This is my 300th post at Mudlark Tales! I thought about writing a 300 things post, but then laziness set in. Plus the fact that no one out there wants to read a list of 300 things. So, I thought I’d take off a zero. 30 things. And not just 30 things, but 30 things to be thankful for. You can handle that, can’t you?

1. I have 2 mild-mannered kids who love me to pieces. (As Bean’s fever was spiking last night and I was finding special ways to make her comfy, hubby asked her, “Isn’t mommy smart?” Bean said, “No, she’s fantastic!” And yes, that quiet dripping you just heard was the sound of my heart melting.)
2. I’m married to the love of my life.
3. We have baby #3 on the way.
4. My kids will grow up having a strong relationship with all 4 of their grandparents. I think that’s huge.
5. I have the most comfortable pillow ever made, in the history of the planet.
6. I get to eat 3 meals a day with my kids, any time I want.
7. And now, I get to escape from them any time I need the solitude (thanks to having the in-laws here).
8. I have friends who love me, and accept me for who I am.
9. The roses in my front yard are blooming.
10. There are sweet, juicy cucumbers growing in my backyard, and they’re so good.
11. I don’t have to pull weeds any more - my in-laws love to garden.
12. I don’t have to clean the kitchen any more - my mother-in-law has taken that on as her contribution to the family.
13. Oranges are in season. Yum!
14. My kids are surrounded by awesome people - their friends, doctors, teachers, neighbors, and relatives all have a positive influence on them.
15. We live far enough south that I don’t have to worry about snow or ice.
16. But far enough north that we still have seasons (or at least some of them).
17. My cooking makes people happy.
18. I have people around me who are good at the things I’m not. And they don’t mind helping.
19. I can laugh at myself. (And do, frequently)
20. There’s a Taco Bell around the corner. (Did I mention that through this pregnancy I’ve had a debilitating craving for Burrito Supremes?)
21. I got more chocolate for my birthday than a sane person would be able to eat in half a lifetime.
22. It’s the perfect jacket weather now for my 2 favorite jackets - a pink leather blazer (sounds awful, but it’s adorable!), and a tan suede duster with faux leopard lining (again, sounds awful, but it’s really cute too).
23. My kids are sleeping through the night now.
24. Bean is (mostly) over her fear of the wind.
25. I learned how to make mamaliga (the Moldovan equivalent of polenta).
26. Romanian language is easier than Russian. (And thankfully, I only need to know Romanian.)
27. I live in a country where I’m free to believe what I wish, and to practice my beliefs.
28. And I’m thankful for those who made and those who still make sacrifices to ensure that.
29. I have been saved by grace through faith, not by anything I’ve done or try to do.
30. I have an open invitation to come boldly before God, to stand in the glory of His presence, and to lay all my worries at His feet.

In honor of our 5th wedding anniversary, here’s a marriage meme, taken from Shalee’s Diner, a while back.

1. Where/How did you meet? Kiev, Ukraine - but only briefly. 3 years later I got a job in Chisinau, Moldova and ended up attending his church.
2. How long have you known each other? “known” is a funny word. We met 9 years ago in Kiev, but really only got to know each other 6 years ago.
3. How long after you met did you start dating? Well, again it was 3+ years after we met, but 10 months after I moved to Chisinau and started attending his church.
4. How long did you date before you were engaged? 6 months
5. How long was your engagement? 6 months. I wanted a long engagement. So did he - but we meant different things when we said ‘long’ - so 6 months it was.
6. How long have you been married? 5 years
7. What is your anniversary? Today, October 19
8. How many people came to your wedding reception? 100
9. What kind of cake did you serve? I don’t remember the type of cake, but it had turtle filling. It was not your typical wedding cake, and it was heavenly.
10. Where was your wedding? Brandon, FL. But we got married before that in Chisinau (on paper, September 13th). And then we had another wedding reception in Chisinau after our Florida wedding and Mexico honeymoon. Confused?
11. What did you serve for your meal? At our wedding reception in Florida we served some kind of carved meat (turkey? roast? I don’t remember) and heavy appetizers - little skewers, and those little spinach pockets (spanakopita or something like that?). In Moldova we served a full meal, complete with sarmale, icra de baklajan and other such goodies. And it wasn’t looked favorably upon that we served champagne.
12. How many people were in your wedding party? 3 bridesmaids, 3 groomsmen
13. Are you still friends with them all? I wish I was - I miss them! I’m still friends with 2 of the groomsmen and 2 of the bridesmaids.
14. Did your spouse cry during the ceremony? No, or if he did he hid it well!
15. Most special moment of your wedding day? Well, it’s not really the wedding day, but the rehearsal dinner was probably the best moment for me. My parents hosted it at their house, in the backyard, with catered barbeque and beer on tap. We invited all out of town guests, so there was a big crowd of people I hadn’t seen in ages. It was fantastic. And none of the wedding day jitters!
16. Any funny moments? Funny moment #1: To initially get married (on paper) we had to say “No.” Yes, that’s right. In Chisinau on September 13 the woman asked if we had any objections to marrying. I looked at E. with questioning eyes and said “Am I really supposed to say ‘no’ so that we can get married?” Indeed. It was the day we said no. Funny moment #2: During our wedding ceremony in Florida, our unity candle fell. That’s right, we almost set the church on fire during the ceremony. While we were lighting it. My dress was a near casualty. And the videographer was focused in on the whole thing. Great to watch over and over! Funny moment #3: Not having been raised in the US, hubby didn’t know about the whole ‘garter’ thing at the reception. The DJ surprised him before I had a chance to tell him, and that look on that poor man’s face was precious! (’You mean, in front of all these people?’)
17. Any big disasters? You mean nearly setting the church on fire wasn’t enough for you? My photographer showed up late. I wasn’t happy about that.
18. Where did you go on your honeymoon? Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. And they had their first hurricane in 20 years while we were there. (We chose Puerto Vallarta because it was hurricane season and I wanted somewhere not likely to have a hurricane. I guess they were due though…)
19. How long were you gone? One week. What I’d give for another week on the beach! (Maybe without the hurricane this time.)
20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change? I think I’d like to do it a little more casual, maybe even on the beach.
21. What side of the bed do you sleep on? Whichever side is closer to the bathroom…
22. What size is your bed? Queen.
23. Greatest strength as a couple? We compliment each other perfectly - we’re different in so many ways, but we share this ‘other’ culture that so few understand. (When we’re in my culture I totally understand where he’s coming from; when we’re in his culture he totally gets where i’m coming from. It’s cool.)
24. Greatest challenge as a couple? Communication. We don’t share a common native language, so one of us is always speaking a foreign language.
25. Who literally pays the bills? Him.
26. What is your song? We don’t have one, and that doesn’t really bother us.
27. What did you dance your first dance to? Steven Curtis Chapman, “I will be here”
28. Describe your wedding dress: Sleeveless cream with little pearls all over the bodice, and the skirt and train had a darker cream colored wrap-around thing that opened to reveal pearled flowers growing up the main part of the dress. I bought my veil in Moldova to match my dress - for under a buck, and a pearled tiara-thing for another 2 bucks. Mom sewed them together, and it was gorgeous!
29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding? I wanted a very simple bouquet of 3 calla lilies, and a single calla lilly for each bridesmaid. But my florist gave me this ginormous bouquet (including, but so not limited to 3 calla lilies). And for future reference ladies, calla lilies drip. Everywhere. Continually.
30. Are your wedding bands engraved? No. But I put “Un’te duci? La tecuci. Ce sa faci? Cozonaci!” on his Ipod. Does that count? (Not translatable, so don’t ask. Sorry.)
31. How old were you when you got married? He was 27 and I was 25.

It was nothing special, or so it seemed to me. Just another brick house at the bottom of a hill. Later I learned that my parents built it themselves. They designed everything, from the nearly acre lot to the hide-away doors creating the perfect hide and seek spots. I remember wanting to move to a neighborhood down the street. It’s where my friends lived. I didn’t know then that those houses didn’t have the nice upgrades mine did. They had smaller lots, and they didn’t hold their value as well. I didn’t appreciate things like that. In fact, I didn’t appreciate much. But now I remember all the things that made it home.

When it rained hard, which it did a lot in Florida, the street gutters would flood with water and catfish would swim up from the nearby pond. When it rained even more we’d catch the catfish in big garbage cans - that’s the closest I ever came to fishing.

I remember a lot about the rain. We had a back deck that was screened in and faced south west. That’s where all the storms came from. Behind us was a field where they once kept calves. We’d come home from school and take carrots and celery to feed the calves (because that’s what they eat, right?). In the evening as the storms rolled in we’d sit on the back porch lit by a hurricane lantern sipping water with lemon and watch the clouds and lightning get closer and closer. We’d count the seconds between the lightning and the thunder to judge how close it was. When the downpour finally came, complete with gale-force winds, we’d meander inside and wonder if tonight would be another night to lose power. We’d sit and listen because that’s all you can do when the rain is pouring down in buckets and you have non-insulated sky-lights that sound like a never-ending drum circle. We couldn’t hear our own thoughts, much less any sort of conversation. It was an annoyance then, but in fact the beat of the rain would lull us all to sleep and in the morning we’d wake to find the birds singing and the lizards calling. Sometimes if it was quiet enough we’d see families of sandhill cranes roaming the yard. Once there was an otter. And often times we were home to hawks.

The best rain was summer shower rain. When there’s not a single cloud in the blue sky and you can’t make sense out of where the rain is coming from. But it’s soaking. And it’s a nice break from the hot humid air. And it goes away as quickly as it came, leaving behind its sweet smell and the refreshing predictability of knowing you’ll need to mow again soon.

Nothing special, right? It was the place I called home for 15 years. When we moved there I was 4. My earliest memory is wanting to peel off my skin because it was just that hot. We played in the sprinkler in the back yard. And years later we lost our ’soccer field’ to a pool. It wasn’t much of a loss though. The pool became my primary dwelling place. Forget showers or baths. I’d get up in the morning, swim a few laps. Go to school. Come home. Jump in the pool. Do homework. Swim some more. Eat dinner. Wait the obligatory 30 minutes. Swim some more. My favorite time to swim was during night-time showers. There’s something special about a pool lit by the glow of an underwater light, with a gentle, warm rain making ever soft ripples.

I’ll probably never live in Florida again. What would be the point, without my sky lights, screened-in porch, and sandhill-crane sanctuary of a yard? I’ve become a bit transient. Moving every few years. Always looking toward changes that the future may bring. But perhaps the very reason I can long for those changes is because of the stability of my childhood home.

Thanks to Mary over at Owlhaven for this meme - thanks for bringing me to remember all the wonderful things about my childhood home. The trip down memory lane has been a pleasant one.

Where’ve you been?

I have to say, I’m a little disappointed that I’ve only been to 8% of the countries in the world. I think I need to explore some more continents (and, frankly, a bit more of my own country too).  So how about you? Where have you been?

I just watched last week’s Grey’s Anatomy on the TIVO, and it got me thinkin. Actually, the title of the episode got me thinking. It was called “my favorite mistake.” So, in light of that, I was thinking, is there a mistake I’ve made that I’m happy about - something that I should have done differently but am glad I made the mistake. I’m one of those annoying Polly-Anna type people who likes to focus on the good and have no regrets. So it was a hard question for me. It reminds me of that song that’s always being sung by someone on American Idol - “God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.” Each of my mistakes (and there have been plenty) have made me who I am now. But is there one specific ‘mistake’ that really stands out as being more significant - or more humorous - and can be called a ‘favorite’? Mistake is defined as “a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention,” so what’s mine?

I think mine would be the flight home I missed when I was in Moldova. I had fulfilled my 6-month commitment, my employer was sending me home, and I missed the flight. Then I decided I might as well stay. Indefinitely. I was broke. I had no job. Nowhere to live. But something told me it would all work out. And it did. A few months later I started dating E. and before long we were engaged.

So, tag! You’re it! What’s your favorite “mistake”?

I’ve been struggling for a while with some important questions. Questions like, how can I contribute to the family finances? Shouldn’t my children see me in the role of an income-earner, not just a ‘homemaker’?, do the tradition gender roles really work for me, and for us? And if I make my world revolve around my children, how will they understand that they are not the center of the world (’buricul pamintului‘ - or the world’s belly-button, in Romanian)?

I just read a post that Owlhaven pointed out over at Casaubon’s blog.  It gave me some good thinking points. And some good talking points with my hubby. We’re in a good place in life to make changes. In fact, some changes are being imposed on us. Hubby can either stay with his company and let them transfer us across the pond, or he’ll be ‘granted the freedom’ to find other means of earning an income. It really is a place that allows us to do some soul searching. We have the opportunity to re-evaluate our values and how we can mold our lifestyle to resemble our values more closely. Change is being imposed on us, but we have the freedom to decide what that change will look like. It’s somewhat scary, but also exciting.

I’ve been working through questions about simplifying our life, and this change may be the impetus to do that. Things like learning to garden, eating what we grow, learning to sew and making our own clothes, letting the kids play a more meaningful role in maintaining the home as they grow up (maybe helping choose what we plant, instead of just tossing a pile of clothes into the wash). We’ve worked through the issues of having the kids grandparents move in with us. And right now, I think we have 2 options. We either move closer to that set of grandparents (and, unfortunately farther away from the other set - that’s what happens with marriages across nationalities), and into a smaller home where we can walk to most places we need to go. That would mean accepting the transfer to a place where life is a bit simpler.  Or, we stay in this country but move to an area farther from the city, a place where we can know our neighbors, grow veggies in the garden, make more of our own clothing, and have the grandparents move in. If we leave  the country, my hubby will continue to run the rat race, so to speak. I’ll continue to fill the traditional role of homemaker or stay at home mom (pick your terminology). If we stay in this country I don’t know what our life will look like. Maybe me and hubby can start that business I’ve been wanting to start. Or maybe we could start mine as well as one of the ones he wants to start. Maybe we can both take an active role in raising the kids and taking care of the home.

The ground is shifting, and thought it’s scary it gives us the power to decide where we’ll stand when the tide recedes. And I can only look at that as progress. As the ground shifts, we’ll cling to the Solid rock of our foundation, and we’ll trust that He’ll guide us through it. My biggest hope is that we’ll find a way that truly does put the way we spend our time and our resources in perfect alignment with our values.

This may not look like my 100th post, but if you check out my former blog you’ll find the first 99. I thought the 100 milepost was a good time to make the change I’ve been willing myself to make for quite a while. So here I am, new to WordPress but starting to feel at home.

100 things about Kathy

1. The only things you’ll find me drinking are water and coffee.
2. And maybe a margarita or bloody mary on very rare (yet happy) occasions.
3. I love to knit.
4. But only with natural fibers – wool, cotton, soy, but no acrylic or other man-mades. Yeah, I’m a fiber nerd. And a fiber snob. Sorry. I’m dealing with my issues.
5. I love to crochet too, but I stink at it.
6. I find that I had a lot more time for things like that before kids.
7. I like to read too, but that’s become an endangered hobby since kids too.
8. I always thought I’d be a professional saxophonist.
9. In Harry Connick, Jr.’s band.
10. I met his dad once, and the band he grew up playing with.
11. They said I could jam with them. But that was the end of it. Sax was in Florida, band wasn’t.
12. I was never meant to be a professional saxophonist. That was a disappointment.
13. Nor was I meant to be a professional athlete. I pretended that was a disappointment.
14. I truly hope my kids never think they need to feign feelings for my sake.
15. My favorite room in the house is the nursery. It’s pastel yellow with an alphabet nursery rhyme border, and lots of windows.
16. I’d sit there and read all day – if I had all day to sit and read.
17. I might knit a bit too, with that kind of time.
18. I hate wearing shoes.
19. I don’t like socks either.
20. I also hate having sand between my toes.
21. But I’m willing to make the sacrifice for the sake of a leisurely day at the beach.
22. I’m a seminary drop-out.
23. During a time of intense Life Issues I doubted God.
24. Some people thought that meant I didn’t belong with the spiritual giants at seminary.
25. I’ve learned that it’s okay to doubt God.
26. I’ve also learned that He’s willing to wrestle with me, when I need to wrestle.
27. My first job was a grocery store cashier.
28. I never was good with money.
29. My next six to eight jobs after that also involved retail.
30. Most of my bosses learned not to put me behind a cash register.
31. I still can’t balance my checkbook. It’s a good thing my hubby rocks at that.
32. I was also a bar-tender. I make a killer bloody mary.
33. My hubby is the sole beneficiary of my bar-tending skills now.
34. I’ve been to 13 countries outside of the US.
35. Only 2 continents though.
36. I need to see more of the world.
37. My husband’s probably been to twice the number of countries I have.
38. I’ve been held at gunpoint in a foreign country.
39. I’ve been randomly kicked off a train in a foreign country – twice.
40. Natural disasters follow me when I travel.
41. Friends don’t let friends travel with me because of it!
42. I have a weak spot for books.
43. We could cover our walls with book shelves, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
44. I’m learning to simplify my life.
45. Less spending, less stuff. More time with people.
46. I want to get a law degree. But I don’t want to be a lawyer.
47. I also want a degree in speech & language pathology.
48. And to be certified as a lactation consultant.
49. I’d also like a Masters degree in Eastern European history.
50. I think someone should just give me that one.
51. I have an article on linguistic teaching methodology published in a book.
52. I wrote my baccalaureate thesis on the political implications of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. You can read it if you’re ever having trouble sleeping. It’ll help.
53. I’m fluent in Romanian.
54. I used to be fluent in Russian, but no longer, for lack of use. I still read it though.
55. I think I’d get it back if I needed it.
56. I’d also like to learn Arabic, Georgian, Gagauz, and Hebrew. So many languages, so little time.
57. I can memorize complex linguistic structures, but not simple Bible verses.
58. Anyone want to explain why?
59. Numbers 37 & 58 aren’t really things about me – sorry. I’m also apologetic and filled with grace.
60. I’m quick to forgive when the person and the offense weren’t that important.
61. The closer the person is to me, and the more I care about them, the harder it is to forgive. That even goes for minor offenses.
62. God knew I needed a hubby who would be quick to forgive me though. And that’s who I have.
63. I have 2 beautiful children.
64. I’d like to have more, but I’m truly afraid my sanity would be a casualty of parenthood.
65. I’d really, really like to start my own business.
66. In fact, I was ready to start my own business. But hubby’s company asked him to relocate to another country.
67. So his company won. We’re moving to England in a few months, unless God intervenes.
68. But honestly, our move to England is probably God intervening, in an effort to separate me from my stuff. (stuff that I love)
69. It will also help with points 44 & 45.
70. I think once I get over the shock of it, I’ll be excited.
71. Of all the countries I’ve been to, I’ve only lived in one of them (outside the US).
72. And, I’ve never been to England, so that’ll make it 14 countries total. But still only 2 continents.
73. I’m trying to join one of my church’s ministry teams to Thailand, to work with women who have been trafficked into sex slavery.
74. But having two young kids at home makes it hard to run off to Asia for 10 days. Go figure.
75. I never learned to ride a bike. I’m serious. Stop laughing!
76. I can swim like a fish though.
77. Maybe if there were bikes for the water, then I’d be able to… Let’s not go there.
78. I drool over fabric.
79. But I can’t sew.
80. I have a sewing machine in my closet.
81. I paid $8 for it at Goodwill. It’s ancient.
82. I used to sell yarn and knitting supplies on Ebay.
83. I still have a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf in my laundry room stuffed with yarn that I need to sell.
84. And a huge storage container filled with yarn and half-finished knitting projects.
85. I’m not good at finishing my knitting. I like to start new projects.
86. I also like to start new books.
87. I might have a problem with follow-through.
88. I’m an INFP (but I was in INTJ before kids).
89. I multitask well with lots of things, but not cooking.
90. I like to be undisturbed when cooking.
91. Mostly because I’m afraid something I’m cooking will splatter hot something-or-other and hurt one of my kids. I’m paranoid like that.
92. I’m also a perfectionist. If I burn what I’m cooking, I find it nearly impossible to forgive myself. Even if the other people eating it don’t notice.
93. Measuring cups are for sissies. I don’t measure anything when I cook. I’m still a perfectionist though.
94. When my kids cry it makes me crazy. (I’m about to lose it right now – they’re protesting their naps.)
95. I’m not bothered by other people’s kids crying.
96. I’m a sinner saved by grace.
97. I like to argue with God. I think He likes it too – at least I’m being real with Him then.
98. It’s taken me a long time to learn I don’t have to fake it with God. He can see straight through me.
99. I also like to dialogue with people who disagree with me about faith issues. Something about iron sharpening iron.
100. On my own I’m pretty darn incapable of anything much. But I can do anything through Christ who strengthens me. Thank goodness I have Him to rely on!

All my lifelong I had panted

For drink from some cool spring

That I hoped would quench the burning

Of the thirst I felt within.

Hallelujah! He has found me.

The One my soul so long has craved

Jesus satisfies my longings.

Thro’ His blood I now am saved.

Feeding on the filth around me

Till my strength was almost gone.

Longed my soul for something better

Only still to hunger on.

Poor I was and sought for riches

Something that would satisfy.

But the dust I gathered ’round me

Only mocked my soul’s sad cry.

Well of water ever springing

Bread of life so rich and free.

Untold wealth that never faileth

My Redeemer is to me.

Hallelujia! He has found me.

The One my soul so long has craved

Jesus satisfies my longings

Thro’ His blood I now am saved.

Clara Teare Williams/Ralph E. Hudson