Babble babble

Hello all! It was a pretty mellow weekend. Jacob & I did some Christmas shopping for Juliana on Saturday and had a nice late lunch at an Italian place. It was his first visit to the Tanglin mall, so I got to show him around!!! They definitely know how to cater to kids out here...there are so many toys, it's tough to decide what to get. We didn't come home with too much, just a couple unique things for Juliana that happened to be on sale, yay! That always helps.

While trying to accomplish some of my TESOL units yesterday, I was preoccupied with missing home and thinking about my friends and family. I switched tasks to looking through e-mails and trying to respond to my friends and family. It just struck me how sometimes it takes drastic measures to see what and who really matter most. I know I've written about this a little before, but it continues to amaze me. Since we moved out here, we've noticed how differently we feel about our lives and have taken a closer look at some of the misconceptions we were living with back home. Like owning "stuff" and impressing people. I mean, does it really matter?? No.

I think what affects me most is how distance creates an impression on relationships and I don't just mean among the three of us. It helps us gain a better understanding of how we relate to those people we care about back home and the dynamics of families and friends. I'm already learning a lot about myself, which is amazing considering I've spent the last several years trying to do just that. It's like a constant search for the answer to "Who am I?" Moving to Asia was like a rebirth for me, for us as a family, for our marriage and for our roles as parents. I feel like one of my slates was wiped clean when I left the U.S. and what's being written back on it is so different than I ever imagined.

Well, I guess this will resonate with some and be just another random babble to others. If I get nothing else across, just sit back, think a little about your own life and think about what you value. I'm 26 and feel like I've spent many years placing value in all the wrong things.