Christmas Week 2011

What a full week!

December 21st
We had our church congregation's annual Christmas party. It was wild, with gifts and lunch for 800+ people, mostly including people we know from the five mini-congregations we have in various parts of the city.

December 22nd
Ella made Christmas cookies with Tessi at Hanna's house. I didn't get any shots of the cookie decorating but I did get this shot of Ella in Tessi's old puppy dog costume. Ella loved it so much she wouldn't take it off. Never mind the sweaty head. As for the cookie making with a 2 and 3 year old? Easier said than done. Hanna and I were determined though and completed the project, but not without a few chaotic moments.

That same day Hanna and I took the girls to a play area at the mall. On our way back we found ourselves in traffic with a cowboy! This Pinoy cowboy was for real. The horse was huge and his rider had him galloping when traffic sped up and trotting when traffic slowed, right along with the rest of the cars. We rolled down the windows and hollered. The girls loved it.

In the evening we hosted some expats for wine, cheese and Christmas cookies.

December 23rd.

We went to our church team's Christmas party. It was a blast. I love how every Christmas party in the Philippines has to include games and presentations. I have yet to go to a boring Christmas party here. Here are some of the guys doing a hip hop dance and having a ton of fun.

 

Since Andrey had the day off, Hanna offered to take Ella for a few hours so Andrey and I could have a date. It was our FIRST DATE since we got Ella nearly 15 months ago. We went to a fancy hotel nearby to a rooftop bar and had a few drinks during dusk. It was SO VERY NICE. Oh my gosh, we really miss being out together. I can't believe our 10th anniversary is coming up next summer. We've decided to celebrate it all year. After all, we are in our 10th year as husband and wife and this is our 10th Christmas together. This feels very significant to us. It's been fun reminiscing what we were doing 10 years ago. In December 2001, Andrey traveled to Florida to meet my family for the first time. We were engaged a month later.

Christmas Eve

We had a party at our house late in the evening and lasted through the fireworks at midnight. Ella and Tessi exchanged gifts and they each got a new book.

So thankful for great friends!















We thought we'd let the girls stay up late but by 9:30 Ella was asking for bedtime. I put her to bed and then the fireworks woke her up again at midnight so she got up for a while. After the party I cleaned up and Andrey put Ella to sleep. Again! This time with me in the house. Unheard of.

Christmas Day

We slept in and then had a yummy breakfast of pancakes and bacon.

 

We didn't have time to open gifts...

...because we went for a very fun, celebratory Christmas morning worship service. There were testimonies of the Lord's provision and blessings. Everyone was dancing by the end. Despite how tired we were, it was so much fun.

We went back home for lunch, put Ella down for a nap then Andrey and I ate lunch in bed in the air conditioned comfort of our bedroom and watched a few episodes of Flight of the Concords on my laptop. Then had a nap. So relaxing.

Once Ella was up it was time to open presents. We announced, "Okay Ella, it's time to open our gifts!" and we meant, okay, let's get things ready so we can open our gifts but she didn't quite get that and went directly to the tree, grabbed a present and ripped it open before we could realize what was going on.

Thanks Mimi and Pap for the Leapfrop laptop!

Ella got several books and some fabric ice cream cones for her kitchen.

It didn't take long for Ella to get the hang of her new big girl bike. The same bike that was supposed to be a surprise but on Christmas Eve mommy dropped the ball. I let her out of my sight for a few seconds while daddy was fixing it in the back. I ran after her but it was too late. Oh well. She was happy to finally get to ride it on Christmas day.

I gathered up the energy to make an apple pie (a must for Christmas day in my family) for our simple, family Christmas dinner of leftovers.

December 26th

We skyped with both sets of parents while it was still Christmas day for them.

I love this group shot with my mom and dad. It's almost like they were here... but not quite.

We stayed home all day (Andrey is taking the whole week off, yay!!). Our good friend Charlotte joined us for dinner and happened to be around during our family pre-bed book reading time with Ella and got these shots for us.

We're off to the beach for two nights tomorrow with some friends. We are so thankful for the community we have here in the Philippines.

Hope you all are having a restful post-Christmas week!

Turkey in the 'ber' months

Before I get started... I cut her hair today. Isn't it cute?

And would you just look at this cheesy smile? 

 

This was after she asked me if she could take pictures with my "mamrya." I told her yes, but only after I get a few shots of her new hair cut. And on a side side note, she called our mini trampoline the jumpaline today. Clever, no?

I bought a 19 pound turkey yesterday and I'm excited to cook it up on Saturday to celebrate American Thanksgiving. Celebrating on Thursday after Andrey works in the office all day makes it feel a lot less like Thanksgiving so we've done it on a Saturday since we've been living in Asia. I LOVE Thanksgiving and I love cooking for it every year, usually. Last year was the last time I can remember when I had no desire to cook for and host a big meal but that's because my daughter and I were still one organism at that point and I could barely use the toilet much less cook anything. About a month ago I realized that I am really in the mood to do it up again this year. It's a new day though because I'm not about to try and do everything myself like I've done in the past nor do I feel the need to do (control) everything only to stress myself out and end up exhausted by the end. Thankfully several friends have offered to help and I have happily taken them up on it.

Having a child has certainly changed things. I better know my limitations and frankly since becoming a mom I've had to work on my control issues. I recall some of the best parenting advice I read about parenting toddlers, "Don't let your toddler control you and don't try to control your toddler." I think I read it in an Ellyn Satter book. I have learned to chill out about a lot of things that used to stress me out. I still have a long way to go but I'm thankful for what I've learned and how I've grown since becoming a mom just over a year ago.

Do you find that you are way more into the holidays as you get older or does it come with having kids? I'm not sure what it is but I'm so excited about Christmas this year! We just put up our Christmas decorations a few nights ago. What? You might be saying. Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving? Let me explain. 

Christmas is HUGE in the Philippines. Like massive. Seriously such a huge deal. 

1) It's a Catholic country so Christmas and Holy Week (the week leading up to Easter) are understandably big here. 

2) Filipinos are a passionate people. This is demonstrated in how they celebrate Christmas. And for how long. Why wait until December? In this country, Christmas begins in September. Yes, September. Why, you may ask? Because Christmas starts in the 'ber' months. September. October. November, etc... You know, Berrrrr!, like what you say when you're cold. Does it get cold here? No. I have no explanation beyond that. 

3) Christmas Eve night at midnight sounds like a war zone. There are more fireworks going on (and going on and going on for hours after) than I have ever heard. Most Filipinos celebrate Noche Buena and have a huge Christmas meal at midnight the night before Christmas and then light up the neighborhood with unregulated fireworks. Hospital emergency rooms are crazy busy. And then everyone sleeps in really late on Christmas morning. 

I could go on about what makes Christmas so huge around here but suffice it to say that putting up decorations in mid-November is already very late.

Come to think of it, my enjoyment of the Christmas season has grown over the past few years. I think when I lived in the US it just stressed me out. And my years in retail and restaurants just about did me in with Christmas music. I couldn't stand most Christmas music (especially the commercial stuff) for the first few years of my marriage to Andrey. Now, even he remarks at how different I am because I just made a new Christmas playlist and it isn't even December yet. I have come to this conclusion. Christmas is really fun in the Philippines! Living here has revived my love for it. I am thankful for this because it is such a special holiday if you can just slow down enough to enjoy it (something I admit is much easier to do in a developing country), ponder it, savor it, celebrate it for what it is at it's core. A time to prepare for and celebrate the coming of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. A time to bake stuff with cinnamon and nutmeg and apples and oh there are so many things on my list I want to bake! 

So for me, Thanksgiving is the kick off to a wonderful holiday season in a place I am very thankful to live - with my daughter in her country of birth, my extremely kind and patient husband and a very special community of friends. I think Ella agrees.

Happy Thanksgiving (belated to the Canadians) and Merry Christmas everybody! 

A New Approach to Blogging and Likely Much More than you Bargained For!

I have recently been inspired by fellow bloggers to post more. I have a few friends who are so good at blogging. They blog almost every day and they include a lot of day to day stuff, which I really enjoy reading. I realize I could do more of this and not limit my blogging to what I consider to be the most significant things. I can include the details of the week or day - even if it doesn't seem that interesting to me. After all, people can choose read it or skim it or skip it! (although every blogger hopes her posts are read and commented on!). The fact is, when I sit down to write I realize there is some noteworthy stuff going on and I'd like to remember more of it. Time goes by fast and when asked I can't always say what I did in a week but I know I was busy. So I'm gonna try to take better note of what goes on in a week - even if it's just for me. Take or leave it friends. Here are a few things from this past week.

Midwife?
I started referring to myself as a midwife this week. On Monday I received this (long awaited) email from the National College of Midwifery:

You have completed all your clinical and academic requirements for your NCM program. We have issued your Certificate in Midwifery. I have reviewed your file for eligibility to take the NARM exam. You are eligible and we will be happy to grant permission to take the exam.When you send us verification that you have passed the NARM Exam we will issue your Associate of Science in Midwifery Degree.

I shared this with Hilary before our weekly clinic meeting and she immediately said, "You're a midwife now!" It hadn't occurred to me. She then announced to the staff, "Hey everybody! Jen's a midwife!" Everyone cheered and congratulated me and it felt really good. On my student record I noticed a little something - "Graduation date: October 19, 2009." So sure, I'm not licensed yet but I have apparently graduated and am going to start calling myself a midwife.

On a side note. One thing I find funny is when patients at Glory Reborn call me or another staff member "Doc." It happened this past week while I was stitching up a patient. I used to say 'No, no, I'm not a doctor. I'm a just student midwife.' And then I realized there is no reason to say 'just a student midwife' because I do value my profession - student or not - so it's value shouldn't be minimized. So then I started saying, 'I'm a student midwife.' Now I say 'No, no, I'm not a doctor. I'm a midwife' (smiling on the inside). I still can't believe it. I wonder when I'll start feeling like I'm a real midwife. I don't feel it yet but I think it will come.

I started prepping the application for my licensing exam. I plan to take it February 17 in Eugene, Oregon. Now that I got the "go ahead" from NCM, I can now apply and get registered to take the exam. That also means I have to start studying. I plan to officially start once November arrives - so I have a week left of post-midwifery-program, pre-NARM exam, time to do what I want. FYI: NARM stands for North American Registry of Midwives. They grant the Certified Professional Midwife credential.

Still a Nutritionist
The past few weeks have been fun as I've taken on a few nutrition projects. I realize once again how much I enjoy nutrition work. It's nice to remember the work I have put into become a nutritionist (not so nice to remember that student loan every month though!) and that I can help inspire people to take better care of themselves. It occurred to me recently that I should take the opportunity to do more with nutrition now that I'm finished with my midwifery degree. Several opportunities have come up at the right time.

Hilary wanted some brochures made for the clinic so I made a 'Nutrition in Pregnancy' brochure specifically geared toward our clients. I put a lot of emphasis on the importance of nutrition during pregnany and less on the specific dos and don'ts (although it did include basic nurition principles and the components of complete meals). Our women need to understand why it's imporant before they will put effort into improving their diet during pregnancy. I find many have yet to see the value in it.

As I made the brochure I was further convinced of how important it is! The main points of the brochure are 1. Nutrition may save your life (2 of the top 3 causes of maternal death in the Philippines are nutrition-related!) and your baby's life (low birth weight babies have higher risk of death and poor growth and development and a whole host of other negative things) and 2. Nutrition saves money in the long run by preventing expensive complications and need for hospital delivery. I felt good about it and hope it inspires and compels women to do what they can to improve their diets during pregnancy. It's going to be translated into the local language. I also made a newborn care brochure and I would like to make a breastfeeding one as well. These are all topics that are covered in our health teachings during prenatal check ups but what is taught is not firmly established and really just depends on which nurse or midwife does the teaching. Also, it is good to have something in writing that our women can take with them.

I'm also creating a meal plan for my neighbor who is battling cancer and needs help gaining weight. It's a really tough situation for our her and her family so it feels good to be able to help in a practical way.

Other projects in the works include creating a meal plan for an American guy we know who is in a boxing training program and is training for a fight in December. He needs to gain weight, which is not easy since he exercises intensely 6 days a week, and wants to do it without having to rely on fast food all the time (good on him).

Also, recently I was asked by our church leaders to teach a nutrition class to the families in our community. Most of the children (and many parents) are quite underweight and I see a lot of packaged junk food going around all the time. I love teaching and I have tons of fun ideas for the class, which will probably take place sometime next month.

What fun to have two careers that I absolutely enjoy. I was quite happy and content to work in nutrition - especially if it included working with moms and babies and getting to do some doula and breastfeeding education work. Midwifery is the icing on the cake. How did this happen? I feel so blessed to not be limited to only doing jobs that pay. What freedom to be able take on whatever I have the desire and time for. It's really a joy to be doing such practical, useful work. Years ago I could have never guessed I'd be living in Asia doing what I do. The longer I am in Asia, the more thankful I am for this opportunity to live overseas and learn so many new things.

Our Weekend So Far
Yesterday (Saturday) Andrey and I (along with many other IJM staff members) took part in an anti-human-trafficking awareness walk and concert put on by MTV EXIT (End exploitation and human trafficking). Three very popular Filipino bands played and they were so good! It's great that MTV is taking a stand against trafficking and using their popularity among young people to do something about it. I wish I could post a few photos but I forgot our camera.

I also wish I could share in some detail about Andrey's work on this blog but I can't. What I can say though is that in the past two weeks, there has been some exciting work that has gone on that has resulted in arrests and rescue. We are thankful for the success that has occurred on behalf of the oppressed and pray for the work of healing and transformation for those involved.

It's Sunday morning and Andrey left for church a little while ago. I'm so tired this morning. I pulled an all-nighter Friday night at the clinic, then yesterday was busy all day and this morning I'm just not feeling so great so I decided to stay back. I'm gonna have some quiet time and do some journaling and reading and resting. So nice.

The Coming Week
Andrey will be in Manila all next week. He leaves early Monday morning. I've decided I'm going to eat vegetarian all week. I've pulled out some old Bastyr University recipes from my whole foods cooking classes. Some very Fall recipes as that was the season I took the class but hey - it's Fall in many places in the world right now. This week's menu will hopefully include:

• Curried lentils with cauliflower and sweet potatoes with spicy raita (yogurt sauce) and brown rice
• Rosemary red soup (beets, carrots, red lentils), green salad and whole wheat buns
• Mexican bean/corn casserole
• Sweet squash corn muffins
• Honey-glazed tofu

Well, at least the first two meals are sure to be made as I've already bought the ingredients for them. If any of these sound good to you and you want the recipe let me know and I'll send it to you. They are generally pretty easy and very perfect for Fall weather. I'm not going to let the lack of Fall weather stop me from enjoying these foods. I'm working Tuesday and Thursday night shifts this week so we'll see if I have the energy to cook later on but at least I'll get the week started out right and then have leftovers all to myself.

I've really been enjoying meal planning and lately I've been challenging myself to plan meals utilizing stuff I already have in stock instead of always buying more. This month, I have successfully began clearing out our pantry and refrigerator/freezer. Meal planning results in healthier meals and less waste. I buy the produce I plan to use, not hope to use. I only have to shop every 3 to 4 days - sometimes I'll make the meal plan for a whole week with two different shopping lists of what to buy now and what produce I will need to pick up mid-week. I love cooking and the satisfaction it brings knowing I am eating well and using less.

I have uncharacteristically started planning already for Thanksgiving and Christmas. What's wrong with me? I'm slowly conforming to Filipino culture as I plan to put up Christmas decorations BEFORE Thanksgiving this year. Gasp! Our family never did this but Christmas in the Philippines started almost two months ago so the idea of mid-November Christmas decorating is growing on me. I'm so excited about Thanksgiving this year (after all, it IS my FAVORITE holiday of all!). I can't wait to roast a large bird after it sits in brine for about a day. I have learned (from my skilled mother with little credit to Martha Stewart), that this produces the most juicy and flavorful turkey of all. I have been tweaking my recipe the past few years to include some dark beer and brown sugar. Oh Lordy it is good. Maybe in a few weeks I'll post a few of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. The others that I must make and just can not delegate to others is apple pie (adapted from my Mom's famous recipe!) and a new addition whole wheat butterhorns (thanks Lonna and Mennonite bakers from Intercourse, Pennsylvania - yes that is a real town and yes, that is it's real name. Isn't that awesome?).

Well now that I've gotten started I'm just rambling now so I'll stop here for fear that no one will read or comment on this extremely long post. Hope you all are having a great weekend!

The 'Ber Months in the Philippines

With the arrival of Septem'ber' and Octo'ber' so begin the 'Ber' months (some go so far as to say the "Burrr months," I figure someone's saying "burrr" somewhere in the world as I sit here in a tank top and shorts). In the Philippines, this means Christmas season has ensued. Since I haven't been to the mall lately I could have easily forgotten this if it weren't for the Christmas music coming from the house next door in the variety of the Chipmunks' rendition of the 12 days of Christmas. Oh my.

For some, having four long months of Christmas commercialism is a joy. I know a few Americans here that love it. For others, who have a low tolerance for even a month's-worth of Christmas music, the 'ber' months are just an annoyance. I'm trying to have a good attitude. (Okay, I realize I'm not or else I wouldn't be posting this.) Classic Christmas music is one thing - Nat King Cole and contemporaries heard in the month of December - but the Chipmunks? On October 1st? You've got to be kidding. There are just a few too many annoying things about America that have made it to Filipino culture for my liking.

Anniversary #7

Seven years. It feels significant. Every year is I suppose, so we do our best to celebrate well.

Andrey returned from Seattle late in the evening on Saturday after being there most of the week for work-related meetings. Sunday morning I made us a pancake breakfast and we enjoyed some delicious Stumptown coffee that Andrey brought back from Seattle. Before breakfast I prayed to bless the meal and began to thank God for giving us each other and the fulfilling relationship we enjoy. I asked for many more years together and for guidance for the future. I got a little emotional as I prayed, thinking about how good God is to have given me Andrey. What a gift! Even better than what I asked for.

God really is the best gift-giver. Since he created us he is the one who really knows us - way better than we know ourselves. Because this is true, it makes sense that the gifts he gives are much more appropriately suited and specially designed for us, who we are - who we truly are. We, not knowing ourselves the way our Creator knows us, many times lack the creativity, wisdom, and understanding to determine what it is that would really fulfill us. For this reason, in my experience, it is a much better deal to trust the Creator for his plans and his gifts, in his timing. This wouldn't work if the Creator wasn't loving and good or lacked power but since the Creator is good and loving and powerful, then it becomes exciting and entirely more fulfilling to let him take care of the details.

I realized this when I wanted so badly to be married years before Andrey and I started dating. I let go of how I wanted it to happen and with whom and waited for my Creator to set me up. I even had a list of what I wanted in a husband. But when God gave Andrey to me and after we got married, I began to realize how wonderfully perfect this guy was for me - in ways I didn't even consider before! God gave me everything on my list (except for the ability to dance well, which I had decided I didn't really care about) and much, much more.

This is what David was singing about when he said, Oh taste and see that the Lord is good! I have tasted and I have seen and I know the Lord is good. With this certainty I can relinquish and trust this good God to bring about our family the way that is best and in the right timing. I can lay down my ideas of where I want to live and what kind of work I want to do.

I am just amazed at God's gifts. It is said that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights. Yesterday in church, there was a prophetic word spoken that went something like this: Through my death, you have been set free. Because I have taken care of all of your needs, you are free to receive and enjoy my gifts and free to give generously to others.

So we celebrated yesterday. We enjoyed the gifts we have been given. After church we went out for lunch at a nice Greek restaurant and had a delicious meal. Then we went home and relaxed for a few hours and in the evening I made us a simple dinner. Our appetizer was toasted whole grain bread with Danish cream and gruyere cheeses and ginger lime thyme jam from Nova Scotia. Our dinner was grilled steak and zucchini and red wine. It was great to have a whole day to spend with Andrey, just the two of us. We discussed how more than other years, this anniversary really is the most likely so far to be our last without kids. That perspective helps us enjoy and appreciate our time together even more.

I am so thankful for my husband, my best friend, who continues to make me laugh and love me well. I am excited for what the future holds.

(Thanks to Andrey's Mom for providing the attached photo)

Valentine's Day Dinner

We decided to stay home this year. With so many guests around the past 1-2 months we've done quite a lot of eating out. Dinner at home sounded great. It's also a great opportunity to make foods we don't normally make - either due to cost or health or convenience.

This Valentine's dinner accomplished just that. It was slightly expensive (although still much less than we'd pay if we went out) and wasn't low-fat by any stretch of the imagination and definitely was not what you call local. In fact, I'd call it the anti-100-mile meal as nearly everything was made from imported, energy-inefficient ingredients.

Such as beef, for example. Corn-fed American beef. That was the first item on our menu: grilled rib-eye steaks. Oh yes, they were delicious! I have this stove-top cast iron grill. It's the best invention! I just put it atop the gas flame on the stove and let it sizzle our meat to perfection. I highly recommend one of these if you have a gas stove top. There are non-stick versions out there that are too expensive in my opinion. Plus with non-stick you don't get as good grill marks. I was stoked when I found my cast iron one for less than $10!

My mother taught us how to make the perfect steak. The key is to let it come to room temperature before you cook it. And while it's sitting out on the counter becoming room temperature (which happens in just a few minutes in this weather), you rub it down with course salt. Just before cooking the steaks, pat them dry with a paper towel. This, with the salt, draws some of the moisture out (especially important in previously frozen steak). This prevents the moisture left in the steak from cooking the inside too fast. The whole thing cooks more evenly and you get nice charring on the outside. And always let your steak rest for 10 minutes after it cooks and before you cut into it. Otherwise, the juice will run right out of it and it will be dry. I'm telling you, it really results in a tastier steak.

The second item on our menu was wild mushroom risotto with peas and freshly grated romano cheese. Hello! In Asia, we pretty much live without mushrooms. Good, regular button mushrooms. You can't get them here because they aren't grown here. We miss them. Sure, we can get shiitake mushrooms but those don't go very nicely in Italian dishes. So we pretty much live without fresh mushrooms (sigh). So, for Valentine's day we splurged on some very expensive, imported button and portabello mushrooms. I've never made risotto before. It was delightful! So full of yummy mushroom flavor.

The third element to our meal was arugula salad with roasted bell peppers and shaved romano cheese with a simple olive oil/lemon juice/balsamic dressing. It was the first time I ever roasted bell peppers. Just cover a cookie sheet with foil and place the whole peppers under the broiler, turning often (about 20 minutes) until the skin is bubbling and burnt. Place in zip-top baggy until they are at room temperature. Remove the skin and seeds. Slice and serve. Or add a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and let marinate for at least 5 hours. I didn't do this as I roasted the peppers while I was prepping the rest of the meal but they were still super tasty. I think I'll roast peppers more often. We both loved this simple salad.

So that was our entree: grilled steak, wild mushroom risotto, and arugula and roasted peppers salad. (All three of those recipes came from Giada DeLourentiis' book called "Everyday Italian," which I got for Christmas.) We enjoyed the salad with a glass of champagne, then opened a bottle of red wine to accompany the steak and risotto.

As for dessert. I really did something I wouldn't normally do. That's the fun of it. I made molten chocolate cakes with raspberry coulis and fresh whipped cream. Remember when I said this meal wasn't at all local? The chocolate was Hershey's semi-sweet from the US, the frozen raspberries also from the US (and expensive! no wonder we never buy those) and the whipping cream from France. The cakes turned out great. The raspberry sauce was a hit with Andrey as its one of the foods he misses the most. And the whipped cream... well, if any of you really know me, you know that I have a love affair with whipped cream. I'd almost trade Andrey for it. That part was for me.

We savored the meal. And the time alone together. We realize it is a luxury that few of our married friends with kids get to enjoy - 1. To have the time to cook such a meal and 2. To enjoy it at home, just the two of us. So we choose to be thankful and to live in the moment and enjoy it for what it is, knowing that times like this are fleeting. Once kids enter the picture it will be a whole new deal. Am I right, friends?

Happy Valentine's Day

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everybody!

I really want to apologize for having fallen off the blogosphere this past month or so. I've been crazy out of my mind and so the blogging has suffered. I just quickly want to post so people know we're alive and well. There is much to share from the past weeks including lots of parties and events, numerous clinic shifts, and cramming in 2 modules-worth of midwifery assignments that must be completed by mid Jan along with tests on all of them and paper work of my clinical experience. That's a big part of the being overwhelmed lately.

I regret that this has happened around Christmas (which contributes to the busyness, of course) as it takes away from being really present during this special holiday. I regret that I haven't taken time to think and be silent, to reflect on the year, to be thankful for God's gracious gift of Jesus. Of course, these thoughts and quick prayers happen but I've not made it the priority and given it the attention it deserves. There may be some belated Christmas thoughts forthcoming in future posts.

For now, the thing at hand is to pack for a weekend trip that we are taking with Lou & Marilyn (A's parents) tomorrow. They have been here for 2 weeks already and will stay with us until early February. It is a rich blessing to have them here with us in Cebu these days. We'll be staying on Camotes island for two nights, then back to Cebu for 2 nights, then we'll go to another island nearby, Negros, for 5 nights. It's our big vacation time together as a family during their visit. They have been such troopers so far, remaining very flexible and laid-back, cooking, cleaning and shopping for us, encouraging us and coming along to all of the various event and social involvements that demand our time lately (including a Christmas event today that our church put on for 900 people!, yes, 900!). Quite impressive actually how they just dive in and experience what there is to experience here.

So once I get these assignments done and tests taken and holidays done with, and I get caught up on some much-needed sleep, I'll be much more present. I'm looking forward to a break. Much love and blessings!!

Here are a few photos from our church's Christmas event today in a gym at a local elementary school. All 900 people were fed lunch and juice, received gifts, heard about God's gift and were given the opportunity to receive it freely. They also got family photos taken and the kids got their faces painted, balloons, and ice cream. It was wild!

Turkey Day 2008

Sorry I've been MIA lately. It's been busy. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. It was a ton of work and I was exhausted by the end but it was worth every hour in the kitchen. I didn't have to cook for a whole week after, that's how many left-overs we had. I was in turkey heaven! Here a few shots of my favorite holiday...