|
Learn w/ Us Windows IM www.flickr.com
This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from ourfreedm1. Make your own badge here.
|
Family Diary …friends
& family doing life together, moment by moment, day by day, life by life! |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Index 12/15/2006: Surprise Ladies Night Out in 11/29/2006: Thanksgiving in 03/30/2006: An American Ball! 02/20/2006: Visiting Relatives! 02/04/2006: Hosting Pastor Das from 08/01/2006: Hiking Up 07/01/2006: Home Leave to the 04/06/2006: Spring Break in 03/30/2006: The
Princess’ Birthday Celebration! 02/20/2006: The Spoken Word, Black History Month! 02/04/2006: Chinese New Year at 12/31/2005: New Year’s Eve in 12/21/2005: Christmas in Sydney, Hillsong! 11/29/2005: Thanksgiving in 11/14/2005: Weekend Getaway to 10/31/2005: General Taipei Update! 10/15/2005: Vacation to 10/05/2005: Visiting Missionaries from 09/24/2005: Vacation in the South Pacific… 07/16/2005: Our First Ever… Super Typhoon! 06/28/2005: Unpacking in 04/24/2005: East
Coast Family Vacation! 03/18/2005: Excursion to 03/15/2005: It’s Announced! 03/01/2005: New Niece! 02/25/2005: Girl’s
B-Ball Team Wins Tourney! 02/17/2005: Family News! 01/16/2005: Archives 12/15/2006:
Surprise Ladies Night in We are 4 expatriate executive families from the That said, we just
surprised our wives for the second time this year. After a couple months of
planning, Friday morning began with us taking the day off work and giving
them each a letter of appreciation and announcing their first clue which was
a combined hair, nail, foot appointment at a local hair
salon. After their appointment was nearly done, the staff at the salon gave
them their 2nd clue which was to meet us for lunch at a local
restaurant. We laughed, talked, and enjoyed the afternoon while the children
were in school. After a couple hours, a limo arrived and we handed them clue
#3 with instructions not to open for 30 minutes.
When they opened the third clue/letter, it
announced that they were on the way to the airport for a weekend in Hong Kong
at one of the finest hotels in Asia, the Peninsula,
where Rolls Royce limos awaited them! Everything was pre-paid and in their
clue envelope was lots of cash to spend, as the husbands would take care of
everything else, including a fun weekend for the kids. We also arranged for
several friends to e-mails note & letters of appreciation &
encouragement to the hotel concierge. What a way to 11/29/2006:
Thanksgiving in With the kids out of school on holiday, we
extended the weekend to visit Singapore!
It is by far one of the most westernize cities of Asia we’ve been to,
extremely clean, and quite the mixture of people, shopping malls, more
shopping malls, and things to eat.
The hotel was nice enough that the kids never
seemed to want to leave, but we did to shop in the famous Orchard Road area which
was freshly decorated with elaborate Christmas decorations. We also did a day
tour of the area and saw the oldest missionary church in the area, St Gregory,
along with other sites including the Raffles Hotel, and Chijmes,
which stands for Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus,
once a convent school and orphanage, now a national heritage site. We also
saw the new movie Happy Feet in 11/06/2006:
An American Ball! It was for a good cause, a charity ball that was
a black-tie event at the Grand Hotel, a
local landmark, that we got all cleaned up and joined some friends from home
group for a night out on the town! It was also one of the few times I’ve worn
a bow tie!
The night began with a social time in the Grand
Ballroom foyer, followed by a 5 course dinner, visiting, and a bit of 1950’s
era American entertainment from stage. Below, to the left are Liz & I
with
11/06/2006:
Visiting Relatives! It was the first visit by family to
Below is one of several visits we spend in the
‘club’, and to the right is Skip examining one of the more size efficient
cars of
09/06/2006:
Hosting Pastor Das from I-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e!
You almost need a refresher in world geography to grasp where this place is!
08/06/2006:
A view of the world’s tallest building from the
hills of Elephant mountain! On a clear summer’s day we met up with 2 other
families to hike up the mountain. The weather was beautiful, and once we all
arrived at the top, we enjoyed some snacks, cold water and a bit of rest in
the shade. Elephant mountain is a very dense, semi-tropical trail and near
the top there is a clearing with a spectacular view of
You’ll notice how tall
Below is a picture of the entire group at a
clearing by the top with
04/06/2006:
Summer Home Leave to the After nearly 13 months since we left, it was time
to journey back to the
After a week to decompress a bit, we headed for
the mid-west to more family. Below we’re in Derrick’s front yard, the cousin
I grew up with, with all the family.
04/06/2006:
Spring Break in I-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e!
You almost need a refresher in world geography to grasp where this place is!
It’s sits on the 3rd largest island in the world, Borneo, and yes it’s the place
where they’re still discovering new
species of animals!
Imagine standing on a beach on an island that
straddles the equator with endless blue skies & ocean and sand so white
it looks like someone spilled talcum powder under your feet! Just behind you
is a combination equatorial rainforest, jungle &
In the midst of this natural beauty, we stayed at
a 5-star resort on the island, where the service and activities for the kids
was outstanding! From the complementary kids club where Kevin especially
enjoying all kinds of kids activities with the staff including face painting,
playing games and meeting friends, to poolside crafts where Jonathan,
Alexandra and Mom enjoyed learning Mahjong, making elaborate creations via
napkin folding, making baskets, fish, etc. from coconut palm leaves, enjoying
water volleyball, an outdoor massage, finding shells and catching crabs at
the beach, poolside lunch and evening sunsets. It was great reconnecting as a
family via
One of the highlights of the trip was connecting
with Pastor Thomas & Cindy, pastors of a local church in KK, that we enjoyed a time of fellowship at a dinner
buffet at the resort, and at church on Sunday morning. Even before we met, He
instilled a special love for them, their call and the work they do, and we plan
to stay in touch in the months & years to come! Check out more pictures
of Kota Kinabalu at Your
Photos… 03/30/2006:
The Princess’ Birthday Celebration! Imagine…a slumber party for 12 girls & 1
brother celebrating the birth of Alexandra! Yes, Mom reserved a manicurist to
do fun nail patterns for everyone, a teenage helper to coordinate the girls
making birthday & appreciation cards to Alex, and an Amah to clean
everything up! What a great night celebrating our daughter Alex, who is doing
wonderfully well in school as she continues to mature and live out her
namesake, ‘Defender of Mankind, Victory
of the People’. We are all so proud of Alexandra
as she has overcome the adjustments with the life & school transition to
really shine!
After all you can eat pizza, doritos, pretzels,
chips, cake & ice cream, getting
nails done, craft time making cards,… the girls settled down to watch the
movie Princes Diaries before chatting themselves to sleep. 02/22/2006:
The Spoken Word Musical! Liz & the kids practiced rehearsed and
prepared to take part of a writer’s workshop and subsequent self written play
at school in celebration of Black History month. The kids had a great time
practicing and performing, and enjoyed seeing their picture in the local
newspaper! 02/04/2006:
Chinese New Year at This year for Chinese New Year, we decided to
stay at home in 12/31/2005:
New Year’s Eve in Wow! This trip to Australia has been awesome!
On our arrival, we purchased a Sydney
Family Pass that provides full access to the Sydney Ferries, Harboursights Cruises, Light rail, Day Tour Buses &
Regular Bus Transportation. We used this to take the light rail from the
airport to the hotel we stayed at in Darling Harbour.
The weather
was great! Pretty amazing to step on the plane in a
On Christmas Day, after opening a few gifts, we
took the Bondi
Explorer, a hop on/hop off tour bus through many neighborhoods &
surrounding beach communities and spent the day at Bondi Beach (pronounced
Bond-Eye), a very popular place in the summer. The sand was white and warm,
and the south pacific waters were cold, but something the kids really enjoyed
on a hot summer day. After some time on the beach playing in the sand, we
stopped for our daily ice cream and continued the tour back through some of
the more wealthy neighborhoods of With
On New Year’s Day, it was the hottest day in 34
years, at 43C or 109F, one of the warmest days we can remember. We spent the
morning at Hillsong Church, where the
worship experience was awesome, and later enjoyed some ice cream to cool off
on the way back to the hotel after doing some shopping at Paddy Market. As this year draws to a close, we are reminded of
His Majesty written in Psalm 8, as we enjoy the scenes of 12/21/2005:
Christmas in Sydney, Hillsong! G’Day
mate & Merry Christmas from down under! Wow! This year we are celebrating
the birth of Christ during summertime in the Southern hemisphere on the
island continent of Australia!
Sydney is located in the
Australian state of
We will be staying in the Darling Harbour area,
and have a couple weeks to explore the surrounding area that offers much to
see and do, including a spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks
& lighting show in the Sydney
harbor!
While staying in the
Each year as the current year draws to a close,
and the dawn of a new year begins, we reflect back on all that that has
happened with an attitude of thanksgiving for the many blessings and answered
prayer we have experienced, and observe, examine and learn about ourselves as
we reconcile our actual thoughts & actions of the year gone by with our
passions & purpose of the year ahead, and identify what thoughts must
change or continue as we live on purpose in the coming year, aligned with the
legacy we want to leave behind. Check out our Grow w/ Us link
as we continue on this journey. A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 11/29/2005:
Thanksgiving in
The following 2 days we spent enjoying Hong
Kong Disney, which is the second month after the grand opening. It has a
look & feel of the original
Following Disney, we explored Hong Kong by Ferry, and then by double decker
bus to the Stanley
Plaza area which is on the southern part of the island along the
waterfront, where we shopped until we dropped in the many shops & vendor
market area. A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 11/14/2005:
Weekend Getaway to
At noon we gathered for hot lunch prepared for us
by the staff, where we sang camp songs before eating, with the loudest table
getting served first! After the major activities for the day, the kids were
off with fish nets to catch fresh water shrimp, crabs & minnows in the
nearby stream.
After dinner, and a marshmallow roast by the
campfire, each family prepared a brief skit to be preformed in front of the
group on a outdoor stone stage that encircles the
fire. Everyone was ready for a great nights sleep. The next day began by getting cleaned up, and the
camp has both indoor & outdoor showers, semi-permanent tents, and all the
amenities needed. After breakfast we began a hike to a giant swing and waterfall
area, where the kids jumped into the natural pool and everyone enjoyed the
refreshing temperatures. After lunch, Dad took a nap before departing back
for home. Everyone had a great time as our adventure led us thru this Oasis
in A Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just
to say hello! 10/31/2005:
General Taipei Update! A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 10/15/2005:
Vacation to
After arriving we explored the local area where
there are numerous street vendors. We caught a ferry across the river where
there is a huge outdoor market. Liz & Alex found several bargains
including watches & jewelry, and everyone enjoyed some ice cream to stay
cool while walking in the heat. We returned as the sun began to set, and the
glamour of the river lighting began to unfold with elegant landscape
lighting, elaborate boat lighting, etc. The next evening back at the hotel 20
floors above the river, we enjoyed a spectacular firework display. Nearly everyone spoke at least a little English,
so getting around town was relatively easy despite the traffic which always
seemed heavy. After visiting several small shops, jewelry stores, etc. we
arrive at MBK, one of A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 10/05/2005:
Visiting Missionaries from A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 09/24/2005:
Vacation in the South Pacific…
We stayed in a bungalow
at the top of a hill with beautiful vistas of the island, ocean and
surrounding rainforest jungle. Surrounding the unit were numerous banana,
lemon and papaya trees, pineapple plants, and swaying palms. The kids also
enjoyed a resident cockatiel
that spoke with them as they passed by. Dad especially enjoyed how this
turned into a learning field trip adventure as the kids saw, smelled, heard,
touched and tasted of God’s artistry & creativity, making memories
together seeing the world. Check out the slideshow in our Palau
is one of the least populated nations in the U.N. with about 22 thousand
people spread across nearly 200 islands, and is largely undeveloped with
people who are very friendly and have a great love of the environment. During
our land tour, our guide took us thru her village home that sits on the coast
with white sands, coral reefs and a variety of homes, nearly all that had an
outdoor kitchen area for gatherings. In the city there is a local high school
where the children wear uniforms, a community college and a couple hospitals.
A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 07/16/2005:
Our First Ever… Super Typhoon!
Yesterday was a beautiful, crystal clear day with
not a cloud in the sky, which is one of the precursors to a Typhoon. Today
also has been clear, but in the late evening the clouds began to move in with
a sprinkle of rain as the megastorm
called Hai-Tang is on it’s
way!
A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 06/28/2005:
Unpacking In All the planning, preparation, scheduling,
coordinating, faxing and phone calls paid off, as on arrival all the
logistics worked seamlessly. A mini bus transported us and 12 pieces of
enormous, nearly overstuff luggage from the airport to the house where we
dropped it off in the garage before heading over to the hotel.
It was nearly midnight of the following day, June 1st, and
everyone was ready for a great nights sleep! The following day our new car, a Savrin,
was delivered right at lunch time and we began our first self directed
journey across town to our new home. The house was finally ready as the owner
completed the final touches which exceeded our expectations in many ways. The
patio has a beautiful view that overlooks the city, and the sunsets are
gorgeous and the city lights at night resemble Despite heavy rains on Friday, all of the
furniture was delivered by crane from the furniture company, all the
utilities including mineral water, ADSL were up and operational, and our
boxes were delivered later the same day. We spent the next few days unpacking
the critical items & basic necessities, so that by Monday, we had moved
out of the hotel and into our new home just 5 days after arriving! Since then we’ve been finishing the unpacking,
organizing, and going back & forth to the local stores for the home
essentials to get things running smoothly, and exploring new places to eat
and shop!
A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 04/24/2005:
East Coast Family Vacation!
We stayed overnight at a hotel on Park Avenue next
to the Chrysler
building before returning to DC, and later traveled to Baltimore’s InterHarbor to visit with Uncle Skipper. On the return
flight home, we stopped over in A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 03/18/2005:
Excursion to A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 03/15/2005:
It’s Announced! A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 03/01/2005:
New Niece! Judy & Steve are celebrating the birth of
their 4th daughter and our sixth niece, Maleah!. Born a healthy 10lbs 2ozs, both mom and baby are
resting comfortably and doing fine. A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 02/25/2005:
Girls B-Ball Team Wins Tourney!
A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! 01/16/2005:
AIRPORT CLUB First we arrive 2 hr early to airport…which turns
out to be a good thing because the company is flying us “Business Class”
which qualifies us to use the Admirals Club.
Inside the club the atmosphere is comfortable & quiet and full of
things to serve us. Both sweet & salty snacks,
fresh juices, alcohol (we skipped), coffee, tea, cocoa, bottled water and
some of the other airport clubs had appetizers, soups and bakery items. They have showers, very comfortable chairs
and good lighting, TV, newspapers and magazine rack, outlets for computers
and wireless service and individual desks. The Japanese one is my favorite
because it was even more quiet and peaceful and so
beautiful like a museum or library with lots of fresh flowers, large artwork
(beyond ordinary paintings and figurines). BUSINESS CLASS FLIGHT Of course, they board us (30) in a special line ahead of the
masses (~ 400 folks). But what was
more special to me was our seating space was so large !!!!
There was enough space (in front and overhead) to stand up and freely
stretch/exercise during this long 11 hour flight. I still can hardly believe
it. The carry on luggage compartment
was bigger than 2 of the coach sized ones(and it was
just for me), everyone had their own. I felt like an ambassador or someone of high
importance. I was so excited, I am sure the regular business people
probably thought I looked like a kid, with all the comments I made as I
discovered something new, calling my sisters Anne & Judy and taking
pictures and trying out all the equipment!
All this was enough for me to have an awesome time. But there was more. Each seat had their own
TV & remote. I could choose from
5+ very nice music stations, video games, 25 new release movies, 40 TV shows
from all over (US,EUR, Yet there is more, as soon as you looked settled
in your seat (as we wait for the masses to board the back of the plane
through a separate tunnel from ours) they served us drinks, as much as we wanted,
in cute glass goblets…soda pop, water, tea, coffee, cocoa, alcohol, and fresh
juices (not out of a can), I had OJ and Kiwi Juice, they were delicious. At this point I was full and satisfied. So I thought. Then the plane took off. And before I pulled out my book to read
they hand me a lovely, high class restaurant style, menu with 4 choices of entres to choose from…Kevin got Filet Migon,
I got the Seafood. With that they
served 5 other courses (salad, cooked vegetables, hot rolls, dessert, hot drinks). All of this served on a nicely decorated tray
and every thing miniaturized to fit your personal table (tray). This included a table clothe over your tray
table I pulled out of the arm rest, salt/pepper, butter, toothpick, floss, 2
sets of metal silverware wrapped in a clothe napkin, and a drink. Oh I forgot to tell you after we ordered
the meal, they served us WARMED mixed nuts (no
peanuts) and more drinks of our choice unlimited. A
Click here to ask a question, share a comment with us, chat or just to say hello! Family
Favorites
|
Quotes The World is a book,
and those who do not travel read only a page - I soon realized that no journey
carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an
equal distance into the world within - Lillian
Smith Travel is fatal to
prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness, and many of our peope
need it sorely on these accounts - Mark Twain You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis To
travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries. - Aldous
Huxley Travel and change of place impart
new vigor to the mind. - Seneca We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and
untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey - John Hope
Franklin Experience, travel -
these are a education in themselves - Euripides Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -- I took the one less traveled by, and that
has made all the difference - Robert
Frost To myself I am only a child playing on the beach, while vast oceans of truth
lie undiscovered before me. - Isaac Newton |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
