June Fun

While Matt was still with us, we squeezed in an Astros game with Grandma and Aunt Amanda.

We love our Astros! Even though Springer, Altuve, and Correa were injured we still enjoyed the game.

Such a beautiful sight! All things American still make me a little emotional and the National Anthem guarantees tears. 

Every time we go on a Friday night, the game always ties and we don't know if we'll hang around for the Friday night fireworks.  This time we were lucky and Gurriel scored in the 11th to wrap up the game.

We reluctantly said goodbye to Matt for the next 6 weeks because he had to get back to work in Jakarta.  The kids and I spent the rest of June catching up with loved ones and having some fun, like their golf camp at Augusta Pines.

We stopped by our old street to hug old friends and hang out a little bit.

We made many more trips to Chick-fila and I was thrilled to see their delicious new salads.

We enjoyed a LOT of cookie cakes.  Maybe 6? By the end of the summer, I was almost ready to stage an intervention wtih the kids.

We spent some time with our old friends and in lieu of birthday parties, the boys just had a friends party with everyone all together.

It was lots of fun for me, too! I miss my old neighbors!

Ben was thrilled to have the chance to drive again and won one of the two races.

It was a great afternoon with our old friends.

We were extra happy to spend an afternoon with the Hesters at Main Event.  I was so thankful that our paths met up for a few hours.

We had a fun time at the Museum of Natural Science with Jakarta friends, Lesley and Pam.  I think the grownups had more fun than the kids!

Our wild ones together.

Alex was dying to try the kids obstacle warrior course and killed the spider wall.

The boys patiently waited for haircuts at the barbershop in Conroe.  It's the oldest one in Texas and the only place they want to go, even if it means an hour wait.

More teeth were lost and Alex was happy to find out no braces this year!

The kids had a ton of fun with Grandma and Grandpa while I spent several days in Dallas, first with Jakarta girlfriends and then with Stacey.  It was a pretty wonderful month!

Alabama

Matt only had 10 days to spend in the states and he couldn't wait to get to Alabama.  It was a much easier trip - only backpacks and a 2-hour flight! Then it was all country roads and fresh air.  My morning coffee runs looked a little different.

Ben was quickly reunited with his favorite truck in the world.

Still holds 4 people! Sort of.

We spent plenty of time on the 4-wheelers to check out the timber.  I have retired from driving because I now have a designated driver.

Alex found a cute little buddy out in the woods.

Ahh, it was so nice to relax and breathe in the wide open spaces.  Everything is so completely opposite of Jakarta!

I even mowed my first field on the tractor.  Can't do that in Jakarta.

Lots of outdoor fun together and Ben was sad when it was time to head back to Houston because he wouldn't get to drive any more for the summer. But restaurants and shopping were calling! It was hard being back in the States and not getting to enjoy all the goodness that the cities have to offer.

Goodbyes and Hellos

The end of the school year is so bittersweet here.  The excitement of going home is tempered by the fact that all these lovely people are scattering for the summer and some of them won't be back. Our final Tuesday tennis was full of laughs and some tears and some pretty awesome mugs from Sherri.

The last day of school! Even though it was just a half day, we still pulled the kids out early to make our flight.

It's tough to pack up the house for two months! We carry very little to the states but there is a lot to think about when you know you won't be back for 8 weeks.

In the midst of my last-minute packing, I got a message for an impromptu coffee and there was no way I was going to miss one more hug from Kat and Sherri! It made my heart so happy to spend one more hour together.  Sadly, Andrea was already at the airport and missed out.

I had to swing by the school to pick up the kids and I loved that Alex got escorted to the office by his best buddies Alex and Landon so they could say goodbye.

We said our goodbyes to our lovely staff as well - Fitri, Tina, Hendrik, and Sandri.  We missed Asep by a few hours...one day I'll get a picture with everyone.

Alex "helped" with all the suitcases...that were completely empty! We were preparing to bring back lots of delicious and useful treats from Texas.

One last nasi goreng at the airport...

...and a last photo op with the ondel ondel.

Our first trip on Eva looked a little scary on paper because we just had one hour to connect in Taipei, but it was worth it to get the economy plus seats on the 15 hour flight to Houston.

Mid-flight selfies! Turns out we left Jakarta over an hour late so we were getting nervous about our connection.  On approach I was going to ask a flight attendant for advice, when they came to us and reseated the entire family next to the boarding door with our bags.  They were so prepared - along with one other man flying to Houston, we were escorted off the plane, straight onto a cart, fast passed through security, and directly onto the next flight which was patiently awaiting our arrival.  We spent a total of 15 minutes on the ground there and every single one of our bags made the connection! Eva Air was incredible...it was our shortest trip ever.

We arrived about 2am, got a little sleep, and then made the most important Chick-fila run of the summer.

After a whirlwind day in Houston with appointments and meetings, getting cell phones connected, visiting Grammy and Grumpy, and a little more sleep, we were back at the airport the next day to fly to Alabama.  Important breakfast #2 was checked off the list as well!

Grade 5 Moving On Ceremony

Alex spent his last day of 5th grade celebrating a successful year and the end of an era.  Let's hope he's ready for middle school and that the school taught him better spelling than this:

We went to school together for the Moving On Ceremony and this guy was looking sharp!

He was so thrilled because he was going to be one of the 5 emcees for the event and he was in his element. He initially auditioned to give the speech on behalf of the students but lost out to another boy...this was actually a much better fit for the kid who loves a microphone because he got much more stage time.

The emcees had practiced the 90-minute program many times and did a terrific job.

The kids were called up one at a time to receive their 5th grade diplomas.

Alex between his buddies Andreas and Alex A.

The entire class

The entire class together, ready to move on to bigger and better things!

Afterward, we enjoyed some of the photo ops together and Alex soaked in all the attention of people complimenting his performance.  He is a natural on stage for sure.

We love the bajaj!

Alex and his wonderful teacher, Mr. Murnane.  They had a really terrific year together.

So long, elementary school!  This family is all done and looking forward to two boys in middle school next year.