Doing things together...

Well, it's been 2 months since the big day and we are enjoying married life (still). Adam was just on Christmas (ooops Holiday) break for a couple of weeks and it was awesome to spend the time together. We had fun just hanging out, doing some volunteering, chillin' with family, taking Alex to the pool and the rec. center, and getting some necessary things done. Among those things was the merge of our communication to our friends and family. We wrote our first newsletter (well he wrote it, I just edited) together and decided to join our blogs. That way people can keep up on the Normands in one place. So, this will be my last post on this blog. For future reference, OUR blog will be on Adam's at kingdomreigns.blogspot.com (you can get to it through the link on the right). We hope you enjoy it!

Playing catch up...

Since arriving back to the US, a lot has happened, but I just haven't blogged at all. What a blogging slacker I am. I am going to attempt a quick catch up and then move on as a more frequent blogger...

I spent the summer in Michigan with family, which was quite enjoyable (other than the fact that I was sick with mono. nearly the whole time). It taught me a lot about rest and relaxation though, but the most important thing that it taught me was how much I didn't want to be away from Adam. We had decided (before leaving Morocco) that we would live apart for a time (me in Michigan, him in Texas) and see where the Lord was leading. After about 24 hours of being back (while I was still in the hospital), we both knew that living apart was NOT where he was leading. We decided quickly that we would reunite in August, he would get my dad's approval for us to get engaged/married, we would visit his family in Texas, and then we would drive to Oregon together. We set the date for our wedding (assuming my dad said yes) and Adam found a position teaching with Americorp at a local high school. Everything went according to plan until three days before we met up in Washington DC in August. We decided that prolonged engagements weren't our thing and moved the wedding up to November 9. We had a great time in DC , met both families (which was great, and my dad gave his permission), and drove for three long days from Texas to Oregon. Upon arriving here, we set up "our" place, and both started work.

After Adam's first day of work, we went out for dinner, to Starbucks, and for a walk (which is where we got officially engaged). It was low key and perfect. He gave me a beautiful ring and we started officially planning the wedding. We had about 10 weeks at that point before the big day. We were both working full time, plus tutoring two nights per week for a GED program and managed to pull it all together. We secured the venue, made and sent out invitations, planned the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon, and tried to study up on marriage (if that's possible). It was a perfect length of time for being engaged and planning a wedding, I can't image having been engaged any longer.

The wedding day arrived and everything went (almost) exactly as planned. At 4:00 I walked down the isle, married my best friend, and became Kattie Normand. So many people came in to town to celebrate with us, it was awesome. About half the attendees were people we met while working in North Africa. It was such a blessing to see them all and connect family and friends (many) for the first time. The whole thing went so quickly that before I knew we had changed out of wedding clothing and into comfortable car wear for our three hour drive.

This is getting long...I'm wrapping it up...

The honeymoon was excellent, we stayed in a little cabin located just next to an amazing bed and breakfast. There were beautiful mountains and trees everywhere, and it was so quiet (except the door flying open in the middle of the night due to a wind storm). We've been married for almost three weeks already, and so far it's been great. I can't wait to see how the Lord is going to grow, stretch, and change us in the years to come. I can't wait to have more adventures together. And, I can't wait to look across the table and see an old wrinkled up man and think, "man, I love that guy."

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of our wedding week, Adam was offered a full-time teaching position at a different local high school that had lost a math teacher. We decided, on our honeymoon, to take the job. So, just after arriving back, he started a new job teaching four geometry classes and two pre-calc. classes. So far, so good.

Ok, I'm done now...
(possibly pictures to follow...)

Bits and Pieces...

Ending well is something that people talk a lot about around here. That's probably because so many people come and go in an international setting. This time it's different though. This time it's me who has to end well. Me who has to say goodbyes that I'd rather not say, me who has to pack everything, again. A huge surprise is the fact that I'm really enjoying finding out what my life has been made up of here. As I've been reflecting on my time here, I've realized more and more that while I've been trying to figure out what the "big picture" is, I've overlooked it. It isn't that the school will run perfectly, it isn't that communication between people will go smoothly, or any of the other things I've felt were vital to my "success" here. The big picture has been made up of very small pieces. This isn't some revolutionary new thought. It's something that I think we all realize, but forget in the day to day. As I've been striving to "finish well" I've been discovering more and more of the bits and pieces that have made my time here unforgettable.

The Youth Group. Tonight was our last regular meeting time together. Every Thursday night for the past five years I've met with this group. I've seen many students come and go in my time here and it's always been bitter sweet. I know that God has equipped them to go out into the world and glorify Him, but letting them go is tough. They are absolutely amazing. I wish I had been (spiritually) where they are now when I was in high school. They are tuned in to the spirit, seeking growth, enjoying God, and striving to shine brightly for Him. What a joy they are to be around, and I will miss our Thursday nights, smoovies, beach days, and worship times. Jeremiah, Christy, Luke, Julia, Vanessa, Jared, Nathan, Laura, Gabe, Katelyn, Daniel, Hamza, James, Bobby, Michelle, Rachel, Kayla, Rebekah, Taylor, Romain, and Andrew thank you so much.
Culture has been another piece of my time here. Coming from rural Michigan, I wasn't very cultured. I was used to my life and yet I wanted more. Being here has opened me up to a new culture. One of henna, Friday couscous, French and Arabic, kissing on cheeks, djellabas, bargaining, crazy driving, overwhelming devotion to family, and so much more. I will miss the richness I've come to think of as "normal."
True community. In the book of Acts (2:42-47), there is a description of what a community of believers should look like. They devoted themselves to prayer and fellowship, they ate together, they had everything in common, they provided for eachother's needs, and they praised God together. I used to read this and think that it was impossible in today's busy independent world to have such a community. We just don't take time to be together nearly enough to develop the type of relationships talked about in Acts, and besides that was a long time ago. However, the community that has developed in our home group has mirrored the one talked about in Acts. It has been a blessing to be cared for and to care genuinely for others, to be challenged in my faith and life, and to be part of a large extended family as Christ intended. Above is a picture of Bob, Sue, Adam, and I. We (Adam and I) had the honor of having dinner with them just before they got on the plane back to the US last week. Our group will miss their leadership, but we will all be together again soon.
As I was packing up my room last weekend in an effort to organize, I found myself not really caring about too much stuff. I sat for a long time with a stack of cards I've received from friends, family, and students enjoying the encouragement within. After that, I moved on to a stack of pictures from my time here. Those are the bits and pieces that matter. I'm sure there will be more in the next couple of weeks as I continue the goodbyes. For now though, I've loved the lessons in all of this. God is so good and so faithful to show himself to us in every situation. I have no doubt of his goodness, his plan, his mercy, and his love. As difficult as this time is, I look forward to where He is taking me and the bits and pieces that will make up my time there too.

30 years with your best friend.

Two of the most influential people in my life celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on Sunday. Bob and Sue, my sushi buddies, speakers of truth, grace extenders, home groupies, and all around mentors - Happy Anniversary. I love you guys so much and can't imagine next year without you (even if it's only for a while)
I hope to one day have a 30 year-long best friendship. You two are inspiring.

Senior Week.

Last week was our Senior Week. It was our version of a senior trip. Basically, our last chance to hang out together before graduation and the inevitable going our separate ways. We have 20 very unique students in our senior class, but when they get together, they are a lot of fun.
There was a trip to the Megamall, where they went on a photo scavenger hunt, followed by bowling and ice skating. Next was a bon fire at the beach followed by a morning of paintball and finally an excellent day of hanging out and couscous for lunch at our class president's home. We got to sleep in every day and miss four days of school to hang out and enjoy each other's company. It was a good week and below are some pictures of the highlights.
The whole group. You can see some personality in both rows.

Bowling.
Ice skating at the indoor rink.
Nathan and Amit enjoying a coke after a hard game of bowling?
Doing a handstand in a store was one of the things on the photo scavenger hunt.
Crab walking down the center of the mall was another.
The winning team got all but one of the things on the list. They won those stylin' hats.

The paintball teams looking very fierce. Time to hang out.

The perfect dog?

Most of you met Calvin in my previous post. She's grown a lot and has become a much more enjoyable dog to be around. When she was smaller, she was just tough to keep track of. My roommate Amanda and I have this obsessive ritual of lint rolling the carpet. It just seems as if vacuuming doesn't get the job done. This past Sunday, we were cleaning the carpet and Calvin joined right in! We have now concluded that she is the perfect dog.

New sights...

We've always had guards. They open and close the gates and give us a general feeling of security. Recently we've had a string of suicide bombings in the city related to a bombing in a cybercafe about a month ago. Today, there were bombings by the American Cultural Center and near the American Consulate. Security has increased in only a few hours due to the seemingly American targeting of the most recent bombings. The school is already on a walled compound, but there are now guards around the perimeter of the walls and increased guards and dogs inside the walls. I don't feel unsafe, in fact, nothing has changed, except the new sights. I know it has everything to do with the sovereignty of God. I know that He has everything under control. No matter what men (humanity) may do, He's still in charge. Nothing that happens is out of his hand, and nothing can separate us from that. How cool is that?