California!

I am thankful for a great week together as a family.  This week included Disneyland twice (someone gave us a pass so we can visit whenever we want and just go for a couple hours so the girls don't melt down), our first beach visit, a sweet visit from Gigi (Sandy - Forrest's mom - who spent one day a week with the girls over the past 4 years), and getting to know more great people. As you can see in the pictures, we are trying to make the most of this time in California!!

Favorite story of the week:
Esther and I were going to do laundry and found our across the courtyard neighbor working really hard trying to saw a 1" diameter wooden peg in half long-ways.  He is Korean, and I hadn't met him yet.  Esther, who is always up for a project, said, "Dad, can't we help him?"  In my head, I immediately thought "no" but on second thought realized that we had a clamp, a better saw, a hammer, and a screwdriver that could all really help!  So we got our tools and offered to help.  Our conversation was less than fluid, but he understood what I was offering and we made quick work of that peg.  He was very pleased and explained to me that the 4 inch-long pegs were for a special Korean game - "Nuut Games" that they were to play that day because it was Korea's version of Thanksgiving Day.  I asked a couple of questions about the game, and next thing you know, we are playing - he and his 8 year old son vs. me and Esther.  We get the hang of the game and start playing.  We won the first game, they won the second.  The kids lost interest, so we didn't get to finish the rubber match, but a new relationship has begun.  He is a great guy who is in the Korean Doctor of Ministry program at Fuller.  Fuller has a whole Korean school and many Korean families are around.  I have also officially learned my first Korean words - "Hello" is On Yiong Hi Sai Oh (sic), or something like that! 

Orientation starts this week, so the privilege of so much time as a family is going to be changing.  I'm not excited about that.

I hope all is well for you!

Watermelon preschool girl!

Walking with the fam to preschool - so fun!

Disneyland parade time!

Waving to the princesses on the float - so exciting!

Mickey Mouse Roller Coaster with Gigi!  Bella and Esther rode in a car alone before this!  Bella makes the height requirement by about 1 inch.

Manhattan Beach - all to ourselves!

Time...

First trip to Disneyland!  Thanks to the amazing gift of an annual pass, we are hoping to go often!

Disneyland with Tangled - Esther wasn't happy that a boy was there too!

First Day of Preschool!  Esther and Bella both love their preschool so far, and we can walk there!

Dress up time for Bella!

Ready to ride bikes at the Park with some new friends!

It's amazing what a gift time is.  I have seen that firsthand this last week as I have been the recipient of the gift of time with Janelle, Esther and Bella.  Because classes don't start until the 26th (with orientation the week before), we have been able to enjoy some great time together as a family.  From sitting down to meals together to heading to Disneyland to playing games to going to the playground, we have been having great time together.  I am so thankful for that. 

I think we have always had good family time together, but this feels much more spacious, like there is nothing else to get to, no e-mails to check.  I know that life will get moving again once school kicks in.  I know that the rhythm will change then.  But I want to keep this time-together thing going.  As I have prayed about this year, I feel like the goal for the year is to do two things well (under the Big umbrella of walking closely with God in Christ by the Spirit) - School and Family.  That's what I'm here for.  School and Family.  I have already started to feel the pull to try to start doing stuff in a ministry here to feel like I'm valuable because I am producing.  I have been trying to fight those urges and seeking to trust God for my value as His son.  You could pray for me in that!

We connected with a great church, Knox Presbyterian Church, that we are getting more familiar with and more excited about.  There are a lot of folks from Fuller who go there (including profs - very fun!), a ton of families with young kids, and all generations.  We are thankful for having a local church to start calling home. 

Since we are in a break between quarters here, there is still a sleepy feel around the school and apartment complex, but more and more life is stirring.  We have begun to get to know some people here - wonderful people.  It will be fun to see how God leads in regard to community here.  I have been letting go of my expectations and seeking to gratefully trust God for however it works out. 

Some Pasadena - Boulder/Louisville comparisons for you:

1. They both have mountains in the backyard, but Boulder's are a lot higher and greener.
2. They both claim to be fit, but somehow there are burger joints on about every corner (remember how McDonald's couldn't stay in business in South Boulder?)
3. They both claim to be way into biking, but I'm not sure if I have seen a real bike lane yet. 
4. They both have every hip chain store you could think of (pottery barn, anthropologie, etc)
5. It's a 90 minute drive to Winter Park, but it is only a 45 minute drive to Disneyland and the beach.
6. They both have great libraries with great stuff for kids, but Pasadena seems to have much more.
7. Boulder's demographics of 95% caucasian are quite different than the huge diversity of Pasadena (especially at Fuller where there is a huge Korean population, and especially in certain neighborhoods that I am still learning about).  
8. They both have awesome playgrounds for kids (that we have been enjoying!).

Overall, we are getting used to living in a city, which is an adjustment for us.  We have realized that most of America isn't like Boulder/Louisville!  The open space and beauty and infrastructure and active lifestyle and healthy eating elements of Boulder are apparently not normal everywhere!  :-)  I also know that Boulder is not the promised land, and I am excited to learn from and appreciate this community and this experience of living in a (very nice) city that is part of a really big city (LA). 

Love to you from the Buckners!

We're Here!

Pink!
If this page seems really pink to you, that makes two of us.  Pink has become a theme of my world with two daughters and a wife who all seem to love pink and purple (and most things girly).

Pink is also the theme of Esther and Bella's new room that Janelle and her mom put together this week.  They flew out on Wednesday (with Janelle's Dad coming on Thursday) and turned our apartment into our "home."  Esther, Bella, my dad, and I drove out from Boulder in a packed 4Runner on Friday and Saturday.  It was a solid Father-Son adventure that included fun times with the girls, our share of screaming, one pee-by-the-side-of-the-road stop, some amazing Palisade peaches, good dad-son talk time, no accidents for our potty-training Bella, and a night in a Vegas hotel with a pool for morning fun.  Fortunately, our only big delay was an hour traffic jam outside of LA.

Now we are here, all the grandparents are gone, and the real adjusting begins.  I have realized already that adjustment to a move like this will come in stages and hit all of us in different ways.  Right now Bella is adjusting to the freedom of a big girl bed, and Esther is so looking forward to having little girls to be friends with.  Janelle is adjusting to the fact that everything "normal" and comfortable is back in Colorado.  It is hard for me to believe that I am not starting another year of high school ministry in Boulder right now, and I am trying to look to God for my value instead of the "relevancy" or usefulness of my job. 

What will the next days and weeks hold?  Our hope is that we trust our Father God who has shown His love to us in Jesus and comes to us by His Spirit.

The Adventure Officially Begins!