::Sunshine & Rain::

This morning as Evan and I woke up (we were having a sleepover in my room) the rain was pouring outside. It brought back memories of us camping in our tent. No one wishes for rain while you are sleeping in a tent, but for me I love the comfort of being nestled in our sleeping bags while the storm surrounds us. So this morning as we awoke, I was filled with memories of fun times in the summer, thoughts of home, and a longing to bring those memories back to life. The above picture in no way represents what I am talking about, but it does represent the sunshine, the sunshine that day, and the sunshine smiling from my boys' face. In life, our journey is filled with sunshine as well as rain. I think the saying goes, "We can't appreciate the sun without the rain, and a rainbow comes only AFTER the rain."

:: Master Chef ::

In the mentoring group that I belong to we have a monthly challenge to visit someone we could get to know better. This afternoon I had the privilege to spend the afternoon with two lovely ladies. Angie is on the left and Arvie on the right. Both of these ladies are on the worship team at the church and they lend their voices each week for all of us to enjoy. We shared many stories of life while we baked a carrot cake. The thing I love about us women is the way we can relate and talk across the kitchen table. Even though we are from opposite sides of the world, we each share such similar life experiences.

Panaga Highland Games

Once a year all the expats in KB look forward to the annual Highland games. I think the event has been going for about 20 years and it really is the event of the year. This is the first time I have been able to enjoy it! We started off looking at the display put on by the Garrison Army Troup. Evan loved being able to sit in the pilot seat of an army helicoptor.

The highlight of the games for Evan was the gun display. He even let out a small scream when he spotted the tent. This is where he spent a huge amount of his time trying out all the guns. He got right into it, even crawling on his belly like he was in action.

Highland Games Cont...

There were several events that were going on throughout the day. There was a relay race, Evan's rugby team played a game, wellie toss, and the most talked about tug o war. The weather was scorching, but from time to time a breeze blew over you giving you relief from the heat. There were tents dotted around the field selling food, water, and shelter from the sun.

Finally the long awaited tug o war match was commencing. Seeing that the event was a Scottish event I knew the infamous bagpipes would appear at some point. It was a perfect introduction to the Scottish tug o war team. The band preceeded the team, and for me this was my favorite part. The Scotts easily won their opponents. I never knew there was a technique for tugging on the rope. Their feet were perfectly aligned and they stepped in tune with each other, digging in as they stepped. We had a day filled with fun and we all brought a lovely sunburn home as a souvenir

:: Field Trip ::

In Evan's class they have been learning about food and farming. On Tuesday, I joined him and his class to do some research about where our food comes from. Our first stop was our local grocery store, Supersave. The kids had to find 10 foods and find out whether they were imported or local. Most of the imported food from here is imported from Australia. It gave me a good chance to actually read the labels.

After boarding the bus we headed to our local market. This market has recently been built and is a huge upgrade from the previous location. The picture on the left is the fish market. Twice a day the area is filled with fish. We have been enjoying shopping for fresh fish lately. Evan especially loves fish. He wanders around the vendors and picks a fish that he wants for dinner. The right hand side of the photo is where the fresh fruit and vegetables are sold.

As the kids looked around the stalls, there were many foods that were new to them. The highlight of the market was the tiger shark that was for sale. I think it weighed in at around 20 kilos. We were able to touch it's skin. It felt exactly like sand paper. So neat to see up close, but I can't imagine slapping it on my plate for dinner!

While I am away back in Brunei my dear boy has been having a fabulous time with his grandparents. This past week Kieran was able to try his hand at trap shooting.
Like any teenage boy, the video games he loves has to do with shooting. That day he was able to learn from the best. He had the Canadian Champion shooter training him. In his own words..." He has never seen anyone who has not trap shot before do so well" He also added a mother's worst fears, " I advise him to keep it up!"
Oh no!! What are we in for??

Girls (& Boys) Night Away

This is my good friend Kim. This past weekend both of our husbands were away. So we thought a girls night away was long overdue. Evan and I had been to the Borneo Rainforest resort before, so we thought we'd show Kim and her son Hunter around the place we've come to love.

Of course, us girls were looking forward to a natter into the wee hours, but for the boys it was all about the waterpark. Evan loved hanging out with Hunter. His favorite part was seeing how much lift he could get from the speed slides. As I've said in a previous post, this resort is nestled high up in the rainforest. So to be able to enjoy a waterpark so close to nature seems somewhat strange, but oh so fun!

We took the tour of the park pulled by a tractor. In the photo on the top right is said to look like a lady sleeping. She is facing upright with her head to the right of the picture. See if you can spot her. In the bottom two photos is a palm oil plantation. Apparently acres and acres of the rainforest was destroyed in order to plant these palm trees. The factory is making palm oil. I can't say that the landscape isn't beautiful, but I can only imagine how stunning in would have been if it had been left untouched.

Remember how eager we were to talk into the wee hours....After all our fun, the lights were out by 8! But it was so worth it!

Belated Birthday

As you know from my previous posts I celebrated my birthday back in Canada with my family. So to my surprise this morning, the ladies book club that I belong to bought me a beautiful flower arrangement. I don't think I have ever received an arrangement as big or as beautiful. I really felt loved! Thank you ladies for remembering me on my special day!

:: Final Farewell ::

Well the time back home was finally winding up. My mom and I headed over to Vancouver a day early to fit in a last minute visit with my Grandma & Grandpa. She suprised me with a birthday cake. I can't remember the last time I blew out birthday candles. It was so nice that she made my day special. Then my mom and I headed to our hotel to celebrate the rest of my birthday. We had a lovely afternoon eating and shopping. The shopping had to be minimal since my suitcases were already bursting at this point. I did manage to find a lovely purse that was a gift to me! We had planned to head out on the town that evening, but with the busyness of the previous weeks I just wanted a quiet night. So we sipped wine and had our last bit of time together. The next morning was the day I flew back to Brunei, so I wanted to fill what time I had left with my mom. The saying, "Home is where the hear is" rings true for me. Even in the distance between us, this is where I feel my heart strings tugging. I miss you already Mom!