The "Good"en Life

3 Weeks Down!

2012-01-30T07:35:00.007+08:00

We have now moved past the 3 week mark here. The good news overrides the bad so I guess that puts us in the money!
Good news:
- Our shipment apparently arrived on Saturday (though we should get confirmation today) which mean we should have our container delivered by the end of the week. A full week before we thought we would have it!
- The house is almost ready: This past week, all but one room was painted (the one room we are waiting to paint until we can figure out what color nicely blends Ellery's hot pink and lime green bedding with Jones' Chocolate brown and white striped bedding). It may be futile to wait, White may be the answer! In addition, the aircon (that's short for air conditioner here!) in the master bathroom was installed and today the other two aircons will be installed. We hired a custodial service to re-grout, shine marble, clean screens, power wash driveway, and all other things that needed to be done for us to be happy. The house seriously sparkles now and we are excited to get into it. The blackout drapes for the master are hung, the fence across the lanai is completed (though the stain and sealer are not quite done yet). It's been a busy week, but very productive!
- We finally were able to connect our US HSBC (it's an international bank for those who are not familiar) accounts to our Philippine HSBC accounts we had from our last stint here. This will make transferring money here very easy. The fees we pay to our local bank and the ATM's here are outrageous, so this solves that problem!
Bad news:
- After a few weeks, the effects of the move are hitting the kids, which makes it exhausting for everyone. Jones, the easiest child we have potty-trained, keeps having accidents. Ellery gets sad occasionally and feels no one likes her and Aleah cries at the slightest thing. I am not saying they are miserable, just moments of stress we can see. Curt and I are hanging in there. The house and coordinating all the details have distracted us a lot from missing people. Every day is a long list of to do's. Just marking one off the list creates two more things to do after...it will be endless for a few more weeks, I believe.
- Ellery had a cold for a few days and recovered. Jones caught the cold and it turned to croup. He's doing much better. We kept him home Friday from school, but I think today he is ok to return.

I wanted to include a few pics of the house so you can see the progress. Many of you may not have seen it at all before we left, so it will all be new to you.

- This is the front of the house as you walk in from the gate. (almost all houses have 6-8ft walls and gates around them, even though you are in a gated village...who knows...)
- The owner keeps putting new plants in the garden. Saturday we arrived to see the two new palms on the front stoop...the pink pots rock! Another thing on the list...re-pot the palms!

- This is the driveway on the left side of the house. You can see Aleah, and Ellery if you look closely, Ron, our driver and our dog, Aso). We pick him once a week and bring him to the house to play for a bit.

- Standing from the siding glass door, this is the view of our stairs as well as a peek into our loft. We took a chandelier down on the main floor and replaced it with a flat fixture so we can make what was the dining room, into the family room. Our family room furniture would not fit right in the current place the family room is located, so we are switching things around!

- This is our master bath. We added the light fixture and the aircon on Saturday. I couldn't handle being in the bathroom blow drying my hair with no aircon! I agree, I am spoiled!

- Did I mention the kitchen now shines? Forget the hole in the wall where the aircon will go, the short cabinets that will not hold my dishes and the fact that there still isn't a refrigerator, but still! The marble is now shiny and the sink the original color! Curt complains about the small tiles on the back splash, it drives him nuts. I don't care, I have a kitchen I can cook in (well, when I feel like it!).

- Here are all the new curtains in the master bedroom. Oh, and the new paint. It's a very light blue, so you may not see it too well in the photo.

I have another blog brewing, so keep your eyes peeled. Have a great week everyone!

Julie

One week down!

2012-01-14T07:10:00.008+08:00

Here Jones had fallen backwards in his chair and pinched his arm under the back of the chair. The waitress at Chili's gave him an old-fashioned ice pack...why it's on his head, only he knows!

We have been in Manila for just over eight days and at times it feels like years and other moments, just a few minutes. It has though been plenty of time to come up with some fun photos and updates for you all on our progress.

After a week of interviews, tests, medical sign offs and many forms and checking...the girls were able to finally start school on Friday. I think both of their teachers are Irish, but I need to double check that one. Sort of a coincidence. Ellery has her first male teacher (Mr. Rea) and blended effortlessly into her class on Friday. She was lucky, as Fridays are slower days for his class, with three specials classes mixed in with their normal class day, it's relaxed and fun to end the week. Ellery
did know one student in the class from our previous time here, so that was nice too. All after school activities are done on campus here, after school. The activities list was given out a few months ago, so being that we are late signing up, almost everything was taken. See, the girls are joining swim team here and they practice Tue, Wed and Thurs after school. That leaves Mon and Fri for another activity. Ellery and Aleah had to choose from Akido and Ballet...not much of a choice.. Ellery chose Ballet and starts on Monday afternoon. Our biggest concern for her is that she makes it to the bus after her activities. She tends to be our wanderer, losing herself in her latest thought and she will have to be prompt and at the bus at 3:30pm to catch a ride home. Cross your fingers everyone, this is a HUGE test for her.
Aleah, on the other hand, has a sweet teacher (Ms. Walshe) that she is already fond of. Aleah falls in love easily with people, which is an attribute that makes her endearing and perpetually heartbroken at the same time. We wouldn't change this about her at all! Aleah knew a girl in her class as well, so that was a nice surprise. Even more, the girl is on swim team, so now she has a buddy in two areas of her life. She was even invited to a sleepover next weekend by another girl. Wow...so soon?
Aleah had a more regular day of classes, which also came with some frustration. She got in the car and said "I almost cried today." Heart in a million pieces, I gently asked "Why, what happened"? Apparently, the class was working on decimal places and she hadn't learned about them yet. The teacher was sitting with her and trying to teach her, but she couldn't come up with the answer. (this is typical of her at home too, when the synapses aren't connecting) Just when she was about to lose it, it all clicked! She gets the decimal piece and was flying through her worksheets. The teacher told her she must have studied them before as she was catching on so quickly. Whew...tragedy averted! Other than that, she had a great day and re-connected with some other friends she knew before who are in other classes and some girls that have "turned nice" since she was here before. Yes, I see the red flag in the "turned nice" and we will keep apprised on the broken heart that may be pending...
Aleah did not choose another after school activity, so she will just come straight home Monday and Friday on the 2:30pm bus.
Jones had an interesting week as well. He did a trial morning at two preschools and then had a tough time parting from me the 2nd and 3rd day of his new school. Breaks my heart, but he is so happy when I pick him up! Hopefully, the one week separation curse will end next week. He is 90 miles a minute and then sacks out cold for naps, where we have to wake him so he will sleep through the night! He's been a talking machine this past week. He is always full of words and wisdom, but this week takes the cake. Maybe it's the no tv in the car or the fact that I sit in the back with him, but he does NOT stop. The girls and I just giggle, listening to him ramble. One little quirk he has developed this last week or so is telling me a secret. "Mom, come here, I have to tell you a secret." "What J, what's the secret." Then he goes on to recite the scene in the movie, Elf, where Santa's sleigh crashed and can't fly on it's own because there is no Christmas spirit (you sort of have to know that he watched the movie repeatedly in the car all of Nov and most of Dec. and connect it with the extracted scene he is talking about). He concludes by saying "isn't that sad?" He makes us laugh all the time. Third children are so funny!
-pictured on the right is Jones playing on the playground at the girls' school
-pictured left is how hard he crashes!

In the meantime, Curt had his first work all day, nap and work all night routine he is known for pulling off here. We have both transitioned easily thus making it all so much less stressful. It does help to know where to go to buy things, who to call and how to coordinate a helper and a driver. Things that caused great stress before are a walk in the park this time. We are thrilled to have our old helper, Marie, back and she has made life simple. I can run out to the store on a whim and lunch can be made without my presence...so nice! Our air shipment arrived last week, which means we have a computer in the apartment and golf clubs, so maybe I can play a little golf soon!

Missing the snow!
Love,
Julie

Landed in Manila

2012-01-07T13:28:00.007+08:00

So....We're back! This time, not Colorado, but Manila. I never would have guessed it, NEVER! I have said all along that I was pretty neutral on the idea of coming and I have stayed true to that during the entire process. Maybe a chemical imbalance or knowing what to expect, but I am OK with it either way. When we were back here in September, I felt the old anxiety creeping back, but it stayed at bay and hasn't returned. It could be I was nervous about doing this again, for the last two years we were here, I was NOT a happy camper. Anywho, I am on this boat and we are sailing.

We arrived late Thursday night the 5th after about 26 hours of travel. Very short connections made for quick layovers and no time to waste. That's the good part. The kids were amazing. I had Aleah and Jones with me and Curt had Ellery with him. Aleah is a big help for me when I need to run to the restroom or grab a toy that fell. Jones either watched movies or slept. He really wasnt as difficult as I had imagined. Of course, he is making up for some of that as he has been quite a handful these last few days. Running amok and "fighting" us as if we really are Power Rangers. Ellery was good too, she hung out with Curt, watched movies and worked on a word search book she got from Santa. Smart Santa gave her just what she needed!

The girls seemed happy and excited once we arrived. Lots of "oh, I remember that" and "oh, yeah." Jones pipes in as well, but he doesn't really remember.

Manila is growing like crazy, there are tons of new buildings that weren't here before and the grocery store makes for some fun findings. Products we never saw sold here before, remembering the fish tanks we can buy from, the smell of the fish tanks we can buy from and oh...the smells. This is a smelly place. I did sort of forget that. For all you that know me, I smell almost everything. Not necessarily a good thing here.

We went to see our house yesterday. It's coming along quite nicely. The owner is doing some repairs and painting, so it looks nice and new. Here, nice and new means white paint, so even the dark desk that was in the office, is now white. To our surprise, they laid new tile in the ktichen all the way back through the maids quarters. What a nice surprise!

People have asked us if we are worried about the kids here and their safety and we sort of giggle. In general, Filipinos are gaga over kids. For instance, yesterday in a restaurant, a waiter (not ours) came up to Jones and introduced himself to Jones. He then asked Jones if he wanted to go get some Oreos and Jones said Yes. He picks him up and carries him off to another part of the restuarant. Curt and I just laughed. We were never asked, nor were a part of this conversation, but watched it all. Jones returned a few minutes later with 2 Oreos...they serisously love kids here and it's all with good intentions.

Another tidbit yesterday while I was shopping with Aleah. Aleah says "Mom, we stand out here, nobody looks like us. I guess it's easy to find each other." That makes me smile as she NEVER noticed before when we lived here and it took til she was 10 yrs old before she sees these differences. I think that's pretty good.

Like all moves, the un-fun part happens...we were informed our shipment is no longer esitmated for Jan 28, but now for Feb 5th. Grrr! Oh well, we knew there was a good chance of this, it's never a smooth process.

So off we go, trying to catch up on a lost day's worth of sleep and start our life here. The to do list just started over again, in the reverse from last month. Cell phone plan, cable installation, painting the bedrooms, change out some light fixtures, polish the marble, get kids into school, get Jones in a school...get the drift. Instead of cancelling it all, we are starting it all. It's a hurry up and wait kind of world, nothing we can do until Monday. So for now...not much has happened of interest here, so you just get my rambling for now. OK, I hear several people laughing about my short stories going long right now, but really if I only wrote the previous sentence, wouldn't you be disappointed?

Hugs from Manila,

Julie, Curt, Aleah, Ellery and Jones

The Return of Reality

2010-05-29T01:38:00.002+08:00

My 3 year break from reality, and life as I had grown to know it, has come to a screeching halt. Yes, this is something I wanted, been begging for and have finally been granted! I am not stupid, I knew full well this would be quite an adjustment for the kids and myself. Curt will get back to reality in 5 weeks when we get him back from Manila.

For now, we adjust without him. People warn you about repatriating, that it isn’t as easy as you imagine, that things just aren’t how you remembered them when you lived there before, etc. I would agree…but not because I have had a month to let it sink in, but because we hit the ground sprinting and are just now slowing to an easy pace. We landed in Denver from Manila on Sunday the 9th, greeted by family and friends and a few teary eyes (mine included as I have pictured this moment for 3 yrs). Our house, our wonderful house. It’s our house, where we moved in as newlyweds, where we brought two children home from the hospital to (the 3rd wasn’t born in this country), where we have had about 7 pets over the years and where we have made almost every major decision in our life. The house was just what I was looking for, a home base to lock onto.

At 2am on Monday morning, jet lag had the kids awake and Ellery had a fever. Before we had left Manila, as my last ditch effort of enjoying domestic help, I asked the helpers to pack a lot of the suitcases. I ALWAYS travel with Children’s Tylenol or Motrin for just this reason. Well, after 10 minutes of destroying all 10 pieces of luggage, I can’t find it anywhere. So, left Curt to watch Jones, Ellery (with a fever) and Aleah who is still asleep and I headed out to the store with the proud feeling of living back in the US where there are 24 hour grocery stores. 30 minutes later I am back with meds and all 3 kids are now up and meandering the house with Curt. We kept this up until around 4am and then all headed back to bed. The next 3 days were the same, Jones to the Dr with a sinus infection, a flat tire, Ellery with strep throat, a welcome home surprise party (awesome as it was, it’s too bad we had 2 sick kids:( ), a Gooden family BBQ, all getting ready for the entire reason why we made the move home 4 weeks early…Ryan’s wedding. I was smoking pork shoulder by day and up with sick and jet lagged kids at night. Curt got the morning shift for awhile so I could get some continuous sleep and we were all wiped. I have no idea how we made it through the first 5 days. I think it was shear luck, to be honest. I haven’t been that exhausted since we brought Jones home from the hospital. Not to mention, the wedding hadn’t even happened yet!

Seeing my little sis, my little brothers, my brother-in-law, meeting my new sister-in-law-to-be and gathering the supplies for the weekend took up the next several days. The nights were not only long due to jet lag, but the reunions also called for toasts, so the late nights were later with the sounds of glasses chiming and corks popping as well. Then Saturday came, as well as several people to help prep for the shower, and the fairly large wedding shower my sister and I put on went off without a hitch. I think we did a pretty good job and it was nice to meet Sarah’s family as well. A quick clean up by a handful of people and a costume change and we were ready for the Bachelorette party, also held at our house. I think Sarah was appropriately mortified as Jenni requested. I would have been way more mean, but Jenni was in charge of toning it down. :(

Oh, Sunday morning came and nails needed to be painted and some last minute errands and a bite to eat (my favorite restaurant, no less) and another quick costume change for the rehearsal. Somehow the kids were taken care of by Curt and we were not late once and I don’t think either of us were even yelling at them or each other! We were on a roll!

Monday was filled with hair appts, makeup appts and more costume changes! But the wedding does happen and the anticipation was in the air. Sarah looked amazing and Ryan was appropriately anxious to see her. He looked great in his dress blues, I was in awe seeing him and Matthew in their uniforms. It’s great to be proud of your siblings!

We spent the rest of last week doing all the things we needed to get done before Curt left. So we bought a car and baby-proofed Jones’ room since he has now decided to climb out of his crib. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that he chose to wait until there was carpet under his bed to try this. In Manila we had hard wood floors, but not the kind with a subfloor. I think they were laid straight onto concrete and I always feared the day he tried to climb out while we lived there. The carpet here didn’t keep him from getting scratched up and a bit bruised, but it saved him from major injury. Added to the “to do” list was ordering him his big boy furniture a few months before I planned.

Curt’s plane back to Manila was scheduled to depart at 11a on Saturday, but a quick side trip to Wendy’s the night before kept him off the plane. It seems those chicken nuggets ended up giving him food poisoning. He was in no shape to be traveling for 24 hours. So he changed his flight and he left Sunday morning. It’s been three days of no husband, no yayas (though a scheduled sitter twice a week will be the lifesaver I need - thank you, Tori), no school and we are sort of getting along ok… So far, few commitments have made life easier!

I am eager to purge all this transition stuff onto the blog, so stay tuned if you are interested, if not, ignore it. I write for my benefit, so don’t feel obligated to read.

Oh, but after I wrote this and before I send this out on FB, let me add a few additions. Just when I thought I had this single-parenting thing down, Wednesday I come down with chills, a fever and body aches, along with a sore throat and throbbing head. Ellery is dropped of Thursday morning with a stomach bug and apparently she has been up vomitting all night! To top it off, it looks like Jones' sinus infection is back. To the Dr we go for more drugs...what a horrible last 3 days...absolutely miserable! Got a new car, that's the good news!

Where in the world is Brunei?

2010-04-18T14:45:00.001+08:00

So many people asked me this question and more often than not it was then followed by “Why do you want to go there?” Let me answer the former first. Brunei is a very small country on the island of Borneo. Borneo is just South and West of the Philippines’ southernmost islands, with about an hour and 45 minute flight from Manila. Why would I want to go there is a little more vague, but I was a bit curious about this little chunk of land. As it is, Borneo is 99% an island in Malaysia and less than 1% the sovereign country of Brunei. That alone is pretty interesting to me. It’s land mass is almost 6,000sq km and it is also one of the last remaining Sultanates. Initially, this tour was designed and planned by another AWCP (American Women’s Club of the Philippines) member that had to cancel. Recently a friend from Manila moved there, so I was very interested in going. If nothing else, why not chalk up another passport stamp from a place I haven’t been. Expat living begins to mean travel bug with an underlying competition to have the most unusual stamps and maximizing the number of extra pages you are allowed to get in your passport before the government makes you get a whole new one (which is 2 set of pages, in case you are curious). Ask any expat, passport bragging is definitely a favorite past time! All in good fun, I promise.

Anyhow, Curt wasn’t quite as convinced it was a country he needed to see (though missing out on that stamp was killing him!), so I took it as a nice long weekend getaway from the always fun, but sometimes, overwhelming, family. It just so turned out that 7 others ladies were going solo as well. I could feel the girl weekend solidifying and the fun beginning!

As tour leader, I try prepping for these tours so that I prevent any misinformation and am sure to not run into any snags. I was a bit busy leading up to this tour, so when the reports from fellow travelers began to come in that Brunei doesn’t sell alcohol, I thought we had better find a solution. The rumor was true and the solution was also legitimate. As non-Muslim visitors over 17 yrs of age, we can each bring in two bottles of wine and 12 beers! Woohoo! Although that does put a dent in my weight limit for my luggage. We begged, coerced and pleaded for the non-drinkers to take some wine for us. It worked like a charm and we were all set for a nice, relaxing visit to Brunei. We did learn as soon as we checked in though that we could ONLY drink inside our hotel rooms. OK…we can adjust!

All 23 of us tromped out of Manila on time and with smiles on our faces on Friday, Feb 26th. The flight was uneventful and quite a surprise, actually. We flew Royal Brunei Airlines and I was quite impressed. It was a very clean, very organized, but no alcohol! I don’t mean to sound like a total lush, but c’mon, that’s the fun part of flying internationally! We had all day free to roam the HUGE resort property. We actually never needed to leave it as there was a bowling alley, tennis courts, golf course, beaches, pools, a cinema and several restaurants. I have left off tons of other activities, but needless to say, it was ginormous! It had all the makings of a 5-star resort, without the 5 star quality. Beautifully done rooms, but no finishing touches, to be more clear. Great pool with a swim up bar that only served juices and a huge main atrium with very little furniture. It was quite bewildering actually. It was as if they stopped furnishing it halfway through. Anyhow, we walked the grounds, got a little lost and finally had lunch at the Clubhouse for the golf course. Back to the main hotel we went, where we grabbed the travel mahjong set and set up camp out by the pool. Several of us play mahjong every Friday, and it was Friday after all! We introduced a few travelers to our favorite game, had some juice and enjoyed the conversation. Later we had a short organized tour to attend to. It was the night tour of the water village (the first time of many that we boated around it). I have seen water villages in Shanghai and they have them in Vietnam and Cambodia and many other places as well. This was quite different though. These were houses on stilts that sat in a river inlet. It has it’s own police force, highway system (boat highways) and taxis. I believe there were around 30,000 people living in the village. We were there at night and it was tough to see any depth, but we were a bit surprised of it’s size.

Afterwards we ate shabu-shabu (almost like fondue with just broth) and were gently directed by the Filipinos in our group, how to effectively cook our food. I think we are so used to only putting in a few things at a time, but apparently you should put it all in at once…live and learn. It was sweet, actually, as we also were able to learn something about the culture we live in, even when we aren’t in it. After dinner we were bussed around the city for night photo shoots. This means we were able to get out at several different mosques and the main palace for photo ops. The lights do make an impressive picture. The tour leader, on our request, took us to a more local mall. Here there were lots of people and vendors selling stuff. What struck us the most…nothing was made in Brunei. NOTHING!! All the headbands, purses and other “stuff” they were selling was made outside of Brunei and brought in. This makes collecting things from other countries truly difficult. We wasted in hour or so and then were taken out of the mall and through an open air market to the bus. I think the tour leader was very interested in showing us the local outdoor food market. What he wasn’t understanding was that we have seen them, walked through them and smelled them on many other occasions. After all, we live in the Philippines. So most of us walked straight through to the parking lot and got on the bus!

Back to the hotel and the eight singlets gathered in our room (Joan and mine to be more specific) to toast our first day in Brunei. I have to admit, these drinking fests were my all time favorite moments on this trip. Guards down, filters long gone and girls can really be interesting! Some ladies I knew well, others I had never before this trip and the best part was the age gap (early 30’s to late 60’s) as that adds such an element! We had a blast!

On Saturday we were able to sleep in and start our day off slowly as the half day tour didn’t start until 12pm. We managed to make it to breakfast before the kitchen closed and spent our mealtime planning tours for the other gaps in our schedule the following day. The half day tour started with lunch at an Asian buffet restaurant. Not my favorite, but have eaten at my fair share of them, so I survived. Brunei is very contemporary compared to other Muslim countries. Some women wore head covers, some did not. I never saw a woman in a burka, but sometimes were in more conservative dressings. The only time I saw men in kaftans was at this restaurant. Now, I am sure there were some on the streets here and there, but nothing that caught my attention. There was once long table full of men in kaftans at this restaurant though. Some had the full length dress type on and others the pants and tunic. Most of these men then had on head covers, but not necessarily the long ones, just these little hats. Just an observation I had, nothing more…thought it was interesting and worth mentioning.

Afterwards we were able to go inside the largest mosque in Brunei. The ladies had to wear these awful polyester covers that were not the right weight for 95+F degrees. We were only shown the men’s prayer room, which was quite large, air conditioned and had these nice prayer rugs from Belgium in it. It really seemed like an over the top type of mosque, but oddly enough, only two people were in it praying. A man and his son were side by side in the prayer room praying. Except on tv, I had never seen a Muslim pray. Watching the father and the smaller son on their knees, sitting up, leaning forward, sitting up…on and on…I really was struck by how peaceful it seemed. Not only that, but the tradition and the two generations…it really was striking to me. If they had let us take in our cameras, I surely would have captured this. It may have been the vast open, beautiful prayer room with just the two of them in it, but it struck me and I will hold that memory for a long time.

Then another photo op of the outside of the mosque. With the 14K gold leaf minaret tops and the escalator leading the 2nd floor where the prayer rooms are, this mosque was striking and very beautiful.

On to a lame photo op of the palace. The palace was so far away and only the tops of the buildings could be seen over the tree tops, that is was a useless stop. Next we got a day trip to the water village! Back there we go where we could see some of the colors they painted them. Like any other neighborhood, some people liked to be original and paint their houses crazy colors ( no HOA there!). The tour took us inside one house where we were served tea and cookies. Not much different then houses in the US, but the floors were linoleum and doorways seemed to have a threshold you had to step over. I am not sure if this is for flooding or just what happens if you add on to your house. The dwelling was humble, but I was impressed. Living in Manila you see so much poverty and I assume I expected something similar here…but it wasn’t like that at all. On a side note, there isn’t much poverty in Brunei, the Sultan pays for just about everything. Healthcare is covered, there are no taxes, lots of housing subsidies, etc.

Pleasantly surprised, we headed out and to the mall. It wasn’t much of a mall and there was hardly a soul there. That was weird in this country, we didn’t go many places where there were people…even walking around outside. Sort of eerie…Some people bought fabric, some bought trinkets and souvenirs. Most just wandered around. We ended up at the Royal Regalia Museum and were able to learn about Brunei’s history. This took a few hours and then we were done! Time to be free and do as we please. We had dinner out at the Chinese restaurant on this night. The service was SLOW as snot and there were only 3 other tables of people! The food was very good though, so I guess that makes up for the service. Back to the room for some drinks we went with another entertaining evening of story-swapping.

We planned Sundays tour separate from the main group tour we were on. Sunday was going to be a free day, but a few of us wanted to get out and explore. We set out for a monkey tour. Apparently, Brunei has these monkeys that are pretty rare. What the heck? It was a few hours and we could use to get out of the hotel. Apparently every tour includes a water village tour. It became the side joke…and there is the water village….AGAIN! We boated by the water village and deeper into the river. We saw huge monitor lizards, cool birds, monkeys (we did catch a few pics of them) and crocodile. I think we were so entertained by the wildlife experience as it really was one of the most interesting things in the country. I would never say I didn’t like Brunei, but I will say it was a bit…dry. I don’t mean just the alcohol part, but there is nothing happening there and nothing original there, it’s a country that wants to be more interesting, but needs to do some more work. One tour guide said they are building the world’s largest free amusement park…maybe that will draw some people! The rest of Sunday was lounging by the pool, drinking too much in the room and being loud Americans in the restaurant. We ended up getting take out as we knew we were too wild for the restaurant crowd!

Then there was Monday. We patiently waited until the afternoon when our friend, Chrystal, was getting back into town. As soon as we could, those of us that know her, popped over to her house for the afternoon for mahjong, shopping and dinner! Chrystal lived in Manila about a year, moving to Brunei last fall. Before Manila she was in Shanghai for while. She’s an eternal expat. Her house in Brunei was luxurious, the pool tempting in the crazy heat and our visit with her was priceless. I just love that woman and it was so good to see her again. Her driver took us to the airport and back the RP (Republic of the Philippines) we came.

In summary, I wouldn’t trade the experience with friends or the friendships I made there, but the country…boring! BUT, I have the stamp!

A Tear in the Tail

2010-03-04T13:23:00.002+08:00

Some of you might remember that last March we were incredibly surprised by how much fun we had swimming with whale sharks in Donsol, Philippines. We vowed if we were here another season for it, we wouldn’t pass it up! The experience is so contagious that you just want to share it with everyone that hasn’t been able to go. To prod people along, I decided I would make it one of my last tours as the American Women’s Club of the Philippines, Tours Chairperson. The response was amazing! In 3 days I had all the rooms booked. In the spirit of “the more the merrier,” I requested five more rooms. The agent rewarded me with seven additional rooms and in 1 day, they were all completely filled. Apparently, I didn’t need to prod, people were waiting for the invitation. So two weekends ago, I led 43 people to Donsol.

We followed the same itinerary, almost, that we had a year ago. 6am flight, lasting 45 minutes and into the vans. Forty-five minutes later we were dropped off at the hotel, which is adjacent to the tourism office where you catch the boats. This time there was a tour operator who set up all the boats and grabbed us all snorkel gear. We kissed Jones and waved goodbye to Marie (our yaya/nanny) as we headed out for our 3 hour tour!

We were just starting to get concerned that the whale sharks were hiding, when we caught our first “shadow” of one. This dark shadow glides through the water, which is how you spot them. From the boat deck, it’s tricky and you have to be a little closer to see the shadow, but the “spotter” stands high on the mast making it much easier for him. The protocol is to spot the whale shark, determine which direction it is swimming and then circle around to be in its path where we are dropped. The whale shark usually comes right towards us, just in time for us to move out of it’s path if it’s near the surface. If it’s farther down, we just swim above it.

Remember we had done this before, so we knew what to expect, but still, it’s so amazing! The infectious feeling spread to our boat mates, Katie and Rick. Katie is a friend I have played Mahjong with for the past 2 1/2 yrs. She isn’t prone to being this adventurous, but was taking a risk on this trip. She and Rick were truly awestruck. To be with them and see their faces and feel their excitement was such a blast. Ellery was a bit concerned about the jump off of the moving boat, so she didn’t go in but once.

Aleah, on the other hand, was a pro. She had her flippers on and her mask on her head at all times ready to jump. She would have the guide pull her along until the whale shark was visible and eventually she just started letting go and swimming solo. Curt and I couldn’t have been more impressed by her. She was truly confident and enjoying every sighting.

Three hours later, we were all filthy gross and hungry. There is nothing like salt water and a boat ride to make you beg for a shower! The hotel had lunch out for us all and then we got several hours of down time before it was time for the Firefly Tour, which we had not done the previous year. It was obvious that the small little village wasn’t prepared for our large group. Apparently, we were supposed to take jeepneys (a local Filipino transport van) to the river for the tour, but the trikes (think sidecar) all showed up instead. A bit frustrated by the chaos of the jeepney drivers fighting with the trike people and now we are forced to take trikes the 20-30 minute ride to the river. Now, remember that we all live in the Philippines, so we are used to the flexibility one needs to deal with these spur of the moment changes, but it' still grates on you. Sure, the trikes are another form of transport that really make for the experience, but if you are the one standing on the back for the entire ride, you have completely lost the novelty feeling! Anyhow, we all made it and dealt with it and chalk it up to the way it is! Getting on the boats was rather chaotic, but soon enough we were able to see what the tour was all about. Now, we have seen fireflies before. Growing up in Texas, they are a summer staple. We would catch them, put them in jars, squish then and abuse the little insects. The fireflies in Donsol were a little bit different. They were smaller in size and they collectively swarmed in the mangrove trees. We have no idea why they were only in a few of the trees, but they swarmed in huge numbers, all together. The entire tree seemed to light up with white Christmas lights that would slowly blink on and off, sometimes in small group unison and sometimes at different times. It was like nothing I have ever seen before. Very interesting and I am thankful we added something to our experience this year.

After fireflies, we had dinner at BARacuda. We also went here last year and were amazed at what wonderful cuisine this little restaurant/bar offered. The owner, Juliet, is an amazing cook and she takes fresh fish and seafood to a whole new level. The best part is that Curt and I went on and on about the food and were rewarded 43 times over by the reactions of the people in the group. Everyone seemed to agree, that Juliet does a great job!

To bed WAY too late (I had to stay and pay tips and all that tour leader stuff) and we were up again at about 630am to eat breakfast and be on the boats by 730a. I have to say that the Sunday morning whale sharks are sleepy and introverted! It took forever to find a few and we know we swam with the same one at least on three different times in the water. He had this tear on his tailfin that made it obvious which one he was. The last hour on the boats this particular morning had a bit more action, but it was slow in the beginning. Once we figured out that Ellery was nervous about the jump off the moving boat (this was completely revealed when we all jumped in the water and look back and she’s still on the boat!), Curt solved the issue by just pushing her overboard. Sounds barbaric, but she was fine with it. She was totally thrilled by the whale shark and wouldn’t stop jabbering for about 5 minutes. “That was so awesome, I want to do it again.” Her voice got really high and she was smiling ear to ear. We were so happy she got in again. She was “pushed” in one more time and was pretty enthralled by the experience. Then there was a HUGE break between sightings and she lost her enthusiasm, so up to the seats she went and she never went back in. At least she did it and wasn’t scared, that’s all we could ask for.

Off the boats, in the shower, zip the suitcase and away we all went! It’s the fastest and most rewarding 36 hours I can imagine having! When some of our family comes in late March, we are going again! This time Aleah and I will go with the family and show them how much fun it all is! I can’t tell you how truly spectacular this experience is, you will need to come and experience it yourself!

And a Merry Christmas to All!

2010-03-03T17:52:00.001+08:00

Yes, sadly enough, I have to go back and fill you in on our Christmas vacation over 8 weeks after we took it. Here we call the slumps of expat living, “Manila Moments,” but I have to admit it was more like a “Manila Month” in January. Now that I can see the light again, it’s time to write!

We were all pretty bummed to not be in Colorado for Christmas this past year, so it was imperative to go out of town for the distraction. First, we had to have our own family Christmas before we left. So a few days before we left for Malaysia, we sent the helpers home (it’s imperative to be as natural as possible when we have our family traditions) and started making hot cocoa! To stick with the culture, we made Filipino hot cocoa for the first time, it was surprisingly good. A little cocoa and we start passing out gifts. Some were mailed to us and some family members sent money for us to buy things for the kids, but surprisingly, we had WAY TOO MUCH! I think I overcompensate for not being home and go a little nuts. As you can see our tree was being swallowed.

The kids were pretty excited as it’s tough to re-create the atmosphere when it isn’t cold outside (we turned up the AirCon to do the best we could) and we don’t have a lot of chaos in the background. But as we have learned, more kids = more chaos, so we did pretty well. Jones enjoyed playing with the girls while we got

organized. They built a human tunnel for him and he

obliged. When you have a one yr old getting gifts, there is really so much to unwrap. He doesn’t do too much and is easily distracted by each present. For about 30 minutes he just practiced stepping off and on the box containing his new toy. So much for the toy…

We chose Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for our getaway. Kota Kinabalu is on the island of Borneo, within the Malaysian state of Sabah. It’s about a two hour, direct flight from Manila and then another 40 minute car ride from the airport to the resort. We asked around for recommendations on places to stay and ended up at the Shangri-La Rasa Ria resort. On the property there is a nice, large pool, fully- equipped with a kids area, slides, etc. In addition there is a very large beach. For those of you familiar with Orangutans, Borneo is one of the few places that they exist. To top off the many “cool” facilities at this resort, there is also an orangutan reserve on the property where you can hike up and see the rangers feed the monkeys. Just when we think the place can’t get any better, we check into our room and are greeted with a full size Christmas tree set up and decorated. Let me remind you that we are in a mostly Muslim country, so the Christmas tree was a pleasant surprise.

We spent our days alternating between the pool and the beach. We arrived two days before Christmas, but the first day was pretty shot as we arrived only in time for a late dinner. The next day, Christmas Eve, we explored the hotel and the beach. We walked the kids to the Kid’s Club and signed them up for a few themed-dinners for the nights following Christmas. There are special activities every day that the hotel would put on. For this day they put covered inner tubes together in a chain in the pool and kids and adults took turns trying to run across them without falling into the water.

It was definitely one of those moments you have envisioned in your mind as being so much fun if only the people in the states weren’t so eager to sue. Curt managed to try it a few times and he vouched that it really was as fun as it looked!

There is the time between the pool and dinner that is always left for us to fill when the kids are fading quickly in the sun. The second night we were there, we found the bocce ball area, also next to the bar (which always makes any game more fun). I believe we played there for over an hour. I think they only played the “game” a few times, as Jones began interfering with their progress. He mostly enjoyed picking up the balls and throwing them after someone else had already. This doesn’t make the game easy, but it was entertaining.

The resort has a great kids club as well. The girls went for a few hours and played with the other kids. Before we left, I called the hotel and made reservations at most of the restaurants so that we were sure to be able to taste them all. On Christmas Eve we ate at the Teppenyaki restaurant on the resort. I think the kids, and Curt, enjoyed the entertainment. Not to say that I didn’t, but I did sit and watch all

four of them with stupid grins on their faces! It was a lot of fun!

Santa managed to find us in Malaysia, so we spent a good part of the morning playing with all our new toys. We finally snuck in breakfast and then spent time around the pool. I can’t even recall exactly what we did as the days there ran together and the words pool and beach blur my memory. I do remember hair braids. It’s has become a routine event for the girls to get their hair braided when we go to the beach. Of course in the Philippines, it’s SUPER cheap, so we didn’t think anything of it. Ahhh, find out after that it was a per braid price here and Aleah alone had about 68 braids!!! Merry Christmas to her!

In addition, we went to the Orangutan Reserve. We hiked for about 10 minutes up to the feeding area where the rangers feed the orangutans. That was a pretty unusual experience and well worth the hike!

For dinner, we did the ultimate. From those that had been there in the past, we opted to follow their recommendations for the private beach gazebo dining for Christmas dinner. It was an amazing experience and we took delight in the crazy things we are able to do while living in Asia. It was late to bed after a long and yummy dinner on this night.

Jones wasn’t sleeping well while we were there, so Aleah and I took him to breakfast quite early so Ellery and Curt could sleep. When breakfast was over, we then spent a few hours web camming with family in the states. It was really tough to not have our traditional crazy holiday at home, but we were still able to share in the happy Christmas wishes from afar. Instead of hectic family gatherings (they are always hectic with three kids) there was beach time, pool time, eating time and Jones added nap time. To make the holiday even more special, the girls were able to go horseback riding on the beach with Curt (did I mention we tend to go overboard when we aren’t at home for the holidays?). On this particular evening, we decided we were justified in dumping the kids with a hotel sitter and eating all by ourselves!

We tried hard to take our time, but we were only gone a few hours. We ate at the Indian restaurant on the resort and thought it was pretty good food. Back to the room we went where all three kids were still awake…good thing we didn’t drink that much! So much for a smooth evening, Jones was just not enjoying the crib there. High maintenance would be a good phrase for him on that trip. He just didn’t want to miss anything.

We left the day after, but felt we had some recuperation time as a family while we were in Malaysia. Sometimes, here in Manila, you forget what it’s like to function as a whole unit. There are always other people around and other commitments pulling you apart. Vacation works well for us, as it does for most! I guess now the new mantra is “where do we go next?” Traveling brings us together and you can’t complain about that!

Going Back in Time… A Trip to Singapore

2010-01-03T21:08:00.001+08:00

I can’t really claim it’s been slow around here and there isn’t anything to write about, as that is never the case. I can and should just come out and apologize to our two faithful readers that we are WAY behind in our blogging. If I am correct, I need to fill you in on Singapore, back in late October. How embarrassing it’s taken this long…

It started with Curt attending a CIO Summit in Singapore and me, deciding it was too much work to go with him with 3 kids when he would be busy the whole time. That soon changed when our friends, the Sciricas, mentioned wanting to go out of town that weekend as well. Why not do it together? This phenomena of traveling with other families is new to us, but something we began doing here in Manila, and I believe, won’t stop doing ever. It’s just so much fun to have kids occupied with other kids and couples can pair off and share duties. It seems like the best of both worlds when your family isn’t close enough to travel with you.

The last time we were in Singapore was Christmas 2007 with the Charles Family. So we had seen most of the “must haves” already, but we were excited to show the Sciricas how much fun Singapore can be. Those of us who live in Manila always joke about what a reprieve Singapore is from the 3rd world country of the Philippines. The few hours on a flight and you are dropped in a very well organized (some say sterile), clean and pleasant city. On this adventure, we left Friday evening and returned Monday afternoon for a long weekend. On our first visit, we stayed in the the city proper, but this visit, we just stayed wherever Curt was attending his conference, which happened to be the Sentosa Resort and Spa on Sentosa Island. It’s just barely outside the city, but is quite a hub of activity for families. It was a new experience to be on Sentosa Island as we didn’t visit there before. The hotel was spectacular and definitely within my snooty hotel standards. Everyone got into town and hit the beds as soon as possible. It was a bit late and we were tired. Saturday morning we were awakened by the VERY noisy peacocks that run wild on the island. Those little buggers are noisy…seriously, I can’t believe how much I don’t like peacocks now. They are great in the zoo, but that’s about it. Not to mention, when we got to breakfast, the wild monkeys kept trying to come take our food. It was cute for a minute, then you realize what varmints they are. It’s always interesting, to say the least.

Once we all were fueled for sightseeing, we took the Sciricas down to the famous Orchard Road, the mecca for malls and high end shopping. We strolled about, gawked at the stores, bought a few items (with Christmas in mind) and headed for our must have, Din Tai Fung (DTF). Now, if you have ready any of the last 3-4 blog entries you would know that DTF is our favorite dumpling place. Not only do they have an outlet in Singapore, it was where we had our first exposure to the yummy restaurant in December 2007.

I think Frank and Stacey were a little suspect at our need to go here, but they soon found out what all the fuss was about. It was very fulfilling to see them smile after their first bite and even to note how surprised they were that they liked it as much as they did. More converts to add to the fan club. Next we headed on the MRT to Chinatown. I was on a mission to buy a mah jong set and figured Chinatown would be the place to get it. After a quick ice cream, break at Swensens we wandered around Chinatown. We found the House of Mah Jong, but unfortunately, they wanted a week to engrave numbers and English letters on the tiles. I just haven’t succumbed to learning the Chinese characters yet. After that disappointment, we headed back to Sentosa Island. We had a dinner date for the adults and sitters booked for the kids! The adults had a nice meal without the chaos that comes with traveling. Not to mention, Stacey and Frank have one kiddo, Mira, who is 7 years old and we have a brood that can get VERY overwhelming to be around. It was a great break. I mean, honestly, don’t we usually want a vacation after our vacations? This way we get some down time that enables us to push on through with full enthusiasm!

Now it’s Sunday morning and while we still had Curt to hang out with before he got caught up in his conference, we headed to the Singapore Flyer, the largest Ferris wheel in the world. We missed the opening by 2 months when we were there last, so we had to try this out.

Like a lot of parents, I dream up all the awful things that could happen to my kids and, although I wanted to go on the Ferris wheel, I did have some silent reservations about it’s stability, my kids falling out, the rocking of the cars, etc. I was so impressed by the massive machine! It was solid, sealed in every crevice and it didn’t rock at all. The view was amazing. We could see in every direction and there was an audio tour to boot. The kids walked around the capsule and could see out on every side. What a fun thing to do, it was fantastic. It’s these memories the kids will remember forever, as well as the parents!

Next we took the Sentosa Island shuttle to the aquarium. It’s a small aquarium, but there is still space to feed/pet the rays and the fish. The aquarium is at one end of the major beach on the island. We took a shuttle halfway down the beach and had lunch a great little restaurant. Curt’s day was cut short at his conference, so he met us for a few beers, where we all sat and watched the kids play. There is just so much to do on the beach. There is a surfing complex, tons of beach games, water fountains for the kids, an alpine slide and so on and so forth. I was very impressed with all the activities. Of course, we weren’t really planning to spend all day at the beach, but we hung out as long as we could. It was important to get the kids down for a little rest before we headed out to the night safari at the Singapore Zoo. We did give the kids a little time to get soaked in the water fountains. It’s always the impromptu activities that are the most fun.

They played in the water and chased the fountains for about 30 minutes. I think Jones had the most fun and swallowed the most water out of all of them.

After some “rest” time, as our girls didn’t nap, we headed out to the zoo. For those of you who have not been to the Singapore Zoo, it is an amazing zoo. We have been to the main zoo and have been to the Night Safari portion. On this night we were only headed to the Night Safari. For the Night Safari, you either walk or ride a tram through parts of the zoo with nocturnal animals. It’s a great concept for zoos. The zoo also has a show where the trainers have worked with other nocturnal animals and the audience gets to see them in action. Wolves howl on cue and birds fly to their posts when prompted. Of course, the show is interactive so volunteers are called up from the audience. Last time we were there, Madeline Charles was called up to volunteer, this time we managed to get Frank up in front of the crowd. Not only did he not quite know what he was volunteering for exactly, he doesn’t like snakes…he was asked to hold a HUGE python to prove how heavy and large the animal was. It was quite funny and we all enjoyed it (all but Frank, that is).

As we were heading out, Aleah and Curt decided to participate in a more experiential activity. You place your feet in an aquarium and these tiny fish come eat all the dead skin off your feet. It’s gross! They said it tickled, especially Curt, as his feet are very sensitive. Not something you get the chance to do in the States.

We all headed back to the hotel and went to bed, just to wake up the next day and head for the airport as Curt had to stay for the rest of his conference. It was a quick trip for us, but a very enjoyable one. Thank you to the Scirica’s for tolerating our brood. I hope you still like us enough to travel with us again sometime. It’s important to get out of the Philippines every so often and enjoy the continent of Asia, it’s why we came in the first place.

Terrific, Taiwan

2009-11-05T15:35:00.001+08:00

It is such a wonderful feeling to be pleasantly surprised by a vacation. Before this spring, I had no interest in going to Taiwan. I believe I once said maybe, maybe if we visited every other major Asian city first, then I would go. Then this spring, some friends of ours went for along weekend (Melissa and Nate for those that know them) and raved about it. This had my interest peaked. After some discussion with them, we decided to head to Taipei, Taiwan for the girls’ semester break at school.

So, Saturday, the 24th we headed out. Boy was I wrong about Taiwan! A clean, fresh air, urban city! Clean, wide sidewalks, a wonderful subway system and excellent food choices. Did I say clean? The city is surrounded by hills, parks and trails. Getting outdoors here is easy and exercise something the Taiwanese incorporate into their lifestyle. We learned that they are crazy about recycling and they reuse almost everything. This is such a departure from where we live now that I was in shock to hear this. We arrived at our hotel by 11:30am and though we were lucky enough to get connecting rooms (I can’t tell you how complicated it gets for 5 of us at a hotel…), the rooms weren’t quite ready yet. Oh, so anxious to eat at our favorite dumpling spot, Din Tai Fung, we grabbed a taxi right away. A little history for you. We were first introduced to Din Tai Fung in Singapore a few years ago when we were there for Christmas. Friends raved about it, so we gave it a shot. Our whole family, plus the entire other family we were with (the Charles Family) were in food heaven. It was such a good experience. Knowing that Taipei was the home of Din Tai Fung and it’s original restaurant, we chose to head to the original location. As we got out of the taxi, we noticed the line was long, the sidewalk packed and we thought “we cannot stand here with three kids forever waiting for a table,” so we got back in the taxi and had the driver take us to another, less-crowded location. We were rewarded with a 10 minute wait with ample space to loiter. Needless to say, we stuffed ourselves with 30 dumplings, pork fried rice and pork chop noodle soup. I would be remiss to not mention the yummy Taiwanese beer we drank too. It tasted good, but I have little confidence it had any alcohol in it.

It was back to the hotel for some down time with the kids. We eventually made it to the Taipei 101 Mall (the first 5 floors of Taipei 101). For those that don’t know, Taipei 101 is currently the world’s tallest building and houses the world’s fastest elevator as well. Taipei 101 was right next door to our hotel, so we visited several times. At the mall we found all the top designers, major labels and things we don’t ever even buy in the states. I had not seen a Coach store in quite awhile, which was a nice surprise. Nope, didn’t get the $800 purse I liked either, it just seemed like so little for $800. Now, the DeBeers store was a delight to see as well. I officially indoctrinated my children with how beautiful diamonds are. Curt and I taught them all the cheesy sayings about being a girl’s best friend, forever, blah, blah, blah. I think they would have been more impressed at a beetle museum, but of well.

Hungry and tired we headed back to the hotel for dinner a the pool and an evening swim. The temperature outside was perfect, but the water temp was a bit chilly. Supposedly it was heated with an amazing underwater sound system, but neither seemed to be working…so up to bed we went.

We got up Sunday morning and headed to Yingge Pottery Village. We managed to take a train there and hike around the little village on foot. Jones sure is getting heavy to carry on our backs, but he just loves the view. We walked the cobblestone streets, ate ice cream, went through most of the shops and the girls made their own pottery on the wheel. The people were friendly and strangers wanted to play with Jones. It was a great family outing!

We headed back to the city to an area called Tienmu. Here we were thrilled to meet up with Aleah’s Kindergarten teacher, Maria Peters, who now teaches at the Taipei International School. She took us to a mall to eat and to a fabulous park. It was so refreshing to see kids at a park in the city running all around. The facilities were fantastic and we were very impressed. The hills surrounding Tienmu were lush and green and people were out running, soccer was being played in the grass, I can’t tell you how “normal” it all felt! I was seriously thinking how much fun it would be to live there. I heard Mandarin, Dutch and English on the playground, although I am sure there were many more languages floating about. What a surreal experience! We had to say goodbye to Maria, but she did point us in the direction of another expat restaurant favorite, Fang’s. The kids were wiped out. Jones was asleep in Curt’s lap, Aleah was nodding off and Ellery was coloring away, her mind in some distant land. We ate more yummy Chinese food and carted our exhausted rears into a taxi and back to the hotel.

Monday was a day for shopping…well , that was what we planned anyway. We headed first to the Bade Lu Antique market only to find out it only happens on the weekends…UGH! OK, so back to the subway we go. Taipei 101, here we come. The day was gorgeous, so the view was bound to be fantastic. The line was short and the whole place was not crowded. It took 37 seconds to go from the 5th floor to the 89th floor. Amazing! We were rewarded with fabulous views. The girls were interested in the audio guide, so they wandered around pushing the appropriate numbers and listening to tidbits on the things they could see out the window. It was a pleasure, really, to see that your children are maturing in a way that they are actually learning things on our vacations. We then went up another floor to the open air deck. Looking more like a prison in the sky, with all the metal safety structures to keep us from jumping off, it was cool to know we were on such a remarkable building. It’s the tallest in the world…for now anyway. Once our heads were out of the clouds we had a nice Italian meal at the Taipei 101 mall. So close to the hotel, but instead, we ventured out to another market, Shillin Market. There wasn’t much there to buy, but if we were hungry, there was lots of interesting stalls to eat at. Too bad we had just ate. With English NOT the primary language, we knew there had to be more to this market as people talk highly of it and it’s written up in the travel guides. We tried inquiring, but didn’t get anywhere. We left disappointed, only to find out when we got back to Manila, that we missed the street all the vendors were on. Somehow it eluded us…oh well. Instead of heading back to the hotel, we took a trip to Longsham Temple. It’s a popular temple in Taipei, as it’s beautiful and very active. You could here the chanting for half a block and the peace it exudes is almost contagious. The girls were very intrigued by the motions of those praying (bowing and standing, etc.). We didn’t get many pictures inside of it, as people were praying to different gods and it seemed a bit disruptive and intrusive to take too many photos. The smoke from the incense were hurting my eyes, so I led the family out a little faster than I had thought I would. Seemed all that smoke couldn’t be good for us. We meandered around for a few more minutes outside and then headed in the direction of the hotel. On the way from the subway stop to the hotel we went in a huge department store. The kids area alone was amazing. We ended up eating at a restaurant inside, it’s name eludes me, but it wasn’t very good anyway. Sluggishly, we walked to the hotel and everyone hit the bed hard and fast…so tired.

Tuesday was our last day in Taipei, so we packed it all in as best we could. We rented a car and driver and went the hot springs. It was fantastic! Imagine a dozen small hot tub, each different temperature and some even with different smells (Mandarin pool, Lemon pool, Peach pool, etc.).

There was an outdoor play area for the kids with FREEZING water (though the kids didn’t mind too much) and an indoor pools as well. This was a perfect family playground. We spent almost 2 hours soaking wet enjoying the warm pools. A little snack and back down the hill we went to our 2nd helping of Din Tai Fung. Mmmmm, yummy! From here, the driver took us to the National Palace Museum. We were a bit delayed from the schedule we made, so we got to the museum with only an hour to spare before closing. Again with the audio tour, the girls entranced themselves in Chinese history (ok, Taiwanese, but so much of it is Chinese as well). Mom, come look at this, did you hear that, walk with me over here. They were so into it, we barely could listen to our own headsets. We were practically the last people to leave the museum, but we enjoyed the hour. Back in the car to an old Chinese Tea House in an old Japanese home. Weird, huh? The house still stands from the Japanese occupation and it sits on a well used thoroughfare. We tried desperately to listen to the waiter, learn how to properly serve the tea and enjoy the somewhat meditative experience of drinking it. BUT, we have three kids, one is barely over a year old, and it was the end of a VERY long day. We were in and out in 30 minutes or so as Jones just couldn’t deal with patiently drinking tea when there is walking and climbing to be had at every turn. So off we went back to the hotel where we had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants. Good food, but hotel restaurants are typically not our thing, too sterile! So no bragging on this meal.

We were packed up and out of the hotel by 8:30am the next day and back to Manila we went, wishing we had had more time in Taipei. It never gets old to be pleasantly surprised!

Discovered our max time we can stay idle…

2009-10-22T08:49:00.001+08:00

Our idleness this fall (or rainy season here in Manila) has been good for family bonding and exploring our new camera. So many buttons and the instruction book is VERY thick. I have barely figured out how to turn the flash off. Ok, to be honest, I haven’t really figured that out yet. The weekends are full of us in our pajamas, doing very little. We like it that way! Maybe I should rephrase, I like it that way. Curt gets antsy and wants to get out. To his defense he spends all his hours either sleeping or working. He is awake for a time, but again, he’s still in this apartment. I am out daily, trying to volunteer, lunch with friends and getting errands run. I managed to slow my life down and am able to spend more time at home, but that only seems to happen every 3rd week. Don’t get me wrong, 4 kids is still my dream, but it may just have to stay that, a dream. I can barely keep up and I have 2 domestic helpers and a driver. I know, if I just gave up lunch with friends a few days a week and mahjong and bridge and my Tours Chair position, I would have more time. BUT, then I wouldn’t be living in Manila and taking advantage of what it offers. Trust me, I have played and replayed the scenario. Balance is the key, but balance is elusive. Just when we think we have it, it slips through our fingers. Not to mention, my first-born, eldest by 7 yrs, self says that fairness is the way everything should be. So, be fair to each child, don’t slight the subsequent children and also…be educated enough to know that you need to be fair to yourself. I don’t have to fall into the “mom-only” archetype and I can be true to myself and have my own personality outside of my major role…oh, sometimes it’s all talk I tell you! Anyhow…balance comes and goes and the lesson I have learned more recently is that balance doesn’t have to exist day to day, it’s just a general term spread over time. No, this is not an attempt to justify my social life.

For instance, Aleah is struggling at school and I am focused so much on spreading my time between all the kids that I needed the epiphany my mom gave me when she said “Aleah needs you now, you have to shift.” She was right. I do feel like I am losing my time with the baby while I focus on Aleah, but right now the situation calls for it. So, before that ball drops, I got to run to it… I can’t believe I couldn’t see it myself, but I was born to see fariness in everything and find justice for those that can’t. Beats me how I couldn’t see the forest through the tress…life just blurs it all!

Onto our idleness…

This spring we traveled every other weekend, if not every other….we were NUTS! To balance this, I was reluctant to go down the block this summer on home leave. Finally, I had found my maximum for travel. Eight and a half weeks in the states and now close to 10 weeks in the Philippines and we haven’t gone so far as Batangas (for those not from Makati, it’s about a 3 hour drive from us) since we landed in August. Curt had the itch, but I kept dragging my feet. Craving routine and pj’s on Sunday…all day, I had no desire to go anywhere.

Well, it only takes the fear of the girls on a week long school break to spark my interest in traveling. Not traveling means entertaining all three kids and traveling is built in entertainment…we will travel! So keep your eyes peeled for our next blog entry that should be all about our time in Taipei. We have friends who have lived there, have visited there and some that currently live there. All of which should make our time there so much fun. Til next week!

Busy week, but not much to say

2009-10-04T19:35:00.001+08:00

I promised pictures (of our family) the next time I blogged, so here it goes. Just an update from a week ago when I did the last entry as well…

Most of our week was filled with gathering donations, coordinating donations, collecting donations, and delivering donations. It was pretty hard not to think of the flood every day. With the threat of Typhoon Parma, one of our helpers came to stay with us for 3 nights and she brought her 9 yr old son, Joshua. The girls were anxious to meet him and slightly timid at first. He went to play with them in their room and in 5 minutes they were all giddy and laughing. Turns out his favorite game is Uno, as is theirs, so they played a LOT of Uno. Marie, our helper and his mom, has been teaching him English for awhile. He was nervous to speak it, but he did great. Not to mention, with kids, language doesn’t seem to be a barrier. I think he had a really good time here and I believe we will ask her to bring him now and again when she comes on a holiday or a Saturday.

This week (Friday) Curt bought us a new camera, so we should have many more pictures to show you in the coming weeks. Our old camera still mostly works, but you can’t zoom in and then focus. Apparently, the fall it made on the ice skating rink was not lethal, just crippling. Yes, Curt won’t let me forget…I lost the last camera 2 yrs ago (remember I had to buy one in NC when I went to see Matthew return from Iraq) in Australia while seeing Ryan and now I broke this one on the ice rink when Aleah grabbed me from behind (I couldn’t see her) as she fell. To keep from falling on her head, I braced myself with the hand the camera was in, thereby, letting go of it! All for a good cause as I love my daughter and wasn’t ready to lose her to brain damage from my butt!

We have been playing with the camera all day yesterday and today. Yesterday was all volunteer pictures for the most part, so in the next few days I will have plenty to choose from. For now, here’s what I have to offer.

One Week Later….

2009-10-04T12:17:00.001+08:00

It was one week ago yesterday that the brunt of Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) struck the Philippines and submerged over 80% of Manila in the heaviest rains seen here in over 40 years. Since my last post a week ago, the death toll from this storm in the Philippines has officially risen to 280 (although due to corrupt politics and the lack of a census, the true number has to be 10 times this, I would imagine) and the storm itself continued across the South China Sea gaining strength and ultimately killing 99 in Vietnam, 17 in Cambodia, and 16 in Laos. Yesterday, Julie and I were heading out with some other volunteers from the British Women’s Association to assist a charity run school and a home for children which provide education for the children of the Payatas Dumpsite and help wherever else we could. As we were getting ready to leave, Aleah told us she really wanted to go as well because she really wanted to help the people who were affected by the floods (they've been discussing this a great deal at her school). I was very proud of her and we decided it would be a great experience for her to come along. So the 3 of us were off and we left Ellery and Jones at home for the day as they probably wouldn't have been able to provide much assistance.

The first thing we noticed was that as we got about a block away from our place, the street which runs along the river was completely flooded. We were driving through several inches of water with some much deeper parts along the way. It is very apparent that any amount of rain right now is causing immediate flooding here as the ground is still so saturated from last week that the water simply has nowhere to go. We actually had another Super Typhoon hit the Philippines last night, however, it was great news that it veered North to avoid Manila as this area could not take another major storm so soon.

Anyway, back to our day yesterday... We arrived at Papaya Academy in the morning and met some amazing people who run the place and do so much with so little. Papaya Academy is a school for the children that live a the Payatas Dumpsite. They are bussed in daily at a minimal fee to their parents. Let me explain that the fee is primarily for the pride their parents have for not wanting to take handouts. It’s VERY minimal (equal to 20 cents per day) and was just a way for the parents to feel they were contributing to their children’s education and allowing them to get ahead in their lives. The Mango Children’ Home is both a school and home for younger children and where some Papaya students live. Mango houses many children who are from the different cities around, but during the storms it has also become a shelter to many additional families. On Friday night with the approaching Pepeng, an additional 200 – 300 people came in from their homes to seek shelter here to prepare for the worst. While we were there, we were able to meet many of these families and hear first hand some of their horrific stories. Aleah especially enjoyed playing with the little babies and talking with the older girls who were all very eager to share stories with her and loved commenting on her hair.

The Mango is the staging point for the relief efforts in that area. This is where donated food supplies and medical goods are gathered, sorted, and organized. In addition to the food supply relief, Mango has also set up a clinic and is providing much needed medical care. Aleah was a champ, jumping right in and helping to pack up the food bags and offering to do what she could. From there, we loaded up the cars and headed into the towns to provide what relief we could. We were with an amazing Barangay Captain (Roger) who has been working tirelessly day and night since the typhoon hit to help his people and those around. He toured us through his area which was devastated, but told us that we were going to another area to distribute these goods because it was in worse condition and needed the supplies more. This is not the norm in Filipino politics. While going through these areas, it was hard to believe that it’s been a week since the flood. During the flooding, water in these areas rose up to people’s rooftops and even though most of the water has now receded, there are still large areas that are still flooded. Everywhere there are piles of ruined belongings on the street in massive trash piles. People are constantly cleaning out what they can and drying out anything salvageable. The worst thing was the MUD! It is everywhere and on everything. The devastation all around is amazing and hard to comprehend. The government here has not agreed to send in tractors or anything that would help with the mud removal. It’s my understanding that what Roger has been doing for this area is ALL that has been done. There has been no national assistance, no Red Cross donations, etc. The only source of funding has been donations from smaller groups/donors. I also want to point out the exceptional work that Julie has done over the last week. She has been working with all of her contacts, getting donations, coordinating deliveries, buying supplies, and basically doing everything she can possibly do to help the people directly and indirectly by also giving them the means to help themselves and their neighbors for the long run. I won’t list all of the various tasks and projects she has taken on, but needless to say this week has shown again one of the reasons I love Julie so much and how impressed I am with her compassion and ability to assist. I also want to thank everyone else out there who have donated time, money, and goods. It’s very inspiring to see how people come to the needs of others.

The most surprising aspect of the day for me was in the people themselves. Everyone we met was so positive and celebrating their life as opposed to dwelling on what was lost. Where I was expecting to see tremendous sadness and depression, I saw towns full of hope and people working together to assist one another. Kids were being kids, playing and laughing and I know the Filipino people will make it through this tragedy, but please help where you can.

Tropical Storm Ondoy

2009-09-28T14:23:00.001+08:00

How devastating it is to be in the middle of a natural disaster and realize there’s absolutely nothing you can do to prevent it. On Saturday, we had Tropical Storm Ondoy (international name: Ketsana) come through Manila and it brought over a month’s worth of rain down in 9 hours (over 16 inches of rain in half a day). Even though this was never actually considered a Typhoon and remained only a Tropical Storm (due to the fact that the wind speeds never got that strong), it has now caused the worst flooding the Philippines has seen in 40 years and surpassed the single-day rainfall record set in 1967. As of today, 73 people are confirmed dead (number expected to rise) and over 300,000 displaced due to the massive flooding. Below are a few pictures from around the area showing the chaos and destruction:

People are stranded in Cainta, province of Rizal, in eastern Manila.

An aerial view from a Philippine Air Force chopper shows devastation brought by Tropical Storm Ondoy in Cainta, province of Rizal , in eastern Manila.

Residents are evacuated by police boats during flooding in Cainta Rizal, east of Manila.

Residents clamber on electric wires to stay out of floodwaters while others wade neck-deep in Cainta Rizal, east of Manila.

Commuters wade through waist-deep floodwaters after heavy rains dumped by Tropical Storm Ondoy on Saturday, Sept. 26, in Manila, Philippines.

A boy is lifted onto the roof of a building to escape the flooding in the Quezon City suburban of Manila .

Residents cross a flooded street with the use of a rope in Quezon City.

A victim of flooding is rescued in Pasig City, east of Manila. Authorities rushed rescue and relief to thousands of people who spent the night on the roofs of their submerged houses in Manila and surrounding provinces.

I would just like to ask that everyone keep thinking of the people of the Philippines during this difficult time and assist wherever you can. Red Cross of the Philippines is taking donations (and can be contacted through US as well) as are many other charities and organizations.

Cruising Along

2009-09-22T20:57:00.001+08:00

I keep thinking there has to be more to report on, but really…there isn’t. We have not gone anywhere (I know, shocking as that may be) and haven’t really done anything out of the ordinary either. We had a great family weekend full of a swim meet, a birthday party, time at the pool and pajamas til 12pm on Sunday. Pretty exciting, eh?

So, instead of detailed descriptions of our adventurous across Asia, this time you are getting detailed descriptions of our, sometimes, mundane lives. Now, I have a history of TMI, which makes Curt’s wince when I write at times, so I have agreed to stay clear of the three major subjects I am forbidden to write about; sex, politics and religion. I will save those for Facebook!

As most of my readers (grandparents) are anxious to hear about, I will start with the kiddos. Aleah had her first swim meet of the season on Saturday. Sadly, she has had a cold for a few weeks and it has gravitated to her lungs, so she isn’t in the best place for winning medals. She did try hard and beat at least one personal best time (for some reason her time didn’t immediately come up on the board, so we are waiting to hear what her times were on a few races). Toughest part with her, is she has lost her will to compete, to try hard and the struggle with things. This isn’t just with swimming. It’s with reading, math, swimming…anything she sees potential failure in. Her more common complaint/request is “What are we going to do that’s fun today?” She is making us nuts. If she isn’t talking back she’s whining or breaking into tears over something trivial. Everything is an issue. We are exhausted by it. She seemed to get better for a few weeks, but now is slipping a little again.

The school has a new policy of no homework. What the heck is that about. Somewhere they read homework (when done as repetition) doesn’t make a real impact on the education of children. ARGH! Even if they are right, we aren’t so sure we like the idea. We lose track of what she is doing in school and we have no way of judging whether she is good at any particular subject or struggling in another. So, we (I tend to be the ringleader here) have been creating homework projects for both the kids to do a few nights a week. To be honest, the repetition is good for Aleah and it’s a nice way to work with her more one on one. She may grump initially, but seems full of pride when she finishes. We will be keeping this up, it keeps her from watching tv anyhow!

Ellery…oh our Elle Belle. She is finding her groove quite nicely in Kindergarten. It took her a few weeks to find her niche, but I think she’s there now. She is in the opposite place Aleah is in. She LOVES to have homework (of course she doesn’t have any either from school) and comes up with great ideas on ways she can make something fun into learning. For instance, she wanted to cut our pictures from magazines so I suggested to pick the two letters she was practicing at school last week and cut out pictures of things that started with those letters. “That’s what I was going to say, mom!” Apparently, we think alike! Not only that, but she loves sounding out words and trying to spell them. Phonetically, she is on target! It’s so interesting to see how vastly different the girls are in their learning and the distinct advantages second-borns have after listening and learning while their older sibling goes through it all. Elle is a sponge! She has always wanted to sit and watch Aleah read and now she wants to work hard to be able to do what Aleah does. She has immediate competition, which challenges her to do better. Of course, there is dark side to competition between siblings, but that’s for another blog entry. Currently, we are working on her “responsibility” factor. I am ready to give away gold coins if she can remember her lunch box and her water bottle every day! She’s still easily distracted and heads to get ready for bed only to find her on the floor naked playing with a puzzle. We will never quite be able to understand her thought process, but it’s pretty funny (and admittedly irritating) to watch!

Our little J-bird! He has found his voice for sure. He squeals and squawks constantly and it’s rather intolerable most of the time. Throws is sippy cup down with all his might only to say “Uh-Uh” (because he can’t get the Oh sound down). Apparently, moms really are invisible as he will seek Curt out when asked where “Dada” is, but he stares blankly when asked where “momma” is. Poor, pathetic me…and the guilt I feel when I am away too long. Screw it, I am going out all week just to spite him…Really though, he is still all smiles and very engaging. He entertains people with his strange need to bend over onto his head and gives others his famous squinty-eyed smile. I am working on his ability to play alone. He seems to need constant entertainment (but it could be all the yaya’s here at his beck and call when I am not home) and just wants to walk back and forth around the condo. No real purpose most of the time, just wanders.

Curt and I, well, we are fine. We squeeze in time for dates and work on locating a few minutes to chat. Last week was a slower week for Curt after all the craziness he did have going on for awhile. It was a wonderful week for that matter and we were excited to get so much time with him. This week I will plan for fall break in Taipei and maybe a quick weekend in Bohol before that. The homesickness was pretty bad last week, but I am pulling through. I promise to post pics next time!

Groovin' through Manila

2009-08-30T15:35:00.002+08:00

Wow, what a week. I FINALLY got my groove back here, which is to the complete enjoyment of all my family. As the head cheerleader of our family, I seem to set the tone for us all. It's a lot of pressure actually, and I fail miserably most of the time. When my head is in the right place, life flows along pleasantly and we have plenty of good times together. I am in a reflecting mood, so I am going to think through the things that had led to the conclusion of a great week.

* First of all, planning. I love to plan things. It gives me purpose, excitement about the future and pulls me along in my day to day life. This week was planning Jones' little party for his 1st birthday. I spent some time making sure he had the gifts we wanted him to have, the food choice was something all people coming would enjoy (vegetarian, some dairy-free, etc.), and most of all, Jones would have a great time. He isn't tough to please, so that part was easy. Thank you to our Manila family for being present.
* SLOWing down. I cut out a lot of activities this week and stayed put. I was home more than I have been in a long time. This left me calm and prepared.
* Running/Exercise. I am back on track! Assuming I get a run in today, I will hit my 3 times a week in. The last two have been awesome and motivating. I feel great and can't wait to tweek my Ipod mix a bit to fully capture my running spirit. In addition to running, I had pilates twice this week. We are changing trainers and the new guy is kicking our butts! This is good news, and being sore the next day is EXACTLY what I want! The there was the morning Stacey and I went walking for 45 minutes at 9am. 9Am here is equivalent to walking in the pouring rain. It was HOT, SWEATY and sooo needed.
* Music rocks! It occurred to me last weekend that I LOVE music. Obviously, I have always enjoyed it, but I don't seek it out. My mood is immediately altered when a good beat comes on. I leave it to Curt to introduce me to new stuff, as I haven't mastered incorporating new songs into my life just yet. This has permeated to running as well. I used to run with my Ipod in Colorado, but since we have lived here, I have been watching tv while on the treadmill. I changed that this week. I have been continuously working on my running mix, getting fast tempo songs lined up. If I am not playing the air drums while running, the song has to be moved off the playlist!

I am sure there were several other factors (e.g. great friends, lovely champagne, massage, some great kisses from the hubby, and kids that have their groove back, etc.) but I was trying to pinpoint the things I have control over....for now.

1 Year Ago…. Jones Hunt Gooden

2009-08-29T23:44:00.001+08:00

In honor of Jones’ birthday a couple days go, I thought I’d repost the e-mail message that I wrote up and sent out one year ago about his actual birth. We’ll soon be posting more about his actual 1 year birthday party and all the details of his special day, but I thought it would be fun to take a moment and look back to 1 year ago, oh how time flies……

****************SENT ON AUGUST 30, 2008 AT 10:20PM*******************

I wanted to officially send out the word to everyone that he’s here! Jones Hunt Gooden was born on August 27th, 2008 at 7:08pm (local Manila time). He was 6 lbs, 13 oz and 20 inches long (3,090 grams / 52 cm). It was a long day and here are all the details…

Julie was scheduled for induction on the 27th (Wednesday). I stayed home from work, we got up, got the kids ready for school, sent them off on the bus and then we headed into the hospital at 8am. The hospital is called Makati Medical Center and is in the heart of Makati, just across the street from my office. The facility opened in 1969 and unfortunately, it looks like it. As Julie likes to say, “it looks a little rough.” She says it looks like a 1960’s Army hospital….and it does. However, this is just the outward appearance as we found the quality of the professional staff to be excellent (although we had to get past the regular Filipino’isms with the admin staff). One such odd requirement was that while in the “Birthing Room” with Julie the whole day, I had to wear scrubs over my clothes and little booties over my shoes. This was very odd and supposedly it was for keeping the whole ward “sterile”, but it did make the day of waiting a little less comfortable. In addition, I’m the only person who is officially allowed in the room with her. This made visiting by our friends very difficult, but with a little sweet talking and insistence, we were able to get a few people in to say hello and keep us company at times. To add insult to injury, there is a large new wing being constructed on the hospital which will be very nice and will house the labor and delivery wards, but it won’t open until December. So, such is life and we deal with what we have…

Progress all day was slow, but we had a portable DVD player with us to pass the time and had some friends visit to keep us company. Another very positive aspect of having the baby here is that our doctors spend much more personal time with us. Julie’s OB (Dr. Henson) canceled all her appointments for the afternoon and dedicated herself to being at the hospital and spent hours in the room with us. When I say she spent hours, I am not exaggerating. She had one hand on Julie's stomach manually tracking the contractions as the machine didn’t seem to be picking them up as well all afternoon. As the hours passed, and more hours passed, and more… things finally started moving very quickly around 7:00pm when they wanted Julie to start pushing. At that point, things happened extremely quickly and I was able to assist in delivering our new beautiful baby boy at 7:08pm.

Both Jones and Julie did great with no issues. After delivery, they did the normal checks, pokes, and prods (both in the room and in the nursery) and we didn’t actually get up to our “recovery” room until around 11:30pm. We had him “room in” with us (stay in our room as opposed to the nursery) and that is definitely against the norm here. This sort of freaked out the staff and they really didn’t quite know how to deal with it as the standard here in the Philippines is the baby stays in the nursery until you get discharged from the hospital. Needless to say, this meant the pediatric nurses were all in the nursery and the nursing staff on our floor weren’t all that helpful with the baby. For his first night, Jones pretty much cried off and on throughout the night, so none of us got much sleep. When we were sleeping, we kept getting woken up by the nurses who came in to do random tasks that easily could have been done in the daylight hours (like stamping his footprints on the fake birth certificate you get to bring home for show). We couldn’t wait to leave the hospital and made it our mission to leave the next day!

We called the girls in the morning to tell them Jones had been born and Aleah began asking all the important questions; “What’s he look like? What color is his hair?” Ellery, on the other hand, said “Yahoo! Daddy, when are you coming to get us so we can go see the baby?” Man, they are cute! The next morning we had the girls stay home from school and I went home to get them. They got to meet Jones in the hospital and they were both extremely excited. It was very cute watching Aleah talk to Ellery about how to be a big sister since she’s the veteran big sister after all. Ellery wore out on the excitement factor a couple hours later and she went home with one of our helpers. Aleah, however, did NOT want to go home. She was loving it and wanted to stay all day, which she did. Recovery went very well for Julie and Jones and our goal was to get out of the hospital and back home as soon as possible. We ended up being discharged around 5pm and headed home that day (Thursday) which was about 22 hours after he was born (is that some sort of record?).

Since we’ve been back home, we’ve been settling into life with 3 kids. The first night Jones was up crying about every 30 minutes. Then he slept all day yesterday and last night he slept wonderfully (up twice for feedings). Our biggest challenge so far has been getting all the paperwork completed for his official birth certificate through the Philippine government and the start of the process for applying for his passport at the US embassy. You would not believe all the forms and procedures and red tape you must go through when you have a baby in another country. This has been quite the ordeal so far, but we’re making great progress. The most difficult piece so far was getting his passport photo last night which took about an hour or more at the photo place trying to get a picture of his face unobstructed with his eyes open. In addition, we hit a snag in the first step in the getting a birth certificate. It seems Julie’s occupation we listed as “Mother” is unacceptable to the Philippine government. The four copies of the hospital forms had to all be redone and resigned (by 4 different people) with “Housewife” as her occupation instead. This is just another example of what we deal with when we say “Filipino’isms.”

Welcome, Jones Hunt Gooden to our lives!!!!

Summer is over way too soon!!!

2009-08-25T08:52:00.004+08:00

I can’t begin to tell you how amazing my summer was! In an effort not to speak for the kids or Curt (who seemed more distressed this summer without us nearby), I am going to give you a few of my personal highlights!

Friends/Family- To let your guard down again and have a constant stream of people who love you around, was truly the most comforting piece of being in CO. We were so busy visiting and kids on overnight sleepovers that it was hard to take in the beginning. It’s just not something we have had for any length of time in several years. The kids basking in the glow of the grandparents is all I had hoped it would be. They truly had an amazing summer with family and friends eager to be with them and entertain them. Some friends I had to bribe over with food and alcohol (that would be the “hood”), but cooking was fun and the entertainment worth the effort!

Our house- It’s been two years since we have lived in our house. That’s a long time, but the time away has made me yearn for space and a place to call my own. I could leave clothes sorted in piles and NO ONE moved them!!! The kids enjoyed more freedom to play outside alone. I even let them play in the front alone, which is new from when we moved out of the house. Although we only had part our things moved back in, we tried to make it as “homey” as possible for our 6 week stay in it. And, above all, the kitchen! Some one you have better, bigger and more sleek kitchens, I realize this, but for me…this was the climactic moment I have been waiting for for years. I truly enjoyed it and cooking with the girls was so much fun as well.

Domestic chores- I know, it sounds preposterous, but I truly enjoyed claiming my house to myself. Knowing where the laundry is, which child wasn’t doing their laundry chores, etc. Cleaning our new kitchen was a blast. So much counter space to wipe off and the mess on the stove was because I was COOKING! Ahh, simple pleasures I have missed. The grass is always greener, my friends, always…

Driving- it’s such a simple task. Decide where we need to go, get to the car, get in and off we go! No waiting for someone, wondering if the car needs gas, or having to watch what I say to friends in the car (in case the driver were to be listening).

Girlfriends- what a good place to be, to be with “your kind!” By that I mean, parents that parent similarly, drink similar amounts (on all occasions) and know how to make your day! I miss their husbands as much as them, as the combinations of us plus our spouses is what makes the picture complete…completely hysterically dysfunctional, but complete all the same!

Now, in all fairness, there were a few moments of frustration in CO where I could see how Manila has spoiled me in ways I hadn’t noticed…

Grocery Shopping- oh my gosh, this the most awful thing to do with my 3 kids…I found it painful and frustrating. I rarely take kids with me here, so before we move home, we have to make a plan for how grocery shopping can become pain-free.

Grandparents- oh they love their grandkids…but the grandkids manipulate and maneuver themselves into getting whatever they want. We have been working hard to “undo” all the spoiling these past few weeks.

What have we been up to since? Well, the girls began school. Aleah is now a 2nd grader and Ellery, oh my, she is now in Kindergarten. She seems to be doing well, but hasn’t gotten her groove back from being home this summer. I am waiting for the big blue eyes to come home giggling over something hilarious that happened at school. When that happens, I know she is back! Aleah…oh, our most angelic one…has been having fits of deception and deviousness. I think she may have enjoyed the states so much, she is having a tougher time adjusting. Like Elle, she is slowly coming out of her gloom/attitude. My take on it is that she needs some firm arms to keep her centered. It so happens Curt and I are paying close attention to her this last week, watching her every move and we think…and hope…she is straightening up.

We have celebrated my birthday, as well as Curt’s and are preparing for the magical, though truly heart wrenching, baby Jones’ 1st birthday on Thursday! I cannot believe he is going to be one!

As far as Curt and I…well, yesterday was my first “normal” feeling day since we have been back. It sure does take awhile to start enjoying the things Manila has to offer and stop being angry you are missing all the “nice, clean and simple things” in the states. Julie seems to have her groove back!! Curt, well, I don’t know about him. Ridiculous hours, little family time and a high stress level isn’t treating him as well. We are holding out hope that the tide will shift a bit at work and we will see him during the week as well. We can all hope!

Loving Summer!

2009-07-02T05:52:00.001+08:00

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since we have moved into the house. It’s been awesome! Sort feels like living in a corporate apartment though. I don’t even have a bottle of Advil here. The kids and I have been taking it slow and being bored at times, but still enjoying the space to run outside and the quiet that the ‘burbs brings. Personally, I have enjoyed knowing where my laundry is and letting my kids run a little further form the nest and best of all…driving! Oh what control I gain from this. Still not missing the domestic help as having my house to myself has been great. I think I am keeping the new kitchen clean and I have swept and mopped a few times. I have not been interested in putting the baby toys away every hour, so that part hasn’t changed.

The kids and I potted plants with the help of some of the neighbors earlier this week and have been trying to cook at least one meal together a day. The girls have been introduced to chores this summer and have done pretty well. I think they, too, have been eager to be responsible for more and gain some independence.

It does seem quite funny, but not unusual, that the girls have found toys they have had for years that they are now taking an interest in. The one I have noticed the most is the battery-powered Jeep we have had forever. Maybe they have been too young thus far, but they are both loving it. I even let them out front without me present…that is unheard of. It could also be that practically speaking, with three kids, it’s impossible to have them all in the same place, something has to give!

It’s going to be so hard to return to Manila in a month. I am trying desperately to live in the moment and not dread the end of summer as it keeps me from having fun today. I do look forward to having Curt back in our life. He’s sort of dealing with another side of life that I am right now.

Anywho, just wanted to check in and let you know we are all enjoying Colorado. I even love the afternoon thunderstorms people are so tired of here. Weather that changes throughout the day, temperatures that fluctuate more than 5 degrees…so interesting!

Moving In Tomorrow!

2009-06-20T12:24:00.002+08:00

OK, so it’s not 100% done, but it will be 90% done and I can live with that! We came back from Vegas on Monday to a warped piece of granite that prevented the tile guy from adding our backsplash, which prevented some of the appliances from going in and so on and so forth…

Granite issue fixed, new tile for the backsplash picked out, light fixtures changed (well, ordered, but not yet changed) and the bay window bench seat is now hinged for storage. The tile guys were installing the backsplash while we were there today. It’s not grouted or sealed, but I still love it!

This is travertine in ‘cappuccino’ with accents in 1” glass tiles. This is the backsplash over the range and a little to the left.

I was hoping this would help, but it may not do much for your vision until it’s grouted and sealed.

This was taken the first time I stopped by today. The pictures above this were the 2nd stop-in. Aren’t the cabinets amazing! My new appliance garage is now installed as well.

This is the backsplash between the island and it’s raised bar as well as over the sink.

Just another view. I think the 2x4 holding up the overhang is just amazing…ok, so it’s tacky, but I am sure it will be gone sometime tomorrow! See here is a big change that will happen. The cabinet the tile guy is standing under…it will be replaced by a larger cabinet so that all the cabinets will scoot down farther to the left. There was way too much space left after the diagonal cabinet at the end. This won’t be happening til later this summer, maybe even after I have returned to Manila. It’s ok..I still love it!

So, tomorrow we move home…for the summer!

Just to make the day more exciting today, we returned to my in-laws house tonight and the duck we have been keeping an eye on (she’s been living in a dense bush up against the house and we have suspected a nest with eggs) was wandering up and down the driveway with her little ducklings! It was such a great surprise! We had to stay clear from her as not to upset her, but I snuck out the front door and got a quick pic of her in their pond right before she hopped out (she was startled by me :().

Hope everyone’s day was great!

Nothing Like Staying Put…

2009-06-11T12:34:00.001+08:00

It’s Wednesday night here in Denver and we are finally getting into a bit of a routine. Jones has struggled the most…ok, well, Curt and I have struggled along with him…with the time change. He just can’t stay asleep the whole night and then can’t get back to sleep as his teeth seem to hurt him. He is cutting his 2nd upper tooth and it’s near the breaking point.

We had a scrumptious Mexican meal at my mother in laws tonight. Margaritas, burritos smothered in green chili…yummy! I wish there was more exciting things to say about the trip, but it’s the every day activities that are missed by us. We are enjoying it very much. The highlight, for me, has been a trip to Target. Wow…so much stuff I like and new foods (we have a SuperTarget) and brands I haven’t seen. It’s weird. I sort of feel like I have been stuck in 1985 for 2 yrs…and boom, I am back in 2009 and things have progressed. Sort of creepy as well as awesome.

The kitchen is coming along. I will take more pictures tomorrow, but the last ones I have to post are from Sunday. The cabinet installer was just getting started, so not all the doors are in and some base cabinets weren’t anchored.

This is the new bay window. You can see the pantry was installed and the bay window seat bench has been framed. That middle window is huge! I have a clear view of over half the yard (of course that could also be indicative of the size backyard we have :)).

It’s still not that easy to imagine, but the upper cabinets are in! The half wall you see in the forefront was lowered about 4 inches from the original height. Our purpose in that was to try to incorporate the kitchen into the family room more.

The island in the center looks pretty rough at this point, so it’s tough to try to explain it. The empty cabinet in the back of the picture is prepped and ready for our new refrigerator. I am still skeptical that it will fit, but I trust the general contractor…I am sure my eyes imagined the refrigerator so much bigger than it is. I did order it online and from Manila, so this is definitely probable.

For those who have been in the kitchen, this cabinet is exactly where the old refrigerator used to be. It’s very weird to see a cabinet there.

In my effort to stay out of the way, I had to take this picture from the dining room. There will be a pass through from the dining room to the kitchen which is where I was standing. I had to get a “pretty” view of the island as the other sides hadn’t been covered with the bead board yet and looked ugly.

At one time this was the way to the backyard. I know I have sent a picture like this before, but I am still amazed that there is no sliding glass door here anymore.

Instead, as seen below…there is a new French door in the family room.

This is a seamless connection to the deck. I LOVE it! So do most when they see it.

Yesterday the rest of the cabinets were installed. Not all the doors are level, or on for that matter, but the cabinets are at least anchored.

Today the electrical was finished, so now we have lights, lots of lights, a disposal switch, outdoor pot lights, new pendant lights….its so fun! We also had the carpets cleaned in the entire house…oh my, I forgot how much this costs…yikes! That was tough to swallow…if I didn’t have a crawling baby right now, I may have decided to pass on this idea.

Tomorrow is the day for the remaining dry wall patching. So many holes to fix. It is also the day the house gets cleaned. Man, the amount of white dust in the house is crazy. Being in that house for any given time is similar to a day in Manila. Instead of black feet, you get white feet here.

Friday morning the granite is installed along with the sink. Then they slide in the appliances and it begins to look like a kitchen. Curt and I are running to Vegas for the weekend for our first time away in over a year. Whew…it’s time! When we return, the tiling should be done. I am so excited!

We plan to move into the house Monday, just in time for Curt to return to Manila on Tuesday. I am a little nervous. I haven’t been alone with 3 kids yet for more than a night or two. This next month should be interesting. I will learn a lot about myself (good and bad I am sure).

It’s so surreal to be back in the neighborhood. I love seeing the neighbors and looking forward to spontaneous gatherings and play dates. Let’s just hope the CO weather returns to us and the 60 degree days move to 80 degree days. It’s been refreshing to feel a chill in the air, but we are ready for the brilliant sunny days of Denver.

We Made it!

2009-06-09T03:15:00.001+08:00

It’s Sunday night in Denver and we have been here a little over 24 hours. It’s been exhausting, but great! We managed on the flight ok. It’s never easy, even when you are traveling alone, but it was definitely an easier trip than we imagined. We bought our tickets that connected through Salt Lake City. We had never noticed the route before, but didn’t think much of it. Turns out we were on the 2nd trip for that flight number, as it was a brand new route than began on Monday. Because of this, the plane was EMPTY! We all had our own row when we slept (OK, someone slept next to Jones) and each seat had tv on demand! So amazing for a Northwest flight.

Needless to say , we were exhausted last night. The girls got up once and went back to sleep and Jones woke up twice and did NOT want to go back to bed. On top of being jet lagged, he is cutting a tooth and I think he was very uncomfortable. Curt and I got our best sleep between 730a and 11am. Crazy! Ellery got the most sleep of any of us. She slept from 930p-1230a and was up briefly then went back to sleep until Curt woke her up at 12pm! She said was planning to sleep until it was night again…Good for her!

We were able to go over to our house today to see the progress of the kitchen. It looks amazing! The French door just pops out at you and beckons you to the deck. The cabinets are beautiful! My designer, Lori, was able to get a few upgrades on them that I didn’t know about and so I was pleasantly surprised to see them all. Right now the cabinet installer is trying to get all the lower cabinets in before the granite fabricator comes tomorrow to make a template for the countertops.

Our storage was delivered to the house, so now I have a huge chunk of my things back. I can’t do too much yet as the cabinets and granite need to be completed before I can' put my dishes away. But we can work on the bedrooms and toys. The kids need something to play with.

We are all so excited to be here. I think Mother Nature was excited as well as we had a Tornado Warning this afternoon and I love that weather!!! Just thought we would give you a little update. I hope all is well with each of you families and loved ones. Have a great night, Julie.

The Expat Home Leave

2009-06-02T20:29:00.002+08:00

Oh, how the days go so slow…we leave Saturday, very early, for Denver. It’s a lot of what I think about, returning home, yet it seems so elusive. The reality is it’s never what I think it will be like. I picture happy kids, rested parents and casual, calm dinners with friends. More realistically, it’s normal kids with their range of emotions, jet lagged parents and rushed meals wherever we go. I am making a vow now to slow down on this visit. Only schedule 1-2 things a day and ask people to come to us if at all possible. Jones throws a new element to this home leave. It was one thing to leave at 9am and return at 8pm with 2 wiped out girls. It’s a whole other game to add a 9 month old and 2-3 naps to the routine. While living here I have relinquished control of my home to hired help (not bragging here, it’s just the way of life). I could regain it and try to level out the responsibilities more like what I am used to. I could, but I don’t.

I look forward to making dinners for my family and baking with the girls and possibly planting a small garden with them as well. All things I could have done with ease and a smile before we moved. I chose to fill my time with other, mostly worthy, items instead. It’s the grass is always greener that gets to me. I have space envy as I have learned to live in a space much smaller than our home in CO. Not just square feet, but the backyard, the front yard and all the space there is when you are in a house. I miss everything about my life there. The playgroups, the coffees, at least one child with me at a lunch with Curt. Driving…oh, driving! I can’t wait! Being on a schedule that let’s me sleep til 7am and go to bed after 10pm. Curt and I staying up after the kids go to bed and catching up on tv shows. Knowing at least one grandparent will ease our load on the weekend for a night. Running outside in the crisp, fresh CO air. Just me and the trail I know I can beat!

The part I forget is the exhaustion! The solo time with the kids where I have to schedule my showers with nap times. Hauling kids with me EVERYWHERE I go. The grumble and whine from Ellery as she is my homebody who doesn’t like to get out. The juggle of three kids and my attention. Let’s keep in mind Curt is only in town for a short time this summer, so I am imagining the worst part, him gone. I don’t mean to whine, I am grateful to see everyone and am truly excited to go home. I just needed some self-talk to keep me balanced. To remember the grass isn’t always greener, but that it’s OK that way. Sometimes it has brown spots, but the brown spots make life interesting! Then there is our kitchen, that is very exciting!

Here’s to realistic expectations and little disappointment! 3 days left til we jump on the plane! Wish us luck!

Last Spring Vacation…Boracay!

2009-06-02T09:19:00.001+08:00

We saved our last family vacation of the Spring to take when my mom and Jenni came for a visit. Mom had a request that we go to “that place with the beautiful beach pictures you showed me.” So, to Boracay we went. Jenni and mom arrived on a Thursday morning and we left the following morning for the beach. Of course we were able to show them a true Philippine airport experience. I don’t think we could have paid for a more accurate experience for them, it was priceless! We arrived an hour before our flight to Philippine Airlines’ Domestic Terminal, to be told by the guard checking itineraries that this is the wrong terminal. The flight is actually a Philippine Airline Express flight. Hmmm, well, that wasn’t on the itinerary we had. I was pretty certain, when I sat in the Philippine Airlines office for 3 hours last February securing the tickets, that I bought PAL, not PAL Express tickets. Apparently, that has changed.

Onto the phone and a quick text later brings the driver and car back around and all 7 of us and our luggage pile in. So, off to the new Terminal 3 (yes, you have to drive for 5 minutes, so it isn’t a quick walk away). Now we are a bit happy for the change, as the new terminal is the best one. Few airlines fly in and out of it, so this was a pleasant change…for the brief moment we were there. As we drag ourselves up to the counter over an hour before our flight, mind you, we are then told the flight is already closed. It seems they changed the flight time to 20 minutes prior to what was on our itinerary. (I will admit that we did check online the night before and saw the discrepancy in the time, but weren’t about to let the agents know as it wasn’t our job to check on an airline and flight time change. There was no mention of the airline change, just a time change. Not to mention we are still 45-50 minutes out from departure of the new departure time.) I tried to jump in with my fury, but Curt was angry enough for both of us and spent a few minutes arguing. It wasn’t too hard to plead our case when we have the itinerary from Philippine Airlines and there is no mention of an airline or time change. They even looked up our record and noticed there was no mention that they tried to contact us about the time change. So, guess what! They buy us tickets on the new cheap airline here, Zest Air, and we have to get us and all our luggage on a shuttle to the Manila Domestic Terminal. Now this is the ugliest of all 4 airports we have here. And, we have now shown our visiting company 3/4 of the airports in Manila. All in one morning!

From here, it was uneventful. By the time we got to the gate, the flight was boarding. We sat down, plane took off, we landed on time and life was on it’s way to being soooo tranquil. When you land, you are greeted by the hotel staff, wait in a little waiting area for 5-10 minutes and board a van that takes you to the boat terminal. From there you load onto a boat and take an 8 minutes ferry ride to Boracay Island. Off load you go to another van for a 15 minute drive to the hotel. We were greeted upon arrival by our registration agent. She walked us to our rooms and the view takes your breath away, even though we have been there before!

Down to our room we continue where we are all greeted with a welcoming foot wash. OK, Jones didn’t avail, but the rest of us did.

We all get prepped and ready for the beach. You can’t see a clear shot of it from our rooms and I know mom and Jenni are dying to know if it really looks like our pictures from last year.

Mom with the girls.

Jenni doing the obligatory burying children in the sand.

We all had so much fun in the water. This island has no tide, so swimming is easy, warm and the water is clear. This year we came too close to monsoon season and had some algae in the water. Aleah called it allergy for a few days until we corrected her. It was so cute, it was tough to tell her she was wrong.

Jones is loving the sand and aunt Jenni.

It’s tough to post so many pictures as Facebook has a ton more and our website (www.thegoodens.com) has even more. It seems redundant here.

We arrived back from Boracay on Monday afternoon. We spent days eating and shopping through Manila. Jenni was hilarious. She picked up on a lot of the Filipino nuances here and allowed herself out of her comfort zone with her food choices. I think she enjoyed her first major international experience. Maybe she can talk the rest of the family into coming to visit. It is so wonderful for us to have visitors. sharing our life here with our friends and family is what makes living here exciting. Even though some things here are frustrating and very non-America, it’s the experience of it all that is truly fun and interesting. Having someone to laugh with when you are misunderstood, getting themselves all worked up over why there isn’t toilet paper in the public bathrooms, etc. I can laugh about some of it today, but some days it brings me to tears.

We had a friend, Katrine, over for dinner, with her two girls. We were telling her about the Philippine Airlines experience and she was laughing so hard. When she finally caught her breath, all she could say was “at least they get to experience our lives every day here.” It’s true, when it happens to others you can’t help but laugh, as some things are just obnoxious. When it’s happening to you…ahhhh! Although my more experienced expat friends tell me eventually it all makes you laugh as you expect a complication at every turn. I think I am at that point and then I realize one day that I am not, when I am beginning to look like the angry American lady who yells all the time. One day at a time…and a few glasses of wine!

Thank you Jenni and mom for your visit. It’s wonderful to have people and the girls are truly excited to share their life with their family. They just light up when they get to show off their school and introduce their teachers and friends to you all. We will be home soon, at least for a few months.

Kitchen Part 4

2009-06-01T20:57:00.001+08:00

Right now, all kids are asleep and I am avoiding the packing I need to do for our home leave. It’s sooo overwhelming. It involves cleaning out ALL the children’s clothes. I try to bring home the things Ellery and Jones have grown out of as we have little storage space here and things stacked all over. Procrastination is the only reason I blog and that’s not something I admit easily. See, now that I made it public, it means what Curt used to enjoy seeing me write, will become something he begs me to stop as he knows I only write when I have other things to do…see the issue? Oh well, I can take him. ;)

At this point the “bones” of the kitchen and family room are complete, it’s now time for the prettier, more detail-oriented items. Let’s skip ahead to just last week, May 29th.

From the family room looking in.

Same vantage point, but with a right turn. Floors are sanded and prepped for stain.

Other than the sanding, this doesn’t look much different.

For the sake of not adding another blog entry, I am also posting the pictures from May 31st, as they are different from May 29th. With our return a week away, this project just went into overdrive!

The floors look awesome! I believe there is one coat left, so it’s still not finished.

The framing of the built in bench seating is underway.

I am sure the wires and water lines go somewhere…

Look at all the light! Man, I miss CO so much.

I think the view is great. Green grass to return to and a place for the kids to play outside…it’s time to be in our house, we need it.

I hear paint starts Monday (which is today in both time zones, but they would be painting in the dark if it were here as it’s 9pm on Monday), cabinets due in Tuesday. Installing cabinets Wednesday, then appliances, granite…and so and so forth…a busy week ahead and hopefully, full of more pictures (please, Mike!).

Kitchen Construction Part 3

2009-06-01T20:08:00.001+08:00

It’s so great to block out the world and focus for a few minutes. I am inspired to write a little more today as just walked in the door and the girls are yelling at each other. The yayas said they have been doing this for about an hour and keep fighting. So, they are in timeouts on their bed. Somehow that wasn’t enough as I still heard screaming. Now they are in “no talking and no getting off your bed timeouts.” You know, I am just winging it here…So, teething baby and screaming girls equals a quick blog to block it all out!

Just a reminder on what the kitchen will look like and the layout…

Now the next set of pictures leads us to the new French door where there used to be windows in the family room. These photos were taken on May 11th, about a month after the last ones I posted.

Here is the new French door that leads to the deck. No more triple window.

From the deck looking at the house. Isn’t it pretty!

No more sliding glass door, it’s a window now.

The new bay window from the outside.

The French door from the inside. Plus we had some hardwood laid right in front of the French door so that you don’t come right in onto carpet.

It’s starting to come together little by little. The door was my biggest delight. I love it! I hope it invites some indoor/outdoor exchange and keeps the traffic flow out of the kitchen.

Kitchen Construction Part 2

2009-06-01T15:26:00.002+08:00

OK, thus far I have only updated you through mid March. My next set of pictures are from April 11th. Just one month later and my house looks like it’s just going up for the first time.

From the bar/sink area. I should point out that the hole in the drywall will have hanging glass door cabinets with a pass-through to the dining room underneath. No fear that the workers got carried away here. :)

From eating nook.

New bay window, where the triple window was.

New window where sliding glass window used to be.

Even more barren than before, the new bay window and the removal of the sliding glass door has opened up the kitchen a ton. From a fire code standard, this is a nightmare as there is currently no back exit from the house with the sliding glass door removed and the French door not yet in. We were counting our blessings we weren’t having to live in the house while this craziness was going on. I do know that the weather played a huge role at this time. They weren’t able to remove the windows and add the bay until there were about 3 days of no moisture in the forecast. This can be quite difficult in April.

Might I also add, all these pictures are courtesy of my stepdad, Mike. He’s been the official photographer of the Gooden Kitchen Remodel! Thanks, Mike!

Kitchen Construction

2009-06-01T09:06:00.000+08:00

As a number of you know, we have been remodeling our kitchen from afar. The idea being that we would return to live in our house this summer for good with a new kitchen and a fresh start. Well, half of that is still correct. We will have a new kitchen, but the fresh start will have to wait. Anyhow, I haven’t been posting pictures throughout this process, though I am not sure why I haven’t. It’s really a big chunk of what I think about (going home, that is) and gets me excited and full of anticipation that something new is awaiting me. This year we get to stay in our house for the summer as we aren’t renting it out. Good for me, as I would like to be the first person to use the kitchen!

Back to the construction…I started this process last summer while we were home for 5 weeks and I have been back twice since then for various holidays to further refine the design. I found some old (at times AWFUL) pics of the kitchen as it was originally. I wasn’t quick enough in asking someone to take “before” shots, so I had to dig through the archives and grab completely random pictures from various events.

Here is the layout for the “new” kitchen. I thought I would pass it along first so you can get a visual of the layout and help put the old kitchen pictures in their proper places of your mind.

The room at the layout is the dining room, it’s just not sketched in. This becomes important when I give you pictures from certain vantage points, now you know what I will be talking about.

From the old sliding glass door and windows.

From the old refrigerator.

From the dining room doorway.

From the bar area in the kitchen.

This is the view from the deck.

I realize the pics are pretty random, but hang in there!

Now that you have a visual or the “old” kitchen, I will treat you to a few construction pictures so you can see the progress.

Demolition began mid March. Here are a few pics from March 16 and 18th, 2009.

It looks so barren, but it still looks like progress to me.

Crawling is upon us!

2009-05-31T10:56:00.005+08:00

It's been weeks of watching him rock on his knees, flop on his stomach and squirm around on the floor. He even began pulling up to his knees, then to a standing position, but still no crawling. At 9 months and 2 days, he has it down! Jones is now crawling. Our life now pivots in a whole new direction as we realize we are behind in baby-proofing and can no longer feel confident he is right where we left him. Yesterday morning I got up with the kids and took this small video. He looks very uncoordinated, but he gets from A to B. Today, a whole 24 hours later, he is crawling around without any effort and much faster than yesterday. To top it all off, he showed off his new trick to my mom and Jenni on their last day here. It was great having family around for one of his milestones.

Disneyland, the Hong Kong version!

2009-05-17T18:59:00.010+08:00

It seems like all we have done lately is travel…I say this with gratefulness, excitement and exhaustion. Disneyland was the 2nd to last vacation on our Spring calendar. It was all about the kids, all for the kids, and all the kids had a blast. Thanks to another Filipino holiday, the children were out of school May 1st. Thursday night we all flew to Hong Kong to be well rested and prepped for an all day affair of Disney. We were lucky to have another family that decided to join our chaos. This always makes it more fun for the kids and for the adults. Little did our friends, the Rennakers, know, but we are quite a bunch to travel with. Someone is always asking for something, baby always needs fed, changed, sleep, and Curt and I have to take deep breathes just to keep from yelling at each other. It’s FUN! OK, normally that’s just the airport portion. Jones didn’t have a great flight. It was actually the first flight he did NOT sleep on. I realize that an hour and a half isn’t a very long flight, but when a baby isn’t sleeping when he should be…it felt like a 3-hour flight.

A quick breeze through the airport in Hong Kong and then it was a 15 minute taxi ride to Disneyland. Living in Manila, we are always amazed when the taxis travel more than 40 mph and are newer than 1990. This driver was so fast and there was no traffic! It was a gift all itself. We arrived at the Disneyland hotel, checked in and had the official adult kick off to a kid’s weekend….we had a drink! It was late and the kids were exhausted so sleep was easy to come by. The morning arrives too soon and kids are ready to get up by 6:30am. UGH! The character breakfast wasn’t until 8:30am…what to do. We strolled through the hotel, and killed some time.

The character breakfast was actually very good and we met Pluto, Goofy and Mickey. The kids played along, smiled when the cameras were out and stared in amazement at the proper times. We (the adults) were cracking up though as the characters don’t really speak inside their costumes so you rally don't notice the language/cultural barriers. This is only really funny when you hear the staff talk to them in Mandarin…hehe! Mickey is multilingual! Who knew?

It’s strange that the park doesn’t open until 10:30am as we had way too much time to stall. The kids played in the Mickey Maze made of hedges and explored the hotel for while as well. Then it was time for Jones to take a nap. The first day I stayed back with Jones and Curt and the girls, along with our friends, went on to the park. Since we were staying at the Disneyland hotel a quick shuttle bus away from the park, it worked out well for Jones’ naps. They all enjoyed the park for a few hours before I got there, then we all played together. Taking turns with each kid, eating lunch, and trying to catch a few shows. We left the park about 3:30pm for some, much needed, rest time. All 3 of our kids took a nap and I sat by the pool with our friends and had a cosmopolitan. Everyone woke up just in time to get ready to head back to the park for fireworks. We had a decent spot for watching and everyone enjoyed the display. They do such a great job at Disney. In fact, the Swine Flu gave us such an advantage that weekend. The lines were not long, it never felt too crowded, and it was incredibly clean. It was definitely magical. There were antibacterial foam stations everywhere you turned. They actually had workers using antibacterial wipes to wipe down the cars after each person rode it. Not to mention, the guy I saw wiping down the queuing railings to line up for the shuttle. It was a mother’s dream! The complete opposite of Manila…what a nice reprieve.

A late night again and an early morning to follow. Same routine for breakfast, though you can take out Pluto and add Daisy. This time Curt stayed back with Jones while I took the girls to the park with the Rennakers. It was so much fun to have the freedom to run around with them and not stop to deal with the stroller, etc. I really had a great time. Jones didn’t sleep long, so he and Curt met back up with us after about an hour. Because the lines were fairly short we were able to ride the rides and keep the flow going. Had lunch and back at it we were. The Rennakers left about 3pm for their flight back and we stayed for a few more hours to repeat some of our favorites. Back to the hotel and out to the pool where we had dinner…and drinks, of course.

The next morning we did another character breakfast and didn’t see anyone knew. While Jones took a nap, I packed us up and Curt wandered around the hotel with the girls. They played tennis, went through the maze, and who knows what else. Then it was off to the airport. The airport was the highlight for me. I have been there before, so I shouldn’t have been so shocked, but after traveling much more since the first time I was there, I was flabbergasted by how awesome the airport was. I could have lived there! Great stores, all new, all clean (can you see I like clean things) and many restaurants (even American ones). It was too soon when we had to board, I was enjoying myself. We were home by 4pm and down at our pool by 4:30pm! A little take out pizza and that wrapped up our amazing family weekend!

Slight Hiatus

2009-04-29T19:52:00.001+08:00

I know a have one or two people that check to see if I have written a new blog on a daily basis. With my new “fan” base, I thought I owed you a bit of an explanation as to why I have been a bit quiet this week. First of all, I have hopped back on my “exercise" wagon and the time I have been blogging in the morning was eaten up by 6 consecutive games of squash, where Curt kicked my butt, one exhilarating run on the treadmill and taking the girls to school this morning. On another note, and probably the most significant reason for my silence, is that Curt and I lost a friend this weekend to ovarian cancer. She was a friend and neighbor from Colorado who we have been keeping in touch with from over here. Her contagiously optimistic and bubbly personality has kept me from writing a sad, somber blog about how much darker this world is without her sunshine. She would frown upon the drama! For those of you who have read my blog from the beginning, I did talk of her as one of my inspirations for getting my lazy butt out of this chair and working out almost every day.

Needless to say, it was tough to write a blog on having clothes made here or furniture or anything else that I had on my list to write about. All the sudden, it all seemed so insignificant. Instead, I am just going to give the blogging a rest for a few more days, ponder what great attributes of Shelly’s I would like to carry on in myself (I do this a lot with people I like…try to snag a good trait of theirs and incorporate it into by being. Often I fail, but at least I try to be a better person…), and think about how I can send my respects to her family.

Tomorrow evening we head to Hong Kong….ok, but only because we are going to Hong Kong Disney and we haven’t been there yet. So, I am sure I will send pictures early next week. For now, take care, kiss your loved ones and make a toast to Shelly and her incredible family!

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle (RRR)

2009-04-21T18:26:00.001+08:00

Aleah brought home her homework tonight for us to do together. They are working on a unit for Earth Day. She has been brainstorming ways to conserve so our earth is around for future generations. Tonight’s homework was to talk about the three R’s and ways we can contribute at home. Before Curt left for his flight for Cebu they were working on ways to Reduce. I was busy feeding Jones and asked her to start on Reuse and I would check in with her when I was done. Five minutes passed and I was able to talk through her ideas with her. For Reuse, she thought cans, water bottles and wood were good choices. I asked her to explain as I wasn’t sure she had the concept down correctly. She explained that we can reuse cans, because the Yaya’s (a Filipino nanny) can clean them out and use them as pencil holders! Now that cracked me up! Never have I heard or imagined that my kids would use this type of deduction and then include it in their brainstorming for a class assignment…only in the Philippines!

Hello Hanoi!

2009-04-19T19:55:00.001+08:00

It’s time to back up a month or so and finish blogging about our trip to Vietnam. I realize that I still have to finish Cambodia, but I figured Vietnam could be easily done in one post and I am all about checking things off my to do list. Vietnam was on our list of places to travel, mainly, because Curt’s brother, Kenny, was going to meet us there. When his plans changed, we just never changed ours. So…after 3 nights in Cambodia, we headed to Vietnam. We decided to go to the less busy, more slow-paced, Hanoi to spend most of our time. We only had 3 nights there and one of them we got in town just in time for bed. Since we were so tired, we slept in the next morning and got ready VERY slowly, not leaving the hotel until 11am. As we were preparing for the day, we marked off the few “have to see” places in Hanoi so we had some goal in mind. We started at the Old Quarter and visited the pagoda in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake.

Meandering through the busy streets of Hanoi was an experience in and of itself. I have NEVER EVER seen so many motorcycles, motorbikes, mopeds or any other motorized 2-wheeled forms of transportation. It reminded me of an ant farm. At some moments, you couldn’t see the concrete under the motorcycles, there were so many. They were up on the side walk, running into pedestrians, making it obvious that they rule the space outside. Although as you passed by residences and stores, it was not uncommon to see a motorbike inside. You would be shocked how small of a space they can fit through.

On with the walk. We were in search of a place for lunch and had a restaurant in mind, but were struggling to find it. After about 20 minutes of serious searching we fell upon it. This was a French Cafe that also acts as an art gallery. It was really cute and the people were very nice.

Now the top thing we had wanted to do while we were there was visit the old Hanoi Prison (as known as the Hanoi Hilton). It’s a fraction of the size it used to be, as they demolished most of it to build a serviced apartments. Gotta love that! The prison has a brutal history starting with the French occupation and ending with the Vietnam War. As we read the descriptions of the artifacts, it was clear that the perspective we were reading from. NOT AMERICAN!

They even went so far as to say they treated the American POW pilots better than their local prisoners and had pictures of them receiving gifts and playing basketball. Looked like a bunch of American frat boys hanging out in Vietnam. It was pretty absurd. Very informative of the cultural, so we felt we were getting a good cultural lesson. The kids were exhausted already, as were we, so we headed back to the hotel for dinner. We ordered in and tucked away the kids, just to collapse ourselves.

We felt very fortunate the following day as we connected with a former AWCP (American Women’s Club of the Philippines) member that recently moved to Hanoi, “B” (as in Beverly). Spending time with B was a saving grace for us, we loved spending time with her. Turns out this was also reciprocated, as she was longing for an English conversation where she was clearly understood. B took us to one of her favorite museums, the Ethnology Museum and we walked the halls learning about Vietnamese history and culture. We were shocked to learn that Catholic religion plays a HUGE role there and even had it’s own wing in the museum! Who would have thought! At the rear of the museum, they had built traditional Vietnamese houses you can walk in. It was a great way to learn about the culture. B then took us back down to the Old Quarter to some of her favorite stores. B took us to a tea house she likes that overlooks Hoan Kiem Lake. We had to walk through a clothing store to then enter a residence (which was in, what they call, a tube house). Then we placed our tea/coffee order and headed up 3 flights of VERY tight spiral staircases to then end up on the roof of the residence overlooking the lake. It was a great view and the Vietnamese coffee is much better than the coffee I loved in college/grad school (Young’s Cafe for those of you in the “know”). Curt and I ordered Vietnamese coffee as often as possible! It was truly a unique experience we would have never had without B. We dined on street food, which was bold and daring for us, as it’s usually not recommended for tourists. B vouched for the sidewalk stands, so we felt we could trust the food. Ellery was the only one who wasn’t keen on the food (although I am sure that doesn’t surprise anyone), although she did ask Curt to buy her handmade cracker/cookies from a vendor walking down the street. Turns out, they were pretty good! The rest of us enjoyed the food and were quite surprised how much we liked it. Curt and I knew we liked Vietnamese food and have sought out a good restaurant we like here in the Philippines as well, but street food is better. It must be the idea that you are sitting in tiny chairs on a sidewalk and eating from a vendor you know hasn’t use Clorox in the existence of his little stand. It’s daring, bold and oh, so good! From there we stopped in a lot of shops and wound our way through the Old Quarter. We were hoping to make it back in time to get tickets to the water puppet show. We were actually too late and the show was sold out until several hours later. Somehow, Curt begged and pleaded with the ticket lady and was able to get us all in for the next show.

We killed time by the lake while we waited. Water puppet shows are the equivalent to Vietnamese cultural shows. It’s a pretty old tradition and a very original idea. It’s exactly as it sounds. There is a curtain with a pool of water in front of it. People behind the curtain push out puppets, on long sticks, from behind the curtain and the puppets interact and dance to the music, in the water. Except for a very tired baby on our hands, everyone enjoyed the show and we even bought puppets at the end.

Too long of day and I was even nodding off on the way to the hotel. Then we had to pack and prepare and tomorrow we headed to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) for one night. You might think we were nuts going to Ho Chi Minh, but we had to go there to catch our plane to Manila the next morning, otherwise we would have skipped it. By 12pm the following day, Curt was at the pool with the girls at the hotel in Ho Chi Minh and Jones was napping. We didn’t want to waste a night in Ho Chi Minh sitting at the hotel, so we made reservations at a neat restaurant in a nice hotel downtown. We went early and walked the more popular streets and were surprised at how much we liked the city. It was very different from Hanoi, but there was a lot to see and interesting things to look at. We even took the girls in a shop and bought them Vietnamese outfits. Curt and I were a little disappointed we didn’t plan more time here, but there is really only so much you can do in 8 days! As we packed up that night and prepared for our journey home, we felt we didn’t give Vietnam our heart. Not because we didn’t like it, but because we were so exhausted after Cambodia. I have lived and learned and now I know that after a major sightseeing vacation, we need to head straight to the beach for 3 days to recover!

Oh, Bali!

2009-04-14T20:21:00.003+08:00

I am at a loss as to where to start on this blog about Bali. We arrived with pent up energy from several weeks of busy traveling, where we never sat and enjoyed the moment. It was all about where we needed to be and how fast can we move (which isn’t very fast for a family of 5). I had us booked in the Club area at the hotel, so from the moment we walked in at 10pm, we transformed into different people. No long lines, posh room, every need we had was taken care of. We spent the days alternating from the beach to the pool. The waves were pretty rough, but perfect for teaching body surfing.

An hour at the beach and then back to the pool. One afternoon, Curt napped with Ellery and Jones and Aleah and I spent some girl time by the pool. At one point we were just floating on our backs looking at the sky. The sun was behind a palm tree and there were no clouds…it was perfect. Everyone was happy!

On Friday, I had booked us for a bike tour of Ubud. We were up early and in the car too long, but once we got on the bikes it was breathtaking. The Balinese countryside is quite beautiful. I caught myself wondering if the people of Bali realize the beauty they see daily. I know I was always aware in CO of how lucky I was to see the mountains whenever I wanted. I hoped they understood how lucky they were. Ellery decided she was too hot for the bike and so she rode in the “chase car” most of the time.

Curt and I alternated riding with Aleah as Jones fell asleep at one of the stops and I didn’t have the heart to wake him. I made sure Curt biked the harder parts of the tour. ;) That was about all I could get the family to do for this trip. There was so much down time we needed to make up for that all anyone wanted to do was lounge. So, we lounged!

I was able to talk Aleah into shopping with me one afternoon, but I didn’t get much and felt the tug to be back with everyone else. It was just hot and sleepy and cozy to be by the pool drinking beers and watching the girls play in the water (and playing with them as well). There was a lot of nothing happening. Our biggest decision was where we would have dinner and going off the resort was out of the question as it was too much to walk the 100 yards to the nearest restaurant.

We had some wonderful, playful, relaxing days and some nice, quiet, and peaceful nights. The kids club was the best I have ever seen and one of the nannies from the kids club would come to the room to stay with Jones after he went to sleep at night. The kids couldn’t wait to go to the kids club at night, so it was refreshing to have everyone where they needed to be and Curt and I alone for a few hours.

All I can say is that we will go back there again in the next year and I WILL shop more and buy LOTS more next time! We are rested, refreshed and ready to face the world again…well, almost!

Lil’ Swimmer

2009-04-05T15:41:00.001+08:00

Today marks the first day Jones has gone swimming! Thus far in his life, Curt has taken the girls to the pool while Jones naps and I catch up on the never ending “to do” list. But today….today, was a day for the baby books. We were all so excited to get in the water with him. Aleah wouldn’t even go play until he could come in (he had to eat first), so she just hung out, patiently waiting. There really isn’t too much of a build up. The end result is that he loved it!

We all had a good time seeing his reaction and enjoying his smile. I think at this stage with a third baby, I am enjoying the girls, as they watch Jones do all his “firsts.” I feel like I was just prodding them along not too long ago and now they are helping him as he grows up. It’s pretty sweet!

Technorati Tags: Swimming,Jones,firsts

Swimming with Sharks! This is not a euphemism!

2009-03-31T21:38:00.003+08:00

What an amazing 36 hour vacation! We left the house at 4:30am to catch a 6am flight. We met up with 2 other families (the Charles’ and the Fischelis’) at the airport. This was great as there were always kids to play with! As we yawned our way through check in, the anticipation was in the air. We landed safely in Legaspi, Philippines after a very short, 40 minute flight. Upon landing we were in awe of the view. Mt. Mayon, an active volcano loomed so close. The airport was almost at the base of it. It is a perfectly shaped volcano, just as you remember from your child-hood textbooks. Still smoking from the crater, it was a sight to see. Off the plane, got our luggage and we settled in for an hour and 15 minute drive up and down the winding road to Donsol. Until you visit here and get a chance to ride in a car with a local driver, you have no idea the speed that a minivan can actually go without tipping on a 50 degree turn. Holy cow! Children’ playing alongside the road, people biking, chickens crossing and somehow, no one gets hit. I really don’t know how they do it (the animals/people or the driver).

We arrived at our hotel too early for check in, so we changed into our suits and left our luggage in the lobby. Off to the boats we go, ready to see some whale sharks. The kids were revved up and excited as well. We check in, watch a 12 minute video on whale shark conservation. Whale sharks have been, and currently still are, hunted. There has been a huge push worldwide to teach ecotourism in order to replace income from hunting. Donsol is one of the best success stories in this aspect. We have 3 families (6 adults and 8 children) so we have to split into 2 boats. Aleah, never able to leave Kate’s side, went on the boat with the Charles family. We loaded up with snorkel gear for everyone and got comfortable on the boat ready for a bit of a boat ride before we had to get ready. Little did we know, we didn’t have to go far. Not 10 minutes later, the guides started grumbling and said “get ready.” And when they mean get ready, they do not mean at a leisurely pace, they mean NOW. In just a minute, maybe two, you need to have your gear on and be sitting with your legs hanging over the side ready to jump when you hear “GO!”

I stayed on the boat the first time with the Jones and Elle, while Curt went to out. This way he could gauge the fear factor and see if it was something we should encourage Ellery to do. He came back with a huge smile and full of excitement for all of us. Ellery geared up and the next sighting she went with him.

We still aren’t sure she actually saw anything, but she went out…

Ellery and Curt out looking for sharks!

If you are wondering what Jones was doing, he was hanging out on the deck. Curt and I disassembled the bouncy seat and packed it in the suitcase. We reassembled and brought with us on the boat. What a gem he was. He bounced along as we went and was a great sport! Next up was me! I admit, jumping out of a moving banca boat was a bit nerve-racking, but it was much easier than I thought. I followed the guides pointing and looked down…WOW! There was this great big sea creature with white spots slowly coming in my direction. It didn’t care I was there and made no sudden moves. It just glided along. I stopped just to turn my head and take in the sheer size of the animal. It was amazing. Here I am, not too comfortable in the open water, swimming alongside an animal the length of about two minivans put together. Not to mention as large as the minivans as well. From what I hadread, I knew this was a smaller shark and I couldn’t imagine what a larger one would be like.

Curt and I took turns and a few times the other mom, Liz, that we were with, stayed with the kids and Curt and I both went out. That was such an amazing experience. In fact, one of the times we were together in the water, we saw a large shark. We were able to swim alongside it, up to its head, drift back, snorkel underwater next to it and spend some quality shark time together. This same shark went deep in the water where we almost lost her and then came back up, right underneath us. We had to move out of the way. I believe we spent about 10 minutes in the water that time, just swimming with it. You should note they are slow, but not that slow. We had to kick pretty hard and steady to stay with it.

This went on and on for 3 hours and we loved every minute of it. Aleah couldn’t stop talking about how cool it was and ALL, adults and children alike, were having a blast. Ellery went in a few other times only to get water in nose or in her eyes and lose out on the experience. After the 3 hour tour (yes, I hear Gilligan as well…), we had lunch and headed back for some much needed R&R at the hotel. The hotel was VERY rough, and were it not the nicest hotel in Donsol, I would not being staying there. I am way too much of a hotel snob to stay at places this rough, but I managed and did so with a smile and, I don’t believe, any complaints! We had a great, but slow, dinner at a local spot known for its fresh seafood. You should know, it is also the ONLY real restaurant there, everything else is attached to the little hotel and the food is very Filipino (for me that means not very good). The next morning we got up and were on the boats by 7:30am! That says a lot for 14 people! This time Aleah and Kate went with Curt and the Fischelis’ and Jones, Ellery and I went with the rest of the Charles family. Basically, I didn’t get to swim with Aleah, but Curt did.

Aleah, Curt and Kate

There were not as many sightings this morning, which was a bummer as we were told the early mornings were the best times. I did get Ellery back in the water once and immediately she saw the whale shark and took her out of the water saying “I see it, I see it!” She enjoyed it and went out with Jim another time as well. Curt, Bill and Jim were all on a mission to get the best video. I think the one I included here was pretty darn good. I think Curt took it, but I am not positive. Bill took turns filming. We were on the road back to the airport by 11:30am and home (after a much delayed flight) by 4pm. What a fast trip!

I would have never thought I would do something like this and I am doubtful I would have if Bill hadn’t invited us and reserved the rooms. So many people talk about how awesome it is, but until I did it, I wasn’t quite a believer! Now, we will definitely go back!

Learning about where I am living...

2009-03-26T20:35:00.005+08:00

I am not the most avid history buff, ok, I really don't enjoy it all to be honest. I do however, love it when someone can tell it in a story. Textbooks make me sleepy, but animated storytellers have my full attention. With that said, I organized a tour to the Museum of the Filipino People and to the National Museum with tour guide John Silva (www.johnsilva.blogspot.com) for the American Women's Club of the Philippines. [For those of you who did not already know this, I am the tours chair for this club which entitles me to pick and chose tours I want to do, when I want to do them. Everyone says how nice it is for me to do this, but I know it's really all about me, my schedule, my wants and my desires...I would love to say I am altruistic, but, in reality, I am far from it.] The tour was for three hours today and we went through two museums. I was very impressed by the museums. They were done very well, have interesting artifacts (lots of sunken ship treasures off the coasts) and taught me more about the country I live in that I thought could be managed in one day. John is captivating, funny and extremely intelligent. I thought I would share my favorite part of the tour with you to pass on a bit of knowledge. On a side note (yes, I have lots of side notes), we live in a condominium complex of five buildings; Rizal, Hidalgo, Luna and Amorsolo East and Amorsolo West. I have previously learned that Rizal is the national hero of the Philippines and Hidalgo was a painter, but beyond that...I was clueless. Back to the tour...The painting below, as we were told, was the match that lit the fire in the Spanish Revolution. It's a painting of the room where dead Roman gladiators were taken. The painting was done by Juan Luna, a Filipino painter in Spain and good friends with Rizal and with Hidalgo (see how all these names come together). Both Luna and Hidalgo submitted a painting (Luna submitted this particular one) to an art contest in Spain that no Filipino had ever entered. Luna ended up winning the contest, with Hidalgo coming in 2nd. Exciting for the Philippines to have two painters given the honor that a party was thrown on their behalf. Rizal was asked at the last minute to get up and say a few words about his best buddies and toast their accomplishments. A few glasses of wine in him and he rambled on and on (as I am here) giving his impressions of their work. He must have bitten into a sour grape as he blurts out how this painting symbolizes the repression of the Filipino people by the Spaniards...oops! His little speech was sent back to the Philippines to be published in the paper. His family was arrested, he was a wanted man and the result is that he stood and fought for Philippine independence only to be jailed and subsequently killed by a firing squad. What an interesting story, eh? Maybe it was just me, but I was enjoying it.
After the tour, we had lunch at an ancestral home that is now a restaurant. La Cocina de Tita Moning is the name and it is a museum in itself. Lots of family history in this home and the food was very good. All 14 of us enjoyed ourselves and got a rich cultural experience for the day. I hope everyone else left with an added piece of knowledge they didn't have before, I know I left with TONS!

Part 2 of Day 1 in Cambodia

2009-03-23T14:54:00.011+08:00

What a fantastic day this was! Everyone needed a little R&R. Mexican food and the appropriate alcoholic beverages made for a nice break. We sent the dads and the smaller tikes home for a nap/rest and the moms and the older girls (Ella and Aleah) went for a bit of shopping and a 30 minute Khmer massage. Now this was hilarious, and after living in Asia, not too surprising. They took us to a room with 5 thin mattresses on the floor (covered with a sheet, nothing gross or anything). Each of us layed on one, only to be instructed that we needed to remove our outermost clothing....hmmm. Interesting with 2 adults and 2 children in the room and no separation...When in Rome (or Cambodia)! So we had a nice massage and then wandered around a few blocks of the city. There was a street performer attempting to impress us as he did a headstand over knives and jumped through a firey hoop. I think the locals had more fun watching than the tourists. We soon grabbed a tuk tuk (motorcycle pulling a cart) back to the hotel and gathered the rest of the family to head out to see two more temples. The first was Banteay Srey. Banteay Srey was commissioned in 967. Seriously, this thing was built in the 10th century. I was in awe of such a masterpiece. It was red sandstone with tons of detailed carvings. It was very small in comparison to Angkor Wat, but probably much prettier in my mind. It is delicate and "girly" if a structure could ever be deemed so. We really enjoyed this temple and the beauty of the red sandstone in the afternoon light. It was really was gorgeous.

In an effort to see a beautiful sunset, we traveled to Pre Rup, a smaller temple on the way back. When I say small here, I mean by how much land mass it covers. The plot of land it is on is fairly small, but the number and steepness of stairs led you up to almost it's full height. We weren't the only ones with this idea as we watched the sun set with 100 of our new best friends. As the other kids were beginning to tire, I headed back to the van with them. Liz, Bill, Curt and Aleah stayed up on the temple taking lots of photos.

Knowing we pushed the kids as far as we could, we decided to order pizza on the way home to be delivered to our hotel. Pizza and showers later and the kids were tucked in and the adults were melting into their chairs with beers on hand. Whew! One day down!

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

2009-03-22T21:42:00.019+08:00

We just got back from a wonderful, week long trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. In my mind, there are two types of vacations, the relaxing ones where you lay on a beach all day and the adventurous ones where you’re constantly on the go and trying to see and experience as much as you possibly can. This was definitely one of the latter… We were gone for 7 days and had so many wonderful experiences that there’s no way I can sum it all up in one posting, so I’m going to break it up into several and start with the highlight of the trip which was Angkor Wat. But, let me start at the beginning… We left Manila on Saturday morning with our friends, the Fischellis’ family, and pretty much spent all day traveling (connected through Bangkok). We landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia around 3pm and I was very impressed with their airport. I’ve been to some pretty remote places and some pretty sketchy airports in the world, so I really was expecting the worst. However, Siem Reap has built a new International airport which is very small, but very clean, organized, and just plain nice. First impressions of the place were very good based on this initial experience. Once we got out of the airport and into the city itself, it also proved to be very nice. It is small, clean and very easy to get around in. The people were very friendly and all in all, I highly recommend this place to anyone to go visit. For the rest of the first night, we just decided to relax around the hotel with some time at the pool dinner at the local restaurant. The hotel we stayed at was very nice and the configuration couldn’t be better. We had two rooms next to each other on the second floor and right outside our doors was “the library” which is a nice open air area with a few tables and a veranda overlooking the city. So at night, we were able to put all the kids down to bed, crack the doors of the rooms, and then the adults could hang out in a beautiful setting with a few drinks and talk (while always watching out for the large mosquitoes and many geckos lining the walls and ceiling). All in all, it was a very nice and relaxing way to start the vacation.

We got an early start the next morning. Once we left the hotel, we all headed to Angkor Wat. This is the most famous temple complex in Cambodia (depicted on their national flag) built in the early 12th century. This place truly was amazing to see and I feel extremely fortunate that we are all able to visit such unique places in this world and be face to face with such historic and cultural sites. I carried Jones in a backpack carrier and the girls did great walking the grounds with no (ok, very few) complaints. Due to where the sun was positioned (early morning), we went the reverse way through the complex than most tourists take and started at the back and walked through the complex towards the front. This was really cool as we were not constantly mobbed with a bunch of other tourists (even though it really wasn’t that crowded) and the sites kept getting better and more spectacular the further we went into it. As we went through, the sun was behind us in the East, so we were able to get some great pictures the whole way through with the sun at our backs. Angkor Wat is just an amazing site which really takes your breath away. I personally love ancient history and really get excited about visiting such fascinating sites.

Angkor Wat is a very large complex which is surrounded by a moat and outer wall which is 2.2 miles long. Inside the complex itself are 3 rectangular galleries with 5 towers at the inner most gallery. The city of Siem Reap is in the region of Angkor which was the ancient capital area of the Khmer empire. Within the area of Angkor, there were over 1,000 temples built between the 9th and 15th centuries. The word Angkor is the Khmer word for capital and the word Wat means temple. Therefore, Angkor Wat is roughly translated to “Capital Temple”. There are many other temples in the Angkor area which we visited that were all unique and amazing in their own ways, but I’ll get to those in subsequent blogs. The Angkor Wat site is the most famous because it is the largest temple in the area and the best preserved.

It took us over two hours to walk all the way through the complex. We had an excellent tour guide who was patient enough to work with us at our own pace which you can imagine was quite slow with 5 kids. I feel we were able to explore quite a bit of the temple and it’s amazing to see the wonderful architecture and level of detail in the many bas-reliefs throughout the complex. I think the kids enjoyed being little explorers and Aleah was even asking some very insightful questions. Ellery was just as excited to find every bug and rock that she could along the way and I think the history of the place was rather lost on her. We also just made sure to get lots of pictures of Jones there to prove to him one day that he really was there as I’m sure the experience will not be long remembered by him.

The next morning Bill and I even got up at 4:30am before the rest of the families and headed back to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise and take some pictures. This was a great experience as I sat in front of one of the ponds directly in front of the temple to catch day break and the colors in the sky over the temple and the picturesque beauty were a wonderful sight to see. Between day break and actual sunrise, we went into the temple and explored the completely empty structure. This was a completely different experience than the day before as Bill and I were the only ones in the whole building (that we could see) compared to the many tourists that were in it the day before. Very unique and surreal, to say the least. Bill and I separated there and he stayed inside to get more pictures inside the temple during the actual sunrise and I went back to the pond to get some nice pictures of the sun actually coming up over the temple and capture the images reflecting in the pond. I think I got some nice pictures, but this is the moment when I really wish I had a much nicer camera.

To wrap up the section on Angkor Wat, we made one more special trip there… On the last morning we were in Siem Reap, I took Aleah and Ellery to ride the hot air balloon up to look out over Angkor Wat (while Julie and Jones went shopping in town). This was a cool experience which I think the kids really enjoyed (because they got to go up in the balloon), but the day was sort of hazy and the view wasn’t that clear. It was definitely a unique experience, but not the highlight of the trip. That’s about all for now and the stories will continue from our other adventures in future blogs.

This picture was taken on Ellery's 5th birthday! And no, I didn't buy her the horse.

Farewell for now…

The Grand Balls of Manila

2009-03-10T07:38:00.005+08:00

So, we have been here over 18 months and still never attended a charity ball. We have attended the American Women’s Club Hoedown the first few months we were here, but none of the fancy, “prom nights” (as a friend here likes to call them). I was determined to go to one before I left. I got Curt on board, put into motion having my dress made and all the other fun things that go into these events. There are several balls and what they are simply, are excuses to get dressed up and raise money for one of several expat (mostly expat organizations) clubs that then gives the money to the charities they sponsor. This ball was the ANZA ANCHAM (Australian New Zealand Association in conjunction with the Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce) Ball. The theme was A Night on the Orient Express which was nice as it is a broad theme. About 2 weeks prior to the ball, Curt informed me he would be in India on this night…UGH! Seriously! Then it was the dilemma, dress in the works already, maybe only ball I go to vs. going solo. Well, if you know me, it wasn’t too much of a decision. Off I went, see ya, Curt!
I was lucky enough to have good friends here that let me tag along with them. It’s been awhile since I have been to something “stag” and even longer that I have gone stag and had to get up with 3 kids the next morning (Jill, the noonies don’t work on Sunday, so don’t start mocking me now!). The best part was I didn’t have to worry who I left Curt stranded with, the worst part, I didn’t have someone to rescue from a dire conversation! I am so used to this balance that I was a fish out of water this night. All in all, it was a great place to see people that you haven’t seen in awhile and make future plans to see them again (if your memory serves you after all the cocktails). I didn’t win any raffle prizes or silent auctions, but I had a great time and hope if there is another one soon, I can get Curt to go with me to that one!

I should thank my photographers for the first two photos: Aleah and Ellery Gooden. They were fabulous and encouraged me to make silly faces! One day I need to teach them that shooting people from underneath isn't always the best "look."

Katrine and I

Jake, Heath, Myself, Julie and Maggie

Ellery's Cupcakes

2009-03-06T16:15:00.006+08:00

It's that time of year again...Ellery's birthday. For now she is my barometer of how old I am. Once Jones turns 1, he will take her spot. Ellery will be 5 yrs old on the 16th of March. I can't believe it! From colicky baby, to defiant toddler to an inquisitive learner, she has transformed. Where once there were tears, now there seems to be more laughter. In all her glory she our child of extremes. She is rarely just OK...she lives life on the poles; VERY HAPPY or VERY ANGRY. Once you figure her out, she is tender and loving and insistent on negotiating every rule. She challenges us with her wits on a daily basis and we don't think that is ever going to end. She has a competetive nature, which makes life a fun contest (who can go to sleep first, stay asleep the longest, run faster, whistle louder and so on and so forth). She needs clear expectations at every turn which we try hard to set up for her so no one is disappointed.

We are having her birthday party this Sunday because her birthday falls on spring break. So we will be off on an adventure that week in Cambodia and Vietnam, but will be sure to do something fun (thinking hot air balloon over Angkor Wat) to celebrate! Today, she and I made cupcakes for the party. She did almost all of it herself and loved it, never getting bored. Ellery licking the spoon on the first batch of cupcakes.

Aleah came home from school towards the end and finished off whatever Elle had left.

Jones' First Cereal

2009-02-24T19:56:00.006+08:00

Although all the kids are changing at a rapid pace, Jones obviously changes the most these days. Currently, the ongoing debate in my head is whether or not I am losing my milk supply. I despise this part of nursing. On most days I am a confident mother, with clear beliefs on how to raise her children and a belief that I really do have all the answers to their needs(although sometimes I have to dig to find them)! But when it comes to milk production, I freak out and question myself and worry I am not providing enough. As I go through this mental battlefield, I have decided to begin Jones on cereal a few days before he turns 6 months. This is to also prolong nursing a bit and help fill him as I untangle myself from the (Am I working out too much or does the valve just turn off at 6 months). It bothered me to do this while Curt is out of town, but Curt would rather I feed him than fret all week...I appreciate that, honey, I really do.
Without another adult in the room to help document the momentous occasion, I was assisted by a 7 yr old and a 4 yr old. Not to mention, the 7 yr old was way more worried about the pictures she wanted to take on her camera and could care less what we got on ours. So off we go...

The first bite came as a surprise, as usual, but he managed it. You could tell the texture was strange and he wasn't exactly sure what to do with the cereal. The second bite went much like the first bite. Then came the 3rd bite. Holy cow, I have never seen a child shudder at the thought of eating. He cracked us all up. I would raise the spoon and he would cringe and shudder. I imagined it to be like watching someone eat balut (fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell). The shiver that starts at the base of your spine and works it's way up to your neck. It was hilarious! He couldn't even look at it, let alone eat it. Poor thing!

For those of you concerned, tonight's (Day 2 of cereal) cereal was received much better. No shuddering, just a few grimaces, but eventually he opened his mouth a few times for me. I consider it progress! Now...if he will go back to sleeping through the night, all will be well!

Oh, what a day!

2009-02-17T19:31:00.011+08:00

I have been racking my brain on what to blog lately and when I do come up with things, I don't have the pictures I want to add to it. So, please know, I have more ideas a'brewin' and will share them as I get pictures to go with them.

Then today, I remembered it was 'Salon Day!' I can blog what it's like to go to the salon in the Philippines. Now, I say salon 'day' with full honesty as it takes a better part of your day to get a good 'do around here. Lots of expats will argue who is the best hairdresser in town, but for me, it's Philipe. Philipe is French...yes, he can be a stereotypical French man, but once you get past all that, he's a great guy! Totally normal guy who loves golf and fine wine and has traveled tons of places. Anyhow, after going to him for almost a year and a half now, I do think he is one of the best colorists I have ever worked with. Now, onto the day...Let me start off by saying, I coordinate my haircuts and color with my friend, Jen. Sounds weird, but when you are in a salon for at least 3 hours on each visit, you need someone to chat with. So, Jen and I are shown our chairs (side by side, of course) and then get our consultation with Philipe. We discuss layers and flips and thinning and texture and so and so forth for about 5 minutes until we think we have a mutual understanding of what I want. Frankly, I usually say "Sure, that sounds good, go for it." I am just getting so bored with my hair these days. Jen, on the other hand, knows exactly what she wants each time and has a pretty lengthy discussion with Philippe on what she wants. After this, I get a shampoo. A GOOD shampoo. For all of you that have had a good shampoo, you know what it's like. Think 10 minute head massage. Such a yummy experience. From there, I get another head massage for 5 minutes in the chair. See, Philipe goes back and forth from me to Jen. Philipe begins cutting...and cutting. He is actually quite fast, the cut takes under 10 minutes. Because I am getting a color as well, he has the dryer girl, dry my hair. Once dry, no less than 3 people work on foiling my hair. He picks out the color, tells them how thick/thin to foil and what ratio of color goes on, then they take over. Sometimes it's unnerving, like a swarm of mosquitoes buzzing around my head. One person hold the hair, one person brushes on the color, that person hands the comb to other person so the 2nd person can fold up to foil. It's cumbersome to watch and remember, there is usually a 2nd "team" working on the other side of my head as well. Today I also needed a polish change on my toes, so I had another person at my feet. Anyone feeling claustrophobic yet? Once they are done (about an hour later as they do the thinnest layers of hair I have ever seen), I sit for 25 minutes under the heat lamp. After that, Philipe himself comes to check my color and approves me to "cool down," then get rinsed off. Here goes another yummy shampoo! This takes a bit longer than the last time as I get conditioner as well! Back to the chair I go for the dryer girl to dry my hair. It takes her about 20 minutes and then Philipe approves his own finished product and sometimes cuts a little more or styles it differently, depending on his mood. Today, he said he liked it and I was done! Sounds fast, huh? Ok, so it sounds slow and it is slow. Today's appointment took 3 1/2 hours! I was prepared for it, so it wasn't too bad, but seriously, 3 1 /2 hours!

Helmet Schmelmet! Part 2

2009-02-08T19:33:00.004+08:00

As an addendum to my previous blog on the lack of improper helmet use, I thought this picture that I quickly snapped with my blackberry was appropriate. So the parents have helmets on, although notice they still are not appropriate, and in order to disguise the fact that the children do not have helmets, the parents have put them in baseball hats. Very creative, but still not what is called for. Funny, all the helmet talk and I almost overlooked the fact that 4 people, no matter their age, should never been on a moped or motorcycle together...ever! I just get so used to seeing it...

Awesome Antonio's!

2009-02-08T09:32:00.007+08:00

There are several pockets of beauty in this country. And by pockets, I could mean experiences, views, inexpensive luxuries, etc. Last week, we were able to experience, for a second time, the most exquisite restaurant we have found in the Philippines, called Antonio's. It is located in Tagatay, 1 1/2 - 3 hours from Manila. Such a wide range as traffic is truly that unpredictable. Last Friday it took us 2 hours to get down there. This restaurant is in the open-air, has amazing food, indirect lighting reminiscent of candle light, and great service. It was a bit of spontaneity that we went there. See, our friend, Corrine, who used to live in Manila, came back for a visit last week. We met her for the first time on our first visit to Antonio's, so in honor of that awesome event, she insisted we take a trip down nostalgia road (no lanes here!).

As per our last trip to Antonio's we grabbed some bottles of wine and some plastic cups and we were off on a road trip at 5:30pm! We pulled into Antonio's at 7:30pm, just in time for our reservations, and were soon greeted by Antonio himself who raved about a few of his appetizers (beef tartar and roasted bone marrow!). Seriously, it is exquisite cuisine, these are the stranger things on the menu. In the spirit of adventure, we tried both of these and an additional appetizer. The tartar was AWESOME! The bone marrow was good as well, but not as good as the tartar.

Bone Marrow Appetizer

We spent 2 1/2 glorious hours enjoying great friends (along with Corrine were Kit and Paul, who also went on the original trip!), great food and good wine. We were fortunate in having exceptional weather as well. I would guess it was 85 with a gentle breeze. The atmosphere is quiet, romantic, soothing and divine all wrapped in one. I thank Corrine for forcing me to be spontaneous as I am usually quite grateful for the experience! We cannot wait to go again and hope we have some visitors to share in this pocket of beauty with us next time!

From Left to Right: Paul, myself, Kit, Corrine and Curt

Our dearest, Jones, at 5 mos!

2009-02-01T11:09:00.012+08:00

Just because he's changing so much these days, I thought I would send a few pictures of Jones. And just because people, mainly grandparents and aunts and uncles, want to see what he is like in action, I added a little video of him. He's not doing anything special, he's just being Jones. When I set out to take the pictures last week, I was trying to get those cute baby pictures of him playing with his feet. He has recently discovered them and plays with his toes, mostly during diaper changes. For those of you who don't really know him, let me give you a little taste of this adorable little baby. He is the most animated and smiley of our children. He rarely cries, though he will fuss and groan here and there to communicate. He is pure joy in human form! He smiles when you get him up from his nap and giggles before you lay him down to sleep. Everyone around him enjoys his presence as he enjoys theirs. He is fueled by the attention of others and is truly delighted when you talk to him.

Having Jones has been so amazing for me, as 4 1/2 yrs between the 2nd and 3rd is a bit of break. I was concerned I would forget things, be too easy to leave him with sitters (that is VERY easy to do here) and would struggle with the sleep deprivation so much that I would never want a 4th. That is the EXACT opposite thing that occurred. I haven't forgotten much at all (or nothing I can't solve with a quick "google"), I NEVER want to leave him (but force myself to have some sort of life here with adults only), and want 10 more kids like him! Granted, life with 3 here is much different than life with 3 in the US. I could have 10 kids here and not bat an eye, but in the US...gets much more complicated.

Ellery and Aleah are just as delighted by his presence as Curt and I are. They love to show him off and are tickled they have the ability to make him laugh. He has brought us all together as a family. Understanding that living in the Philippines allows parents to part paths with their children with the ever present "yaya" to stand in your place, you can see how parents "come into their own" with a new found freedom we don't have in the US. All this self-exploration can have you spending more time outside the home with friends than at home with family. Although we were not an extreme case, Jones has anchored us, forced us to slow down and smell the roses.

We hope the pictures and video help you grasp some of his personality and bring you closer to us! Enjoy!

Kung Hai Fat Choy!

2009-01-27T20:03:00.006+08:00

Kung Hai Fat Choy (Happy Chinese New Year!)!
Although I am a day late, those of you in the US are not! January 26th is Chinese New Year this year. I can't believe the US has not commercialized this holiday as it's a great excuse to get together. In the Philippines it is a common celebration. Not all Filipinos celebrate, but, obviously, those with Chinese heritage do, along with those of us who enjoy having a celebration for any reason! Just to jog your memories, this date in the Chinese New Year is when the "year of the ....." changes to the "year of the ...." Are you following? Remember when you are at a Chinese restaurant and the place mat has all the animals and the years on it. You never really remember your animal, so you have to look it up each time? Ringing a bell?
Well here, most people know their animal. For instance, I am a dragon, Curt is a tiger, Aleah is a snake, Elle is monkey and Jones is a rat. Yesterday, the year turned from a rat to an ox. Each animal has it's own profile and gives structure for how you should live each year. Considering Curt's career tends to drive where we live and how we live, I decided to place an excerpt here of what Curt can expect this year: For the Tiger in business and career this year will be much better than last although you should not boast too much with colleagues or competitors as there are a few people out there that may want to back stab you and tell many lies to make you look bad, make sure you wear your protection animal for the year and more importantly remember my advice as being prepared is good. In business you may also be offered a partnership and you should look at this as being positive although spend time looking over any small print on contract especially in the month of July and October.I decided not to post the personal area of his zodiac, but to sum it up...he needs to resist temptation from the opposite sex! I hope everyone is keeping an eye on him. ;) Lots of superstition and feng shui. After reading all the tiger predictions, Curt will be unavailable the month of October as it seems hell will break lose with a fury...yikes!
So, for pure entertainment, we celebrate Chinese New Year. We celebrated with our friend/neighbor, Heather, and her three children with Chinese food (General Tsao's Chicken and dumplings). Look for next year's Chinese New Year celebration at our home as we think it would be fun to bring back a holiday we can share with our friends!
Kung Hai Fat Choy!

Two Peas in a Pod

2009-01-24T11:12:00.007+08:00

Although we still some time left here in Manila, I can't help thinking about what I will miss. Not nearly as much as I miss from home, but still there are some things that tear at my heart. One such item is this pair; Aleah and her best friend, Kate.

Kate is the youngest of 3 girls in a family that we are very close to. Kate's dad works for the same company Curt does and we all came here together, not to mention, Curt and Jim (Kate's dad) have worked together for many years prior to this. The first vacation we took when we arrived was to the island of Cebu here in the Philippines. We met Kate and her family there for the first time as their family first moved to Cedu for 4 1/2 mos before they moved to Manila. The picture below was taken in Cebu the weekend they first met in Sept of 07.All our kids hit it off, but this pair...this pair is something special. We could all tell from the first day that they would be good friends. Kate ended up in Aleah's class when Kate moved to Manila and the girls have been inseparable ever since. Kate has even gone to Aleah's swim meets and cheered her on. They are such an adorable pair! Let's not misunderstand the situation, they are mischief gone wild at times when they are together. Scheming and climbing on furniture and all sorts of 7 yr old stuff! But they are the true meaning of best friends. They get along wonderfully, they encourage each other and they NEVER tire of one another. I remember how precious these friendships were. I remember my first best friend, Ashley...(Ash, are you even reading my blog?) when I was 7 yrs old. Perfection! The absolute WORST thing about leaving Manila, is pulling them apart. It will be heart wrenching and I think all the parents will cry. The one thing we have going for us...we all travel well on both ends, so we are bound to vacation together. It would be such a sad thing if they never kept in touch. Krisann (Kate's mom) and I will move mountains to keep these two in touch. With a tear in my eye I take these photos of them this morning (cause of course Kate is here with Aleah) in their coordinated outfits thinking about how they have no idea the heartache they will feel or the lifetime of memories they are also making!

Mounds, Magnets and Mausoleums!

2009-01-21T17:18:00.009+08:00

The Chinese Cemetery Walking Tour was great. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and learned a bit about Philippine History. First of all, the cemetery was created in the 1500's when the "Spaniards" came and took control. In their effort to build infrastructure in the Philippines, they had a heavy influx of Chinese laborers. In addition, they brought Catholicism to the Philippines. As people passed away they were buried in the cemetery...if they were Catholic. Those non-Catholics (which were a lot of the Chinese as Buddhism is popular in China), in addition to the poor, were not allowed in the regular cemetery. Therefore the creation of the Chinese Cemetery (though more than just the Chinese are buried here). The mixture of religions is fascinating. The main "parlor" where they would have services includes this case of icons.

Notice that there are just as many Buddhas as there are crosses or Virgin Mary statues. I have never seen these two religions represented together in this way. Who ever said we can't all get along?

The cemetery is full of tons of mausoleums (individual or family ones, not the huge ones we have the states). This photo is from the door of a VERY nice one. There is food and gift offerings in the front, with the casket casing in the rear. This particular mausoleum has a restroom (nicer than mine here). The reason for this is that on All Saints Day (Nov. 1) families gather for the day in the mausoleums to pay respect to the dead. Now if you are there all day, you need a toilet. And with a toilet, a sink (at least you hope there is a sink). So the creature comforts are for the living creatures, not the dead ones! From the outside, these look like little houses. Some have open walls to the outside air, but have four outer posts with a ceiling and others have 4 full walls.

Where others are WAY over the top and are the size a normal 2 bedroom apartment. Those big ones are in the area pictured below, which I think could be a street in San Diego...Those are not houses you see lining the streets, they are mausoleums.

Anyhow, I learned much more, but thought I would share with you all a few tidbits. Although it sadden me to be away from Jones for 6 hours, I did it and I am glad I took the tour.

Helmet Schmelmet!

2009-01-21T17:01:00.002+08:00

OK, you are probably thinking "what the heck is this?" Well, it's another quirky Filipino thing. Apparently, there is a helmet law here...now, it doesn't specify what kind of helmet. So, as you can see, hard hats and bicycle helmets are acceptable forms of "helmets" for the police. Frankly, why do they bother, it's not like anything other than a motorcycle helmet will save your brain from the impact of asphalt. Another one that leaves us speechless...

Jones Laughing

2009-01-19T08:51:00.003+08:00

Making Jones laugh is always fun. I am trying to get him to say "Mama," though I know I am a bit early on this. While doing so, he would just laugh at me. So, Ellery piped in and he just loves watching her. Sorry it's so dark, we were eating dinner and the lighting is bad...

My Heroes!

2009-01-18T15:40:00.004+08:00

I will be the first to admit I get a bit dramatic at times. Today is one of those days. It most often happens during a run or on a day where I am feeling particularly tired. Today, it was on my long run. As I am finally getting my p's and q's together and getting in shape, it struck me that I have been doing so these last few weeks without much effort. Now how I can do that now vs. two months ago...? There lies my philosophical question of the day. Here is what I think (as if you needed to ask me) has happened: Lately I have been thinking a lot of three specific people in my life; my brother, Matthew, my brother, Ryan and my neighbor in CO, Shelly.

Each of them give me strength in their own way. Matthew is currently in Baghdad (well, we think he is, but who really knows) serving in his 2nd tour. He's only been there about 4 wks, but he has already lost people he knows. I can only imagine what this is like for him. Ryan just left last week for selection to MARSOC (Marine Special Ops) and I know he is enduring the first of three weeks of hell! Shelly, has been kicking some cancer ass this past year and manages to get up and smile and enjoys life every minute. She has always been this way, but her strength is contagious.

So...I salute them all and think of them when I don't want to go to the gym. They are each my heroes and I can't thank them enough for the strength they have given me.

Sleeping Beauties!

2009-01-17T08:32:00.004+08:00

While we were in Dallas after Christmas we rented a car. I admit, I was late on remembering that we needed a car, so when Curt went to rent one, we were lucky to even get the small SUV they had. For those of you who have 3 kids, you know, 3 car seats rarely fit across the backseat of any car.

Every single time we got into the car, it was quite an ordeal; remove Aleah's booster, buckle Jones in, replace Aleah's booster, squeeze hand in small slot to reach Aleah's buckle, push on Aleah's booster as hard as possible to squish it into the car, then slam the car door shut, hoping you didn't catch any fingers or toes. Suffice it to say, we are either a van family or a suburban family, but we are definitely beyond the reach of other vehicles!

One good thing to come of such cramped quarters, is that the kids were able to chat with Jones, replace his pacifier and all were within swatting reach. ;) On several occassions, Ellery would hold Jones' hand to get him to go to sleep. She was convinced this was the magic trick. On this particular occassion, she, too, was "tricked" into sleep. Still holding hands when we arrived at our destination, there they were, two peas in a pod!

Pinoy Motel Signs

2009-01-15T20:33:00.003+08:00

I have been wanting to post this picture for a few months now! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Just driving from one destination to another, we come across some interesting signs. Living here gives me some great laughs.

Apparently, you can drive up to this wonderful motel establishment and call your room order with a hand signal. Meant for the discrete customers, of course, sneaking a little love on the side. Now, in addition, you can get the De-lux and Super Suite and those come with a car garage as I am told. Just in case the Mrs. is driving by and sees your car in the parking lot...better play it safe!
Let me tell you one thing...my honey better show all five fingers if he knows what's good for him!
Even stranger, there are so many other hand signs I would expect in this situation, but none are shown????

Sleeping Woes!

2009-01-14T14:11:00.003+08:00

I will be the first to admit that I really screwed up on this 3rd baby! Jones was very difficult to get to sleep very early on and would only sleep when being held or in bed with me. So...against everything I have ever said, he has been in bed with us every night!
It has been quite endearing and sweet and I get more sleep as I don't fully wake up when I sit up quickly to change his diaper, not mention I can sleep while he eats...bad mom! The poor kid endured so much travel as well in the beginning and had to adjust to many time zones and a jet lagged mom. It was just easier this way. And as we all know, easier doesn't always mean best. I made a pact with myself (and Curt) that after we returned from the states this last time, I would work to get him in his own bed every night. After a little cold and a time change adjustment, we began this process last week.
For the most part he starts off in his bed, but by the morning, he's back in with us. Now, to my defense, I am trying! With all this "trying" I have been doing, it's with Curt going to bed around the same time I go to bed. Well, that all changed this week. He has had to work a few grave nights and when I get to bed....it's empty! This is concerning to me. First, because I used to LOVE an empty bed for the first few nights when Curt was gone. I would spread out, rearrange all the pillows, it was a relief after sleeping with my cover-hogging, restless husband. But now...now it's lonely and sad and scary. I don't like it.
Now it's got me wondering...could Jones really not sleep as a teeny baby without being held or could I just not put him down?

He CAN do it!

2009-01-13T09:15:00.010+08:00

Those of you the spent some time with us around the holidays, know that we were desperately trying to get Jones to roll from his back to his stomach. He was stubborn and never gave his grandparents the prize. In fact...he never gave his parents the prize either. Last week, I jumped in the shower and left him in the family room with the yayas (the "nannies" here are called yayas...or noonies as some of my girlfriends in the states refer to them...) to play. I stroll out about 30 minutes later and Beth (one of our yayas) says, "Ma'am, he just rolled over to his tummy earlier." NO WAY! Seriously, we have all stood vigilant at his side for a month now waiting... and waiting... I was crushed. Having help has many benefits, but one of them is NOT sharing in your child's "firsts" when you aren't present. I immediately texted Curt and planned my speech for how I was going to explain to Beth that she is fired. UGH! No, I didn't fire her, it wasn't her fault, but now I am thinking she should have kept it to herself!

The good news is, I grabbed the camera and coaxed him to do it again...Here it is!

First of all...

2009-01-13T09:12:00.003+08:00

I miss my more frequent converations with my friends and family and this blog should be an always available conversation with me! Casual, goofy and dramatic...what more could you ask for. So, as you subscribe to this blog and continue to stay updated, please keep in mind that there will not be extensive editting...hence, I may be off my rocker some days and you will definitely see it! Just enjoy it and be sure to let us know what you think.