carincraig's Xanga

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:50:05 GMT

And so time moves ever on . . . I remember my own childhood vividly, and yet now I am watching my son live his childhood. I can’t believe he is becoming such a little boy—my adorable baby, but really no longer a baby. Gabriel is one year old today, Wednesday, June 4^th!

What is it like being a one year old?

He says his favorite words—cheese, ball, baby, mama, dada, kiss, and tries to imitate many others. He follows directions very well—turn the page, comb your hair, stand up, give that to mama/dada, brush your teeth, and seems to have a great vocabulary as far as understanding what we are saying. He nods his head “yes” or “no” to our questions and sometimes even says “no, no, no” if he doesn’t like something. I haven’t heard “yes, yes, yes” yet!

He has eight teeth with more on the way. His favorite foods are macaroni & cheese, cheddar cheese, plain yoghurt, grapes, oranges, bananas, tomatos, and sauteed zucchini. His favorite toys are the wooden kitchen spoons, his books, ball, blocks, and his drum/maracas set. However, he still is much more interested in people than in toys—and he is as smiling and friendly as they come. He waves hello and goodbye, and will use his wave and his smile to try to attract people to talk to him. He’s tall and lean for his age, but still has that chubby baby face. He crawls, walks better every day, climbs the couch (or dresser!), and loves pushing his stroller around. His favorite games are tossing his ball, This Little Piggy, I’m Gonna Get You, a Korean clapping game, and blowing “raspberries” on mom, dad, the floor and just about anywhere. He loves singing, clapping, dancing, and music of all kinds. Generally he’s a pretty happy guy, unless he’s got a good reason not to be (teething, not enough sleep, etc.). But he does require a high level of energetic input from mom and dad to stay happy . . .

We feel so blessed and proud and happy to have the privilege of parenting this joyful, challenging, bright little boy. It is a challenge . . . yet a great, great joy. God has blessed us in so many ways, and He speaks to us through our little son.

Happy First Birthday, Gabriel! Here’s looking back, the first days and then month by month . . .

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:20:38 GMT

We're back up and running! We've finally--thankfully--restored and recovered our computer and photos/videos/date since we had a minor "crash" a month ago. What a relief and an answer to prayer that we didn't lose everything. Well, we now have TWO external hard drives and everything is double backed up. That's what we get for owning a laptop.

Anyway, here's us on Craig's birthday. And, we've posted some more photos and videos. Mostly, just the most recent ones since I haven't even looked at our March photos yet. Oh, and above are the cherry blossoms in bloom in the heart of Seoul. Spring is here and we're loving it!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 08:27:28 GMT

So, we don't have any new photos or videos . . . we suffered a computer glitch and are now having to run a backup program to restore our photos and videos and it is taking FOREVER. At least we are getting most of them back. We had made some disc backups months ago, but it would have been a devastating thing to lose even six months of photos . . .

Gabriel is getting so big . . . he's almost a little boy. Starting at about five months old he had some serious separation anxiety from mama. He couldn't even be left alone with his father without sobbing. Thankfully, though, that didn't last long--we did our best to build his trust and help him feel secure, and now he's exherting his independence in a big way. I (Carin) can leave him with his dad and go off alone for a couple hours and he is just fine. That is a welcome relief. The funny thing is, now he expresses his sadness when other people leave. Last week for the first time he cried when saying "bye-bye" as the door closed on Craig leaving for work. Too cute. He's done it a few times now and he loves his papa very much; he is elated when Craig comes home to the point of laughing and jumping up and down.

About once or twice a week he and I also get together with Lisa (my friend) and Evan (11 months old) for a play-date. Today, for the first time, as we said "bye-bye" at the door to Evan, once the door closed, again, his lips turned down, he started sniffling and crying. Again, so cute I think. And I think it shows a healthy attachment to those he loves and his mental recognition that he will miss them. His tears only last a few minutes and then he's done. It is fun to watch him playing so well with Evan these days. He loves it. And it brings a little bit of sanity and retreat to their mothers since they entertain each other so well.

We have found a wonderful church very near our house. The nice thing is that there are a lot of international families there (typically int'l churches here are mostly singles), and they have a fantastic kid/nursery program. We haven't worked up yet to leaving Gabriel alone in the nursery (he's just not ready yet), but the interraction with kids is great for him and one day we'll get to where he's happy and familiar with the people there and knows we'll be back for him. It's just a great option to have it there. I never knew how thankful I would be for those volunteer nursery workers. Everyone has a different opinion, but I find it interesting that some people think that it's "strange" that a little baby should be attached to his parents and that he may cry when you leave him in a room full of strangers. "What's wrong?" they ask. Or "Oh, that's too bad--he's not very secure yet?" Actually, I think, he's very secure . . . securely recognizing that his parents are where his safety is! I know I can sometimes be uncomfortable in a room full of strangers . . . why should I expect a little nine month old to be independent, uncaring of his surroundings enough that he can be left alone with strangers and not feel some sadness? Soon enough he will be pushing me away and saying "I do myself" and then I'll wistfully remember the days when he wouldn't let me leave his side. So, for now, we'll enjoy those moments when he so adoringly says, "Hey, I need you."

Maybe babies are a good reminder to us in that way--that we as adults are sometimes too detached and too hesitant to say when we love and need each other.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 12:49:42 GMT

SNOW!!!!

We've had a few snows so far this year, but none of them have stuck around long enough to get decent pictures. I was hoping for one last good snow before Spring arrived and we got it last night! Gabriel could finally have his very first snow adventure.

Gabriel is coming up on his 9 month mark (March 4) and is doing great. Teeth #5 and 6 are breaking through as I type, he is "scooch" crawling (on elbows and butt half in the air), and he stood up on his very own a couple days ago. (We were shocked as out of the blue he just stood up without holding onto anything; he promptly repeated it as we clapped and cheered.) He doesn't crawl a lot--he's not much of a mover, but he does love to stand and walk if you hold his hands. He waves 'hi' and 'bye' and gives kisses upon request, and he also is a great dancer. He loves rhythm and music, but he'll even dance if you recite poetry and he catches the rhythm. His baby-babble changes every day, and he currently says "hey", "kih" (for kiss), and "mamama".

One battle is keeping him occupied--it seems like he tires of his toys so quickly and gets bored. I've engineered some home-made toys for him and used all kinds of things from the kitchen to entertain him. Here, however, are the Top Ten Baby-Rated Toys (compiled by Gabriel; not approved by the AAP.)

1. Mom's cell phone

2. Any remote control

3. Pink Baskin-Robbins ice cream spoon (regular, not sample size)

4. Mom's wallet or change purse

5. The tube of diaper cream

6. Dad's slippers (especially to chew on, gross)

7. Any piece of paper

8. Wooden Spoons

9. Dad's flash drive (cord attached)

10. Any tag, zipper, or button that is attached to a toy, thing or person

I finally figured out how to better upload a bunch of our videos, so we have quite a few new ones as well as two new photo albums. Enjoy!

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:46:31 GMT

For those of you who have been asking . . .

On the Job (from Craig)

--My days have some hard classes and some fun ones. The ages range from kindergarten to junior high and in size from one student to nine. Interestingly enough, the kindergarten class is the easiest and the most enjoyable for me. It’s a new school so there is a bit more prep than what there should be, but I’m learning a lot and it’s been a breath of fresh air for me to be challenged in a different way.

--My boss is great. She is the only woman owner (of an English school) that anyone in the area knows about. She just took the staff out to a sea food buffet that was better than anything I’ve ever been to in the states, and she seems to genuinely take good care of her staff.

--Schedule is great. I work 1:30-8:30. Carin and Gabriel and I have more time together, and its less hours than my former job at the bike shop. My current class schedule may be changing soon due to a curriculum change, but the work hours will be the same.

--Except for a guy who does weekend camps, I’m surrounded by female teachers (totally opposite from the bike shop!). So, by default I got to play a starring role as Santa at the student Christmas party. Maybe not a convincing Santa—I need a bigger belly—but it was fun.

On the Job (from Carin)

--Well, my days are for now kept very busy with child-rearing 101. Cooking baby food, doctors visits, grocery shopping, laundry, baby play and education, and, thank goodness, the occasional nap I take with him. Anyone with good ideas for interactive play with babies? Please post a comment!

When Craig comes home by 8:45 in the evenings, we have time to eat a late dinner, play with Gabriel before he sleeps, and then maybe play a board game or occasionally watch an hour of television before we’re off to bed. Gabriel rarely fusses about going to bed and he always wakes up very happy. Our mornings are fairly relaxed as we get up late and just do stuff around the house. As Gabriel gains more independence, I hope to also have more regular time for reading, writing, and other projects during the day; right now that's pretty random. Ha! Maybe "regular time" is complete history now that I'm a mother! By the way, we've posted more Gabriel photos and pictures . . . and we'd love to hear from you!

In local news, just this weekend there was a very sad event in Seoul . . .

S. Korean landmark collapses in fire

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/10/skorea.landmark.ap/index.html

Our visit there in the fall: (Strange now to think this was our last view of it as it was.)

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:52:09 GMT

We’re Back! . . . and wishing belatedly that you had a special Advent, Christmas, New Year. The two weeks over Christmas and New Years simply disappeared for us as Craig got sick, Gabriel got mild pneumonia and a nasty virus and we ended up in the hospital for a day while Gabriel recovered on an IV. Craig had thrown up three times at work and then met us at the hospital where he sat with Gabriel and I holding a bucket which he used once; it was a night to remember (see photo of Craig and Gabriel on the hospital bed). Needless to say, we missed all of the planned holiday celebrations and had a quiet time together as family. Sometimes, though, that forced rest is more needed than we realize. We also had to postpone a trip, but both of the “boys” recovered with enough time for us to squeeze it at the last minute. We went to Yeosu, Jellanamdo on the Southeast coast of Korea for four days during Craig’s vacation. We’ve posted photos of that trip as well as of the holidays. (For you Portlanders, Jeollanamdo is the “Oregon” of Korea’s provinces in many ways. Revolutionaries, laid-back, naturalists, foodies, multi-cultural cities, artists, etc.)

So, what was it like having a fairly sick baby in Korea? Thankfully, there’s a special clinic for foreigners associated with the closest & largest hospital to us. To give you an idea of how nice it is, the US military has an ongoing contract with them to send them the soldiers who have issues beyond the expertise/equipment that the military has available on base. The clinic was extremely helpful during Gabriel’s illness and our ensuing trip to the ER after the Dr.’s referral. Because of the Korean healthcare system, Gabriel and I are automatically covered under Craig’s healthcare free of charge. His healthcare costs us $50/month. So, for a visit to the hospital pediatrician, a day in the ER, an IV drip, four medications, blood-work, and a chest x-ray, would you like to venture a guess what our entire co-pay was? Ok, just to help you out . . . the typical local clinic doctor co-pay is $1.50. The typical single medication co-pay at the pharmacy is $1.50. And this is not third-world healthcare; it is very good care and occasionally more advanced than at your average US practitioner. The clinic I usually take Gabriel to has a mini-camera that looks in his ears/throat and projects the image on a large TV screen so I can see it as well as the doctor. Granted, they typically don’t have great “bedside manner” and you’re in and out very quickly, but I don’t mind that too much. Had enough time to guess? We paid $9 when we left the ER. Taxi ride home: $4. We were so thankful for that little blessing. I have to laugh when people here complain that having a baby is so expensive—typically around $500-900 from conception to birth. Well, a year later we will still be trying to pay off our bills from Gabriel’s birth alone. At least he is well worth it! I saw an article recently that ranked Oregon as the #1 place to have a baby, and I’m glad we were there for the first, especially since it was such a difficult labor. It was also worth the amazing doctor we had, the open communication and the freedom to make decisions about his birth free of too much pressure. It’s hard to believe how soon he’ll be a little boy, no longer a baby.

“What can we prove about Christ’s coming in glory? Nothing. It is far beyond the language of limited proof. Indeed, our entire faith rests on a joyous acceptance of the factually impossible. When we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating that amazing time when the Word that shouted all the galaxies into being, limited all power, and for love of us came to us in the powerless body of a human baby. My faith is based on this incredible act of love, and if my faith is real it will be expressed in how I live my life, but it is outside the realm of laboratory or scientific proof. God—the holy and magnificent Creator of all the galaxies and solar systems and planets and ocean sand forests and living creatures—came to live with us not because we are good and morally virtuous and what God’s creation ought to be, but precisely for the opposite reason, because we are stiff-necked and arrogant and sinful and stupid. We have indeed strayed from God’s ways like lost sheep. God still loves us so much that Christ, the second person of the trinity, the Word, came to live with us as one of us, and all for love.” --Madeleine L’Engle 1918-September 2007

Nativity at MyongDong Cathedral in downtown Seoul

(Don't forget to check out the photos & videos we've added under our photo and videolog sections!)

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 06:54:19 GMT

Grandma’s Legacy

Yesterday, my 98-year old grandmother, Lucille Lacey Waite, went home to be with the Lord. I will miss her very much. It some ways it has been difficult because even though she was old, she was fairly healthy and her decline happened suddenly and unexpectedly over the past two weeks. Just two weeks ago she was walking around, typing letters, playing board games. However, I am glad her passing was quick and that she went in her sleep; she was never one to sit still (a year ago my mom caught her mopping floors from her walker!), and she didn’t have to suffer much. My father was able to be with her, and I am also happy for that. There are so many ways that my grandmother impacted my life and others. I would like to share a few:

The Family Network—Grandma never missed sending a card for a birthday, an anniversary, a graduation. She made a calendar every year that had the special dates for all of her children, grandchildren, even great-grandchildren, and she made a successful effort to always celebrate and remember those days with a phone call, a card, a $20 check. One tradition for us was that the summer we turned 13, we got to go spend a month or two living with grandma and go on adventures all over Southern California. She always spoke to us and treated us like we were little adults, and I think that gave us a real sense of confidence.

Health, Imagination, Activity—My grandmother wasn’t big on processed foods or fast foods. Visits at her house included lots of vegetables from the garden, homemade custard, and home-squeezed juice. Breakfasts were always expected to be eaten well and included oatmeal, hard-boiled eggs, toast, juice, and orange slices. Although the TV usually came on for Jeopardy, my grandmother made a game of it to challenge our minds. Other than that, we didn’t watch TV much at grandmas, instead we looked forward to going out to the shed in the backyard and opening up the big trunk of amazing dress-up clothes and accessories and my father’s old toys. We’d create little towns out in the dirt for the toys and spend hours dressing up like Annie Oakley or a World War I soldier and acting. Then grandma would get us to come inside and play game with her—Rummikub, Scrabble, King’s Corner. She never missed her daily crossword puzzle, and always enlisted our help. And, of course, vacations at Grandma’s included gathering eggs at 6am, planting a tree, going for a hike or a walk each day, and volunteering at the local Community Club. Even in her 90’s she did not miss her daily walk. We never sat around and wondered what to do at grandma’s; she would shoo us out of the kitchen and tell us to go play while she washed dishes.

Letter-writing—when I was little, we lived very far away from our grandparents. My grandmother would write letters to us individually and always included a stick of gum or comics cut out from the Sunday paper. Her letters would be long and newsy and would talk about other family news or about simple happenings like the chickens they were raising, the garden that was growing, or the gopher grandpa just shot. Each letter was a story for us. By example she encouraged us to be letter writers.

A Love for Books—my grandmother loved books and she more than passed that love of reading along to us. She often sent us books—a tradition that continued up to a few months ago when she sent me one of her old books for my birthday. Not only did grandma send us books, but she recorded herself reading entire novels to us on tape. Books like The Arkansas Bear, The Little Colonel, and The Secret Garden. She often chose books that weren’t mainstream but that were classics from the 20’s to the 50’s, and they were stories that greatly expanded our world. She loved books about travel and about missionaries . She also gave us subscriptions to National Geographic, Ranger Rick, and Zoo magazines for birthdays or Christmas. She wanted us to know about nature, travel, and the world beyond cartoons and gadget toys.

Adventure—my grandmother hiked part of the Grand Canyon in her late 70’s. For her 60th wedding anniversary she went for a glider ride. At age 95 she took a hot air balloon ride and loved it. Whenever we would visit, there would be some kind of adventure—a trip to the Wild Animal Park, a hike in a canyon, or camping in Death Valley. She was the “master camper” and we always went camping when at grandma’s. We never needed to bring anything—grandma had the entire camping outfit—many pieces of “gear” her own creation to make the campsite more convenient and like a home.

A Heart that Sought to Know God—Although my grandmother was not super outspoken about her spiritual life, but she did not need to be. She lived a quiet example and so often I remember her reciting entire chapters of scripture she had memorized and hearing her praying diligently for family, missionaries, and friends.

Generosity and Compassion—From my early years, I remember going on an errand with my grandmother and suddenly stopping at a small grocery store. We would walk in, buy orange juice and some snacks and then drive back down the small highway to the spot where she had seen Mexican immigrants hiding in a culvert. It’s so hot, she’d say, they must be very tired and thirsty. She did not care that they were illegal, hiding from immigration officials—she saw them as people who needed care and that was what she offered. My grandmother had very little money, and yet she was always sent her grandchildren money for birthdays or graduation—even if it meant she had to skimp a bit on other extras for herself. I think I rarely visited her without her handing me cash and refusing to take it back if I declined.

Some may have criticized her for not being more frugal, but my grandmother had a real sense of “you can’t take it with you”. Don’t buy me flowers for my grave, she’d say—I don’t want you to waste your money that can be put toward something else. If you really want to get me flowers, give them to me now so I can at least enjoy them. Last Christmas we gave her a lily bulb, which I heard about her enjoying in the following months—even at 98, she’d sit and type me letters. Over the past number of years, she started sending me back some of the souvenirs and gifts I’d given her over the years—she knew they’d be a way to remember her and after moving in with my Aunt, she only had a small bedroom. Long years ago she started labeling the bottoms of knick-knacks and keepsakes in her home with names of children and and grandchildren; she didn’t want anyone fighting over her possessions, and she wanted her things to go to whoever had admired them or given them to her.

I am so happy that in September before we left for Korea we were able to visit her and introduce her to Gabriel. We took her out to dinner (though in her typical generosity she insisted on giving us $20 gas money for our road trip). Even at 98, she insisted on going out for dinner because she’d been at home all day. For some reason, having her meet Gabriel was important to me; though he won’t remember it, he’ll see the pictures. I hope I can pass along to him some of the wonderful things my grandmother taught me; his life will be richer for it.

As my mother (her daughter-in-law) just wrote so well in an e-mail: (She was) “an amazing and inspiring Godly woman who left all of us with a legacy of her deep faith in the Lord and love of life. She will be missed greatly. May we be challenged to live a life so full of love for the Lord and concern for others so evident. She lived Colossians 3:23, ‘Whatsoever you do, do it heartily as to the Lord . . .’ To God be the glory for a life well spent.”

My three brothers less than two weeks ago with grandma.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 13:41:19 GMT

Gabriel is six months old today!

He weighs in at almost 17 1/2 lbs. (8 kilos) and is almost 28 inches long. He can sit up on his own very well now, and he loves to stand up when we hold his hands. He is experimenting with sounds a lot more, though he's always been very verbal. Carin will pick him up each day and say, "kisses!" then kiss his cheeks and mouth. He has now started smiling and saying, "kih! kih!" whenever she says "kisses". He loves it. We are thoroughly enjoying his fun personality--he still just loves people, loves to laugh, and loves to snuggle. He's alot more interested in his toys now as well, which helps out a lot. He still doesn't sleep all the way through the night, but as of a few weesk ago he's also started eating cereal twice a day, so we're hoping that happens sometime soon! Carin makes all of his food from scratch; it is both cheaper and healthier, and a lot of fun! He is a great eater--from the beginning there was no spitting it out, no faces, no fussing. He'll eat anything and eat it cold, warm, watery or thick. It's been rather uneventful!

Oh, and the big news is that one week ago his first tooth broke through! It's been a couple months of tears and fussing in the making, but it's finally here! (He got his first tooth and his first cold the same week, poor guy!) He's now working on two or three more . . . it's fun to watch him feel his tooth and try to figure out how it got in there. We've posted a bunch of photos in a "six months old" file for those who are interested . . .

. . . coming up next, the report on Craig's job!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 13:39:30 GMT

Sometime during the first week we were here, we noticed we’d hear a large dog barking a few times a day. (Occasionally accompanied by shreaking school girls.) Hardly worth note back in Portland; however, here where living spaces are so small, tiny yappy 'rat' dogs are the popular thing. Our upstairs neighbor has one; sorry, but I find them very annoying. So, to hear a deep, loud bark was surprising. However, we could never quite tell where it was coming from. Then, the other day, I heard it and ran to the window once again and looked down in the street. No dog. He barked again—I looked up. There on the ROOF of the apartment across and down the street from us was a big Doberman Pinscher silhouetted against the dusky sky. It was surreal to be sure. I guess his owner lives in the top of the 3-story building and lets him out on the peaked roof to stretch his legs. Next thought . . . WHY would you want a Doberman in small city apartment? Strange to me. It took me days, though, to finally capture him on film (below).

Anyway, now for our next topic:

Our Living Situation . . .

--Our apartment is great! (See video under videos, though we're working on an updated one, so stay posted). It’s a two-bedroom, which we weren’t expecting, and which it turns out is a very good thing to have. Our bedroom is much bigger than our bedroom in Portland was, but it will also double as a living-room space, since the kitchen-dining area is fairly small. Our second smaller room is study/storage and guest room for anyone who visits! We may even change things around and end up using our smaller room for our bedroom and the large room for living room and study.

Although Korean apartments can have living rooms, people are more likely to meet friends at coffee shops or various meeting places rather than visit homes. The city area is so big that many people you meet may live a good hour commute away by bus or subway. It’s often easier to find a central location to hang out. Therefore, when trying to make the most out of apartment space, often the first two things to be minimized are the “living room” and the bathroom. So, many small apartments will not have a formal living room. It is also quite common traditionally to have doors to every room in your house or apartment—even the “living room”.

Furnishings

Our apartment was furnished, but minimally as per our contract. However, whereas the USA has Craigslist, Korea has the streets . . . really. There are no yard sales, no Goodwill, no flea markets here like Westerners are familiar with. Instead, when moving, anything unwanted gets left in the street outside the apartment for “free pickings”. However, many Koreans not being partial to leftovers, they don’t take things as often. Sometimes at night we take a walk to scavenge the streets for treasures . . . furniture, bicycles, computers . . . if it stays out there more than a couple of days, recycling trucks pick it up or . But a lot of it is really nice stuff. So, we now have the great desk setup and wooden glass cabinet that are pictured below. We also scored a couple of chairs. Next thing I’m hoping for: a gliding rocker. Next thing Craig’s hoping for: junker bikes to restore his bike part collection.

We miss: a clothes dryer (very uncommon here, I’m told because of energy costs and space—our clothes dryer is a large metal rack, which at least works well due to the floor heating), a Western washing machine—ours takes literally hours to wash one tiny load of clothes and there’s no hot water to it (rough when you’ve got baby-laundry), having an oven (not much Asian food is baked—ovens are available here but they are very small and expensive. They’re like a large, deluxe toaster oven), having a huge walk-in closet (it’s very Asian/Euro-style here—the method of storage is wardrobes or standing clothes racks), our memory foam mattress—the belief here is the harder the better since traditionally the floor is slept on—we still have sore back many mornings due to a cheap rock-hard mattress.

We love: taking our shoes off and leaving them on a shelf by the door, heated floors, double-sets of sliding windows block sound and cold (one set ‘frosted’ glass for privacy), super hot water, great water pressure, a gas stove, a completely tiled bathroom with a drain in the middle—makes cleaning the bathroom easy, simply spray with cleaner and hose it down! And we love living walking distance to scores of restaurants, parks, stores, etc. Finally, we love the weather—(not missing the Portland rain)—the fall colors have been gorgeous, it has been blue skies most days and it is now clear and cold. We had our first dusting of snow yesterday due to a cold snap, but it’s dry, sunny and in the 40’s most days—just beautiful!

That said, no matter where you live there will be things you love and things you could do without—our life here is different, and we are enjoying learning how to live with the differences, how to adjust, and how to also make things—sometimes--a little more like we like it!

We recently took a weekend overnight trip with Craig's co-worker's family to the east ocean and mountains. It was a quick trip but nice to get out of the city. Below are the mountains and a lake by the coast.

Oops! Forget to add these at first, though I mentioned them. Here they are . . . our "freebies"!

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 12:38:48 GMT

I'm working on our next official "topic"--in the meantime, Trick or Treat!

Also, we are very blessed to have met a Canadian couple at church who are a few years younger than us and have a six month old boy. We have gotten together with them a couple times already and are encouraged by the beginning friendship and sharing of similar experiences. They're from Vancouver, B.C. and he is teaching English here as well. Here's Gabriel with his new-found friend!