Ode to Catherine...

It was recently Catherine's 29^th birthday, again. She has now celebrated three of those birthdays (I guess that’s 10%) of her birthdays outside of the United States. I am grateful to her for being not just willing, but embracing of our time outside of the United States. I know that I don’t fully appreciate the sacrifice that Catherine has made not just for me, but for our entire family to be here, and I want to highlight a few things in celebration of her birthday, that to me, epitomize just how incredible this woman is.

As many know, we made a decision in May of 2007 to move to the Middle East. At the time we decided, Catherine was 6 months pregnant with child number seven. We made the decision that she would fly over to the Middle East (not knowing which country we would be in) with the seven kids by herself. While her dad thankfully and wisely traveled with her (Thanks Dad!), she nonetheless was prepared to leave the country on her first international trip, to a Middle East country, with 7-kids, with 18 pieces of luggage, by herself. If that is not the sign of an amazing woman, I’m not sure how one is defined. However, in conjunction with that move, she also managed the whole sale of the house, selling and packing of household items, and all of the things associated with selling and moving – BY HERSELF. She met and executed all of these things with a one-month-old baby and six other kids.

When she arrived in Kuwait, she immediately jumped into the middle of things, and was even driving in Kuwait City within 2-3 days of her arriving. Street signs are in Arabic, traffic laws are mere suggestions, and she doesn’t have a cell phone, but off she goes! She had to survive for 2 and half months without any of our possessions from the states because of delays in the international shipping. This meant she had to make it through Thanksgiving and Christmas, away from home for the first time, with none of her regular supplies and furnishings. She provided for our family in both instances with smashing success! Thanksgiving was actually one of our best ever, and Christmas had all the traditions. She made it through all of this with me being gone over 50% of my time. I even left just a few days after she arrived in the country. I’m not sure to this day how she managed that and why she just didn’t fly home. While in Kuwait she managed all the kids and their school issues, plus Church callings, plus all of the home issues including finding the best shopping places, keeping the kids in clothes, and keeping our family happy. She successfully managed all of this, most of it on her own.

We finally received our shipment from the States and found out we would be moving a few months later to Bahrain. So, less than 8 months after arriving in Kuwait, we find we are moving and have to start the whole process over again. She flies to Bahrain to register kids in school (alone I might add), we went over and looked at houses and basically got our hearts and minds set on Bahrain…. only to discover a few weeks before the move that we were instead going to Jordan. What a mind shift! Not only the actual mind shift, but the fact that we had to change schools, homes and the whole logistical arrangements that are accompanied with moving. But once again, my wife comes through like a superstar. Because our house wasn’t ready in Jordan, we waited as long as possible, until the end of June 2008, before moving the family. So, she comes with the family and lives in a 2-bedroom apartment for 2-weeks before flying back to the States. But wait, two days after arriving in Jordan guess who had to travel. Mmmmm, that would be me. So, she is alone in Jordan with 7-kids, not speaking the language, not knowing where to go, and I am out of the country. Then, the water runs out in the apartment. Can you believe this? In fact, Catherine wrote a whole blog about this and what does she do? She makes a joke out of it! Not a rant or a rave, not a yelling and tizzy fit, but she is cracking jokes and having fun. Fortunately, she was going home, however, who was going later? Err, that would be me again. So, she goes ahead and flies back to the States with 7-kids, by herself (that would be two completely international flights now without me). Sure enough, she goes willingly and not complaining the whole way. Finally, I follow her home a couple of weeks later to spend about a month there and we return together…to an unfinished house.

We moved into the house in August and enjoyed the rest of our time in the Middle East there, or not as the case may be. Every time I left, Catherine had another challenge. Maybe it was the water that ran out, the kerosene rant out, problems with the car, power going out, and the list went on and on. Yet once again, this amazing woman suffers through it all. Through a little bit of school on the list and dealing with two kids at home and it gets a little better. The capper of our time in Jordan is that every other week, I went to Egypt. So, for roughly the next nine months I spent every other week in a completely different country leaving my wife to fend for herself and seven children. What kind of husband does that? Not a very good one, that is for sure, and yet Catherine went through it all and came out smelling like a rose. To add to this, every time she went to the school, some of the programs and content was in Arabic, so she had to deal with that challenge. Fortunately, she had some kids that were starting to speak Arabic and they were able to help, because someone else wasn’t around. We did manage a few trips, but most of the time, I was busy working and so she was managing on her own. Once again, our major holidays were spent with Catherine heading things up, and we made fabulous memories and had a great time with her doing practically everything.

While Jordan was truly enjoyable and we had a great time, we knew that even with her infinite patience and adaptability, it was simply not sustainable to have me travel every week, and so ultimately the decision was made that once more, in less than a year, we had to move. So, we once again began preparations, and because I was traveling still, she was left to most of the work, just like in Kuwait, and just like in the States. Of course, she is getting to be a pro at it, but still, I don’t know how she was willing and able to keep such positive spirits in the face of such circumstances.

Our move to Egypt was done with a little more organization and we had the chance to come a couple of times, but perhaps because things were happening a little too easily, Catherine decided to shake things up a little bit by homeschooling the kids. As if all this turmoil and change wasn’t enough, she wants to take on a little more. So, she goes through the whole process and research of finding the right materials, ordering them, shipping them and then organizing them. I was relieved in the summer of 2009, that after our move to Egypt, Catherine finally reached a limit. She was going to fly back to the States with me and return with me. I think that was the first sign that she is human in almost two years.

We came back to Egypt and moved right into a new home. However, we had the same issues with water, electricity, shoddy home materials, bad plumbing, and the numerous other issues that she has to deal with on a daily basis while I am at work. Go figure. However, not only did she have to deal with those, she had seven kids at home getting schooled. Yet she has managed to successfully deal with that. Then, we find while some travel goes down, I have to go to Iraq for a bit. Does she rant and rave? Nope, she kicks me out the door, telling me that if I get shot or something she’ll kill me. This is the kind of stuff that most guys dream about! A wife who can truly do and be anything. So, we make it through our first year of Egypt and get ready for the second when guess what, we decide to return to the States. And when do we decide to do it? As usual, about a month before we were planning on our annual leave, we decide to move the whole family home.

Once again, she’s in charge of the whole process and is actually going to be by herself in the states for a bit finding a house, working on getting things set up, as well as managing 7-kids during the whole process. Throw on the fact that she is also going to be dealing with me doing traveling between the Middle East and the US through the end of the year. And she has the gall to tell me that she can handle it and it won’t be a big deal. I think I am the weaker part of us.

All in all, the things that Catherine has gone through over the last three birthdays have been challenges and issues that most normal people would have fallen apart on. She has not only been accepting, but has been the instigator of the positive attitude in our home during these times. She has been the center of our family, and truly the center of my strength. I try to tell her that I love her and how amazing she truly is, but I’m not sure that words adequately express it. I’m not even sure there is anything I can ever do over the course of the rest of our lives together than can compensate her for what she has accomplished and done for our family and me during our Middle East sojourn. Through all of this, she still finds a way to keep herself fit and as hot as any of these so-called model type ladies out there.

While she will probably be very embarrassed by this post, I just want it out there how grateful I am for this amazing lady, and how much I love her. It’s not much of a birthday gift, but I’m not sure I can get her anything that would be. All I can say is I love you Catherine! And of course, I’ll give her the credit card and point her to the mall when we get home. Maybe that will help.