Vintage Kim - Part 1, The Early Years

So, last October I entertained my three blog followers with some pictures of me and fellow family members dressed for Halloween through the years. Today as I was setting out my pumpkins and fall decorations in preparation for the new month I decided that I would go vintage and look through my old pictures. Maybe pull out a few and give you a good laugh.


My non-photogenic abilities started at a young age.


I'm not sure which direction to go in first. I could start with my shorts that I thought should be pulled up to my chest.??? Or I could go with my sister and the fact that she felt the need to scratch her brain in this picture.


So cute! Daddy and his little girls.

More to come later...

Fall in Florida

This was our sunset the other night. Pretty enough for me to run in the house and get my camera. This shot just didn't do it justice. I guess you might say that this is the SoFla version of fall colors.

We all seem to be settling into our new routines. Matt is learning more and more about his role at the company. He was getting a chance to meet the "big wigs" from Washington today. He likes the people he is working with, and so far so good.

I LOVE my job! I can honestly say that. I guess knowing what the public school classroom was like when I taught before and all the pressures that go along with it really help me appreciate what I'm doing now. I get to share my love for learning with the kids and do all the fun stuff that goes along with that, and there's very little pressure! What a concept! My students are so cute, and their parents are super nice. I can't say enough about it all.

Mack loves her teacher. She still loves school. She is such a blessing. Her fall activity is gymnastics. She picked up where she left off in the spring. She really likes it. This is her nitch. (I'll post more later when I can get some pictures of her.)

Ethan is taking it one step at a time. He is adjusting to school pretty well. He is definitely an original! Most of the teachers get a good laugh because they think he's a trip. I have found it to be more difficult than I had anticipated to be in the same building with him. I am trying REALLY hard to not drive his teacher crazy asking about him. So I have to keep my distance and tape my mouth shut. So far it's working. But she does give me updates and she says he's doing well. Way to go Ethan!

So that's us in a nutshell. For now.

Ethan

Ethan started soccer two weekends ago. He really seems to enjoy it. He definitely has enough energy for it. His team is The Lions. (If you ask him, he'll make sure to roar like one for you.) The league we went with focuses on a core value every week, and last week's value was listening. During practice the kids have a chance to earn points when they demonstrate the core value, and the one with the most points wins a medal. Guess who won???



Yay Ethan!! During the game he wilted quickly, but I would have too if I had to run around in the heat like he did. I won't normally get out to the field to see him play, so it was a treat to be there and see him interact with his teammates. Here are some pictures of him on game day.



Here's our number 3 getting some coaching from daddy. Babe Ruth's number...according to my dad.


E is right in the middle of the line of kids running.


Joking it up with his new buddy Matthew


Pops came out to cheer him on, along with Zsa Zsa and Kenzie

I'm Not Wonder Woman

I'm sitting at the computer doing this post. But lately I've been on the couch sawing logs every afternoon...



I had every intention of keeping up with a little bit of housework every day so it wouldn't get too neglected but....




And I thought that if I did at least one load of laundry a day I wouldn't get too behind with it....


I'm definitely not Wonder Woman. But some day I'll get a hang of this "Working Wife and Mother" thing.

The Cates' Home is a happy place again

We have A/C! (and there's nothing much else to report)

This is me with no A/C in the house. :(



This is Matt with no A/C in the house. It's weird what no air can do to a person...

The Boy's Dream

Lately Ethan has been obsessed with his little toy space shuttle. He has it with him all the time at home. The other day while we were driving he said that he wanted to be an astronaut. He wanted to know how many seats were in the shuttle because he wanted me to go into space with him. He's also been saying that he wants to go into the military when he grows up. Does he even know what the military is?? I don't think so, but I just say 'that's great Ethan!'

On Saturday afternoon the kids were playing in their rooms, and Ethan was awfully quiet. (Just so you know, this kind of silence makes us nervous...) He was busy building this....



in Ethan's words- "a place where his rocket can blast off"
My little space cadet is so cute!

First Day of School!

Today was actually our fourth day of school, but I move slow...




Last week was rocky, to say the least. I was wondering what exactly I had gotten myself into, but this week has started off on a much better note. Rocky days are inevitable, but I much prefer the smooth ones. :)





Mackenzie loves her first grade teacher. Ethan is enjoying being in school, and he is falling into his school routine nicely. It's nice to be in the same building with him-but I might want to run the other way if his day goes south...Today his teacher said, "Ethan...". My head popped up so fast to find out that she was talking to one of my students named Ethan. A little nervous, ya think?

It is very weird (for lack of a better word) to be on both sides of the fence, as teacher and parent. I feel like I should pick one or the other. I know I'll get used to it, and I feel so blessed to have the job that I do! The teachers I'm working with are incredible. Helpful, gracious, supportive, intelligent, I could go on and on.

Activities are going to start up soon. Mack started gymnastics this weekend. Ethan starts soccer in two weeks. Matt finishes his old job tomorrow and starts his new job on Thursday. We are busy, busy bees!

12 Hours and Counting...

I'm down to the home stretch. (I thought the home stretch was two nights ago, but Fay came for a visit. She was a drama queen...) Why do I feel like I'm being led to the "chair"? Actually, I'm quite at ease. My summer was spent thinking about school, so it wasn't all that relaxing. But, like Oprah, I did have my favorite things.

*bike rides at dusk*ice cream after a hot day*watching front teeth grow in*watching a buzz cut grow*free movies at the movie theatre*visits with far away friends*temporary jungle living*swimming alongside little fish with big teeth*sleeping in(I'm going from a 7:30 wakeup time to 6:00-ouch!)*reliving Beverly Cleary books through the eyes of my little girl*the smell of sunscreen*sidewalk chalk and bubbles*

I am wondering how things will be as I start tomorrow and as Matt starts up a new job next week. Please pray for us as we transition into all these new things. But I know that all of these happenings are blessings that have come only through God's hands, and we are so thankful!

Fay Said No

Fay didn't want me or the kids to go to school today or tomorrow. So I said ok.

Back to School

Miss Kim's Pre-K Crap, oops, Crop


Reading isn't reading unless you're doing it under a paper bag tree





Where does the time go? Seven years has come and gone, and both kids will be in school...and so will I! I have been spending most of my time this summer thinking about how I'll set up my classroom, what I need to get started, how life will change for our family, etc. and etc. Right now I feel like a puddle of goo, and I need a good 48 hours of sleep to feel rested.

I will be teaching at the preschool where Mack attended and where Ethan will now be attending. I have a Pre-K class of 15 kids, and I met all but one of them today. They are adorable! I've spent the last two weeks getting my room just the way I want it. Our Open House went very well, and all the mommies were really nice. If you know me well, you know that public speaking is not my cup of tea. But I'm still alive to tell about it so it wasn't too bad.



School starts on Monday. The party's almost over...but a new one is about to start! (It might be more like a circus, though.)

Peru-Part 2 *The Team*

Shiny, happy people. This is our Peru 2008 team before we left:


As I had mentioned before, this was my first mission trip. To be honest I was a little nervous about what to expect. I'm a pretty introverted person, and I was coming into this trip with the preconceived notion that we would all sit around a campfire and tell our innermost secrets.


Silly, right? Not so far from the truth for some, but it wasn't so bad. As usual, I took everything in and didn't let anything out. I did admire the honesty of the people who felt led to share things going on in their lives and how the Lord's hand is at work in their lives. Some day I'll not be so nervous to speak in a group...

The other thing that amazed me about being with this group of people was how God was so evidently knitting our hearts together as we

worked alongside each other,


shared meals together,


experienced the culture,


worshipped together


and learned about the work that God is doing in this remote part of the world.


How could we not come away from this experience with stronger relationships with each other?

Matt and I and the other married couple, the Knapps, stayed at the doctor's house, along with four other teenage girls. I don't know how it happened, but I didn't feel like I was 34 when I was with them. I was ripped back into my teenage years, and it was a blast! My sly, pranking ways aren't so far behind me, and I just couldn't help but fuel the girls' fire when it came to planning some darn good pranks on the guys. I've probably used better judgment at some point during my 34 years...but stronger relationships were formed with these girls that weren't there before the spoons were stolen or the doorknobs were greased (and various other objects were strategically placed).


If I had to name one particular event that brought us closer together (and no one got hurt), I would have to say it was the night of Rachel's birthday party. Rachel, one of the teammates, was celebrating her 15th birthday while we were in Peru. Heather planned a birthday celebration for her, and she invited the local Shipibo tribe members to come sing and dance for us. They walked over to the float plane hanger, wearing their traditional Shipibo clothes, and they performed for us.






It was incredible. There are not enough words to express the flood of emotions I felt that night, towards the Shipibos, who so graciously came to share their love of Christ with us through their song and dance. Towards the Gahagens, who took the time to come up with such a memorable experience for Rachel. Towards the other team members, with whom I could share this heartwarming time.

After they performed, they came over to Rachel and sang a traditional Shipibo birthday song to her.


During the song they pulled each of us into a circle where eventually all of us were dancing together with the Shipibos.


They even brought jewelry that they gave to everyone. While I have many pictures of that whole event, there isn't a camera on the market that could capture the depth of what took place that night. It is a night I'll always remember.

Our Peru 2008 team at the end of our trip:

Peru-Part 1 *Good Eats*

This is take 2 of Part 1...action.

My brain feels like scrambled eggs. I have had a lot on my mind lately, and I haven't known what to write other than "Peru was incredible!" There are so many things I want to tell you about like the people, the team, the jungle, the beauty, the food, the adventures, the food, the culture, the food. So I guess I'll have to take it one section at a time, and I think I'll have to go with .....THE FOOD! (duh. what a surprise.)

I'm a picky eater when it comes to unusual food, and I didn't find anything too unusual about the Peruvian food. (No, we didn't eat here...)


We tried all sorts of traditional Peruvian food prepared for us by loving hands at the Gahagen's house. I even ate catfish! (Have you seen what a catfish looks like when it's alive? When I encounter them at Outdoor World I have to look away.)


We ate Pachamanca. This is food cooked in the ground. No dirt involved. (Had I not just swam for my life in the piranha-infested lake I might have enjoyed it more.)




Orlando's was a restaurant we visited that reminded me a lot of the various Cuban restaurants we have here. The food was fantastic. I was part of the Clean Plate club that day for sure!




411 for you: When purchasing produce from your local Pucallpa market, you must bring home the food for a super duper cleaning.


Without cleaning the food properly our tender American stomachs would rebel, and we might end up with a visit here...


But for some in our group, they just couldn't resist the juicy, d-lish star fruit that was found all over the Swiss mission.


We shared Peruvian-style pizza with a Pioneer family at a local pizza restaurant. It wasn't too unlike American-style pizza other than the pineapple and plantain toppings.

Ivan, a friend of the Gahagens and the guy who got us in and out of the jungle hospital in under 20 minutes, prepared Chifa for us. Chifa is the Peruvian take on Chinese food. I don't know what part of it was Peruvian other than the chef, but it was all good! That same night we celebrated a fellow teammate's quinceanera (from one gringo to another, that's '15th birthday'). Our gracious hostesses with the mostesses baked a homemade cake for her. LOVED IT!




It isn't everyday that you get to handpick what will be on your plate. We thought this one looked good enough to eat...JUST KIDDING!


My mom pleaded with us before we left not to eat anything weird. No bugs, grubs, guinea pigs, etc. were consumed by Matt. He really wanted to try guinea pig while we were there, but this was the only guinea pig we saw at the Inca Market.