Last blog entry was written in JANUARY…I’d say that’s a bit
indicative of how busy we’ve been J
A lot has been insane, and even more has been just fun. A whole lot of fun!
Let me recap a bit.
Our girls are 3 years old and 16 months old.
I stay at home and teach piano.
Donny attends school, and works on the weekends.
We live in Monterey, CA and life is a beach. Only literally…
Where to even begin? I feel like I have to-do lists coming
out of my ears. Some times it’s a bit overwhelming, and I feel a little
frazzled. But I know that’s expected. It’s like eating an elephant, just a bite
at a time. The important things are being taken care of, or are already crossed
off my list. There are just SO many small details to remember, and to follow
through with. We started with passports, figuring that was the best spot to
begin. I can’t even tell you how adorable Claire’s passport photo is. I can
barely handle the cuteness!! Evelyn’s too! They don’t even know the adventure
that’s coming up, or the amazing experiences that lie just around the New Year.
So we’re going to survive the last few weeks of the
semester…I’m not quite sure how, but we will! Donny will graduate (With a 3.8
GPA I might add…) and we’ll stick around in Monterey until March. We’re still
figuring out travel plans, and whatnot…hence the lists upon lists upon
lists…you get the point!
More about Donny’s job…he’ll be a member of the English
faculty at Tokyo International University. He’ll be teaching English to people
who have not learned it before, Japanese, Koreans, Chinese, and just about any
other nationality too. It’s a two-year contract, and there are several
opportunities to renew. I mean, the Olympics are set for Tokyo 2020… Haha.
We’ll see!
I’ve had a good amount of people ask us why we want to go
abroad. For us, there are several reasons. It’s a huge stepping-stone for
Donny’s career. Most stateside colleges and universities want their TESOL
professors to have foreign teaching experience. So this helps set us up for the
future, when we come back to the US. (Yes, we are definitely coming back! What
other nation on earth fries Twinkies and has March Madness?) Another reason now
is the perfect time is because our children are young. Making friends at age 3
is much easier than age 13. Yes, I am concerned about making sure our girls are
happy and well adjusted to a new way of living. Will it be difficult?
Absolutely. But we’re Hansens. We’re made of tough stuff, and we do things
together, no matter what. Last, but probably the most important reason…it’s an
adventure!! Why not? This is such an exciting opportunity, and I’m still
pinching myself over it!
I can’t help but smile when I think about it. I thought I’d
throw in this story, to explain a bit more of how I’m feeling…
When we started dating I was very young, and I still had
lots of things on my ‘single bucket list’. Several of those were locations to
travel to, and new cultures to experience. When things started to get more
serious, and I started to realize that I loved Donny I needed to choose. Do all
of these things on my list, chase those dreams, or choose Donny. I didn’t
realize how much I loved him until I realized that I didn’t want to travel
anywhere, or see some amazing sights unless he was with me. If Paris was for
lovers, I didn’t want to go alone. And so I chose him, and I knew that
everything would work out. The Lord is actively involved in our lives, even
when we can’t see it.
And here I am 5 years later, laughing and crying…because the
Lord does have a sense of humor, and He really is involved in our lives. What a
happy life we share now. I’m still pinching myself, thinking, how did I land a
guy like him. J
