Mark and Van update

Hi everyone!  We haven't posted in a long time, so before we head off across the globe I figured I should post.  Plus, mom told me to. :)

As everyone knows, we'll be flying to Vietnam this Wednesday!!!  We are beyond excited, and Van says it still feels like a dream to her.  But I'm betting once we get to the 98-deg weather with 100% humidity she won't feel like it's a dream anymore!  We have been telling stories to the kids every day about Vietnam, where Van grew up, where we met and got married, and everything about life there.  The kids are really excited, too!  We're flying from Detroit to Dallas (3 hours), then on to Japan (13 hours), then on to Ha Noi in northern Vietnam (6 hours).  We're spending just over 4 days there visiting Van's uncle/aunt and cousins, and visiting Van's father's burial site on Sunday (Father's day).  On Mon night, June 22, we'll board the train and ride it down to Ho Chi Minh City (Sai Gon).  That'll be a 29-hour trip, but we've bought tickets in their nice sleeping car with air conditioning (5 tickets for all of $350!).  Once in Sai Gon, we'll be staying with Van's best friend and her family, taking shorter trips to the coast (Vung Tau) and up into the mountains (Da Lat) where we spent our honeymoon.  We'll try to post pictures while we're there, but I don't know how much access we'll have to a computer.  I fly back to Detroit on July 8th, then Van and the kids return on Aug 22nd.

On top of going to Vietnam, we are also in the process of buying a house!  With me finally graduated and Kelsey getting ready to move on to high school (gulp), now is the best time to move out of Ypsilanti.  We're moving to Chelsea, Michigan which is just west of Ann Arbor.  We'll be in the same Stake still, and the house is just 5 minutes from church and centered in the middle of all 3 schools for the kids (5 minutes each direction).  It's a great house originally built around 1900, but it's newly gutted and remodeled in 2011 (so new furnace, new wiring/plumbing, new appliances, new fixtures, and new detached garage).  It's right in downtown Chelsea (really great little town, almost 200 years old!) so there are sidewalks and lots of fun things to do, but the lot is 1/2 acre so we'll be able to have a garden, chickens, and let Khai, er I mean the dog run around!  Chelsea school district is in the top ten in the state, and it's home to the Jiffy mixes factory (corn bread, cakes, etc).  Although the house is in great shape, it's just a block from a gas station (which we like for the convenience) and it's literally right next to a medical office building (doctor's offices).  That means it was over $40k cheaper than ANY other house on the market anywhere west of Ann Arbor.
Here's a link:
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/138-Van-Buren-St_Chelsea_MI_48118_M34132-39291

We feel super excited about the house and have felt the Lord's guidance in the process.  I've spoken with our new bishop and his wife and felt reassured this is the right decision for us.  We have the mortgage paperwork in process while we're in Vietnam, and I'll get back a couple weeks before we close to wrap everything up.  Then I'll handle the move so Van doesn't have to worry about it and they'll all come home to the new house.

Finally, Kelsey just graduated from 8th grade.  I can't believe how old she is now!  She also received a teacher's commendation for being an outstanding student, making us two very proud parents.

The photo of us is with our niece, Mai, who is staying with us for the summer to work in between her semesters at Michigan State University.

This is one of Kelsey's best friends, Safaa, who is also our next door neighbor.

This is Kelsey's other best friend, Amani.

I am so grateful for all the blessings we've been receiving.  From great progress with both Van and my jobs, finally being able to get back to Vietnam (which is miracle enough itself!), and to buying a house on top of that; everything that has been happening for us this year has been given to us and I'm so grateful to the Lord and His blessings from tithing.  I don't know how we've been able to get to this point except through a pouring of blessings and incredible parents who taught us faith.

Although I don't call/write/post/message/text very much, I do think of everyone often and check the blog at least every other day.  Love you all!