Some bits and pieces from Dale's visit...Weird and Wild ones

Nothing says more than a picture, and since I am lacking in time (at least blogging time) I will share a few of our weirdest or silliest experiences that we've had over the last 2 1/2 weeks.

The first photo...Matthew and Eric Weeda baking bran muffins in the kitchen, complete with aprons. Very scary experience, but once you got past the salt and baking soda lumps, the muffins didn't taste that bad!

Next photo: when Dale and I were in Jogja we thought we'd do a girls' outing in the evening, and had a pedicure in hotel's spa. Not a good idea, and a waste of money. If you look carefully you can see the look of agony on Dale's face. When she left she had one foot with crooked nails and the other with long nails, mostly because we had the girl stop cutting after the first foot. It was too scary to continue! Not only that, we had to share the red bucket that Dale's feet are in. I like to share, but not during a pedi!!

We had a quick visit to the "Bird Market" and saw so many weird and strange and sometimes bizarre animals, birds and reptiles. This albino snake (python?) was JUST above my head and looking at me from only a foot or two from my face, unbeknownst to me. Dale was trying to tell me as it slithered towards me but I was too busy taking a photograph (which didn't turn out) of a snake eating a mouse in the snake house just below. Needless to say, I jumped when I looked up. Apparently I DIDN'T scream but I sure did inside!!!

We had a chance to take a mountain trip to Puncak with a few of our girls from the Wednesday bible study. It was very refreshing and we had a lot of fun doing 'girl stuff' like shopping, lounging, talking, eating and of course, we watched Beaches, the ultimate chick-flick. Sometimes when we head outside of Lippo, and even sometimes inside our village, it's best not to look out the window at the surrounding traffic. Thankfully we have a cautious driver.

During our Puncak trip we headed to Taman Safari, where we took my parents. It was there that Dale had a few "firsts,' like using a squat toilet and hugging a lion cub.

Finally, to finish off this "weird photo" post with a grub that was sitting/lying/running??? on the road in front of our house. That is a man's finger next to it (not a large finger, but a finger, nonetheless!). Check out the chompers!

Thanks for reading.

Back from Jogja

Again, another short post because life is whipping by so fast as Dale and I cram as much into each day as is humanly possible. We've just returned tonight from the all-you-can-eat gourmet buffet at the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta, a favourite but expensive (and worth it) restaurant of ours. About 20 other people from our school joined us in celebrating Tris having finished his Masters Degree in Educational Technology. Once I have regular access to my computer again I will post photos.

Dale and I returned from Jogja on Thursday evening, only 10 minutes into the American Idol finale (yeah, Kris won!!). In only 3 days and 2 nights we had multitude of "storytellable" experiences, including a becak ride in a torrential downpour (we felt bad and paid the cyclist-driver triple), the worst, most unprofessional (and most expensive in Indonesia, I'm sure) pedicure ever, the greatest prices on jewellry and clothes and knock-off Gucci/Louis Vuitton bags/purses (and the like), my face-to-face accidental meeting with an albino python (unexpectedly...just about peed my pants...again, photos to follow). It was a great trip and we had a lot of good laughs and experiences. Our most "memorable" will probably be our return flight to Jakarta, where the weather above the clouds was so bright we had to pull down the little window shades. Once we descended a bit, however, the weather turned sour and the plane started to bump around a bit. At one point one of the flight attendants got on the loud speaker and announced our arrival and all of the bits of information that go with it. Obviously, when I felt the plane bump along the tarmac, we had landed. At least that's what I thought, until I looked out the window and the rooftops and trees below us were still very, very tiny. No big deal, at least not to most of the passengers. There were a few ladies, however, who were not quite so sure about the lurching and rolling of the plane, and one of them was clicking what looked maybe like a prayer counter (like rosary beads in a clicker) with her eyes shut tight. Her lips were moving quickly and it sounded like she might have been praying. Again, not a big deal, until the two ladies behind us started to cry and sob, and then the clicker lady got in on the crying action as well. Three ladies around us were sobbing away and it was very disconcerting. We weren't sure if they knew something that we didn't know, but now, today, we are thankful that we landed safely and nothing came of the turbulence.

Tris and the kids have only 3 more weeks of school left. I don't have any mission-type plans in the near future. For my birthday Tris is buying me a plane ticket to Singapore for 4 days, where I'll accompany Judy Comrie on a WWII tour of various sites and museums. I am very, very excited to go on this trip; I've seen North American sites but never Asian ones. Hopefully I'll get a different perspective on what I already know and I'll gain more information on WWII and its players in general. As for the next week, Dale, the shopping queen, will have at least 3 days of shopping opportunities. We're heading into Jakarta on Monday for the day and up to the mountains to Puncak Pass and its tea plantations this Wednesday and Thursday. I think Puncak Pass is one of my favourite places because it's in the mountains.

I've been really bad about remembering birthdays on this blog, but I would like to wish my sister-in-law Laura, my niece Nathalia, GG, Ruth Fox and Ruth Graham and my nephews Josh and Elijah a Happy Birthday, and Tris and Sunny (my parents-in-law), Laura and Paul, Jen and Christian, and TJ and Tanya all Happy Anniversaries for the month of May. May is a busy month and I know I probably missed a ton...

Thanks for reading.

Off To Jogja

Again, not a lot of time to write. Dale and I are headed off to Jogja (Yogyakarta) tomorrow at 4 am and so we need our beauty sleep. We're gone for 2 nights and 3 days. Looks like we won't be doing much sight-seeing; it seems I've befriended the Shopping Queen (one of them, at least!). My ultimate goal is to ride another becak and see the general area, which I think Dale will love. She's already seen a lot just by riding arouond in our car. Like my mom, Dale has been overwhelmed at times by the poverty living right next to opulence. It's a difficult concept to absorb and understand; why can't some of that wealth be shared? It doesn't make sense.

I earlier reported that our friend Steve Weeda lost his wedding ring, and it is general knowledge around here that items like that don't necessarily get returned if found by maintenance workers. However, we are happy to report that one such worker found the ring, turned it in and Steve has his ring back. Now that makes sense!

Thanks for reading.

The Eagle Has Landed

She's here! Dale Olmstead arrived yesterday, browner than me and coming from West Coast Canada. Go figure. All the junkfood she brought has been safely stored away, some of it eaten already (cheezies and Big Turks...yeah!). In case I don't ever say it properly, thanks to those of you who sent items with Dale. Mom & Dad, Sam & Pat, Bernice Millar, Vince & Kate, Ruth Fox, Ruth Graham, Marlene, and Kathleen.....what a treat it is to receive goodies from home. Thank you! Dale was a trooper, dragging a huge fold-down bag here, and it was FULL of Canadian chocolate and treats. Yum!

Today Dale was introduced to my Wednesday bible study girls and took a tour of our school. We took her on a very quick trip to the mall, but had to rush home so that we didn't miss our 7 o'clock show...We're all sitting and watching American Idol so I can't be long. Just wanted to make sure that those who have been asking know that Dale is safe, swollen (sausages toes are a common symptom when flying from Canada to Jakarta!!), and not nearly as sleepy as I thought she'd be.

Thanks for reading.

Accidents and Miracles

Last Friday and yesterday (Monday) morning I had more opportunities to go and spend other peoples' money. This time Kylie (Lippo Ladies) and I purchased guitars for both the village school we've raised funds for, and Rumah Anugerah, the orphanage I've visited periodically since our arrival here. Along with the guitars we were able to purchase some toiletries for the teens at Rumah Anugerah (house of grace) and some other small school-type treats for the village school.

Coral and I enjoyed a drive to RA last night, when we were picked up by the orphanage's driver and taken on the way to see RA's 8 passenger vehicle that was totalled the week before. I have included photos of the little van made of tin not because I want anyone to worry about us over here, but to know that good things happen even in bad situations. This little van was completely totalled; the policemen who attended the scene were absolutely amazed that everyone came out unscathed, and especially that the driver even survived. If you look closely at the steering wheel and front seat you'll see that there's no room for a body, yet the driver climbed out unhurt. When Papi, the 'dad' of the orphanage, went to where the vehicle was initially towed, it was placed next to a similar vehicle in similar shape, and was told that the driver had died in that accident. We're chalking this one up to a miracle, and so are the 7 Rumah Anugerah passengers who were in the van that night.

As we were driving away, Coral and I started talking about things we'd consider miracles in our lives here in Indonesia. One that Coral is especially fond of is her story of when, a while ago, she was standing in the local supermarket line-up and started chatting to the lady behind her. The reason Coral was in the line-up in the first place is because RA was having a bit of financial difficulties and so she wanted to go and buy them a few boxes of noodles to tie them over. Noticing the boxes, the lady commented on how much Coral must like noodles :) and this opened up a discussion of RA (although not any discussion about their financial needs). After paying for her groceries, Coral headed to the ATM at the side of the store and the lady, unknown to Coral then and now, approached her and asked if she could donate some money to RA. Of course Coral said yes, and the lady went to the ATM and took out 10 million rupiah, which is the equivalent of $1000.00, and just handed it to Coral. How's that for God's goodness? Coral touched the lady's arm and said (in Indonesian) "have you come from heaven as an angel from God?" The photo here is of my friend Coral, just so you can see her smiling face and picture it while you read her story.

Another miracle that both Coral and I have had a bit of a part in through prayer is one that involves a baby. Friends of ours became pregnant and, because in Indonesia ultrasounds start from the first visit, they found out that the baby was not in the uterus. Instead, the pregnancy was a tubal one, and the ultra sound picture showed just that. After a lot of prayer, our friends went back for a second visit a few weeks later and the baby had moved from outside the uterus into the exact location where a healthy baby grows and develops in the womb. We were REALLY excited about this one. Unfortunately the baby is going to be born outside of Indonesia and we'll have to rely on photos and maybe skype to see him/her grow. Thank the Lord, however, that there is a baby!

Sometimes our miracles are big and there are numerous small miracles, some that I think we take for granted as soon as they happen. I know that my God is bigger, greater than I can possibly imagine, and to know He's caring for me and my family gives me peace that I just cannot explain. I love to hear how God is working in the lives of others around me, too. I'll keep you posted on what He's doing on our end, but let me know how He's working in your lives, too.

Last night, once we left the little red van we headed to RA to deliver the toiletries and guitar to the kids. I took a few photos to show the rest of the Lippo Ladies how their fundraising efforts made these teens smile. The Yamaha guitar was no more than $100 yet the consensus was that it was one of the more expensive ones they'd ever had. My comment was to please not baby it, but to play it until it can play no more.

Well, my friend Dale is on her way here and I've just received a message from the airline saying that her plane is delayed about 1 1/2 hours. I've done all I can to prepare and now I've blogged. It's midday so I don't want to go out for a walk or I'll get all sweaty. My plans to go and buy flowers for her arrival have been generously squashed by Esther, who just arrived a while back at my front door with orchids and jasmine in hand. Now they're scenting up my living area and they are just beautiful. As for the banana cake I wanted to make, Sri is in the kitchen enjoying some time baking...she's getting the baking bug too, I think. Not sure how or what I'll do, but I am going to try and find something productive for the next 40 minutes.

Thanks for reading.
Note: just for the record, the red van and our fender-bender of 2 posts ago have absolutely nothing in common.

Last Week

I wrote a post earlier this morning and afterwards realized that there was a bunch of "grandparent stuff" that I forgot to mention (by the way, apparently Canadians use the term "bunch of stuff" a lot). Last week was a busy week for all, except Tris, who is simply fighting a state of comatose during the school exams.

Matthew danced a third time last week, this time for the grade 3s. After they danced, the hip hop group had a class session with the younger kids, teaching them hip hop. Matt's dance teacher, Miss Kara, approached me on Friday and told me that I should be very proud of him. Apparently during the teaching session, he did really well communicating and relating to the younger kids, and they all had a blast. She was very impressed with her dancers and made sure that I was aware of how well Matt had participated.

Abby played in a basketball tournament this weekend and her team won 3 out of 4 games. They ended up in second place and lost the 4th game 6-0 to a team that they originally lost 23-0 to. I'd say that the 17 points difference was pretty significant! The girls did a great job and worked really well as a team.

On Thursday morning I went along with Janet and her pembantu (helper) to a local village market. This was a little piece of "real Indonesia" right inside Lippo, where we had to walk a muddy, grassy path, over a muddy river on a narrow cement bridge and around a mosque to get there. It was quite comical because the mud was so sticky and my flip flops so flat that I kept getting stuck, much to the dismay of Warsih, Janet's ever-running-never-walking pembantu. I'd take a step and it was like my foot had cemented itself completely in the mud; I had to pry my foot out after ever 3rd or 4th step. By the time we returned to Janet's car Warsih even had a good laugh at my expense...I had dirt flicks up my back and legs. I had to scrub in the shower that morning (2nd of the day and it was only 9 am) with a scrub brush to get the mud off my feet and legs. I didn't take photos but on Saturday the Weedas went back and took their camera. Check the photos out on the Weeda's blog (see "blogs I read" to the right).

Thanks for reading.

Happy Mothers' Day!

Today is Mothers' Day, and it seems to be celebrated almost as much here as it is at home, at least among the English speaking communities. There are no advertisements for it in the malls or anything, but the moms at school sure talk a lot about it! The English speaking bible study that I go to at school hosted a Moms' luncheon on Friday, with lunch, singing, a game and a few speakers. I was supposed to wear batik but don't really own any yet, so that's the next thing on my list of things to do in order to 'settle' here even more. As for my family today, I am not sure how we are celebrating, but if we hang out that would be the nicest. I know that I don't have to do any dishes today so that's the best for sure! Right now my kids are sleeping and Tris is talking to Sunny (his mom) on skype. I just tried my mom on my computer and the connection was terrible. Go figure! Tris' conversation is great. Anyways, mom, if you read this today, please know that I love you and am proud to call you my mom. One of the biggest compliments to me is "You sure are like your mom!" Happy Mother's Day.

On days like today I tend to think of the things that I am thankful for. Sundays are good days for just laying in bed (we go to church on Saturday nights) and thinking. Last night we were in our first (and last!) fender bender while we were with the Comries...in their vehicle, not ours. A taxi stopped in front of us and a motorcycle with at least 2 people on it almost hit the taxi; Bruce stopped to avoid hitting the motorcycle and taxi and within seconds a second taxi hit us from behind. What was the damage? No injuries (thank the Lord) but the bumper that the Comries just had replaced from a hit on their vehicle in a parking lot got kind of scratched up. No injuries, a bumper that needs repairing, and lots to talk about in the car. That was our time in Jakarta last night, and I am thankful that nothing worse happened.

I am also thankful for the women in my life. God has blessed me with such an incredible circle of women to teach me, encourage me, love on me and for me to do the same back with. What is absolutely incredible is that this circle now extends around the world. It goes from Indonesia to Germany to Australia to Mozambique to Sweden to the US to Scotland and into Canada. As life changes and people begin to filter back to their home countries that circle will include even more people in more places. I am amazed at how God brings certain women into my life when I need them most, and from those points of meeting our relationships can grow. I realize sometimes we meet women and they are only in our lives for a short time, but I have found that even those relationships have influenced my life in some positive way. So, I thank God for my women relatives and friends and even acquaintances. This post celebrates moms, but it celebrates my women friends in general, too!

Thanks for reading.

Ultimately Wet Sunday

Last Sunday we played what is becoming our regular Sunday afternoon game of Ultimate Frisbee. However, this Sunday was a little different, on account of the deluge of rain that came down just as we were heading to the school field. It wasn't really that big of a deal, because the rain that we are used to is cold and sharp. This time, it was warm and the drops were big and fat. You only got a bit of a chill if you stopped moving, and it was kind of pleasant knowing that you can actually feel chilled outside in our village. Our backyard neighbours called and asked if they could join us on the fields and so they came along and played in the rain, too. The majority of us lasted about 45 minutes, until Steve Weeda put a little extra spin on the frisbee and ended up throwing more than one disc. Unfortunately, the 2nd disc was the one on his wedding finger, and we spent at least another 20 minutes doing a thorough field search. The ring never turned up, and unless someone honest finds it, it may be gone for good. With the maintenance/grounds staff at our school, the motto "finders keepers" is the one most abided by. For those headed our way one day, be encouraged if you are looking to lose weight. The reason the ring flew off in the first place is because Steve's fingers have shrunk in width significantly since last July.

A 20 minute stop in our Ultimate game to look for Steve's wedding ring.



As I write this, Matthew is upstairs drawing house plans up for one of his classes (not architecture...maybe art?) and Abby is at choir. Tomorrow is Abby's basketball tournament, which lasts 2 days. Tris is spending a lot of his time at school watching over grade 12 IB exams, which he says almost puts him in a coma. My big news is that in 5 sleeps my friend Dale will be here visiting for almost 3 weeks. Tonight the McIntyre family (Esther, Owen and their children Nahum, Dominico and Eliana) are coming for turkey dinner. We have no other reason to have turkey than we just want to eat it. I found a can of cranberry sauce a few weeks ago and have to have some reason to open it!! The other day I was given about 30 lemons and so we'll have both lemon meringue pie and applie pie. MMmmmmm.

Company will be here within the 1/2 hour so I have got to go and do what you do when you are waiting for company. Fluff napkins?

Thanks for reading.

For the Record...

For those of you who may have read otherwise, a few posts ago I said that I "aided in the creation" of some various types of food. Don't read incorrectly and assume I had much to do with the cooking...I am just the person who answers questions, diverts potential disasters, and gives the odd tip here and there. I DID learn how to make a great creme brulee, though, and so now I need to go out and buy some ramekins.

For the last few Fridays, Tris and I have had a sort of date night where we go out and get a massage at the local salon/massage place. We did this again last night, but had "cream baths" instead. As well, we brought along our neighbours Mel and Johnny and three of the four members of the Donnan family who are staying at Mel and Johnny's for a bit. A cream bath is essentially a head/shoulder/arm massage, and they wash & condition your hair as well. Tris has never had one and, although he has very little hair, thought it would be fun to try it...once. I am so glad he did, because I have the best photo in my mind and I never will forget it. At one point, when my head was under a heater, I realized that both Tris and Johnny were getting cream baths at the other end of the row of chairs (I didn't notice this earlier because once you sit down and the massage begins, you are better off to just relax and close your eyes). I popped my head out and glanced down to my right, only to see both Tris and Johnny with white towels folded around their heads just like mine....a narrow strip around the crown of our heads and folded together at our foreheads. The very moment that I happened to look down at their end, Johnny taking a drink of lemon tea out of a water goblet. How very posh. If only...if only ...I had my camera. I have a feeling I will never, ever get a shot like that again.

Thanks for reading.