Just Don't Be In A Hurry...

We're putting up a medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom so Ann can brush her teeth while looking into her own eyes and ask herself, "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" So we went to the store to pick this baby up and they only had one so we agreed to buy the sample.

The lady said just to wait while they took it down. Then she told me to wait downstairs and she would bring it down. After a few minutes she did. She brought it down in the box and took it all out for me to check it, since you need to check everything before you take it home. If you get it home and its missing something, that is just your tough luck.

In the comfort of our own home we have recreated the scene for you. First she carried in the box.

The box had to be opened and the styrofoam topper taken out.

Then you remove the bag from the box.

The cabinet has to be removed from the bag.
Yes, we have a wok hanging up in our bathroom. Where do you hang yours??
After being removed from the bag, freed from the styrofoam and the box, the cabinet must be opened and another box removed. Its like a Russian stack doll!
This box needs to be opened and the screws and anchors inspected. Thankfully even though they are in another bag said bag is clear to allow for inspection without opening.
And its all there. So we got to repack it all and carry it home. Why she didn't carry it down the stairs and show it off then pack it is sort of beyond comprehension. She just decided it was better to completely pack and repack the box with a couple of minutes of each other.

The best news of all?? While screwing the little handle on the side Craig gave it about quarter-turn too much and cracked the mirror. He did so without cussing ... out loud. Guess he'll get to recreate the whole scene in the near future.

Hudson's 6th Birthday

Our day got off to a great start...

There were some gifts from siblings.

Gifts from grandparents.

Gifts from parents. And gifts in cards, too.
Then we went to Burger King for Hudson's choice birthday lunch. This is the exact same place that we had all our difficulty last year on his birthday. Everything went fine today, though, we met some friends and they had a great time playing together.
Back home for some cake.
And finally the Special Davis of the Day plate and some hoecakes with grape jelly. The addition of the grape jelly to cornbread is Hudson's special idea.
There you have it another birthday in the books!

Tattoo

One thing a person can get in Borneo that you can't just find anywhere is an original hand-tapped tribal tattoo. Bob liked the idea and so we grabbed a cab and headed to the tattoo parlor to see Pip (pronounced "Peep" not like it rhymes with tip).

Pip is the guy with the sticks and the awesome earlobes. He takes these two sticks, sticks a needle in one and uses the other to tap-tap-tap the ink into your body. I counted a few times and figure in the two hours it took to complete the tattoo he must've tapped around 25,000 times!! Bob took all that tapping like a trooper and said it was less painful than a normal, machine tattoo.

Here he is hammering away.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video is worth a thousand winces. Bob was able to lay there still the whole time with Pip just having one short smoke break. I don't think I have been that still for two hours my whole life. I even keep moving in my sleep...

A look at the finished project. The longest lasting souvenir ever. Maybe when you come out (and you are WAY over 18) you might want to look into getting an Iban tattoo.

Home Again

We made it back home but as it is now officially after midnight we're going to bed. Tomorrow we'll get some pictures and videos up. Plus we'll tell the whole story about the tattoo...

Just a Note

Wanted to say we are out here but "suffering" by not having any wi-fi in our hotel. We'll update with some new photos when we get home!

Finally Some Pictures

We not only got out some on Friday we actually took some pictures, too! This girl is a friend who works at one of our favorite restaurants.

At said restaurant waiting for the noodles to come. Oddly enough one of our favorite dishes here didn't meet Mom's approval. It actually went into her mouth and then immediately shot right back out into a napkin. Amazing but true.
And of course Hudson had to beat some people at Wii. He loves to play with you but not explain the game or let you read the instructions. Then somehow ... he always wins!
Tomorrow we're headed to the airport for a couple of days on an island. If the internet connections are good, we'll keep you updated.

They're Alive!

I suppose you, dear reader, would like to know just how things are transpiring with our guests and would love to also see some photos. Unfortunately, we haven't actually made any photos yet.

We have taken the chance to eat lots of curry along with fried rice and fried noodles (and KFC and McD's). We saw some wild monkeys this morning and ate some rambutan. We haven't yet gotten any durian in them but we came awfully close to it today.

This afternoon Craig and Bob went for a foot massage which was kind of weird and maybe a touch girlish, so don't tell anyone. Its like they went to the beauty salon together but all in all still probably better than spending that particular 30 minutes in the curtain shop.

Bethany had ballet tonight and so Craig, Angie, and Grandma got to sit outside at a restaurant and Grandma just missed seeing a rat run near our table and into a downspout. For some reason she was thankful she missed that sight.

Some insights so far:

• KFC here tastes "the same as America"
• Sweet tea with lime is really delicious
• The people are really friendly
• It is hot

So after just two jet-lagged days, that is pretty good.

McDonald's at Midnight

Well, we were actually a few minutes late getting to the airport. Nothing like coming halfway round the world and having no one to meet you when you arrive. But I was watching an episode of Chuck that I had to cut short to get there when we did.

The kids' started talking about how hungry they were and so we ended up at McDonalds. Then Grandma didn't even get anything. Just using her clout to get the kids a Happy Meal toy.
So we have everyone here and no bags got lost or anything. They made their short connection by being early landing with every flight.
Angie has got in on the action with a chocolate sundae as her midnight snack. Can you believe the example she is setting???

Twitter Thing

When you load the blog you'll get a Twitter password request. If you have Twitter and follow us you can see our latest info. If not, just click CANCEL and it'll go away. Follow the link to get an account and follow us there, too, if you like.

UPDATE: Uh, never mind. I think I got it fixed.

Paint Job

We finally put stuff back in its spot and so now can do some before-and-after paint pictures. This is the living room before most of the action got rolling.

It was a collection of yellows in a flat paint. So it had a ton of smudges and was really dirty. The house is five years old and this may have been the original paint (in some places at least).
On goes the new stuff. This color ended up being a bit darker than Angie hoped which was Craig's fault. Buying paint here is not the same as getting it in the USA. Also, we told the guy more than three times not to add water to the paint as is common around here. Turns out you need to say, "Don't add ANYTHING to the paint!" Since late in the afternoon Craig saw him adding thinner to the paint pan.
A couple of walls are darker but, again, not as much contrast as Angie hoped. All three sides of the stairwell got some paint since the guy was so into his job he didn't stop painting at the end of the first one. Also, this wall goes WAY HIGH. Since the guy had no ladder he did the trim work with a brush tied to the end of his roller pole. And it looks like it, too. Abby would not approve.
These are some after shots. Not too bad. Or at least things could be worse.
Jim E and Abby will appreciate that we finally found a use for their perfectly centered screw in our wall. It holds a clock that was given to Craig. Awesome!
Just for Abby. Its probably still not straight....
This is Angie's totally cool shoe cabinet that Craig had to encounter a possibly demon-possessed, alcoholic guy to purchase. Nothing is too good for his sweetie, though!
Well, there you have it. Just the "hall" and the stairs but it took quite a bit out of us. It brought back lots of memories of us moving in last July and let us know just how far we have come in the past year!

Hmm, thats out of place

Twice lately I've been confronted by Christmas music in the oddest places. One was at the home of a guy I know. He's certainly not a Christian but when I rang his doorbell I could hear Silent Night wafting through the air from his house.

Then today as our painter was putting up a coat in our living room (which is apparently called a "hall") I distinctly heard Donald Duck humming Deck the Halls. I thought it was a kid's toy until he reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone, you can download the tone here.

"Over-Commercialization," you say? Oh yeah!! But it always makes me laugh!

Mosquito Fogging

Since July started we have had rain almost every day and so Thursday night the local health department came by and fogged our area for mosquitos. This is a look out our back door. Sorry fog doesn't show up incredibly well, does it?

There is a guy who comes around carrying some sort of device that sprays the fog out. Poor dude I don't understand how he could see. He was wearing a mask but he's just to have ears full of junk every moment of his life. I wanted his picture but there was no way to get him.
Another front door shot. After the guy on foot comes through, then they send in a truck that sprays stuff up into the air to get the 'skeeters as they come out of the trees.
I think this is the best picture. Can you see all that rolling in? I felt like a tornado chaser running to get my picture, then darting away to save myself.
Of course while this is not an everyday occurrence, its not abnormal either. The abnormal thing is the white guy taking pictures of it. Sort of like running to photograph the street sweeper. But then they don't have a cool blog to worry about, do they?

OK

We are home and safe. We are no where near the big news story. Maybe it is not even news over there!

Just So We're Clear

We went to the dentist this week and saw this awesome chart. Just had to get a picture of it.

I mean, seriously, this seems like something that could just be handled while standing in the office doorway one morning. "OK, I'm the boss and you two are equal. Any questions? Great, I didn't think so." But you know instead there was all this catty fighting that culminated in a trash can that was overflowing into the floor because no one could decide who had to empty it. Can't you just see two grown people saying, "You're not the boss over me!" to each other. The only thing missing is his MISSION and VISION statements hanging for all to read. OUR VISION: EVERY MOUTH A HEALTHY MOUTH ... OUR MISSION: FIX PEOPLE'S TEETH AND GET PAID FOR IT!!

**Wait ... did I unintentionally give away my bias about those statements? Maybe its more a product of the 25 hours of meetings it takes to just go with the first thing someone thought of, "We exist to be the best blahblahblah in the Tri-State Area." YUCK!!**
So anyway, we celebrated our cavities and the fact that Bethany had THREE fillings fall out by going for ice cream and donuts. By the way, in Glasgow those fillings cost $100 each and the Asian dentist said, "We should never talk bad about someone else's work. But those weren't done right." Fillings here? $28 each.
Hudson passed on the donuts and went straight for the ice cream. The dentist said his cavity was so bad it couldn't be filled. His advice was just wait until he can't stand the pain and then yank it out. That professional opinion cost us $5.60 (and it was his initial visit).
Not sure if Dad has cavities or not but we know where these donuts go and we know why the neighbors are calling him fat. What? Just saying, thats all.

I'm not waitin on a lady...

I'm just waitin' on a friend.

Just glimpse into the exciting lives we lead.

Ah, Asia!

Sunday morning we went for worship with a room full of Chinese people, then went out for lunch surrounded by people from India and Bangladesh. How do Kentucky folks keep their balance around all the different things going on?

Pinto Beans and Hoecakes!!

Mamma Mia??

We have finally started watching Mamma Mia after some failed attempts with a bad bootleg DVD. It leads me to wonder if this movie was really popular or if its a trick of the Asian media. I am hard pressed to think anyone would like this film. I actually think wherever Michael Jackson is right now, he is having to watch this thing!

**Spoiler alert--there are NO explosions, NO ONE gets killed and Remington Steele takes his shirt off. How did this become the biggest movie ever in the UK? Its certainly no Caddyshack...

Guess Who Doesn't Have Swine Flu!

Right-O! No one at your friendly neighborhood fast food joint. Today we went out for lunch and noticed everyone working had on these buttons. We asked if we could take a photo of one and they just gave us the button instead.

"Why?" you ask. H1N1, of course! The virus formally know as swine flu is big news here and has a few folks scared (especially of Americans). So the McEmployees were wearing buttons that announce, "I don't have a fever!"

For those of us who are metrically-challenged 37.5*C is 99.5*F (I had to look it up). That means you are healthy enough to eat/work/move about in public. We're thinking of going back 4 more times to get enough buttons to convince everyone we're not carrying any flu germs.

This has been interesting since most of our friends don't eat pork. We hear its divine judgement on pig eaters (not sure how people felt about the bird flu a few years ago but they still eat lots of chicken and eggs). Maybe its just the swine way of striking back at people who would dare drag them from the mud and into the smoke house.

At any rate, if you decide to come our way be prepared to have your temperature taken and for people's first question to be, "Are you are having any flu-like symptoms?!?"

*If there is a way to make a 'degree' symbol on a computer, I sure don't know how to do it. seems to me that and the 'cent' symbol got the short end of the keyboard stick!!

A Little Lovin from the Oven

The last trip from KY was loaded with corn meal and corn muffin mix. We have it taking up our freezer (you can't see half of it) at this point to try to keep the bugs out.
They also brought along this wonderful iron skillet. So our maiden voyage with some corn bread happened a few days ago. Turned out nice ... no sticking! Friends who send cornbread are good friends indeed!! THANKS!

Braids!

When we were in Bali, I got to have my hair braided! I already took it out though. But we got pictures...

Okay ummmm..... I didn't even know that that picture was taken!

The big finish...

Water Fun

One nice thing about Bali was the waterpark. Lots of fun in the sun and some shade that is available for rent, too.

You may need to click on this photo to enlarge but it gives you one extreme of the dress code. The girl in the middle was showing her face, hands, and feet. The whiter girls tended to show more ... some girls a LOT more. It led me to realize how hard it is to be holy at waterparks. And to wonder whose parents buy those skimpy swimsuits.
The kids' area was a bit tamer in terms of water slides and the amount of people's backsides they kept covered.
So there you have it. A hard day at the waterpark and if you want to zip across the street a nice Starbucks frap before you head home.