Traveling with our girls also highlights their differences - and oh how we love both of them! Tonight, we were driving home from Lian's camp in Fort Worth. We had just had some dinner. Definitely nearing bed time. Anna would not stop talking. Our entire road trip was like this - constant Anna chatter. We finally resorted to our "Quiet Game." You know, the one where you see who can be the most quiet. At the mention of this game, this is how the following ensued:
Daddy - "It's time for the Quiet Game."
Lian - "I LOVE that game!" (proceeds to be silent for the next ten minutes)
Anna - "No."
Anna - "Let's play game."
Anna - "What game, Daddy?"
Daddy - "The quiet game, Anna."
Anna - "Oh. What's that?"
Anna - "We play game."
Anna - "Mom, you be Bob. I be Cucumber (referring to Bob and Larry from Veggie Tales)"
Anna - "What, ma?" (I hadn't said anything)
Anna - "Momma - you be Bob. I be cucumber. Mom?"
Mommy - "Look, Anna, we are almost home. I can't be Bob."
Anna - "Home to Texas house?"
Mommy - "Yes, Anna."
Anna - "We aren't. You be Bob. I be cucumber."
and then we pulled in the driveway. So much for the quiet game :)
Monday, July 6, 2009
Advice for traveling long-distances with small children
My friend asked if I could write about advice for traveling with small children. We often say that our children were conditioned to travel long distances from the moment they arrived into our family since we had to fly home from China with them. Lian has traveled back to China with us when we went to receive her sister and both girls traveled to East Africa with us last Fall. They have made several domestic flights to see family and for work with me, but this was the longest stretch they've had in a car. We didn't know what to expect. Everyone said, "I hope you have lots of DVDs." We actually didn't pack any intentionally. Of course, we weren't sure if we'd have to buy one mid-trip to save our sanity, but thus far we haven't needed one. but overall it wasn't nearly as bad as we thought it might be. We have two completely different personalities in our children - Lian is quite content to play by herself quietly in the car, but when she's tired and hungry she can get grumpy. Anna is a constant chatterbug and hates to be confined, so we weren't sure what to expect. To be honest - at the end of five days of traveling in the car, Dano and I were ready to have a little space :) So here's a few pointers we have learned on this road trip and our other travels...
Children will rise to the occasion. If they hear you talking pre-trip about how tough the road trip is going to be in front of them, they will probably think it's going to be difficult. So make the preparations fun. Be excited about it in front of them. Don't complain in front of them.
Emphasize Team-work. We always start out any trip with a little family cheer. May sound corny, but I think it reemphasizes the fact that we are a team. If one of us is grumpy, it affects the rest of us. We are a team and we have to work together to make our trip a success. That means everyone has to help. S
The Power of Music and Podcasts. Prior to moving all our earthly possessions, Dano downloaded all of our music onto his IPod, so we wouldn't have to bring any CDs to Rwanda. According to Anna, classical music is her favorite. Anna is a non-stop talker. When she's not talking, she is singing to herself. This has driven us a little crazy on this trip, but we found that classical music helps calm her. We've also downloaded our own podcasts, not just kids music - i.e. BBC, 60 Minutes, Tim Keller sermons, along with enough 80's music to keep us going - stuff that makes us feel like adults. We tell the kids this is our tiem to listen to the radio and we expect them to respect that. Again, have high expectations - they will rise to it.
Two Hour Jumping Jack Stops and Find the Mc-Ds with a Playground. The kids need to run around and so do the adults. We tried stopping every 2 to 2 1/2 hours and we all did jumping jacks together outside the car. Pretty funny looking, but you'll never see the people at the gas station again :) The playgrounds at Mc-Ds were definite life-savers. We never spent more than 30 minutes at a rest-stop and never sat down at a restaurant. Always took our food with us - as that kept the girls busy in the car.
Fun, but relatively healthy snacks. The girls love the fruit roll-ups we brought and they take a long time to eat, so they're great! String cheese kept in the cooler is also great. We also got each girl a little bag of candy and when they're extra good, we give them a couple jellybeans or whatever is in their stash. And definitely give the incentive of at least one DQ stop. It's an incentive for the parents as well :)
Lian's Advice - Lian has her own blog for her friends called www.lianmeistravels.blogspot.com. If you want to check it out, send her an email at lian.mei.smiles@gmail.com, as it is a private blog. She wrote down some of her advice last night, which we'll try to post soon. Some of the advice was to bring lots of books and stickers and eat lots of snacks. I probably packed too many books. Would definitely go lighter on that load.
OK - those are some quick thoughts for the morning. Let me know if you have any questions.
Children will rise to the occasion. If they hear you talking pre-trip about how tough the road trip is going to be in front of them, they will probably think it's going to be difficult. So make the preparations fun. Be excited about it in front of them. Don't complain in front of them.
Emphasize Team-work. We always start out any trip with a little family cheer. May sound corny, but I think it reemphasizes the fact that we are a team. If one of us is grumpy, it affects the rest of us. We are a team and we have to work together to make our trip a success. That means everyone has to help. S
The Power of Music and Podcasts. Prior to moving all our earthly possessions, Dano downloaded all of our music onto his IPod, so we wouldn't have to bring any CDs to Rwanda. According to Anna, classical music is her favorite. Anna is a non-stop talker. When she's not talking, she is singing to herself. This has driven us a little crazy on this trip, but we found that classical music helps calm her. We've also downloaded our own podcasts, not just kids music - i.e. BBC, 60 Minutes, Tim Keller sermons, along with enough 80's music to keep us going - stuff that makes us feel like adults. We tell the kids this is our tiem to listen to the radio and we expect them to respect that. Again, have high expectations - they will rise to it.
Two Hour Jumping Jack Stops and Find the Mc-Ds with a Playground. The kids need to run around and so do the adults. We tried stopping every 2 to 2 1/2 hours and we all did jumping jacks together outside the car. Pretty funny looking, but you'll never see the people at the gas station again :) The playgrounds at Mc-Ds were definite life-savers. We never spent more than 30 minutes at a rest-stop and never sat down at a restaurant. Always took our food with us - as that kept the girls busy in the car.
Fun, but relatively healthy snacks. The girls love the fruit roll-ups we brought and they take a long time to eat, so they're great! String cheese kept in the cooler is also great. We also got each girl a little bag of candy and when they're extra good, we give them a couple jellybeans or whatever is in their stash. And definitely give the incentive of at least one DQ stop. It's an incentive for the parents as well :)
Lian's Advice - Lian has her own blog for her friends called www.lianmeistravels.blogspot.com. If you want to check it out, send her an email at lian.mei.smiles@gmail.com, as it is a private blog. She wrote down some of her advice last night, which we'll try to post soon. Some of the advice was to bring lots of books and stickers and eat lots of snacks. I probably packed too many books. Would definitely go lighter on that load.
OK - those are some quick thoughts for the morning. Let me know if you have any questions.
We Made it to Texas!!!!
All I have to say is my children are amazing. We moved out of our home on May 31. We then lived with our dear friends, Brook and Susan Selby, for three weeks. Then we moved to Dano's mom's house for a week. On June 29 we took Lian to her ballet dress rehearsal. As you can see from this picture, she looks so beautiful! We were so proud of her. The next morning, we packed up the car, went to the travel clinic for our last shots for Africa, and then started driving towards Bend, OR to say goodbye to my bestest friend, Suzanne. We took the girls to the bouncy house in Bend and to swim in the Deschutes River. What a great way to start our trip across the country.It was six hours to Bend, six to Boise, ID, where we stayed with Laura and Peter Barton before leaving at 7 am on July 3. We thought it was a 12 hour drive to Colorado Springs. I was a little mistaken - 17 hours later we arrived to Matt and Melody Monberg's home - at midnight. And we only stopped twice for 30 minutes each. The girls were incredible.
On July 4, we drove 7 hours to Amarillo, TX, where we had the chance to stay with some friends of my parents - the Ramirezes. We watched the fireworks in the heart of Texas. Felt very patriotic. On July 5, we drove the last six hours to Ft. Worth. A friend in Dallas told us about some missionary housing that the Southern Baptists have. We cold-called Cross Timber church in Burleson, TX and they are graciously letting us stay in their guest house even though we aren't technically "missionaries." We cannot believe their generosity - it is a 3 bedroom rambler, super comfortable, with a huge yard. The girls are so excited to have their own room and Lian quickly set up and organized their room. As much as we are so grateful for the generosity and hospitality of our friends, it felt so nice to set up home (even though it's only two weeks) as just our family.
We took Lian to the Hope Connection camp this morning at Texas Christian University. This is a camp run by Dr. Karyn Purvis (author of The Connected Child) and is for adopted children who have some emotional needs (attachment/sensory) due to being in institutional care when they were babies. There are only ten 5-8 year olds. It is a normal fun day camp, but everything that is done is done in a way to help the children heal neurologically and emotionally. We immediately fell in love with Dr. Purvis upon arriving. We are the only non-Texas family and are grateful they made an exception for us. Lian was immediately put at ease and is so excited for the water-balloon fights, swimming, and arts they have promised. She has a buddy named Sarah, who is a senior Psych major at TCU. We left her this morning so grateful for this opportunity.
So...our time in Ft. Worth has begun. We do not have internet at the house, so our time on the internet may be a little intermittent. Thanks for everyone's prayers for our safe travel.
Friday, June 5, 2009
It is not finished...it is beginning...
We sold our house and moved out of our home last weekend. I called my mom and said, "It is finished." In her wise way, she said, "No, it is beginning." I like the way she said that. "It is beginning." This move to Rwanda certainly feels like a new beginning in so many ways. It also feels like the culmination of all we have done over the past twelve years. It just feels right.
I'll try to post some photos of the move in a few days. Needless to say, life is going full-throttle right now. We have some form of a goodbye dinner with someone almost every evening for the next two weeks. Here is our plan:
June 1-19 - Live with our friends, the Selbys, while Lian finishes kindergarten
June 20 - Jen speaks at Pacific Northwest Conference about Children's Hope Chest /attend farewell for Dano's brother and sister-in-law, who also happen to be moving overseas for a year (to Brazil)
June 21-30 - Live with Dano's mom
July 1 - Lian's ballet recital and then we all get into the car and start driving across the country
July 6-17 - Arrive to Ft. Worth Texas for Lian to attend the Hope Connection camp - a camp geared towards helping families with adopted children.
July 17-Aug 5 - Travel Eastward, stopping to see friends and familyi along the way.
Aug 5 - Sep 19 - In Vermont for some much needed rest and to get ready for my brother's wedding on Sep 19
Sep 26 - attend another good friend's wedding in Mass.
Sep 29 - Fly out for Rwanda
Carter Crockett, our partner, moves to Rwanda July 14. His family joins him Aug 21. Dano may have to fly to Rwanda once during the summer. We are still waiting word on that.
I'll try to do a better job at posting, but hope you'll forgive our lack of communication for a few weeks. In the meantime, do check out our website - www.karisimbipartners.com. You can join our mailing list by clicking on "connect."
I'll try to post some photos of the move in a few days. Needless to say, life is going full-throttle right now. We have some form of a goodbye dinner with someone almost every evening for the next two weeks. Here is our plan:
June 1-19 - Live with our friends, the Selbys, while Lian finishes kindergarten
June 20 - Jen speaks at Pacific Northwest Conference about Children's Hope Chest /attend farewell for Dano's brother and sister-in-law, who also happen to be moving overseas for a year (to Brazil)
June 21-30 - Live with Dano's mom
July 1 - Lian's ballet recital and then we all get into the car and start driving across the country
July 6-17 - Arrive to Ft. Worth Texas for Lian to attend the Hope Connection camp - a camp geared towards helping families with adopted children.
July 17-Aug 5 - Travel Eastward, stopping to see friends and familyi along the way.
Aug 5 - Sep 19 - In Vermont for some much needed rest and to get ready for my brother's wedding on Sep 19
Sep 26 - attend another good friend's wedding in Mass.
Sep 29 - Fly out for Rwanda
Carter Crockett, our partner, moves to Rwanda July 14. His family joins him Aug 21. Dano may have to fly to Rwanda once during the summer. We are still waiting word on that.
I'll try to do a better job at posting, but hope you'll forgive our lack of communication for a few weeks. In the meantime, do check out our website - www.karisimbipartners.com. You can join our mailing list by clicking on "connect."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Divine Makeover
We have been members of 100 year old Rainier Avenue Church for 8 years and for the majority of that time our church has been planning to renovate and remodel with a view towards the next 100 years. Dano is the project manager for our church's Divine Makeover. It is an honor for us to end our time in Seattle by working alongside so many who are working so that generations of families to come will be served in our community. It was quite an honor for the Seattle Times to feature this weekend's "barn raising" on the cover of their local news section today.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009086082_churchbuild20m.html?syndication=rss
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009086082_churchbuild20m.html?syndication=rss
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Next Steps Toward Moving to Rwanda
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| 2009Rwanda Trip |
Dano, Carter and Kerry returned home a week ago after an incredible 12 day trip in Rwanda. The trip only affirmed the direction we are headed towards with Muhabura Venture Partners (we changed the name - that was one of the practical things that came out of the trip). They had over 40 meetings with Rwandan entrepeneurs, successful African businessmen and women, directors of various equity funds and associations, and governmet officials. The bottom line is that we cannot get there fast enough - the work is there, what we are proposing doesn't really exist yet, and our combination of gifts and experience would be invaluable. Carter and Dano have been asked to submit two proposals this week that could determine when exactly we will move, but right now it looks like Carter will be moving July 15, Kerry and the kids will arrive a month later, followed by the Jukanovich family after my brother's wedding in late September. Dano will probably need to make another trip or two before we move depending on how our proposals are received.
Many of our friends have asked what an incbator is. We hope our new name will describe our purpose more clearly. Muhabura means
"the guide" in Kinyarwanda. A venture firm invests in companies. We are investing our time and talent and potential financial investments into high-impact Rwandan ventures. We believe that in helping companies grow and succeed, that more people will be lifted out of poverty through the creation of capital and employment. We want to help people's dreams come true. Partners - many firms invest financial resources into foreign companies, but few get down in the trenches with the leaders of these companies on a day to day basis, helping them think strategically about where their company is heading and navigating the day to day challenges of a small business. We are committing the next 3-5 years to do so.
We are creating a business, but we are also asking friends and family to help us get to Rwanda. With airfare, 6 months rent (you have to put down in order to get a modest place), and shipping costs, we need $25K per family. Bridge2Rwanda has offered to accept these donations on our behalf - http://www.bridge2rwanda.org/donate/ just enter our names in the "other" section.
We are revising our prospectus this week. If you're interested in receiving a copy, please email me at jennifer@jukanovich.com.
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