The Final Countdown

Just one week to go until wrap and what a journey this whole experience has been! As I sit in Irvine on a visit to my parents and some friends for a baby shower this weekend, I am reflecting on our life for the last few months, everything I am eager to come back to, and the things that I will miss.

Things we will miss:

• The "Little Boy" Family: One of the best things about working on a film on location is that everyone hangs out with one another because all we have is one another! We have been blessed to get to know a lot of the cast and crew very well, and with all the hours and work being put into this film, it really feels like a team has bonded to put it all together. There are so many important roles to be filled and everyone is doing their part to make it happen.
• The view, particularly working out in the mornings with sunrise over the ocean. There is a harbor seal that swims outside the gym almost every morning, and we have all been able to see dolphins several times. You really can't complain about that.
• Mina's ballet studio. We have met some really nice little girls and I have had some great company during class with fellow moms that are missionaries in a town nearby. The instructor is also amazing with the little girls and danced with Ballet Kiev. I am not sure we will be able to find its likeness back home. Mina was also the star pupil this week demonstrating 1st & 2nd position for the class.
• Living just an elevator ride from numerous friends. We have so easily been able to see our friends, that it will feel a bit lonely going back to just the 4 of us at home. They have been our neighbors, and we have had many a volleyball game in the sand, bbq, or just dropping by to say hi.
• Daily mass being offered at least once a week just upstairs or at the studio. Can't beat the Eucharist being offered daily so close to you. It makes it so there really is no excuse for not making it to mass every day, and it has been so necessary and sustaining these past few months.
• Baja studios. This has been the kids playground. Our only access to grass, Leo's office space, and basically a small city, has been a very fun place to visit on an almost daily basis. Lukas can't be trusted anywhere near the set, but Mina and I have been blessed to sit by Leo's side at least a handful of times (Mina more than I), as they shoot. It has been a real treat to get to get that glimpse into Leo's work life, and each time it reminds me how important it is to be his support. The kids also give him a necessary break from the mentally and physically draining work. Mina, I am sure will miss the wide array of treats over at the craft service table, which is so often her first stop, and we will all miss getting to have lunch with Leo a few days a week.

Things we will appreciate more at home:

• Parks! Mexico is too poor for the nice playgrounds we have at home, and the kids and I both miss them. I never appreciated wide open fields of grass so much until living here for a few months. I plan on taking advantage when we get home and walking to the park with the kids often in the mornings. Mina and I have planned on having a breakfast picnic at the park when we get home, and I fully intend to fulfill that promise.
• American food: everything from produce to the plethora of restaurants from sushi, to pizza, to Mexican food (believe it or not)
• American grocery stores; the food in Mexico is just not good and it is tough to find decent produce anywhere. We are so blessed to have fresh food in stores & our local Farmer's Market. My mouth is watering...
• Our friends who were not with us. Our playgroup and all of Mina's playmates. I desperately miss my fellow mom friends. Most of our friends that are here have been putting in the same hours as Leo, and while we were able to have some friends & family visit (which was WONDERFUL), I so missed adult conversation and fellowship! I have already signed up to host our rosary playgroup when we get back.
• The thing I think we will all appreciate most is having quality time together as a family, particularly Saturdays, and family dinners. Sundays were sacred during the production, so we had Leo all day (aside from an hour or two of soccer), but with only one day off, he was so exhausted, it was hard to actually get out and do anything. Just having that full weekend back will be so appreciated! As for family dinners, those are missed by all, even the kids. Mina recently started saying to me, "aren't you going to eat, Mommy?" I had started waiting to eat dinner with Leo when he got home, after the kids were in bed, because it was really challenging for me to even sit and eat with the kids, but it reminded me, I hate eating meals alone, and although I was in the kitchen with her, it wasn't the same. I will admit it has been nice to have quiet meals with Leo after the kids are in bed, but we all really value the family meal and it will be relished when we can make it happen back home.

Overall the whole process has been a bit of a roller coast, but a fun one. There are those moments where you feel the pit in your stomach as you reach the big drop, the empty feeling you drop, and the high as you speed off or make the loop to loop. We have all grown, and have contributed to what will hopefully be, a masterpiece. Whatever small sacrifices we've made are so worth it, particularly because we know we are offering it for His greater glory. I am grateful for the small part I have been able to play supporting behind the behind scenes.

Now, back to work. because it's the final countdown!