School Pictures

I sure love these handsome boys!  I thought they both took nice pictures at school this year.

I won a large chocolate shoe at Pokeeno and Alex was thrilled to eat it.  Apparently chocolate tastes better in the shape of footwear.

Probably the most loaded down motorbike I've seen in Jakarta.  I promise there is a guy driving under there.

 
 Our crazy cat...he has his own spot to sleep on the shoe rack but still prefers the shoes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving always seems a little bittersweet overseas.  It's just a regular day to the rest of the world, so it's a little sad to go about the normal routine, but it's extra special for the people and places that make the effort to celebrate together.  We were so excited this year to have two Thanksgivings!  

The first was dinner at the American Club on the real day.  We met several other families after school and work and let the kids run around and get all sweaty before dinner, then we enjoyed some pretty delicious food together.  Bubba, our favorite barbecue guy here, does some great roasted and smoked turkeys.

Lots of rolls for this guy...just like his mama!

Load this guy up with some meat!

On Saturday, we went to the Hosler's home with two other families for our second Thanksgiving.  It was hilarious that the drawing table Norma set up for the young boys was taken over by all the older boys who decided to make a war and battle card game.

The men went outside to fry up two turkeys.  Norma also has two ovens so she was able to warm up all the traditional Thanksgiving casseroles.  I'll never be able to host because I have one tiny oven that can barely hold two small chickens, so a turkey is out of the question.

Happy faces!  But sadly I never got any adult pictures.

This is what makes Thanksgiving special, no matter where in the world you celebrate!  Being with people you love, whether you're related or not.

While the adults enjoyed apple pie and carrot cake, the kids decorated their own cookies and stopped just before they got sick.  So a pretty successful dinner!

Middle School UN Day

This was my first time to experience UN day at the Middle School and it was pretty wonderful.  Two sweet girls were the hostesses on the Bali Stage for the day's events.

Each country is represented by one student (usually the oldest from that country) and they play a snippet of the national anthem while the flag is presented.

Very cool to see the dozens of nationalities that make up the middle school!  And notice the principal decked out in all his Canadian gear.  Every UN day reminds me of the priceless education the kids are getting in world cultures and appreciation of the differences that make us all unique.

It was a beautiful but HOT day and the kids and adults in the sun were melting.  I could see Ben on the other side (blue Astros hat) just on the edge of the shade and I felt so bad for him.

After the official ceremony, everyone moved down to the soccer fields for some more presentations, like Balinese and Bollywood dancing, and the big event - the international food fest.

The soccer fields were lined with stalls from each country serving up delicious food and there were so many choices!  After we served the kids, I had barbecue, empanadas, mango sticky rice, spring rolls, butter chicken, and a snow cone before I even realized that I was too full for the lasagna from Italy or stroopwafels from the Netherlands.

The fantastic American team!  Our theme (borrowed directly from the high school moms who hosted theirs the week prior) was an American tailgate with barbecue, buffalo chicken wings, and chocolate chip cookies.  It was a huge hit with everyone and such a fun day.

Melbourne Cup

The race that stops the nation!  Even though I never watched in Australia, it's fun to celebrate the Melbourne Cup here in Indonesia.  ANZA puts on a lovely brunch and it's a great reason to get dressed up and drive into town early in the morning.

The beautiful ladies at table 13.

 They said they were taking our picture...and this is what I got on my phone :)

This is more like it!  I was so happy to get to hang out with my friend Stacie, who is moving to Sarajevo this weekend.  And it's never a dull moment with Andrea, who was sporting a custom birdcage fascinator for the event...it was hilarious!

Around 11am, we watched the big race live!  Until the internet cut out.  Everyone groaned, then shrugged, because that's Jakarta.  We were able to catch up a few minutes later.

 The tennis group... 

And our big, extended group 

Bali with the Thompsons

We couldn't think of a better way to spend a long weekend than a quick trip to Bali.  It's the perfect getaway from the city.  The kids had a Friday off for teacher inservice, so Thursday night we hopped a flight over.  I love that Ben reads at the airport now when he's in the middle of a good book! 

We stayed at our favorite resort in Jimbaran, probably the only place we've ever gone repeatedly, and it took no time for Alex to start relaxing.

Ben was less interested in the robes and more obsessed with the storage space under the stairs.

A perfect reading nook!

Friday morning, we enjoyed our breakfast with a view and the "when are the Thompsons coming??" questions began.  Unfortunately, their flight was delayed several hours so they didn't arrive until late afternoon.

We stayed on a different side this time that just reopened after renovation and it has ducks!

We spent the day at Kuta beach because the waves were better for a little surfing.

The boys both did great!  The waves were pretty perfect and the water was shallow so they barely had to paddle.

Time to relax afterward.

We got back to the hotel just in time for high tea, another favorite of these two.

Ben also reads by the pool now?!

Finally, Cooper and Evan arrived and we barely saw the kids again.  These boys had a ton of fun together.

It's hard to beat a sunset here.

Saturday was one of the prettiest days we'd seen in Bali.

The grownups relaxed and the kids played on the beach almost all day.

 We enjoyed some teppanyaki together for dinner.

We still got to enjoy most of our Sunday and played on the beach until noon.

I love that we left the beach at noon, showered, checked out, flew home, and pulled in our driveway at 5pm.  Absolutely the best thing about living in Jakarta!  A little sand and sun is so refreshing.