November flew by too quickly!
Highlights:
We attended our High School's play “Rumors”
The kids had great parent/teacher conferences
John spoke at James’ Priesthood preview
I attended Tessa’s writing celebration at school
Becky Seely came to visit Jeff (their story below)
Emma led the All-School Thanksgiving Chapel
John spent a few days in India with work (and missed Thanksgiving with us)
We celebrated Thanksgiving with THREE delicious turkey dinners with friends: Thursday at the Eggetts, Friday for a gluten free feast at the Pours and Sunday (when John returned) at the Haddocks
James and Emma had their Christmas choir concerts
I didn't take many pictures in November. I'm kicking myself that I didn't capture Becky's trip or any of Thanksgiving!
Tessa waiting to present her original story.
Tessa with her classmates
Emma and James are getting good at the guitar. Eliza is enjoying her violin lessons. But hearing them all play the piano is still my favorite sound in our house!
Becky and Jeff Olsen, Sunday, November 20
Journal entry (11/30/11)
We are so excited to have John’s sister, Becky, move to Shanghai from AZ with her four kids! But we are even more excited for the reason that she is moving here -- Becky is marrying Jeff Olsen on January 14th in the Mesa Arizona Temple.
Here is our match making story: It all begin a few weeks after Easter 2010 when John and I were planning our pretrip to move to China. I was visiting teaching Angie Merx who asked if I knew Jeff Olsen. She said they used to be in our stake in Michigan but now lived in Shanghai. She said she had just heard that his wife had passed away from a heart condition, leaving four small kids, the oldest was just seven. I did not know the Olsen family but said I would look for them.
John and I landed in Shanghai for our pretrip on Saturday night. The next morning, May 23 2010 (our 13th wedding anniversary), we were twenty minutes early to church – not knowing how long it would take us to get there. We were greeted by a man named Jeff Olsen (2nd counselor in the branch presidency). He gave us a tour of the church and told us that the branch was amazing and had helped him through some really hard times. He told us how blessed they were to have this building since they had been previously meeting in members’ homes. During sacrament meeting I could not stop looking at Jeff’s four kids. They were sitting with his sister-in-law, Kia, who had unselfishly volunteered to move to China after her sister died and help Jeff with his kids. Their oldest daughter, Emma, was exactly Eliza’s age, so I peeked into their classroom and told Emma all about Eliza and that I am sure they would be good friends. She smiled and said she was excited to be baptized in CA this summer.
On Tuesday when John and I were visiting schools we toured the school that the Olsens go to (YCIS). It was recess and I saw Emma standing alone. She looked so sad. I hugged her and asked her if she remember me. I had tears in my eyes. I didn’t think it was fair that any seven year old should have to go through something as terrible as losing your mom. John and I met with admissions and Emma followed us staying outside, she stood their looking at us through the window. My heart melted for her and I was teary during the school tour. We hugged her good bye and told her we would bring Eliza back to China in September. She smiled.
It was during this same time that Becky was going through a divorce.
Our first Sunday after moving to China, the Olsens had us over for dinner. In the car on the way to our hotel both John and I said that Jeff and Becky would be perfect together. In September Jeff Olsen was assigned as our home teacher. I was assigned as Kia’s visiting teacher. We came to know and love this sweet family.
In December John’s mom, and sister (Sara Kay) and brother (Tim) came to visit us in Shanghai. We introduced them to Jeff that Sunday. Jeff didn’t know our ulterior motives. Kia’s parents were visiting too and Sue had a nice visit with them after church.
In February 2011 our Emma babysat the four Olsen kids while John took Jeff out to dinner. In the car John told him about his sister Becky. John gave Jeff Becky’s Skype number and Jeff gave John his. Jeff said he wasn’t ready. Becky Skyped Jeff but didn’t get a reply.
I was hoping that they would at least talk on the phone before summer so that they could arrange to meet in the summer while Jeff and his family were in Utah. It didn’t happen.
After the Olsens returned back to Shanghai in September they started to Skype. The rest is history. They talked on the phone, emailed and Skyped almost everyday. Becky flew into Shanghai on Friday, November 18th. That night he proposed. Becky spent the next few days getting to know Jeff’s kids, house hunting and looking at schools. She came back to our house each night pretty late. We got in several good hours of talking and visiting while she was here. And I loved having her come to the branch and meet all those families that love and respect the Olsen family so much. We all know this is not going to be easy. Most books say it takes a minimum of five years to blend a family. But this is going to be so worth it! The Olsens now get a mom and the Seelys now get the Priesthood in their home!
I can see that the Lord truly wanted these two to meet and join families. Two absolutely amazing adults and eight kids - WOW! We can’t wait to see them in January!
