I'm busy, I'm tired, what's new?

I feel like I could start every one of my blog posts with: "Man, I've been busy, and I've been tired."  I could certainly start this post that way, because man, I've been busy, and I AM tired.  Once again, I find myself overcommitted and stretched to the max.  This is no way to live, and I am hopeful that in the near future, when I get out from under some of my commitments, I can scale back my schedule, figure out what my non-negotiables are, and "simplify, simplify" as Thoreau said.  

I'll keep you posted.  In the meantime, here are some fun pictures from the past few weeks:

Do you know who Sadie Hawkins is?  I didn't either, but I knew she was associated with girls asking boys to an event.  Google her and see what you learn - girls chasing boys and forcing them into marriage; it's scary stuff.  Thankfully the Sadie Hawkins event at the kids' school here involves a girl asking a boy to go with her to a costume party.  No long-term commitments.  It always amazes me what we can come up with here for costumes, without the benefit of costume shops, Wal-Mart, or second-hand stores.  I think Carter and his friend Mikah made a fine pair of hippies.

But we couldn't let them have all the costumey fun.  I know Halloween can be a touchy subject, but it's not even celebrated in Indonesia so we are able to avoid all the negative associations that go with it, and just celebrate what's really at the heart of the holiday (for me, anyway) - costumes and candy.  And it was fun that several moms and dads dressed up with the kids.  You know you're trick-or-treating in the tropics when Canadian Cowgirl wears sandals, and in Little Red Riding Hood's basket is bug spray to ward off malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

I've been living out a little bit of a dream these past few weeks as I fill in for the high school English teacher at the kids' school.  It has been fun, but it's made for some long days.  I don't know how working mothers do it; getting me and the kids out of the door and to school on time each morning is a minor miracle.  Carter's freshmen class, pictured above, is very international, with kids from the U.S., Canada, Netherlands, South Africa, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Our MAF staff in Sentani recently dedicated the newest Kodiak to arrive in Papua - Mike Papa Xray.  We had a time of singing and prayer followed by a pizza party.  Yep, we can order pizza here.  It's not the greatest, but after years of making my own pizza in Borneo, I am not complaining.

Last weekend Zoe and I went to the wedding of Ika, one of our MAF office workers.  My buddy Erica took these next two pictures.  I love the one of Ika and her grandmother.  At several Indonesian weddings I have seen the bride and groom, during the ceremony, go to each set of parents or grandparents and tell them thank you and receive a blessing from them.  It was very touching to watch, especially knowing both Ika's parents have passed away already.

Yesterday I was out in the yard and could hear a pig squealing like it was butchering day, so I grabbed the camera and headed over to the hanger, where three massive pigs were being weighed in preparation for flights interior.

Who doesn't want their picture with a big smelly pig?  Quite a crowd gathered to gawk at these pigs, which were flown out today to a church conference that will be happening in Mamit.