Penang Weekend

Here are the rest of the pics from my weekend in Penang with the kids.  It was sooooo busy!!  Everyone  gives me a hard time about my "vacation" time, the time I travel, but I always tell them that I am on vacation when I'm in Tembagapura!  When I leave Tembag, I go to "work". ;)

Here was me going to "work"... I love my job!!! :D

First thing Friday morning before school, I get up early to go see the kids.  It doesn't look like it in this picture, but Gabby is noticeably taller than I! 

Momma and her boys.  I don't get a good pic with them often because they are usually screwing around! ;)

I didn't get to see a volleyball game of Gabby's, but I did get to see her practice!  She's the one in the tie-dyed t-shirt and black leggings.  She has been working on her overhand serve and is now getting consistent with serving it over the net.

Gav... icing his knee!  When I left Tembagapura, I thought I was going to have to change my travel plans to stay longer in Penang so I could be there for Gavin to have surgery to repair a torn ACL.  :(  But thankfully we got some very good news and he will not require surgery!!  He does have a swollen ACL and a hairline fracture of his tibia.  The swelling should go down and the fracture will heal itself.  Just no high impact sports for six weeks.

I was very fortunate to be in Penang for one of Teddy's volleyball tournaments!  So we spent Friday afternoon and all day Saturday watching games.  Here's the Tembagapura crowd cheering Ted on!

Meg and Sarah, sisters, hanging out with Gabby in the dorm.

This cannot be comfortable!  Ted, I think you missed the chair! ;)  He was resting up between VB games.

Ted has some skills... definitely learned them from his momma!! ;D

The team from Bangkok along with the Dalat team.

And last but not least....  Dalat unveiled their new mascot... A prominent feature resembles Teddy... So funny and Ted is such a good sport!!

Stay tuned for more on the uni brow...  I'm not sure of the time or place... however there may be fundraiser involved!! LOL!!  Ted, you are such a good kid! :D

What It Takes To Get Home!

A lot of people seem to think all I do is jet set around the world...  Well, they aren't far off... However, this traveling stuff isn't as easy as it seems... Or maybe I just make it harder than it needs to be... Or maybe it's just a little bit of both... ;) 

As most people know, who have read this blog, there are certain things we cannot get at our grocery store in Tembag.  No, we are not starving, but there are just a few 'comforts of home' that are really nice to pick up while we are off site.  

On the Friday that we arrived in Penang, Jen and I went shopping to get these goodies that we wanted to take back to site.  Now it's really just a guessing game as to what is going to fit in the luggage and it's always better to buy more and leave it behind than to not buy enough and have space in your luggage.  

Here we go... the start of the packing.  A secret of mine is to take an empty carry on size, or 21 inch, to pack tight with the heavy things that way you run out of space before you run out of weight and everything is packed in nice and tight.  I also brought a blanket with me to help protect some of the glass bottle items.  I was so prepared this time! ;)

We also pack things to take back to site for friends in need...  A guy friend needed some dryer sheets... Uh yah, sorry they are Lavender and Linen!!  Yah, your are going to smell pretty at the gym!! ;) lol!

And then you buy things that you know aren't going to work but haven't seen those items in FOREVER, that you just buy them and make a wish that they will fit and not get smushed on the way back to site!!  I truly was being overly wishful on the potato chips!! I gave up on these and took them back over to the kids at school... boo hoo!!!

Another trick to make good use of room and to pack things better, you take whatever you can out of boxes.  Again I was prepared and brought plastic ziplock bags from home to put in all the nut bars!  I is soooo smart!! ;)

Bubble wrap is also a necessity!  Especially if you go crazy and buy items with glass bottles!

And then everything is all packed up and folded in and the luggage is still under weight!!  I am a pro!!  The ironic thing is, and it always happens... That chocolate cake you see in the pic, yah, that was on the store shelf when I finally made it home!  It never fails!!  You may not see an item in the store, like the cake mix, for 6+ months.  You throw it in your luggage and BAM!!  It magically appears in the store!!  Who knew I had magical powers!! lol! ;)

Had to do a little rearranging...  ;)

Of course the "leftovers"!  Good thing I had another bag that fit all those Rice Krispies!  Oh, and don't forget those dryer sheets!! ;) ...and the Crisco and the nuts!!

Truth be told... I was 8 kilos over weight.... Well, not me specifically... my luggage!!! LOL!!  But have no fear... we know how to work the system...  We get extra luggage weight allowance by being a Platinum whatever, whatever...  Nice save Jen!!

So we are all packed up and are ready to make our way home...

And we do make it all the way back to Timika, via a 12 hour layover in Bali, (Yah, that is not a hardship!) without issue.

But then... There are no choppers due to the weather and the road is closed due to "issues"...  So we overnight at the Rimba...  But while we were waiting for the final "No Choppers Today" to be called, I needed to "Charge my Phone!!" LOL!!

Yes, I did fall asleep on the floor of the Rimba restaurant!  LOL!!

The next day we tried it all again....  And we make it half way home on a chopper... but the clouds moved in and we had to turn back around!!  I really wish I had taken a picture of that, but I am pretty sure my eyes were closed the whole way... and my hands were clamped together and I was a praying!!  So glad those chopper pilots know what they are doing!! ;)

So back to the Rimba we go... the road is still closed and we are "forced" to spend another day at the pool!! ;)

Yah, it was a hardship... ;)

Finally on Thursday morning we got the all clear to load the chopper one more time!  

At the start of the flight, the weather was beautiful!  We got to see parts of KK... 

... and the golf course...

And then once again we flew into the clouds...  The pilot come on the radio and said something I couldn't understand at the time, but found out later that it was something like "We are going to have to take a different route home.  The clouds have moved in so we will go low and around."  It's probably a good thing I had no idea what he said at the time... I'm thinking I would have had a heart attack!!  So I just closed my eyes...

And then for some reason I opened them... and just in time I might add... because I recognized where we were!!  I had visited this village about three years ago when this airstrip was just beginning to be built!!  I knew exactly where we were and started to enjoy the ride!

We finally came around the corner and could see Ridge Camp!!  We were very close to home!!

The road that takes you out of Tembagapura and up to the mine.

And then two minutes later we were on the ground at the helipad and I was soooooo, SOOOOO, very happy!!  And sooooo very thankful!!!  I was finally home!!

That was a week ago Thursday...  I leave again tomorrow (my Friday)!!

I fly too much!! ;D

Gabby Turns 14!!

Better late than never, right??  

I'm a little late with posting Gabby's birthday weekend pictures.  The "why" will be revealed in one of the next posts...  So here we go!  Sunday the 24th was a very busy day!!

But first, on Saturday, the day before Gabby's birthday, we grabbed Afi, from her school down the road, and she spent the day with Gabby, since she wasn't able to join us on the 24th for the party.  Afi was one of Gabby's best buds in Tembagapura and it was so great to see her and let the two of them spend time together!!  

Gabby's birthday morning... It started early with a short walk to one of our favorite cafe restaurants, Gustos.  They have the best breakfast!!  Love my babies!  Just missing Marz... Christmas can't come soon enough!

Because we were going to be busy all day long and didn't want to carry presents around with us, I let Gabby open her gifts while we were waiting for our food to be made.

Hmmmm.... Wonder who this was from??? ;)

After breakfast with the birthday girl.  Love, love, love!! :D

We then walked back to school to finish getting ready to go to church.  After church, we made our way to one of the malls and TGI Friday's for lunch.  Here is a pic of the whole gang! All have lived in Tembagapura with the exception of one!

After lunch, Friday's prepared a little birthday cake brownie for Gabs, but first in order to get the cake, Gabs had to give a little speech.

The birthday girl and her cake!  What a beauty! :D

Then we were off to our next stop, the bowling alley!  This was quite the Motley Crew... But I think everyone had a good time!!  Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your view.... I wasn't a very good mom and beat the pants off everyone!! Yes, even the birthday girl!! lol!!

My beautiful traveling companion!

Then, we just couldn't leave the bowling alley... There is a huge arcade attached, so we had to go spend some Ringgit.

I'm not a huge fan of arcades, however, this guy fascinated me!! He was actually dancing on his back!!  He really looked like he was having a seizure, but I am pretty sure he ended the "dance" with a PERFECT SCORE!!!  When he was finished, he turned and winked at Jen and me!  Sooooo funny!!

Part of the gang driving cars.

Ted and his girlfriend!!  Yes mom, you read that right!!  ;)

Then we were finally back at the dorm!  We ordered pizza for a dorm pizza party to finish off the day.  Here's everyone singing Happy Birthday to Gabs!

And then these two knuckle heads.... They really do have a lot of fun!

All in all, Gabs had a great birthday day!  After a very busy day, Jen and I said good-bye to the kids as we had an early plane to catch the next morning!

Happy Birthday Yummy G!!  Enjoy your 14th year on this earth!  :D

Gabby Volleyball

Gabs started her Dalat experience with a bang!  She finally has settled down on her classes and is enjoying boarding life.

Again, like a kid after my own heart, she tried out for the volleyball team and made the 8th grade A team!  They had their first tournament this last weekend and her team took home 3rd place!  Yeah!! 

But before I go any further, I need to say a huge thank you to a friend of ours, Willie!  He took the time last school year to coach Gabby and two of her friends, on the finer art of volleyball, and his work and the girl's work have paid off!  Thank you so much Willie!!

Here are some of the pictures, of Gabby, I have pulled off the Dalat Athletics page on FB. Enjoy!