It's December! Countdown to Christmas....

10 more days 'til we're on the plane home for the holidays and we CAN'T WAIT!! In the meantime, we'll be wrapping things up with students to end the 2nd quintile, meeting Santa at Judah's campus (hopefully Judah and Avery have been nice...), leaving the kiddies at home with Aling overnite for the first time while we go to Macau for Robb's first 1/2 marathon and Cirque du Soleil show, and finishing some Christmas shopping on this side of the world.

Check out some current album links--July, Sept., Oct. 2008! How time flies, uh? We had a smooth transition back to China for our third year, though Judah did not get into the school groove for a few weeks. Now, he's swimming, reading (level AA, but still!), and says school is "perfect!" Avery is speaking a lot of words both in Chinese and English, running!, dancing (just started incorporating hand motions), and still shrieking for no apparent reason. I'm enjoying teaching 10-year-olds again this year 1/2 days and afternoons with the kids, and Robb thrives as secondary principal. It's been good. We're so blessed.

Oct. holiday on Bintan Island in Indonesia, an hour ferry ride from Singapore was outstanding!(I'm loving the resort set-up: bountiful breakfast buffets, fine, sandy beach (Judah's first snorkel), enormous kiddie pool shallow enough for Avery, interesting people from all over the world, kids' club, and more!) We did a mangrove boat tour, which was a lot of fun--saw yellow-ringed mambas, a python (sleeping, fortunately), and a couple monitor lizards (see link). Singapore was, indeed, very clean and urban. We went to the zoo, which was outstanding--the best! We went on a boat tour around the city, checked out the international school, ate amazing Indian food, and found a ridiculously heavy merry-go-round at the park (that was a heckuva workout!). Our hosts, Patrick and Becky Green, were sooo gracious, generous and hospitable--thanks again!!
DongChong: We had a three-day weekend in Nov. following parent-teacher conferences. A perfect amount of time and a great time of year to go camping with twenty-some friends! We packed our tents, sleeping bags, and other camping gear, excited to sleep on the beach for a couple nights with the kids, though everyone else in the group was staying in the villas (way to rough it!). We ended up staying in a villa, too. (: Only a 2-hour drive to this picturesque, clean beach and fresh air--what a difference from where we live! Fun was had by all!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to your family from ours!

Summer 2008--WA, MI and OR Fun

Indeed, our summer holiday flew by entirely too swiftly. Fortunately, between mid-June and Aug. 1, we did a lot and re-connected with many. Here are some highlights:

Washington highlights:

...for Robb and Marea...fresh air, NW scenery, BBQ parties with family and friends, good eats!!, Gpa and Gma's mobile home in Birch Bay (temporary, ideal housing and location--thanks!!), TIME WITH LOVED ONES!

...for Judah....blueberry pancakes with Beppa, ALL of Auntie Sally's (and Darryl's) foods, cookies with Grammie, turning 4 years old!, playing with Alex and Emma, riding bikes around park, Brooke!, TV cartoons in the mornings, the bunkhouse, fresh strawberries, time with loved ones!!

...for Avery....learning to walk more proficiently, turning 1!, learning how to go to sleep at night without screaming her head off for 20+ minutes first, and of course, bonding with loved ones!

Michigan highlights:

...reconnecting with cousin, Meribeth, and her family, Moose Tracks ice cream, Marea's brother, Jason, and family--wife, Lynn, and two kids, MaryHelen and Noah. crashing the scooter (Marea), a night out in GR--the BOB, and I don't know the other places, but Robb crashed an open mike, staying at an incredible home on Lake MI: zip-line, small sailboat, playroom, firepit, S'mores, venison, squeaky sand, etc! And...TIME WITH LOVED ONES!

Oregon highlights:

...for Robb and Marea....hanging out with the Tyvands, Stalkers, and Woods, good eats and drinks, China charades (K204!), cleaning off filthy, dusty children, outdoor concert, TIME WITH LOVED ONES!

....for Judah and Avery....hand fishing at the lake, outdoor concert, creating dust storms, good eats, time with JACK and Vera, Talin and Alma, and Miss Molly, etc!

Soooo good to go home for an extended period of time during the best time of the year. And we're glad we'll be coming home for Christmas in a couple weeks this year, too!!

See more pictures by clicking on the links at the top!

February 2008 - Northern Thailand: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Myanmar, Laos, Chiang Rai

For Chinese New Year, February 2008, my brother Chris, his friend Jason, and our friend Robin all came out to visit us in China. Part of their time here included a week-long break for us. During this time off, we all flew to Thailand for a Northern Thailand adventure. Our great friends, the Stalkers, were able to come with us as well.

After a few days exploring the busy streets of Bangkok, we flew up to Chiang Mai. Mellisa Stalker had a friend, Peggy, who married a man of Laotian descent and owned a farm north of Chiang Mai (The Pun Pun Farm - http://www.punpunthailand.org/). The farm was a sustainable living and learning center in which people from all over the world would come and take workshops on sustainable farming. In addition, Peggy and her husband would travel throughout Northern Thailand educating local farmers on the traditional methods of farming. What an amazing time had by all. We spent several days here living a traditional and basic way of life. Judah and Avery were able to run (and crawl) around the farm with their friends. We fell in love with the countryside and its people. It was very hard to leave The Pun Pun Farm.

Part of our stay in Chiang Mai, included a visit to an elephant center. The elephants that resided had been rescued from harm or abandanment from the region. Their trainers put on amazing shows and we were able to ride an elephant along a trail and through the river.

Continuing north, we were able to visit hilltribe people including the Karen Longneck Tribe. This was an outstanding cultural experience seeing and experiencing how they lived. As we continued down the main road, we eventually hit the border crossing into Myanmar. We hopped over the border for a few hours in order to tour some of the markets and get a stamp in our passports. We continued our journey to the Golden Triangle - a place where rivers meet and Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand come together. While there, we boarded a narrow riverboat and crossed into Laos.

The last part of our trip took us down into Chiang Rai to visit Josh Parsons - a friend who works with YWAM and leads the discipleship training school. It was great touring the base and venturing into the city for some great food and sights.

Reflecting on this trip, we felt it was one of the best ones we had been on since we moved overseas. We hope to eventually go back and experience some of the highlights again, however, there is so much more of SouthEast Asia to explore.

Praise God for an opportunity like this!