The Concert

Christmas Concert

Last night Mark and I attended a Christmas concert in town.  Our friends, the Jackson's, were back in town to help Vietnam celebrate Christmas and remember what it is all about.  We met this amazing family last year when they were invited here for the first time to sing at the large Christmas event here.  We immediately felt a kinship with them.  This year they have traveled to South American, Mexico, all over the US and just recently, Hong Kong and Indonesia.  The last leg of their journey for this year is Vietnam.  They have seen many miracles on this trip and Brenda the mom even shared with me a vision she given to her about a tsunami of revival coming out of Asia and we are in the heart of it.  They will travel to Hanoi from here and then return to HCMC for a final performance in a couple of weeks.  They are an encouragement to us not just because of their singing but because we share a common passion for Asia.  They sang many more songs this year in Vietnamese and even recorded one that they will offer free of charge at their concerts, another miracle.  I invited our neighbor to attend with us and it was great to hear some of her stories.  She loves to sing and write and she works for a clothing company that sells to Gap, Express and others in the US.  She heard my English class practicing our Chistmas carols and wants to join us.  We will have a Christmas party in another week and will sing for her and maybe some others in our building.  The Vietnamese love to sing and dance. 

 We hope you are all enjoying the season.  It has been a year of trials but there is now victory and a special blessing from God as a sign of new beginnings, Jen is expecting our 5th grandchild.  It makes being away for the holidays hard but summer is coming and we are very excited.  We all would love a girl but a blessing is a blessing so we wait in amticipation. 

The Filming

Music Video Filming

Last week my neighbor came over to ask if they could do some movie filming in our apt. There were a group of young people making a music video and they needed to film a couple of scenes using a living room and kitchen. She had just had a big delievery of supplies for her business so hers was not usable.  We agreed, interested to see how this was done.  Our neighbor was playing the role of the mother of a young girl in the video.  They were here for about an hour and a half and they filmed the scenes many times until they felt like they had achieved what they needed.  We also got to meet a young man who stars in some tv shows.  An interesting break in our day, now our place is famous !!   I think it was the pink walls in the living room that made it so appealing. 

Botanical Gardens

Singapore Again

We headed back to Singapore the day before Thanksgiving.  I have to go to get my medications refilled.  It was a wonderful trip.  We stayed with our friends George and Joyce in their 17th story apt and on Thanksgiving she made a turkey with all of the trimings.  She has a small oven but it did the job.  She also is a wonderful baker. She had pumpkin pie and cherry pie both made with homemade crust and also the best rolls I have ever had.  This was the first turkey dinner in three years.  We were blessed and stuffed. 
On Friday we were invited to a Prophetic conference and had some great prayer over us.  Before we headed to the conference Mark joined George in a men's prayer group which met at the Botanical gardens, a beautiful sight, I had to go since we were headed directly to the conference afterwards.  After having a coffee and roll I strolled around the gardens for a bit and enjoyed all the greenery.  It was so relaxing and so many were there doing their Tai Chi thing.  Saturday Mark and I headed over to the beach which happens to be across the street from their apt.  We walked for a while and then had breakfast at a Burger King.  We were not in Kansas any longer!! They had walking paths and also paths for joggers and bikers.  We almost rented a bike but it was getting a little warm so we headed back.  I also got to get in some Mall time.  Did not buy anything but just enjoyed looking.  I now have the bus system down but they will be moved by the time we return in three months so I will have to find a new mall closer to their new home.  We love getting out of the country for a short time and we so appreciate our friends who let us crash with them. 

I loved this, Read on !!

Around Town


A humorous look at Saigon traffic

By Michael Smith in HCMC

Wednesday, November 17,2010,21:06 (GMT+7)

















A humorous look at Saigon traffic
By Michael Smith in HCMC
I was joking the other day that I only use my brain 10% of the time - only for the most important things. In Saigon that would mean I’d have to reserve my day’s quota of brain power to survive the mayhem on the roads on my motorbike. There’s no end to the miasma of bizarre driving acts that happen out there, but I’ve tried to jot down a few of the common ones that test my reflexes and emotions.

The Vertical Merge: This is my favorite, but it horrified me when I first caught a xe om in Saigon. Instead of waiting for a gap to turn left (and lets face it – there aren’t any gaps) you just head straight at the swathe of oncoming traffic, veering slightly for the center line.

The Moving Gap: This is a roundabout maneuver that I can do slowly with some aplomb, but I have seen some maniacs and a few straight-backed Vespa- Zen girls do it at top speed without even blinking. Roundabouts present streams of traffic going at different angles, some at right angles to ourselves. To get through you have to judge the moving gap precisely. Most riders take it easy, but when you see someone do it at top speed, it’s quite impressive.

The Shepherd: Turning left at traffic lights when the oncoming motorbikes are 20 thick and 200 deep, somebody has to lead the way across. This takes some courage or stupidity as you must trust that the motorist heading at you knows that you’re coming. As soon as the leader breaks the stream of traffic, motorbikes follow in his shadow and he shepherds them across.

The “Daddy Doesn’t Know Where his Little Girl is”: The young truant with a tight fitting cowboy shirt embroidered with a skull on the back has his teenage girlfriend in red denim shorts clinging tightly around his waist, with her head on his shoulder screaming joyfully in his ear. He does the “Saigon Racer Wobble” to signal to everybody that he is going to throw himself recklessly into the wrong lane to pass.

The “I Guess You Think This is my Fault”: It normally happens near service stations on busy roads. After filling up their motorbikes people can’t be bothered doing the “Vertical Merge” so they just head up the wrong side of the road beside the curb. That’s all fine until you surprise them by coming round the next corner doing the “Blind Right” and run headfirst into them.

The Blind Right: Turning right in Saigon is a breeze, you don’t have to look. Just turn right, go as wide as you like and it’s up to anyone who is coming, to go around you.

The Double Squeeze: You are riding along ready for almost anything, but a pushcart slowly comes out on your right, pushing you towards the center line. At the same time a masked woman scooterist heads blindly out of a street on the left narrowing the gap in the center of the road like a closing elevator door.

Those are just a few but remember - with Saigon traffic the key is never to take your life or limbs for granted. It’s a jungle on the roads, and if you know the moves you can avoid an accident. It’s a type of meditation with a mantra made from swear words – totally in the moment. It brings you closer to God.

Give Thanks In All Things

Erie Weather after the storm

Visit with Loan

My Day with Loan

On Friday I got a facebook message from my friend, Loan., asking if I was free for coffee.  She and I met back in August through some friends in Hermosa Beach. The best part is she speaks good English.  She is a social worker here and I get to go with her off and on to make some visits to friends.  She took me to a cafe at a water park not far from our apt.  It had a nice cafe and a beautiful garden and best of all a menu in English.  Those are rare finds here outside of the tourist district.  This young gal is one of the busiest people I know.  She has several jobs besides being a social worker but from what she has told me the social worker job is the one that she loves the most and also causes her the most concern.  She mainly works with young children and young pregnant gals.  One of the stories she was telling me was about a gal that she met who was dying of Aids.  She was about Loan's age, 30 and was wanting to know why she got the disease and others like Loan did not.  It proved to be a great time of sharing about the choices we all face in life and how those choices effect us.  She died a month ago.  Loan knows she cannot save the world but that does not make her job any easier.  We talked about her job and the issues she encounters and where she needs to place all of those burdens.  She knows the one who carries her and that others are supporting her.  I am grateful to be able to come along side of her and help her in any way I can.  After our cafe break we headed to the food court in a nearby mall and had a great Thai meal, both of our favorites.  Then we headed to visit a gal that I had met back in Sept who now has a two month old baby.  She is one chunky healthy baby. I got my baby fix in for the month.  As I spend more time with Loan I am getting more of an insight into how things are handled here.  Mark will be sharing more stories in our newsletter. 

Grab and Run

Well on Wednesday afternoon Mark and I were walking to a new Big C market that opened near our home.  We were about two blocks from the market going down a small alley type street when two young guys on a motorbike pulled in front of me and grabbed my purse.  I had a small clutch type purse with a strap that went over my head.  It happened so fast, the guy of the back of the bike grabbed the strap and pulled as the bike was speeding away. I went flying forward but the purse strap would not come off of me.  When Mark realized what they were doing he ran from behind me and yelled at them and tried to grab the guy but the motor bike was taking off.  When they realized that Mark almost had them and that the strap was not going to break they let go and I went flying, it felt like I was in a sling shot.  I landed on the road on the left side of my body.  Mark wanted to go back home but I told him I was ok, so we keep on going.  I was leary of every guy we passed on a motor bike.  While in the market I grabbed a bag of frozen peas to put on my now swelling elbow.  We made it back home without incident and I finally surveyed my bruised up body.  Not a pretty site.  I have the largest deep purple bruise under my right arm where the silly purse strap would not come off and some neck pain and leg pain from the sudden pulling and release movement.  The arm is no longer swollen but still tender and of course bruised.  We had been warned by friends that these things happen but I thought I was being careful not carrying my larger purse but from now on I will carry my money in my pocket and a purse only if going by taxi.  It could have been worse so I thank God for His protection.  I have been praying that these guys get a good dose of remorse and that God sends someone to lead them to salvation before they end up killing someone. 

One day later our friend called to say the same thing happened to he and his girlfriend who is still recovering from her last run in with someone trying to take her bag.  His bag is always locked onto his motorbike and so they could not get it but the bike fell over and he hurt his arm in the same place I did.  We have matching bruises !!

Thanksgiving Potluck

Thanksgiving Celebration

Today we were invited by our friends to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with them.  Mark shared on always being thankful for everything even when we can't find anything good in a situation.  It encouraged many.  Then they brought in the tables and brought out all the many kinds of food people had brought.  We had a wonderful chicken and vegetable soup, our favorite spring rolls, some type of shrimp puff, a cold noodle dish and then for the finale they had a coconut rice dish and fruit.  Many of our English students were there. We always enjoy being invited to their home, they make us feel like family here in this country.

I went to the western market last week and saw that they had some turkeys in stock.  I did not even look at the prices but I am sure they are just as much as last year, besides my toaster oven would take quit a while to cook the thing, even if it did fit.

We will actually get to celebrate the actual Thanksgiving day in Singapore.  I have my MD appt and we are celebrating with our friends there.  Twice in one month.  I am so thankful for all the miracles God has been doing in our family the last few months.  His mercies are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness Lord unto me. 

Pictures from Cebu

Trip to the Philippines

Last Monday night we took a 1:30 AM flight to the Philippines.  We arrived in Manila and then had a three hour lay over for our flight to the island of Cebu.  While waiting for our flight to Cebu we began to see many friends that were also attending our conference.  There were over 60 of us on this flight and we had two larges buses meet us and take us on about a 45 minute ride to our hotel.  After eating a quick lunch we decided we needed some sleep since neither of us slept much on the planes.  These were the first flights we have taken since being over here that we got the first row and then the emergecy row both of which offer nore leg room.  Usually you have to pay extra for that but for some reason this airline did not charge for the leg room. I am not sure the leg room was worth it since the seats would not recline and they were most uncomfortable.  The conference was great and we got to see so many of our friends from different countries.  They have these conferences every two years so it was great to reconnect and share our stories.  It seems like is does not matter what country you are in we all were missing home and families.  A couple friends and I spent some time in one of the biggest malls I have ever been in.  Even the prices were pretty reasonable. 
The last night of our conference they held a cultural night.  We had over 60 countires represented at the conferece and around 15 of them did some type of performance.  Singing, dancing, and best of all the native dress for some of those countries.  I got to wear the Vietnamese outfit I had made for Chris' wedding.  One country even had a six year old boy sing.  He had a great voice.  Our trip back was longer than coming.  We had a five hour layover in Manila.  We were able to find a cafe that had free wifi so guess where Mark spent most of his time!!  I think that computer is becoming part of him.  I rarely see him without it.  Well actually his crashed again so while it is being repaired he is borrowing mine.  I sure hope I will get it back someday.

Family

I forget that some of you are not on face book.  These are some photos that Jen has posted.  Enjoy !!  The hardest part of being away is missing our family.  Love you all

Family Pictures

River Photos

Day on the Mekong

Yesterday we spent the day traveling around the Mekong River by boat or should I saw several boats.  We began our travels at 4:30 AM, we had to beat the traffic out of town.  There were six of us including our young 25 year old driver who has been driving for our friends furniture company for five years.  He was great and got us there and back in one piece after going around three accidents that we came across during the day.  Normal for this country.  We stopped in a town where our friend had been born and had a breakfast of barbeque pork and rice and the strong iced coffee with milk.  Dinner for breakfast.  We were looking for an area of town that we had never been to before so we took a few wrong turns but ended up at a cafe near the water where we were met by another man that took us to a very small canoe type boat.  I wondered if we would all fit which turned out not to be a problem except we were pretty low in the water. There were six adults in our group.  We had two young kids paddel us down the water and by the time we got there they were really exhausted.  We gave them a big tip for their efforts. Of course there was not a cloud in the sky, it is rainy season but it was a very warm, cloudless day.  Our navigator gave two of us floppy hats to wear but that did not help our exposed arms.  We arrived at his house and met his wife and several of his five children.  One of our boat paddlers was his son who dropped out of school to help support his family.  This is very common.  The Mekong area is very poor and the people litterally make their living from the water, as well as bath, wash and play in it. We were told that the fish are becoming scarce because of all the fishing and there is not much else to make a living from. We made five other stops along the river and talked to many people who shared stories of their lives on the river.  These are amazing people who desire to work and make money to support themselves but the opportunities are few. I know there are many places in the world like this but when you walk amoung them it is hard not to be touched by them.  That is our Father's heart.  Well it was four by the time we got back to the dock or should I say side of the hill that we began our journey on and as we walked back to our car Mark saw a cafe that had two cages of snakes.  He has always liked the exotic and stange things that I do not and so he called me over to bring the camera so he could take some pictures.  I guess you could pick out the one you wanted and they would fry it up for you.  No thanks.  We had a friend with us last week who was served dog on one of his trips.  That is something else I do not care to experience.  I have had some strange things but there are some limits I have.

I had a few driving observations from the trip.  There is a new freeway that just opened and it cuts off a lot of time getting out of the city.  It was two lanes on each side and the big surprise no motorbikes allowed.  Trucks, buses and cars were ok.  I guess it does not matter what you drive they still straddle that line and pass each other, usually on the right side and do a lot of honking.  This lets the other vehicle know that you are coming or going to pass them.  They also keep their bright lights on and when they want someone to move they flash them until they do.  You have to experience it.   They also have something like speed bumps on each side of a bridge which causes most drivers to slow down.  Notice I said most.  Our driver was very tall so his head almost touched the ceiling of the car so we took these bumps lightly.  My bladder thanks him for that.  Oh I almost forgot.  We were making a restroom break after our first visit and we were back at the cafe, I followed my friend back and when it was my turn she warned me there was no toilet or whole or anything.  You just squat behind the curtain and then there was a bucket to wash the cement down with afterwards.  I still think men have it way to easy.

Buffet

New DIning Experience

On Monday night we were invited to dinner by Mary, who is engaged to our friend Sam.  We were told it was in the new Lotte Mart building.  Lotte Mart is a new 5 story grocery store, not far from our apt.  They have these amazing escalators that hold your shopping cart in place while you go to the next level.  It is similar to a Wal-Mart in that they sell everything you need.  I like it because I can get many western food items there.  The fifth floor has a food court, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Korean, and a cafe, they have cafe's on every street corner here, oh and the famous arcade room that every mall has here, so loud.   We met Sam and Mary on the 5th floor and they took us over to a seperate restaurant that had bar stools around a counter and in front of you was a conveyor belt that held plate after plate of meats, veggies, noodles, seafood etc.  You ordered your hot pot, a pot that comes with a brooth, the choices were, Thai, Chinese, or Japanese.  The only none spicy was Japanese so that is what I ordered.  Also in front of you was a burner set into the counter and you had a knob to control the temperature.  You first put it on high to get it to boil then you add whatever you want from the food that passes before you.  After it cooks for a few minutes you turn it down.  Our friends, Sam and Joseph, the brothers were trying to see how many plates of food they could rack up.  Mind you the amount of food on each plate is maybe a child's portion but they still ended up eating a lot of food.  Those two can put the food away.  They love to help us out so they were constantly pulling off plates as they passed us.  I would then put them back on after I found out what was on them.  They had one flower, not sure what it was but they kept saying it was healthy, I have tasted some of the stuff they say is so healthy and I just can't seem to develop a taste for it.  I always try them out but so far very few appeal. They called this a buffet and the price was an amazingly low $6.00 per person, for all you could eat.  It was a fun evening which we ended by stopping at the bakery back on the first floor and buying some chocolate croissants for Mark to eat the next week.  We love these new experiences.  

The Kids

Moon Festival

The Vietnamese celebrated the Moon Festival from Sept 15 to the 22nd.  It is a time when the harvest is over and they visit family to celebrate.  Someone came up with the idea of making moon cakes, they are round and some have beans in them and well others I am not sure what they have in them..  I tried some but I think it is an acquired taste.  Well two weeks ago a friend who works with street children and teen girls was going around taking names of kids who live on the streets and in the slums to give them a gift for this holiday.  She wanted to bless them and give them something special, the moon cakes were perfect because they are too expensive for them to buy themselves.  She got around 500 names and donations from many and then had a friend make the cakes.  She also bought a carton of milk for them. I was able to go with her on one of her trips to distribute these cakes.  We left around 4 in the afternoon and were suppose to meet around the kids in the park.  We had her cousin and another gal along to help.  As we started to give them out, she started with the names she had gathered, children between 1 and 15 years old, we started drawing a crowd, everyone wanted to have one and she did give a couple to one older very thin lady and some kids whose names she did not have but it was all done in orderly fashion and the kids were so excited. They seem to come in waves.  After finishing at the park we rode over to an empty sidewalk across the street from a family who she helps.  This time we had another 30 or so and many who just wanted to see what was happening.  After calling there names and giving out the cakes she had these paper laterns to give out, she only had 10 of those left from a previous celebration so we waited until most had gone before giving them out.  Finally after several hours we still had some cakes left so as we rode down the rode for home we found some more street kids to give the rest out to.  These were from Cambodia and were so excited to get them.  It was such a blessing for me to be able to go and see these kids, God was sure right when He said give and you shall receive, I received so much joy and love from these little ones. He said," I was hungary and you fed me".

Views of Singapore

Singapore

It was time to make our quarterly trip to Singapore to see my doctor and get refills on my meds. We have no trouble at all going to such a beautiful island.  We left on Thursday afternoon and arrived by dinner.  Singapore is only a two hour flight and then they are one hour ahead of us.  They are working on expanding the airport in Singapore so we were rerouted to the exit by a different direction.  Everything is so neat and orderly there, everything is done by queing up.  In other words you stand in line to wait for the taxi, your turn at the counter, etc.  Because cars are hard to come by on this little island many take either taxi's, buses, which are frequent or the subway as we in the states would call it.  Back to my story, as we qued up for the taxi ride to our friends house, I felt like I was in line for a Disneyland ride, too many people were in line so they had us go up one row and down another.  After 15 minutes we made it to our taxi and then to our friends who only live about 10 minutes from the airport. I can never get enough of the view from their 19th floor flat, and of course we had to take the lift to get up there oh and we had to put our luggage in the boot of the taxi. 

On Friday after my doctor appt our friends picked us up and showed us an area of town where many churches and ministries have opened a restaurant, convalescent home, drug and alchol rehab and are getting ready to open a home for abused and pregnant teens.  They also have a beauty shop, car repair shop and other such businesses that gives people an opportunity to work.  We have a friend who volunteers her time to teach computer skills to some of the people.  This is what the church is all about. 

Saturday afternoon Mark and I took a trip down to the beach where they have hundreds of every kind of restaurant you can imagine, they even have a boat ride down the canal.  Of course it would not be Singapore if you did not have so many different malls to choose from to shop in.  We started in one for me with more girly things and then we headed a few blocks up to the electronics mall.  It was 5 stories and had anything electronic you could want.  Along with the high prices.  The only place that got our money that day was the McDonald's we stopped in for a drink and a place to rest our weary feet.

Saturday night the same friend that volunteers her time took us out for a steamboat dinner. The owner is a good friend of hers and he gave us a lot of attention, I think she brings him a lot of bsiness. He is young but also has several other places in Singapore and even one in Australia.   It was similar to the Japanese style resturant.  She ordered and they brought plates of uncooked fish, beef and seafood and then a brooth that is set on the table and the food cooks right there.  They also have the veggies and mushrooms etc to add to the meal.  It was so good and then she ended the meal with some different desserts.  Oh and the drink was an apple, rose tea.  Very refreshng.  

Sunday we got to attend our frends church.  We always enjoy that and then we had to head back to the airport for our flight home.  Thanks again George and Joyce, we will miss your flat but look forward to your new home.

Goodbyes

Saying Good Bye

We were sitting in the airport with Jen and the boys, waiting for our flight. It was bedtime for the boys but they wanted to wait with Grammie and Papa. After staying with them for so long it was soooo hard to leave. We had explained why we had to go back and they understood but that did not make it any easier. Suffice it to say that I was glad that I put that extra tissue in my purse. We really miss our walks around the lake with you guys.

Our 13 hour flight back left close to midnight and after they served the first meal, we feel asleep for a good 7 hours or so. Then came the breakfast meal and our arrival in Hong Kong. We had a three hour layover and then a 2 1/2 hour flight to Vietnam and another meal. Our plane got in a little late and by the time we got our visa, our luggage and then a taxi it was midafternoon when we finally made it to our apt. That is midafternoon of Aug 6th, two days after we left.

It took me a week to finally get everything unpacked, dusted, mopped and cleaned out from months of non use. In all of the cleaning etc I have not seen one cockroach, only a gecko that lives with my pots and pans and always makes me jump when I open that door. I always tread softly when I get up at night because they are usually having a party in our hallway or bathroom.

We are still catching up on all the news with our Vietnamese friends and their mom invited us to a dinner at their house where she served Mark's favorite pork and springrolls. She even sent me home with some to cook up. They had some visitors from the Phillippines that we got to meet and fellowship with, who also enjoyed the food. On the ride home we were short a motor bike so Mark and I had to ride on the back of our friends, good thing it was a short ride.

We want to thank all of you who made our trip home so welcoming and enjoyable. We are blessed to have so many friends and family and prayers for us.

Family Fun

THE WEDDING

Saturday May 29, 2010 Santa Barbara

The day started out very windy but sunny, we had rain earlier in the week so we were watching it closely. As it turns out the wind died down and it got rather warm for those attending the wedding. The groomsmen were standing in black suits and doing a bit of sweating. Our grandson Justin was the ring bearer and by the time the wedding began at 3:30 he was tired and fell asleep in my arms after his walk down the aisle. Many of the guests were stuck in traffic from LA. The bride's brother whose flight was delayed from the east coast due to the weather also got stuck in traffic and since he was giving the bride away we gladly waited for his arrival. It was so touching to see him in his dress blues, he is a Marine, walk her down the aisle. He has orders for deployment for the end of the year. The ceremony was beautiful it was held at Elings Park overlooking the city on one side and the ocean on the other. They had a sand pouring time, which I had never seen before, they each had a bottle of different color sand that they poured into a new bottle to represent the coming together of their lives, much like the unity candle. Mark also served them communion. After the ceremony the wedding party and families were driven by a trolley to the beach for pictures, so much fun, the trolley also picked up the wedding party to take them to the park, my grandsons loved it. The reception was also held there and the food was great and the toasts given by the best man and maid of honor made me cry. We are so proud of them. After the usual stuff, cake, dance and throwing of the bouquet and garter the bride and groom walked to their waiting transportation through sparklers that we were given out since we could not throw any rice or confetti. Jeanette had changed into pants and the two rode off on Chris's new Harley. Thanks to all for your love and prayers and support, it was a perfect day. God bless you Chris and Jeanette on your new life.

Rehearsal

Rehearsal

Rehearsal

On Friday evening at 6 we gathered at Elings Park for the wedding rehersal. It was a beautiful spot at the top of the hill overlooking the city of Santa Barbara and the ocean. The weather was beautiful and there were plenty of great climbing trees for my grandsons to play on. The evening went smoothly and then we all went back to the house they were renting and had a great frajita dinner prepared by Jeanette's new step dad, he owns a restaurant in Long Beach. Thanks Joe it was a great meal.

Love those Dodgers

Dodger Game

Last night we were invited to go a Dodger game with Chris and Jeanette. She had reserved tickets that included a parking pass. The parking now is $15.00, now I understand why people park down the hill and walk !! It was a fun time and they even beat the San Diego Padres. It was a nice reprieve from the day before as Jeanette had her car stolen from the Arcadia Mall parking structure. Even the police were surprised that someone would want a 10 year old car. They had her laptop in it along with some wedding items, her shoes and gifts for the bridesmaids. Chris's brand new motor cycle was parked in front of it and worth much more but they chose the car. We are praying that it will be returned with all in it and no damage, a miracle to say the least. Only 8 days left until the wedding and as things would go there is rain predicted for the middle, end of next week, Jeanette is already on it and has called the caterer to see about a tent and heaters if needed. This girl is organized and so good for Chris. We are looking forward to Santa Barbara next week then onto Atlanta for our Foursquare Convention.

Mother's Day

Chris and Jeanett's shower

Chris and Jeanetts's coed shower

Today we attended a shower for Chris and Jeanette. I have never been to a coed shower. I guess it is pretty common. We met some of their family and friends and had fun answering questions about them. They are very blessed to have such great love and support from so many. They got their engagement pictures back so if you go to their blog at chrisandjeanetteayres.blogspot.com you can view them. This is getting so exciting. We are looking forward to the big day, now only a few weeks away. Love you guys and am looking forward to Mother's day and your famous Carne Asada.

The lake

Walk by the Lake in Rancho Santa Margarita

On Wednesday we took Jen and the boys to the Lake, by their home, for a walk. The boys love to ride their razors and then hide so when we walk up they scare us. They are so cute. It was a beautiful evening and most of the city seemed to be out. They have different stops to do exercises and the boys love to try and do the tricks as they call them. Watch us grammie and papa. I love being able to play with them. There is nothing like being a grandparent.

Family

P.S.

I forgot to mention that Chris is now the proud owner of a Harley motorcycle. His truck gave out and so.... We went to his softball game on Thursday night and he showed it to us. He has all the gear, helmet, boots, scarf to cover his face. Now mom just has to get use to the idea. I prayed over the thing and him. He actually looks like the people of Vietnam as they ride, of course they have these smaller motor bikes. Lord protect him !!!

Back in the US of A

Well it was a long flight, 15 hours with one stop in Hong Kong but we made it 1 1/2 hours early with the winds pushing us all the way. We still had to go through all the passport control and customs lines and then we were met by Jen. It was so good to see her and be able to actually read the road signs and have an authentic Mexican dinner. Chris and his fiancee Jeanette came over and brought us a car that our friends are so graciously loaning us. Cute little Mazda. On Wednesday we surprised our grandsons by picking them up from school, boy have they grown. Each time we leave them now to go back to the apt we are staying in that our denomination is providing, they ask are we going to fly back to our house. They don't understand that two months is a long time. On Saturday Jen and I gave a lingerie shower for Jeanette. It was a lot of fun, we played a game where she had to answer questions about Chris, she got eleven out of 19. Each time she was wrong she had to chew a piece of bubble gum, she had quite a wad when we were done. Then on Sunday Mark spoke at all four services at our church. It was great to be able to see so many friends that we had left behind. We are so thankful for them and all of their support. Today we are exhausted, partly still due to jet lag. The laundry is done, Mark is trying to repair his computer and then we are going to take several laps around the Lake here in Echo Park. Its a beautiful day and I am grateful to be home.

Easter

Celebrating Easter

Mark was invited to share on Easter at our friends home. We did not know that we were also doing a baby dedication. He was so cute but did not want to be away from his mama. After we finished we were all blessed by a lunch of sub sandwiches. The place was packed and the music beautiful. We love spending time with this group.
The girl in the picture with me is my new friend who wants to improve her English. I will be spending more time with her when we return in July. Can you believe that she is 27? She has the sweetest spirit and I am looking forward to having her translate for me in the future.

We only have 4 more days before we head home to Ca. We have a busy schedule starting with a wedding shower for my new soon to be daughter in law. Our daughter Jen is giving the shower and I am so glad our dates worked so I could be there. I was talking to them on the 18th which was Chris's birthday and I was commenting that Chris never choose the normal things always the unusal and she said that was one of the things she loved about him. We love you son even if you do go against the grain.
I wonder what unusual things will show up at this wedding???

Nha Trang to Tam Ky

Nha Trang to Tam Ky

Last week we took a 5 day trip up to the central eastern coast of Vietnam. You know your trip is going to be exciting when problems occur, especially before you even get on the plane. We were traveling with our friend, Joseph. Mark had gotten his ticket on line and somehow got his Vietnamese name turned around and the airline would not except the ticket. We ended up having to buy another ticket and apply for a refund minus the 10% fee. He ended up boarding just as the doors were about to close. We flew into Cam Ranh Bay Airport, this was a major US military base during the war. We then took a 20 minute taxi ride into the city of Nha Trang. This is the city where the Miss Universe contest is held. It is a beautiful beach city. We found a hotel across from the beach for only $15.00 a night. We were on the fifth floor and the hotel even had an elevator. What more could we ask. That evening we found a place to have dinner and do some tourist shopping. The next morning at 6 AM we heard the AC go off. It turns out this was there day to be dark. The government takes one day a month to turn off the electricity throughout the country. How lucky could we be to have it happen on the one day we were there. Mark and I got up early and had breakfast, omlette's, which is two fried eggs to them and then we walked along the beach. It was very clean and as I went to turn around for Mark to take a picture I got hit by a wave coming in. We headed back to the hotel and climbed the 5 flights of stairs to our room. We decided that all of the city could not be dark so we took a taxi to see some sights. They have some beautiful rock formations. At 3 we headed to the bus station where we had reserved seats to continue our trip. It turns out the bus was a 12 passenger van which was packed. Joseph thought we would be to crowded so he went back to the hotel to get a refund on the tickets, over which they hasseled him. After returning to the station we waited an hour for the next regular bus. While waiting, the owner of the company came up and asked where we were going. Joseph had gone outside and we did not understand what he wanted. we are working on the language but that is going to take more time. Joseph came back in and talked for a long while to the man and it turns out he made arrangements for the rest of our trip. Ok, its time to board the bus. We got on and there was no one else on the bus except the owner and the driver. This was great, all the room we wanted. Little did I realize that as we began our 6 hour trip we picked up more people, no official bus stops, they just know where to go to be picked up. We even began picking up bundles of bananas, coffee beans and then we came to a load of coconuts. It took 20 minutes for them to load them onto the bus. Carrying cargo pays much more than the passangers. By the time we arrived in Song Cau, it was 10 PM and all I wanted was a clean bed. We were shown to a pretty new hotel which was named Laura. The next day we visited some folks and had a great lunch of fish, rice, something that tasted like crab but they kept telling me it was different and for dessert we had a banana, coconut ice thing. You had to taste it, is was good. The family had a 1 1/2 year old, who at first would not even look at us then he warmed up and began bringing his toys to me to play with him. During our play time he had to go to the bathroom, he just ran outside to a tree, who needs a bathroom. After lunch we went down the street to a cafe to wait for the sleeper bus to come to take us to Tam Ky our final destination. This was our first experience on a sleeper bus. Now even though these buses take tourist all over the country they are not built for anyone over 5 feet tall. It is like a lounge chair that goes back for you to sleep in. We had another 6 hour bus ride and this time, no stops. We were more than glad to enter the city of Tam Ky. We probably won't do that again. Even with the stops on the regular bus, at least our legs get stretched. As we pulled up to our hotel we noticed it was dark, it was 6 PM, getting darker and yep, no electricity. After being shown to our room with a lantern, which they did not leave with us, we had to use our cell phones for light, the electricity went back on. The blackouts were following us. Mark thought this was a message for us. We spent the next several days visiting and on Tuesday it happened again, the electricity went off, this time only for 30 minutes, we were told they were working on the power lines. That evening we were taken to the beach, the city was celebrating their freedom from the US war, March 1975. We even saw some floats they had used in a parade, as we were leaving town. It reminded me of the Rose Parade in Pasadena but on a much smaller scale. We even passed a truck that was decorated and it was getting washed at a gas station. Just think of the rose parade about 50 years ago and you will get the picture. We really enjoy our travels and experiencing new things. We even were served Ostrich heart, fortunately we did not know what it was, it really did not have much taste. Meeting new friends and sharing makes all the problems seem trivial.

Women"s Day in Vietnam

Monday, March 8th was Women's Day here. On Saturday I was in my next door market and wondered why they were putting together baskets with shampoo and bath gel, etc. Valentine's day was over and its a long way until next Christmas. Then I noticed the carts with flowers everywhere. Well I had to go to the medical clinic here on Monday and after the visit I was given a rose for Women's day. Then as we were walking back to the bank we made a pit stop at one of the few Gloria Jean's and they were having a buy one get one for 50% off on there drinks but only for the ladies. Everywhere we went in town people were saying happy womens day. I had not seen this many flowers since Tet. FLowers and shampoo what else would a woman want???

Funny Sightings

The week of Tet (the Lunar Chinese New Year) everything closes as I shared previously. Mark and I sit at the computer a lot so we like to go to our fitness center daily. Well they closed the fitness center on New Year's Eve, Feb 13th, and reopened 9 days later on Monday Feb 22. I am not sure the reason since all they do is unlock and then relock the doors. The guards in the building still were on duty so why they had to close is still a mystery. During that time Mark and I would walk laps around our building, as did others who use the center. There is a driveway that circles the building. We see many unusual things on these walks but the funniest yet was coming around the corner one evening and seeing these three little boys all dressed alike, around 2 yrs of age, peeing into the bushes. They were tripletts and each had on the same clothes, a bright orange t-shirt, shorts down past their knees and those squeeky sandals, oh and they all three had glasses which were a little big on them. Mini Einsteins's. Mark is always telling me to carry my camera but who carries a camera to do laps, not I. After they finished doing their business they proceeded to squeek back to the front of the building and over to where the cars were parked. They could barely reach the door handles but proceeded to try to open several car doors, not sure why but they sure were a cute distraction. The second funniest had to do with a Rooster. The people here like fresh meats so many have fish tanks where they keep their fresh fish for the week or sometimes they will keep chickens. They have a bamboo type cage for them. Well the guards in our building, there are around 4-5, who sit at the entrance all day and watch life go by and ocassionally walk through the building, have just such a cage with a rooster, except I think this one is more of a pet. They often let him run loose in the driveway and sometimes I will see them pick him up and put him on the motor bike and off they go. Well back to my story, Mark and I were coming home from somewhere and as we got off our friends motor bikes we saw two of the gueard with a paintbrush, brushing someting on the back of this rooster. I am not sure if it was medicine or if they just thought he needed more color added to his already pretty markings, now that I think of it, maybe he is a little to pretty !!

Our Travels on New Years Day

Visiting Friends

On Sunday, the first day of the New Year, it is tradition to go visiting friends and family. Most people head back to their provinces for the week. Just about everything in town is closed to celebrate, even the grocery stores. We began our trip at 8 Am and spent some time in our friends home sharing and celebrating. At 10:30 we began our travels. There were 10 of us on 5 motor bikes. We went to several homes close to our area then after the second stop we took a 45k trip to visit another group of New friends. By the time we arrived at 3:30 PM we were exhausted, see the picture of Mark !! Now you have to remember that is was a very hot day, in the high ninties and we were wearing long sleeves to protect us as well as masks to keep the dirt out and helmets, some even wore long thick gloves up to their shoulders for protection. Fortunately the long trip ended us up by the river which had a wonderful breeze,and we were able to enjoy some coconut milk. After visiting and eating some yummy fruits we headed back to continue our stops. The traffic was not as bad as usual but still many were out celebrating. I was riding on the back of our friends fathers bike and as we came to a toll booth, bikes do not stop or have to pay, but they have to go through this narrow opening, the bike in front of us just stopped. We hit the brakes but not in time to keep us from falling. This was my first spill and I am glad to say I only ended up with a bruised knee. My foot was pinned under the bike but it did not have a scratch on it. My angel was watching over me. Around 6 PM, I think our friends were feeling sorry for us, we stopped for a pizza dinner. It was two for one night at the local wood stove pizza place. The Vietnamese like all their foods hot and spicy, I have never seen people add tabasco sauce and ketchup to their pizza's. We made one more stop after dinner and by the time we reached home,at 8 Pm,I felt like I had been riding a horse all day. Those bikes are not the best mode of travel, especially on poorly paved roads. We were thankful that we were invited to join our friends for this day and to be able to meet many new friends as well. I think we better begin getting our bodies ready for the trip next year !!

Chuc Mong Nam Moi - Happy New Year

New Year's Eve in HCMC

On Friday night Mark treated me to dinner for an early Valentine's celebration at one of our favorite restaurant's, Amigos. I had a great steak dinner,he had beef burritos. We then joined the throngs of people walking down one of the major streets in HCMC which was decorated for the Lunar or Chinese New Year. They had beautiful flowers and water fountains and even a flower ferris wheel. The New Year began on Sunday Feb 14th and this is the year of the tiger. They had an assortment of different tiger statues up and down the street, even a huge white one. The Chinese people wore their traditional outfits and even the small children were dressed up. As the sun was setting the many lights which decorated the street were turned on and the festivities livened up. It reminded me of the Rose Parade in Pasadena with the many different assortment of flowers. I love celebrations !!

New Year's Plant

 

Lunar New Year

The lunar New Year starts on Sunday Feb 14th. The people here really get into this celebration. It lasts about a week or longer and during this time the stores close and thousands of people go back to the their home provinces. In the main part of town streets have been blocked off for a over a week while they put up all sorts of beautiful lights, fountains and flowers and other decorations. We went to a new mall last Sunday evening and ran into a big traffic jam as a large dragon was being walked down the street with drums being beaten and as we found out later a competition was being held. Gift giving and visiting people is very big during the New Year celebration. I have already received some special rice cakes and our friend Sam brought me a beautiful plant with gorgeous yellow flowers. Next week we will be joing our friends to make some visits and bring some gifts to people. Even now as I sit here and write this I can hear the drums beating and I am sure if I could out into the street it would be another group passing by with their costumes on and their dragon in tow !!

Mark at the New Hard Rock Cafe, HCMC

 

Singapore and a New Hard Rock Cafe

Our trip to Singapore last week was sucessful. I had to spend hours waiting to see the Rheumatologist because I also needed lab work and then he was an hour behind. A book is a good thing to have. After seeing him and being told all was well I was able to refill my meds for another three months. We then left to go meet our friends for dinner. After another delay on the road, there was a seven car pile up, we made it back to their flat and they asked if we wanted to try the Carls Jr. We had not been to one since last home so we went to their local mall and I got my favorite chicken club and Mark had some huge hamburger. It turned out to be a little pricey but so is almost everything in Singapore. We spent Sat doing some shopping for things we cannot get in HCMC and I found a tension rod to hang my shower curtain. We could not find one anywhere in HCMC. It was too long for our suitcase so I ended up carrying it on the plane and after being asked if it was a fishing rod I told them no it was a curtain rod, we were cleared. Thankfully they did not think of it as a weapon !! Sunday we were able to attend our friends church and heard a great message and then we headed back to the airport for our late afternoon flight. We love getting away to the clean little country of Singapore.

Yesterday we had to make a run into District 1 for our Western food supplies. Mark had seen that a new Hard Rock Cafe had opened so we thought we would have dinner there. That was until we looked at the menu that was posted outside the door and saw that they wanted almost $20.00 US dollars for a hamburger and $7.00 for a milk shake. Mark refused to eat there. I was disappointed but agreed that it was a bit much. I guess they are hoping to attract only the tourist that will spend that much or the wealthier Vietnamese. Either way that is not us. We ended up at an Australian place that Mark likes. They do good chicken fajitas. I had a pretty good steak that was cheaper than the hamburger at the Hard Rock !!

Scenes from our Adventure

On The Road Again !!

Last week Mark and I flew up to northern Vietnam to Hai Phong. It was a two hour flight but due to airline cutbacks they cancelled our original flight and booked us on another leaving several hours later. I am learning to always have a book with me or my ipod for just such occasions. We were invited to share with a group of young people about dating and marriage. We were driven to our hotel about an hour outside of the city and well lets just say we felt like we were on a camping trip. The weather was much colder and because it is on the coast we had a lot of fog and rainy days. The hotel was older and we got the usual box springs to sleep on and as I checked out the bathroom I discovered wet towels and they were about the size of a wash cloth. I had our friend call and ask for more towels and surprise they brought us more of the same, our friend informed us that due to the cold and fog towels do not get dry and as for the size, oh well I guess we were lucky to get any. Have you ever tried to dry your hair and body with a mini towel, quite a trick ! We were also visited by mosquitoes, my face looks like I have been a fight. I have about 8 bites on my face alone, I am very sensative to them and they tend to swell up, its a good thing I am not vain. I would have had to hide in my room for days.

There were about 30 people attending the training. Most in their twenties or early thirties. All were leaders or workers in their groups. We shared for two and one half days with a question and answer time at the end. It was interesting to find out more about what their culture says about dating and marriage. There are still some marriages that are arranged by the parents but most have a say in the decision.

After our training was finished we took a 4 hour bus ride to the south to do some visiting. We rented a van and took four leaders with us to visit some homes. We were told some amazing stories of what they have to do to survive and the pressures they are under. Mark will share more in our newsletters. It is customary for them to serve tea to their visitors. We were even treated to lunch in one of the homes. After our fifth home I was pretty teaed out. They serve a very strong green tea, fortunately it is in very tiny cups. The last day of our trip we took a three hour bus ride back to the north and stopped at one final home. This family runs a cafe. They sell drinks and snack type food and because of the great soccer interest they have been able to buy a plasma tv for their customers to watch the games, he told us no smoking or alcohol allowed in his cafe. They served us a great lunch and then we hit the road for another two hour van ride to the airport and another delay of our flight to finally arrive home in the late evening. It was a great time of seeing the sights and hearing the amazing things stories of so many people !!