Seipert Family Adventures

Down, but not out!

2010-03-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

To all my faithful blog followers (if there are any of you left) I wanted to let you know that I have started a new blog meandmy4kids.blogspot.com

My life has changed dramatically in the past 6 months and so I felt my blog should too.

The kids and I are living back in the states and are adjusting to life in my home state of Utah.

We all enjoy being around family and that has helped to make the transition to single motherhood bearable.

Thank you again to all who have had us in your thoughts and prayers these past few months. We could not have made it without you.

Please take a look at the new blog site and add yourself as a follower!

Kelly

First Car Wreck We Didn't Cause

2009-05-13T03:32:00.000-07:00

I've been in several car accidents but this was the first one with one of my children behind the wheel!
It happened several months ago while driving home from Seminary. It was the age old situation where you get stopped behind someone who is turning, they start to roll forward, you look over your shoulder to make sure you are clear, then slam on your gas to "shoot the gap" BEFORE checking to make sure the car in front of you has actually turned. Rookie mistake.

Funny thing was after he hit the car he slammed on the brakes as I was simultaneously yelling at him and so he assumed he had done the wrong thing and proceeded to let off the brake and step on the gas. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what the heck he was doing. I followed that up with more yelling "STOP, Stop what the heck are you doing!". After that he wasn't confused anymore.

The rest of the story is very long and drawn out as is any vehicle confrontation in India. There must be hours of sitting around talking and analyzing the situation before you can even think about a resolution. The idea being, to convince anyone who will listen its the other guys fault and to see how much money you can squeeze from them in the process. It didn't help that technically Big T doesn't have a license and shouldn't have been driving in the first place. Suffice it to say after an hour and a half of sitting around trying to resolve the situation Richard showed up and me and the kids left. A half hour later it was resolved. What can I say, Richard is a man who can get things done. Didn't hurt that he nearly ran the man over when he wouldn't get out from in front of the vehicle that was taking me and the kids home.... again, LONG story!

Initially we offered the other driver 2500 rs (approx. $55USD) and he scoffed at me. When we paid to have it fixed a few days later it only cost us 16000 rs (approx $30USD) to fix the bumper good as new. Repair work is extremely inexpensive here. He should have taken our offer instead of holding out for more. Come to find out later it was a government vehicle that he could have gotten fixed free of charge and simply pocketed whatever money he got from us. He thought since we were white foreigners he would go-for-the-gold but because he was so greedy he ended up with nothing!

(Bumper of the car we hit)

Holy-Giant-Balls-of-Hail-Batman!

2009-05-13T02:41:00.000-07:00

Last week we were shocked out of our lackadaisical Sunday afternoon by a sudden and freak hail storm. It didn't last more than a few minutes but the size of the hail was shocking. Richard reconsidered going outside when his hand was immediately hit by a huge ice ball! We got the pictures of the hail in Richard's hands after it stopped.
We all stood at the windows in awe of this awesome display and amazing feat of Mother Nature...after all, we've had recent temperatures as high as 113 degrees. Guess that's why they call it Climate Change!

Because there is a serious cockroach issue in India almost everywhere you go you will notice little white moth balls in all the drains of bathrooms, sinks and showers. After taking the these pictures Little T says "They look like the toilet thingees Mom". We all had a good chuckle about that!

Childhood Memories

2009-04-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

At first glance this photo may appear to be a simple portrait of a cute, little 6 year old boy (MY cute, little 6 year old boy) but take a closer look....at the socks?

This is how my cute, little 6 year old son left the house this morning for school. Bring back any childhood memories of your own? Leg warmers, tube socks, tucking the bottom of your shirt through the neck hole to make a cute little mid-drift.... you know you did it!

Where's your retainer?

2009-03-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

We were all waiting for Mo again this morning for early morning family scripture study. When she finally wandered in looking dazed and confused I noticed she didn't have her retainer in her mouth. Just as I was about to ask her where it was she turned her head and there it was, dangling precariously from a tuft of hair behind her right ear.

I've woken many a morning to find gum, jolly ranchers, chocolate, suckers.... stuck in my children's hair, but this one takes the cake. It was so funny it took everything I had not to fall to the floor in fits of laughter. Instead, I told her to stand still and not move while I rushed to the closet to get the camera. By the time I returned I was laughing uncontrollably and she was already in the bathroom trying to figure out what was so funny. I quickly snapped this photo, I couldn't manage a second one as it only took her a few seconds to find the source of my amusement and promptly removed it!

Afterwards I couldn't stop myself from randomly giggling all through scripture study. I’m finding it hard to not laugh out loud as I’m writing this now. :)

Girls just wanna have Fun...

2009-03-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

My trip to Bali was brought about by my good friend, neighbor and extreme X-Box player (not really she's just pretending) Julie.

Julie had a week of time share available for use and since our hubbies had just recently come back from their excursion to Mt. Everest, she decided we should do a 'girls' vacation and luckily I got to be one of the 'girls'. Yeah for me!

Anyway, all of the above pictures we took in the Singapore airport. What an amazing place. It was more like a mall than an airport. Complete with gyms, salons (where we got foot massages), restaurants, free internet access, playgrounds, X-Box play stations where you could play free video games, and as you see in the pictures a beautifally landscaped pond full of HUGE coy. At first I thought the plants were all fake but...NOPE! What a great beginning to a lovely vacation!

One of the fist things we did after we arrived and hit the beach was get some Henna tatoos. If you can't tell, I love temporary tatoos. So much fun. By the time we left Bali we each had 3. These pics were taken in UBUD at a place call Monkey Forest. Obviously named for the MASS amounts of moneys. As you can see they were pretty friendly, one even took a little swing from my purse and another one crawled up my arm onto my hat and then up a tree. SO cool! I love monkeys!

Our other favorite pass-time was eating! On our way back to the hotel from Ubud we stopped and bought a half dozen donuts each and managed to eat 2 donutes each before we made across the street to the McDonalds drive thru! That double cheesburger tasted AMAZING! Don't look at me like that...I haven't had real beef in a year!

Our excursions included: White water rafting (TR, TL), Shopping in Ubud, Monkey Forest (BR), and a three island tour on a speed raft (BL, BM & TM).

For me, the best part about the trip was the once a day full-body massages by the pool! The Traditional Balinese Massage is my new favorite!

We had a great time enjoyed a relaxing week away from the everyday hum-drum of life. We are thinking of doing it again next year! Thanks again Julie for a great time, can't wait to do it again!

I NEED muSic!

2009-03-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

I need a favor from ALL of my loyal Readers...yes, that means all 6 of you!

I'm completely bored with all the songs in my "Running List". I run at least 3 times a week (thank you...yes, thank I know) and I am finding it very hard to stay Motivated with the same 'ol songs!

Please give me one or two suggestions of your favorite motovating songs that you exercise to. Be sure to use the Chat Wall to the right > so everyone can see your wonderful suggestions.

Parenting Joys

2009-03-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

The following is an email I recieved from R while on my vacation in Bali....

.....little T locked his room with all the keys in his room today. I don't know what he is going to wear to school tomorrow as all his cloths are in his room and he wore a swim suit for most of the day today! Thinking about putting him in some of Mishy's cloths to teach him a lesson.
Also he had a poopin accident today and a piece of it feel on Mishy's floor. He didn't tell me about it and so he ground it into the carpet trying to clean it up and then put Mishy's little green carpet thingy on top of it! What a
day!

Happy Birthday Mo!

2009-03-04T18:54:00.000-08:00

Just want to wish one of my most favorite people in the whole world a Happy 14th Birthday!

Everest Revisited

2009-02-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Reflections on the trip from Mo and Big T:

From Mo:

I honestly can't believe that our trip is over. Just gone and done! I can't believe the 5:30am wake up calls have ended and the hikes around Delhi have been replaced by trips to ACSA with my friends. The crystal blue skies have been changed to grey Delhi ones and the millions of stars have just disappeared. Something that once consumed so much of my life and thoughts is now suddenly gone and I often find myself wishing i had it back. It seems just like yesterday that i boarded a small 8 seat er Gorka Airlines plane that started our journey, the excitement evident on my face I'm sure, because I sure couldn't contain it. That feeling stayed with me almost every second of the trip, even when we had been climbing inverted down hill for what seemed like forever!

This trip has, even though it was only 18 days, shaped me so much. The 4 or 5 months I spent training taught me diligence and determination. To not give up even when it hurts. During the trip I learned countless lessons about life, the Gospel and about myself. Now, after it's been over I've learned to not take a single second for granted, to make the most of each minute I have because you'll never know when it could end.

One of my favorite days was the 3rd day of the trip. It was an acclimation day which I thought meant we got to rest. I was wrong, but it turned out to be better. We were going to hike to the highest 5 star hotel in the world. My brother and I climbed together, we talked and encouraged each other all the way. Then when we reached the hotel, we sat on the benches and ordered drinks, just relaxing and taking in the miraculous views and things we saw. It had been a while since we had done anything together just us two so it was really nice to sit and talk with him. Then Dad showed up and we talked all together. That is just one of the many bonding experiences that we had. I loved every single second of the trip.

The views were miraculous and even if I tried to describe them I still wouldn't be able to do them justice. I can't believe I saw the things I did. The magnificent mountains that soared into the sky were amazing. The beauty of the trees and rivers were just incredible. Everywhere I turned there was something beautiful to behold, my heart was always filled with joy. There was something about being on that trip, being in the mountains that made me happier than I'd ever been in my short 13 (almost 14) years. I felt my spirits soar most mornings as I stepped out into the rays of light and thought of what the day held for me. Each time we rounded a corner and saw a new sight I couldn't help but gasp in wonder. Sometimes now in school I'll drift off day-dreaming and I'll find myself back on the trail hiking back up the mountain.

My dad and I were hiking partners most of the way up. It was so nice to have him to follow, stepping in his footsteps a lot of the way up the mountain. When I got tired he would stop and rest with me. When I was in front he never pressured me to go faster. He was always there behind or in front of me, never going too far away, always there when I needed him.

I never thought the trip would end so quickly. It was a life changing experience that I will never forget. The images and sights have imprinted in my memory never to be forgotten. I'll never forget making it to base camp and finding out it was just a bunch of rocks. I was disappointed at first but then realized it wasn't about the destination, it was about the journey we took to get there. The laughs and memories of everyone I gained are innumerable and priceless. The time we spent together on this trip has made a unique bond between us and this trip has a special place in my heart and will forever stay there never to be replaced!

Taylor chose to describe his feelings in a poem:

Never Stop Walking by Taylor Seipert

You set off for the time of your life

Not knowing if you will ever be able to make your goal

You start off sharp as a knife

Not even seeing the toll

Soon your spirit turns to strife

And you feel that your fire is now a coal

Even as you are seeing the splendor

You feel you can't press on

But when the goal comes into sight

You feel that coal ignite

And press on till there is nothing left

Everest in a Nutshell...a big nutshell!

2009-02-02T22:07:00.000-08:00

Just in case anyone was wondering if my family fell off a mountain somwhere between Everest and home, I can assure you they made it back safe and sound. It's just taken me a way more time to get this post put together than I ever dreamed it would!

The following is a culmination of notes taken by Dave McIllece. A day to day inventory in bullet form. You will see the names Shishir & Pampha several times--Shishir was their guide and Pampha their travel agent. If you don't have the energy to read all the bullets be sure you at least scroll down to see all the pics.

Base Camp Adventurers: Seiperts (Richard, Morgann, Taylor), Byrnes (Al, Matt, Cam, Grandpa Buzz), and McIlleces (Dave, Zac).

Between the three families there were almost 6000 pictures taken. Obviously I cannot post all 6000 but I have done my best to include as many of the most relevent and dinamic photos possible. Enjoy!

Hike Day 0: December 18th, 2008
Departed Delhi on time at about noon
Arrived in Kathmandu by 2 PM
Pampha, Al, and Buzz met us at terminal – transport in large Toyota Hiace
Dropped Bags at Hotel Vaishali
Went to Monkey temple: Swayambhunath Temple
Dinner at good restaurant, forget the name…
O/N at Hotel Vaishali; bought water, repacked for flight and hike

Hike Day 1: December 19th, 2008
Flew to Lukla (2840 m),
Flight scheduled for early departure, but fog delayed
tookoff about 10:00, arrived about 11:00 AM
repacked some for trail / sherpas
ate lunch at Khumbu Resort
Departed Lukla at 1:30pm
hiked down hill (and up) to Phakding (2610 m)
arrived at 3:45 pm
tough for Zac and I; first day, altitude adjustment mostly (but no AMS symptoms)
Dinner at restaurant at hotel: Tashi Tagey lodge
Matt barfed 10+ times that night; sickness most likely from exposure during the day hike
Most slept well – Dave woke several times for toilet, heard Matt

Hike Day 2: December 20th, 2008
Phakding (2610 m) to Namche Bazaar (3440 m)
AM – woke (6:30)
brushed
repacked (Zac’s bag lightened, now using camelback)
Taylor barfed before leaving (oh, oh)
ate breakfast @ hotel: oatmeal & pancakes
Dave ‘s breakfast was yum – but Matt still barfing
left for hike at 8:15 AM
Zac + Matt, Al/Buzz/Dave slower
Matt struggled, got a horse
Made it to Bengkar guest house (2905 m) by 10 AM
at foot of Thamserku (6608 m, 21,729 ft)– pretty mountain
hiked until noon, passed check point
Sagharmatha National Park entrance, entered park
Stopped past cool bridge – to Jorsalle Village
stopped for lunch – 12:10
Matt still ill
Taylor doing better
Zac still doing well
left lunch 1:00pm
hiked up, up, up to Namche Bazaar – arrived approx. 4 pm
stopped along the way for oranges
tough uphill hike!
Dave mild headache, possible AMS symptoms? Took advil, went away
Hotel Shangri-la, room 109
showers 250 NRS each! Zac, Dave, and most others hit the showers
laundry drop off
dinner – good! sherpa stew!

Hike Day 3: December 21st, 2008
Syangboche- Everest View Hotel
Supposed to be ‘acclimatization day’ – little rest!
plan to go up from Namche Bazaar, then return – for the view, short ‘picnic’
slept in till 7:30am
9:00 am breakfast
9:30 Go, steep hike
Great views!
Everest
Ama Dablam (dramatic)
Tabouche peak
Lhotse also, near everest
drinks at hotel – expensive lemonade!
picnic with yaks; thanks to Al for the summer sausage!
phone calls – attempts! Al and Richard got through; Dave’s call failed
Kids returned downhill fast!
attempted foot massage (closed for season)
bakery
laundry receive – some sock still wet
recharged batteries
ate dinner, went to bed tired!

Hike Day 4: December 22nd, 2008
Namche Bazaar to Kumjung – then on to Mong La
ate at 8 am
left at 9 am
climbed to ‘airport’ near Everest view hotel
crossed runway to small stupa
by 10:45 we were above the runway
break time; flew kite (tried to), good pictures, good view from hilltop
to Kumjung (3780 m) QUICK…Shishir said this was the destination??
downhill – arrive 11;45!
decided to press ahead – next day hard day
went to Kumjung monastery then ate lunch from 12 to 1
re-started hike at 1pm
arrived at Mong La (3973 m) @ 3pm
cut ‘hardest day’ in half
took pics of Ama Dablam (6856 m)
awesome!
sunset pics
stars- awesome (pics, not so much; didn’t know how to get camera to do ultra-long exposures!!)
Did some long exposure pics in lodge: Matt as Buddha, Zac & Morgann as arms, fun!
Colder night 30 degrees bedtime, 25 degrees sunrise (windchill even colder)

Hike Day 5: December 23rd, 2008
Mong La (3973 m) to Dole (4200 m)
up at 6:30 – morning pics w/Al, Buzz, Richard
Richard the ‘yeti’ – uphill
Awesome AM pics
Breakfast 8am
start hike 9 am
arrived Dole (4200 m) @ 12 noon!
FAST! but feeling good.
lunch at 2pm
filled water bottles, napped
Richard and Cam climbed hill above camp
clouds moved in, then no more pics
Richard got some from above clouds
cold water face/hands wash
Zac minor burn on stove pipe – ok
learned to play bridge – sort of
played till dinner
ate 6pm – sherpa stew, cheese pizza
talked after dinner, Richard’s career, Dave’s assignment
Buzz’s question reminded Dave:
Today exactly 13 years in AF service (Dec 23) 95-08
STARS! – Awesome, even Milky Way visible
Taylor, Dave, talked about the North Star
Cold night in ‘meat cellar’ rooms
getting hot water bags for sleeping bags
sleep 9pm
C-O-L-D
back door wouldn’t close!
propped with ladder – stone, still open in morning!
Used Pee bottle!
Washed in AM, frozen water
whimpering, sniffing, coughing, lots of Nose strips
room stayed above freeze ~ 35 degrees in room; but it didn’t feel that warm!

Hike Day 6: December 24th, 2008
Dike (4200m) to Machhermo (4470 m)
6:30 rise, clear sinuses YUK
COLD!
7:00 – Morgann’s shrieks, won’t get out of her bag!!
Taylor actually used squatter! (toilet)
8:00 breakfast, survivor videos; also lost, found Richard’s camera lens cap
9:10 on trail
clear, bright, warm
climb steep at first
some mild symptoms (headaches) so slowed down – kids – FAST!
Al gave the Pep Talk: – let’s go slow, enjoy scenes, family time, better acclimatize
All slowed, enjoyed more
Byrne’s, McIllece’s staged photos, cliffhangers, summiting, FUN
‘Merry Christmas’ w/ other trekkers along the way
By 12, wind picked up – adding layers
saw ‘Snapping Turtle’ mountain (Taboche or Cholatse peak? unsure)
clouds closed in
Colder temps 35 degrees without chill, guess 20 degrees with chill
BRRRR, -15 degrees, Tough last hour for the hike
checked GoreTex
Outer layers
Arrived at Machhermo (4410 m)
Yeti Lodge
Seipert’s arrived 1st, explored ridges, flew kite, we saw from a distance, waited for group
ARRIVED @ 2:30 pm
symptoms better, still a few
Common room,
ordered lunch
stove HOT! (yes!)
Yaks in the yard of our lodge
‘Joker Team!’ Richard, Al, Matt – hiked up valley – came back at dark
rest stayed played bridge
Dinner – Christmas Eve special meals: beef stew, chick n’ rice, chicken teriyaki, Richard offered grace
dessert: raspberry crumble
videoed family messages
post dinner: Dave read Luke 2, Bible Christmas Story
Slept, warmer at night, nose strips for ALL, and to all a good night…
Used both pee bottles!

Hike Day 7: December 25th, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Machhermo (4470m) to Gokyo (4800 m)
Up at 6:45am
Santa Came!
Zac skittles, gum
We love you Mom! Morgann & Taylor opened pics of their new Ipods
Love you Mom!
stockings in common room (Thanks to Al, Reese’s PB Cups!)
Dave washed hair with Byrnes using hot water bottle water (just ‘warm’ then)
Started on trail by 9 am
Beautiful start, great views
sunshine, warm
slower climb
wind worse, colder
lost sun – clouds
great glacier river views
mix w/lake-fed stream
yaks and birds along the way
Zac got too cold, slow adding layers, miserable!
pushed ahead
beautiful lakes
lakes 1,2,3
ducks
moss or other type of weed under water – amazing!
vistas across lake 3 amazing
Arrived 1-1:30 at Gokyo to Gokyo resort, nice accommodation
lunch at about 3
talked about layers
Morgann bucket shower – efficient!
Seipert boys & Zac washed hands, head, hair, faces with leftover hot water
Dave used rest to wash socks and Zac underwear (COLD hands)
wash, (agitate) wring, rinse, wring
bagged in Ziplocs
hang to dry on trek poles in rooms (to freeze!)
THEN…
report from another trekker (Australian and his Sherpa)…
Dragnag lodges all closed!
would require 12-14 hours climb over pass at 5170 m
CHANGE OF PLANS
Tomorrow no rest
Descend to Phortse (7 hour day) back down path then…
27th Phortse to Periche (or best effort climb up 400 m!)
28th Periche to Labouche
29th Labouche to Gorakshep
or
Acclim. day in Labouche
30th – on – back to schedule? we’ll see
Ate Christmas dinner, like Christmas Eve – mountain house meals, yummy
Zac sleeps with other 3 boys in common room
Early departure! (-15 degrees C outside tonight)

Hike Day 8: December 26th, 2008
“The Big Downhill” – not really downhill!
Gokyo (4800 m, 15750 ft) to Phorste 3800 m
7 Hour Drive!
Left at 7:30am
24 degrees F left
by lake 1 30 degrees F,
snow started, cold windy day, SNOW
Downhill 1st
icy bridge over stream… creaky bridge
Then Heavy uphill climb – tough!
Lunch at small lodge, (run down) name _____________
Hobbit outhouse on cliff – COLD!
Dried out some
jerky, soup, chapattis
Pushed to Phortse, arrived 4:30 pm, snowing, COLD
many, wet, tired, tough
I became mildly hypothermic, too much sweat!
learned to regulate layers ONLY ONE wind breaker outer if used
I felt VERY sick
concerned about lungs
talked about contingency to separate from group, descend if too ill to continue
All OK – checked with Shishir – would use our own porter if needed
Talked to Richard – received priesthood blessing – Zac was concerned before
Dinner OK
DRIED OUT ALL SOCKS – finally (and Zac’s underwear!)
Slept well, but COLD!
I love those Pee Bottles! YEAH!

Hike Day 9: December 27th, 2008
Left Phortse (3800 m) to Orshyo (4100 m)
Left at 7:30
steep climb 1st hour
beautiful, clear weather; sun broke over ridge and warmed us up
wildlife spotted – 1st lophophorous (pheasant), 2nd Rams, ewes, mountain goats
Himalayan Tahr
Bunch of Yaks, up high, domesticated Yaks, Yows
Moderate climb to Orshyo arrived at 2pm
washed socks, hair, faces outside in yard
filled water
ate sunflower seeds, drank cocoa
nice upstairs lodge
Afternoon: played cards, dried socks, told war stories (injuries, pain, etc)
Bedtime about 8 pm

Hike Day 10: December 28th, 2008
Orshyo (4100 m) to Dughla (4620 m)
Up at 6 – breakfast
Matt not well, Richard/Dave talked to Al/Matt, gave Matt priesthood blessing
left at 7:30
good clear skies
some wind at our backs – light
25 degrees F at start
Taylor nauseous but he “manned up”
sun broke ridge about 8:30, warmed up some
still wind was cold
Paused in Periche
Himalayan lodge NICE
best outhouse in Nepal
nice view of stream
juniper leaves to cover waste and odor
Long, slow, climb through side valley with icy, bubbling brook.
Great views of Ama Dablam behind us
Arrived Dughla 12:00
busy spot – only 1 lodge – but had rooms available
unpacked, ate lunch by 2pm
smoke bothersome to me – ventilation very poor
took a nap under blanket
Richard tried to climb hill – too cloudy
Reassessed plan again with Shishir
Decided to
1. climb from Dhughla (4620 m) to Labouche (4900) tomorrow (29th)
2. Climb to Base camp, then Gorakshep as planned on 30th.
3. 31st plan to go ahead with Kala Patthar climb early (those who want) then descend to Periche for New Year’s Eve.
4. Then on 1st, push down to Tengboche (past Pengboche)
5. Go on 2nd to Maryo, below Namche
6. On 3rd descend to Lukla in prep for flight on 4th
spent evening filling water, playing cards and then went to bed early
Matt had much better night, less coughing

Hike Day 11: December 29th, 2008
Arose at 6:30
breakfast at 7
Matt, Taylor feeling better
As we left, at 8am Buzz attempted to pet a Yak – got “horned” – nothing too serious
Starting temps 30 degrees F – in sunshine
PERFECT sunshine, no wind day – AWESOME!
Steep climb up to Labouche Pass –
Many memorial stone piles at pass to those who perished climbing surrounding peaks
Continued to terminus of Khumbu glacier
hiked to west edge, although Glacier was hidden by a ridge
Arrived at Labouche early by 11am
Decided to do a quick outing to see the glacier – Richard, Morgann, Dave
Glacier nearly all melted, sort of disappointing, just large ravine of rock and soil debris,
some glacial remnants still visible – else receded as far up as we could see.
Another high glacier to the west
hiked across valley to investigate
ended up in another glacial debris field
loose boulders and soil, very unstable
Good Analogy – how firm a foundation
with light step, HUGE boulders would shift and move, dangerous, unstable
had to quickly hop from the stones that moved (appeared firm, but no real foundation – no matter how massive they appeared)
used trek pole to “test the soil” and rocks
apparently solid ground gave way to slightest pressure, even if grasses growing on it
returned
Richard, Al set out on second walkabout came back cold at 3:30 or so
sun down by 5:30
Hung out in lodge
played bridge hot seat
38 people in lodge – lots! in 20ft x 20 ft space
Dinner at 6:30
more cards
early bedtime

Hike Day 12: December 30th, 2008
Labouche (4950 m) to Gorakshep (5170 m) to Everest Base Camp! (5364 m) and back to Gorakshep
Decision by Al, Buss, Cam, Matt, Taylor (who threw up in night time) to return to Labouche after Base camp (attempt)
Left at 7:30 – COLD! 15 degrees F
Zac nauseous from acrid smoke in common room
Al – severe Altitude Sickness symptoms
Matt – still struggling to breathe (lung infection?)
Taylor – nauseous from food, presumably
All departed at 7:30 – within minutes Zac feet frozen, stopped and warmed up with Matt’s help
Sun finally came out, Zac sped up
Taylor and Cam sped ahead to front
Dave stayed with Matt, Buzz, Al most of way
Richard and Morgann in middle
At Gorakshep by 10:15 to Buddha lodge
Breakfast was pre-ordered, ate and then left toward base camp at 11:00
Buzz feeling altitude, just stayed in Gorakshep.
Matt, Al, Dave, Zac, Richard, Morgann, Taylor and Cam set out
Cam & Taylor out ahead fast, got to Base Camp 1st
Richard, Morgann, Dave, Zac arrived next – on ridge overlooking camp area
Al, Matt presumably turned back after seeing base camp from the ridge – symptoms heavy at altitude
‘Base Camp’ empty, off season, no tents etc.
just some prayer flags and some litter at the site
Everest not visible from site – too close to the mountain
best seen from ridge above camp site
At camp site:
took pics
collected rocks
good overlook on glacial remnants below and Colombia ice all above to east
Taylor and Cam bee-lined back to Al, Matt and Buzz, and set back toward Labouche
Richard, Morgann, Dave and Zac set back to Gorakshep
Dave, Zac and Shishir stopped on ridge over camp site:
built a ‘Chorten’ (really a rock pile memorial) to George and Carol Olmsted
left coin inside, within view of summit and base camp
Dave unfurled secret ‘confession of love’ banner for Angela near Olmsted chorten site
Zac took pics with Everest summit behind us
This site was highest point achieved by McIlleces on the climb, about 15 m above Base Camp, estimated at 5380 m (17,650 ft)
Return to Gorakshep fast for Seiperts, miserable for Dave
cold wind blowing clouds up the valley as usual
started coughing fits, had to keep head down to block with w/hat
hold hankey to mouth to warm breath
just followed Zac’s feet
Zac led Dave down the mountain
Arrive back at 3:45 pm
ate late lunch in ‘sun room’
sun set – instant heat loss
Hanged out in lodge
kids napped under blankets
dried out boots
chatted with Swedish couple, Australian woman
shared jerky, hot chocolate, gum with all
multinational crowd of about 25 persons
ate dinner 7 pm
went to bed after dinner
Richard taught cooks how to make PB&J!

Hike Day 12: Party 2 – Labouche to Gorakshep to Base Camp attempt – returned to…. Periche
… upon arrival and breakfast at Gorakshep, set out for base camp, except for Buzz
Matt turned back, suffering too much
Al got within sight of base camp – turned around
arrived just after Matt to Gorakshep at 1pm, told Buzz, Matt, Sherpa to leave for Labouche
Al waited for Cam & Taylor – at 2 PM arrived at Gorakshep then left for Labouche
All arrived at Labouche within 5 minutes of each other… 3:30 pm
candy bars for lunch
Gathered bags, packed, headed for Dughla by 3:45 pm
Arrived Dughla 4:45 pm, sun up, weather ok, decided to press on to Periche
Arrived Periche (4278 m) 6pm – 11 hours of hiking!
All symptoms gone by 5 pm!
Stayed at Himalayan Hotel – beds 1 ½ feet too short
restaurant warm, food ok
chatted w/Brit from Liverpool – walking 18 days straight, started in Jiri – SOLO (crazy!)
went straight to bed
Matt still ill, but slept well

Hike Day 13: December 31st, 2008
Richard awakens at 4am – hikes up Kala Patthar at 4:30 with Shishir
hikes in dark, couldn’t find trail – went straight up to 1st bench – then found trail
Richard and Shishir on top by 5:45 AM
wind blowing 15-20 knots
estimated temp 10-15 degrees F without wind chill, with wind chill, maybe -15 degrees!
got great photos of surrounding peaks
Dave, Zac, Morgann awake at 7
radio call at 7:10
back down by 7:15 arrived 7:45
packed
ate at 8:30 (slow kitchen!)
left Gorakshep at 9:00 am (little before), sun shining, light wind, still cold at over 17,000 ft
Cruising down hill
arrived, passed through Labouche about 10 am
passed through Dughla about 10:30
clouds came in, wind picked up – still cold, but spirits high, arrived at Periche by 12:15
Met up with other party at White Yak Lodge
Advance group stayed at Himalayan Hotel, ate breakfast 9:30
played cards till 11 am
asked for fire
asked for fire again
and again and again
offered to gather Yak dung and do it yourself, NO GO!
Al walked up to White Yak – followed card from porter
Al checked rooms – good
Asked will you make a fire? “Yes…”
SOLD
Met Richard, Dave, Zac, Morgann at White Yak just after noon
Nice lodge, stereo, hardwood floors, shower, urinal, etc
spent afternoon, evening playing cards and drying clothes
Dave, Zac and Byrnes washed up head, face, hands
Tried to talk White Yak owner into sleeping in restaurant owner into sleeping in restaurant – wanted 3000 NRS, “no thanks!”
Happy New Year’s Eve – all tired, went to bed

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Hike Day 14: January 1st, 2009
Periche (4278 m) to Namche Bazaar (3450 m)
breakfast at 7am
Up and out of White Yak at 8am
Air temp 18 degrees F, very COLD first hour
got sun by 9 AM
sun gone by 10 AM
COLDER, but very little wind
whisk of snowfall
lots of up & down
saw musk deer just before Tengboche – AL took pics/video
lunch in Tengboche 11:30
wet, sweat-soaked, cold – no fire!
Ate quick, pressed on –
hiking down then back up – into clouds
Arrived to Namche at 3:30 (Zac emergency potty stop in the woods)
Dried socks, coats, sat around stove
Taylor ate ½ mandarin orange…in 1 hour 15 minutes!
called home, told them all okay
tried to arrange early flight from Lukla – clouds cancelled all flights today
still planning to press on to Lukla tomorrow
ate dinner 7 pm, ate food brought from home: MREs, freeze-dried, Happy New Year’s feast

Hike Day 15: January 2nd, 2009
Namche Bazaar (3450 m) to Lukla (2800 m)
Up at 6:30
breakfast at 7, oatmeal nasty
start hike by 8 AM
GOOD weather, clear, almost no wind
Pushed hard all day
1st group made Phakding by 11:45, decided to press on
Al, Buzz behind about an hour, Matt, Cam variable
Byrnes met up at Phakding about 12:30
Seiperts, McIlleces pressed on to Lukla
Taylor, Zac w/Dave arrived Lukla at 1:15
Richard, Morgann right behind arrived by 1:30
Ate lunch in Khumbu Resort (same as 1st day)
Cam arrived about 2:15
Byrnes arrived at 3:30
rested, ate
got fire started after prodding
Richard started un-braiding Morgann’s hair (starting 4pm into evening…)
Played cards, dried feet
Al went hippy with Morgann’s fake hair
Cam sick after lunch, throwing up – not happy camper
dinner at 7:30 – 8; celebrated with a Chocolate Cake…not bad tasting!
Confirmed that we will fly tomorrow, 3rd flight if weather good
went to bed by 9

Hike Day 16: January 3rd, 2009
really “fly day” Lukla to Kathmandu
up at 7, ready to go by 8, scheduled flight at 9am
Weather perfect!
planes slow departing from Kathmandu
ate breakfast, waited
1st planes arrived around 11am
wave of 5 planes!
video capture
we enjoyed watching landings, takeoffs
as 1st wave left, we went to airport to check-in
no security
weighed bags
COLD terminal!
pictures with our porters
helicopters came, refueled (cans) big gov’t chopper, rescued person?
we flew out finally about 2pm
Gorkha Air, although ticketed on Yeti
Dornier 228 (not twin otter)
just like arrival
fun take off roll
low flight over hills to Kathmandu
Arrive about 2:45, luggage claim outside
Pampha’s van picked us up – took to Thamal for lunch at Fire and Ice Pizza
Hawaiian Pizza, Sprites, Cheese Bread…yeah!!!
Then to Hotel Vaishali, check in, rooms bigger, but no hot water
poor Zac – luke warm shower
leaky bathroom floors, Seiperts too
Wet carpet hallway
Last straw…LEAVE! Called Pampha – moving to Hyatt Regency
We’ll pay the difference (~20 USD)
Pampha met – we reloaded and drove HYATT AWESOME! Quick shower
Out to dinner at LAZY GRINGO, Mexican – YUM!
Pigged out, but no ice cream (or beer – sorry Byrnes)!
Dropped Pampha off at her home – will return tomorrow for dinner!
Back to Hyatt
Zac and I checked out hotel quick
Back to room – Zac to bed
Dave stayed up washing laundry, pants, ‘black goo’ runoff, 30 minutes of scrubbing!
Hung all to dry
Sleep by 11:30 – had to call to silence Bollywood movie blaring next door
Up 4x in night, nose dried out, stuffed, bleeding fast, once

Hike Day 17: January 4th, 2009
Kathmandu, Day 2
Slept in till 8:30! YES!
Call from Taylor – “we’re all down here…”
Rose, bathed/showered, AWESOME!
Breakfast at Café’ Buffet – AWESOME!
Zac joined Taylor, Cam, Buzz, Al in Sauna, hot tub, etc.
pool hopping outside too
Dave back to room to update notes
plan to hit town at 11 am
Went in taxis to thamel; shop, shop, shop
Ate lunch at Krua Thai restaurant…good pad thai, but Byrne’s food Never came!!! Bad Service…
Finally delivered with much complaint
Went across road to get Thai foot massage…and head, neck too. All but Richard
Loaded up in company van and off to Pampha’s home.
Pampha treated to feast of takeout and home cooked chicken, lamb, etc.
Met her family – husband is a very successful flooring and furniture businessman!
Kids got along well with Pampha’s son and daughter…filled in ‘friends book’
Power outage while there…VERY COLD in her home. Most of us unprepared for temps
Left and returned to hotel by 9:30 or so. Back home to hit showers and baths
Dave called Ange, asked for call-back. Telecom lines terrible, but managed to chat for a while.
Slept like rocks!

Hike Day 18: January 5th, 2009
Kathmandu to Delhi Return Day
Arose and enjoyed Breakfast at Hotel
Ended up paying for rooms…Pampha’s cash back used to pay airport fees (ridiculous scam by Nepali gov’t!) and Shishir/Mickey tips. Worked out well
Rode from Hotel to Fire and Ice for one last meal, most got ice cream – lots of it!
Pampha left us with scarves and warm thank yous
Dropped off Al and Buzz near embassy
Seiperts, McIllece’s. Matt and Cam went to airport
Fought the crowds, through security
Richard is questioned…about his rocks!!
“These are weapons” argument…Made Richard go below and place in checked baggage…inane! arbitrary! absurd!
All made the flight – smooth, but bad food (that we had to buy!)
Baggage made it fast
Al and Buzz followed later
Home by 5 PM!

This last photo collage is of Richard taking out Mo's braids and removing all the fake hair that had been braided into them. Then Al and Dave decided to play a little "dress up".

Fellowship Day 16-18 "The Home Stretch"

2009-01-04T01:20:00.000-08:00

Day 16
Namche to Phakding (3250 m / 5 hours ?/11318 ft)
Walking distance is approximately 6 to 7 hours after having breakfast you will cross different Benkar, Jorsale, two Hillary bridges at the confluence off the Bhotekosi and Dudhkosi river. After crossing these you will have rest in Phakding.

Day 17
Phakding to Lukla (2800 m / 4 hours / 9186 ft)
4 hours walking takes you Lukla and has many shops, pool houses, electricity and you will have nice hot showers. There will not have any day flight to Kathmandu at noon.

Day 18
Fly to Kathmandu O/N in Hotel Vaishali

They should be arriving home tomorrow evening. We are all very excited. I'm curious to see if they really 'didn't lose any weight. So curious to hear their experiences, their trials, their accomplishments. I was thinking last night how many 13 year old girls can say they have climbed to base camp Everest. Mo will be in a very small minority as will the rest of the 'boys' eventhough it is more common for men to climb. Anyway, get ready for the onslought of Everest pictures once they are downloaded and ready to post. R told me he took over 2000 pics as did Dave and Allan. R was also supposed to be taking video journals with the cam corder, hopefully I can figure out how to load them onto the blog and you can experience true "survivor" moments.
Stay tunes to find out who gets voted off the mountain next! :)

Fellowship Day 15 "It's all down hill from here"

2009-01-02T03:07:00.000-08:00

Got a phone call from R and the kids on New Years Day! It was so good to hear their voices. Mo and R still sounded as jazzed as the day they left. Big T sounded in good spirits too, but had an obvious head cold. He didn't say it, but my mothering instinct told me he is ready to be home, back in his comfort zone.
As far as they could tell no one has lost a lot of weight which was one the biggest concerns as there were several of them who had no room for error in that regard, R being one of them.
They are combining the next two days into one in hopes to get home a day sooner. I hope all goes well!

Lobuche to Pengboche (2900 m / 5 hours / 12795 ft).

You can feel this trail similar as hiking to Namche. You can get a fertile crescent shaded by trees for which you wish to have look. You can the houses of Sherpa and Tibetan, can feel the Mt. Ama Dablam dominating from the far side of the valley, which shows you the real picturesque mountain of the region. Further you can explore the local temple (Pengboche Gompa), the oldest in the Khumbu region. You can too meet the friendly lama (monk) and can see the famous "yeti scalp" as well as some lovely paintings.

Pengboche to Namche (3450 m / 5 hours / 11319 ft).

Now the trail retrace same way back and stop at Tengboche, during the November - December full moon the colourful Mani Rimdu festival is held here with much singing and dancing. Height 3480m.

*The English skills in this itinerary leave somthing to be desired, but at the same time makes for comical reading.

Fellowship Day 14 "High on a Mountain Top"

2008-12-31T01:24:00.000-08:00

Gorakshep - Kala Patthar (5545 m/18192 ft) - Lobuche (4930 m / 6 hours / 16174 ft)

The trail becomes rougher now as it makes steeper ascent when it crosses several side moraines past the Gorakshep. From here onward you will find the trail in constantly changing all the way across the moraine through the snow and glaciers. Route finding techniques here include looking for stone cairns (heaps of stone and rocks) as markers, a sure sign of the correct trail. After rounding a bend, the trail leads to the base of the small peak - Kala Patthar. We start early to climb the viewing peak Kala Patthar to see sunrise over Everest. The ascent is steep, so it is important to take it slow and maintain a steady pace. It takes up to to 2½ hours to reach the summit at 5600 m (18372 ft), the highest point on the trek, and the best vantage point to view Everest. Here the view is outstanding, with 360 degree panorama of the mountains, and emotional experience. We return by the same route down to Gorakshep and then down the valley to Periche. Tonight you should sleep well, benefitting from a significant descent. Walking time: 8½ - 9 hours. Final altitude: 4200 m. (13779 ft)

Classic view from Kala Patthar

Fellowship Day 13 "BASE CAMP"

2008-12-31T01:13:00.000-08:00

Lobuche - Everest Base Camp (5364 m/17598 ft) - Gorakshep (5170 m / 7 hours / 16961 ft)

The trail ascends along boulder fields and glacial debris to the edge of the Khumbu Glacier then continue up to Gorakshep 5160 m (16929 ft), nestled below the coned summit of Mt. Pumori 7191 m (23592 ft) and the sheer west face of Nuptse. Excursion to Everest Base Camp if there are any climbers just return from Everest Expedition.

Fellowship Day 12

2008-12-28T04:05:00.000-08:00

Dzongiha to Lobuche (4930m/16174ft)

The trail ascends the broad, gently sloping valley from Dzongla. In many places the trail crosses small streams on boulders. You can look back down the deep valley from Phalang Karpo to see how much elevation you have gained. The views of Tawoche and Cholatse are particualarly good from this portion of the trail as it passes through country reported to be the habitat of the snow leopard and yeti. Beyond Phalang Karpo the trail climbs steeply onto the terminal moraine of the Khumbu glacier then contours down to a stream, crossing it on a bridge just before the village of Thukiha. The trail climbs up the moraine to a row of stone monuments of dead climbers (thanks, I didn't need to know that), then drops a bit and follows the western side of the valley to Lobuche, a summer village that boasts several well stocked hotels.

Lobuche

Kharkas (stone hut)

Fellowship Day 10 & 11

2008-12-28T03:51:00.000-08:00

Day 10

Goykyo to Chhyungima (Dragnag) (4680m/15354ft)

A long day and the most difficult part of this trek. We will cross the southern end of the Ngozumpa Glacier, pass by the stone huts of Thagna Kharka then climb steadily up a narrow and steep valley which opens up to a wide shallow valley leading to our camp at Kharka, Chhyugima 517m/16962ft.

Day 11

Chhyugima to Dzongiha (4845m/15895ft)

You have to descend from the pass, cross a small glacier, negotiate the ice fall at the end of it and descend via Leisyasa to our camp at Dzongiha Kharka 4730m/15518ft, a high altitude summer pasture directly benieath the north wall of Cholatse Peak 6440m/21128ft.

Fellowship Day 9

2008-12-25T05:12:00.000-08:00

Rest Day for acclimatization
Trek around Gokyo Ri, the views in the Gokyo region are tremendous. For the best view climb to Gokyo Ri, the small peak obove the lake. This peaks of 5318m/17447ft, it's a 2 hour climb to the top of the peak, providing a panoramic view of Cho Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest Lhotse, Makalu, Cholatse and Twachee. Those with more time and energy can make a trip up the valley to another lake marked with the name Ngozumpa on the maps or even beyond to a fith lake. There are several small peaks in this region that offer vantage points for the surrounding peaks.

Just one of the amazing views they will be seeing.

Fellowship Day 8

2008-12-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Machhermo to Gokyo (4751m/15587ft)

You will climb a ridge from where the valley opens wide as the trail passes through Pangkha. Mt. Cho Oyo 8153m dominates the skyline to the north as you can climb the moraine on the left flank of the Ngozumpa Glacier. The climb is steep to the first of the four lakes that lie in the Gokyo area past the largest of the lakes Dudh Pokhari to Gokyo at 4750m. Gokyo is a typical Kharka stone houses and stonewalled pastures.

Fellowship Day 7

2008-12-25T04:53:00.000-08:00

Dole to Machhermo (4410m/14468ft)
In the morning you will follow a steep but beautiful climb through conifer and rhododendron forests and stands of juniper to Lhabarma 4220m and Luza 4360m. There are Kharkas wherever there is a flat spot and the slightest hint of water. You will continue to climb along the side of the valley, high above the river to the camp at Machhermo 4410m.

Thank heavens for cell phones!

2008-12-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

Got a call a couple nights ago from the the Everest Crew! They are all doing well. Big T (Gimli) and Pipin both got what they think was food poisoning. Gimli recovered quicker than Pipin thus losing out on the chance to get carried up the mountain on horse back. They both are doing better and both hiking on their own two feet once again.

Mo and R were ecstatic with the amazing views and I was shocked to here they had already had their first glimpses of Mt. Everest from Namche Bazaar.

Not sure I've ever seen R this excited about anything.

The weather has been fairly mild and no one has complained yet of being too cold. I wonder if that may change as they go higher (better not after spending all that money on cold weather gear)!

They all sounded in great spirits and have been pleasantly surprised with the taste and quality of food so far and grateful for the months of training they put in to be prepared! And thanks to their pre-hike trips to the sub zero freezer at ACSA to test out their gear, hopefully no one will come home with frostbite! I'm sure all their advanced preparation will serve them all well.

Temperature gage in the ACSA freezer.

Carving out a space between the tater-tots and frozen orange juice.
Two frozen peas in a pod!

The fellowship on ice.

On the home front, Me and the two little ones are trying not to miss the rest of our family too much, but its kinda hard when I'm sitting alone on Christmas Eve writing a blog post rather than enjoying quiet time with my husband before the hustle and bustle of Christmas morning begins. But knowing they will remember this experience for the rest of their lives helps make the sacrifice seem worthwhile.

Merry Christmas!

Fellowship Day 6

2008-12-24T09:44:00.000-08:00

Khumjung to Dole (4090m) 13418 ft
This is the most difficult trek among the rest, leaving the main trail to Mt. Everest, we will follow high on a ridge to 4000 meters past a large chorten at the village of Mong, said to be the birthplace of the saint Lama Sange Dorge, the reincarnate lama of Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet who introduced Buddhism to Khumbu. From there we descend to the village of Phortse Tenga by the Dudh Kosi (river). From Phortse the trail climbs steeply through forests of rhododendrons and then stands of juniper and large conifers as the altitude increases.

Fellowship of the Trek Day 5

2008-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Namche Bazaar to Jhumjung (3780m/5hours)12401ft

You will Climb to Syanboche, then trek to two serene Sherpa villages, Khumjung and Khude (3890m) where Sir Edmund Hillary established his first hospital and Khumjung (3790m) where he established a school, both in the early sixties. The Khumjung Gompa possess what is supposed to be a Yeti Skull. (Welcome to the Himalayas!)

P.S. We forced Mo to have her hair corn-rowed for this little adventure, to hopefully make things a little less complicated for her. So, as any good mother would do, I thought I'd throw in a couple of embarrassing photos of the process.
We hired a lady from the Congo, she started at 6:30pm and finished up at 11:30pm. That night Mo did not have a very good sense of humour. But on Day 2 was grateful she had it done.
Just in case your wondering why her hair is so dark; the lady had no idea Mo was white (guess we didn't think to mention that over the phone) and so she only brought black hair extentions.

Fellowship Of The Trek

2008-12-21T04:58:00.000-08:00

R, Big T and Mo left on Thursday for their once in a lifetime adventure, hike to Base Camp Everest or as it has lovingly been dubbed by the adolescents of the group; The Fellowship of the Trek. They spent a good portion of their last group hike comparing and adopting characters from the original 'fellowhip' cast from Lord of the Rings. Below you can see what they came up with.

Boromir (Al), Pippin (Matt), Gimli (Big T), Legolas (Mo), Sam (Dave), Frodo (Zac), Merry (Cam), Aragorn (Richard), (Gandalf (Al's Dad) not pictured, but the only one with completely white hair so his character was a given)

(L to R: Al, Matt, Big T, Mo, Dave, Zac, Cam, Richard)

I've decided to try and give a little tidbit each day from their itinerary so anyone who would like to follow along vicariously may do so! The following is day 1-4

Day 1

Welcome to Kathmandu: (O/N @ Hotel Vaishali)

Langtang RI Representative will welcome groups at Kathmandu Airport with a banner and drop them to Hotel. After check-in at the hotel and refreshments, LRT- office management and guide will formally introduce themselves and provide a trip briefing. The rest of the day is to explore the local area.

Day 2

Kathmandu - Lukla fly (2800m/ 45min) Trek to Phakding (2600m/3 hours)

We will transfer you to Tribhuvan Airport for a twin Otter flight to STOL airstrip in Lukla that takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Our trekking crew at Lukla will recieve you. After final preparations, the treking starts passing Chaurikharka village, and makes a descent towards the Dudhkosi Ghat (2530m). the trail follows right back on the Dudhkosi River until camp at Phakding is reached. This first day is short for acclimatization reasons. Walking distance is approximately 4 hours.

Day 3

Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3450/ 6 hours)

You will have breakfast around 7, and you will trek along the river crossing it at different points by means of wooden bridges at Benkar (2713 m), Jarsale (2804 m), and two Hillary bridges at the confluence off the Bhotekosi and dudhkosi Rivers. You will stop for lunch near the confluence. after lunch, it is an uphill climb of over 304 meters towards Namche Bazaar. here your Park fees will be checked by the Park Check Post. There are shops, a health clinic, banks, and telephone services. Walking distance is approximately 6 to 7 hours.

Hillary Bridge

Day 4

Rest Day for acclimatization:

You can relax and take a look around the shops and Sherpa houses, observe their culture and life style in this beautiful valley surrounded by high hills and majestic snow-capped mountain peaks. A hike to the Everest View Hotel in Syangboche will be a good option. The rest day is intended for acclimatization purposes.

We have been lucky enough to talk with them a couple of times since they left. They are amazed by the incredible views and have already gotten to see Mt. Everest from their current position. A couple of the boys have gotten sick, Big T being one of them. He told me over the phone he was throwing up yesterday but felt much better today except for the diarrheas! Poor thing. Nothing like having the runs while hiking!

The excitement in their voices is contagious and I wish I was there with them. Who knows, maybe next year...

Condi visits Delhi!

2008-12-04T03:41:00.000-08:00

On her somewhat sudden visit to New Delhi promoting solidarity between the US and India, Secretary Rice was gracious enough to devote a few minutes of her time to Embassy personnel and their families. She spoke outside the Ambassadors Residence to about 100 plus Americans and Indian hires. After a brief speech regarding India and terrorism she then stepped down to the awaiting crowd and shook hands and took a few photos.

It's unfortunate that, after two years of Richard being on her personal protection detail I had to come all the way to India to see her up close and personal. But however and wherever it happened I am still grateful for the oppurtunity all the same!

Mo was ecstatic about not only seeing her, but getting to take a picture with her (heck, even I was pretty chuffed about doing that myself!). She has been some what of a role model for Mo ever since she had to write a school report about her way back in 3rd grade.

Richard of course was doing security during the visit so we haven't seen much of him for the last 3 days, but I did get a few snap shots just to show the kids, "Yes that is too your Daddy!"

The white haired guy in some of the pics is the US Ambassador to India, Ambassador Mulford. Not as exciting as the Secretary, as we see him a bit more often but still a great photo op for Mo. She will have an amazing photo album to share with her children some day.

Why is Big T not pictured with the Secretary you ask? I think he was worried that she might not have withstood the aura of his 'coolness'...he is almost 17, need I say more?

Our Brother...our Friend.

2008-11-21T18:06:00.001-08:00

In Loving Memory of Brandon Chandler Seipert.

Son, Brother, Husband, Father and Friend.

Brandon, you were a precious part of our family and our lives will never be the same.

We find great solace in the knowledge that you are at peace; and that the Lord will make you whole.

Until we meet again; may the Lord bless you, comfort you and heal you.

The Brothers: Brandon, Richard, Kyle, Jeff, & Todd

Psams 23

The Lord is my sherpherd; I shall not want....He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness ...though I walk through the shadow of the valley of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me ...thou annointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over ...and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

It's raining, its pouring, the old man is......... really, really wet!

2008-10-03T02:32:00.000-07:00

I have used the expression "drown rat" to describe many a situations. Like when we bath the dog or see someone cruelly throw a cat in the lake (wasn't me, promise). Not to mention after the kids jump in the pool or come home soaked from the gym. But the day we took these pictures was the first time I've ever used that term to describe my own precarious state of being.
R and I had been at the school for Mo's swim meet when it started to rain. We naively crowded under a not-so-huge deck umbrella and waited, in hopes it would die down enough to walk home. But after a half hour under the umbrella we came to the not-so-quick conclusion that it was a lost cause. We had no choice but to make a run for it. One..two..ready...GO! Instantly we were soaked, we walked the rest of the way.
Unfortunately, the pictures do not do justice to just how badly it was raining or how soaking wet we actually were by the time we arrived home. I might as well have stopped by the pool and gone for a swim, I wouldn't have looked any different.

These pictures of Mishy show a little better just how much rain had fallen in the course of about a half hour. There was approx. 4-6 inches of standing water in the street in front of our house.

FYI: Yes, the swim meet was cancelled because of the rain.

Swim Meet

2008-09-22T03:34:00.000-07:00

Mo & Ali getting their game faces on!

Mo doing the butterfly

Mo smoking all the boys in the butterfly

Mo competed in the AES swim meet on Wednesday where she performed very well. Here she is competing against the 13-14 yr old boys in the butterfly. I, of course, forgot my camera, but thanks to my best mate, I still have pics! Thanks Ange!

New Delhi Bombings

2008-09-15T04:32:00.000-07:00

Since I haven't received one frantic phone call, not a single anxiety-ridden email or even a slightly concerned blog comment....I have to assume that not a single person I know and love around the globe has had access to the news or current events in the past 72 hours, so...

Just thought I would let everyone know that even though there were 5 bombings in New Delhi Saturday evening, all of which were within approx. 30 minutes of us......we're okay.

Since you've all so obviously been out of the loop, I will fill you in as best I can; Between 6:15 and 6:45 Saturday evening 5 bombs went off in different market areas and parks within Delhi. Later 4 more bombs were discovered and diffused making a total of 9 bombs. Last I had heard, over 20 were killed and over a hundred injured.

I can't pronounce the name of the terrorist group claiming responsibility and so I have no idea how to spell it, but they are a fairly 'new' organization. They didn't seem to be targeting any particular ethnic group or religious fashion, but one of their reasons for the bombings was 'to cleanse us from our sins'...wow I wonder how long it took them to come up with that garbage.

I think because they are so newly organized they just haven't had enough time to get their 'act together'. Or maybe they simply lack the leadership skills that older, more established terrorist organizations have. Its possible that since they're so new they may have to go through some sort of initiation period where they have to plan and carry out a certain number of mindless acts of violence before they can become full-fledged members of the terrorist fraternity? Or...maybe they just haven't had enough time to brainstorm and refine more intriguing, self-righteous excuses for spreading death and destruction, after all, it takes time to hone those kinds of skills.....seriously, how do they come up with the crap they spew.

I just can't seem to wrap my mind around the idea of terrorism. I might be a little slow (ok...a lot, but) could it be because we aren't really supposed to? By definition it is mindless acts of terror, not actually meant to have rhyme or reason. I guess that's the point. Inevitably they all claim some sort of spiritual, political or distorted ethical reasons for their diabolical schemes, as if that somehow absolves them from their heinous actions. But in the end, in my opinion, its pure evil, designed by evil men and women who are inspired by evil itself.

I'm grateful that no one I know was injured, especially since several of the bomb sites are popular shopping areas for many Americans posted in Delhi. In fact, while watching the news that evening in the diner, we spoke with a woman sitting next to us, who said she had just come from one of the markets not more than a half hour before the bomb went off. The only reason she left was for a baseball game she thought her son had that evening, which ended up he did not. If that doesn't make you think someones watching out for you....

Anyway, exciting things are always going on here in Delhi! But don't worry about us. No need for all those emails and phone calls full of worry and concern that I'm sure would have come.....eventually....had I not gotten to you first! :)

My Conundrum

2008-08-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

We recently had an experience I thought I should share. In preface I should remind you of what I have previously shared about the huge begging problems in India.

Most of the beggars are women and children with plenty of handicapped beggars in the mix as well. We as a family have made it a policy not to give to beggars. Why? Because first it is against the law. Second, most of the beggars are not working for themselves but are begging for someone else who then takes their money. Whether or not they get any in return I am oblivious. Excuse the crude analogy, but it is much like a whore working for a 'madam' or 'pimp'. The third reason is that although it would make me feel better to give them something, in the end, I am doing them no favors and only perpetuating the problem. Not to get overly gruesome but it is not unheard of for parents to maim their children in some form to add to the 'sympathy-factor'. The practise of exploitation for gain is an abusive and destructive practise for all who are involved and I do not wish to be a participant. As you might guess, this is not as easy as it might sound, regardless of the valid reasoning.

Hence my conundrum:

Big T was asked to give a talk in church about the example of the Savior. Ever the procrastinator, on our way to church he started asking us for examples or characteristics the Savior had that we could emulate. Randomly we all start giving him ideas. "Love, kindness, patients, faith," and then R turned to him and said "Charity". Just then out of the corner of my eye I saw two men walking toward our car. The first man was obviously blind. The second man followed closely behind him, guiding him, one hand on his back, the other holding his outstretched arm. Suddenly they were at the drivers-side window, tapping...waiting...tapping again.

I don't think I've ever been in a situation where I felt more at odds with myself in my entire life. Here we were, trying to explain what charity meant to our son and how Christ was the greatest example of charity, while a blind man begged at our window. Richard and I starred at each other in silence, each feeling the battle within. My insides struggled. My heart and mind in utter conflict. What should I do. The moment was surreal.

My thoughts twisted within me. What kind of example was I setting for my children? Here I was talking about Christ's example while not emulating it. But then, what did it say if I broke my own policy regarding the perpetuation of exploitation. I was frozen. I didn't know what to do, my conundrum stumped me, I could see now way out.

The whole scene lasted only seconds, but felt like an eternity. I sat there incapacitated by my inner conflict. In the end, the decision was made for me. By the time I pulled my eyes from R's and looked up, they were gone, moving slowly on to the next waiting vehicle, the next potential hand-out.

I've thought a lot about this since then and unfortunately, I still haven't come to a comfortable conclusion. I am bothered that I didn't follow the example of Christ but yet at the same time I feel like the circumstances are different...but are they really? Were there 'beggar masters' and exploitation of women and children at the time of Christ? Would it have made a difference to him?

We have shared our views and opinions regarding the begging issue with our children and I think they understand but I am worried. Was this one of those defining moments? Did I make the right decision, even though technically I made no decision at all. What did my inaction say, what did they take away from that experience, what did they learn from my example? If I am this confused and unnerved by the experience, what might they be thinking or feeling?

In the end, I hope it will be a learning experience for us all. I know it has given me a great deal to "chew" on, thoughts to ponder and feelings explore. It will be a platform for a great family discussion at the very least, and at best, a life changing experience.

I-FLY

2008-08-06T03:44:00.000-07:00

Instead of doing our traditional trip to the amusement park Lagoon this year, we had the brilliant idea of doing the latest thrill seekers dream to I-Fly.

Mo came up with the idea and of course everyone was on board accept me. I thought I would get out of it since my body is not what you would call aerodynamic and besides, they only had family packages of 5. But wait! "For just 30 more bucks you can turn your party of 5 into a party of 6!" Yeah for me!

After signing the normal, we-promise-not-to-sue-your-butts-off-if-one-of-us-plummets-to-our-death-waiver, we were ready. Off we go for a 5 minute training video before being suited up like the tel-e-tubbies and then thrown into a clear cylinder-like room with no ceiling and a metal grate for a floor. Oh yeah, and a gigantic fan blowing air fast and hard enough to lift you off your feet. Well, let me tell you...it takes a lot of wind to lift this lovely mass of womanhood of her feet! But just in case your not terrified or insecure enough, there are bleachers perched around the room for complete strangers to join vicariously in your flights of fancy! That part I could have done without.

One thing I'm going to recommend they hand out with their gear in the future is hair nets. The helmets have holes all over them that allow stray hair to escape and then it is free to roll and twist in the wind creating a matted and tangled mess in a matter of seconds. I looked like something they pick up on Animal Cops.

All in all it was a great experience and the rest of the family LOVED it! Good times, good times!

Another 'First' in India

2008-08-03T19:59:00.002-07:00

The weather here is extremely muggy. The air so thick with moisture that we run 5 dehumidifiers continuously and still deal with soft crackers and persistent mold.

So I just had to share my latest humidity-related 'first' since living in India.

I've recently discovered that after sitting under the hot and humid sink cupboard all summer that about 50% of my tampons have been rendered useless and I'm guessing the remaining half is 50% less absorbant. They have absorbed so much moisture out of the air and are wedged so tightly in their cardboard applicators that they are unusable.

Wow, who would have thought....guess I should have splurged for the plasic applicators.

Summer Vacation Highlights 2008

2008-08-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

Horseback riding in the Idaho mountains
(thank-you Grandma & Grandpa).

Vacation Highlights 1

2008-07-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

I've been extremely negligent in blogging since we left for our summer vacation to the states. But I thought I would just share a few of the major highlights (good and bad) since we left India.

*Spending time with all our great friends and family.

*Mishy having a head on collision with a tree in our friends golf cart. (She ended up with a huge goose-egg on her head and a bruise on her chest from where she hit the steering wheel).
The Fitzgeralds have since changed their golf cart driving age to 12 and over! :)

*Going to the temple!

*Going to the movies! Wall-e is my favorite so far!

*Finally eating my first BK Whopper mmmmm....

*Eating steak on the barbie and corn on the cob!! (except Mo the brace-face had to have hers cut off the cob).

*The Kalmbach's pool! Mish and Little T swam from sun-up to sun-down for 4 straight days.

*Riding motorcycles with the Kalmbach's in Georgia

*Hitting 6 different pools in 7 days in Vegas and then boating on Lake Mead! Mo can still wake board and I can still tube with the best of them.

*Seeing our dog Lilly who really isn't "our" dog anymore but we still love her like she is! She loves her new family and we love them too! We're so happy she is with such a great family who loves her.

We've had such a great time so far and we still have a month to go. I'll have to share the highlights that are still to come on "vacation highlights 2".

America the Beautiful

2008-07-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

We are now one month into our 2 month R&R in the United States!

One of the most intense side affects of living overseas, for me, is the increased sense of gratitude and patriotism I feel for this promised land. My experiences living overseas have created a new understanding and appreciation in my heart and mind that cannot be explained.

The first 4th of July after coming home from our first overseas post we attended the fireworks display in my home town held in a University football stadium. As the flag was raised and we started to sing the national anthem I was completely overwhelmed by emotion. I could barely squeak out the words my heart so desperately wanted to sing as tears streamed down my face.

Not much has changed since then. I still cry whenever the national anthem is sung and I get a lump in my throat whenever I see the flag marched past me in a parade.

We are again looking forward to a traditional home-town 4th of July celebration complete with parades, barbeque's and massive fireworks displays. But I am also mindful of the many Americans living and working overseas who are not as fortunate, including many of my close friends in India. I hope you have a wonderful holiday wherever you are and in whatever circumstances you find yourselves, and thank-you for all you do to make America GREAT!

On a jet plane...

2008-05-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we wave good-bye to all that we loath and love about India. I suddenly feel the need to sing....(breaking into song)..I'm leavin, on a jet plane, don't know if I'll be back again...(actually, I know exactly when I'll be back again, but Aerosmith wouldn't agree to change the lyrics, go figure!)

We've had to peel Mo off the ceiling several times today because she can't sit still or stop herself from sudden, ear-piercing outbursts and fits of laughter.

I intend to continue blogging during our stateside adventures this summer but, don't be surprised if I'm a little more lackadaisical about it. After all, I am supposed to be on vacation! :)

BK here I come!

P.S. Conversation between Daddy and Little T;

"Little T, do you know the difference between a snail and a slug?" "Oh yes, that's easy Daddy!" "Oh yeah? How can you tell?" Because Daddy...a snail hides in its shell!"

Lice is Nice.....NOT!

2008-05-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

As if we haven't been plagued enough by giant cockroaches, ants and a recent swarm of suicide bees, our family has now been visited by and old, but new "bug visitor".....LICE!

For those of you who are totally grossed out, thinking I never bathe my children, just a little FYI:

*Lice LIKE clean hair, much better than they like dirty hair.

*They especially lOVE long, clean hair, and they ADORE long, clean, course hair. That is 3 strikes against Mo and 2 strikes against Mishy. (Mish has fine hair)

*Also, its not just for girls anymore. Lice are not gender specific so just because you have a boy don't get lured into a false sense of security.

*Lice can only live for up to 8 hours on surfaces other than the back of your skull. So cleaning and disinfecting the whole house is a waste of time. Treat your head and go to bed. By morning anyone left on the carpet or couch is now collateral damage.

Unfortunately we are no strangers to lice. Living over seas has given us many opportunities to get to know these little head-biters and I am a proficient when it comes to inspecting little heads. I now have an eagle eye that can spot a knit from centimeters away!

England has by far been the absolute worst place with regards to lice. Our kids attended the local British school where the policy on head lice was "Mums the word"! Teachers were not even allowed to tell a student they had it, and telling the parent was an absolute no-no. Needless to say, my Mo had lice 3 times in one year, hence my professional lice investigative skills. By the end of the year we cut her hair so short that it looked more like a helmet than hair.

Cairo was a nice reprieve from head lice for our family. Although, since I was 'experienced' with inspecting and detecting, I was recruited by the head nurse at the school to help with classroom lice checks throughout the year. Good times!

Believe it or not we even had a case while living in the states. Those little buggers know no bounds.

I don't know why, maybe its because its been so long since we've had to include RID on the grocery list, or just that my kids are older now, but I have sort of felt immune to this problem....until now.

Last week I got a call from the nurse, Mishy has head-lice and they are sending Mo home as well, just to be safe because they think they may have found an egg in her hair. As soon as the nurse said the word "lice" I had a really bad feeling in my gut. I had noticed the last couple of days that the back of my head was itching an awful lot. NICE, now I have it too!

So home we went, recruited a neighbor to help and we had a RID party in the bathroom. Three hours later we all emerged with wet heads and a sigh of relief. End of the lice story right.....NOT.

Although Big T and Little T had been checked the same day as the girls, being family members and all, they received a clean bill of health. Two days later however, I received a call to come and get the boys. There were 6 students going home that day from Little T's class alone. Apparently there has been an outbreak in the school just 2 weeks before school is out. Thanks for that!

Richard was they only lucky one in the family that didn't have to deal with pesticide shampoo or lice combing. He doesn't realize how lucky he is!

On a side note; Medicated shampoo wasn't going to cut it for Big T. He decided to take a much more aggressive approach in defense of his head.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Is your head itching yet?

Dreams

2008-05-09T04:14:00.000-07:00

In the process of making plans for our long awaited trip home we keep finding ourselves discussing food. What, when and where we want to eat while in the US this summer.

At the top of Big T's list is a Wendy's frosty a double whopper with a side of Checkers fries and a Taco Bell crunch wrap on the side. Don't forget the American coke, supersized!

On the top of Mo's list is; Milk and Sakura's Japanese steak house! Then throw in a giant Oreo shake and she'll be squeeling with delight! She has her Father's good taste, what can I say.

The little ones...well anything fast food is okay with them. Little T has mentioned McDonald's several times but I'm not sure that is because he really loves the food or its just the only restaurant he can remember (that's a sad thought I know).

Mishy is the healthiest eater of us all. She wants a "safe" salad...giardia free.

Speaking of R...He has his own tradition. Every time we go home to Logan (Utah) the first thing he eats is a "Big Blue" (a hamburger the size of a frisbee) at A&W!

Me? Well, that brings me to my dream last night. After all this 'food' talk I dreamt that after arriving in the US I was with my Mom and sister somewhere I didn't know or recognize and they asked what I wanted to eat for my first meal. As I smacked my lips I wistfully replied "A Whopper from BK"! My sister, pointing up the road says, "That's easy, there's one right up there". Through tear blurred eyes, I looked up in anticipation to see the giant neon sign of BK in the distance. But, the harder I tried to get there the further away it was. Everyone kept reassuring me we would get there eventually, all the while I am frantically searching for my blasted Whopper!
Anyone want to guess where my first stop will be after arriving in the US?

Seipert Family early morning scripture study

2008-04-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

"What chapter are we on?"

"zzzz...."

You might live in India if...

2008-04-21T04:41:00.000-07:00

...your so excited about your first solid BM in 3 weeks you phone a friend to share the news! (don't laugh, true story)

...the most current state of yours or others intestinal tracts are topic of daily conversation, and it's completely acceptable!

...even the cows have diarhea!

Please come visit me, PLEASE! Don't forget to BYOBOP! (bring your own bottle of Pepto)

White water rafting on the Ganges

2008-04-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we started off our spring break with an exciting trip to Rishikesh for some white water rafting down the Ganga (otherwise known in America as the Ganges). Never having been white water rafting before, I have to say, it was absolutely thrilling!

We awoke just several hours after having gone to bed so we could catch the bus to the Delhi train station for our 5 hour train ride only to be followed up by a two hour bus ride up the steep and treacherous rodes of the Himalayan foothills.

The mountain roads have been under construction for some time now in an attempt to widen them for increased traffic. Our driver was obviously very experienced as he manoeuvred the switchbacks at an ever increasing speed all the while dodging other moving vehicles, rock slides, people and animals without so much as a flinch. Me on the other hand...lets just say I was braced for impact most of the drive.

After arriving at camp we played a little in the (freezing cold) river while some tried their hand at repelling and others at kayaking. Mo, Mish and Big T all repelled and kayaked. Little T tried his hand at kayaking as well but you could barely see his head over the life preserver and the paddles were almost twice his height. Although he enjoyed the kayaking he seemed to be more gifted at the art of rock busting and sand castle building. He must take after his father who was busily constructing the Indian version of Stonehenge (see photo slide show).

After that we lazed around the camp and waited for the nightly barbecue and dinner, however, most were so full from eating all the yummy chicken, paneer (an Indian cheese) and vegetables that were barbecued as appetizers that only a few took part in the evening meal of soup and lamb curry. As I am not very fond of lamb, I didn't mind so much.

The next morning we climbed out of our tents to an unpleasantly, overcast, rainy day. We pushed back our rafting trip 30 minutes in hopes the rain would let up. It soon became obvious that we would have to press on rain or shine. So we all dawned our life vests, helmets and with oars in hand we boarded our water crafts.

The children were all able to accompany us for the first few kilometers of the trip at which point they were met buy a bus and taken back to camp with their parent or appointed guardian. Since R has actually rafted the Colorado river (yeah, I know, what hasn't he done) he graciously took our two youngest and several other children back to camp so that I could continue the trip.
While rafting there were plenty of water fights, hostile boardings and of course "smack-talk". I forgot to mention we had a group of marines on the trip who made sure there was never a dull moment...unless of course they were in a weakened state of 'hang-over'.

When we hit the big rapids though, it was all "business". Our guides would refocus our attentions on the challenge ahead by practising our commands including; forward all, back paddle, down (reserved only for the 4+ rapids), and my personal favorite; high-side!(High-side is when the person sitting in the middle in the front sacrificially throws themselves to the front of the raft in hope the added weight will stabalize the craft and help prevent us from flipping during the big waves! ROCK ON!)

At one point in the river we stopped for cliff diving. Now, I consider myself a pretty adventurous person and in my youth I was known to have dove off a cliff or two. But that was a long time ago and in my frozen condition I wasn't sure I could manage my fear long enough to make it up the cliff-side. I was chilled to the bone by the time I climbed from my boat. Mo was at the top of the cliff waiting her turn to jump (she was actually the first one to jump! That's my girl!) with Big T at her heals (Big T ended up jumping 6 times, more than anyone else in the group) and my friend A and her husband yelling for me to "come on!"

So with a great deal of fear and trepidation I climbed to what I thought might just be my death. Once at the top I should have thought twice when the guy before me turned back. But no, I couldn't let my kids think I was any lamer than they already do. So I jumped....

I remember cliff diving to be much more exciting as a teenager but once my feet left the cliff I was gripped by one thought and one thought only; "WHAT....THE....HELL....AM....I...DOING!!!!!!" I sailed through the air as if I was trying to climb every rain drop I could grasp to get back to the top of the cliff. I then hit the water with such force I thought my hand had been broken, but no, it was just frozen and beet read from slapping the water at 50 miles an hour! (trust me, I'm a big woman)

Just barely recovered from my cliff diving accident we hit some of the biggest rapids of the trip. I was sitting in the front left rowing position and as the waves crested over our entire raft engulfing me in the process, I literally had a 'brain-freeze'. Our guide was screaming "forward team, forward team!" as I sat with the oars frozen in my hands, trying hard for the second time in mere hours, to push the thoughts of death from my frozen brain cells. After what seemed like minutes instead of seconds I lurched forward digging my paddle as hard as I could into the icy waters. It took less than a minute to clear the rapids but it felt much longer. After each rapid I wanted to stand up and beat my chest but, opted for whooping and hollering. The adrenalin was pumping through my veins and after surviving two near-death-experiences, I was ready for whatever the river was able to dish out!

After the rafting we ate lunch. It wasn't anything special, in fact I'm pretty sure it didn't even taste very good, but after nearly drowning and freezing to death, it was the best food I've ever tasted.

Back at camp we tried to clean up the best we could and recover from the onset of hypothermia. The evening events were much the same as the night before. The marines started drinking, we ate barbecue, the marines drank, we sat around the campfire, the marines still drinking. Finally we surrendered to bed (while the marines stayed up to....you guessed it, drink some more).

Sunday morning we woke up to a beautifully sunny day and one more 4+ rated rapid to go. This would be our last opportunity to cleanse ourselves in the waters of the Ganges and I was looking forward to it, especially now that the sun was shinning!

It was a much more relaxed ride with only one big rapid during the hour and a half ride. R rode ahead and stopped to take pictures of each our rafts as we entered the big rapid. He got some amazing photos. (see slide show below)

Once back at camp we started the tedious job of drying wet clothing on rocks, chairs, tents and the volleyball net. We cleaned up for the second time in 3 days and hiked up to the buses for our back-track to Delhi.

Once again we had the Himalayan Nascar bus driver and one of our friends eventually told him he could not exceed 40 miles per hour for the rest of the drive. We were all on separate buses, hanging with friends and family. R was on the same bus as Little T but was in the front of the bus taking pictures when Little T decided to up-chuck his lunch. Luckily, those present were very gracious about the whole situation and after Little T was cleaned up they were underway once again.

We arrived back at home safe and sound and exhausted. The rest of our spring break has been....well, a lot less adrenaline pumping than white water rafting the Ganga! Mostly we've been hanging with friends, swimming at the pool and eating at ACSA.

Tomorrow the kids go back to school and life will unfortunately, resume to "normal". No near-death-experiences, terrifying bus rides or rock busting. No stinky out-door toilets, bucket showers or cardboard mattresses. No drunken marines, sandy bums or frozen limbs.....I can't wait for next year!!!!

Dharamsala

2008-03-31T04:39:00.000-07:00

Richard recently went to Dharamsala, the Tibetan head quarters and home-away-from-home for the Dhali Lama, on a protection detail for the speaker of the house when she recently visited India. Wow, that was a mouth-full.
From what he told me and what I gathered from others who were present, it was an amazing experience.
There has been a recent surge in violent 'crack-downs' by China in Tibet and the Dharamsala community, made up of Tibetan refugees, was charged and an intense sense of revolution permeated the air.
Richard brought home a piece of cloth that was blessed by the Dhali Lama and given to him. I thought that was pretty cool, wish he could have gotten him to autograph it though!
I hoped I could pin him down to tell you his personal experiences but alas I cannot.
But even though I do not have access to his mind, I at least have access to his photos!

Mehandi

2008-03-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Before the Night Under the Stars event I decided to get a Mehandi (or henna) done.

Traditionally they do these for special occasions and holidays. Most commonly it is done for brides and grooms for their weddings.

I went with 2 friends and we all had different artists. One friend had two different artists doing each arm and they turned out completely different. She wasn't so happy.

My other friend ended up picking the best artist and got both the tops and bottoms of her hands done (up to her elbows) and then a small design around her bicep. Her design was our favorite.

I picked a design that I loved and as he was about half way done I realized that it was not even close to the design I had picked out. Needless to say I drew a bit of a crowd while expressing my displeasure. Finally after speaking my peace another artist said "okay, you no like, you no pay". I'm sure my henna artist didn't appreciate his advice but I sure did!

I felt a little guilty afterwards for not paying because it really was a nice design and I ended up liking it a lot later, but at the time I was feeling very angry and a bit taken advantage of.

We used to get henna done when we lived in Cairo and I was so excited to learn they did it here as well. It is a lot of fun and great because nothing is permanent. It all wears off in a week or two!

I love his people...

2008-03-18T02:27:00.000-07:00

While talking with Little T's teacher at a recent parent-teacher-conference, she once again shared with me her "love" of Little T's "people". I'm not sure if she remembers telling me the exact same thing at the last parent teacher conference, but she seemed just as earnest this time as the first.

Which got me thinking....

She has been an elementary teacher for quite some time and would be considered somewhat of an authority on children's art, maybe she was trying to tell me something.

But then, I don't want to be one of those obnoxious parents who thinks any old chicken scratch their child produces is a Picasso!

So, I'll let you be the judge. Skills or no skills?

I think he's captured such emotion in my eyes, and R's hair looks so, so...natural!

Personally, I think the resemblance to Big T is just uncanny, don't you?

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm not a big fan of abstract art but...I just can't stop looking at it!

Oh, this is a personal favorite! There is something magical about it. I don't know if its the whimsical way her hair curls or the delicate lines of her fingers...or possibly the mischief portrayed in her eyes, its just all so captivating.

Last, but not least he did this amazing self-portrait. I'm convinced...he's a genius!

Seriously, this art is magic! MOMMY MAGIC!

(Mommy loves your people too Little T!)

Night Under the Stars

2008-03-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night the school held their biggest fund-raiser of the year. They call it 'Night Under the Stars'. Each year it is a different theme and this year it was "Bollywood Through the Ages".
Traditionally it is formal "Indian" dress. That means wearing a sari, which I have apprehensions about. Not for any other reason than being short and round. But since we bought tickets I had no choice. Luckily I was pleasantly surprised when I found and fell in love with a black, glittery sari. When I saw it, it made me forget all about being short and round, all I wanted to do was try it on, the quicker the better.
Being wrapped in a sari is no small feet mind you and after a few minutes of wrap and tuck (plus the normal "feel ups" in the process, never get tired of that) I was in love!
About an hour before the event me, A and my neighbor J, gathered in my bedroom with each of our maids who furiously wrapped, tucked and pinned us until we were ready. What was so cute was that none of them are over 5 feet tall and with us wearing heels, we towered over them like giants.

Our men also dressed for the occasion and looked quite dashing in their fancy Kurtas.

At the school they had a "red-carpet" entrance and an elephant to take photos with. The ball field was set up with tables and a stage for the show, which consisted of the Indian version of the Solid Gold Dancers.
There was all kinds of food and free alcohol, which we don't drink, but its always fun watching others after they've "had a few"!
It was a fun evening and a great opportunity to help the school. All the proceeds go to fund all the student-service and out-reach programs.

What boys keep in their pockets

2008-03-11T00:50:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of what I found in the bottom of my washing machine this morning after doing a load of little T's laundry.(My 5 year old)

Items include:
1 Flavor Ice wrapper
1 Cadbury chocolate wrapper
6 Rocks
1 AirHeads wrapper
2 Broken pieces of a CD
5 Pieces of misc. foil pieces
1 Starburst wrapper
2 Juicy Fruit gum wrappers

Obviously he has access to more candy than I was aware!

Mr. 1-1-1

2008-03-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would share a funny story about my husband (with his permission of course)!
We went to Lowe's to buy a lawn mower (a couple years ago when we actually had a lawn) and we were chatting with an associate about different models etc..
After we picked out the one we wanted we went to the desk where the associate started taking pertinent information.
At one point he asked R for his name and automatically he started to reply "One, one, one..." Just as he spit out the last "one" the associate and I looked up at him with obvious confusion on our faces, afterwhich he was suddenly silent and questioned: "What did you just ask me?" The associate and I both burst into laughter.
He had assumed he was being asked for his address and robotically started to regurgitate it.
After we all composed ourselves and finished the paperwork the associate sent us off with a "Thank-you Mr. 1-1-1" and a giggle.
For hours after-wards (and even to this day) I break out into sudden fits of laughter whenever I think of or tell the story!

Book Reviews

2008-03-05T00:35:00.000-08:00

I have been doing quite a bit of reading (for me) since coming to India due to my good friend A. To say A is a book worm would be a huge understatement! She has read more books in the last 8 months than I have probably read in the last 2 years.

So I decided I would share my favorites.

Just so you know, there won't be any bad reviews. Every book I've read in the last 6 months I am recommending. Because first of all, I don't have a lot of time to read to begin with, so why even think about reading a book I may not LOVE! Second, if I don't LOVE it, then I usually don't finish it and it would be unfair to write a review on a book I never actually read. Third, I am a horribly slow reader and this limits the amount of books I read which takes us back to number one; why waste my time reading a book I'm not sure to LOVE!

Here we go!
A Thousand Spendid Suns & The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

Besides the amazing and compelling stories, I loved these two books mainly because of what it taught me.

The only images I had of Afganistan before reading these books involved bearded Taliban and beautiful eyes peering out from beneath blue burkas.

In my narrow view of the world outside my box I hadn't realized there was ever a different kind of Afganistan. I hadn't known the history of the Soviet occupation or the years of tribal wars before the Taliban "saved" Afganistan only to then reign supreme through fear and violence.

Neither story leaves you with what I would call a warm & fuzzy, it was more of a realization than anything. They are not without hope though and you definitely feel different after having read them.

They are very different stories but both are set in the same time period and place. Both involve what I feel to be an amazing amount of everyday life, thoughts and people in Afganistan during that time period. I thought the books both gave a very honest and authentic feeling.

I totally recommend them both but, if I had to choose my favorite I would have to choose The Kite Runner.

Books of Pellinor:

The Gift, The Riddle, The Crow

Sorry I couldn't get a picture of book 3. By the way, these are the Australian covers, they may look completely different in the stores in the US or anywhere else. Also, in the US, book 1 is known as "The Naming".

If you love epic fantasy, which I do, then you will love these books! (Big T says to tell you, "They totally ROCK!).

They are kind of "Lord of The Rings"-ish! Very big story with lots of magical people and events, reading minds, talking to animals, supreme beings. Its all very cool and very exciting to read. I couldn't put the books down and I'm looking forward to reading the fourth book...when it comes out!

Just in case Alison Croggon happens to be reading my blog, hurry up with number four please!!

Finally, the series I'm currently reading (just a couple chapters away from finishing the last book); Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse

These books are also fantasy.

What I love about this series is that it is an incredibly quick and easy read that kept me both motivated (I read the second book, over 500 pages, in a 24 hours period) and enthralled.

As you read them you feel like your sixteen again and who doesn't want to feel like a teenager again...well okay, neither do I, but these books help you to remember the good parts about being a teenager. First loves, first kiss, all the good stuff!

These are the kind of books you read when you need a break from the intense. No polotics, deep thinking or self-evaluation involved, just pure entertainment!

I heard about these books a year or so ago, before all the hipe began but hadn't gotten around to reading them. I almost decided not to when my friend A and Mo twisted my arm and told me I HAD to read them. So I gave in....and I'm so, so glad I did!

Anyone know where I can get me one of those sexy teenage vampires! :)

I'm Back...

2008-03-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have have been such a neglectful blogger as of late. I don't know if I mentioned that I am the editor of the elementary school yearbook this year (bad decision) and as you've already noticed I'm sure, the school year is quickly drawing to a close. Thus, my deadlines are coming quickly and unforgivingly. I am feeling overworked, overwhelmed and definitely under-paid! I realize its somewhat of a pathetic excuse for leaving my blog so unattended but....

Lets play a little bit of catch up!

I believe I mentioned that Gdma & Gdpa S were here several weeks ago. I think they had fun despite getting horribly ill (thank heavens for Cipro). I think the Taj Mahal was probably the highlight of their trip, and for us a much more weather friendly experience than last August!

R took his Mom and Dad to Old Delhi one afternoon to see the Red Fort but it was closed. But they went to the spice market and bought spices to take home (hope everybody is enjoying them)!

It was nice to have them and I'm glad they were able to make it here before going back home to the great state of ID. Mmmmm....potatos!

Neemrana Fort Palace

2008-02-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

Valentine weekend R surprised me by booking us a night at the Neemrana Fort Palace in Rajasthan. Its only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Delhi, but took us over 3 hours because of horrendous traffic! (We saw a motorcycle crash on the way, ouch!)

I heard really great things about Neemrana but I didn't realize just how fantastic it was until we got there. The fort was built before Columbus discovered America. It remained abandoned for many years until a company bought it and turned it into a hotel.

The rooms are all completely different and the grounds are, for lack of a better word, picturesque. A great place to feel like you are "getting away" without actually leaving the country!

Neemrana is hard to describe so I will let the pictures say it for me. Some of the pictures are of things we saw on our way down to the hotel! Be sure and wait for the one of the guy carrying a huge mirror on a motorcycle, its priceless!

Sweet Sixteen

2008-02-17T20:29:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks. Grandma & Grandpa S came to visit for a couple of weeks from Germany. We went to Agra and visited the Taj, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.....

Oh yeah, and big T turned 16!!

I thought that once Big T turned 16 I would feel differently as a mother, but ya know, it doesn't feel much different to be a mother of a 16 year old than it did a 15 year old. But the idea of him starting to date (it is our rule that they be at least 16) is kinda scary. All of the sudden it feels like the forbidden fruit is no longer forbidden. For 16 years we have preached no dating, no kissing, no holding hands, girls have "cooties", all the important anti-dating propaganda, and in one magic moment, before the last off-tune note of Happy Birthday drifted off into silence, dating became legal.

Luckily, for me, big T is still a bit shy when it comes to girls and is taking his time wading into the merky waters of the dating pool. This I am all too grateful for. I am also appreciative that Halo, Ghost Recon and goofing around with his friends still seems to hold the majority of his affections, and fortunately, that did not magically change the moment he became 'of-age'. But all too soon I know they will be replaced with a pretty face. I'm not sure I am prepared for that day.

I don't kid myself by thinking I am, or ever was my sons "first-love", that is way too Hollywood. But I have to admit it is a very romantic notion, and at the risk of sounding like a bad cliche, I must share a few feelings;

I can remember clearly the day I first held him in my arms. The feelings and emotions that welled up inside me, at that moment were so incredibly powerful, that I thought my heart might actually burst right out of my chest. The feelings were so overwhelming all I could do was sit and sobb.

I felt as if I were experiencing life for the first time. As if I too was just re-born. Everything was different now. I had never felt such joy, and in turn, saddness took on a whole new meaning as well. It was a moment like no other, incapable of description.

How I long to hold that baby once more...

Enough nostalgia, if I held him in my arms now I would be crushed!

We were at a loss as to what to do for him for his birthday because he doesn't get the normal perks of turning sixeteen in the states. Namely, getting a drivers license and all that entails. I knew we couldn't give him anything that would make up for the fact that he couldn't drive, but I wanted it to be memorable. So, I thought back to my own 16th birthday and decided to throw him a surprise party! Okay, maybe not the best idea, but parents are supposed to be lame, right!

We booked a room at ACSA and had them decorate and cater finger foods. I invited his friends and made them promise not to say anything and I made another AMAZING cake! I didn't think anything could beat that soccer-if-ic cake I made for Mishy but this was pretty impressive!

We told him we were taking him to dinner for his birthday and as we walked up through the ACSA building we asked him to go look for Mo in the party room because she was hanging out there with some friends. We followed him down the hall and as he started to open the door he saw the Happy Birthday sign and swiftly turned around to leave. It was at that moment that I realized how lame the surprise party idea was! We forced him into the room and he was completely taken off guard. I could tell he felt very embarrassed and awkward. (What mother's won't do to embarrass their children!) After a while when the focus was off him he seemed to settle down and enjoy the party. We ate, chatted and listened to music. Little T and his friend favored us with a little "brake-dancing" as well.
Not the kind of 16th birthday party Big T probably imagined, but memorable all the same! We eventually left him and his friends at ACSA to bowl (T wants me to tell you that he dominated at bowling) and gave them their space to hang-out!

It was a successful night. Big T had a memorable 16th bithday and I felt like a good mother! What more could you ask for!

New Guest Book...take a deep breath!

2008-02-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my good friend W in Alaska I have a new guest book (she didn't actually give it to me I just copied the one on her blog)! Thanks W!

If you can't see it don't be alarmed. Take a deep breath and as you slowly exhale, start scrolling down. If you run out of breath before you get to the bottom then you are obviously not long-winded enough to read my blog in the first place!

For those of you who reach the bottom and your lips are blue--your one of the lucky ones. Feel free to come back anytime, but lets work on that stamina!

For those of you who reached the bottom with breath to spare, we obviously have alot in common so--Welcome aboard the Seipert express! Always happy to have more passengers aboard!

Republic Day Parade

2008-01-31T03:14:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday Richard got us tickets to the Republic Day Parade. In had imagined the parade would be something similar to the old news footage of communist countries displaying their militaries prowess for all to see. It the end it was the same idea, but without the evil communist over-tones! It was amazing, I really, really enjoyed it!

We opted not to take the kids because in a city of over 18 million people they were expecting huge crowds and control over that many people can easily go awry--which at one point before the parade it did. We were already seated but Richard was still out in the crowd when he witnessed the police being over powered and bowled over by the crowd, a metal detector was knocked down in the mayhem. We felt that if anyone was going to get trampled and live, we would have the best chance.

After waiting in line a bit, having one of the most thorough body searches ever, (good thing it was a woman or I might have had to punch someone)we were corraled into our seats.

The parade began with a helicopter fly-over. As they flew over they dropped something we thought was red smoke, like the airplanes sometimes do. But as it came closer to the ground we realized they had actually dropped flower pedals. A fantastic beginning to a wonderful parade.

After the flower drop the military regiments marched past one by one, each seemed more spectacular than the previous. Their hats were what attracted me the most with their vibrant colors and design. Each branch of the military was represented. One thing that caught our eye was that they were all exactly the same height. No one stood out, they all looked completely identical.

Then came floats representing the various states of India. Some were similar to Rose bowl floats all covered in flowers and other natural material. Others depicted historical sites or battles.

Next we were completely entertained by a camel riding regiment, complete with a camel riding band!

Next came the elephants...can you imagine seeing a brigade of elephants at your next 4th of July parade? Definitely a highlight of the parade, at least for me. But I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the pooper-scoopers!

Wrapping up the parade was a troup of acrobat motorcycle riders and several fly-overs by air force jets and helicopters. It was AWESOME! Then as everyone was leaving the stands they let hundreds of orange, white and grean balloons go into the air. There were so many it started to look like the sky was full of confetti!

It was a great experience and next year we might take the kids!

Let me put your minds at ease

2008-01-30T21:36:00.000-08:00

We have had many a concern raised about sending chocolate to us in the mail. So please, let me take this opportunity to put your minds at ease.

First, chocolate is not an illegal substance in India (although it should be the way it melts in your mouth, ever so slowly coating your tongue and throat with its intoxicating goodness....)
Sorry, I digress!

Second, the weather is actually quite cold in India right now. I am currently wearing long sleeve shirts and jackets. It is supposed to get down to 0 degrees on Friday, 0 degrees celsius that is, had ya freakin out there for a minute didn't I! So,the chances of it melting in the post right now is as likely as...umm, well um, lets just say it's not likely!

I hope that I have addressed any reservations you may have previously had about sending us chocolate.
(so get on the ball and SEND me some chocolate NOW!......please!)

For a full list of our favorites please see below! :)

*Dove Carmels
*Dove Milk Chocolate
*Dove Dark Chocolate
*Cadbury anything
*Hersheys Kisses, Reese's, minatures, snickers...its all good!

New Year Update...

2008-01-25T02:59:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would give a quick (probably not that quick) update on the fam! So for those of you just tuning into the blog, you came at the right time! :)

FYI: I try not to use full names on the blog. I don't even know if it matters but, supposedly it is the safe way to blog, although I'm sure I have forgotten and used all of our full names at one point or another. My only solace is that the psycho serial killers looking us up on the Internet will be discouraged when they find out they have to fly to India to go serial on us. Its a plan, not a very good plan, but it's a plan.

So on with the update:

R is usually very busy arresting people. But when he's not arresting someone he's most likely doing the interview just before he arrests someone, and if he's not interviewing or arresting, then he is busily investigating someone who will eventually be arrested. Seein a pattern here...

In his arrest-free time he is the District Young Men's Leader and teaches Gospel Principles at church on Sunday's. He has also taken up running again and since we've been here (about 6 months now) he's lost a total of 30 pounds. I can officially call him a LOSER! The other day I heard him say "I don't have anything to wear, everythings to big for me now" (I think I might have just thrown up in my mouth a little). I just can't imagine the trauma you must be facing sweetie. Being too skinny for all your clothes, it must be devistating!

Me? Well, I have NOT lost 30 pounds! Jealous...who said I was jealous? I am involved in all kinds of exciting and exotic things here in India....whoa, hold on there, I think in my mind-blurring jealousy I got carried away for a minute. My life is not so exciting or exotic, but it is busy! For those of you who are thinking I lounge around the house all day just because I have a maid, REPENT I say!

As with most things in our lives; as we free up time from one item or another the void is generally filled 2-fold. I have given up cooking and cleaning but have taken on seminary, yearbook editor, Hindi classes and blogging. All of which take way more time, energy and brain power than cooking or cleaning ever did. My head hurts just thinking about it.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings you will find me at the church teaching seminary classes to the youth in our church. Most days you will find me studying for those classes, creating page layouts for the yearbook (which I foolishly volunteered to help with and am now the sole creator of) and if I've not got my nose in my lesson book or creating layouts on the computer I try to practise my Hindi. My next Hindi class starts very soon and just about all I can remember from the first class is "Namaste", Whoop-ti-do my 5 year old can say that!

Even though this is my first year with all 4 kids in school I feel busier than I ever have. Last week I even turned down a part time job working at the community liaison office. A job that I think I would have enjoyed and been good at, but nope, I'm too busy with my volunteer work to get paid!

Big T is well, mmmm...BIG! He is taller than his Dad and towers over me. He's almost 16, and besides the fact that in all his 16 years he has not figured out that his dresser drawers don't automatically shut after you open them, I would venture to say he is a very sweet and intelligent human being...I mean teenager (human-being might be going a bit too far).

He is still playing the trombone and picked up the piano last year as well. Music seems to be one of the things that comes naturally to him as opposed to...oh, I don't know, brushing his teeth!

He is always trying to lighten the mood by dancing like Will Ferrell or screaming like a girl; he can reach octaves that are unnatural!

Mo is doing piano, soccer, running every morning with her Dad, odyssey of the mind, and getting good grades while doing it.

She is maturing and looking more and more like a young women and less like the child I remember. She is truly a wonder-child. I've met very few teens as motivated as she and even less adults. I'm starting to wonder if I'm her real mother.

Mishy is growing up pretty much without permission. I've tried to halt her growth several times but she is very disobedient and uncooperative about the whole thing.

In a few short years there will be many aboy looking down the barrel of my husbands Smith & Wesson because, despite her breeding, I'm afraid she is going to be a knock-out! Why don't you just kill me now and get it over with, I have no desire to deal with all that. Hopefully by the time we get to Mish we will have perfected the boyfriend SMACK-DOWN.

Only one left. I'm officially babbling and have been for quite some time but, you've come this far...

Little T rides (his bike) with a pack of young boys, toy guns strapped to their backs, around the compound striking fear into the hearts of many! When he's not writing on the walls, making his big sister cry or breaking out car windows he is the sweetest, cutest 5-year old ever! But, despite his bad-boy reputation, he loves a good snuggle and is quite the Momma's Boy.

As you can see, there's never a dull moment...if anyone knows what a dull moment feels like, I'd really like to know........anyone?

Holy Broken Windows--Batman!

2008-01-19T04:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I realized its a good thing I only have two boys.

When Taylor was about 4 years old, I was shocked when my next door neighbor came to the back door and told me that Taylor had broken out the windows of his pick-up truck. Yes, window-z! Apparently breaking the drivers side window wasn't enough so, with ski pole in hand, he proceeded around to the passenger side to finish the job.

Keep in mind he was only 4 and no one actually saw him commit the crime but the circumstantial evidence seemed overwhelming.

End of story? I thought so...until yesterday.

Yesterday, Tyson was jumping on the trampoline and pulled a rock out of his pocket and chucked it for whatever reason at my car, instantly shattering the passenger side window. Besides being absolutely furious, the thought crossed my mind; dude, are my windows old and brittle or does he just have a wicked pitching arm....mmmm baseball scholarship??

Anyway, boys obviously have a couple very strong genes that involve guns and destruction. If the guns can be used to cause the fore said destruction, all the better!

So, I'm glad I only had two because if there were anymore who knows how many car windows I'd have had to replace by now!

I'm Tired...

2008-01-17T03:42:00.000-08:00

(Please bare with me for a moment while I share my less positive side)

I'm tired of.....

...the constant flem in the back of my throat thanks to the pollution

...having stomach "issues"
(don't you know I've had diarrhea's since Easters)

...the smell of open sewer

...darkness....my house is like a cave

...constant pounding, yelling and banging from the construction going on right outside my front door.
(not to mention my windows are boarded up and my front yard is now home to scaffolding and about 2 ft of rubble!)

...having to buy expired food at the commissary
(I'm not sure I even remember what non-stale Doritos taste like anymore!)

...not even having expired food to buy at the commissary
(I guess stale food is better than no food!)

...worker men in my house 24/7 because there is always something to be fixed, poked or prodded
(I'm not lying to you when I say I've had over 15-20 maintenance workers in and out of my house in just the last 3 days. First the water heater, then the lights, carpet problems, more lights-that still don't work, fixing curtains, fixing gate, braking gate, fixing gate again....they always come in pairs and are always very nice but, DANG--fix everything already and give my poor doorbell a break)

...the door bell that never stops ringing
(Because if its not the worker men coming to fix something, then its one of the 40 or so children that live on the compound wanting to know if they can jump on the trampoline. I'm not even sure my own children even jump on it anymore.)

...the phone that never stops ringing
(NEVER!)

...being stared at
(I realize I'm white, but maybe if you keep staring at me I might change color)

...trying to park my car anywhere but my driveway
(Because parking anywhere in town is a crazy, crazy mess. No I will not leave you my keys or the car in neutral, do you think I'm insane?)

...only one 10am showing of American movies at the local theater
(what's up with that?)

Sorry about the negativity, its just been one of those weeks. I'm already feeling guilty and will have to write a much more positive post as soon as possible as penance!

Mom please don't delete this!!!!!!!

2008-01-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

ok, so I figured while my mom is out I'd take the chance to be sneaky (Me? Sneaky? Never!) and do a blog post since I can't have my own blog. (This is Morgann by the way.) Plus I need to take my mind off my soccer game which I have in 2 hours 25 min and 36 secondes, while Big T and LITTLE M go to a moive at the theater. ( I thought I'd emphisise the little) They don't even want to see me play soccer, but, of course,that has nothing to do with the fact that they came to just about every game last season. I would do it for them........ok mabey I would do it for them.
Onto subject 2. Dove Chocolates. My mom (and me) REALLY need some dove chocolates. =] Don't forget to send some! Feel free to send other chocolates too! (reeses would be nice too :] ) Shes probably going to put it on our Care Package thing but I thought I'd give you a heads up on the chocolates.
Well, now know why my mom NEVER blogs its because theres nothing ever to blog about. Hummm.....I think I can change that.....=]

What's this Mommy?

2008-01-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

A couple of evenings ago we all happened to be in the kitchen together, except for little T, when he came running in pumping a small white object he had in his fist with his thumb as if it were a mechanical pencil or weapon of some kind. He was waiving it in the air curiously asking "What's this Mommy?"

At first I couldn't see what was in his hand, but upon closer inspection I realized it was a Tampax applicator. I nearly crumpled with laughter, as did R and our two teenagers. (who also had suspiciously red cheeks).

I regained my composure and as I lead him out of the kitchen and into the bathroom, where he had obviously just found this little gem, I told him 'it is a tampon sweetie'. With an acute breath of realization, he muttered a musical "Oooh".

Surprised by his quick understanding, and upon further speculation, this experience has taught me two things;

1-Little boys have a certain gene within them that surfaces at birth. It enables them to seek out and spot any and all un-suspecting objects, no matter their where-abouts, and turn them into little toy weapon's of mass destruction.

2-If you are a Mother, apparently you sign some sort of waiver upon child-birth, waiving your claim to all rights, privileges and blessings associated to and with the law of privacy.
(I think they slip it in with the paper work at the hospital)

New Year, New Look!

2008-01-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

नया साल मुबारक हो Happy New Year!

I thought I would start out the new year with a new look for the blog. I loved the black, but this was my second choice so why not change things up a bit. It's kind of like changing the furniture around or your underwear, which I have a bad habit of doing on a monthly basis. I was refering to the furniture, not my underwear them, I change everyday! :)

On New Years Eve R called me and said "Hey sweetie, what do you think about having a New Year's Eve party tonight?" I said "Sure, why not!" Okay, so it was a momentary lapse in judgement, but once the words were out of my mouth there was no going back. So I gathered the forces (Muthu & Prabha) and we started putting together a menu and a shopping list. For those of you who have been lucky enough to have tried our famous Spicy Angel Wings, I'm sorry to have to tell you, they were fabulous as always, in spite of the fact that there is no such thing as a jalapeno in this country. We had to improvise a little but everything worked out great.

As Muthu went shopping, Prabha and I went to work getting the house ready and I also did a bit of shopping at the commissary to get items not available in the local markets.

After a long day and thanks mainly to my household staff (I just love the sound of that), we were ready by our 8pm start time, just barely.

We invited 7 families and 5 showed up, not bad for a last minute ta-do. Unfortunately, not everyone made it to midnight, but we still had a great time and we loved having such nice people in our home. It was a nice way to start out the year. It could have only been better if our families could have joined us, but then we never would have had enough Angel Wings! :)

Our Trip to Kerala

2007-12-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Last week we went on a 4 day house boat trip in the back waters of Kerala. One of the southern states of India and also a communist state. It was just Richard, Dave, Angela and I. . . no children! :)

Day 1

Another 5am wake up call, another "who's stupid idea was this", and off to the airport.

There's never a dull moment at the airport, except for when your flight gets delayed due to excessive pollution and the air is so thick you can taste it, more like choke on it. Richard has dubbed it the cause of BBD, black-booger-disease. Unfortunately, we all suffer from it.

Standing in line is always fun when it comes to India. Indian's love to queue up, it's there way of finding out who gets to be next, first. The backs of my ankles are evidence of that. More than once they were 'accidentally' bumped by eager beavers wanting to be next. Sometimes its comical, but most of the time it's just annoying.

After boarding the plane we then sat on the tarmac for another 3 hours before the visibility was good enough to take off--that was fun, NOT!

Once in Kochi we took a taxi to our hotel--an hour drive in the back seat against a metal support bar whose padding had long since worn out, comfy!

We rented scooters once we checked into our hotel, The Ballard Bungalow.

We scootered the rest of the afternoon stopping to see the giant Chinese fishing nets, where an eager fisherman showed us a couple of very interesting fish, stowed in a bucket for just such an occasion. I wondered how many tourists had seen those same two fish before us. But who cares, they were new to us!

(Stone Fish)

After zooming around on our scooters, running out of gas--not us but D & A, we finally went to dinner at the Brunton Boatyard. The food was delicious and atmosphere pleasant. (Little did we know it was the last good meal we would have until our return.)

Day 2

Once again I'm in the back of a taxi, this time the padding is in tacked and the ride is much more comfortable. We head south to Alleppey where we are going to board our boat house. We left early thinking we needed to check onto the boat by 9am. In reality we didn't need to check in until 12pm. (love ya anyway Dave).

On the drive down we were lucky enough to see 3 working elephants walking along the road carrying large palm fronds and of course there human drivers. The picture doesn't do it justice, it was an incredible site!

We killed our extra couple of hours by walking the town and buying our "lucky" umbrella. (I'm convinced that it miraculously saved our trip; as it had been forecast to rain nearly everyday and it only rained once on our very last day.) Me, superstitious. . . Naaa!

After a minor scuffle with the booking agent about paying for the trip up-front vs. after, we headed out to the boat. (Just in case your curious, we ended up paying in advance. But not before negotiating at least 3 free liters of soda a day!).

We have sailed pretty much the whole day with one short excursion on an island where we saw Hollywood-scary-spiders, and a huge cobra snake skin--at which point we decided to take the quickest course back to our boat.

Dinner was good, definitely Indian in design, but not like anything I have ever tasted. For obvious reasons they use coconut in just about everything. (We ate a lot of fish but also got to try banana curry, bitter gourd and beet root with coconut, just to give you an idea of some of the food we ate.)

After dinner we rested and relaxed. It's been a good first day.

(Me, lounging on the deck.)

Day 3

The landscape is serene and beautiful! It's not hard to understand why it is so aptly nicknamed "God's own country".

The shores are lined with lush greenery and an amazing amount of palm trees. The lake is covered with all kinds of exotic plant life. Huge water lilies and a sea of delicate purple flowers stick up from the dense foliage that seems to grow on top of the water. Occasionally we see a glimpse of a bright pink flower amongst the green & purple but that is rare.

We also got several glimpses of Kingfishers. They are amazingly colorful birds and quick too! They never stayed in one spot for long so we were never able to get a really good picture of one.

The people seem more friendly here than in Delhi--sort of like in the US when you are driving in the country and everyone waves or smiles.

We stopped one more time today at a 500 year old church--nothing too exciting but I guess they feel obliged to have us do something besides lounge all day on the boat. . . I don't have a problem with that!

We now have 2 sick people among us. Dave got sick the first night and now Richard isn't feeling so great either.

At dinner we were joined by a huge cockroach who sauntered up next to Richard and sent me and Ange screaming from our seats to the upper deck and me standing on the nearest chair.

Once again Richard was doing battle with a giant cockroach in defense of his "fair maiden"! Unfortunately that was not the only cockroach we saw that night and for me, a definite "deal-breaker". This is not a trip for pampered city folk.

Day 4

Monday; My toe is swollen from a fire-ant bite I received at the bird sanctuary (where we didn't see any birds, guess they didn't tell them we were coming). It looks more like a sausage than a toe. Have I ever shared my intense loathing for fire-ants. Why they were ever created to begin with is beyond me. Richard ventured that "they are to afflict and torment man". AMEN!

I am feeling some what home-sick today. I told Richard that if they offered to take us back early I would gladly say yes. I am missing the kids and that is not supposed to happen!!!

We are now 3 people sick as Ange started feeling ill during the night. I am not sure why I have been spared thus far from illness, but I am extremely grateful. I'm not a very good sick person.

We just docked and are getting ready for the nightly activities--dinner, movie & bed. We spent the afternoon playing several rousing games of 7 card stud. Which helped tremendously to lighten my mood, I was feeling quite melancholy there for a while.

(The Warrior)

My favorite excursion of the day (actually the whole trip) was when we walked to the spot where the Arabian sea meets the fresh waters of Kerala. Definitely a high point. It was beautiful and we got there just before dusk. There is something incredible about the ocean and a sunset. We dipped our feet in the Arabian sea and tried out a few yoga poses on the beach (pictured above). We soaked up the atmosphere until we looked down the beach and saw an old man hike up his dhoti, squat and take a dump. Nasty!!

Each day I'm here I find myself getting more and more irritated with their cultural idea of 'the world is my trash can', or toilet for that matter. I am saddened that what has to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, is in the hands of such a non-eco-friendly society. Every time I see a water bottle float by or trash collecting on the banks, I want to scream out "Don't you people know what you are doing!". I wonder how long it will be before I will say "Yes, I floated the back waters of Kerala, before it was destroyed by trash and pollution." A sad but true reality I'm afraid.

I almost forgot to write about our run-in with the town sheriff today. As we were walking to the beach, suddenly out of nowhere, an old man appeared with a crazed look in his eyes. He was standing there dressed in a dirty white shirt, a dhoti, and his head was adorned with what looked like a rag. He stood there in a ninja-like stance, dukes raised and was mumbling incoherently. I imagine, if I could have understood him, he was probably saying something like "I'm gonna kick your a--!"

At first I thought it was a joke until our guide said he was "mental". Then I realized he was really looking for a fight. We simply side stepped him and kept walking. He followed for a while, mumbling what I'm sure must have been "fight'in words". He eventually either lost interest or forgot what he was doing and stopped shadowing us. Later, Ange asked me if I had noticed the chunk of masking tape plastered on his chest, hand-labelled "POLICE". Luckily that was our first and only run-in with the law.

Day 5

My toe still looks like a little smoky.

At breakfast I had puri, and decided its my favorite food so far! (Smiling, smilings my favorite!)

My other favorite part of the day was stopping to watch some women weave coconut fibers into rope (above). Trust me, its a lot harder than it looks. I didn't win any weaving contest for sure. The little girl working with the older women could have weaved circles around me. But I tried!

We are back up to 3 healthy people again, which is a good thing because I was getting lonely at the dinner table there for a while.

There is definitly no shortage of people, coconut trees, boats or rice patties on this lake. It's been amazing to watch the people go about their daily routines as we float down the lake. The ever present SLAP, SLAP, SLAP of women banging there laundry on stones. Seeing kids taking their daily bath, dishes being washed and water being collected. Seeing boat after boat ladened with fish, sand or people. It is a primitive life but absolutely amazing! I think I have over a hundred photos of the before mentioned activities, it just never seems to get old.

Today is our last day to float the river. Tomorrow morning we are back to Alleppey and begin our back-track to Delhi.

I finished the only book I brought with me a couple days ago (thanks to our 3 hours on the tarmac waiting to leave Delhi) and I wish I would have brought another one. (The Kite Runner)

It has started to rain lightly--a pleasant change in atmosphere. But the air now feels heavy and their is a non-existent breeze. My entire body seems to be covered by an invisible film and I would love to take a cold shower and enjoy some a/c, ain't gonna happen! I am looking forward to getting back to the cooler weather of Delhi.

After playing and losing big at poker once again, we went to bed for the last time on our lounge around, read all day, watch movies, chat into the night, take a million pictures, boating adventure!

Day 6
We docked back in Alleppey, climbed back into yet another taxi and headed for the Ballard Bungalow. This time our taxi driver had some rather hip tunes to listen to and we got to the hotel in record speed. I'm pretty sure he attended the Nascar-school-of-taxi-driving.

Once in Alleppey we rented our scooters once again and off we went to look at more shops, more Chinese fishing nets, and dead fish. A marlin, shark and barracuda to be exact.

The fisherman selling them were more than happy to hold the fish next to you for a great photo opportunity, and if you are a woman, a quick elbow rub across your breasts. Just one of the sneaky moves in the repertoire of every butt brushing, boob grabbing, loin grinding Indian male desperate to touch a white women. It's pathetic, but unfortunately very common.

We ate dinner at the Brunton Boatyard once again. It was delicious. . . and for the first time in 5 days, no coconut was involved in its preparation!

Day 7
We all had a first-time-ever-experience today when the travel agency called and told us our flight had been pre-poned. What is pre-poned you ask? Well, its when your flight has been moved up an hour, you have to change your plans, turn in your scooters early, and head to the airport.

So we called a taxi and headed out. We boarded our flight to New Delhi, which I'm pretty sure was piloted by the same Nascar-taxi-driver as the day before and we were home in no time.

Back at the airport I was feeling a little feisty and blocked a few aggressive luggage carts from being first to get their baggage (aggressive Indians-100, Kelly-1! Every victory counts!).

As with everything in India, this trip was a once in a life-time experience!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Mo, got on the blog site yesterday and in her most exasperated tone said; "Gosh Mom, why don't you ever blog, it's been like 4 days?"
Sorry, its not like I have a LIFE, I'll get right on that!
Although I would never admit it to her, she was right to chastise me, sometimes I do go a little too long between postings.

We have been busy getting ready for Christmas, although I have to admit it took me a while to get into the Christmas spirit this year. I'm convinced that Growing up in Utah has ruined me for life. If I don't have snow for Christmas well--its just not Christmas. You would think that after years of living in places like Egypt and Florida that I would be used to it by now, but alas, I believe it is inbred and there is no hope for me. It doesn't help that the last few years in Virginia we had snow. But once again, I am forced to face a snow-less Christmas; and the idea of not having a cup of hot chocolate after a crazy afternoon of sledding just doesn't seem right.

But what made Christmas particularly hard to face this year was not the lack of cold weather, but the deep sense of longing I feel for my family at this time of year. The older I get the more I miss the idea of a Christmas at home. Whenever I hear or sing "I'll be home for Christmas" it seems to strike a particularly sensitive cord deep inside.

For me, family is one of the most important meanings of Christmas. At this time of year, as Christmas starts to creep in, slowly at first, unnoticed on the heels of Thanksgiving, the longing for loved ones overwhelms me, catching me off guard and I am seldom prepared for its impact.

So, it is my Christmas wish, to all my friends and family this year, that you know what a powerful impact your presence is in my life. No matter how far apart we are, my life would never be as rich or full of joy, if you were not apart of it! If it were possible I would list each of you by name and tell of the many ways you have influenced my life and made me a better person for having known you, for having been your sister, your daughter or your friend. But it would take me a life-time to compile it, so for now, wherever you are, please accept my sincerest gratitude for all that you are, and all that you have done to enrich my life!

May God bless each and everyone of you with the gift of peace and the knowledge of my love!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

To Answer Your Question. . .

2007-12-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

. . . of course I made that soccer-if-ic birthday cake!!

. . . no, we are not getting any more bunnies. One sad bunny story is enough for this Momma.

. . . Mo, doesn't kiss the boys, so you don't have to worry about her getting her braces stuck, Grandpa!!

. . . no, we didn't buy a Kashmire carpet. Even as cheap as you can buy them here it is still a large chunk of change!

. . . I know the extra half hour in the time difference doesn't seem right, but it is.

. . . the inside of my house is pretty much square, nothing fancy or elaborate but comfortable.

. . . no, we don't have a dishwasher, but we do have a washer & dryer.

. . . yes, banana's do grow upside down. or is it right side up, whose to say!

. . . to buy the paper mache items, tell me approx. what you want and send me the $. If you bank at AFCU transfer it to my account and Vwallah!

. . . your not a chicken!

. . . no, earthquakes are not a regular occurrence in India.

. . . we are betting that R gets tapeworm first!

. . . no, I really haven't had diarrhea since Easter, that was a quote from Nacho Libre, one of the most quotable movies ever made! Look for more of them throughout my blogs, if something doesn't sound right--its probably Nacho!

"Get that corn outta my face!"

Pushkar Day 2 & 3

2007-12-06T03:55:00.000-08:00

I know you've all been anxiously sitting by your computers waiting for the sequel postings on Pushkar; and I'm happy to say, its finally here! :)

I apologize for grouping day 2 & 3 together but when I sat down to blog the last two days I had a hard time distinguishing what happened on which day. . . as my good friend always says; "I think my brain is dripping out my ears!"

Day 2 began with an early morning wake up call once again for a sunrise camel ride.

I thought we were going to ride up a mountain to watch the sunrise. But it was more like riding around the desert for an hour until we ended up on a hill to watched the sun rise over the mountain. It could have been disappointing, but for so many reasons it wasn't. Riding the camel with Mishy was a lot of fun, and watching everyone huddled together atop their camels warding off the early morning chill, was well worth while.

After breakfast we scrambled back into our camel carts and headed for the village (Nacho, we see you from dee billage), where we hiked around the crowded streets, all 100 + of us. To say we stuck out like a sore thumb is probably an understatement and I could see the merchants and vendors licking their lips in anticipation. As if they were a hungry school of fish, and us, the fat, juicy worm dangling from a hook.

(Just in case your wondering what she's carrying on her head...its poop.)

We first wound our way through the fair and to the
Pushkar Lake at the heart of the city where thousands pilgrimage every year to bath in the lake.

After the lake, we walked towards the temple but as we got closer the crowd became overwhelming. I was beginning to fear for our safety or at the very least, of getting swept away by the current of the crowd. So we ducked into a little alley way throwing elbows as we went, where we regrouped and headed back into the crowd. This time going the opposite direction, in hopes to get down to an area a little less jam-packed. We continued to shop for a while and then met up at our designated meeting spot and once again travelled back to the fort by camel cart.

After lunch Dave, Richard and the older kids went to find out if they could forge the path up a neighboring mountain that had a temple perched on the top. When they returned we headed for the village again to do more looking and shopping. We bought a giant bell and a walking stick.

(Richard buying his walking stick)

We had Mo with us on one of these excursions. Which proposed a bit of a challenge. We encircled her with R & I, Dave and Angela, which she was not happy about, but put up with fairly graciously. Our fear was not that she would be hurt or kidnapped, but because she is young, beautiful and blond, it was more than likely she would get groped by the men or boys in the pressing crowd; and then R would have to go all special-agent on everyone and we didn't want that!

We took a ton of pictures. Everything was an assault to one sense or another. It was great.

The evening wasn't much different than the first night. Same entertainers, same puppet show, and basically the same food.

Day 3 began very early for R, T, & M. They hiked up the temple mountain leaving well before sunrise. They reached the top and took some amazing pictures of the city lights and the sunrise. Not to mention the shots of monkeys, people, and landscape.

After a breakfast of much the same as the two days prior, we spent the morning bathing, packing and getting ready for the long trip home.

The trip home was much like the trip there; a long bus ride followed by and even longer train ride. I finished one book on the train ride there and got a good start on another on the way home. The funnest part of the train ride was standing on the platform that connects the two cars together and looking out the open door watching the landscape blur past. I think had there been a ladder, R would have climbed on top of the train to ride. But alas he wasn't able to. Not because they wouldn't let him, there just wasn't a ladder from any of the open door ways we were looking out--as my friend told me the other day; "OSHA doesn't live here".

We arrived around midnight, exhausted. What a Trip!

Day 2

Day 3

Earth Quake in New Delhi

2007-11-26T01:50:00.000-08:00

Just in case any of you heard about our little earthquake last night and were worried; we are fine. It felt like someone had grabbed our bed and was shaking it violently to wake us up.
Here is a short article about the earthquake.

Pushkar post still to come. . .

पुष्कर Pushkar Day 1

2007-11-25T01:48:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgivning weekend we took a trip to the Pushkar Camel Fair. The city of Pushkar itself is considered a 'holy city' and a popular tourist destination all year round, but once a year it is also host to the camel fair.

At 4:00am on Thanksgiving morning our alarm went off and R and I both moaned our "who's stupid idea was this" groan and stumbled out of bed to shower and wake our sleeping children, who quite frankly, resemble something very, very, evil that early in the morning.

We showered, dressed and finished packing and groped our way to the embassy gate where 4 huge coaches waited to take us to the train station.

Once at the train station all five senses were accosted by the sites, sounds and especially smells of the bustling station. There was garbage everywhere and the smell of urine seemed to permeate the air still thick with the haze of the nightly burning of garbage and cow dung. How's that for your morning coffee. We loaded the train and settled in for the 8 hour train ride to Rajasthan.

A little about the train; I'm not sure I can adequately express the claustrophobic feelings of being surrounded by extreme filth, sufficeth to say, I used more hand-sanitizing gel and wipes on that train than I've ever used in my entire life.

Despite trying not to drink, there was a point at which I could no longer refrain from using the toilet. I was a little shocked when I looked into the toilet and saw the ground below. All excrement are simply flushed to the train tracks below. Watch out belooow!

I was a little scared to eat the food served on the train *("don't you know I've had diarheas since Easters"), but was pleasantly surprised. The kids didn't eat much however, but we were prepared with a suitcase full of "snacks". Big T likes Indian food the most out of all the kids and can survive quite well on chapatis and dal, thank goodness.

Once we arrived in Rajasthan we rode about another hour by bus to our resort, Pushkar Fort. We stayed in tents that consisted of two rooms, a sleeping area and a bathroom, complete with toilet, wrought iron sink and a fiberglass shower bottom to stand in and rinse off. We even had running water, but only cold, so we had to order buckets of hot water for bathing. Bucket-bathing wasn't as hard or awful as I imagined it would, but still, I ain't givin up my shower anytime soon.

As we arrived there was a group of performers out front dancing and playing the drums. We followed them in a precession to the archway that lead into the hotel grounds. At the archway we were meet with two young ladies frantically trying to put marigold lays (a sacred flower in India) around each and every person as they entered the gateway. There were also two men on either side holding huge baskets of flower pedals which they were throwing by the handfuls into the air to rain down on us as we entered (or pelt you in the eye depending upon where you were standing).

Once we arrived and put away our luggage we ate lunch. The food wasn't the best Indian food I've ever eaten, but despite the occasional grit of sand between your teeth, it was tasty and plentiful.

We had to pay extra for soda and water which was always interesting because it seemed to vary in price depending upon the day and server you asked. At first it was "free", then it was 50 rupees, then 100 rupees and on the last day it was back to 50 rupees, mmmm. . .

After lunch we boarded camel carts and headed for a site-see-ride to the fair and back to the hotel.

While riding on the carts we passed a gypsy camp. When they saw us coming, the children ran out to greet us with hands waving saying, "hallow, hallow". If they had clothes on, they were completely filthy, and many of the littlest wore nothing more than a shirt. Their skin seemed much darker due to the film of dirt that covered their entire bodies and their hair was matted from months of no washing. Although a sad site, that can't help but bring a lump to your throat, I couldn't get over the fact that they seemed completely oblivious to the dire circumstances they obviously lived in each and every day. They appeared to be happy, playful children, in many ways no different than my own.

They liked to follow our carts saying hello, touching us and begging for money or shampoo (I was really disappointed I didn't have any). But as I watched them, sometimes I noticed the begging looked both theatrical and mechanical at times. The smiling, waving, touching and trying to make conversation seemed to be sincere and what they persued the hardest, the begging, at times appeared like more of an after thought.

There were also men who followed us with hundreds of necklaces in tow, possibly the Fathers of the gypsy children. They were very, very persistent and knew from experience how to wear down even the most stubborn.

I bought a few necklaces for the kids and a few necklaces that I didn't need or want because the man selling them followed our cart for what felt like an eternity.

He started his bidding price at 200 rupees per necklace, he had 10. I immediately, used my handy-Hindi and told him I was not interested in his necklaces, which had turned many other vendors away up to this point, but it fell on deaf ears. He then began haggling as if I had fained objection at his exorbitant price. But the funny thing is, he didn't haggle with me, he started haggling with himself, as if his life depended on it, and maybe it did. He kept running and bargaining, 3 for 200rs, 5 for 200rs, 8 for 200rs. All my no's bounced off him as if he was a superhero deflecting bullets. Finally in desperation he said; "OK, OK, 10 pieces for 200 rupees" ($5). I had no use for them, nor did I even like them, but at that point I could not resist. Even Richard, who I would consider to be in the "stubborn" category, instinctively went for his wallet.

Whether it was the little voice screaming inside my head saying, "That's a killer deal" or the sincere, persistence of this man, I don't know, but in either case, I felt good about buying them, regardless of whether I needed them or not. At that point I didn't feel like I was being taken or cheated, as so many times I do. I handed off the money and when I saw the look of relief and smile on his face I couldn't help but smile myself. In hind-site I should have handed him back the necklaces as well, watching him haggle with himself behind our cart for a half mile was worth the 5 bucks.

During the ride we saw more camels than I have ever seen in one place before in my life, and we lived in Egypt! The Pushkar camel fair is truely a fair in every sense of the word. You could nickname it the Rajasthani state fair, complete with faris-wheel, cotton candy, food booths, camel races and vendors selling useless gadgets and trinkets. It reminded me of any other state fair I've ever been to, but with a definite 3rd-world charm.

We returned that evening, ate dinner and watched some performers do traditional dance and fire breathing, oooh! There was also a puppeteer who very much reminded me of the kings assistant in Cinderella who wore the monocle and mustache that swagged his face, sideburn to lip to sideburn. The kids loved the puppet show and so did I, its not every day you have the pleasure of watching a true puppet show.

We went to bed and I slept especially restless. Others say it is the princess and the pea syndrome. But honestly, sleeping on those cots was like sleeping on a slab of marble. I still have the back ache to prove it.

Enjoy the slide show

*Quote from Nacho Libre

To be continued. . .

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-25T01:28:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving! I'm late because we just got back from spending 3 days in the Rajistani desert, riding camels, and sleeping in tents. It was great fun but I sure missed the turkey and pumpkin pie. . . especially the pumpkin pie. We left on Thanksgiving and got back late Saturday night (actually early Sunday morning).
I will be blogging our trip one day at a time over the next day or two so as to not overwhelm anyone (including myself). We have a TON of pics to download, plus you know how long-winded I can be, can't leave a single detail out, no matter how tedious or unimportant.

P.S. We got our VAN!!! Yahoo! It arrived on Wednesday, the day before we left for our trip to Pushkar. I was so excited when they brought it I jumped in it and drove around the compound (equivalent to riding around the block). Mutua seemed to understand our anticipation and when it arrived seemed just as excited as us, just wait til I take her for a ride, she may never step foot in a vehicle again...

Didn't get the Van

2007-11-19T00:51:00.000-08:00

I was so excited thinking we would get the van last week but here we sit Monday morning and still no wheels... why am I not surprised!
I'm feeling a little depressed about the whole thing but, eventually I guess it has to come! We may not see it until we're packing out but it will get here eventually, I'm POSITIVE!

Not your Mommas Paper Mache

2007-11-16T05:39:00.000-08:00

Monday I went to a mela (aka: a bunch of vendors selling their goods in the parking lot) and I saw a vendor with all of these beautifully hand-painted bowls, boxes, vases and Christmas ornaments. What I didn't know then, was that everything he sells is made out of paper mache. I couldn't believe it so I had the guy come to my house yesterday to check things out close up, plus I wanted to buy Christmas ornaments from him.
So he came and I invited the neighbors to come and see and I was amazed at the incredible detail work on every single item I looked at.
Most of the bowls are made from a brass mold (so the inside is gold). What they do next is layer the outside with the paper pulp, then varnish, paint, varnish, varnish, varnish and then varnish one more time. He said that with good care these items can last a life-time.
They varnish them 4 times, waiting 15 days between each coat. Some of the bigger items take several months just to paint, that doesn't include the varnishing time. They even make their own paint brushes because they can't buy brushes that are fine enough for the most detailed artwork.
The more I looked the more I wanted. Before I knew how incredible they were I just thought I wanted a few ornaments, now I want to buy one of everything and a whole Christmas tree full of ornaments.
I looked through his picture album and he can make just about anything you can imagine and it is all amazing!
The price isn't bad either. Some of the items I bought yesterday I paid about a dollar an item, (for an average size ornament) in the states that same item could range anywhere from $5-$10. But these are the smaller items I am talking about. The bigger items.. bowls and boxes and things range from around $12-$100 or higher.
No two items are ever alike. Each piece, even if its the same bowl, painted with the same pattern, is never identical because its all hand-made. Another bonus is that it is very lite and so if you want me to send you something the shipping shouldn't be too outrageous. :)
Anyway, you can tell I think its.. well, WAY COOL!

This bowl was one of my favs!

And this was one of my favorite boxes!

I really liked this one too..

The animals were really cool too. He had elephants, camels, and turtles whos shells were the lids for a round turtle box.

Tried to get a close-up of the detail work but I don't think the picture does it justice.

FYI: I've only recieved 2 comments all month--where are all my loyal fans? (Boo-hoo) :)

T's 16th Birthday Please Help!!

2007-11-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

Big T is turning 16 in a couple months and I have no idea what to buy or do for him! I want his 16th to be especially, special because he is really not happy about the fact that "all my friends are getting their drivers licenses when they turn 16 and I don't even have a bike!". But before you say "get him a bike" already thought of that (Christmas is coming soon too).
So put your thinking caps on and send me your ideas! T and I would greatly appreciate it!!

The Van is Coming!!

2007-11-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

We just found out that our van has reached India and is on our way to us as we speak. I am actually hoping with all my might, mind and strength that it arrives today or this weekend at the latest!
Our car actually arrived in Amsterdam on the 16 of August and sat there for over a month because of miscomunications between our GSO (gov. shipping office) and the port in Amsterdam. I was a little peeved when I found out!
I am so tired of taking taxis its not even funny! Although, I do have to admit it is always an adventure to ride in an auto rickshaw... but it will be very liberating to have my very own mode of transportation that have stains on the seats or smell like... well lets just say its not a pleasant smell. Although I will miss a couple of my 'regular taxi drivers' who smile when they see me coming (ooh here she comes, sucker!) and laugh at me whenever I try to speak Hindi with them.
Of course they are not the only ones. Every Indian I have ever spoken Hindi to has either giggled or laughed right out loud. The only solice I have is that I am not the only one it happens to, and Mutua assures me that I speak it "very nicely". All the other Hindi students in my class have experienced the same sort of phenomenon as well. I think they are so shocked to hear a foreigner speaking Hindi that they simply giggle.

The Black Tongue

2007-11-15T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have a radical experiment for anyone brave enough to try...

I call it the 'black tongue'. Its really easy, and completely safe!
All you have to do is take a couple chewable Pepto-bismal tablets (I'm not sure if taking liquid would work but if that is all you have then give it a try). Take them at bedtime. In the morning, wake up and brush your teeth like normal and see what happens--its pretty rad!!

दिवाली मुबारक Diwali Mubarek

2007-11-11T04:28:00.000-08:00

We celebrated the Festival of Diwali on Friday night with a bang.. seriously! Diwali (pronounced Dee-vali or also called Dipavali) is the Hindu version of Christmas or "Festival of Lights". You celebrate by decorating your house with lights and candles. The lights represent the victory of good over evil. They also give gifts and traditionally wear new clothes and purchase new household items. Then, once darkness comes, the night sky quickly erupts into what closely resembles a war zone.

I went shopping on the two days prior to Diwali and let me assure you that last-minute-gift-shopping is just as much an epidemic here as in the US. I was chastised by a few people for going the the same market the day before Diwali that was bombed just a couple years ago during the Diwali season. But what can I say.. shopping waits for no woman!

I bought everyone new "Indian" clothes for Diwali. Richard, Taylor and Tyson wore Kurta Pajamas (pj's were invented here, but in India they are actually worn during the day) and MaKaela got her very first Sari. I bought Morgann a Salwaar Kameez or Punjabi suit. I started out the day in a Salwaar suit as well but ended up in the bright orange Sari you see me pictured in below.

Mutua invited us for Diwali but we already had plans in the evening when the traditional Diwali feast takes place, so she asked us to come for lunch. So we got all dressed up and went to her house for lunch. We brought some Indian sweets for their family and we sat around and talked and then they served us lunch. Mutua kept dishing up our plates over and over again saying "Please eat nicely". After the second or third helping forced upon my plate, I could eat no more (despite their disappointment).

The food was great but we felt very uncomfortable because they would not sit down and eat with us, even after coming close to demanding them too. At first, I thought it was some sort of social or caste issue that kept them from eating with us. But after the dishes were cleared and a little conversation about the food, we discovered they were fasting and wouldn't be eating until the evening meal. That was a little awkward but we still had a great time.

Before we ate, Mutua grabbed my hand and dragged me into the second of their two-room house saying "please come, please come". In the bedroom with all the girls, I was surprised when she handed me a wrapped gift; my first Sari. Although orange is not my favorite color, I thought it was beautiful, I know it was a sacrifice for her to buy it for me and I was so touched by the gesture.

We took lots of pictures, played with the baby and the pet parrot and then finally, headed home. It was such a nice experience.

Then, darkness fell and we headed to the McIllece's for the 'danger-works'! What we did that night would be illegal in the US and most other countries as well, but we had a blast doing it! We only had two minor injuries; Taylor seemed to have the worst luck of the evening with a bit of singed hair and what looks like a cigar burn on his forearm from a stray firecracker. Every time a firworks back-fired Taylor seemed to be the one attacked.

At first, I couldn't stop flip-flopping between; "Oh my gosh this is insane, someones going to lose a limb" and "YAHOO, do it again!" In the end the yahoo in me won out and I was disappointed when we finally ran out of things to blow-up and retreated to the in doors. When we left for home at about 11:30pm the air was so thick with smoke we couldn't see more than about 20 yards in front of us, it was crazy! The next day we woke up with the house filled with haze and the smell of firecrackers.

We've decided that Diwali is one of our favorite festivals so far! The "boys" started making plans for next years fireworks display before the smoke cleared. What's the prenatal fascination between boys and explosives?

Anyway, enjoy the photos and Happy Diwali!

What's that yer haulin..

2007-11-08T00:14:00.000-08:00

Please enjoy the first installment of "What's that yer haulin?"

"cow-chips" collected, molded and dried for your burning pleasure. Helps keep you warm at night and creates a lovely aroma to boot.

Oh look... the milk-man!

Look everybody, the surgar cane man.. how does he know where he's goin daddy?

I want to eat, I want to eat eight apples and bannas...

Look Ma, its the new portable-bomb-guy... I sure miss the old one!

MaKaela in a Sari

2007-11-07T23:52:00.000-08:00

MaKaela went home with Mutua the other night to see her grand-daughter. She also asked her to dress her in a sari. This is what she looked like when she came home. You can see why 12 year olds are getting married in this country. She looks so grown up.

A Weekend of Firsts

2007-11-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was a weekend of "firsts" for me.
On Saturday night we attended our first Marine Ball in India. The ball is held every year all over the world to commemorate the birthday of the Marine Corp. It is one of the biggest events each year within the Embassy community. It was held at the Taj Palace hotel, a very beautiful 5 star hotel here in town. The real story though is how I found my dress, it is truly a miracle (not kidding).

I decided I wasn't going because the two formal dresses I own do not fit me at this precise moment in time for reasons that I can't disclose (NO, I'm not pregnant, just fat). But Richard received a lot of (kind hearted) pressure to go and we really wanted to support the Marines so we bought our tickets and I prayed!

Shopping here is nothing like shopping in the states. There are no neatly hung racks of clothes with each size separated by little, colored, plastic tabs, and Larger sizes are very hard to come by, if not impossible.

My favorite experience shopping for a dress was walking into a shop and asking if they had any "fancy" dress items. The rather large woman at the desk looked up at me and said "Not in your size", ouch, that one hurt! I should have said, "Well where do you buy your clothes then?" But unfortunately, I am not so quick whitted.

If you are a "fuller figured" woman like myself, your best option is to have something made. But that was impossible as I only had a week. After much disappointed searching, I gave myself an afternoon to find something and if unsuccessful, I would have to fain illness on the night of the ball. So a friend and I went to Sarogini Market. Picture an out door flea market and you might come within ball park range of what shopping at Sarogini is like, or anywhere in Delhi for that matter.

Anyway, we came to an area in which there were many vendors with stacks of clothing. Literally stacks, the clothes were lined up in 3-4 ft high stacks. You simply tell them what you are looking for, the size range (all by pantomime) and they quickly start sifting. The faster they can find you something the more likely they are to make a sale.

Not in my wildest dreams did I imagined I would find something in these dusty piles of clothing. But that is exactly what happened, and not only was it amazingly suited for a formal event, it fit me perfectly. Now, some of you may think "whats the big deal, you found a dress" but to me, it was nothing short of a personal miracle.

Then, to top it all off, after haggling a little with the man, I ended up paying approximately 10 USD (the dry-cleaning cost me 12). My costume jewlry and shoes were 4 times the cost of my dress and I couldn't have been more pleased had I picked it out of a catalog!

The ball was great and it is always so much fun to see everyone dressed to the nines. The bonus for me was seeing all the amazing gowns that I knew cost a small fortune and smiling at the thought of my ten dollar miracle.

Not the greatest picture but you get the idea.

The next "first" happened on Sunday when we attended our first Indian wedding and I wore an Indian Sari for the fist time. The Sari is a traditional dress worn by most Indian women that exists of 6 meters of fabric neatly tucked and wrapped around the body and then draped over the shoulder. I borrowed one from a friend who wrapped me up and off we went.

The wedding was for my house-keeper, Prabha's, daughter. We arrived around 8pm and as soon as we did, became the instant focus of attention. Prabha grabbed my hand and led me to the front of the room (actually it was a tent) and walked me up on the stage where the bride and groom were sitting on thrones (seriously). I didn't know whether to hug and kiss them or bow at their feet. It was an awkward moment,luckily it was over quickly. After that there were lots of photos, mingling, food and dancing (we didn't actually dance though).

My cook, Mutua, was there with her family as well, they all looked so fancy. It was nice to see them in their own element, although they still would not refrain from waiting on us hand and foot. At one point Richard told Mutua, "you are not at work!" It didn't stop her.

I surprised myself by how excited I was to go and how much I actually enjoyed being there. It was definitely an out-of-comfort-zone event but I had a really great time. I loved wearing the sari as well, it has this way of making you feel very feminine.

Hey there, gigantor!

Mutua and her daughter Saseekala and Depha

Mutua's grand-daughter, Nayga

Tent full of wedding guests

Morgann & Richard at wedding

This Friday is Diwali (pronounced dee-valee). It is basically the equivalent of our Christmas. They decorate, light candles, buy new clothes and housing items and have a big feast, but they aren't celebrating Christ's birth. We have been invited to go to Mutua's house for Diwali on Friday, so we will take lots of pictures and blog how it all turns out. For now enjoy the pictures of some of my "Firsts". I'm sure there will be many more "firsts" to come.

फेस्टिवल ऑफ़ दुस्शेरा Festival of Dusshera

2007-10-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we celebrated.... or more like watched the Indians celebrate, Dusshera--the culminating festival of the 10-day celebration known as Navaratri. The festivals vary widely based on the region celebrating, but all of them celebrate the triumph of good over evil. The production of Ramlila is enacted--which is an abridged version of the Ramayana--which depicts the battles between Ram (Indian God) and Ravana, who abducted Sita, Ram's wife, and the evening is culminated by the burning of the effigies of Ravana, his brother, and his son (the bad guys!).

We went with the McIllece family and their driver, Baldev, to his community celebration, where we sat in the middle of a big field/park to watch the events. Luckily we got to sit in the VIP section (meaning we had a chair instead of standing for two hours because we paid). After about an hour we were completely surrounded by throngs of people. A flimsy bamboo fence separated the seated section from the "standing" section and at any moment it looked as if the fence would collapse under the pressure of the hundreds of people leaning against it. Had anything gone wrong that night, it would have been a miracle to come out alive. It reminded me of the night club fire a while back, where all those people were trapped and died because they couldn't get out of the dance club when it caught on fire....

Anyway, back to Dusshera. I basically understood what the festival was about, yet I still couldn't figure out why it took them almost two hours before putting the three 50 foot, explosive-filled effigies out of their misery. But finally the exciting moment came and, one by one, they were set ablaze. Before their demise, Taylor asked Richard; "Dad, do you think we are at a safe-statue-burning-distance?". The answer was unequivocally......."I don't know". But we soon found out had we been much closer we would have singed our eyebrows. (OSHA would have had a field-day at this little event!). As they set fire to the effigies the flame burst was hot enough to make me a tad nervous, along with the deafening booms of the firecrackers going off inside them. But after the first one burned up without incident and the fear of being trampled subsided, I was able to enjoy the 2nd and 3rd with a little more excitement. It was quite an evening, I was really glad we had the chance to see this festival in action. Where else could you burn 50 foot statues, set off explosives and shoot illegal fireworks all in one night. My brothers would have loved it (pyros)!

Besides the flame-works my favorite part of the evening was Tyson's water-works. He had what I like to call a; "Calvin-and-Hobbes-moment":
Not too long after we arrived Tyson complained that he had to pee. Without being there, you just have to trust that what he was asking was next to impossible. I kept telling him there was no bathroom and he had to wait or Daddy would try and find him a spot to pee where someone wasn't already sitting or standing. Used to the creature comforts of home he would have none of that, until two hours later when he could hold it no longer. I told him to stand behind his chair and pee underneath it (his chair looked like much worse had taken place in its presence). He said okay, but then got distracted. Assuming he was going to continue holding it, I turned and started talking to Richard on my left. Tyson climbed up on the chair to my right. But instead of sitting he was kneeling on his knees. Next thing I know, I look to my right and catch a glimpse of little-boy-butt-crack and a perfect arch of liquid rising and falling in front of him. I was so stunned I couldn't speak, all I could do was nudge Richard's leg, who when he realized what was going on, cracked up laughing. All of the Indians around us who saw the fountain of youth simply giggled, public peeing is a part of their culture (but a story for another time). If I hadn't known how badly he had to "go" I might have been angry. But the circumstances were such that it was just one of those moments you chalk up to living in a third world country and say no more. Luckily the rows of chairs were spaced far enough apart that no one was "rained" on. Tyson was quite embarrassed but obviously desperate. Why he chose to pee off his chair instead of behind it we'll never know, but a great story for posterity.

Picture of the three effigies (before their death) and in front of that, our "vip" seating. You can see from the picture that the distance between flames and seating is not that far!

I'm not sure what they were made out of but it was HIGHLY flamable. Looked like paper mache heads with wrapping paper bodies. Gotta love that sexy mustache!

Kinda looks like we're sitting inside a coral...oh wait a minute, we are sitting inside a coral.

Oooh, Aaaah!

Why am I the only one smiling?

Picture of the "throngs". If you look to the right you can see where the fence is bowing down from the weight of people leaning on it.

Before...

After! Cool huh!

Compound Living

2007-10-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

I thought it was about time to show you (pictures below) where we live and how we like it. I know its long overdue and I apologize.
First of all we are living on the US Embassy Housing Compound located directly across the street from the actual US Embassy. It is not a huge compound, maybe the size of a city block. I don't like using the word compound, it makes everything sound so...fortress-like, but for lack of a better word...
Besides housing units, the compound is also home to the medical office, a small (but VERY over-priced) commissary, maintenance buildings and the ACSA center (can't remember what the acronym stands for, sorry). The ACSA center houses the pool, barber shop, a diner, a restaurant, a bar, a small gift shop, a small gym and bowling alley, all two lanes of it. Oh and a couple small playgrounds, a small baseball field and the Marine barracks. I know I keep saying everything is small, but that's because it is.
Then across the street on the back side of the housing compound is the American Embassy School compound. Although not ran by the US Embassy, American children have priority entrance (since there is always a waiting list).
We originally requested not to live on the compound as we were looking forward to a more integrated experience while living in India. But the housing board had other ideas and issued us a 4 bedroom unit on the compound. Why?...we have no idea, but living on the compound definitely has his advantages. The kids have a 5 minute walk to school. We have a recreation center, complete with pool and tennis court (oh I forgot to mention the tennis court) literally, in our back yard! Richard's commute is maybe...3 1/2 minutes, give or take 30 seconds.
But there are also disadvantages as well. We have less privacy and much less interaction with the "real" India. I feel, because of that, we miss out a little on the "true experience of India". Also, the compound can make you very complacent, if you don't want to leave it, you wouldn't ever have to. Everything you need is right here. So I have to make it a point to get out as often as I can (to go shopping of course) to remind myself where I am living. Over all, we are happy on the compound, but I think we would have been just as happy living off the compound. There are pros and cons either way and regarless, it has been a great experience so far and we love it!

Our house, is a very, very, very fine house...

Driveway looking into back patio/courtyard.

Back patio/courtyard.

Back patio off the kitchen and our Gardener Kumar, planting a garden. Actually, I just realized yesterday that Kumar is his last name and that I've been calling him by his last name for the last two months. Which I know he doesn't mind, but it sure made me feel like an idiot.

Isn't that a cute little garden! These pictures were taken before Tyson decided to try his hand at gardening. I don't think Kumar was very amused with his handy work.

Our neighbors banana tree.

Stairway to heaven (just kiding, actually it's the stairway to Richards office) how would you like to have to climb that 5 or 6 times a day?

Everything sounds a lot better than it actually is, but still, I have nothing to complain about! Yet sometimes it seems I'm not happy unless I find something. So, if need be, please feel free to (gently) remind me, just how fortunate I am, if at some point you feel I've completely lost touch with reality!

Please don't forget to leave your name on your comments, unless you wish to remain anonymous (which might be fun for you but causes me many sleepless nights wondering who you are!) I got a very sweet one about the bunnies but I don't know who it came from.

Tyson-in-the-box

2007-10-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Okay, technically he's not "in" the box but, Tyson-"on"-the-box just doesn't have the same feel!
Here is a quick story of a not-so-fun adventure we had just after we arrived.

We had been in India about 3 weeks and one night we came home around 9pm after having dinner and as we got to the front door Richard realized he left the keys at the restaurant. Where's that darn hide-a-key when you need it! So there we all stand, in the sweltering heat (oh yes, it was still blistering hot at 9pm) wondering what the heck to do, with Tyson sawing zz's like there's no tomorrow in my arms. So Richard started making phone calls. Finally he gets the number for the restaurant and begins to make one of several frantic telephone calls; "I said keys, not bees!" "No, I don't need a table, please check under the table for my keys!". "Let me speak to anyone that speaks English PLEASE!" Anyway, after 2 phone calls and at least 3 different people, they located the keys and sent them by taxi to the Embassy. In the meantime besides wanting to strangle a certain person who shall remain nameless (RICHARD), I had to set Tyson down because my arms and back were screamin for mercy. But the only place to set him down was on the ground (Uh, I don't think so!) or a large box just outside our house. Earlier that day the boxes had contained a small amount of household goods shipped in our "fast" shipment and were outside the house waiting to be taken to the trash. So, I laid him on the box and there we sit, no actually we stood, and stood and stood some more, on the empty compound street at 10 o'clock at night with Tyson asleep on a box. Every few minutes I had to flip off a bug or an ant, curiously checking him over, but you'll be happy to know, after this tragic story, he suffered no long term effects from his night on the box!
(Richard either!)

Notice the dirty footsies!

Daddy, please don't make me sleep on a box again!

MaKaela Turns 9!

2007-10-06T04:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday MaKaela!
MaKaela has been waiting anxiously for her birthday to arrive and finally it did! Despite the fact that her slacker Mother sent the invitations out only 3 days prior we had 10 girls out of 10 show up for MaKaela's pool/slumber party! Who made up that silly rule about giving a 2 week notice anyway! For me that is a sure fire way to guarantee I won't be there. After about 3 days my brain does an automatic purge of information to the recycle bin and unfortunately it can't distinguish between the useless and useful information I've stored.
Anyway, MaKaela was extremely excited to have all her friends there and they all seemed to have a great time.
We swam for only an hour because the pool is starting to get a bit chilly and everybody was freezing. We then came home and ate. Mutua had fixed some pizza, spring rolls and some little battered potato thingy and then we did cake and ice cream... oh and of course presents. Then they played outside, watched a movie and I then put them to bed. Which was easier said than done, but after getting one more pillow and one more blanket, shutting off ceiling fans, because "I'm too cold" and turning on lights, because "I can't sleep in the dark", opening doors and changing from one bed to another one last time, I think they fell asleep. Or else I did, I'm not sure.

And just in case you were wondering who made that SOCCER-IFIC CAKE...It was ME! with a little help from a friend (okay a lot of help) . Nevertheless, I'm extremely proud to say; I made the coolest-ever soccer cake! I'm sure you can't see it in the pictures but the grass frosting on top, actually looks like real grass. (But honestly, I'm not the boasting type).

All 11 girls posing with MaKaela and her amazing birthday cake! Is that a real soccer ball, it looks so life-like?

Oh wow, look at her blow out her candles on that fabulously decorated birthday cake!

You need a really special knife to cut such a special birthday cake, good thing we had one!

How do you make a Kashmir Carpet.

2007-10-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

The start of a hand woven carpet.

The picture above is the hand-written pattern for the carpet.

Color by number carpet pattern.

Richard being schooled in the art of carpet making. Don't be surprised if we end up moving to the mountains and become famous carpet weavers.

The finished product! Gorgeous!

This 4x6ft. silk on cotton rug is 140 knots per inch. It took 1 person 9 months to make.

This carpet took 8 people 11 years to complete.
The cost you ask...a whopping $18000.00 Whoa!

Richard's Trip to Kashmir

2007-10-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Kashmir, India. Northern India about 30 miles east of the Pakistan/India border.

Richard said the mountains reminded him a lot of the Wasatch mountains in Utah.

Richard escorted the American Citizens Chief to Kashmir last week to interview an American citizen who was arrested. He thoroughly loved being in the mountains enjoying the cool air. It is significantly cooler up north and a welcome break from the heat and humidity of Delhi (wish I could have gone)!

"Bugged" Again

2007-09-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

My friend Jean sent me a lovely care package with a bunch of Costo size boxes of junk food (I still need to know how much I owe you Jean). I got the box yesterday and was so excited to see pop-tarts, cereal, granola bars and best of all OREOS! It was like Christmas.
Anyway I put everything away in our little pantry and in the morning Richard informed me that the ants had gotten into all the new food.
I foolishly thought that since I hadn't opened anything that it wouldn't attracted those pesky little creatures, WRONG! These little guys are very persistence and obviously "sealed packaging" in the US isn't what it used to be. The hardest hit item was the box of oreos. But we were not going to let those pint sized soldiers win this time. We unwrapped every package except for a couple that obviously had no hope of revival and searched every single oreo for ants (i.e.picture obove). After all, junk food from America is a precious commodity and I could not let all those oreos or money go to waste!
We went through everything else and every box contained ants but the only other item that actually contained ants inside the bags were the frosted mini-wheats. So again I sifted through two large bags of mini-wheats and saved those as well. I'm actually proud of myself because if this had happened in the states I would have chucked everything in the trash and started over. But when your desperate you tend to be a bit more resourceful.

Unsalvigable Oreos! :(

A plate of "clean" oreos!

Bottom of the oreo box and what was left of the ants. There was easily 10 times this amount when we opened it.

Sad Bunny Story

2007-09-27T03:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, our sad bunny story goes like this:

Last month Morgann and Richard went out on an adventure together to "Old Delhi" (the older part of Delhi city) and as they were looking around they came accross a pet market and saw two adorable miniture bunnies from Nepal. They were in deplorable conditions and once Morgann batted her eyes and said "Daddy we can't just leave them" It was all over, we suddenly became family to two of the tiniest rabbits I've ever seen. I was not crazy about this turn of events and took every opportunity to voice my opinion on how crazy it was but what could I do, I wasn't going to send them back so....
Anyway, the kids fell in love with the bunnies immediatly (who doesn't love bunnies). But we couldn't come up with names for several days. We tried all sorts of combinations until one day we were all in a bedroom watching the bunnies run around and explore and Taylor started doing commentary for there actions and as they ran around in a frenzy they almost ran into one another and Taylor said "party on Wayne, party on Garth" and we all looked at each other as we obviously came to the same conclusion at once and yelled "Thats it!". So we named them Wayne and Garth. Garth was the brown one and Wayne the black and white.
So now to make a long story even longer. After 4 or 5 days I decided it was time to get them some proper rabbit supplies so I went online and ordered rabbit food, litter, food & water dishes etc..we also had the vet come and give them shots. I was beginning to make peace with the idea that they would be sticking around. Maybe that was my mistake, because not more than a day or two later I came home from a shopping trip and found Wayne and Garth dead in their box. We don't know why they died but the vet said that those kinds of bunnies are very fragile and have a hard time adapting to different or sudden changes in environment. Every now and then we kid around that our maid smothered them so she didn't have to take care of them (although I'm sure that was not the case). Whatever the case, they were the sweetest and cutest little bunnies and we will miss them.