Bursting Shelves & Busting Jeans

Mom, I think you must have thrown my new jeans in the dryer when I was there. Seriously, I have to blame someone that my jeans are tighter now than when I left Indo. And NO, I'm pretty sure it doesn't have ANYTHING to do with the fact that we ate every 2 hours whether we were hungry or not.

Speaking of food, I just returned from a hair appointment in Jakarta (it's nice to get out of town now and then!) and was very, very pleasantly surprised by the amount of goods in stock on the shelves. When we first arrived in Indonesia, there was a good amount of choices of a few things, like 2 or 3 types of mayonnaise, 2 types of ketchup, stuff like that. After a while, when the elections were brewing, food stayed on the docks (variety of reasons) and we had very little choice, if there was even the item at all, on the shelves. Today, I found things that I brought from home because I haven't seen them here ever, or at least not in the last year. A few of the items that I found that I got excited about were (price included): corn meal ($4.30 for Red Mills bag); Lay's Salt and Vinegar chips ($5/bag); whole flax seed ($3/250 g); Trident gum (variety of flavours even, $1.40/package); reasonably fresh bagels ($.80/each); Cranberry Almond Crunch ($6-7/box); microwave popcorn ($2/pouch) and lots more that I can't remember. Quite often we pay 1/4 to double the amount that we'd pay at home, but the cost of living here is pretty reasonable, especially things like movies and eating out, so food at home can be a little higher. So, if I keep finding new items from home, these jeans will NEVER fit and we have no dryer to blame!!!

Thanks for reading.

Memories of Summer 2010...Summer-ized

So here we are, "back in the saddle," so to speak. Of course, there aren't really any horses around to speak of, and those that we do see are so skinny I couldn't imagine putting a saddle on them, let alone hopping onto one. What I mean is that we're back in Indonesia, school starts tomorrow, uniforms and school supplies are purchased, organized (Abby) and ready to go. I was told that when I returned back to Lippo from Canada I'd suffer culture shock and that it would be a difficult transition. I have to say that we've been here a week tomorrow, and I haven't regretted our return. Of course I LOVED visiting our family, friends and hiking/walking/fishing/camping/canoeing/swimming (NOT...way too cold), but seeing that we've signed on for at least one more year, I'm not dreading it in any sense of the word. In fact, I've been thrilled so many times over since returning, just to see our community and how it's changed with the arrival of newbies and the departure of some good friends as well. I was a little worried that I'd pine so terribly over the ones I left back in Canada that I wouldn't be able to readjust here, but all is well.

I have admit though, I had a lovely summer and the highlights were definitely those spent with my beautiful, hilarious, talented and rambunctious nieces and nephews. It's those memories that will carry me over to our next visit next summer. There are so many things to think on, to turn over in my memory and savour, to smile about and even chuckle now and then (like when Elijah, 5, asked my mom, "Grandma, are you over 100 years old yet?"). I've wondered how I will record those memories on this blog and am not sure that it is possible. With over 25oo photos and about 7 slideshow/movies, I have visuals to last me at LEAST 11 months.

I can't believe it, but there are actually things we didn't do this year, like lay out and watch the stars (it took too long...we go to bed too early!), swim in a lake (tooooo cold), eat a roast ham with mashed potatoes and creamed corn (forgot!), and eat a peach. However, we did so many other things that I am going to list those I can remember off the top of my head, just for posterity sake.

WE: played mini-golf; rode tandem with Poppa; tore down Paul & Laura's drywall (renos); had weiner roasts at the Big Rock; took "cousin" photos at White Rock; rode a gondola and stood where Olympians stood at Whistler; ate ice cream on the pier; toured UBC (too many changes for my liking. Does this mean I'm getting old??); watched a parade; ate lemon crunch cookies and bought more to bring home; visited the Vancouver Art Gallery (a date Tris and I have promised each other for almost 20 years); witnessed my girlfriend officially become a nurse; picked out and am now wearing a 40th birthday diamond ring; hiked 8 km up and down a mountain, with an incredible ocean view at the top; visited little Zoey and her brother Zak, and older sister Eliana (Zoey's the one we've been praying for); picked berries; learned a few words to Justin Bieber songs; swam in a man-made pond; Ikea; ran into Indonesian friends in YVR; took morning walks along a river; checked out a few antique stores; met old friends; ate enough to feed an Indonesian family of 3 for a year; celebrated my 40th (many times over); golfed into the ocean (and searched unsuccessfully for those golf balls later); ate s'mores (many times); visited family in Port Alberni; dressed up special for a breakfast with the Devries cousins; rode bikes; walked the beach; slept on the beach; ran into Miranda in Port Alberni (how unlikely and how serependipitous ~ sp?~); visited Coombs (Goats on the Roof); hung with brothers and sisters; hung with cousins; hung with grandparents; played fetch with Willie (how sad the poor little guy was when we left!!); camped in really cold weather; camped with my girlfriends (Kim); canoed; kissed Fisher's fat cheeks; fished (ate a trout!); cooked meals over a fire; gained weight; celebrated our niece's "coming of age" at a very special party; cleaned out our storage locker; ate a 14A at the Saigon Noodle House (yum!); saw Fred and met my namesake for the first time (she's 9!!); visited dear friends; ran into wonderful friends; shopped on 5th Street; played bocci; had a water fight; rode a motorcycle for the first time (Matt); saw a coyote; saw a mama bear and 2 cubs (barely saw them through the telescope but I'll count it); saw HUNDREDS of deer; saw oodles of eagles; saw my first salamander; DIDN'T SEE A WHALE; learned the moves of a Jedi warrior (from a professionally trained 5 year old who knows them ALL); ate raspberries off the branch; folded dryer-fluffed laundry; heard frustrating news at our home church; met baby Benjamin who wasn't supposed to be born until after we left; sat on the back porch and listened to Gipsy Kings; scraped a blackberry pie off the walls, floor and suitcase; met my nephew for the first time; met my sister-in-law for the first time; chopped wood; cried when I left our families; ate at Dick's Fish and Chips; got my skirt sucked up into a leaf blower (hilarious...skirt is toast; I'm ok); o dear, what else did we do, or rather, what DIDN'T we do???

I'm out of breath, my computer is blinking red (no power left) and Matthew is insisting I turn out the big light so that he can go to sleep. I guess that's it for tonight.

Thanks for reading

Communal Living

It’s been so long since I’ve posted, I don’t know where to start. I have options galore: things I’ve learned in Canada lately; people we’ve visited; places we’ve seen; a list of animals we’ve had the pleasure of stumbling across (no whales or bears yet!!); favourite moments; what we’re doing right now. Laughter is good for the soul, and so that’s where I’m going to go. May I add, as a ‘pre-script,’ that as I write this I am sitting on a balcony at Whistler (where the Olympics were this winter), surrounded by the phenomenal beauty of God’s creation. It’s breathtaking, the still-snow-topped grey mountains in the distance, the closer ones covered in a variety of coniferous trees, a mesh of green that can only occur in nature. I can barely see my computer screen if I turn my gaze a little to the right and over the top; the sun is preparing to set, and as it slides down the sky the reflection in Lake Placid below is like a brilliant diamond. Kind of like the ring that Tris bought me for my 40^th but THAT is another post altogether. I’ve got Van Morrison (Astral Weeks and Best Of) partially masking the sound of the highway and the swoosh of the breeze up here is doing the rest.

If I ever write a book, I think I’ll call it “And I Disgress…”

For those who have sat and chatted with me for some length of time, you’ll know that it’s been my dream/vision/momentary lapse of sanity to buy a huge chunk of property and divide it up among some chosen individuals (they’d pay me back, of course). We’d live in “community,” share ride-‘em lawn mowers, cut fire wood together, build a work shop and communally own the tools, can fruit and veggies for the winter, look after each other’s children and probably take first aid courses annually in our raised-in-a-day gymnasium/barn. During the last week we’ve had opportunity to practice a little of this “community living” as we have stayed at my in-laws’ house. Laura (Tris’ sister), her husband and their 4 children have recently moved in as well, as they work on renovating their home. Along with the 10 people there are also 4 dogs, two of which are becoming very hard of hearing. Needless to say, between children singing (Justin Bieber??? What happened to Raffi???), dish & laundry washers churning, dogs competing to see which deaf dog can bark the loudest, parents gently chiding (“Bullfrogs out of the house!” “Don’t poke your sister in the eye with that weenie stick again…” “Willie, you silly dog, you’re all wet. Get off the white sofa!!!”), it’s quite hard to hear what’s actually under the noise. Like the time I forfeited knocking on the downstairs suite door because I knew they wouldn’t hear me anyways. Ooops.

That morning I was in a rush, and so I barged in. Unfortunately, on the other side of the door, next to the bathroom, stood my quite-undressed brother-in-law (I promised no names. Do the math), who, upon seeing me, whipped his left leg up to protect my virtue and, so it seems, to hold up the tiny facecloth he was apparently using as a towel. It wasn’t this image that caught my attention, nor was it the flash of never-sun-kissed white. Rather, it was him yelling “Hold on! Hold on! I’m naked! I’m naked!” This stopped me in my tracks. I turned around and shut the door behind me, chuckling. Later, when I returned to the suite, apology in hand, I learned that my brother-in-law had been answering a business call when I walked in. It was then that my chuckling turned into guffaws, complete with snorts and tears. The only thing that the man on the other end heard was “Hold on! Hold on! I’m naked! I’m naked!” I never did find out if the business deal was successful.

BC Ferries

This is my first post in Canada. I haven't had wireless access until now, about a week after I wrote this. There's so much more to say but I'll leave it at this for now:

Sometimes life is so surreal. Like right now. Here I am sitting on a BC Ferry, right next to the window, with a blue sky, white puffy clouds and mountains wherever I look. Just like in my dreams. Mountains. I’ve blogged before about mountains and I haven’t changed my opinion. They’re still life-giving, whether you are on one or looking at them from the ocean.

I’ve been in Canada almost 2 days. Tris and Sunny picked me up at YVR June 1^st at 7 pm, and I’ve stayed at their house until this morning, June 3^rd. It’s been a great visit and we’ve been able to get a lot done. Yesterday we spent time with Tris’ sister’s family, including my 3 nieces and 1 nephew. It’s amazing how kids change in two years!! Now I’m heading to the island and I can hardly wait. However, I’ve waited this long and I guess I’ll just have to wait 2 more hours. My baby brother and his family are meeting me on the other side (we arranged this before Mom knew I was coming, so she and Dad are waiting in Campbell River for me).

It’s been a wonderful experience so far, despite the October temperatures (16 degrees? Hello! It’s JUNE) and rain. I’ve already done a lot of what I needed to do and it feels so good to have Canadian I.D. again. I now have a Canadian drivers license again, and my big ol’ van is insured. As much as I love my little Indo suv, there’s something special about that 4-door, 6-cd, 8 passenger, automatic sliding passenger door Chevy venture. What a beast it is; I’m really looking forward to spending our summer in it.

A few observations that I’ve made about Canada so far are:

*Canadians are quite big and hairy. Seriously.

*Canadians are good at making eye contact and smiling. Quite friendly, really.

*Value Village is still a great way to buy clothes. I shopped yesterday and felt like I was in an Indo outlet store. Same kind of prices, and a lot of what I bought was almost new.

*Seagulls are quite striking looking birds

*People here love gumboots and gortex.

*English is a truly beautiful language.

*Workers here wear boots, hats, and if near the water, life jackets. That’s a little different from the ones we see in Indo, wearing flip-flops or bare feet, climbing 3-storey bamboo scaffolding.

Those are just a few things I’ve noticed for now. At this point I’m just going to sit here and enjoy the announcements being made by the ferry staff. Usually they are just irritating and I ignore them, but there’s something wonderful about listening to English. Things have definitely changed though. Right now a safety announcement is being made, and a demo, just like on a plane, is being shown on a tv in the sitting area I’m in.

I’m almost home.

Thanks for reading.

Tomorrow, tomorrow!!

What do you do when you have 2 large suitcases half packed, a carry-on to organize, glasses to get repaired, groceries to shop for, and odds and ends to complete the day before you leave for your home country after TWO LONG YEARS??? You sit at the computer and blog, of course.

Things are winding up here for us. I've got my lists, and my lists of my lists, and Tris' lists that he probably will glance at and forego for the one that's in his head. I've celebrated my 40th once already (and so it begins!) with nine beautiful ladies at the Marriott Hotel. Abby's dress is made and her hair is cut and layered (and she's learned how to maintain her wild curls), so she's ready for her grade 6 celebration. Matthew is working on final school projects and our house seems to always have teenagers hanging about. Unlike most teachers in our school, Tris' classes' exams don't begin until this week and so rather than spending his first week pining over me, he'll be up to his eyeballs in physics exams. Abby's got a countdown going in her room and there are only 11 days until school is out. Tomorrow, I fly.

I have to admit, this is the first time that I've spent alone on a jet plane. I did fly from Bali to Jakarta alone when I had dengue (it wasn't that bad) but that was a short flight. This time, I am tentative and am praying I don't forget anything. Last year was my first time alone in a hotel, when Tris had surgery in Singapore. I did that just fine and so flying shouldn't be all that difficult.

Mostly, I am so excited about heading home that I'm not sure whether I'll laugh or cry when I see my in-laws' smiling faces at the airport. I do know that it's supposed to be cold (what's with THAT??) and so as soon as I get a few visits with family in, I'll have to head out shopping. I'm sure I can handle that.

Procrastination time is over and packing and shopping continues.

Thanks for reading.

I'm coming home!

One week left and then I leave on a jet plane for YVR, via Tai Pei. I'm very, very excited, so excited that I haven't allowed myself to do a countdown until only 14 days before. I find that if I get too wrapped up in it I can't sleep, especially when I hear the call to prayer around 4-4:30 am. That's when I know I need to get up soon and my mind starts packing and planning all my Canadian outings.

There are so many things to do here before I go. I need to back up my photos off my laptop (doesn't everybody do that??) and get some videos copied so that we can watch them together in Canada. Gifts are packed, sorted and somehow the pile still continues to grow. There are so many food items that I'd like to bring and share with family and friends, things like dried durian (can't do it myself...the stuff stinks so bad even hotels won't let you take it into your room), prawn flavoured Pringles, coffee candies (from the island of Java), jelly drink (made from grass), and heaps of other things. If there's something you'd like to try specifically, let me know soon! Clothes are no big deal, I can wash and wear and sometimes even borrow. Shopping in Canada is also on the list of things to do. I think I can pack my suitcase in a day.

I've used specific events to pace myself. The deal was that I wouldn't worry about packing up until the Karawaci Ladies' used book sale at the Jakarta Highland Gathering (similar to Comox Valley's Highland Gathering, which was apparently held the same weekend) was over. That was held yesterday and we made a little cash, had good fun and met some great people. It was scorching hot, which later turned into a thunder/lightening storm, and made the area into one huge mud pit. A fun time was had by all, and all went home to scrub mud off of legs, backs, hair, clothes and shoes.

Now that the Gathering is over, my birth-month starts. A few good friends are taking me out to the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta this week, and it's another event that I am very excited about. I'm not necessarily excited about turning 40, but I'm not too worried about it either; I'm excited about the time spent eating and chatting that's coming up. I was talking with one today about how I'd love to get my Cdn girlfriends together with my girlfriends here, and how much fun it would be to be in one place with them all. Whenever anyone has come here and East meets West, we have a good time together. I guess that's what heaven's for...we'll all have tea ( chai, thanks) and get to know each other better.

It's time to end this post. It's too full of "I"s and "me"s.

Thanks for reading!

Zoey's Good News: Day 34

From Stephanie, Zoey's mom.

Zoey has had a big day today. She came out of traction this morning. We gradually lowered her legs over about 15 minutes to help them to adjust and minimize any discomfort. Then I soaked them in wet towels to loosen the adhesive and pulled off the tape from the traction. Her legs are peeling and very raw in large areas on her calves as to be expected. She was quite content to lie flat in her bed the rest of the morning so I didn't push her.

After her nap I picked her up and she enjoyed that. I did notice that she couldn't hold her head up initially, but her neck muscles quickly adjusted so that wasn't a problem after about half an hour or so. Next thing was sitting up which also was difficult for her to do - she was very wobbly and would fall to the side whenever she tried shifting her weight/trying to reach anything. It has now been 4 hours and I definitely see improvements in this area -- she is not completely stable but fairly good at staying upright without falling over so that is great. She is nowhere ready to walk yet -- we tried a few steps but she has lost muscle in her legs and she just flops around as she cannot put any weight on her legs yet. I know this will come too, but expect it could take a bit of time for that strength to come back. This is a bit frustrating for Zoey, but she is a determined girl so that will help her along.

The incision seems to be holding so far in her bladder area - perhaps a bit stretched from what I recall, but not dramatically different. She still has 1 catheter left which the chief urologist tried to remove yesterday by pulling hard on, but without success as it seems stuck in there for now. They'll try pulling to try to remove it again either tomorrow or Thursday. I am expecting we might see occupational therapy tomorrow to try to help regain some of her skills. She is on no restrictions for any activity. The chief orthopedic surgeon came by today and said the x-ray from yesterday shows there is excellent bone growth on her hips.

So all goes well so far. We are hoping to go home Thursday. I'll send more pictures once we get home as I cannot download them from here.

Love, Stephanie

Thanks for reading!