CHRISTMAS

I hope you and your loved ones have had a great Christmas. It has been great Skyping, emailing and chatting with many of you. We miss you all. We have had to make up some new Christmas traditions as it can be quite tough finding a place to toboggan and skate here in Panama. So this is what we did this year. We spent Christmas Eve at a friend's house with about 40 of our friends. We had an incredible potluck feast and sang Christmas carols by candle light. It was great to spend Christmas Eve with friends and not feel quite so lonely.

We have heard of some interesting Christmas traditions here in Panama. For example, many paint their house, inside and out, if they can afford it. It is a symbolic way of getting rid of any bad memories or experiences that may have happened in the past year, and starting the new year with a clean slate. We've also noticed that many wrap their front doors in Christmas paper and put their decorated Christmas tree on the porch for everyone to enjoy. And of course, you can't help but notice the firework displays at midnight on Christmas Eve. It seems like literally everyone - except us - stocks up on fireworks and lights them up at midnight! This year we heard more than we saw.

Christmas morning we enjoyed a special Christmas breakfast together complete with Jelly Bellies, Dutch chocolate, pancakes, eggnog lattes and fresh mango's. Yummy!

Christmas morning 2008.

Fresh out of bed in front of our Christmas tree.

Interesting fact - most of the Christmas trees sold here are actually imported from Nova Scotia! As well, you may notice we are eating around the coffee table. This has become a common practice at our home. The dinning room table top is slanted which is not so great for a family that is already a little clumsy.

After a leisurely Christmas morning, we packed up a cooler full of food and drinks and headed to Las Lojas Beach (about 90 minutes from our house) with 3 other families for a day of sun, fun, quading, body surfing and "sandcars" (I'll explain later). We were able to drive our cars right out onto the beach. I have never driven a car on the beach. It was kind of cool! This beach was very flat and went on for miles and miles. The water was so warm and the waves were perfect - not too big and not too small.

Sydney on the back of the quad with Alayna driving.

(Jayden in yellow shirt, waiting his turn.)

Paul and Joshua's "sandcar" complete with license plate 2HOT4U

Jenni, me and Sharon

Paul and Steve

The day was so much fun, not only because of the beautiful weather, but because of spending time with great friends. I think we may start going to the beach on Christmas Day as a new Day Family tradition. Anyone care to join us next year?

Until I blog again,

Linda

CATCH UP

I have been thinking, I really need to get blogging. It has been a while since my last entry. I was thinking that nothing exciting has really happened as life has gotten into a little routine. I was talking with Sonia (friend from Calgary) the other day and she asked me what I was up to. I very nonchalantly said, "just hanging laundry on the line." I heard a heartfelt sigh on the other end. Got me thinking maybe my routine might be of some interest to you. First, I must say. My heart goes out to those of you who have been stuck inside for a few days because of the crazy winter weather hitting so many back in the Great White North. Second, feeling empathetic about your situation, I have downloaded some pictures to give you an idea of what we've been up to lately.

Paul teaching music class to the kids in our homeschooling room

Our friend, Mahlin, demonstrating our version of a juice box.

Kids at gymnastic class.

Our favorite place to cool off, complete with rope swing, climbing rocks and a waterfall.

The kids enjoying water melon to cool off - followed by - Syd and Josh B playing watermelon baseball. Can you see the rind mid air?

Syd and Josh decorating our tree

Syd and Alayna show off new shirts made by Alayna's great-grand mother - delivered from the U.S. by Alayna's Grandma, Judy.

Josh during science class - experimenting with his trebuchet.

Days tailgating with the Bliss' at a local dirt bike race track.

Josh taking his Mama quading.

I will close with this final picture. Not a great shot, but an interesting "Panama" story. Yesterday, a green Union Fenosa (electric company) pick-up drove up to house. We greeted the "visitors" only to realize that they had arrived to cut off our power. Apparently, the electrical bill hadn't been paid in 3 months. Please realize, it took a little while to get this information as the workers spoke no English and Paul, well, its a steep learning curve. After some incredible hand gesturing and head nodding we clued in! Electricity is included in our rental contract - so it was the landowners responsibility. Also note - we have only been in the house for 3 weeks! After calling our broker and negotiating a deal (we pay now, decrease next month's rent by the same amount) Paul begged the Union workers not to cut our power and negotiated a one hour grace period to rush downtown Boquete to pay off the bill right away. Paul drove away and payed the bill. Today, our landlord dropped by to apologize profusely and reimburse us the full amount. All is good today in Panama. Who knows what tomorrow will bring!

Until I blog again - have an incredible Christmas Season,

Linda

NEW ROOMMATE

Look who I found snuggled up against our closet tonight. You guessed it, another tarantula. I wonder if he heard about our cozy bed and wanted to get some loving. He got no loving from us! This one was at least 7 inches long. Yuck. My dear husband beat it to its death but not until after he got this great shot of it for your enjoyment. Lucky Sonia who I was on the phone with at the time, she got the play by play version of tonight's entertainment. Not for the faint of heart. You get snow, we get monster bugs.

Until I blog again,

Linda

THE BARBIE AND THE BEETLE

No explaination needed.

HOME SWEET HOME

Syd's photo

Six weeks after leaving Canada, after surviving one earthquake, one flood and living in 5 different “temporary” homes, we finally have a place to call home. We have empted and put away our suitcases. What a great feeling. It was like Christmas finding all kinds of clothes I had forgotten about. I was really just wearing the same clothes over and over again, it was so much simpler. What a time we have had finding a suitable place to live. We are now living in a 2 storey, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom “A” framed home in an area we love. The house breathes and is very bright so mold is not that big of an issue. The temperature is just perfect. Warm during the day, cool at night for sleeping. So far, a nice quiet neighborhood. I say so far because the holiday celebrations will start up any day, and that could mean a few weeks of noise at night! Just a 5 minute drive to town, 15 minute walk to the local “Chino” as they call them here because all the corner stores seem to be owned by people from China. I know, not very PC.

The house came “furnished” but let me expand on what “furnished” means here. Couches present, but extremely uncomfortable. Table present but slanted. Pass the salt takes on a whole different meaning! We call it cardboard furniture as it seems to be the uncomfortable theme in all the places we have lived here in Panama. We had 3 beds, but all of the mattresses I am sure had mites living in them. One of the mattresses had tire tracks on it! We have had to put a bit of love and elbow grease into this place to make it livable: New water tank, new water filter system, new shower heads, new mattresses, and new toilet seats as the old ones were just awful. I actually had to get a screw driver and chiseled some unidentifiable matter from it. That is coming from a nurse! Ewwww. We have had 2 different workmen in to fix a stove and fridge and as of 2 days ago, internet. I could cry I am so happy to be able to connect with people again. I am sure many of you thought we had been washed away by the floods or sucked up into the earth by the recent earthquake, but no, we are alive and kind of well. All of us have been fight colds and viruses. Nothing major, just change of climate and lowered immunity due to the stress.

We have a huge yard with orange trees and the potential for a nice little garden for my daughter the budding horticulturalist. I asked her to take some pictures of the house today so I could post them on our blog. She came back with photos of every flower, tree and nest! She is her Opa’s granddaughter.

Our sweet little home. Look to the top right balcony, we have a little lounging couch we set up. It is our favorite spot to hang and watch the birds and stars.

The kitchen. We had to buy dishes, cutlery and that great storage shelf to the right. Love the open concept idea, hard to find here in Panama

The living room complete with a coffee table engraved with the name "Edgar". It matches the engraving on the lower kitchen cabinets!

The dining area viewed from the loft

This is the master bedroom on the main floor with an attached bathroom. You may note that the bed is tiny, it is a double. We were going to get a larger one, but after sleeping on it we found it surprisingly cozy.

The home schooling loft complete with a door out to the upper balconey.

Syd's room.

Josh's room. The kids bedrooms and the loft are all upstairs with another bathroom and shower.

Our yard.

There ore no photos of the bathrooms for good reason. Hey we wanted to simplify and scale down and that we have done!

So much more to blog, but all in good time. Hope everyone is staying warm. I heard about the snow fall in Calgary. I won’t tell you what our temperature was today!

BIGGER PICTURE

We have had an interesting time here. Sorry I haven't blogged much. I know not many photos on our blog either. Once we have a quicker internet connection I will make up for it. Once we get a home secured, I can get you all up to speed on the last 2 weeks here. Here are 2 interesting things that have happened to us this past week;

A few days ago we were woken at around 2 AM by an 4.3 earthquake. The epicenter was approximately 45 km from where we are staying. It was a quick one, maybe 15 seconds. No damage in our place. It did remind me of the North Ridge quake of 1993 in Pasadena. A few people had plates and vases break, but no major damage or injuries.

Yesterday we had tons of rain. The Caldera River is a river that runs through the center of the town of Boquete . It was raging and widened to around 3 times its regular width. One bridge, the one we used to have to drive over to get to the house we lived in last year was wipped out. A few homes were destroyed as well. We are living at the moment in our third temporary home just outside Boquete on a much higher elevation, therefore, we had no issues with flood damage. We did prepare a little; stock up on candles, food, charged our phones and computers and tanked up our car. It is called kicking into survival mode.

Today is Sunday. Our church group has been canceled as it was to be hosted at a home that now cannot be accessed because the only bridge connecting it with the village is unstable. Josh is still fighting his cold, so he and I are home. Syd and Paul headed into town to see if they can do anything; Deliver water, food, remove debris. Below is the link to some incredible photos of the flooding.

http://www.boqueteweather.com/flood.htm

Things like this make me feel so silly about being so ubset about not securing a home. Bigger picture Lin.

Until I blog again.
Linda

CATCH UP

THE LATEST

At this point, we have been in Panama for just over a week. Lots has happened - lots hasn’t. Let me backtrack and get you all in-the-loop.

We arrived in Panama City Wednesday night and had a van waiting there for us to take our 19 bags and the four of us to our friend’s house, the Schmulands. It was so wonderful to have a home to go to on our first evening. It was great to connect with Jody and Trent again. They are what we consider, "expert international movers". They have traveled extensively all over the world with their 3 young kids. After this move, I have even more respect them.

After a goods night sleep, Paul was up bright and early to attend a couple business meetings in downtown Panama City. He returned briefly for lunch and then packed up our car with all our stuff and took off to David - a 6 hour drive to the west side of the country. After arriving safe and sound, he unpacked and settled into a beautiful home located in Portorillos , a small village of around 1800 people just north of Dolega (between David and Boquete). While Paul was driving across the country, the kids and women did what we usually do - play, paint our nails, play DS, WII and Lego, and go out for lunch to our favorite coffee shop for bagels and lattes. (Rough life eh?) On the way home, it was a quick stop for some bananas.

The next morning the kids and I boarded a plane and flew 45 minutes to David where Paul and my dear friend, Jenni, were waiting for us at the airport. We did a grocery run and headed to our 3 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow (temporary housing). This house is actually the house Lynda and Ken Newton (long time friends) have rented. Fortunately for us, they won’t be arriving for another 2 weeks. And they graciously offered that we could use it until they arrive. The place is amazing - 2 eating areas, a washer, dryer. Dryers are unusual here (but very nice) as they can eat up the electricity and most people dry their clothes on the line.

What is it like being back? Truthfully - its been really good. When I left many people ask how I was feeling. To be honest, I felt kind of "flat" about the whole thing. I am usually very expressive and found myself either at peace or just flat. I still haven’t figured out which it is yet. It has been wonderful seeing all our friends again. We felt so warmly welcomed Friday night at a Halloween-birthday party. Sharon Brown made a birthday cake for Paul and Christine who was also celebrating her 43rd birthday that day. Saturday we hung out with the Bliss family, always a relaxing and great time. Sunday we went to a house church and reconnected with even more old friends. After church we all headed to the grand opening of our friends, Henry and Tamar’s, new restaurant - Tammy’s. Probably the best hummus and chicken I have even eaten. Prices were reasonable, as well. By Monday, we were exhausted with all the visiting. So, true to form, I had 14 people over for supper. This house we are in is great for entertaining. I am not sure what kind of house we will eventually get so I thought I would take advantage of this place.

ABOUT A HOUSE

This is proving to be a little more difficult than we had anticipated. We have seen 5 houses. Nothing fits our list so we need to re-work the list. This is a busy time here in Panama, so not much is available. Things work a little differently here. Houses for rent are listed with realtors and brokers. Anyone who wants to rent a house, list with as many people as they can. We called up different people who let us know they had several houses to show us. Most times we would pull up to a house and realize we'd already been shown it by someone else. We have also driven around and tried to find hand made rental signs - "Se Aquillar” (for rent). We'd call the number, and inevitably, no English. We'd have someone call on our behalf to see if we could get access to the see the houses, but typically the keys were with the owners who were "out of town". We had one guy show us a house for rent and he said that the last people paid $1000 a month, but for us it would be $2000 a month because the previous owners had totalled the place resulting in lots of repairs - which we apparently were expected to pay for. Thanks, but no thanks!! Everything takes a long time here. As well, we happed to have arrived during the longest stretch of holidays during the year - 10 days off, for most people. Its the season when they celebrate their liberation from Spain and Columbia. They also celebrate the “shouting watermelon” day. Still not clear on all the details of that holiday!

So as of right now, no house . Am I discouraged? Yes. Yet I keep reminding myself that everything else has worked itself out, so I need to continue to trust and serve in the face of uncertainty everyday.

THE KIDS

As we approached US Customs as we were leaving Calgary, Josh asked - with an upset tone of voice, "Are we really doing this?” He let Paul know that he wasn't at all happy about "his" decision to leave Calgary. But by the time we arrived at the Houston airport, Josh had obviously turned a corner annoucing to all present, with arms wide open, “I’m baaaccckk!!!” He loves his food, and for whatever reason, he loves the Houston Airport food court. He tells is its the oversized food and drinks. Both Syd and Josh are really happy here. It is interesting. We're in a 3 bedroom house, yet the kids have decided to sleep in the same room. We hear lots of laughter and singing. They are doing well with home schooling. Me, not so much. This curriculum is a little confusing for me. What do I need, the workbook, the text book, the practice book or the assignment book. It will take me a bit to get things organized and working well.

At I'm writing, I have laundry drying on the line. There's been tons of rain, not unexpected, but this morning it is sunny, warm and breezy - perfect laundry weather. I chased Paul and the kids out of here (they are at the Bliss house), and Daisy, my spit fire housekeeper just bleached the floors and cleaned the entire house in 2 hours. "Mama likes Daisy". She speaks only Spanish at an alarming rate. I can’t understand any of it. I ask her to slow down in Spanish, but she only speaks louder with more hand gestures. Still "no can do". I smile and nod politely and go about my business.

SOME INTERESTING DIFFERENCES

Living in a rain forest is so beautiful. The birds, fruit and foliage are breathtaking. On the darker side, there is mold, lots of bugs and algae. Our driveway has a thin layer of green moss growing on it that is as slick as ice when wet - which is most of the time. We've all had 2 falls. We've purchased some “acido” for our gardener to apply to the drivenway - whenever I can communicate that to him. There is tile everywhere, and it is so slippery when wet. The kids love doing “slip and slide” on the porch walkway. The grout grows mold. So you have to bleach the floors at least twice a week. The dishes often need to be washed before using as bugs tend to find their way into the small dark places. Our towels feel damp, and start to smell after one use. I need to use bleach in every washing cycle. (Bleach is my friend here!) My hair is quite spectacularly frizzy, as wide as it is long. I have been called "the lion" here! Syd’s skin is not good, little bumps everywhere with blotches of eczema.

Saying all that, I am so happy we have made the transition. Yes, bumps and bruises along the way, but having a peace amidst everything, assures me we are on the right track. . Besides, isn’t life too short as is? Who wants to live a boring life? Not me!

Daisy just finished and told me either to bring laundry in by 3, or maybe it was she was coming back at 3, or maybe it was 3 people were coming for tea, who knows.

Off to finish laundry and hopefully see a few more houses for rent!

Until I blog again.

Linda

ARRIVAL SAFE AND SOUND

It’s been over a week since we boarded FL635 bound for Panama City. So much has happened. It seems like it was a month ago.

We arrived safely and early in Panama City around 6:20pm on Oct 29^th - got through customs, gathered all our luggage (triple checked) and made our way through the luggage check process without any complications. Everything arrived in tact, except my golf travel bag. The zipper broke (but has since been repaired) leaving the bag wide open. My clubs and shoes arrived, but a few hand towels seemed to have found their way to a new address somewhere. I arranged for van with a small trailer from my friend, Fabio Montenegro, to pick us up and drive us to our friends (Trent and Jody Schmuland and their kids) for the night (as they have each time we’ve travelled through Panama City). By 8 o’clock we were knocking on their front door. Thanks for your generosity to us, Schmuland family.

The next morning (Thursday, Oct 30), I had a few business meetings downtown, then returned to the house, loaded the luggage and started off on a 6 hour drive across the country to the David-Boquete area. I’ve made the trip 3 times before, and it was great to reacquaint myself with the landscape of my new home, Panama. It’s near the end of the rainy season, so the trees and foliage are dense showing off a rich and deep spectrum of green (almost neon green to deep dark greens) with occasional shots of orange, red and purple buds grabbing my eye as I safely drove (I promise, honey)along the InterAmerica highway. Some of the vistas from the tops of mountain ridges were absolutely breath-taking. As I moved closer and closer to Chiriqui province the beauty factor went up exponentially. For the last hour or so of my trip the trees were so overgrown that they actually provided a canopy over the highway. It was like driving on a never ending driveway into a private property. I think we live in the most incredible part of Panama.

By 6pm I was sitting in the parking lot of Rey’s (one of the newest grocery stores in David) calling my friend, Jenni Bliss, to see if they needed me to pick up anything at Rey’s before starting up the hill toward their place (just like I’d done dozens of time when we were here last).

After visiting for a few minutes, Jenni hopped in her truck and followed me to our temporary housing in Potrerillos Abajo, where our friends, Ken and Lynda Newton are renting a house. Wow! What an incredible place. Its been a fantastic place to land until we can find our own place. Thanks, Ken and Lynda. We’re looking forward to seeing you guys soon.

After unpacking some of our things, and a great night sleep, I got up and headed to David to get our Montero cleaned and ready to pick up Linda, Sydney and Joshua at the airport in David. It was Friday, Oct 31 - the first day of the rest of our lives here in Panama.

PACKING

How do you even start packing for an international move? Well, we had 3 boxes of books for the kids home schooling. There already we had 150 pounds of stuff. So much for simplifying. We then had a base guitar, a key board and golf clubs. 6 check in bags already, not including any clothing. By the end of our packing week, which included packing, re packing, thinning out and vacuum packing, we ended up checking in 11 bags. This did not include our laptop bags and carry on bags. In the end we had 2 vans drive us to the airport the day before and stayed overnight at the Delta. The next morning we loaded up our 19 bags and walked across the street to the Continental counter. “How many bags to check in Sir?” “Eleven.” “Pardon?” “Eleven bags to check in.” Luckily our bags went straight through so no need to pick up luggage in Houston.

The day before departure, 19 bags in total!

On arrival in Panama, all 11 bags arrived. One was ripped open with flip flops spilling out and a few small items missing. Not bad for an international move.

Until I blog again.

Linda

FINAL GOOD BYES

Oct 15^th was the day we left our beautiful home in Discovery. After being on the market for 6 months, finally it sold, way below what we had hoped it would sell for. Learning to let go seems to be the theme that keeps arising in our lives. Letting go of money, stuff, friends, comforts and being in control to mention a few. Everything we know.

The night before we handed over the keys, Paul and I walked though our home and closed all the blinds, for the last time. When we closed the blinds in the kids room, it really hit us both, wow we were really doing this. Both Paul and I had a moment of letting go. It was both freeing and scary at the same time. Over and over again it became clear to me how much time we spend managing our “stuff”. Since we had 2 weeks before our departure to Panama, our friends, Amanda and Rob and their family took us in. We were able to live with them in their basement until our departure from Calgary. Let me qualify this basement so you don’t feel sorry for us! Fully furnished walk out with fireplace, 2 bedrooms and lots of space. It was a great place to hang while I finished up work, the kids finished up school and Paul tied up some loose ends. Thanks Amanda, Rob, Grace, Cam and Beth. We miss the morning rush around the island.

For our last 2 weeks in Calgary, we were invited to many friends for supper. Paul has already thanked everyone below. Special shout out to Laura for having a special lunch for me and my girls Saturday afternoon. Your the best Laura, having you in my life for the last 26 years has been a real gift. I also want to thank Elaine and my girls from Glendale for my fantastic new Tilly hat and a great lunch out at Moxies. I am sure I gained about 10 pounds in weight an in the love I feel. Dessert every night does have that effect on my waistline!

Lunch with Glendale Ladies L to R ;Alice Ann,Linda, Liz, Linda with Tilly. Paula, Elaine and Kim

Lunch with the ladies: Sonia, Laura, Me, Erin, Sydney and Keira. Shannon taking photo, thanks baby!

I also want to thank all my co workers at ACH, specially those in MDT for all the treats you brought in on my last day. Thanks Lorna, Tammy, Patti and Catherine.

Thank you everyone for being so gracious and kind to my family and me and for being such great cooks. We all felt very loved and it really hit me yet again how incredible all our friends and family are. Going to Panama was never about leaving a place, Calgary has been our home for 10 years and has been an incredible place to raise a family. Leaving the familiar has been a tough thing. Going to Panama is about feeling called/pulled towards something new and different. Stay tuned as we blog about this adventure!
Linda

LAST SUPPERS

It’s the morning of Monday, Oct 27, 2008 – 2 days before we relocate to Panama. As expected, there’s a few last minute things on the “TO DO” list that are going to make this a long day. But, by and large, we’re ready to go.

But the last week has been fantastic. We’ve enjoyed several “last suppers” and final coffees as part of our “farewell tour”. It started on Sunday with an incredible lasagne dish accented by an “aggressive salad” with Troy, Leisa, Carter and Cassie; coffee on Tuesday with Tom, then Vietnamese for supper at one of our favourite spots with Tracey; tasty pork on Wednesday with Shannon and David; mouth-watering steaks with all the trimmings on Thursday with Marv and Heather; ribs “to-die-for” on Friday with Paul, Sonia and L’il Will; chilli and a potluck of delicious finger foods on Saturday with our Discovery Ridge neighbors (thanks for hosting Bernie and Anne, we’ll miss all you guys and hope to see some of you soon); tantalizing Thai dishes on Sunday with Lynden. We’ll miss you guys. Thanks for the incredible eating experiences. We’re much fatter for it. And, of course, thanks for your friendship and encouragement. It will be missed even more.

Top Photo: Paul getting "DA Love" from Ron

Middle Photo: Our good bye party with neighbors at Bernie and Anne's place

Bottom Photo: Biro/Day Clan

Yesterday (Sunday) I had the surprise privilege of being part of officiating communion to the congregation at our home church (Westside King’s Church) with Bob Osborne. Thanks for the invite, Bob. It meant a lot.

Today is the last day of school for Syd and Josh. It’s a day of mixed feelings. It’s the only school our kids have attended - seven years (K-6) for Syd and five (K-4) for Josh. Glendale Elementary has become part of our family. To Ms. Maranucci and all the teachers of Glendale Elementary, especially those who’ve taught our kids...a million thanks – we’re sad to think about the education of our kids without you all involved.

Grade 4 class on PJ / Goody bye Josh- Thanks Meagan!

Sydney's grade 6 class on her last day. Thanks Jen, for everything!

15 HOUR PAUSE.....

It’s Monday night. And it’s been an interesting day. Both kids had farewells with their classmates. Thanks Ms Liddell (Gr 4) and Ms Grimm (Gr6) for creating the space and time to allow our kids to say “goodbye” in a creative and fun way.

Tonight, we got our old small group together (Rob and Amanda; and Rob and Genny – and their kids) and enjoyed some of Genny’s famous chicken and beef lasagne. It was a great way to close our weeklong “foodfest” and “farewell tour”. Afterwards, a long time (25+yrs) friend of mine, Greg, dropped by. It was great to catch up. Then, it was off to complete the last task of the night and our month long de-cluttering-letting go process – dropping off our car at its new owners.

After years of dis-ing 15 year old “Bessie” (as Linda referred to our 1993 Nissan Altima), it was time to hand the keys over to its new owner. I was ready to donate Bessie to the Kidney Foundation. But a friend actually offered us cash for her. The negotiations started with an offer of $1000. I couldn’t accept. I countered with “$1 and it’s yours”. He couldn’t accept. And countered with an offer of $500. I said, “I can’t knowing what I know” – which I explained in detail (e.g. radio and CD player don’t work, speedometer doesn’t work, odometer does work, A/C and heater work maybe 5% of the time, starter - maybe 70% of the time requiring that you sit and wait 5-10 minutes before turning the key for a second time; front and rear bumpers are dislodged a bit, shocks need to be replaced...and that’s the tip of the iceberg as to what makes Bessie such a treasured member of the Day Family fleet). So we agreed on $250. He wouldn’t less. I was willing to flex. And here it was, a week later, at the designated time of adoption. So I hopped in Bessie for the last time and made my way her new family. I was a couple blocks away when a flood of memories overwhelmed me. 15 years of life. So many places and experiences. I remembered driving with Sydney alone for the first time, a moment when I was starring in the rear view mirror, listening to the sounds of my hours-old daughter, and being overwhelmed with feelings of love that I had never known before – the love of a father for his daughter. I began to wonder if this was what my earthly and heavenly father felt for me. It caught me totally by surprise. I had to pull over until the tears subsided – safety first. Like I did 11 years ago, I started to choke up as I drove Bessie to her new parents. Then I quickly jumped ahead a few years through my member bank to another moment when, tired and excited, I put Bessie in reverse to back out of a parking space in the lower level of RockyView Hospital just hours after Joshua was born (this time on my own), and rammed the back bumper up onto a steel post ripping part of the bumper off. I started to laugh – a different response then I had May 19, 1999. Distracted and entranced by this collage of emotional memories, I drove right past my friend’s house. It wasn’t until I arrived at an intersection I didn’t recognize (a few minutes past my friend’s house) that I clued in, swung the car around and backtracked. As I did I felt my loose attachment to Bessie tightening. Minutes later when I went to hand over the keys I was surprised by a strange tug of war inside me. Bessie and I had been through so much together - hundreds of thousands of miles, four accidents, two children, living in two countries. And now, it was time to let go. As I put my signature on the dotted line signing Bessie over to a new owner, I felt a tinge of guilt and sadness, even a moment of second guessing. But I know things will be better for Bessie now. She’s in good hands. Hands that have “half-a-clue” mechanically – sorry Bessie, for years I’ve felt like such an inadequate owner. And you’ve suffered for it. Bessie, you’ve been good to me and my family. We’ll miss you and wish you all the best with your new family.

Til next time,

Paul

CHAPTER TWO

It’s Thursday, Oct 25, 2008 – 6 days before we relocate to Panama. 350 days ago we embarked on a 6-month adventure in Panama with the stated purpose of recuperating and reconnecting as a family and a hope that by the end of it we’d have some clarity about what was next for us as a family.

As with any true adventure into the unknown, there were many things that caught us by surprise. Not the least of which was a nagging and evolving hunch (about 4 months in) that we might actually be living in the prologue to the next chapter of our lives. The thought was exciting and intimidating. It’s one thing to go on a 6-month family adventure – it’s quite another to consider living “life in perpetual beta” (as my friend, Chris would refer to it) or as another friend, Jim, put it – “a life of relentless uncertainty” – in a different country, different culture, different language, different everything to pursue a growing call to serve the underprivileged.

We agreed to make no decision until we were back in Canada for at least 30 days. After lots of prayer and anxious consideration of the implications that such an outlandish decision would mean for us and our kids (especially at this moment in history), we decided to “live in perpetual beta” and join a compelling story being written through the lives of some incredible new friends in Panama who have chosen to leave places of privilege to serve the underprivileged (e.g. investor/humanitarians). It’s a surprising marriage of so many different experiences of our lives over the last 20 years. I’ll share more in detail about this in a later entry.

But here we are , 6 months later - our house is sold, we’ve sold off all our furniture (now that’s an interesting emotional exercise), we’ve liquidated much of our other assets, and we’ve been assigned seats 17A,B,C and D on FL888 leaving Calgary on Wed. October 29th at 7:00am.

The last 6 months have been an interesting emotional roller coaster ride. We realize we’re taking a huge leap in faith which has already begun to stretch us (especially me – Paul). Dismantling our life, as we’ve know it, for a life we have yet to discover, has effectively uncovered (with the proficiency of a master psychoanalyst) all kinds of previously submerged emotions and unconscious thoughts . Although I have not enjoyed one minute of the discomfort of “facing into my stuff”, I have to admit, I feel like I’m truly learning to become more and more comfortable living with “relentless uncertainty”. It’s actually quite a freeing feeling.

So, we’re firing up our blog site again. I know we’ll have lots to share with you, especially as we get set up in a new home (which we have yet to discover) and the new stories we’ll find ourselves in. So check back regularly. Thanks for staying connected. Your emails and calls mean more than you’ll know.

If you want to send us messages individually, here’s how you can reach us:
Paul: drpday@gmail.com
Linda: lindaday44@hotmail.com
Sydney: sydney.t.day@gmail.com
Josh: josh.d.day@gmail.com

Talk to you later.

Paul

UPDATE

It has been exactly 2 weeks since we arrived home from Panama. The kids have gotten right back into school and are doing well. A few times tey have mentioned how they wish they could sleep in and stay in their P.J.'s. I feel the same way. Since being home we have done our taxes, went through the mountain of mail, answered our voicemails, updated bank accounts, traveled through a snow storm and had lots of coffeee and supper with friends and their children. We have all felt very loved. We were so warmly welcomed home at Glendale, WKC, ACH and in our neighbourhood. Wow, what love we have felt. Thanks. I am back working almost full time hours at the hospital while Paul plays Mr. Mom for a while. We still have no definate plans for our future so,,,,,,,,,, stay tuned as we continue our adventure.

Until I blog again.

Linda

SOUTH CAROLINA

Jen and Jon

Amazing to think we are now in South Carolina. We had an uneventful trip here and have been enjoying our time with Paul's youngest brother, Jon, his wife, Jen and their adorable little 17 month old Brooklynn. Syd and Josh are loving having Brook around, and Brook is quite taken with my kids as well. How many hours can you spend running around the kitchen island? Many! This is the first time we have seen her and it has been great getting to know her little personality. Here are some cute shots of our time here.

Sydney and Brooklynn- Two beautiful Day girls

Brooklynn and Josh

Brooklynn having some cuddles with Uncle Paul- She loves her Uncle Paul

Two more beautiful Day girls doing the "cat walk" downtown.

PANAMA CITY FUN

We had a great time in Panama City with our friends, Jody and Trent and their children. Emma (8) was kind enough to let us use her room again. Thanks Emma! The kids had a great time together playing lego, naked "slip-and-slide" on the back porch (no pictures, even though it was very cute!) and doing crafts thanks to Jody's huge craft cupboard. It felt like Panama City was a whole different country compared to Boquete/David. What a whirl wind of activity! Probably just a taste of Calgary life before we head home. Of course, we enjoyed lots of conversation, bagels at the coffee shop, supper at Jimmy's and a little shopping.

Sydney, Emma, Josh

Evertte, Easton

Doing their thing!

GOOD BYE BOQUETE

Today I’m sitting in the Schmuland’s living room typing my blog. We are once again in Panama City as we start our journey home. I know we will inevitable get the question, “How was our trip?” To put it simply, amazing. The time seems to have gone so fast some days and so incredibly slow other days. Leaving Boquete was bitter sweet. We left new friends to return home and see old friends.

What will I miss in Panama?

Jenni, Tamar, Sharron, Jody and their families; (Already miss you guys!)

Left to right- Jenni, Tamar and me

Bruce and Sharron, with Jadyn sneaking a lick


Hanging at the Bliss’ on Saturdays;
Ruiz coffee;
Pineapples, bananas and papayas picked that day;
Everything Bonlac (yogurt, coffee, milk, OJ);
Lower cost of living and a simple life;
Spending time together as a family;
Having no schedule;
Home schooling;
Caribbean Ocean;

What do I miss about Calgary?

Friends;
Church;
Superstores pesto sauces;
A paycheck;
My king sized bed;
Jelly Bellies;
Flossing sticks;

We still have no clarity as to what our future holds. Lots of this trip has been about faith, trusting God; so it looks like that theme will continue in our lives. But, that is what life is about. In those moments when you allow yourself to dream and imagine what could be, that’s when you let go and allow God to show you what He has in His imagination. We believe it is so much more than we could ever dream or even imagine. So we’ve chosen to trust and serve (our new mantra), living life open to what He has in store for us.


Stay posted as we continue our adventure!

Linda

STREET HOCKEY-PANAMA STYLE

The other day Josh, Syd and I decided to walk into town to run a few errands. On the way, Josh found a great stick and this weird type fruit. Presto, street hockey with a twist. The fruit felt and was textured like an orange but was shaped as a pear. It was very heavy and green/yellow. Anyone have any idea of what is was? I love the fact that my kids now think playing with sticks and discarded fruit is fun. Who needs a real puck? Well, maybe an orange would have been better because this fruit was crazy the way it rolled every which way.

Anyone know what fruit this is?

Note Joshua's shirt! We are still Flame fans!

INCREDIBLE FAMILY

I was just going through my many pictures. Paul left early this morning to get our car tuned up for our Panama City drive. I have the computer all to myself. This is rare. Both kids are still sleeping. We have so many great pictures but here are a few recent ones of my incredible family.

Sydney and Edgar

Syd and Josh- Bocas Del Toro

Josh and Paul- Bocas Del Toro

Dancing and a show- Josh in Bocas Del Toro

Paul and I at Red Frog Beach(This was taken after my surf board smacked his face. Note his bottom right lip and right chin. )

Until I blog again

Linda