Laundry ~Kore.

Joelle and I love doing laundry here. We have a washer, but not a dryer. We listen to the tropical birds chirp...we enjoy the very warm sunshine...it is such an organic chore. Both Joelle and I love 'prairie days'...and I'm pretty sure we both imagine that we're prairie girls, hanging out the laundry. On the down side...today, I'm hanging out in a towel, waiting for my unmentionables to dry. It has been too rainy to do laundry, and I got behind!

E & O tea time with American Girls...AND the dolls.

coconut shavings anyone?~by Joelle

Well three years ago when we were in malaysia for 6 weeks, we went to a buffet. After the meal we went to get dessert. When we all came back to the table we compared what each other had gotten.

Then we started to eat. Mom all of sudden siad "look they have eyeballs!" she realized that instead of getting of what she thought were coconut shavings for her icecream, were actually little fried fish. We laughed and laughed for days about it! Then on our trip to k.l. we went to another buffet and guess what we found! little fried fish! funny how some things follow you.

-joelle

A shopping trip to the capital~by Eric

Needing to GET OFF the ISLAND..

We head down to the mainland and capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpar. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuala_Lumpur

We stayed in a nice hotel, took a Subway to market central & china town. An emotional visit to the American Embassy. Some swimming, eating out, and time together. So let me share some key learnings I discovered on this trip.

1) not all maps are created equal

2) even the best of maps are of no value if they are lost in the trunk

3) the price of tea in a japanese restorant may cost more than the meal(s)

4) Great things can be cheap, Cheap things can not be great

5) No matter how hot, sweaty, stinky you think you are- you can always find others far worse off and closer to you than you want.

6) The things things given away last longer and have more meaning than the suff we keep

7) America is best appreciated from behind locked gates of a foreign land.

@ the Embassy

"O beautiful, for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
'Til all success be nobleness, and ev'ry gain divine!
O beautiful, for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years,
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed His grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea! "

Mother's day~by Kore

A couple of years ago, I came under the conviction that I was going to stop 'throwing fits' over mother's day. After all...becoming a Mom is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I've purposed in my heart since then to be Thankful towards my girls, and spending the day with them. Boy---did that attitude pay off!

This year, Eric took the girls and I to a small resort just off of Penang island. Jerejak Island. While the girls ziplined, rock climbed, and swam, I had a 3 hour spa. Yes, you read that correctly. A three hour spa. Oh, it was luxury! To have all the stress removed from one's body--what a treat. My only regret is that I didn't take pictures. Eric told me to bring a camera...but I thought that would be wierd. I was able to sit in a bath full of flowers and scent, and watch the sun go down over the water. I listened to my Ipod and sang at the top of my lungs.

After, we went to TGIF for dinner.

Now THAT is a Mother's day worth repeating. (and yes, my husband ROCKS)

Video of Joelle at the E and O

A step Back in time - May5th

Well Last weekend we attended church service at St Goerge. One of the Oldest churches on the island. It was a good break from the normal PIC (penang intl church). And the girls seem to enjoy the "dress up" factor. Then off to E&O (eastern & orient) hotel. The 1st and original hotel etablished on the island.

So we spent the day as in the early 1800's. Enjoyed a brunch by the sea side. Picked up some art. And had a good "down" day in an attempt to re-coup our energy for the week.

This week: Joelle had a muffin bake sell with her girl scouts. Bria had a musical recital playing the dulcimer. In addition to the normal "running" around and home maintainence.

Dealing with Home sick~by Eric

OK we are all a bit burnt out. Kore likely wins the most home sick. I may come in a close second. It's not vacation, but it's not home. (cute picture of wife above). Everything is unaccountably difficult. We spent a whole 4 days doing nothing and being very tired. (shopping, sight seeing, eating E&0 buffet, St George Church service, new world park, nagor place, movie going, house stuff).

So where does one go to take a vacation while stuck on mango island? Next weekend - Thailand for elephant rides?

"now who takes the picture..?"~by Eric

Like everything in the world there is good things and bad things.

our hamsters~by Joelle

well we decided to get hamsters. even though we can't bring them back home. they are sooo cute. Lenla and Molo are both girls and have grown alot since we got them in march. Bria plays with them alot. but i just like to pet them. we still have not trained them to do any trick's though. why is it that dog's can do trick's but hamster's can't? Anyway so now you know.

-Joelle

wierd fruits~by Joelle

You always see alot of wierd friuts here that you would have never guesed existed. (becuase were in the jungle.

were you think you will see them (like in the store) they never are. you can almost buy them any were else though... any were you don't want to see them. the solotion: we bleach all our food.

more wacky pictures....by Joelle

well you always see alot of wierd foods here in malaysia. these our just a few that we cought on camera. -joelle

Back from the grave~by Kore

We had a really cool experience today. We went to Kim Gary's for lunch--a popular Asian restraunt that has bizarre, but really good food. French toast with peanutbutter and coconut, mango shaved ice, and corn soup are our favorites! Wierd, eh? Yar.Anyhow, Eric wanted to stop in the book store, so the girls and I followed. We browsed around for awhile and Eric found himself in the Christian self help area. While there, an elderly Indian woman asked Eric to show her the best book about Jesus. I then came up and talked with her for quite a while. She told us that she was going through a really hard time and some friends told her that she needed to talk to Jesus, and learn more about him. This is pretty typical--many Indians desire to please all 'gods'. But this woman went on to talk about how she had been 'something else' but her husband died, and those gods had not helped. She actually said to me that she had heard Jesus was the TRUE God when she was a little girl in school, and was ready to findHim.We quickly scrambled, me praying silently in my head, scanning the strange titles for what would help her best. Eric picked up what he thought would be best, and I felt in my heart is was right. God told Eric right there to go buy the book for the woman. He about croaked when he saw the expense of it, but bought it anyways. Books are expensive here. I had a wonderful time talking to her--she may teach us how to cook Indian food. It was so odd to meet a total seeking person--and for her to meet us--the store was crowded, and we weren't the only 'AWAS' there. (AWAS-Americans, walking around stunned.Also the sign for danger here, but we love to make up meanings for AWAS.)It was just really, really cool. Please be praying for this woman as she reads this book.

Here is a picture that we took at the original Christian graveyard. And here is my Penang life verse that goes with it:

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Chirst Jesus our Lord. Rom 8:38

Hang em high~by Eric

2 trips up Penang hill last weekend.

1st trip a jungle trek with a couple of my buddies from work. Snakes, monkeys, and bugs - Oh My!. It was hot, wet, very much like something out of Brushko (missionary book we have been reading).

2nd trip the next day the family went back up the hill via the train. Very crowded, hot, lines, and waiting. The jungle trek was better. We then hiked 2 km to a place where one can walk from tree to tree via a rope bridge, called a canopy walk. Because you are literly walking 500m above the jungle floor through the upper canopy. Bria, who is afraid of heights, did Very well. We were all a bit freaked out. My main concern was the high quality craftsmanship of the bridge support to hold large persons not of the Asian variety. No there were no safety certifications any where.

also this week the girls went shopping for material, watched a shadow puppet show, got another pedicure, and Bria gave her choreographed performance with her girl scout troops.