Simple Pleasures

Grayson and friends Malcolm, Sophie and "Aunt" Julie take in the view at OP Schnabel Park.


One of the best things about being home in Texas is the ability to get out, go hiking, and just enjoy nature. When we lived here we complained that you had to get in a car and drive to go anywhere. Now that we live in Indonesia we realize how lucky we were to have so many parks available to enjoy, and how easy those drives really were. There are certainly places to enjoy nature and the wonders of living in the tropics, but none of those places are an easy 15-minute drive from our place in Jakarta.


One of the other great pleasures for me is just driving. While David does drive on the weekends, I have not driven a car since we left Warrenton VA last August. The constant congestion combined with driving on the wrong side (to an American) of the road has left me dependent on the services of my driver Haryono. He is a great guy, the kids adore him, and he patiently puts up with me so I can't complain, BUT I MISS DRIVING! David arranged for me to have a cute little rental while I am here (see above picture) and I have had great fun just zipping from park to park (not to mention from store to store). I was worried about not having driven is so long but I haven’t had any problems except a bit of a lead foot and that’s nothing new.

San Antonio Spurs NBA Champs, Again!

We were happy to be home to watch the Spurs sweep the finals! GO SPURS GO! Minutes after the final score we stepped outside the house and all over town, from every direction, you could hear car horns blaring to announce the good news. A clean sweep!

Noise

We are back home in Texas and I just went for a walk. It is so quiet!!! The only noises were the birds, a few dogs barking, and an occasional car. No morning prayers from the mosque, no kaki limas, NO MOTORCYCLES! I think I could have closed my eyes and known I was home just by the sounds. Morning doves cooing, the hoarse raspy cough of grackles, mocking birds trilling, cicadas buzzing. Most of our lives we are not even aware of the constant background noise around us. Have you stopped and listened to the world around you today?

Time Travel, Fact or Fiction??

We flew from Jakarta, Indonesia to San Antonio, Texas. The trip covers 12 time zones. Total flight time approximately 23 hours plus layovers. We left Indonesia on Friday at 10:15pm and arrived in San Antonio at 5:00pm Saturday. Some how during the course of this journey we managed to time travel. The weirdest time rift was leaving Tokyo at 3:15pm Saturday and arriving in Minneapolis at noon Saturday!?! How do you arrive someplace before you even leave someplace else? Things that make you go hmm.

On Our Way

In about 6 hours we will be heading to the airport for our long awaited trip home to visit family. The kids had their last half-day of school this morning. David, Grayson and I went to Grayson's swim class where Grayson showed off for his Daddy, meaning that he didn't throw a screaming temper tantrum until the second half of the class. Afterwards David and I decided we deserved a lunch out before "the trip" so we left Grayson with Ibu Dwi and made a quick trip to Vietopia for some yummy Vietnamese food. Now we are going to do one last check of the luggage and hope the kids don't get too dirty. Then it is just a waiting game. In a bit over 36 hours we will be home in Texas.
On a different note Dakota has in own blog http://dakotascrazyadventure.blogspot.com. He has decided to author a blog for a couple of reasons. One he really needs to practice writing and editing. So publishing something for the general public to read once a week or so will probably encourage him to work a little harder at his writing. And second it makes it easier to keep in contact with all his friends now that he goes to an international school and his friends come from all over the world. I hope everyone will give him lots of feedback on his blog and lots of support as he endeavors to improve his writing.

Caught In The Act

May is a time of many goodbyes in the FS. People changing posts over the summer tend to leave as school ends in order to get in home leave before school starts at the next post. We had one last get together Friday night to send off our friends the Marlowes and the Hales and wish them all best wherever they go next. Matt Marlowe provided live music at the American Club Music Lounge. Dave snapped this picture of me singing along with Matt on stage.