts have been measured at six—when the low end of normal is 140-150.

Karl

For a couple of months I have been experiencing some abdominal pain. At first I thought it was nothing, but when it persisted I decided to go to the doctor. I don't know how much of the time since my first appointment we have spent traipsing around town going to one doctor and another, then to the insurance company to authorize exams. But it has been more than enough.
Long story short: I have a gall-stone, and need to have surgery to get it out.
That means that I will be in the hospital for at least a day, and who knows how many days of recuperation. We are waiting for MediPlan (our health insurer) to approve the operation, so I don't know when this will happen, but probably this week sometime. The doctor wanted to do it today, but MediPlan is dragging its feet.
We will try to let you know when we know more.

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: steps back | financial difficulties | short time | fiancé visa | Patrick Borter | Our Activities | Our Story | serious health | child care | been so busy | good friend | jigsaw | Life In Brazil | returning to work | health problems | Living Outside the US | pushing the limits

Fighters

If you missed a post or two recently, you may have not have seen the post that says my mom has cancer. I also have a close friend (Pat) who has cancer. My mom has finished radiation, and is continuing chemotherapy. Pat is recovering from surgery, and heading into radiation and chemotherapy.

Allan and I are wearing the yellow bracelets to remind us to pray for them. They are from Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation.

There are a few other posts that I have not emailed out, so you may want to check the front page to see what else I have been writing. :)

[composed and posted with ecto]

Technorati Tags: bracelets, mom, cancer, chemotherapy, lance armstrong, radiation, livestrong, heading, friend, friends, friends and family, photo

Thanksgiving In Brazil

Some have asked me what Thanksgiving is like here in Brazil. The answer is: Hot, just like any other day. According to Weather.com, it will be 97º F for a high, and 79º F for a low tomorrow.

There are plenty of holidays here, compared to the US. There is even a State holiday on the day the Piauí was founded. But there is no Thanksgiving. No turkey. None of my grandma's delicious mashed potatoes, or my aunt's amazing pecan pie (the pumpkin is good, too).
I miss this time of year there. The brisk fall days, the family gatherings, the excellent food, the rain–wait, don't miss that to much.
I suppose that I should have planned ahead this year, and put together a feast. That would have been fun, but a lot of work. I am not sure what we will do, but probably not much. I am okay with that, too. I can be thankful without turkey and gravy.
So, since I won't be with the family around the dinner table, here are some things I am thankful for:

• My wife.
• Her family.
• My family.
• Friends.
• I have work this year!
• It is much cooler here than it was last year this time.
• The internet (so I can communicate with friends and family).

The list could go on, but I will leave it there. I have a ton of things to be thankful for.
In honor of Thanksgiving, here is a little entertainment (If you are on a dial-up connection, that link might not be much fun.) to get you in the mood of being thankful.

Technorati Tags: being thankful, brisk fall, dial up connection, dinner table, family and friends, family friends, family gatherings, feast, friends and family, grandma, gravy, holidays, Life In Brazil, Living Outside the US, Love, mashed potatoes, pecan pie, pumpkin, rain, thanksgiving, time of year, turkey, weather

Summary of Karl's trip to the States

Whirlwind. It is sort of cliché, but that is how I felt the trip went by. So many people to see, and things to do, and so little time.

I said before I left that I would update while I was there. Unfortunately, I that plan was hampered by a lack of time, as well as an unhealthfully slow internet connection. So, I am doing an update now.

Instead of detailing everything that happened in my little-over-two-week-trip, I think I will overview the major events. Some of the details may be a little messed up, so if the one I mess up is one you know about, let me know. We will go in chronological order:

Wedding:

The primary reason I went was that my brother, Nathan, got married on the 20th. I arrived the 18th in the afternoon, and we had the bachelor party that night (I guess he wanted to be well-rested for the wedding, or some-such.).

The next day, I got to rest a little, as well as having the rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner that night. I recall being very tired, and was probably not a lot of fun to be around.

The food was very good. I do remember that!

Saturday the 20th of May, we did the picture thing before the wedding, and got the ceremony started at noon. I am pretty sure a woman would tell you all about the flowers (which were beautiful), the dress (which was also very chic, as they are saying here in Brazil), the other decorations, and, of course, the bride (I can only think of one more beautiful--mine). I am not a woman, though.

My tux was smelly. The last person that wore it had forgotten to use deodorant, or something. It also became apparent that the designer shoes I was wearing--well, the “designer” forgot the inside part of the shoe... they were pretty uncomfortable.

All of that, though, did not overshadow the very special time with friends and family, and seeing my bro get married. It was a beautiful time, and... Well, how about I quit talking, and show you some pictures. There are more, but these are the highlights. My dad took the pictures, so he is not in any of them for that reason (Just in case you felt left out, dad.).

More information about the photos can be found at our Flickr account (there is a link on the top right-hand side of this page).

Packing:
After the wedding, I rested a bit, and visited with some of the family was around. It was good to see them, as well as my church family on Sunday.

The rest of the week I spent packing my belongings better. My parents are moving, and I needed to get my things in order as much as possible, as they are storing them for me.

I did see a few friends during the week, which was wonderful. I am blessed to have wonderful friends, and very supportive ones, at that.

When I had all my boxes packed, I put them in a little truck my dad owns, and my brother, Ryan, and I headed to my parent's new home in Idaho. My mother's parent's live near there, as well as other family, so we visited them as well. Another great weekend.

Of course, it was quite a drive; essentially, two days of driving, and one day to visit and rest.

I knew I had to sell some things in order to make the finances work, as well as everything fitting in the storage space. So, undaunted by the impossibility of the tasks (well, “undaunted” might be exaggerated a little lot), I looked in the first places I could think of to sell. God blessed my efforts, and everything I had to sell sold within that week. With one exception, and it looks like my '71 Jimmy is going to sell as soon as we get the title stuff worked out.

The last weekend, I saw more friends, and visited my home church once more.

What's With This Job?
I got some emails after the last entry asking what the deal was with my new job. Sorry, I have not kept you very up-to-date on that.

Nádya's brother works at a company that he really likes, and gives him great benefits. So, he was able to hook us up with jobs there. Since we are in “hurry up and wait” mode, we decided to give it a shot.

As a result, it looks like we will be here another year, at the least. We are looking forward to having our own house, as well as me having a job. It would have been nice for both of us to visit together for this reason, but that did not work out, due to the huge wait time for visas to the US at the moment.

Yeah, I will miss my family, friends, and guitars for another year, but that is better than being away from my wife for any amount of time. We (at the moment, at least) plan to visit next year sometime. There are a million and six possiblities between here and there, though, so don't start making big plans yet. :D

Nádya Update:
She is feeling quite good today. Good enough to be pulling pranks and making jokes all day. As I have said before, we get the results of the biopsy on Tuesday.

Ready or not...

...Here I come!

Yep, the bags are packed, and I am ready to go. I really hate leaving without Nadya (again), but I am very excited to see family and friends again.

See you on the other side of my 24-25 hours in planes and airports.