Month: September 2019

Summer Races Along

The golden days of summer are made of splashing in swimming pools, biking through lush wooded trails, running and laughing with friends on green fields, and basking in the warm sunshine on a beautiful blue-sky day. A triathlon is the race of summer, taking all the good parts and squishing them together as fast as possible. When Noah found out we would be “home” for the summer, he was thrilled to know that he would be able to compete in the local Youth Triathlon.

The Lexens at the pool enjoying some swimming practice

So we “trained” by making good use of the local swimming pool, developing a recognizable stroke and learning how to dive. I had told the kids that I could either pay for two weeks of swimming lessons, or I could buy a family pool pass for the summer and they would have to give me 10 minutes each of their time to practice their swimming. We bought the pass, and I basked in the pool-side sun, enjoying every minute. They both improved daily. Natalie had become comfortable with the water earlier that summer, and one day decided to put her face in and swim. I felt like I was witnessing a miracle! It confirmed what I knew in my head but sometimes had a hard time believing- kids will develop when they are ready, just give them time.

Friends cheering on the athletes

The day of the race was the quintessential summer day. We gathered with friends to cheer, the kids took their places, and the race was on! Noah didn’t dive, he didn’t use his new stroke to swim down the lane, I had kept the shoelaces too tight so that it took Paul a whole agonizing minute to help Noah get his shoes on, and he fell trying to do a fancy transition on his bike. Noah ended with a huge smile, though, and didn’t notice all of the imperfections. He was there for the joy of the race.

Practice didn’t make perfect, but it sure was fun. Sometimes our family’s journey doesn’t feel like a race, more like a slow crawl, and it doesn’t hold all of the elements we had rehearsed, but we are enjoying it so much! We have realized all of the opportunities we have gained through this unexpected time, like being home to squish summer into an early August morning.

Fellow racers posing for victory photos

Escape

It all started on a rainy afternoon drive through the wildlife loop in Custer State Park. We were spending the weekend with family in the Black Hills of South Dakota and enjoying a break from daily life. As we drove through the winding roads, Paul and I continued our ever-present conversation about life: how it’s going, what our goals are, how we feel about things. We argue now about who brought it up first, but one of us began talking about the possibility of living somewhere else. “Where would we go?” “How long would we go?” “What would we do?” The questions kept coming, and by the time we exited the park, we had decided that we would go to Spain for a year.

Why Spain? We decided for our first time living outside of the United States, we wanted someplace slightly familiar, which narrowed us down to Western Europe. We also decided that if we wanted the kids to learn another language, we wanted it to be Spanish. So, Spain it is.

Why a year? I really didn’t want to just take a glorified vacation. I wanted to immerse in the culture to gain a better understanding and appreciation for the people, history and landscape around us. A few weeks were not going to do that. A year would allow us to feel every season, see every holiday, learn through a whole school year, and get over the middle hump of hating everything foreign.

But, really, why? Why did we want to go?

There are plenty of reasons why we are choosing to uproot and take our family to a foreign country for a while. The excitement of adventure in a new land, the challenge of living in a foreign country, the bonding of experiencing change together, the opportunity to learn from others. But, if I’m honest, we were looking for escape.

The few years leading up to last fall had been really hard. We had dealt with relational strains as friends had moved, we had spent three years trying for a baby, we experienced havoc as we were part of leadership at our church, family members were diagnosed with deep illness, and we were feeling overwhelmed with life. I couldn’t handle the pressure. My hair had started falling out, I wasn’t eating much, I avoided friends (even though I’m highly extroverted), and I stopped attending Sunday morning worship. It was dark, and I was so confused and heartbroken over lost relationships and lost dreams that I wanted to step away from everyone and just breathe.

Little did I know, when we concocted our plan to move to Spain, that by following the plan to keep our distance from people, we would end up doing the exact opposite. Not only did we not leave for Europe in July, but because we had already sold our home, we also ended up needing to make plans to live with people. Not just near them, but literally with them. In short order, we had set up a string of nine different homes to live in.

It’s been oh-so-hard to live with others. To have to glare at my weaknesses each day, to give up control, to try to adhere to the rhythms of each new place. But it has also been good to be in close relationship with so many of our wonderful friends and family. To remember how amazing it is to be together. We are healing, and so much of that healing is coming through daily life and conversations with the people.

So, we are not escaping anymore. Well, maybe a little, but not because I can’t breathe. Just to enjoy the fresh air.

Page 2 of 2

© 2025 Lexen Stories