June 08, 2014

San Jose, Costa Rica

I’m pretty old-school when it comes to maintaining a blog.  It’s hard to imagine that our friends and family really want regular updates from us with any more frequency than they want to see our family videos on a Saturday night (if you do, let’s plan some Saturday evenings together!).  Noting that it has been a full year since my last post, however, I am ready to write.

We're laughing with you Braden . . .

Elder Karlinsey and Elder Hayes

With the risk of sounding trivial – life is really good right now.  Not perfect, and lots of stress, but really good.  In fact, never better. (Funny story on life’s stresses – we had Dalton home for a couple of weeks in May after finishing his first semester at BYU.  One morning I left particularly early for work, and returned home particularly late that evening.  When he saw me, his comment was an incredulous-but-warm-only-an-18-year-old-could-say-it, “Dad, why do you work so much?”  After a lightning-speed meeting of our eyes, half-laughing, half-embarrassed, he retracted with, “OK, I know why you work so much, but man, you really work long hours!”

25 years on November 22

We’ve been in Costa Rica three years now.  Cargill is doing well in the region, and I am enjoying my role on our team (lots of challenges, but lots of satisfaction and growth).  We’ve just signed up for up-to-another three years.  Assuming no early transfers -- that would be the longest Dayna and I have lived in one place since we were married (25 years this year, by the way). 

Yes, Brynne turns 16 this month.
Ask her on a date?  I dare you.

Not exactly what I envisioned when I left home thirty-two years ago (the home I had lived in my entire life, near virtually my entire extended family on both lines).  In the wisdom of Aslan, “Some journeys take us far from home.  Some adventures lead us to our destiny.”  Further up, Further in.

Elder Keaton Karlinsey at the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center
Keaton comes home August 05.

Paid advertisement:  we had a plethora of family and friends excitedly say that they would come to visit and visit us in Costa Rica when we made the decision to move here.  We had a lot of fun with Scott and Lisa Jess in February when they became the first non-family members (and we’ve only had three of them) come down.  If you’re still wavering on the decision, talk to the Jesses for a recommendation (skip the part that they may mention about traffic issues).

Dayna and I were both Mormon missionaries in our youth (and hope to be again when we are “old”), and love sharing the gospel that is the core of who we are.  So no surprise that we delight when our children make the decision to put their own interests aside to do the same (and it is clearly their decision to make).  Keaton has been serving Spanish speakers in San Diego since August 2012 (will be home in 2 months!), and Dalton has just begun a two-year commitment to serve in Taipei, Taiwan (he is two weeks into an intensive 9-week language training program in Provo, Utah – should leave for Taiwan in late July).  The number of proud, grateful moments we have had as we have observed both in their decision, service, and metamorphosis are undoubtedly part of what makes life “really, really, good” right now.

Rachael in Brazil

Dalton preparing to go to Taiwan

Devin, heading to Russia

Keaton in California

Speaking of missionaries, it’s also satisfying, and noteworthy, that from June 18 when our nephew Devin Fuller begins his missionary service in St. Petersburg, Russia,  until August 05 (when Keaton returns home), Dayna’s parents will have 4 of their 11 grandchildren simultaneously serving missions around the world (San Diego, Taipei, St. Petersburg, and Sao Paolo).  Dale’s and Shirlene’s own multiple missions have no-doubt provided a positive example to us all, and I suspect that they are feeling like pretty proud grandparents at the moment.  We love that the Fullers and Karlinseys have two cousin “pairs” out together, and anticipate the third pair heading out in three years when our Brynne and their Sterling, turn nineteen and eighteen, respectively.

In spite of the wanderlust that is in us, we recently (four days ago) purchased a home in the St. Louis area again.  We may not occupy it for a while, but it is there.  A stake in the ground as a home base.  Someday.

Brynne gets the prize for “most changed” since we have been in Costa Rica.  Three very impactful years.  Probably six years of height, and a whole lot of living out of her comfort zone has taken her from child to young woman.  It’s fun to watch.  This year she joined the Costa Rican National Youth Symphony (she’s a violinist).  We’re grateful they’re willing to let a gringa participate.  She’s having fun with it.

Braden has now officially begun scouting.  He will be heading to St. Louis on Saturday to accompany his Uncle Mike (currently a scoutmaster) and their troop to scout camp.  In preparation, yesterday we had a camping adventure a la Costa Rica.  The thrill of the morning was realizing that swatting

the behind of Dad's horse worked better

than swatting the behind of his own.

Dayna, Brynne, and Braden are all leaving on Saturday, and will be gone for seven weeks (you do the math – three on homeleave, two on missions . . . ).  I will be all alone for the summer.  Haven’t done that since 1998, and am not looking forward to it this year.   Dayna was not thrilled about it either; but, it is an important time to be with family in St. Louis, Braden's scout camp, Brynne's Chinese camp, a driver’s license to get, and property management . . . it’s just how it worked out this year.   I am going to schedule a lot of regional business trips for the next two months (no fun coming home to an empty apartment!).

Making memories in Merida (Mexico)

Still sane, after all these years

Amazing resemblance

We need to introduce you to Claudia Soto.  Dayna and I had met, but not really known, Claudia (she was a friend of the kids at their high school).  In December, they taught Claudia the gospel in our home, and since then we have had her in our home enough that she is practically family.  In fact, Dayna has convinced her to also go up north this summer and spend time with Dayna, Brynne, and Braden, before starting school at BYU in the fall.  Claudia is an outstanding young woman from a warm, friendly family.  She has been an inspiration to us, and is a true asset to Costa Rica.

Claudia and Tatiana

Dayna and I continue to work with the youth in 11 congregations here in Costa Rica.  It’s been nearly three years, and has felt like a mission in and of itself.  Joyful moments, humbling ones, and gratitude.  We have been asked to help the youth to lead these congregations in a special family history drive during six months (4500 names to the temple).  Two months and 1100 names down; four months and 3400 names to go). 

Heart, might, mind, and strength!

Shanghai--a little changed since we lived there

Finally, China.  China was at the center of our lives when Dayna met and married, and where we lived until we had children; we have always raised our children with the idea that they should learn Spanish and Chinese.  That said, our life’s path since they were born has been primarily in Latin America and the United States, and while we foresee no change in that, China is still in our blood, and with Dalton’s call to serve in Taiwan, it is beginning to simmer.  We may not get to live there again until we retire and find a reason and time to do so (BYU’s educator exchange program?), but the thought of being able to meet Dalton when he finishes in two years and to visit Dayna’s old stomping grounds in two years has us re-committing to pulling out our Mandarin grammar books (it’s no fun to be there if you can’t talk!).  I was on business in China last October, and delighted, rough as it was, to talk with the “renmin” while I was there.  It wasn’t pretty to listen to, but I held my own, and had a lot of fun in the process!

I turned fifty in March (amazing, I know, when I look so 27-ish in my photos . . . ).  I remember decades ago Dayna saying (as she watched acquaintances struggle with the aging process) that she hoped that we would someday “age gracefully”.  Well, we’ll let you know when we get there.  “Fifty is the new thirty” as we all know, right?  Not-really-aging aside, 2014 is kind of an interesting year with numbers for me:·      

• 50 years-old
• 50% of our children out of the house (and 50% of them on missions!)
• 25 (50% of 50) years of marriage
• 50% of my adult life lived outside of the United States (16 of the past 32 years)

A cause for pause . . . if even just a brief one.

 

Well, if you’ve made it through this lengthy post, you may indeed be interested in Saturday night at the Karlinsey’s (home videos, anyone?).  We miss you, and are grateful for you.  Please stay in touch, and know that even while we are poor email/letter writers, our gratitude for your love and friendship does not diminish -- time, distance, and all.

Love,

The Costa Rican Karlinseys