We made it to Chennai

We are back in India! The journey was long and had a few glitches but our final destination was Chennai. The drive to O'Hare went smoothly from returning the rental car to being whisked past the huge line at United to a separate line with no waiting. Our bags were checked in and they didn't even weigh them! We unfortunately were delayed out of Chicago so we missed our direct flight from Frankfort to Chennai. So they rerouted us...on Kuwait Airlines. We flew from Frankfort to Kuwait. We spent about an half an hour in Kuwait and then headed to Chennai. I was worried about Kuwait Airlines but it actually was quite decent. The stewards were extremely helpful and polite. The kids really did great, I am so proud of them and me for that matter too! We landed in Chennai 6 hours later than planned but not bad considering everything! The awesome thing is that our bags made it too!

It feels good to be home again. What a strange time in our life to have two homes in which both places we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends. I guess that is what makes them both feel like home! It was awesome to see the pets again. They really missed us. We even had a few extra visitors yesterday...MONKEYS! I was looking out the window and saw these two monkeys running down our wall. Wow! I hope they come back! Maybe I should leave some banana's out for them. Still holding out for a elephant though.

Heading out

Logan on his dirt bike

Part of the Green family

A field of sunflowers

Emily

Summer is coming to a close...at least our summer in Illinois. Today we are heading back to India. I have such a different feeling than last time. I told my mom that the getting there was the issue for me. I am not looking forward to driving to Chicago and I am not looking forward to 16 hrs and 55 minutes in airplanes. Fortunately I have my little "happy pills" to make me more pleasant on the flight! It was so awesome to hear one of my kids tell their Dad that they were looking forward to coming home. How truly wonderful it is to feel at home in India. I would have never guessed that India would turn out to be such a pleasant move. God has been very gracious to our family and for that we are so thankful.

I have been busy packing. I have 8 checked bags ready to go....I think. I have been frantically weighing our carry on due to the mess we had in Chennai but hopefully this time it won't be an issue. We can always redistribute the heavy stuff to our personal item (ie backback, purse) if we need to get the carry on a few pounds lighter. I suggested to my brother that they start weighing people to determine what your carry on can weigh! Oh the joys of traveling!

The next time I post I will be writing from India!

Just some random photos

Okay, I have officially been hit by the photography bug...thanks to Bob in India! I have a new camera and have been having a blast taking photos! Here are just some photos I thought I would share. I have lots to figure out on it but still have fun trying. The kids are getting used to meet stopping the van to grab a photo! I really like the wheat field below. As a child I loved seeing the wheat fields change from the vibrant green to the golden yellows. Watching the wheat get harvested (and then all the wheat bugs that invaded the house) was a neat process. Until this year I haven't seen many wheat fields and finding straw for our animals was challenging. But due to high wheat prices the farmers are once again planting wheat. Tonight while heading back to our house it was dark and we had the windows open to let in the cool fresh air and the kids thought I was crazy when I asked them it they could knew what the smell in the air was...a fresh cut hay field. I think that living in India has reawakened my senses to our surroundings and I love it!

A crop duster (Ted do not get any ideas!)

Somewhere over the rainbow

The sky was beautiful, if only I could figure out the camera settings!

A beautiful sunset

Food for Thought

Today was the day for dropping our food shipment off at the warehouse. I was looking back through my blog to find an entry and I guess I never put it on my blog, so I am going to tell you of an incredible event that occurred last year. While dropping off our very first food shipment last year there was an incredible man by the name of Mel who helped unload our truck of food. As many of you remember I was a mess with the whole idea of moving to India (things have changed huh?). I am a firm believer that there are no chances in life, all is orchestrated in God's timely manner and the fact that Mel was working on the loading dock that day was clearly evident of God's hand. Mel was such a source of encouragement to us by telling us that God had a plan for us in India! He even went so far as to encourage Ted and I to continue to build our relationship with Christ at the center. He told Ted that the family should be first, he needed to get home from work at a decent hour. Another thing that he brought up was that he needed to take Emily out on dates so that she can learn what to expect from a gentleman. I was so moved that day and will forever remember it. Today was another day as I dropped off the food shipment Mel was there to receive it. It was so nice to visit with him and let him know how God used him in our lives. I gave him my blog site so hopefully he will check it, if you are reading this Mel please keep in touch! And thank you for your words of encouragement!

Fuse box on Fire

It is a good thing that the houses in India are made up of brick and concrete otherwise our house in India would be burnt to a crisp. The first night that Ted was back there was an electrical fire at the fuse box in our garage. We had one fuse catch on fire a few months back but we got it repaired and it seemed fine after that. Ted was trying to sleep the first night back and around 2 am the fuse box caught fire and the house filled with smoke. He stayed in a hotel for a few nights until they got the generator wired direct to the inside circuit breakers which is a bit scary looking. I am glad that the kids are not there, I am worried enough about the pets! The first day they moved the freezer into the house and ran an extension cord from our neighbors house through the kitchen window so the fridge and freezer could have power. Oh the joys of India! Let's just say Ted is ready for a break from India after 4 days! Now we are waiting on someone to come out and rebuild the fuse box but they are trying to figure out who pays...the landlord or our company. It is kin of a crazy deal as you would think that the landlord should pay for it, but things are different in India.

The White Reunion

This past weekend was spent at my oldest brother's house in Southern Illinois for our annual reunion....moved up a couple of months so we could be there. My dad and my other brother and his family couldn't attend and we really missed seeing them.
We always have a fantastic time as my brother has an awesome place, his house is situated on a huge strip mine lake with crystal clear water and lots of fish, oh yeah and a high dive. I am not one to like swimming in lakes and ponds but the water is just awesome. The weather was pretty cool so the grown ups didn't swim much but the kids were like fish. Everyone had fun fishing and caught bass and bluegill. The weekend was extra fun because we got to meet the newest addition, Anna, my niece's baby girl. She is just adorable. Here are some photos of the family.

Emily fishing

My niece Meghan

Logan going off the rope swing

Mason fishing

My favorite photo of my nieces -Jessica, Allyson and Shelby

My Mom with Anna
Mason going off the high dive

Anna (isn't her blanket pretty?)

My brother Scott diving off the high dive