Its HUDSON'S 8th birthday

We had an awesome day celebrating on Friday and an action packed day on the actual b-day today. So action-packed that we are too tired to be blogging about it, sorry...

Actual pictures, run down, partying, and gifts can wait til tomorrow, especially since if I get to it before lunch it will still be his special day in KY!!

Back At It

On Wednesday we hung some wall fans and Angie, after using the hammer drill a bit, decided I was healthy enough to operate the drill on my own.

Though she did prove herself quite handy with power tools. See that awesome job?!

That is how I found myself back on a ladder exactly four weeks after my fall trying to do an Amazing Laundry Makeover. Which we did!
We took it from zero shelves to miles and miles of shelving, drying space, and hanging rods.

Special thanks to IKEA for all the parts and my new man-crush AJR who saved me from having to drill 15 extra holes in our concrete walls!

I Have No Self-Control!

One year ago I wrote a post called Stuff I'd Buy if I Had No Self-Control. Now I look back and realize we have purchased (or received) six of the seven items on the list. So, you know what that means. We have no self-control. Ouch. And we still have no zoom lens.

Maybe I'll Blog from IKEA

We have a trip to IKEA planned and since my phone can make it's own wi-fi hot spot, maybe I'll be able to create my own running blog commentary with photos while we are trying to get our stuff. This could be the most amazing way to show you how Dad and the kids feel on a day of shopping. And knowing how we feel will help you know how Angie feels, too.

Kabobs are Harder to Grill than You Think

Angie got this awesome idea to grill out some kabobs last week. It made me wish I paid more attention to that Grilling Guy on Food Network. All I actually know he does is put things under a foil tent to let it rest after he cooks it. Nice, but inadequate for my needs.
We found out we are a bit better at cutting peppers than we are pineapples. I could do a post called 'Pineapples are Harder to Cut than You Think' (I could also do the same for mangoes).
It all came together, though. We got from the kitchen to the grill.

Our extra pieces ended being for Dad since the kids wanted to eat off the skewers. The only struggle was keeping the meat from spinning on the skewer and just burning on one side. Guess I need to research that.

How colorful is that?? Pretty darn tasty, too. Well, at least Mom and Dad thought so. Bethany ... maybe not so much.

Speaking of Supermarkets...

We've been trying to remember when exactly it happened but can't do it. But last year our refrigerator compressor went out and we lost lots of important items. Most importantly, Angie's Miracle Whip.

Now a person can buy mayonnaise at any old market around here but Angie is convinced that Miracle Whip and mayo are not the same thing. So being the awesome husband that I am I started on this quest to find Miracle Whip. I literally entered every grocery store I came across in every place I went.

In and out, up and down the aisles of hot Indian grocers, searching through Mega-Import-Super-Markets (and finding Fruity Pebbles but no Miracle Whip), even in Korean grocery stores! I searched high and low to no avail. It could not be located.

Eventually I hatched a plan and some people carried MW in from another country. TWO JARS came just about a month before we left! One we opened and used those last few weeks knowing we could bring reinforcements from the USA when we returned. Which we did.

So imagine our surprise when we got back and went to a local grocery this week and saw this:

That is not just Miracle Whip, its MW in a SQUEEZE container!! And its right beside Ranch dressing (which incidentally was also by some awesome and twice-the-price Hidden Valley Ranch bottles). Miracle Whip! We couldn't believe it.

So imagine how we felt when in another spot in the same grocery we found these:
BIG Miracle Whip, Miracle Whip light, and even FAT FREE Miracle Whip. It sort of made all my fantastic husbanding look a little less impressive, which is why I bring it up. Just so no one forgets.

Fish are Friends, Not Food

At the wet market* the other day we spied this fresh-looking sight on the way in. I mean, really ... what could be fresher than a pile of little sharks??

The freshest thing of all, this poor dude was apparently yanked from the sea while in the midst of a meal!

Not sure that is how I'd like to go but I suppose there are worse ways. Like going whilst hungry. Anyway, if you want shark for supper we know where to go to "hook you up" (sorry, I couldn't resist)!

*For our purposes a "wet market" is one that sells fresh meat, especially seafood but for us would include chicken, beef, and goat/lamb as well. Normally they are incredible places to load up on fresh fruits and veggies, cheaper eggs, and meat if you don't mind buying your meat off a hook instead of in a styrofoam tray wrapped in plastic.

Other markets:

• Night market--Normally once a week where you can get clothing, cheap toys, knock-off purses, bags, and DVDs. Maybe some food but mostly just pre-prepared stuff.
• Ramadhan market--Special food markets that sell prepared dishes for breaking the fast each night during Ramadhan.
• Fruit market--This one is pretty self-explanatory
• Supermarket--Pretty much what you'd expect ranging here from the very Western kind that give away free samples to ones that are rather close to simply being indoor wet markets. They(the non-western ones) normally feature non-English signs, no air conditioning, and almost no imported goods (so you can get all the Milo cereal you want but you won't find any Honey Bunches of Oats). Plenty of Sarsi but not a Coke Light in sight...

Breakfast of Champions

After our big dinner out what to do the next day??

Cold pizza right out of the box for breakfast, thats what. People can say a lot of things but they can't say we don't deliver good on the nutrition front.

Step Up to the Plate

I have a friend who is a local pastor. We go to his church sometimes and even though we don't understand, uhm, all of it ... it is still normally a good time. He also has this thing for dragging you into stuff in a very public way so you can't say no.

Like this Sunday, we get called up front only to find out an impromptu "men's choir" is going to sing, yikes.

The ladies thought it was very funny until the shoe was on the other foot. The women couldn't be outdone.
This is how the sanctuary looked from up front with all the men on the stage.
At the end of the service, my friend leaned over and said, "Can you help receive the offering?" Then when that was done the other "usher" asked if I would do the prayer after the offering. Oh well, I guess if we were asked in advance, we'd refuse most of the time.

Dinner Out (in the yard)

We went and got some pizza tonight and the kids surprised us by getting us set up for some outdoor dining. "How?" you ask.

By taking our dining room table outside. This had two big benefits: it was way cooler outside on the shady patio AND the dining room feels much bigger now.
Also, we have these cool flowers in the yard so its a bit like eating in the Rainforest Cafe.

What a Helper!

I have been blown away this week by what a great wife I have. She has taken 10 days of helping me out of bed and making my coffee, fetching me everything I need and never complaining and she has added that to her normal duties at home without missing a beat. Not only that but she has taken on her nemesis--driving here--and has become just super at it.

So send her a few comments to tell her what a great woman she is. I try to let her know but just can't tell her enough. There is no one else I'd rather have (literally) dragging me out of bed each morning!!!

Also, tell her it's OK for me to start driving again...

We Hired a Guy For That!

Not desiring to wait the weeks my recovery will take, we called a painter to come and work on our other bedroom needing paint. Hudson and Bethany are sharing a room now and so each got to pick a color: blue for H and green for B.

The problem was we had promised the kids they could help with the painting and Bethany wasn't letting us out of that. So we hired her out to the painter as his helper. Here she got her first lesson on using the roller.
She took to it quickly but the painter was twice as fast as a normal person so we tried to get out of his way ASAP so he could get the work done!

We got a few 'after' shots but since the room isn't actually put back together, they aren't really 'after' shots now are they? Maybe they are more like 'during' shots.

Here the contrast can at least be seen a bit.
The main reason I wanted to hire a guy -- I had no ladder for this area. The ceiling fan is hanging from around 10 feet, everything about that is in the dizzy territory. The kind of feeling you only get if someone gives you free tickets to see a UK game in Rupp Arena.
So at least for now the painting is done, though, I'm sure more is on the horizon. With paint there is always one more wall to be be done...

Artists at Work

The kids have been burning up some summer days by designing their own t-shirts.

12 is B's favorite number! The rest is probably self-explanatory.
Hudson has been just making jerseys. This one was of the Reds' Joey Votto.
He was chosen for: 1) the simplicity of the jersey front (as opposed to the Cardinals); 2) the length of his name (Zambrano from the Cubs was just too long); 3) he is number 19 like Hudson.
This was his original creation from the world's greatest sporting franchise: The Atlanta Braves. Of course, Chipper is represented on the back!

Fourth of July Funtime

We had a great time on Monday with our friend Sharon having the idea of us grilling for the 4th. We thought it was awesome and think this '4th of July cookout' thing could really catch on if given a chance.

Since it the American holiday we had some chips and salsa.
Another great addition was some swimming. I really feel like this whole thing as a combo could change the way we celebrate in the States. Think of it as one whole thing: friends, sun, some meat, fire, and swimming. The possibilites are endless.
Angie made the best dessert ever: no bake cookies.

I think here I was texting Anthony and asking, "Should you flip them now?" and he was writing back, "Maybe if you are too sore to grill burgers, you should keep your opinions to your self LOL ;P" or something like that.
Meat and cheese is just enough to get Caleb to have his picture made. This may end up on our Christmas card since he rarely will sit still for a pic.
That big bag of corn on the cob was lovingly purchased and shucked by my awesome wife. Then we found it when we were ready to eat. Forgetting food in the fridge (and oven) runs in my family. We decided to nickname the corn "cranberry sauce" in honor of what we do with that particular side dish each Thanksgiving.
Thats me in my injury chair. The kids have become accustomed to me now taking that chair and hogging the remote all day. They are ready for me to get back to work. So that is the story of our big 4th of july throwdown! The best we've ever had outside America.

Next Time We Hire a Guy

Before we left for KY last fall, I promised Angie we would paint the bedrooms when we came back. Last week, in the midst of all my complaining about it, I explained if something happened to Angie I would likely never paint a room again in my lifetime. Its just not my thing.

I suppose it looks fine when its done but I don't find myself feeling more "settled" or "at home" simply because a room has been repainted. The room having a TV or wireless internet is much more important to me.

So, keeping good on my promise (even though admittedly I was being a real jerk about it) we got started painting. In the beginning things went pretty well (except for the part where I was complaining and being a jerk).

Not too long after this picture was taken, Angie and I swapped jobs and I started doing the trim work and not rolling.
To give you an accurate idea of what you shouldn't do, I was on this five-step ladder ... standing on the very top with my head pushing into the 10 foot ceiling and painting the trim. On one trip down to move the ladder, everything sort went went a little crazy. Turns out the leg had buckled and down I went with my right side crashing onto the ladder leg.
After a few moments of me trying to stand, then rolling around, and yelling I finally settled down. Angie and Caleb got me a pillow and some ice while we tried to assess the damage. We determined it was bad enough that I couldn't stand and needed real help. We were headed to the ER.
My family lovingly jumped into action doing some important things (like smoothing out the walls where I spilled all the paint, cleaning the green paint of Bethany's white bed, and making pictures of me in agony). This is me being loaded into the car so Angie and Anthony can take me to the ER.
We got quick care and after some ginger poking, an attempt at cleaning, some x-rays, and a shot we were ready to head back home. Five days later I am regaining some mobility and can actually get out of a chair with little to no assistance now.

Now I'm not a person who believes in karma but if I had it to do over again, I would actually just paint and not complain so much. I would definitely not say, "I will get this room painted today if it kills me." Because it just might.