A Walker!

Here is a short clip of Leila demonstrating to the world her latest accomplishment!   Enjoy!

A Gift of Providence…

Katy talked about, in her prior entry, our travel season.  We are back in Holland now, enjoying our time at home before we begin our next travel adventure.  I want to do a little back-tracking to tell  you about a gift that was given to us in the middle of a scary moment, a gift of providence.

One of our trips a few weeks ago involved a week of speaking in NW Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.  Our concern was to get there without harassing Leila’s sleep patterns too much.   We got a great suggestion from our sister-in-law Heather.   She wondered why we just did not drive through the night.  Brilliant!   So we prepared accordingly.   We loaded up our little car on Friday evening, changed Leila into her PJs, put her in her car seat, and set the course on our Garmin for Orange City, IA (15 hours away).   Leila fell asleep before we left Holland, MI and woke up in Orange City, Iowa.   It was genius.   Of course, Katy and I had to take turns napping during the day because we did not sleep a wink as we drove through the night!  It still was worth it.   We made good time, and Leila was in a good mood.

After about 10 days of speaking engagements and various meetings, we found ourselves in the little town of Platte, South Dakota.   After the morning service, one of the elders, BJ invited us to join his wife and him for lunch at a local diner.  Katy and I almost NEVER refuse eating at local diners; we certainly weren’t going to skip out here.   After lunch, our friend while saying good-bye told us that if we ever needed anything, especially a new set of wheels (he owns a car-dealership), to let them know because they would be happy to help us out.   Katy and I enjoyed our lunch and began our drive out to our next and last speaking destination in South Dakota.   As we drove, we talked about how kind the offer was and if we did need a new car.   After some deliberation, we both agreed that while a bigger car might be nice, we just couldn’t afford it.

After our last day in Orange City, we packed up our car and began our trek to Holland.  The drive was hard but definitely worth it because of the peaceful, drowsy baby in the car seat.   Katy drove first.   A little before the halfway point, we switched up, and I drove the rest of the way.   The drive was very non-eventful, at least it was ALMOST non-eventful.   After about 12 hours of driving, our GPS showed us 4 miles from home.

That’s when it happened.  I shone the brights on just in time to see a glimmer reflecting back to me.   Katy and I were both awake and knew instantly what that was… a deer.   The deer tried to avoid us but there is very little one can do when traveling over 70mph.   The whole incident took maybe three seconds to unfold.   Katy and I remember every millisecond quite vividly.  Before we knew it, the deer plowed into the car.   It crushed our hood and skipped across shattering the wind-shield and caving it in.   Fortunately for us, the windshield held…just.   The hood popped up, the air bags deployed, and our horn got stuck (resulting in the disorienting blare that we heard when we finally came to a stop).  Everything was dark but Katy had the presence of mind to realize that we were in the middle of the highway. Our car had just enough life to pull us to the side of the road.  We dialed 911 and waited for our tow truck.

It goes without saying that this incident left us shaken quite a bit.  The initial thoughts that ran through my head as I tried to sleep later on was the many ways I could have avoided the deer.   Soon, those thoughts were replaced by thoughts that were far grimmer, thoughts about how much worse this could have easily been.   God protected us all.  We escaped without a scratch on our bodies.

Soon, we were forced to face the reality of life without a car.   Again, we were blessed by the generosity of friends who loaned us their car while we figured out what was next.   The first call I made with regard to a new car was, of course, to BJ in Platte, South Dakota.  BJ was kind and gracious and through his help, we found a new car, a car that we still find hard to believe is ours.   It is a car that looks sharp, is bigger, has fewer miles, and drives so much better than our old one ever did.  God is indeed good.

We are grateful for the safety that was afforded us.  We are grateful for the people who walked beside us as we dealt with the aftermath.   We are spoiled by God’s goodness.

One

ONE Year Old!

Leila turned One two Saturdays ago, on October 17.  It has been one amazing and spectacular year!  Seen above in her classic ankles-crossed pose, our little princess has won the hearts of many friends and family all around the world.  However, she has won no other hearts more fiercely than her Mom and Dad’s.  Each little trial, and each little joy are time well earned and spent as we have watched Leila grow and mature throughout her first year of life.  How we love her…

We managed to create an international birthday party for Leila at my parent’s home in Holland, along with her Uncle Ben, Aunt Heather, and cousin Eleanor.  I say international because we had a lively video conference with her Indian relatives who were all staying at her Uncle James’ house for the weekend.  After singing Happy Birthday with them and eating lunch, we web-conferenced with Aunt Amy and Uncle Kyle in Seattle for a second round of Happy Birthday.  Quite the delight, and very special to have the technology available to celebrate in worldwide fashion!

Connecting with India

Happy Birthday, Bumblimas!

Make a Wish!

Amy & Kyle's bird's eye view of the cake tasting

Reading a new book with Daddy

Receiving a blessing from older cousin Eleanor

After Leila’s little-Big party, the three of us headed off to Wisconsin where JP spoke at one of our friend’s churches.  It was good to see Pastor Bill and his wife, Amy, settled into their new church after graduating from seminary in May.  We also got to spend time with other seminary friends, Terika and Nick.  It was nice to be able to catch up over a delicious meal and a game of “Ticket to Ride.”  Leila was proud to sit at the table with the adults and share her thoughts on world matters.

Good food, Good friends

We have not been posting very often because we’ve been in the thick of travel and speaking season.  JP just arrived back from a trip out to San Francisco yesterday, and that will be the last of the out-of-town travel (we think!) until we head back to India in January.  We feel that the September and October travel was necessary, and rewarding, and blest, but it sure feels good to be home together for a couple of months.  Through all of it, Leila has been a trooper, adjusting and adapting to the new places and the new people with amazing flexibility.  We could sense the change in her, however, after we came home from Wisconsin and she recognized that she was home to stay.  She seems to sleep and eat better, and her little monkey-smile comes out more regularly.

In honor of Leila’s Birthday, we’ve complied this pictorial growth chart for you to enjoy!!

One Year (holland)

11 Months (holland)

10 Months (holland)

9 Months (holland)

8 Months (holland)

7 Months (india)

6 Months (india)

5 Months (holland)

4 Months (seattle)

3 Months (holland)

2 Months (holland)

1 Month (holland)

1 Day (zeeland)

How great is our God!

Thank you for this gift of a daughter, our little Leila Ruth.

The Same but Different.

This year’s trip to Crane’s was just a bit different from last year’s trip.  :)

It was fun to go poking through the apple orchard with three people who had never been picking before.  Dan and Teresa, and Leila, along with JP and I, all had a marvelous time.  The temperature was mild and there was just a slight cloud cover, which made for good picking.  After we took advantage of the sliver-sized samples at the barn, we rumbled off toward the Honeycrisps, our apple of choice this Saturday.  Leila was perched happily in Dad’s backpack, and was more than delighted to receive her own little apple from Teresa Auntie.

Leila held on carefully to her apple for the rest of the picking expedition, which may have been the cutest part of the whole day.  Oddly, she never tried to eat her little apple, but immediately took a chomp out of my prize Cortland.  As you saw at the top, Leila enjoyed grazing on the apples as much as we did.

a Tiny apple for a Tiny hand

The Picking (and eating) Crew!

We probably all came home we several pounds too many apples, but we’re choosing to live into the adage, An apple a day keeps the doctor away, as we head into a big trip  to Iowa at the end of the week.  We’ll pack a sack of apples in the car to keep any sickness at bay, especially since Leila has just recovered from her first ear infection, and JP and I are getting over our first (and hopefully only!!) colds for the season.  Good thing we like apples.  (And what about apple pie, does anyone know if that counts too?)

My pookie pie

Last year this time…

JP, Katy (and Leila)!

Weekend Crazy-ness

Life can be sometimes so very hectic.   Jobs can become demanding, school work may pile up, while your social obligations spiral out of control.   To grant respite from that syndrome, we celebrate Labor Day.  A day in which we stop working so we can spend time doing other, more pleasurable things that will re-charge your batteries and celebrate the lives we lead.   It was exactly that sort of weekend for us.   Fortunately for Katy and me, life doesn’t change too much.  We constantly live into this chaos and love it (most of the time).  This weekend was no exception.

On Friday night, Katy and I went out on a date.   It was a double-date with our friends Dan and Teresa.   We got Leila a babysitter (the lovely aunt Betsy) and we drove out to Grand Rapids to have dinner at this new restaurant called, “The Electric Cheetah.”  As strange as that name might sound, it was one of the best restaurants we had been to in quite some time.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere…well… electric, but most of all, it was good to just head out and celebrate the weekend with people we love.   Leila did well that night!:)

Saturday opened up quietly.   Beula and her friend Becca stopped by to say hi and meet Leila.   Beula is getting married in January and has requested that Leila be her flower girl (even if she can’t walk by then!).   I (JP) will also be involved in the wedding as the emcee.   It was good to see the bride and her flower girl getting to know each other.  They got along splendidly.   Later that afternoon, Katy and I were joined by our dear friends Chris and Lindsay Zeller.  Our destination this time was the zoo!   This was Leila’s first excursion into the zoo.   She has lately preferred to ride on daddy’s backpack (versus the stroller) as she can get an unobstructed 360 degree view of everything.  And for those of you who have gotten to know Leila, you know that she is VERY curious about EVERYTHING!

Sunday came along.   We were still not ready to breathe normally.  We took Leila to the nursery in church.  Handed her over to the lovely people at the nursery, slapped on a name tag on Leila, picked up our pager and made our way to the sanctuary.  We were able to sit through the whole service for the first time since October of 2008, without a baby that was ornery!   I must admit, Katy and I kept looking at each other and wondering when that pager would go off!  It did not.  Jayme Aalberts took wonderful care of Leila that morning.   In the afternoon, we headed back up to Grand Rapids to have a barbeque with our dear friend Lori.   The food was spectacular.  Katy and Lori can cook up a storm together.   I benefited greatly from that partnership.

Monday…yeah… we are not done yet.   Monday, the Wings had a family get-together at a park here in Holland.  The menu was chicken, both grilled and fried, from KFC!  Leila’s cousin Eleanor was there to join in the festivities with her parents.   We had, again, GREAT food, relaxing walks, and just good ol’ fashioned family time which was good for the heart.   Monday night, my friend Miki joined us for a couple of days.  Miki and I went to college together over 10 years ago.  She is from Japan but currently just finished up some grad work at the University of Washington.  Before heading back to Osaka, she decided to make a quick jaunt over to the mid-west to meet up with us.  It was truly special to have her with us.  I enjoy introducing Katy (and Leila) to people in my life who were such an integral part of my college experience.  Miki was an important section of that chapter.

Miki left this morning.   We have a “quiet” week to negotiate now.  Sunday begins the first of many Sundays when I will be speaking in places all over the U.S.  It was truly the perfect way for us to celebrate with friends and family.  We trust that regardless of where you are, you have weekends like that (even if it is not that busy or full).   Here are a sampling of pictures… enjoy!

Lori Aunty and Leila

Space Monkey?

The Other Monkeys

Beula and Becca with Leila

Katy and Leila

My beautiful women

Learning to walk with Ava

The Gang

Pico!

(For Tom.)

Pico, good for friends!

While I was in seminary, my friend, Tom, used to throw some delicious parties at his home. The much anticipated centerpiece of Tom’s food spread was always Pico de Gallo. Since Tom was often running behind in his party preparations, I typically went over early to help with the last minute details. More times than not, this meant I helped make the Pico. This was a brilliant way to learn the recipe by heart, so thank you, Tom.

fresh and ready to stir

I try to make at least one batch of Pico per year, and since the tomatoes have finally begun to ripen up around here, I got to make my first Pico just yesterday. My suggestion is to make a large batch to bring to a party, or to work, which is what I usually do, but yesterday I decided to parcel it out in jars as gifts for friends who like spicy foods. We like ours nice and hot, but Tom trained me well… this “recipe” is very adaptable according to personal preference. Every ingredient is “to taste.”  So if you like the fresh taste of summer, I would highly recommend you chop up a batch for yourself.

fresh and ready to EAT

Here is the “Recipe”… and remember… eyeball it, adjust as you go… and Eat Well.

PICO de GALLO

* TOMATOES… as many ripe, juicy ones as you’ve got… diced by hand using a nice sharp knife. [I used 1 large and 3 small-med. beefsteaks and 1 medium brandywine. I think colored heirloom tomatoes would make this a gorgeous dish!!]
* ONIONS… any kind you like, as much as you like… diced by hand. [I used 3 small yellow and a bit of leftover chopped red.]
* JALAPENO PEPPERS, minced… the darker the color, and with striations, the hotter the pepper. [I used one large and one small, very hot. Note:the ribs, followed by the seeds, are the hottest part of the pepper, so depending on how hot you like it, you can use as much (or little) of these as you prefer. Be careful cutting. The oils will stay on your skin for awhile. Do not rub your eyes, nose, and lips, and do not let your pets or kids get a lick.]
* GARLIC cloves, minced. [Being that this IS a variable recipe, I managed to forget the garlic at first, and so I ended up adding it only to the remaining two jars. I used one large clove. I think two would have been better.]
* CILANTRO, nicely washed, tough stems removed, chopped. [I used two handfuls of leaves.]
* Fresh LIME, squeezed. [I used one whole lime.]
* SALT. [Be as generous as necessary with your salt. It really enhances the fresh taste of the tomatoes!!]

STIR and EAT with tortilla chips, on tacos, or by the spoonful!!
Of course, the longer you let the Pico sit, the more the flavors meld, but it doesn’t usually last that long at our house.  In case of leftovers, you must refrigerate!!

remember to tell your friends to refrigerate the Pico

Enjoy the feast!

The Chaos of Summer

This summer has been a whirlwind of sorts. Katy and I are currently looking into purchasing tickets for our next India trip. In some ways, it seems like we JUST got back to the US. Time does fly, especially when you have a precocious 10 month old dictating the pace. Added to that is, of course, our busy lives. We have had weddings to attend and be a part of. We have had numerous gatherings, almost all of which involving yummy food, with fun people. All of them were good for the heart (and stomach). Our home is beginning to resemble the home we have in India.

And oh yes! I have been learning how to swim. Tonight will be my third lesson. And if you ask the instructor, our dear friend Lori, she’ll attest that I have come a LONG way from the floundering brown bear I was the first week. Hopefully I’ll be able to swim and breathe at the same time tonight! In addition, Katy’s parents are in town, which has been an added blessing, especially for little Leila. While we all do keep busy with our lives, it is nice to be able to drop by and say hello when we want to! Lots of people… lots of love… our cups overflow!

This summer in Michigan has been cool (which is putting it mildly). Lots of rain, lots of cloud cover, and precious few sun rays. The Sundararajans, however, do not feel like we missed out on summer because we already experienced the Indian summer earlier this year. However, it is a little disappointing to not be able to walk down to the farmer’s market as often as we’d like, or maybe play with Leila in the neighborhood parks, or grill out as much as wanted to.

While this pseudo-summer has been flying by us, we find ourselves in the eye of the storm. In the next couple of weeks, life again gets busy with speaking engagements and travel. Stay tuned… this should be a fun ride!

Long Overdue Update

Leila turned 9 months a month ago. I know. Why don’t I just come out and say she is 10 months old? Well, that would not help me introduce her photos taken at her 9 month photo shoot!:) Anyway, here is a picture that we really like.

Hair

a little wild thing

Glen Lake

the view at Big Glen

We spent Tuesday up north in Glen Lake.  It was a two-fold trip.  We went mainly to celebrate my Dad’s 60th birthday (on the 6th) and my Mom’s 60th birthday (on the 8th).  Neither of my parents seem anywhere near the ripe old age of 60.  I told them that I think there must be some sort of miscalculation.  My brother, Ben, along with his wife, Heather, and daughter, Eleanor, were up for vacation, and even my 82 year old grandmother made it for a delicious Steak lunch and Birthday cake.  It was good for my soul to be up north.  It was good to hang out with family, and it was especially fun to see Leila interacting with her relatives.

Leila with the Birthday Girl and Boy (Ava and Tata)

Eleanor and Leila

Leila with Great Grammie

We also went north so that we could “say good bye to the ol’ place,” as my dad put it as we were about to leave on Wednesday morning.  My parents have lived next to Big Glen Lake for nearly 13 years, but the time has come for them to move on.  (JP and I are particularly excited that they will be located in Holland for the next chapter of life… at least until the chapter after that begins.)  I was very thankful for this opportunity to have my “good bye” day in Glen Lake.  My family moved to Glen Lake after my sophomore year in college, and while it never felt exactly like home, it has become a favorite place of mine.  From the beautiful drive up from Holland, to the scenic hikes and picnic spots, the Glen Arbor area won my heart long ago.  During our day there, we were able to do two of my three favorite things…  We walked down to Old Settler’s Park, which my family has done at least a thousand times, and we played on the swings with the little ladies.  I’m not sure that I have ever played on the swings at the park, but hey, it is Leila’s very favorite thing to do these days.  We also walked out on the dock, which is where I took the photo at the top of the blog.  Later on that night, we sat in the backyard around a bonfire and roasted s’mores.  I love to sit by a fire, and even better, I love to eat s’mores.  It felt good to my soul, and my stomach!  The only thing  guess I missed out on was one last trip to the Cherry Republic.  When my sister, Amy, worked there I learned to appreciate just how yummy All Things Cherry can be.  If you have not been there, You MUST Go.

The good news is that I won’t be staying away from the beauty of Glen Arbor  for the rest of my life.  I learned to dislike and avoid official goodbyes long ago, and simply put, Glen Lake is a place I must return to.  So even when I won’t have my parent’s home to visit, I know I will go there, and my soul will be glad.

Dad and Mom at Old Settler's Park