Jet Lag

      Well we made it!  We survived the long journey home from India and boy was it L-O-N-G!!  We started out at the Bangalore airport at midnight on Sunday night.  Our flight left at 3:05am for Frankfurt.  The flight was uneventful and the kids were able to sleep pretty well.  9 1/2 hrs later we arrived in Frankfurt Germany early Monday morning on Sept 29th.  We had a small layover to stretch our legs and then it was back on another 8 1/2hr flight to Chicago.  We had another layover in Chicago, but most of our time was spent going through customs.  It was a long excruciating process that I don't want to repeat for a very long time!  We spent about 15minutes at our gate and then it was on to the last plane to Sioux Falls, which only took about another hour.

John loved his baby cot on our first flight.  

So far so good!

      The kids did great and slept for most of the flights.  The excitement of seeing family and friends kept us all motivated on each leg of the journey.  I don't think Kris or I slept more than 1 hr at a time, but we were able to rest a little.  I'm just glad that we made it home safely and so did all of our luggage, all 9 pieces.  We were greeted in Sioux Falls by all of our favorite people and the feeling was pure JOY!  After such a long journey we were so glad to be out of the air and onto dry land.

Kris and Molly watching the planes in Frankfurt, Germany

So many huge planes to watch.

      So the question many of you are wondering and asking is, "How does it feel to be back in America?"  Two words…JET-LAG.  Ooofta.  It's tough going through jet lag with 2 kids.  We are slowly turning around our sleep schedules, but I can't say it's been pretty.  Our family is giving us a lot of grace and I think we are close to getting back to normal.  I'm just glad I don't have to get back on an airplane for a very long time.  No, but seriously, it feels very comfortable to be back in Sioux Falls.  It really feels like we are back home.  We aren't really going through any feelings of reverse culture shock or feelings of resentment towards one culture or the other.  So far it just feels good to be back home with our family and friends.  Despite feeling tired ALL DAY LONG, we are enjoying the moments of getting reacquainted with everyone again.  We are really looking forward to the next month or two here in the midwest before we make the journey out to California.

Molly spending some much needed time with her Grandma Beth and cousins!  

     Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers for our safe journey back to America.  Everything went very smoothly and safely for us, and we know it was because we were in the hands of God throughout the entire trip.  We are so grateful now for this time of rest!  I hope to post a blog or 2 about our thoughts, feelings, and emotions as we transition back to life here in America, so stay tuned :)

A Week of "Lasts"

      4 days.  Yep thats right!  Only 4 days until we get on an airplane and head back to America.  It seems totally surreal to me at this point.  I feel like I'm going to get home and it's going to feel like India was one crazy dream.  "Did we just really spend the last year in INDIA?"  Yeah, I guess it really happened.  I don't know if I've ever experienced so many emotions at the same time.  Sadness, happiness, excitement, anxiety are among the few that I experience on a daily basis right now.
      At times  I feel so sad to leave this place.  I feel like I'm just getting the hang of life here and starting to feel a bit more comfortable with the pace from to day to day.  I'm extremely sad to say goodbye to all of the friends we have made here.  Most of them have welcomed us into their homes as if we were their own family members.  It's hard to say goodbye when you don't know if you'll ever really see them again.  Everyone keeps asking "When are you coming back?"  And right now our answer is, "I don't really know."  It's tough…really tough.
     On the other hand I am having feelings of excitement as I think about seeing all of my family and friends from back home.  My stomach starts doing flip-flops just at the thought of seeing them.  I also can't wait to introduce them to John in person. (He's not much for Skype calls).  I get too overwhelmed and happy just thinking about it, so at this point I try not to think about it.
     I also get quite anxious thinking about moving to yet another place as this will be the 5th move in the 9 years that Kris and I have been married.  I get anxious about starting over, finding new friends, a new church, a house, a moving company, and the list could go on and on.  I find myself giving the same anxieties over to the Lord every single day.
      Despite all of these emotions, the reality is that we are leaving in four days.  This week has been filled with many "lasts"…our last time going to ACCEPT, our last time walking around the neighborhood, our last time with friends, our last time driving the Nano, our last time shopping on Commercial Street, and the list could go on and on.  I'm trying to take in every single sight, sound, and smell.  Here are a couple photos that capture a few of our "lasts."

Our neighborhood

Saying goodbye to our friend Amos

Double-trouble at the clinic.  These 2 ladies have been helping Kris day in and day out at the clinic!

Saying goodbye to our pastors Rick and Ellen

These ladies are some of my closest friends here in Bangalore.  They were even sweet enough to give us a going-away party.  Love these girls!!

Kris and the guys a the going-away party.

Posing in front of the sign they made us :)

One last dinner with our dear friends James, Anita, and their daughter Judith.

Molly giving Judith one last hug goodbye

Our last night at ACCEPT.  We are going to miss these guys!

     God truly has given us quite the adventure and I can't even begin to write it all down now.  I probably won't even know the half of it until we get home and have some time to process and decompress.   At this point I feel like I could write at least 5 sermons about all that the Lord has taught me and I'm sure thats just the tip of the iceberg.  The cool thing is I feel like the adventure is just beginning and that there are many, many, many more adventures yet to come!  God is awakening something deep within our souls and he's just watching us from Heaven as it unfolds.
      We're excited to share with you about the many things we have seen and experienced in India.  For those of you back home, please don't be afraid to ask about it.  We would LOVE to share with you about our time here.  I probably won't have time to blog again before we leave as I will be busy packing, packing, and more packing.  So I'll sign off for now until my feet hit the soil of the good 'ol US of A.  Please pray for us as we journey home!

The Two Wheeler

     The two-wheeler.  What an amazing invention.  Here in India, it's so much more than a mode of transportation; it is an amazing vehicle used for almost anything and everything.  It covers every square inch of the roads and has proved to be an efficient mode of transport for many people all across India.  From transporting your family of 5 to delivering your Domino's Pizza, it is being utilized to its fullest potential.  During the many months we have spent here we have collected a few photos showing the many functions that a two-wheeler posesses.  Many of these things simply blow my mind, and coming from a "safety first" mentality, I will never understand or comprehend all that it can be used for.  

     This post is for all of my friends back home to give you a little taste of life on a two-wheeler here in India.  I hope it makes you appreciate and enjoy your cars a little bit more.  For those of you reading that are from India…this is simply a boring post showing things you see every…single…day!

This is one I posted on Facebook a while back.  I couldn't resist posting it again because it still amazes me to see 5 people on a scooter!

This is a picture of the Dominos delivery scooters near our house

This is a man pushing his bicycle loaded with things like paper and cardboard.  I have no idea how he loaded that all on his bike or how he manages to balance/push it.

This is a two-wheeler delivering cooking gas to my neighbors house.  That's 4 cylinders of cooking gas on his bike!  I guess I would not enjoy delivering such a flammable device.  

The man on this two-wheeler is carrying 4 huge plastic containers.  You would need some good balancing skills for this one!

This man is using his two-wheeler to carry a bunch of blankets/fabrics/rugs.  This particular bike isn't as loaded down as I've seen, but still quite full of stuff. 

This man is carrying a huge mirror or frame while his friend drives the two-wheeler.  We've seen people carrying TV's, large pieces of glass, ladders, chairs, tables…everything!

The road is just FULL of them!!

 Two-wheeler parking in front of some shops.

      I hope you all enjoyed seeing some of what we witness on a regular basis here.  Sometimes we just shake our heads in amazement by what we see.  In exactly 2 weeks we will be preparing to get on an airplane back to the United States.  I hope to post as much as possible before we go as I savor every last minute here and try to take it all in.   

The Next Adventure

       Many of you may have heard through the grapevine…THE ISAKSON'S ARE OFFICIALLY MOVING!  We are at it again.  New adventures, new location, new job, new house, new everything…again.  Wheeew!! Sounds exhausting, right?  Yep, it is.  But there is much excitement and anticipation yet again with another move.  We are sad to say goodbye to India, but we feel God is calling us somewhere else.  We knew our time here would be short, but we didn't really think it would be this short.  I can't even begin to write down in words all that the Lord has been doing in our hearts during the past 10+ months, so right now I'm not even going to try.  To make a long story short we are moving and we couldn't be more excited to be living in the will of God.  

"Grandpa and Grandma, here I come!!"

      So where are we heading, you may ask?  Back to the midwest?  Nope, but good guess.  To another country?  Wrong again, but we considered it!  The new place where we are making our new home is sunny Southern CALIFORNIA!!!!!  I would have never predicted this one, just like I would have never predicted moving to India.  Why in the world would God call us to move to California?  Good question, let us know if you figure it out :)  We know God's ways are higher than our ways, and we are just trusting in his plan for our lives.  

Molly's bag is packed

      So our journey continues.  We are coming back to the midwest on Sept 29th.  We fly into Sioux Falls airport at 7:30pm…if any of you would like to welcome us home.   We plan to spend at least a month or more seeing family and friends and then we will drive out west.  Kris has taken a job with another Chiropractor in Murrieta, CA.  This particular doctor specializes in prenatal and pediatric chiropractic.  This will be another great experience for Kris to learn more about these specialties and work side by side with another Christian Doctor.  What am I going to do?  I am going to continue to stay at home with the kiddos and possibly look for a part time nursing job to keep my license active, but we'll see.  

Can't believe this is actually happening.  

     We don't have an official moving date, we don't have a house, we don't have a moving company either, but we are trusting in God for all of these details.  Please continue to pray for our family as we move across the world yet again and please pray for God to work out all of the details as there are many things to consider and think about.

  

We are ready for SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!!  (except maybe John who hates the sunglasses!)

     For those of you that donated money for us to buy a car back in January, we are using the money from selling that car to pay for our plane tickets home.  PRAISE THE LORD!!  Your money is at work once again and we cannot thank the Lord and the body of Christ enough for this providence.  I hope to blog a few more times about the heart behind these decisions, but for now I thought I better fill everyone in on our little/big secret.  Thanks for all of your support and prayers.  Keep it up!!

August in a nutshell

          August is always an eventful month for the Isakson household.  Kris and I both celebrate our birthdays and a special anniversary of our first date.  We spent some time celebrating and tried out some new things too.  Once again I've added a lot of pictures, but hopefully you will enjoy seeing what we've been up to.

         Early this month we went to a super fun amusement/waterpark outside of Bangalore called Wonder La.  We went with some other American friends of ours on a random Monday, which meant that the park was less crowded.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves as they were the only kids in the park and able to get on and off the rides without waiting in any lines (most kids are in school right now in Bangalore).  I would compare it to a 6 flags park in America (but a little smaller).  

All ready to go on some rides!

Molly and her friends trying out some of the rides.

The park also had some fun watersides, pools, a lazy river, and a wave pool. 

Molly and I trying out the wave pool.  Notice that I'm not wearing a swimsuit. Absolutely no one wears swimsuits in India. Kris and the other guys we were with were the only ones with their shirts off.  Even wearing shorts and a tank top was a bit risky for me.  

This was a ferris wheel on top of a large look-out tower.  Super high, but fun!

    During the month of August we had to say a few goodbyes to some close friends.  This is an American family from our church that stayed in India for a year working with International Justice Mission to help free labor slaves.  We will truly miss them, but wish them the best as they head back to Michigan!

The second good-bye that we had to make was to my good friend Beaula (the one in the pink top).  She was my very first friend here in India.  She was the first person to reach out to me and take me out for coffee…so SWEET!!!  She is moving to Minneapolis to work for Target Corporation.  I have hopes that I will get to see her possibly in Minneapolis some day!  This is a picture of me, Joanne, and Beaula out celebrating my birthday.  

       August 15 is India's Independence day.  We were able to celebrate Independence day with people from our church.  We had food, games, worship, and a movie at the end.  We had so much fun!  I just loved seeing the flags all over town.  People truly showed pride in their country that day!

Almost every rickshaw and vehicle had a flag attached to show their India pride!

Molly even wore here Indian flag ribbon for the occasion.  Very festive!

    The next few pictures are of our birthday celebrations.  This was birthday number 31 for me.  Not quite as festive as my "dirty thirty" party from last year, but we still had fun!  We went to a fun cafe for lunch and ordered some yummy desserts.  

    Kris turned the big 3-4 this year.  (I can always tease him about being older).  Apparently me and Jude and Roopa had the same idea in mind and we all surprised him at the office with cake.  So we had cake for lunch and then went out for a fun dinner that night.  

singing Happy Birthday to Kris at the office.  His adjusting table became our cake table :)

We went to a restaurant called "Connie's" for supper.  They had some really good chicken wings.  Kris  also tried the bbq pork ribs (they were more like pork chops, but good nonetheless)

     Some of you might not know this about us, but Kris and I went out on our first date together on August 25, 2001.  I was heading into my freshman year at college and he was going to be a junior.  My sister set us up and suggested that we go on a double date with her and Galen.  So we headed to Sioux City, IA and went to Carlos O'Kelly's for supper and then to a movie afterwards.  That was 13 years ago!!!  We always celebrate this day and try and remember what we said or how we acted on our 1st date.  I'm so thankful to God and my sister for bringing us together.  Since we couldn't find a Carlos O'Kelly's in Bangalore we decided to celebrate at a different Mexican restaurant :)

Molly and John came along this time.  Molly took the pic :)

     The rest of the pictures are a miscellaneous conglomeration of some of my favorite photos from the month of August.  Most of them are from around our area in Bangalore.

Love the rickshaws!

Molly picking out beads for a bracelet for a certain cousin back home :)

Lots of street vendors selling just about anything.  These ladies were selling some beautiful jewelry.  

This is a picture of a sari hanging off of a balcony at a nearby apartment building.  They are very, very, very long!

More progress on the house being built behind our apartment.  Don't you just love the support beams holding up the upper level.  The entire bottom level is full of these wooden beams to support to upper level that they are working on.  Even the ladder on the side that they use to get up and down between the two levels appears quite make-shift.  

Just going for a drive.

  

Crazy Bangalore traffic!

Rickshaw rides

This guys is making some Hot Chips.  These are basically deep-fat-fried snacks.  

Watching Bangalore wake up one Sunday morning from the rooftop of my apartment.  

Watching the ladies make a bracelet.  If you look really close you can see who it's for :)

One of the many churches here in Bangalore.

I thought I would end this post with these two beautiful girls!!  

   Oh and by the way…BIG ANNOUNCEMENT coming soon!!  So stay tuned to find out what is up next for the Isakson family!!  Much love!