ANZA 80's ball

This was a huge milestone in Jakarta expat life - the return of a real FULL-SIZED ball! No masks, no limited capacity, no peduli lindungi vaccine checks...just some good ole fashioned costumes and fun! The ANZA ball is always a guaranteed good time and an 80's theme meant some pretty rad costumes. We even got a live band again!

We got together at Chris and Jerilyn's before heading to the Fairmont and this group was looking pretty amazing.

We had 80's punk rock, prom, presidents, hard rock, and even a few movie stars like Maverick and Marty McFly!

The ball room looked amazing! We were so ready for a REAL party!!

Ran into Mr. Allerton, who was a pretty great Boy George.

Amazon US, Amazon UK, and tokopedia all delivered some amazing costumes!

And the ever-entertaining party pics! This was such a fun group, even though we didn't all fit at one table.

When I ran into Claire and her glow in the dark bracelets, I decided to propose a swap for some new accessories. Little did I know that this would turn into a really fun hobby for the night because most people were covered in accessories.  Thus began Operation Swapsies.

This Maverick was such a good sport, he was willing to trade shirts! I think he enjoyed his new shirt even more than me!

Target acquired: end of the night amazing wig!

By the end of the evening, I had my own shoes, stockings, shorts, and one original glove. And my fanny pack - I was unwilling to give up that amazing phone and chapstick holder.  Everything else was new to me (I did swap the skirt even though it was nearly the same) It was such a fun and memorable night and a great way to make new friends!

 

Good Times

It's always nice to settle into a new school year and schedule. I hosted the first Pokeeno and asked everyone to dress to represent their country (home or adopted) and it was a fun evening with several new faces. Texas was well-represented!

We finally pulled the plug on our guest room, which has essentially been unused for five years, and turned it into a gym.  Now the space gets used every day!

Ben took apart his plasma ball to mess around with it and get some small sparks. You just never know what this curious mind will want to explore next.

My foot has continued to heal and by the end of August I was feeling a thousand times better.  Real workouts started in the new home gym.

Because I'm still not able to walk long distances, I was able to get a red flag for my golf cart for many weeks and have Ben drive me straight up to my ball.  He loved getting to go offroad and only occasionally got a little excited and left marks on the grass!

I enjoyed working at Booster Hut and sometimes spying on my new high schooler in line from crepes. He did not love my attention..ha!

We had a weekend with a fun furry friend.  Obi has been living with other families in Jakarta while waiting for his quarantine spot be reunited with his real family in Singapore. He was a fun guest but was so excited to see his "real" foster family.

 

Alex's Wisdom Teeth Trip

We got the news toward the end of our Houston stay that Alex needed his wisdom teeth out pretty soon.  I did try to get him in to see someone in Houston but it was impossible with just over a week left in our stay.  Instead, we had to fly to Singapore a week after school started to get the job done.  

We had a busy day.  7:30am flight and Alex started fasting just before we took off. He was not thrilled with me documenting the trip and forbid any pictures after surgery.

We landed and took a taxi directly to Raffles hospital.  Not the usual place to keep your baggage while you wait for a surgical consult!

After meeting the doctor, we had just enough time to hustle two blocks to our hotel, check in and drop our bags, then get back to the hospital for covid tests and pre-op.  He was in the OR by 2pm! Singapore is so efficient.

Goodbye wisdom teeth! He didn't love his souvenirs.

I got him back to the hotel room that evening and let him sleep off the anesthesia. We spent the next several days resting up together while I made trips downstairs to Bugis Junction for food and necessities.  The hotel was so sweet to send him a little get well pudding after a few days and exactly when he was ready to eat something soft.

After 4 days of ensure shakes, pudding, ice cream, smoothies, and some Indomie, Alex was ready to eat something solid! He enjoyed every crumb of this cupcake.

We had to stay through Monday to get clearance from the doctor to fly back to Jakarta, so it left us a little time to have one fun afternoon together when he was feeling energetic enough.  Alex always wants to hit the top of the Marina Bay Sands and it made him so happy to get out and have a grilled cheese with a view.

As an added bonus, my friend Katrice had just moved to Singapore a few weeks prior and I was so happy to get to spend two afternoons with her!

It's a lovely look, but that boot was pretty helpful to walk a few blocks here and there.

 Now we're happy to be back in Jakarta and hopeful that no one needs anything medical for quite a while!

Back to Jakarta

Ah, the game of fit-everything-we-bought-all-summer-into-suitcases was a little more challenging this time around.  I wasn't walking much and had to take breaks so it took much longer than usual.

Thankfully, this was not my first rodeo and we got everything packed.  Even had extra room to buy more groceries and squeeze in the bag of books Ben almost forgot.

It was not the easiest trip for me.  The big ole boot did keep me protected and allowed me to walk but it wasn't comfortable and of course my foot swelled on the plane. I've never been more thankful for a big seat to keep my foot elevated the whole trip, though!

Goodbye, Texas! See you next time!

We arrived super late into Doha but we were escorted by golf cart straight to our next flight, which was patiently waiting for our arrival.  Even two of our 6 checked bags made it in 15 minutes! (and thankfully the rest arrived on the next flight)

Back to Jakarta and the long day of trying to stay awake! Ben was happy to see all the birds and spend time with them. I was happy for once that I didn't unpack everything on one day because I just couldn't walk that much.  It was nice having some bags show up the next day to force me to slow down.

We don't usually cut it so close, but just a few days later, these two both headed to high school and year 6 at JIS! Grades 9 and 11

The moms celebrated a real start to school IN PERSON for the first time since 2019!

I celebrated baby steps toward healing up!

 

Getting Fixed and Other Fun

Matt and I showed up bright and early on July 1st ready to get my big toe fused and hopefully fix the pain once and for all.  I was not looking forward to the surgery but ready to get it over with and thankful to have time to heal up in Houston before we had to fly back.

Methodist was a great place.  Even though there was a communication problem and my surgery wasn't until 1pm, I was pretty happy in my surgical gown connected to a warm air blower.  It was like a cozy blanket and I even got a little nap before the procedure.

Everyone came in and signed where they'd be working.  We all agreed to do the left foot!

All done! I ended up being the last one in the outpatient recovery area and we didn't leave until almost 7pm.  Matt was really a trooper that day hanging with me. After a quick lesson in crutches, I was sent on my way home. No weight bearing on that foot for the next 3 weeks.

With 7 new pins in my toe, I was pretty thankful to be sent home with a nerve block that really kept the pain at bay for the first 4 days.  It also meant I couldn't shower, probably the longest I've ever been without showering, but between the couch and the bed, I wasn't too active.  Matt had to fly back the day after surgery so the boys were in charge and took excellent care of me and the house.

We got plenty of visitors and welcomed meal deliveries as well! I was so thankful for all the love and help.

The following week we were excited to see Aunt Stacey and the boys again! They came to celebrate Alex's birthday and keep us compnay.

It was a pretty low-key birthday this year but we got the major points covered - love from everyone and a big ole cookie cake!

We had a very quiet visit...plenty of jackbox time and lots of TV while I rested on my recliner.

I did get to visit the doctor and get the big bandages off to get my first look at the new and improved foot.  The bruising was pretty ugly the first few weeks.

After Stacey and the kids left, Grandpa Kirkham helped me drop the kids off at engineering camp at Texas A&M.  It couldn't have come at a more perfect time.  They needed to get out of the house and have some fun and I was feeling more independent but happy to have plenty of time to rest up in a quiet house.

Eww. The swelling and stitches did not make for a comfortable combination!

The kids had a fun week and learned to love Aggieland (whoop!) and I was driving enough to pick them up on my own.  I even scooted around campus a little to enjoy a few things before we headed home.

It was fun getting to catch up with Jakarta friends past and present in the Woodlands! Andrea and Pam came for a few days and rented a house nearby. Even better - I was cleared to start walking in a boot!

These sweet boys kicked off my birthday celebration at the end of the month. On my actual birthday, I got the awesome gift of walking again!  I was cleared to walk without the boot but it was slow going for sure and took a while to get more than a few steps at a time. 

We made a super quick visit to Dallas for a little more cousin time and to meet their new kittens, Gizmo and Skittles. 

Such sweet little girls!

We squeezed in a quick lunch with the Armstrongs and suddenly July was over.  

 I had planned our summer pretty carefully to get all the important stuff out of the way up front and have plenty of time to recuperate afterward, but it still seemed like it went by too quickly and there so were many people we would have liked to see but just couldn't make it happen.  I was so thankful that the surgery and recovery went well.  Amazon and HEB curbside were lifesavers, as was my newly licensed driver Ben, who was more than happy to take me anywhere. But I'm also really happy that month is behind me!