In the past 2 years, we've traveled to: Austria, Bahrain, Egypt, Hawaii, India [2x], Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand [2x] and the United Kingdom [2x]: My favorite: THAILAND!
We've flown with: Egypt Air, Emirates, Fly Dubai, KLM, Lufthansa, Oman Air, Saudia and Turkish Airlines. My favorite: TURKISH AIRLINES!
The 2017-2018 school year is completed. We are flying to Anchorage via Amsterdam and Seattle early Friday morning and will arrive at 5:58 PM on Friday evening in Alaska. As soon as we clear Saudi airspace, I am ordering a Bloody Mary to celebrate! Our 1999, 24 ft. camper is waiting for us.
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| Our "new" camper is parked in my girlfriend's, Faith, driveway. She lives 10 minutes from the airport. We will purchase camper supplies at the Goodwill of Anchorage and food & drink at Costco. Then, we'll road-trip through Alaska, Canada and arrive back home sometime in July. |
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| This is our good friend, Gary, who is moving back home to South Africa. He and Jake were heading to the high school graduation where Jake read senior names. Jake practiced the Arab names with his colleague, Maissaa, who is from Syria, the week leading up to graduation. He did a fabulous job! We hope to visit Gary in South Africa soon.  Jake with Graduation Committee Ladies |
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| My girlfriend, Kim, is front left and our driver, Sunil is to the right. Kim is from South Africa and Sunil is from India. Our commute is 40 minutes one-way. We've spent a lot of time in a small confined space with these people over the last 2 years. We have managed to not kill each other! LOL Clay and Gary are big-time Trump supporters, so we've pretty much decided to leave politics out of the van conversations. This has kept the peace. Jake made a collage of the books he read while we've lived in Saudi. |
He made a second collage of podcasts he listened to while walking around the compound:
I hardly read while here. I wrote. Here are my lastest jottings........
Getting to know yourself is no luxury. It’s an essential ingredient for happiness and for sharing happiness with others. Your inward journey to your soul is what life is all about. Who am I when I peel off the other layers and reveal my uncensored self? This is a place where I am finding happiness and a deep sense of certainty, where I feel at home in my life. I am discovering new facets of myself, dark edges and bright spots. I need people to show me my reflection.
[Inspired by Mariji De Jong]
Radiance & Inspiration
Happiness is something you can see
You can’t stop that inner sparkle
It’s a glow that breaks through everything and makes you shine
Others can warm themselves by it without getting burned
Smiling is a universal language that everybody understands.
[Inspired by happinez magazine, which I purchased at the London Heathrow Airport]
My inner development is the most important contribution I can make to the world.
Every little bit of goodness, beauty and truth that I can allow to flourish in my life, my home, my family, my work and my social circles adds to humanity as a whole.
I will donate what I can.
I will focus on what is right here, right now, right in front of me in my environment.
I will use my hands to do what I can do and feel what I can feel right here and now.
This is my anchor, my direct observations, my true feelings.
The following comments are inspired by the book You Do You by Sarah Knight
MY MENTAL REDECORATING DOESN’T CHANGE WHO I AM, ONLY HOW I COPE.
There is nothing wrong with me, nothing major really.
At the end of the day, we all have our issues.
I don’t care for doubters, haters and other judgy people.
Understand that I am not obligated to speak or act in any way that robs me of living an authentic life.
Sometimes I enjoy speaking my mind at a meeting without caring whether people think I’m being difficult or not; it’s satisfying to tell my boss the truth instead of drinking the tainted Kool-Aid.
I do me.
I will prioritize my needs but not be a jerk about it.
The by-product of getting my own life under control is that I have become more present, able, kind and happy, especially for those in my inner circle.
It takes courage to admit that I am flawed and vulnerable and being courageous is better than being perfect any day of the week. I will not let doing my best get in the way of living my best life.
I strive to be an unstoppable machine of excellence even when I rest and do nothing for a day!
Relax. This is a complete sentence.
I am not a helicopter parent. I am letting my children do their best. I am cautious of getting up in their business, if they are not worried about it going wrong and it doesn’t affect me, then let them make their own decisions and potentially sow their own regrets. That’s life. We all need permission to be ourselves, make our own decisions and mistakes and revel in our own success, whatever that means to each person.
What I have learned is that being “difficult” means being confident and vocal, challenging myself and others, standing up for what I believe in, EVEN IF that means taking an unpopular stance which has placed me several times in the crosshairs of “YOU again?” That’s right, it’s me again. I’m not afraid to have strong, clear and legitimate positions and asserting them. I don’t mind being maddeningly matter-of-fact.
I will not soften, mellow or completely blunt my edges to suit the narrow view of a vanilla majority. Oh please, how boring.
There is nothing wrong with liking things the way you like them and asking for what you want.
I value my time.
I value my energy.
I value my money.
When I was very young, a fire was lit and it’s only grown brighter.
I don’t often take the easy way and I don’t turn tail and run when the going gets tough.
I understand that some people are limited by their own narrow-mindedness.
I also REALLY like being by myself. I like working on my own so that I don’t have to run things by other people. I like to sit by myself, clear my mind, let down my guard and reconnect with myself.
Protecting my solitude is paramount to living my happiest life.
I have and will always honor my Self-Care Zone.
I love being with Jake yet cherish my alone time.
I have, for the most part, stopped caring about what other people think.
I will not be ruled by other’s expectations. I prefer to set the goalposts AND if I erect them outside the bounds of what “normal” people do with their “conventional” lives, I don’t need play-by-play commentary from the sidelines. So, shut up and go and work on your own goalposts.
I have taken falls and learned lessons. Lessons that I had to learn. I own my mistakes.
I will not let myself be permanently side-lined by regret.
My definition of success is having flexibility in my life and creating a stable JRW family. My JRW is the strongest branch of my family tree.
I do not measure success by climbing the career ladder or being wealthy.
I’m not shy about being weird.
I am committed to JOY and not to annoy.
I am committed to CHOICE over obligation. Tricky.
I am committed to consistently earning love and respect from my children.
I am committed to being naturally fierce.
I am committed to feeling happy and calm.
I’m well acquainted with criticism, both valid and baseless. Now, I know how to deal with it better.
I absolutely won the genetic lottery when it comes to shooting the bull.
I do not feel bad for feeling confident. It’s taken years of planning, preparation and skill to build it.
To some I have met and worked with, you are welcome to permanently park your opinion in the long-term lot located out behind your inferiority complex.
I am doubling down on my efforts to be non-judgemental. Thinking twice about passing judgment on others has lightened a burden of innate antagonism. Declining to engage with that noise in my head has reduced unnecessary friction between me and people I love and respect.
To keep from losing his mind and get some exercise, Jake biked many, many miles in circles around the compounds. He wore down some tread on the pavement.
And then he made a THIRD, FOURTH and FIFTH collage of the shows and movies we watched while living here. Yes, we watched A LOT of T.V.
Spring Break, we traveled to Goa, India for a week. In the city, we stayed at the historic Panjim Inn. It was beautiful. We walked the entire city, visited the Aguada Fort, and enjoyed the local Kingfisher beer at the Route 66 restaurant.
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| On the steps of Panjim Inn. |
On the beach right in front of our bungalow at Mama Goa Resort.
I swam in the Arabian Sea!
I swam in the Arabian Sea!
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| We attended Easter Sunday mass at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church in Panjim. The church was built in 1541. Masses are said in English, Konkani and Portuguese. |
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| We spent the day at the Cajueiro Homestead and helped harvest cashews. |
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| Harvesting cashews is extremely labor intensive, the fruit is very oily and only one nut grows per fruit. The fruit is also used to make a schnapps which is tasty and very strong. |
In March, my colleague, Rita, and I took a group of Model United Nations middle-school students to London for an international conference and sight-seeing. I wrote this on March 25th after attending the chapel service: "I felt inspired at the Act of Observance this morning at Chapel. We must honor the power in the words we exchange and understand the role we have in the stewardship of the world. I am committed to healing the divisions that separate us from living in peace and harmony but to do that, we have to be willing to use serious words and ask serious questions. We are connected by common humanity. The simplest advice is good to hear again and again: Be kind to others and be honest with yourself."
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| Chapel inspiration |
Here we are on The Millennium Bridge, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge.
It is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames in London.
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| Dammam Middle School Model United Nations Team First international competition in the history of the middle school!  GREAT memories with this woman! |
February 22, 2018: Jake was offered and accepted a full-time English teaching job at Crosby-Ironton School District. We were THRILLED!
February 12, Sports Day at ISG Dammam Middle School. I had a great time with the students!
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| I introduced "Purple Pride" in honor of Prince and the Minnesota Vikings! |
January 2018: Two days after we returned from Hawaii, Jake and I took 11 high school students to Geneve, Switzerland for a Model United Nations Conference and sight-seeing. We celebrated Jake's 46th birthday by touring the United Nations Library!
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| Inside the back room of the United Nations Library! |
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| Swiss Fondue and culture show! |
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| Para-gliding launch platform in the mountains. Amazing. We crossed into France and hiked up Mount Saleve! |
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| Touring the Favarger Chocolate Factory This was the most amazing tour ever and this chocolate is the best I've ever tasted. We saw everything in this working factor and learned so much. To discover this chocolate, click here. |
The most emotional exhibit we visited was found at the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. To learn more, click here. I was deeply moved by the exhibit entitled "RESTORING FAMILY LINKS": Human beings are social beings who are defined by their links with others. When those links are broken, they lose part of their identity and their bearings. Giving and receiving news and finding one’s loved ones again are elements of stability that are even more essential during crisis situations.
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| International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum |
During Winter Break, we traveled to Oahu for Mitchell's wedding to Chastity Noelani! We rented a house with my in-laws, Linda and Michael and spent 2 weeks there. Chastity and Mitchell were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony followed by a wonderful reception including a traditional Polynesian show including dance performances, live music, singing and fun. The buffet dinner was out of this world and we had the best time!
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| Christmas Eve at Chastity's Grandma's home. Here we are with my in-laws, Michael and Linda! |
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| We hosted a shower for the bride and groom at our rental house. Here is our family picture from that event! We took pictures of every guest, Aunt Lily coordinated a very fun game, everyone enjoyed getting to know each other and watching the present opening! |
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| Jake and I explored the island. |
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| Santa stockings and delicious soups at Hawaii Pot Shabu Shabu House! |
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| With my best friend, Lily, who traveled to Oahu for Mitchell's wedding! |
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| With my boys, Nate and Jonah. They were groomsmen and helped with the couple's wedding shower! |
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| Wedding time! Parents and Grandparents! |
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| Lily and I at the wedding! |
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| Mitchell dancing away! |
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| Mother & Son Dance "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd We spent quite a bit of time finding just the right song that fits our relationship. This song and these lyrics were it. To listen: click here. |
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| The Wedding Party |
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| Jake and I with the groom! Mitchell was SO happy! |
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| Jake and I with the bride and groom! |
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| Our FIVE kids! |
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| The original 4 of the JRW Family Jaskowiak-Rubbelke-Wyant |
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| Waikiki Beach |
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| The Happy Couple! |
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| Relaxing the day after the wedding! We were pooped out!
Model United Nations Conferences: Jake was the high school advisor and I was the middle school advisor. We were very involved with the Model United Nations Program at school. It was very rewarding! We traveled with students on four international trips during our time at Dammam.
 
International Day: The Statue of Liberty was eco-friendly. The entire costume was designed from re-purposed household items, trash and cardboard. I spent the day posing around campus!
World Peace Day: Here I am with my colleagues! Great ladies, I will miss them dearly! Two Egyptians, one Lebanese, one Philippino.
 Shortly after we arrived back in Saudi, we enjoyed another vacation during Eid Break. One morning, we checked airfare prices to Bangkok and found a deal we could NOT pass up. We booked the tickets and that afternoon, we took off at 4:30 PM with only carry-ons for another vacation to Thailand! We hung out on the island of Ko Samet for 6 days and scored on the best location with a beach bungalow. We rented scooters and explored every inch of the island. 
Loving the Gulf of Thailand!
One of my favorite places to hang out on Ko Samet.
The best fresh fish!
We rented scooters the entire time we were on the island.
We loved our place at Jellyfish Bungalows!
We made friends everywhere!
AUGUST: We returned to Sara Village Compound, Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to begin year 2 of our teaching contract with the International Schools Group.
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