Tyler and Emily in PNG

Emily and I enjoyed a nice afternoon and a 3.5 mile hike at Turkey Run State Park in west central Indiana.

Read Full Post »

Following the ‘Announcement’ from my last post, Emily and I have been busy meeting family here in Indiana and of course showing off the ring. We arrived late into Indianapolis and greeted warmly by my parents. After a steak burger at Steak n Shake and an 1 hour drive to my parents house we had to jump in the hot tub a little past 1 AM. It was worth it and enjoyed by all.

Last week was spent visiting friends and making many appointments for dinner dates. I think last week we ate out at a different restaurant everyday with a different person. It was really good to reconnect with friends and share with them what God has done in my life over the past 15 months. Emily and I also got some shopping done and spent a few afternoons outside hiking. One afternoon we went to a local park and another afternoon drove to one of my favorite state parks in Indiana.

Turkey Run State Park in west central Indiana is probably one of the best nature parks in Indiana. Emily and I got Subway for lunch and headed north with the top down on the convertible. It was an enjoyable ride with temps in the low 70s. After hiking through canyons and crossing small creeks we stopped on top of a hill for lunch. It was nice to go early in the season as the park did not have many visitors. We both enjoyed a relaxing day on the trails and gained a bit of exercise too.

So far our trip to Indiana has been blessed with many hugs and smiles from friends and family. It is exhausting but it is well worth it. This week we will be on a road trip to Illinois to visit my sister then to Kansas City to visit my oldest brother and his family. On the way to Kansas City, we will make a stop in St Louis to catch a Cardinals baseball game at 1 PM.

Please pray for safe travels this week as we travel the Midwest and make many stops. We will be leaving Indiana next Tuesday and flying back to Montana. Life is busy and full of reconnecting and appointments. Emily and I are excited to begin life as a married couple and join our journeys together as one.

Read Full Post »

It has been two weeks since my last post and a lot has happened since then. Everything from leaving the tropics of Hawaii to snow filled fields of Montana. Throw in Easter, meeting new family, battling being sick, time change, drastic temperature change, and engagement. So how do I wrap up the past two weeks…it has to start with the exciting news that I am engaged to my beautiful fiance, Emily.

A few short days ago on a mild sunny day, I got down on one knee and asked the most important question of my life. “Emily Jo, will you marry me?” As she giggled with excitement and danced with joy, she said “Yes, of course.” We hugged and kissed with overjoyed hearts. I presented her the ring (aka the ‘rock’) and she giggled once again as the surreal moment was happening. Her finger has been the most sought after sight in Havre, MT. At church I told her I should charge a $1 viewing fee so I could recoup some of the costs of the ring. I think I could easily made $100 at church.

Following the phone calls to parents and family the announcement was sent to the mega social network of Facebook. It is amazing how fast and broad the real world is when you post news or change your relationship status. Within minutes, likes and comments were posted to our pages. It is almost scary to see first hand the reality of sharing such an announcement on Facebook.

My time is drawing to an end here in the north central plain state of Montana. Mid-week, Emily and I will be traveling together to Indiana to visit my parents and family. I am excited to see my parents and formally introduced my wife-to-be to them for the first time. There will be many more appointments, faces to see and hugs to be given. I look forward to reunion with family and friends and to share the joy that the both of us now have.

Please continue to pray for me this week as I am recovering from a cold and as I prepare for travel to Indiana. Pray that God will lead and direct my time in the Mid-west with family and friends. Pray that God will lead and give wisdom to both Emily and I as we prepare for marriage.

I close with a picture of Emily and I at Pictograph Cave State Park south of Billings, MT.

Read Full Post »

I have been back in the good ole USA for 1 week now. No, I did not kiss the ground when I landed but I was glad to be back on home soil or lava rock in Hawaii. Since I have been back, here are a few small things I have noticed that are different than life in Papua New Guinea.

• Power – lights come on instantly when you flip the switch
• Power – no blackouts, power is dependable
• Hot showers – freedom to take hot shower without be ashamed of over use of water and electricity
• Real food- yellow cheese, milk, cereal, pizza, … well just American food
• Too many options – restaurants, services, more than one TV channel
• Technology – smart phones everywhere, fast internet, iPad, DVR

I have also noticed I tend to find myself gravitating outside rather than sitting indoors. Being in the warm tropics all homes have open air concept with the windows open and drapes pulled to the side. Here I find air conditioning and the house to be shut to the outside world. I miss the sound of leaves and the wind blowing the palm trees.

As far as culture shock…the biggest shock has been seeing scandalous women on the beaches of Waikiki. Talking about going from one culture of modesty to practically string bikinis in Hawaii. I noticed this ‘casual’ dress on my brief stop in Brisbane, Australia then it followed me to Fiji, and now in Hawaii. I shake my head in disbelief and well…admire the beauty of a woman but think really, is this woman really wearing what I think she is or isn’t wearing.

Overall, my time back in America has been pleasant. I have two beautiful nephews that love their Uncle Tyler and of course I love them dearly. I brought them gifts from the Land of the Unexpected. The picture below, the two boys are wearing bilum hats that are typically worn in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. This past Friday, Gabriel the oldest, worn his bilum hat to school for hat day.

Read Full Post »