elkiehay

The aftermath of Yemen...

2011-02-27T19:43:00.001-08:00

Isn't this pathetic? While I was away, Bennett got sick too...then Ridge! Our house was a hospital for a couple of weeks after my return. It feels like we're just now getting back to normal!

Isn't she a doll? That's me, wearing her daddy's coat, in the background 'posing' for our long-awaited picture together for her lifebook!

I scheduled my last day in Yemen as a personal day. I was looking forward to reading my book, shopping in the market, and having some down time to catch up on my e-mails. Instead, I spent the day at my tour agency's office vomiting. I got sick, really sick. Food poisoning we all assume.

The most disappointing part was I had scheduled a long layover in Oman to visit with my very first clients. I helped them with the adoption of their daughter. It was the first time I would get to meet her. We did try to visit, but I ended up spending my time in the bathroom...on the floor, while they ate. I was so disappointed. I went back to the airport hospital and stayed there until my flight left. I couldn't even walk. I was wheeled from point to point vomiting along the way. I seemed to get more and more sick as the day passed. Would you believe a random stranger, a Pilipino nun, took it upon herself to help me the entire wait? She brought me water, trashcans, watched my stuff, and delivered cool rags for my forehead. Amazing. Then, on flight from Oman to KL, I was traveling with loads of Hungarians! Qatar Airlines started a new route Bud-Oman-Phuket, so many Magyars were en-route to sunny skies. I was so sick I didn't even attempt to speak to them. Bummer!

More, more, more

2011-02-21T05:34:00.000-08:00

Oh the cuteness!

Old door left from when this was a Jewish village

More Jibla

2011-02-21T05:00:00.001-08:00

Color!

Adorable!

Inside the mosque

Mosque courtyard

Yemen...more and more!

2011-02-21T03:42:00.000-08:00

Market

Jibla - originally a Jewish settlement with synagogues-turned-mosques and Hebrew script on many of the city gates and walls...beautiful and amazing!

Jibla

Because I love animals!

Isn't that a beautiful white donkey! I want me one!

Yemen...it never stops!

2011-02-21T02:46:00.000-08:00

A typical check-point when entering a new village

More Yemen...hang in there!

2011-02-20T23:33:00.001-08:00

Interesting name for a town???

The food was incredible until it poisoned me :-)

Hot stuff!

Hope you're not tired of Yemen pics! More coming...

2011-02-20T22:30:00.000-08:00

Police inspecting our documents as we leave one city and enter another

This castle, built by the Ottomans, has the identical layout as the castle in Visegrad, Hungary. Such a fun memory!

Traveling about

2011-02-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

cute goats!

boys playing soccer

the escort in front of us

The eight hour drive...

2011-02-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

My escort

On the drive south

A Yemeni pumpkin patch...for Tara and Duncan :-)

A typical looking village

Sanaa, Yemen

2011-02-20T19:47:00.000-08:00

Breakfast: stone bread, yoghurt and honey

In my hotel dresser drawer...like home...sorta!

Fashion district :-)

The side of my hotel...beautiful!

A Chronological Blog isn't working for me...on to Yemen!

2011-02-20T18:29:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of my room at the hotel in Sanna. The building is 1000 years old! The square windows are new, but the circle ones are original.

Not sure what these tiny little steps are for, but interesting!

Wish I had some way to give you perspective on these doors. They are tiny! I had to stoop to enter.

In Yemen you can't take photos of women/girls, but there were plenty of cute little boys to photograph. This one waited for me each morning. It was tough to get a good shot of him...he squirmed!

This is the street my hotel was on

After returning from Christmas, I was off to Yemen to do a home study for an American family living there. The trip was pretty intense. Of course I knew it wouldn't be like going to Laos or Vietnam, but I had no idea how crazy it would be. I arrived in Sanaa then drove around eight hours through the mountains to a city in the south. I'll go light on the details :-) I didn't know that the US and British Embassies had just ordered all American and British citizens to be followed around by police while traveling. As we weaved our way through the mountains, I had a police car in front of me, and a a truck with a machine gun behind me. If I stopped to see a site, two armed guards followed. My driver, Jamal, was amazing. He was safety, entertainment, and educational all wrapped up in one! There is too much to write about my five day trip...seriously it would take all day. I'll get as many pics as I can up...enjoy!

Holidays - Oklahoma

2011-01-29T23:58:00.000-08:00

More cousins!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-01-29T23:53:00.000-08:00

The whole family went out to celebrate our anniversary this year! While in Tulsa just the two of us celebrated with a nice meal and a trip to the ballet. My sister, Tara, did join us but wasn't in the photo :-(

A visit to Baker's Creek...

2011-01-29T23:45:00.000-08:00

Such a cool place! The boys watched live music, blacksmithing, spinning, and many other interesting things. We samples goat's milk ice cream and many healthy organic treats. Check it out and stop by if you ever have the chance: www.rareseeds.com

Holidays - Missouri

2011-01-29T23:39:00.001-08:00

Bennett's one Christmas request was to see an eagle (his favorite animal). Would you believe within the hour we asked my dad where we might spot one, Mike happened upon this guy on his drive to town! We went back to see him a couple of more times. What a nice surprise! Of course time with cousins and uncles ranked up there too!

Our flight to 2011

2011-01-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

We're back from our whirlwind family Christmas in the US. It was great to be with family for the holidays. I'll get pics up when I figure it out on my new computer :-) Here is a brief account of our journey home.

We had an adventure getting here! Travel was uneventful until our last stop in the US. Upon arrival in the airport we were starving. I

looked in my wallet to get the 20's that Aunt Norina had passed to the

boys.  Mike paid for their Leapster games on our card so I could use the cash for my flight.  The money was gone.  Bennett admitted he took the money out of my purse because he didn't want anyone to spend it.  He hid it in my checked baggage!  My card didn't work.  No money = no food.  The kids weren't happy, but I was coping since I knew it was a short layover until our flight to Tokyo and I had packed granola bars to hold them over.  Then we sat on the tarmac for 2-3 hours while a mechanical issue was being

resolved.  No food or beverages were served!  At that point we knew we'd miss our connecting flight to Singapore. The whole time on the plane Ridge was crying...I mean really crying because he lost his new Leapster game that he JUST bought.  I looked everywhere - it's gone. He was broken hearted.  I was compassionate at first, but it got old after about half an hour.  That boy MOURNED the loss of his game.  Terrible.  The flight to Tokyo wasn't great, but not terrible either.  The boys didn't sleep the whole flight, they spilled things, peed often, and kept 'accidentally' calling the attendant.  When we landed in Japan, there was an agent there to help us immediately.  We got a hotel room and meal vouchers at no cost for the delay. The problem was that my kids were exhausted and not dressed to be out in cold weather.  We had to wait outside for a bus for half an hour in the bitter cold.  At that point we were all crying.  We got to the hotel took hot baths to warm-up and fell asleep without our dinner.  The rest of the journey was uneventful.  Our friend couldn't pick us up so I paid for two cabs home.  I got home and it's been crazy ever since.  Szemi is depressed because Mike isn't here and she's not with the guards (she

because quite attached to them).  Mold grew on everything while we were

away.  The house stunk to high heaven.  The grass and weeds are knee to

hip high.  Oops forgot to mention, Ridge started throwing up as soon as we

landed.  We went to have our traditional breakfast at the stall and he

vomited all over the table.    We packed our food and took it home - put

Ridge in bed.  As our neighborhood goes, the bell started ringing

immediately.  All the kids missed our boys and wanted to play.  We have

the best neighbors!  This morning I took the kids to school semi-rested

and ready to go.  This is the first chance I've had to sit down and fill

you in.  I assumed since you didn't hear about me on the news, you knew I

got here safely :-)  Mike and Tanner arrive on the 13th.  I head to Yemen for work on the 14th-ish.  I'm still waiting to see about my visa.  I'll keep you updated

Lemonade stand fundraiser

2010-10-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Stray cats are a big problem here. I don't see it as much of a problem since we also have a rats! However, I helped Bennett and Ridge make a lemonade stand to raise money to have the cats spayed and neutered. A few of the neighborhood kids pitched in and a fun day was had by all! We raised 180RM...enough to 'fix' 4-5 cats. All the work of baking, selling, and supervising will be nothing compared to catching stray cats. Wish us luck! See the little gray cat 'reading' the sign? That's Melody, Bennett 'claimed' her as his own by putting a collar on her. She disappeared a week later. Sad for all, she was a great cat.

More Hari Raya pics

2010-10-18T20:56:00.000-07:00

More food and fun for the kids!

2010-10-18T20:53:00.000-07:00

More feasting! More friends!

2010-10-18T20:49:00.001-07:00

Hari Raya

2010-10-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

For one month after Ramadan (the month of fasting), the Malay population celebrates a month of feasting. Since we live in a predominately Malay area, we were invited to many 'feasts'. On the day these photos were taken, we spent the day going from house to house eating some of the most terrific food I've ever eaten! One of our neighbors took us to the market to by traditional baju melayu for the boys and a baju korong for me. Such fun! Enjoy the pics!

Gotta brag about my baby nephews!

2010-10-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

I've gained TWO new nephews since the move here! Now my total is EIGHT nephews!

Christmas present making time!

2010-10-18T20:16:00.001-07:00

School!

2010-10-18T20:13:00.001-07:00

The boys love their new school!

Service project

2010-10-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

I couldn't go, but Mike took this group to do a food distribution project with some of the international school students here in KL. Fun!

Jungle swimming

2010-10-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

We spent a day with our neighbors in a jungle river last Saturday. We had a picnic and swam for hours. The boys loved it!

Catching up...starting with my sooprhero!

2010-10-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

All is well here. I've neglected to keep pictures up on my blog. I'll try to update you...in photos and brief blurbs. There's a lot of catching up to do!

First few songs

2010-06-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

Turn your computer...I can't figure out how to rotate the picture :-)

Kitty video

2010-06-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

Where to pick up?

2010-06-20T23:06:00.000-07:00

Hello to all - I'm not sure where to begin! Since our truck was stolen, it's been a whirlwind of events around here. I'll update you with bullets since it's the simplest.

1. Rachael came to help with the boys and work here :-)

2. Truck stolen, Szemi poisoned (but recovered and is well now) :-(

3. The day before our truck disappeared, our neighbor brought us a brand new baby kitten :-)

4. Baby kitten (Milo) needs fed a bottle every two hours and has a flesh eating fungus that can spread to other pets and people :-(

5. The end of her tail fell off due to the fungus, a toe is hanging, and nearly lost an ear :-(

6. We got our work permit!

7. Rental car broke down

8. Our wonderful landlord lent us his Mercedes :-)

9. It broke down twice :-(

10. We found a 'school' for Bennett! It's not a formal school, but even better for him...and me!

11. I got a car! It's a little SUV type-thing. Perfect for us.

12. Still waiting on insurance to settle so Mike can replace the truck.

13 TANNER IS COMING...TICKETS PURCHASED FOR AUGUST 16-29!!!

14. Bennett has continued to ride at the stables even with the chaos of having no cars...so happy about that!

15. Both boys are in piano and love it.

16. I finished my job in Laos - home study done, baby in their home, and almost a US citizen. Such a great feeling.

17. I have two new clients in Singapore and Indonesia and possibly Thailand...very nice.

18. Mike and I have had time alone with our boys safely and comfortably at home with Rachael!

19. Our stuff is here!

20. We unpacked and set up in less that four days...last job is to hang pictures.

I'll leave off here. I'll try to be more faithful to my blog. I miss you all! Here are a few pics of some random events in our last two months starting with Miss Milo.

More catching up...

2010-04-27T00:25:00.000-07:00

Catching up...

2010-04-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

A few pictures to catch you up! Our two months has been filled with much activity. In the midst of it we've managed to have some fun and even get a new kitty. Enjoy the pics. As you can see, Szemi is feeling much better!

More food

2010-03-04T00:08:00.000-08:00

Check out the food in Laos!

2010-03-03T23:56:00.000-08:00

People keep asking about my trip. I'll answer in pictures.

RIP Simon

2010-02-21T03:39:00.000-08:00

After a half dozen trips to the vet, good days when we thought he'd recover, and bad days when we said good-bye, Simon has passed. I'm writing from Laos so didn't get to see him once last time. Poor Mike had to take the boys say good-bye and bring him to be put to sleep this weekend without me. We're all pretty torn up. He had saddle thrombosis. It's a blood clot that eventually shut down his heart and kidneys. For all you pet lovers, I know you'll understand. We really loved him. It's so painful to say good bye.

Another nephew!

2010-02-21T03:17:00.000-08:00

Mike's brother Bryan and his wife Courtney gave me another nephew this week! His name is Samuel David Cannon. Just gorgeous! That makes seven nephews and two nieces for me. My other sister in law is due in August. Babies everywhere :-)

Najib and Zai's party

2010-02-03T07:16:00.001-08:00

Engagement

2010-02-02T01:50:00.000-08:00

The highlight of January was an invitation to the engagement of our neighbor's daughter. First all the disclaimers for the photos! We weren't expecting any opportunities to take photos so Mike took these on his phone. Even worse...I know this is vain, but I look so bad! It was pouring rain so my hair inflated and turned fuzzy like a Q-tip. Added to this, my neighbor lent me a proper dress for the occasion...in green! There is just about NO shade of green I can wear, but this one was the worst possible. I hoped for a head scarf like the other gals (to cover my hideous hair) but she thought I'd be uncomfortable since I'm not used to it. Uhg! I also didn't know how to tie the skirt, or that the top has a hook and eye to keep is nicely in place. I felt so ugly all night! It's for your benefit that I'm posting even ONE picture of me that night.

Despite how I felt, it was an amazing night! I'll try my best to cover it all. In Muslim engagements, the groom isn't even there! Nor his parents! The rest of the family: siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. come to do all the negotiations. This was my favorite part. The families sit opposite each other with the engagement gifts between them. If the groom's side provides 9 gifts, the bride's side will provide 11...always plus two. I'm not sure of the significance. The gifts are cakes, candies, and fruit arranged and prepared in the most amazing of ways. I hope the pics do them justice. The wedding arrangements are agreed upon before the bride joins the party. The families plan the details in rhyme and song. They agree on bride price, number of gifts to be given, dates, times, locations, etc. Amazing! After the plans are agreed upon, the bride comes and sits on a decorated pedestal for the giving of the ring. Odd for us, but an aunt or sister of the groom is the one that puts on the ring. After this, the bride poses for pictures with family then there is a feast! That's the brief version of the night. Of all my experiences living cross-culturally, this is my favorite! Enjoy!

What I need to do more of in 2010!

2010-02-02T01:27:00.000-08:00

Now to January! I'll post more holiday pics when I get them from Mike. January wasn't the best month for us. Mainly, we were sad to see Tanner go. Also, as we were coming down from the holidays and getting back into the swing of the school routine, it became apparent that I needed to pull Bennett from school. We're now in our third week of home schooling. Wow! In addition to this we STILL have no internet, this is my excuse for not keeping up with my blog...lack of time! February already feels better. I should have a rental car by the end of the week...freedom!

Baby elephant

2010-02-02T01:23:00.000-08:00

Thailand

2010-02-02T01:12:00.000-08:00

The good pics are on Mike's camera. I'll get around to putting them on the blog later. Tanner's visit was amazing. I could elaborate, but it makes me teary. We miss him more than ever. It took all of January to be happy again :-( Here are a few pics of the boys at the beach and riding the baby elephant that came to play in the water each afternoon. They loved it! Also, a random pic of Tanner (the only one I took with my camera) just because I miss him.

Food

2010-02-02T01:10:00.000-08:00

Many of you ask what we're eating. I'll try to post pics of anything new and exciting we try. This is fermented bean curd with a few stir fried veggies. It's fantastic!

A trip to the rabbit farm

2010-02-02T01:01:00.000-08:00

It sounds more exciting than what it is. The 'farm' is actually in a grocery store parking lot. If the kids are good during my shop, we sometimes go. On this trip we brought along some kids from our street. Enjoy the pics...adorable!

Christmas tree

2010-02-02T00:55:00.000-08:00

Our search for a Christmas tree brought us to our local nursery. We were hoping for a Christmas tree shaped shrub that we could decorate then keep. On the first point we had success: the perfect triangle shaped shrub. The 'keeping' part didn't work out so well. After we drug it inside, then decorated it, it died. We ended up with a fake tree purchased on Christmas Eve from IKEA...75% off. Not bad. All wasn't lost...we got a few good pics of the boys at the nursery.

More play time in the neighborhood!

2010-02-02T00:49:00.000-08:00

Ridge's Christmas party at school

2010-02-02T00:45:00.001-08:00

More Christmas hash...

2010-02-02T00:37:00.000-08:00

Hello again!

2010-02-02T00:30:00.000-08:00

Much to catch up on...let's go back to December! Santa came for a visit to the Christmas hash run. The kids loved it...such a different way to celebrate!

More neighbors!

2009-12-08T22:15:00.001-08:00

Quite by accident, we discovered that a restaurant where we love to eat is owned by our neighbors! Last Saturday, a small group from Jalan Kubah (our street) arranged to meet there for lunch. It was so much fun we'll be doing it again for sure. I'll take this opportunity to introduce you to three of our neighborhood families. First, our landlord, Mr. Tan (his name is too hard to pronounce much less spell) and his wife Bee. They're the ones pictured with baby Eshane. Next, SP and ST. Both names are difficult so they use initials even with locals! They have two children, An and Min. Finally, Emma and her boys Zharif and Siman. Emma's family has been helpful to us in so many ways.

Speaking of neighbors...

2009-12-08T22:03:00.001-08:00

Like I mentioned earlier...gotta know our neighbors. I'll be mentioning them a lot. These are a few of our daily visitors. Ichmal, the boy not looking at the camera next to the girl, is a family favorite. He's just so darn cute and a great friend to the boys. Daniel, the one with his arm around Bennett, is another favorite. He's kind and loves to watch out for all the younger kids. Muslims here tend to have rather large families and often the grandparents and aging relatives live all together in one home. It allows kids to be able to relate so nicely to people of all ages and learn to help each other. Nice. The baby is our landlords daughter. I've mentioned her before. The boys adore her and so do we!

Flirt!

2009-12-08T21:48:00.000-08:00

I'll start by saying that if you follow this blog, you'll need to start memorizing the names of our neighbors. Everything we do seems to involve them! Our neighbors, Zai and Najib, invited us to their house for their daughters engagement party. What an experience! Our boys were even invited to have a role in the wedding since they're a family short on boys (imagine that). I wonder what being in a Muslim wedding involves? We have until next September to decide. Anyway, during the dinner I found Ridge with Zai's nieces. At one point they were feeding him cake while swinging him! He, of course, loved the attention and called them 'the pretty ones'. They, of course, loved the attention and being called pretty. Zai and Najib lived in Thailand for nine years. They helped us plan our Christmas trip to Thailand and have helped us in numerous ways. Again, it's an incredible neighborhood!

Birthday party!

2009-12-08T21:36:00.000-08:00

The boys were invited to a birthday party last week. They celebrated Roshni and Roshan's 7th birthday (twins) at a craft shop. The other kids in the photos are also from our neighborhood. I can't remember if I've mentioned it or not, but we have 30-ish kids, young kids, on Jalan Kubah 48/D. That's a bunch of kids! Each evening they ride around the circle or come to our house if it's raining. We've rethought our entire plan for arranging our house based on the volume of traffic. We love it, our kids love it! Our neighborhood is an amazing place to live. We're so thankful.

Mall

2009-12-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

This is how my boys prefer to get around in the mall. I wish I weren't embarrassed to do the same. It looks like so much fun!

Soccer drill

2009-12-06T22:10:00.001-08:00

Just thought this was cute!

Our corner roti stall...

2009-12-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

I hope my posts give a better glimpse into our life here. Just a reminder that these posts are ONLY covering family life here. The primary purpose for my blog is so family and friends can see the boys growing up. At least weekly we have dinner at our local food stall. During our last visit, Bennett and Ridge were both invited to flip the roti with the cook. Bennett couldn't wait, but it was too hot for Ridge. It seems odd to have the boys picture taken with the stall owner, but everyone here wants to have their picture made with them. Odd, but true. We're often stopped for a photo-op. Jonas Brother have nothing on us!

Fish farm...fish farm...fish farm

2009-12-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

Our neighbors, the Lau family, invited us to their family's fish farm. It produces organic-vegetarian fish, primarily tilapia. The story behind the farm made the visit an all-around amazing experience. After eight bouts of cancer, surviving each with a stronger sense of purpose, he started this farm. It's a true work of science. It cost nothing to run, except electricity for the pump. The labor involved is 15 minutes a day to drain and refill tanks! He shared a few of his secrets with us. Amazing! Since it's protein sources third world countries lack, the goal is to offer this technology and expertise to those that would use it for good. All this talk of helping the world lead to some great conversation about the problems with our world, religion and faith, human nature, and evil. What a man. We also ended our trip with some amazing fish prepared by ST's mom. My freezer is now full of the fish my boys caught! I prepared the first one last night...head, eyes, tail and all! Tonight I get a lesson in how to fully clean a fish. I hope my parents are proud!

Fish farm...fish farm

2009-12-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

Fish farm

2009-12-04T19:46:00.000-08:00

TANNER!!!

2009-12-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

EIGHT MORE DAYS!!! We're all so excited to be together again! We'll drive to Phuket, Thailand for some time at the beach, then back home to KL to celebrate Christmas. The drive sounds as exciting as the beach!

The photo is of Tan in Seattle on Thanksgiving. The pretty girl is Lisa :-) Lisa's family, the Hansens, have been great to Tanner...even before Tan and Lisa were a 'thing'. They're a great family. Margaret, Lisa's mom, was Bennett's pre-school teacher so we feel connected in several ways. We're so thankful Tanner has the Hansens, Jablonskis, and all our Kent Covenant family in our absence. We love you all!

The boys want you to see this!

2009-12-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

We visited a bird park with our neighbors, the Lau family, last week. The kids spotted this bird nesting with tin cans. Kinda sad, but they all found it interesting. The Lau family is worth their own post. I'll get some pictures together and introduce you to them. They're a highlight in our life here.

GIRLS!!!

2009-12-04T18:46:00.001-08:00

Thought you might want to meet the girls in our neighborhood. They're so much fun to have around. As you can see they love to 'mother' Ridge. Everywhere he goes they follow. Fifi the one if the red shirt that Ridge is kissing, is our little favorite. She tags along with us everywhere we go. She's really creative and wants to learn to knit and sew. I can cover that! Photography is her next interest, Mike showed her how to use his new camera. I wish I had it on video...she was scared to even touch it! In return, she teaches me to speak Bahasa and ensures there is no wheat in Bennett's food when we eat out. Our whole family loves having her around.

hanging out at the fish pond

2009-11-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Favorite things by Bennett and Ridge

2009-11-16T17:57:00.001-08:00

Crane - this is the view from the restaurant we eat roti cenai at at least twice a week

Baby Eshane - she's our landlords daughter and the object of my boys affection!

Fish pond - they love the Japanese Coi, hard to tell, but these fish are really big!

Hairy fruit - tasty and funny looking

Billboard - there's a man jumping off! It's a highlight on our drive to church each Sunday

There are even more favorites...their list keeps growing. I'll add more as able.

Miss you all!

My baby brother is HOME!!!

2009-11-16T17:43:00.000-08:00

Ft. Hood had live video playing of their return and celebration. I was able to go to my neighbors and watch. It was a crummy picture, but I could clearly see the buses pull up...that was enough for me! We're all so thankful that he's safe and home with his family. What a day!

The descent and a nice Indian meal

2009-10-19T21:52:00.000-07:00

We found an Indian bread with no wheat!

Temple pics

2009-10-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Melt out hearts!

2009-10-19T21:44:00.001-07:00

My brave boys!

2009-10-19T21:41:00.000-07:00

The temple pets!

2009-10-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

Trip to Batumalia Sri Subramaniar Swamy Devasthanam...Whew!

2009-10-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

This was our decided outing for the Deepavalli holiday. Both boys have been disappointed that we haven't seen a monkey yet. I knew from my time here in 1997 that we would surely see monkeys...and boy did we ever! We climbed 272 steep, and small, steps to reach the cave temple at the top. It was a good day, just much explaining to be done about world religions! Enjoy the pics!

Reflexology path

2009-10-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

We have a reflexology path right out side out back yard. You're supposed to walk along the path barefoot and let the rocks press on certain pressure points to relieve stress and cure other ailments. The rocks are all different shapes and sizes, arranged into different patterns. Some of the arrangements are quite beautiful. I probably need to spend more time at the 'For Specific Problems' path! I'm always curious when I see someone on it. What's their specific problem? Today my specific problem was a cranky three year-old and a dog that went doo on ground cover with thorns in it! It ripped the bag, gouged my fingers and you don't want to know the rest! I've got to make it to that path tonight! Oh, in case your wondering, the path didn't make Ridge any less cranky.

Interesting things

2009-10-17T04:54:00.001-07:00

Everyone keeps asking me for more details on our life here. I've decided to take a few pictures of some things I find interesting and post them for you to enjoy! The boys are doing the same thing, but their list is so long it'll take time to get it all together.

1. Water filter - this is the device we use for all our drinking water. Not so unusual, but the white 'dome thingy' at the top was pure white only a month ago! Makes me wonder what we're filtering out. Jai!

2. This is ONE set of our house keys! Everything has a lock on it with a different key.

3. This is my dish paste. Yup, paste! I don't mind it at all.

Fish Spa!

2009-10-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

The pictures say it all! These little flesh-eating fish eat the dead skin off your feet leaving them soft and callous free. The catch: can you stand 30 minutes of it?! It tickles! They swim through your toes! And the whole time I worried they wouldn't know when to stop! Bennett was fairly brave immersing his heels but Ridge wanted nothing to do with it. My treat to anyone who comes for a visit!

More dairy

2009-10-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

For Duncan: a drive through a jungle dairy

2009-10-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

What Bennett lives for!

2009-10-15T23:16:00.000-07:00

A real highlight for Bennett has been coconut milk. He loves it on his oatmeal and wanted me to take a picture for all to see!

It was a long day at school

2009-10-15T23:14:00.001-07:00

Encountering water buffalo on the way to school

2009-10-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

For Tanner

2009-10-15T23:06:00.001-07:00

Their first hash

2009-10-04T18:17:00.000-07:00

Last week after church we drove into the jungle to do our first hash run (our first, not Mike's, many of you heard about the adventure of his last run). After passing through the small village of Kuang, then several Orang Asli (native people) villages, and on through a palm and rubber tree plantation we arrived at the spot where we would begin. Mike took Szemi and Bennett and trekked with our friends Edward and Janet and their children and dog. The plan was for me to do the short run with Ridge since it was our first time. After completing the short run, I still felt up for more and decided to go on to the long route. By this time Ridge was starting to complain a bit so I put him on my back where he 'helped' spot the pieces of paper that marked out trail. The rest of our journey was quite an adventure! We saw the most incredible plants, insects, and terrain. The highlight was happening upon several families that live in the jungle in tiny little 'homes' on stilts. They would wave and smile as we passed. I wish I had a camera because it was like nothing I'd seen before. I laughed to myself wondering what these people might be thinking as all these white sweaty people go wandering through their jungle. After the run we all gathered for snacks and drinks and sang a few songs. Next time I'll bring my camera along and share with you what we see!

Going from youngest to oldest here are our updates:

Simon- Lovin' life!

Ridgley- Doin' great! The highlight for him is that once again we live so close to an airport that he gets to watch airplanes coming and going. To top this, on Saturday the Thunderbirds were in KL and flying out of the smaller Subang airfield that's right in our neighborhood. We took the boys to an overlook near our house and watched them do their thing. He hasn't stopped talking about it! It has been interesting for us to watch Ridge adjust to life here. He hasn't missed a beat, not one. It's as if nothing changed. Three is just young enough to accept anything that comes your way. School has been great for him. He's always excited to go and has lots to say at the end of the day.

Szemi - Our poor girl is hot! She's doing fine, but it's an adjustment for her. We can't take her places as often because she can't be left in the car even for a moment. Taking her to hash runs will be the highlight of her life here. In case you don't remember, we were told by a few that we shouldn't live in Shah Alam with her since it's mostly muslim. We've been thrilled to see that our neighbors are kind concerning her, just a bit afraid of a dog her size.

Bennett- He's hangin' in there. There have been some rough patches, but it's hard to tell if it's from being tired, all the change, or from eating the wrong things. It's been harder than I expected to feed him here. The packages aren't labeled or are written in Chinese. Our neighbors and his teachers give him food without asking and when Bennett says he's not sure he can have it, they push him to eat it anyway. Obviously it's just a misunderstanding, but it's making him a bit miserable. His little eyes are black and he's uncomfortable. His highlights have been living next to a baby girl (most know he loves babies). She's the daughter of our landlord so we see her quite often. We ate at their house for the Mooncake Festival Friday night and the nephews and cousins of Mr. Tan (landlord) took him for a walk through the streets with a Chinese lantern to celebrate. School is good for Bennett too, just more of an adjustment. There were some questions going in wether to move him up since 5 yo's can go in one of two different levels. We opted for the lower level since there would be second language issues. Now I'm rethinking the choice because they're so far behind in English. Making education choices, or living with a lack of choices, is one of the most difficult parts of living internationally. We'll see how it all unfolds.

Tanner- Started college and loves it. In our first week apart he started boxing at a gym and shaved his head. He told us not to worry so we don't, but we do miss him!

Me- I spend my days keeping the little ones on track. So far they've been where they were supposed to be, with the necessary items, on time, well rested, and well fed. I think this means I'm successful? The challenge of finding where to get their hair cut, buy food, buy a refrigerator, get the clothes washer fixed, sign up for soccer, etc. keeps me moving! My biggest challenge other than missing Tanner, friends and family has been driving. Driving on the left side is challenging enough, one that I've mostly conquered, but the roads and the drivers make it feel nearly impossible. Mike has done all the driving so far except runs to school and the local shop. I think I'll stick to my few destinations unit I buy a really safe car. We're in a rental Proton, Malaysian made, and I'm sure great in many ways, but doesn't feel safe to me.

I'll try to get pics up as soon as possible. I need to figure out a way to charge my camera battery first!

Miss you all!

The morning after...not the typical way for Cannon boys to wake up!

2009-10-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

more school

2009-10-01T18:49:00.001-07:00

First day of school

2009-10-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

Still having e-mail trouble...

2009-09-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

All is well here. We got a rental car today and took it for a spin...oh my! The boys start school tomorrow morning. I'll post pictures. We're still not getting a consistent internet connection and my e-mail is still not sending :-( I am getting yours. I just can't reply.

Oh...Szemi and Simon arrived today! We're now a complete family. Everyone was so happy to all be together again.

Gotta zip...I'll lose this if the connection is lost!

Miss you all!

Pelau Ketam pics

2009-09-25T00:56:00.001-07:00

We're here!

2009-09-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

We haven't had consistent internet access since we got here. I have e-mails building up in my in and out box. For some reason I can receive e-mail, but not send. In fact, I have to hurry this along because our signal comes and goes in a matter of minutes. I'll try to give you the highlights of our first five days. It's been crazy, but not as crazy as traveling solo with B&R for 24 hours! That was exhausting!

The day after we got here we took a boat taxi to an island appropriately named Crab Island. There were crabs in every size, shape, and color imaginable. The boys loved watching them crawl around. All the homes on the island are on stilts for when the tide comes in. It was a bit scary with our boys walking along rickety wooden elevated 'sidewalks' with no rails and 10-30 foot drop-offs on both sides. After a few hours of touring we took another boat to a floating fish farm to let the little ones fish. I can't believe we all hung in there as well as we did with jet lag, but the adventure kept us moving. The picture of Ridge asleep in his carseat in the shopping cart was just after this trip!

In the few days since, we've been trying to orient ourselves to our new home and neighborhood. Our neighbors are incredible! They've all welcomed us, invited us over, and one even offered us their car! Of course we declined since the thought of driving a borrowed car on our first-ever try at driving on the left hand side of the road would not be the nice thing to do. It's Hari Raya here so everyone is celebrating and many of our neighbors have had open houses to share desserts and tea. It's been the perfect time for us to move it.

Ok...I've rushed through this trying to finish it before I lose connection. Sorry it's so brief, but more later! Love and miss you all...especially Tanner!

Time for pumpkin patch!

2009-08-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Check out www.springhillpumpkinpatch.com to see the best pumpkin patch in Missouri. I'm just a little biased, but seriously it's incredible. My sister's family, along with their friends (ours too) the Hollands, make this pumpkin patch extra special! It's located in the beautiful Ozarks, check it out! And aren't my nieces and nephews adorable!

Cozy spot on the beach for lunch

2009-08-10T13:17:00.000-07:00

The seafood was fresh, really fresh!

Redwood Forest

2009-08-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

We spotted elk and stopped for a look with the binoculars the boys brought.

Peeking out from the Burl treehouse

2009-08-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

Camping in Oregon and Burl art

2009-08-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Day One

2009-08-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

We started our 7000-s0me-odd mile journey in our fantastic Subaru with the Thule boxed filled to the brim with camping equipment. The days leading up to our departure were so crazy, it was nice to be on the road. Worn out from the trip preparations, the boys almost immediately fell asleep.

More Gorge

2009-08-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

Visiting the Whites and the Gorge

2009-08-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

We also squeezed in a trip to Moses Lake to see our friends, the Whites. We were all friends in Budapest and now live only a few hours apart!

Leavenworth - like being back in Europe for a day!

2009-08-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Before I begin...

2009-08-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

Before we set off on our cross-country drive we had some fun with Grandma and Grandpa Cannon in on Bainbridge and Leavenworth.

Waylon's first solid food

2009-06-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

Erica let us participate in feeding Waylon his first cereal. Maybe we pressured her into it! Either way, it was so cute.

Graduation weekend

2009-06-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

It was crazy! All the grandparents came, one uncle, one aunt, and two nephews! We celebrated with trips to Bainbridge, Leavenworth, Snoqualmie, and all the fun spots around here. I'll get these photos up soon. It's hard to imagine Tanner has graduated! Today we're off to Bellevue College to get his class schedule in order. None of this has quite soaked in yet. Most of the time my sadness is trumped by his excitement to be on his own. In the next month and a half we'll be helping move him out, buying his first car, and helping him get his life organized. We'll also make a trip to Western Washington University in Bellingham where he'll transfer shortly. Can you believe it?

More graduation photos!

2009-06-24T10:03:00.001-07:00

Graduation

2009-06-24T10:01:00.000-07:00