Deserted

Restating the obvious is a trait I inherited from my dear mother.  In case you haven't noticed, this blog has been deserted for quite some time now.  I never intended to stop, but for one reason or another posting never made it to the top of the list.  

A lot has happened during my blogging break but here are a few of the highlights:

• watching my sister & her husband tie the knot
• marrying Brent and learning how to do life together
• surviving an intensive school accreditation process
• resigning from teaching
• moving to a new apartment in a new city
• seeing my brother marry his beloved bride 
• celebrating our marriage with a month long visit to see family and friends in the US
• beginning a year-long counseling certification program
• taking a new job
• visits from friends
•   . . . and starting some special volunteer work

Please forgive me for once again pointing out the aparent:  Although this space may have been deserted, our lives have felt delightfully full with dear friends, wonderful occasions, and a lot of incredible memories.  One of my hopes for the new year is to share a few more of those moments here.

Happy 2014!

♥, Molly  

Helloooooo!

glowstick writing on New Year's Eve

My new goal for 2013 is definitely not a "check it off the list" type of thing.  It's more of a process.  (Yeah--probably one that will take me the next 50 years to accomplish!)

In 2013 I'm going to work towards being on time.

Those who know me well are probably laughing right now. Yeah, well me too.

So, here's the game plan.
1)  I'm trying to shift my whole frame of mind and adjust my attitude towards punctuality.  In theory I value being on time.  In reality I don't show up on time because it isn't that important to me.  Hmmmm.
2) Only schedule things that are important to me.  In other words, cut things from my calendar that aren't important.  This is going to require saying no.  Saying no is really hard and kind of scary.
2) Record it in my calendar. A million reminders on my phone will be better than storing it in my head.  While I'm at it, I'm going try to to put in appointments 10 minutes early. 
3) Assume it will take longer than I expect.  I always think I'm going to whip right through things and demolish my to-do list.  For some reason I still can't grasp the fact that I'm a very. slow. worker.
4) Use a timer.  I'm sometimes good at this.
5) Set up ahead of time.  I'm late once in awhile because I forget stuff.
6) Get off the internet.  I'm sure you have no clue what I'm talking about.
7) Plan for trouble.  If I aim to be on time then I have no buffer if something goes wrong.  A little wiggle room is a good thing. 

Do you have any goals for the upcoming year?
♥, Molly

Goodbye . . .

Last year I made some resolutions.  (Yeah, like 12 of them...) 

1. Send home ____ dirhams each month. My monthly savings plan worked for about half the year.  Now I'm behind schedule!

2. Learn how to change a flat tire on my bike.  Learned, but never really practiced.  If I had to change my own tire now it would be quite an ordeal.  Praise the Lord I didn't have a flat tire during my Oregon Coast bike tour!

3. Figure out imovie.  Yes, to make this little film.  However, doing it independently still seems so daunting that I haven't even tried to make another one.

4. Practice planning ahead, doing little bits along the way, and avoiding last minute crunches.  Sometimes.  I did better before I got a little distracted by a certain someone. 

5. Go on a hot air balloon ride. Yay!

6. Respond to emails within 1 month of receiving them.  I'm a little itty bit better than before. 

7. Finish reading my camera book. Halfway there . . .

8. Set better boundaries.  Hahaha.  Does it count if I ordered a book on the topic?

9. Practice more consistent giving.  Online giving makes things easier!  Someday, I'd love to do a series to spotlight some of the incredible projects out there.  It's encouraging to see the different ways people are helping build a better world.

10. Declutter, organize, and back-up my electronic life.  It's sad when you dedicate 5 full days to this but don't really have much to show for it.  Oy!
11. Ride my bike without hands. Woot!  I can even go over speedbumps without hands!  And although I'm incriminating myself by saying this, when I lived along the Corniche I was in the habit of texting while pedaling.

12. Rehabilitate my shoulder so I can do yoga, lift, and rock climb pain-free.  After 3 months of physical therapy and several trips to the neurologist, things aren't any better.  It was a bit of a disappointment to learn that the damage to my nerves is permanent.  Or so they tell me . . . 

As you can see, meeting 3 out of 12 goals leaves some room to grow. Wellll, LOTS of room.  I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't quite get where I wanted to be, but a wise woman once told me that a little bit is better than nothing.  Yes, a little bit is better than nothing.

♥, Molly

28, A Year in Review

Each December my mom has this tradition where she asks us to share a few key moments of our year.  She likes to call this little Q. and A. session "Highlights/Lowlights."   I shared my "Higlights/Lowlights" online in 2009 and 2010, but 2011 slipped away from me before I could properly review all that had happened. Since my birthday isn't too far into 2012 I'll use it as my excuse for a little look back.

Here you have it--28, A Year in Review. 

a very special 28th birthday bash (photo by Jill)

desert nights//flying my kite (photo by Hannah)

skype dates

kayaking in the mangroves (photo by Ina)

riding the fastest roller coaster in the world! (photos courtesy of Jill)

dhows and dolphins in Oman

may 25: lymph node biopsy (photo by Hannah)

comfort--the kind that only dads can give (photo by Wendy)

hiking the chuckanuts (photo by Dave)

molly, caitlin, galen (photo by Wendy)

Caitlin graduates from nursing school! (photo by Dave)

june 25: surgery in Missouri; laser beams coming out of my nose; and a reunion with Kiely, my best friend from high school (photo by Dave)

4th of July: sparklers in the city (photo by Jill)

last day of school! (photo by Jill)

our friend, cheyenne // crazy hair (photo by Fi)

sister time (photo by Caitlin)

staying cool during Ramadan

buzz cut! (photo by Hannah)

sunny days

infusion center (photo by Jenny) // Jollytime in Bangladesh (photo by Jill)

mom at the emirates palace

sunset in the desert

60th birthday celebration//get well flowers

national day at my new school

travelating in Bangladesh (photo by Jill)

home for the holidays

allan♥hannah

recovery! (photo by Jill) // Bahrain

YAY! celebratory campfires

sunny winter afternoons (photo by Jill)

weekend getaways // turtles on the beach (one of my very favorite moments of the year)

Highlights:  an amazing weekend in Washington where I was able to see my whole family; the ways people reached out to me when I was sick; having friends all over the world; a sister road trip to Salalah; the care and compassion my nurses showed me; a serendipitous trip to China; mom's visit to Abu Dhabi; Dr. Kristensen; having a job & a way to support myself; watching the turtles nesting on the beach; podcasts; Christmas & New Years at home; Dr. Stangier; biking to work; campfires & camping trips; warm, sunny days; the people at Crossroads; 2 successful surgeries; full coverage health insurance (hamdillah!); wonderful coworkers who rallied around me; Jollytime Bengali Edition; a whole month of sister time; the "I ♥ Molly" video masterminded by Rosie & Brie; weekend getaways with friends; clean scans; so many people who were in the just the right place at just the right time to help me when I needed it most; REMISSION!

Lowlights:  trying to balance work & life; feeling lonely; bed bugs; watching friends' marriages unravel; going through chemo so far from home.

28 wasn't my best year . . . but it was still a good year. A lot of hard stuff happened that I did not expect. But because of all the bad stuff, somehow a lot of good stuff happened, too.  God promises us that all things work together for good and even though I don't understand it, I saw it in action.  28 was pretty powerful in that way.  You should ask me about it sometime.

Tomorrow is my birthday.  Until this point I've always automatically expected to make it to the next one--the possibility of not turning a year older wasn't really even on my radar.  It's weird to think that under different circumstances, I might not be getting the chance to experience 29.  For that reason, this birthday feels more like a celebration.  Conversely, it feels a bit somber, too--a reminder that another year isn't something to just take for granted. 

Hello, 29.  Nice to see you.  

It's good to be alive.

♥, Molly

Monday Round-Up

Some quick tidbits to share . . .

1.

7/4/08--Sparklers at Grandma and Grandpa McGraw's house
7/4/07--Pretending to be fireworks with Mary at Zuanich Park
7/4/09--Enjoying Leavenworth with the Millers
7/4/06--Rafting the Skykomish with Youth Dynamic Adventures

2. I'm feeling epically better today. Yay!
I'm thanking new nausea meds. And prayers. My doctor also says that in the course of things, days 5 and 6 are usually good days for people. Regardless of the reason, I'm grateful to be doing better.

3. And for your Monday Music:
The host and hostess of tonight's Fourth of July BBQ have asked each guest to bring their favorite 'summer jam'. I'm going to contribute the ever cheery 5 Years Time//Noah & the Whale. Have a listen--it's definitely worth making the jump!

-m.

Half-Way Point . . .

Here are a few of my favorite memories from the first half of 2011:

♥ Greeting my girls each morning at school; (It's all about handshakes, twirls, fist pumps, high-fives, and hugs.)
♥ A really fun birthday party
♥ Three special encounters in Beijing; It was pretty neat to randomly meet Elaine (a friend of a friend from Hawaii), Elijah (a passionate Chinese Christian), and Maui (a fellow traveler from Abu Dhabi)!
♥ Seeing the dolphins swimming along the fjords of Musandam
♥ Feeling loved and cared for by my "Hump Day" Family & by my Bible Study gals
♥ Learning new things about the world--sometimes by traveling there; sometimes by reading books; (I especially enjoyed this book.)
♥ Visiting The Great Wall of China; hot pot with locals; relaxing at the Summer Palace; novelty snacking on hawthorns; traveling with my dear friend, Jen
♥ Being with people I love from back home; video chats on Skype when I'm away
♥ Having a great co-worker & car pool buddy who never fails to make me laugh and who somehow accepts me just as I am (Believe me, she deserves a lot of credit for this--like when I insist on leaving at 5:15 each morning or when I'm beyond exhausted and freaking out because I still haven't finished my report cards or when I'm making mountains out of molehills.)
♥ Spending time with the children at Shepherd's Field; They were perfect.
♥ Hiking Lost Lake Overlook and being overwhelmed by God's goodness; I'm pretty sure my heart grew a couple of sizes. The experience was overwhelming.
♥ Being hired by a proper International Baccalaureate school (Updates coming on this one!)

From top to bottom: Happy Graduation H.B.!; Jen & Asa at Shepherd's Field; Shakira concert with my wonderful co-teacher; my benati; Great Wall; Skyping with Dad, Wyatt, and Dandy; dolphins; my UAE family

Looking forward to what God is going to do in the next six months. I have a feeling it's going to be one of my biggest and most challenging adventures yet.

Love,
-m.

P.S. I'm piggybacking off of this clever post.

And we're back!

the only negative thing about getting my computer back (well, aside from the fact that it's still not fixed) is that it lead to a serious google reader binge. i definitely missed a lot of 'going-ons' in the blog world.

here are a few things i discovered while i was catching up:
garlic is growing now that it's spring in chicago


friends are taking fun trips to sri lanka


baby ladybugs!!


jordan ferney might just be the most creative and coolest person ever. (but we already knew that.)


it looks like monet made a visit to seattle


my step mom has a new blog!


and there are several new 'makers' projects up. have a look!

hoping to get back in the swing of things soon.
xo,
-m.