Thank you for all the wonderful wishes! Many of you asked what I did for my 1st Indian birthday as well as my 1st annual 39th:) It was PERFECT!!!
I took the day off so I was not a Target team member for the day:)
But... I did get 6 ouquets of flowers from work. My house looks like a florists. Its beautiful!
I got up, went for a run, took Billy to the airplant museum (Billy "Wow, Holy Cow, Look at dat airpane! Wow! A Helicoper, Wow, Holy Smokes, Wow !! ) then I picked Kay up from school and we went shopping (bought a new pair of jeans, shoes and a tshirt) had lunch and got our nails done. Then after a hour rest I took Jimmy to Shrek 3 where he proceeded to eat a foot long hot dog a box of popcorn a chocolate milkshake and an orange pop. Then he said, "can I have another hot dog, I'm still hungry". It was his 1st real movie theather experience and he was very very good. Then, I came home to LOTS of home made cards and presents, cake and champange. Tom gave me 4 photo albums - 1 from the last year here, and then 1 for each of the kids, PLUS he printed out our entire blog and put it in a nice hard cover folder. Plus... I got a spa certificate, 2 books and money from my parents (which will promptly go toward the new clothes I bought). But, the best part was the really really nice card and letter my Mom and Dad wrote. Then a friend stopped by for a drink and ended up staying for dinner. ALL and ALL a PERFECT day.
Saturday I got my hair cut and colored as there is NO way I was going to be 39 and have a boring hair cut. I had the style and color all picked out and had many many pictures of what wanted. 4 hours later .... my hair looked NOTHING like what I requested. But... it also wasnt boring or conventional. The stylist was convinced it looked exactly the way it should ..."Ma'am you look 10 years younger" "See its the same" Needless to say, it is cute (I think....) but its very red and sometimes orange depending on the light. She kept saying "no...its copper". Really, its not Ronald McDonald red, but a cute dark Jan Reagan red. The fact that I asked for blond hightlights didnt seem to phase her. Billy told me Saturday he "didnt like it" but then changed his mind on Sunday and said "I like your hair mommy". I dont recognize myself in the mirror and Tom thinks they did a Wife swap on him... I'll try to get a cute picture to post.
That night we had an Indian Catholic wedding reception and a party. The wedding reception was like a Wisconsin VFW, explosion in pink affair. They even played Roll out the Barrel. Good fun:) The party was also a great time with terrific food and music I hadnt heard in ages (actually new cutting edge stuff, not 80's)
Sunday was happy/sad as the 1st 2 families we met when we moved here (met them both the 1st day we arrived) are moving this week (Debbie, Simon, Freddie and Hope to Conneticut and Carol back to Canada) so ... we had brunch at the Taj West End with them...all you can drink
champagne brunch with shrimp, scallops, cavier,oysters on the 1/2 shell and filet mignon. But.. everyone kept eating hot dogs. It was hysterical. It turns out they had German sausages and mustard flown in for the weekend and you can tell that's a big luxury and that was what everyone had on their plates while the seafood went ignored:) It was WAY fun and WAY spendy. But... it was our last chance to spend such a high rent Sunday with people we love:)
It took forever to say goodbye. There were hugs, more hugs, kisses, goodbyes, pictures, more hugs, promises to text message, email, etc... Finally, in the car on the way home, Jimmy said "wow, I'm really going to miss Freddie. This is hard." Yep, it is hard. We finished off the busy and outstanding weekend with a Taco Salad and a 9:00pm bedtime.
Very very nice.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Fathers Day!!!
We Murphy children are feeling quite literary these days. We had so much funny writing our Mothers Day blog that we decided to write the sequel, our Father’s Day blog.
Our Daddy is the BEST!! He is Dedicated to our every whim and need (ie. Chocolate) , he is Attentive to our friends (ie parties), he is Determined that we grow up nicely (ie. No fighting), he is Dashing (ie particularly in his new kurta’s) and he is Young at heart (ie. Swimming, biking and playing with us).
Here is what we wrote in his Father’s Day cards:
Jimmy – I love my Daddy, he makes me good food for dinner. He rents me movies and let’s me eat popcorn in the living room.
Kay – I yove you Daddy, now…. OPEN your presents!!
Billy – I love you too Daddy, especially when you let me sleep in between you and Mommy.
We also wanted to tell you about all the great things Daddy does….
For our family – he never forgets anyone’s birthday and is great at calling to talk and wish people all the love they can handle in the next year.
For charities – he works on the Charity Committee and supports anywhere from 3-5 charities at any given time. Helping them get money, supplies and resources they need for the kids in India that cant help themselves.
For our friends – he is GREAT at helping people adapt to India. He throws “welcome to India” parties, takes them shopping, finds them drivers/maids/cooks, gives them tours of Bangalore, helps them make friends.
For school – he got us all our books, supplies and uniforms. He did this not just for us, but for all our friends in Palm Meadows too since the line was so d_mn long (he waited in line for 3 hours!!)
For fun – he is always the 1st to help organize a party, plan the food, decide on a theme and insure everyone is having fun.
For our Mommy – he makes sure that she feels loved
For us – see all of the above!!
On Fathers Day we tried to treat him very nicely. Here was his day…
Sleep until 9:30am (after he slept with Billy from 3-5am due to Billy wanting to cuddle)
Presents, cards and a big omelet breakfast
Swimming at the pool
Tasty lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup
A NAP!
A head massage
Steak dinner complete with champagne, red wine, ice cream sundaes and our favorite neighbors
A nice phone call with each and every one of my brothers, sisters and parents.
SLEEP!!!
WE LOVE YOU DADDY!!!
Our Daddy is the BEST!! He is Dedicated to our every whim and need (ie. Chocolate) , he is Attentive to our friends (ie parties), he is Determined that we grow up nicely (ie. No fighting), he is Dashing (ie particularly in his new kurta’s) and he is Young at heart (ie. Swimming, biking and playing with us).
Here is what we wrote in his Father’s Day cards:
Jimmy – I love my Daddy, he makes me good food for dinner. He rents me movies and let’s me eat popcorn in the living room.
Kay – I yove you Daddy, now…. OPEN your presents!!
Billy – I love you too Daddy, especially when you let me sleep in between you and Mommy.
We also wanted to tell you about all the great things Daddy does….
For our family – he never forgets anyone’s birthday and is great at calling to talk and wish people all the love they can handle in the next year.
For charities – he works on the Charity Committee and supports anywhere from 3-5 charities at any given time. Helping them get money, supplies and resources they need for the kids in India that cant help themselves.
For our friends – he is GREAT at helping people adapt to India. He throws “welcome to India” parties, takes them shopping, finds them drivers/maids/cooks, gives them tours of Bangalore, helps them make friends.
For school – he got us all our books, supplies and uniforms. He did this not just for us, but for all our friends in Palm Meadows too since the line was so d_mn long (he waited in line for 3 hours!!)
For fun – he is always the 1st to help organize a party, plan the food, decide on a theme and insure everyone is having fun.
For our Mommy – he makes sure that she feels loved
For us – see all of the above!!
On Fathers Day we tried to treat him very nicely. Here was his day…
Sleep until 9:30am (after he slept with Billy from 3-5am due to Billy wanting to cuddle)
Presents, cards and a big omelet breakfast
Swimming at the pool
Tasty lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup
A NAP!
A head massage
Steak dinner complete with champagne, red wine, ice cream sundaes and our favorite neighbors
A nice phone call with each and every one of my brothers, sisters and parents.
SLEEP!!!
WE LOVE YOU DADDY!!!
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Saravana weds Sunita
The much anticipated wedding of our driver Saravana to Sunita has finally arrived and what a production it was.
The Friday before the wedding had us at the home of Sarvana to witness the Puja ( blessing/prayer) of the groom. The entire family is present and they apply a colorful mixture of different herbs to his face,arms,head and feet. The groom to be dressed all in white, was escorted to the puja spot by his Uncle and then each of the family, including Tracy, applied the mud like substance until he was completely covered. The we all were then painted on our faces and then we washed up and left. Quite interesting.
The following day was the reception ceremony. The Hindus have the reception before the marriage as not everyone is invited to the actual wedding ceremony.
We arrived at the reception hall around 5:00 in the afternoon admits a great deal of fanfare.
The Loudamericans 3/5th dressed in Korean Hanbok"s and Tracy in a Saree and Tom in a navy blue wool suit (the groom demanded it) and was only about 95 degrees!
The waiting had begun as this event goes on and on and on and we never really know what is happening. All of a sudden the "orchestra" starts to play as loud as they possibly can the singer begins to sing off key and loud while moving around the throng of people in some bizarre Vegas nightclub/lounge lizard dance while everyone there pays them no mind. This will happen two or three times until the singer either has performed all the songs required or someone just asks then to leave because they can not take it anymore! I am not sure which.
At this point the crowd rises and gets into line to give their congratulations to the "couple" and their family. The people parade past them and get their picture taken and hand over any gifts they may have.
I am unsure how many of the people in our picture were actual members of Saravana or Sunita's family however there were several.
The kids at this point have gone beyond meltdown stage as well as haven eaten all the "western snacks" we brought. Their colorful hanbok's were dull and dirt cover their faces sweat covered and their hunger overwhelming as we headed down stairs for the dinner.
The traditional Hindu meal served at these events is veg only, rice,some curd,chutney,roti,you get the idea all the food is runny and served on a banana leaf with no silverware it was a mess.
The kids ate only rice but we managed to fill them and us up as the food was very good.
We then bid everyone good bye as we sadly took Julie to the airport.
Billy was very cute as all the way to the airport he kept saying to Julie, "take me with you Julie, take me with you"!
He was telling her Julie I love you Julie as she was standing in the two block long line for the terminal..We will miss her and if you have not read her blog it is a couple of entries back.
Sunday we got up early and headed back to the wedding hall for the actual ceremony itself. The event is not unlike the event the night before however we were all decked out in our formal Indian wear. There were many of the same people wondering around the groom in a traditional headpiece and white outfit the bride in one of the 75 Saree's purchased for the event.The photographers as usual set up right in front of the wedding alter and not allowing anyone to see, not that people were watching.They were all just milling about as before talking and every so often something would happen and people would rush to the couple to see. There are many rituals that occur at the wedding, the couple receives 7 wreathes of flowers and walks 7 times around the alter,7x7, interesting. There is a fire that is there throughout the ceremony into which oils and flowers and prayers are placed, not unlike a burning bowl, the couple eats only veg food to help cleanse their bodies and make room for the new life and experiences that are ahead.
We were feed another fabulous meal and bid or farewells. All in all quite the experience. Our driver is now on holiday until the 25th of June at which time we are sure to hear about all the behind the scene issues and family drama that always surrounds events such as these!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Ooty = Damn Cold, Fast Rides & Cow Trees
In an effort to show my sister more of India than Bangalore, we debated and debated where to spend the weekend. Tom and I threw out ideas - Cauvery, Cochin, Pondicherry? Each and every one was met with the same remark from our driver - How about Ooty? How about Ooty? How about Ooty? It didnt take us long to realize that he really wanted to go to Ooty AND since he was going to be driving us, should he have a major vote in the decision? So, off we go to Ooty our resident "hill station".
A hill station is a town in the mountians, which usually house all the tea and coffee plantations you can handle. The weather is famous for being cool, the atmosphere peaceful, the flowers beautiful and the food fabulous. Why wouldnt you want to go?!
On the way, you pass through a national forest and elephant camp. Its really quite pretty and Billy coined a new phrase "Mommy - Look, the cow trees" Please see the photo. It tells the whole story....
After a 7 hour journey what we didnt realize about Ooty is ...
~ Its DAMN COLD
~ It is "fast ride" heaven
Of course, being Minnesotans, when people told us to pack our warm clothes, did we listen? What would they know, we thought. They think 70 degrees is cold. When it hits 75 degrees we see all the locals wearing stocking caps and scarfs. So... did we heed the warnings? No. Off we go with shorts, tshirts and our crocs. We werent there 10 min's and we realized we were in trouble. Not only could we see our breathe, but our room had a fireplace in it and it promptly started raining. While I'll admit that it was a nice break from our 110 degree heat, I'll also admit that I havent been this cold sleeping since I slept in the back of a pick up in Duluth 2 years ago. (The sad part was that this time I was INSIDE a house!! Yes Wendy, I had on my stocking cap). Adding to the cold was the fact that we stayed in this very regal, old, English country house. It dated back to 1850 and I sure feel for those people. While regal and grand, it was also drafty and damp. At least the beds were nice and big as all 3 kids ended up in our bed both nights. I think they were afraid of hypothermia!
Speaking of the kids, they loved Ooty. I am calling it our "ride" weekend. We went on bumper cars, go carts, merry go rounds, a motorcycle ride, 2 train rides, tons of car time AND a 2 hour horseback ride into the mountains. Each of us had our "own" horse. (of course Billy and Kay were nice enough to share their horses with Tom and I). This is not your trail rides of days gone by (you know, the ones where the horses knew the path so well they did it in their sleep and couldnt be turned or stopped by a 200 lb guy...) Nope, this is India and these were real trail rides, up the mountain, through the mud, into the thickets, under trees, over logs and finally ending in a downpour. Julie's horse was "fast", so the guides kept a hand on the reigns. When she remarked she might want a slower horse, they proceeded to switch her horse with Jimmys. Of course, let's give the 5 year old the fast horse. That makes perfect sense. Jimmy loved it and was galloping before we knew it. I do have to say, it was one of my highlights of India!
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Guest Blogger - My sister Julie
The following blog is being written by Julie. The thoughts and comments here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the blog 'owners' (just kidding Julie, go for it)my trip to india.
Where should I start? The wonderful smells, the traffic or the wonderful bathrooms (please refert back to wonderful smells). I guess I should start at the begining of my trip. I flew in from Thailand with Tracy Tom and the kids. After spending five weeks in Thailand where the cities are very clean, easy to get around and relatively little trafiic, I felt like I had landed on another planet. The highlights of my trip was first spending time with Jimmy Kay and Billy. They are so unique and individual and funny and too smart and way too cute. Jimmy is speaking with a Indian accent and both Kay and Jimmy are speaking tamil. The second thing is the food. Tracy and Tom are truly blessed because they have an amazing cook. I think I am the only person in the world who goes to India and gains weight. Raj and Flor would make 6 or 7 different dishes for lunch and dinner and all of them were amazing.
Tracy set me up with her auruyvedic doctor to study with and if anybody out there needs to be healed this IS the guy. He would see maybe 20 people in one hour. People who had everything from cancer to paralysis, high blood pressure, obesity, sliped discs, ALS... anything he would cure. After a 10 minute session he would relieve peoples symptoms by 90 percent to 100 percent. These people would be fighting their diseases for years or in pain for 10 15 20 years and in 10 minutes they were almost cured. It is truly amazing . His therapy at first seems very simple, almost like a plasibo. But after learning what he was actually doing, it was extremely detailed and complex but at the same time very simple. He starts out by feeling your hand and feeling what element is in exceess. Then he balances it by doing reflexogy, accupresure, homeopathy and then he ends with taping seeds on your fingers.
The traffic is crazy here. Its amazing, a five kilometer trip may take two hours. You have cows just hanging out in the middle of the street. Everybody is constantly honking at each other. People are just squating off on the sidewalk going pee or poop. Every five feet tere is a huge pile of garbage and people are just throwing there garabage out their windows. When we were on our way to Ooty we awere driving down the highway and on the median right in the center of the very busy highway a guy is taking a nap.
A very different planet:)
Where should I start? The wonderful smells, the traffic or the wonderful bathrooms (please refert back to wonderful smells). I guess I should start at the begining of my trip. I flew in from Thailand with Tracy Tom and the kids. After spending five weeks in Thailand where the cities are very clean, easy to get around and relatively little trafiic, I felt like I had landed on another planet. The highlights of my trip was first spending time with Jimmy Kay and Billy. They are so unique and individual and funny and too smart and way too cute. Jimmy is speaking with a Indian accent and both Kay and Jimmy are speaking tamil. The second thing is the food. Tracy and Tom are truly blessed because they have an amazing cook. I think I am the only person in the world who goes to India and gains weight. Raj and Flor would make 6 or 7 different dishes for lunch and dinner and all of them were amazing.
Tracy set me up with her auruyvedic doctor to study with and if anybody out there needs to be healed this IS the guy. He would see maybe 20 people in one hour. People who had everything from cancer to paralysis, high blood pressure, obesity, sliped discs, ALS... anything he would cure. After a 10 minute session he would relieve peoples symptoms by 90 percent to 100 percent. These people would be fighting their diseases for years or in pain for 10 15 20 years and in 10 minutes they were almost cured. It is truly amazing . His therapy at first seems very simple, almost like a plasibo. But after learning what he was actually doing, it was extremely detailed and complex but at the same time very simple. He starts out by feeling your hand and feeling what element is in exceess. Then he balances it by doing reflexogy, accupresure, homeopathy and then he ends with taping seeds on your fingers.
The traffic is crazy here. Its amazing, a five kilometer trip may take two hours. You have cows just hanging out in the middle of the street. Everybody is constantly honking at each other. People are just squating off on the sidewalk going pee or poop. Every five feet tere is a huge pile of garbage and people are just throwing there garabage out their windows. When we were on our way to Ooty we awere driving down the highway and on the median right in the center of the very busy highway a guy is taking a nap.
A very different planet:)
Reflections on the 9th year of marriage
Each year, Tom and I have a ritual. On our anniversary and the kids birthdays, we write in a journal reflecting on the year.
The ritual started in the weeks before we were to get married. Everyone kept telling us "remember this time". Since we have shoddy memories, the best way we could think to do it was to write it down. What a gift! We now have 2 books filled with memories of our married life... Day by day leading up to our wedding, the wedding weekend itself and the honeymoon afterwards. We re-read it each year and always get a good laugh. This proved to be so much fun and such a great way to appreciate all our blessings, that we kept it up. Each year we write in this journal.
When we were adopting the kids, again, we wanted to remember each tiny detail. So, they each have their own book detailing the wait for them to "come home", the trip to meet them and their 1st few weeks at home. We also then have yearly updates on their accomplishments (Plus this is way easier than trying to scrapbook a baby book after each "milestone". Call me lazy and uncreative, its OK. Its true!)
Since these books are so incredible and important to us, we left them in Minnesota. Naturally. Now, what to do...
You, lucky readers, will, for the next year, be "previe" to our deepest thoughts, secrets and remembrances from the last year. Consider it a love note to ourselves and our family:)
Hence "Reflections on the 9th year of marriage"
Holy Cow - 9 years. Each year has gotten progressively more busy, high speed, fun and comfortable (in the best possible way). But, I'd have to say, this year takes the cake. Not only did we make it, we made it through moving to India, countless trips, kid milestones like school, potty training, talking and .... we are still together. How lucky am I?!! How lucky are we!
Highlights:
Travel -
We started the year with a great adults only retreat to Bayfield WI. It was GORGEOUS. We saw bears, went mountain biking, drank wine, ate fish, and basically enjoyed our only alone time for the next year.
We snuck in our annual trip to Glen Lake to be with the Hickey side of the family for 10 glorious days of grandmas/grandpas, moms/dads, sisters/brothers in law, cousins, aunties/Dadu, swimming, sand dunes and ice cream.
We had a fabulous weekend in Victoria Minnesota at Grandpa and Grandma Murphy's cabin where we took photos of the whole family and had a great time just being together.
Next, the BIG trip to Bangalore India. Zoinks, 30+ hours on a plane with 3 kids followed by 2 weeks in a hotel. I am not sure that I would recommend this for everyone but it was a great learning experience for our family. I guess that's what this blog is all about:)
India trips included; Mysore, Cochin, Munnar, Cauvery fishing camp, Delhi, Agra, Hampi, Kabini, Maldives and Ooty. Whew... I am getting tired just thinking about it again.
We also had a fabulous 2 weeks in Australia. We saw almost all of south east Australian. Again a once in a lifetime experience. How lucky are we?!
Babies:
Welcome to the world this year !! - Baby Herbie Basil (my sister Tammy) . Marley Cady (good friends Pat and Mary). Baby Girl Loignon (college roomie Lynn, sorry I cant remember her name right now:) ) Jordan Berkner (wonderful house sitter Heidi)
Moves:
Besides ours - The Cady's moved to Arkansas. The Milbrath's to Seattle. The Miller's, Herkelmans and Webb's to India:) Claude to Canada. Damien to France. The Wilson's to Ireland. The Agostini's to NJ. Lindy and Chris to Singapore, The VanMeters to Dayton. Spirit in Action to their NEW home! The Petersons to a small cottage on lake Minnetonka.
Visitors:
To India:) Besides all the wonderful work friends and coworkers that brought us fruit snacks, tortillas, People/US magazines and red wine we had wonderful friends and family visit, helping us stave off homesickness for just a little while .... Jeff Van Meter and Mike Swenson, Mom and Dad Hickey, Mom and Dad Murphy, Aunt Sue Hickey, Julie Hickey, Jessica Stoll, Beth Rozga and Manda Murray.
Milestones:
Jimmy - Learned to ride his bike WITHOUT training wheels, went to Kindergarten, rides the bus to school, knows how to use the computer (and the cell phone), can write, sound out words and actually READ, is learning Hindi, speaks in an Indian English accent (but only with Indian people) and can understand our cook/maid/driver when they speak Tamil. The top of his head is at my arm pit and he weighs over 65 lbs. Yikes! (Plus he can eat a whole chicken!)
Kay - Was potty trained!! Learned to ride a bike with training wheels, picks out her own clothes and gets herself dressed, started "school", started riding the bus to school, speaks Tamil with our maid/cook, had her fingernails/toenails "done", "writes" us notes, is a damn good painter. She comes right to my hip and weighs 28lbs. (yep still in 2-3T clothes - thanks Shinbee:) )
Billy - Stopped using a NUK, started talking (non stop), understands Hindi and Tamil, feeds himself (both with a spoon and fork AND the Indian way with chapati), imitates Power Ranger moves, sleeps in a big boy bed - not a crib:) He can easily still stand between my legs and weighs 30 lbs (yes, he weighs more than Kay and his head is 50% bigger too! They still share shoes, tshirts and shorts...)
Mom and Dad Hickey - They BOTH turned 65!!!
Mom and Dad Murphy-They turned 72 and Grandpa Murphy celebrated 50 years since he graduated college.
Tracy's girlfriends - 1st annual 39th birthday parties are the "theme" of the year:)
Tom's friends- They will have to stop at the store this year on the way home from the annual fishing trips to purchase some fish since I will not be their to catch the fish for them.
New Jobs - Jim Fellows (MAJOR marketing genius:)), Treena Shosten (left Sonia Kosik and found a new love), Ann Wohlforth (movin' on up!), Scott Brill (VP :) ), Peterson's & Mary Foster (their new job is to ENJOY life), Ben Milbrath (continuing to turn air into gold), Alexis Seiler (great new boss and location), Wendy Reed (seriously well deserved), Michelle Manderfeld (big wig), Des Kamman (self employed creative genius), Brian Murphy coming into his dream job!! and Carl landing a new Sales Manager job will he will not have top travel anymore.
So, I think I need to go to bed. This has been an exhausting year.
But... I'll sleep well knowing that we and ALL our loved ones (family and friends) were immensely blessed this year.
How lucky are we to have each other and all of you to share these joys, pains, and milestones!?!
You make it all worthwhile. Can't wait to see what's in store for ALL of us in year 10:)
MS 150 - Then and Now
Hi there
As many of you know, I am an avid bike rider and supporter of trying to “solve” the mystery of MS. I thought I’d share my fundraising/training experiences over the last few months in prep for the ride.
Read on!!! J
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 12:33 PM
Yep, its that time of year again. The sun is out (as it always is here) but I am unable to get on my bike (fear of death by auto rickshaw).
BUT... I AM getting ready for the annual MS 150 trek with my friend Wendy ANYWAY. How you say? The trip this year is 6/8-6/10 and I will be riding "virtually". I will be dedicating "butt" time on a stationary bike at our gym Saturday and Sunday evenings 6/9 & 6/10, riding the required 150 miles (234 kilometers here). I will be touching base at rest stops with Wendy on the hour via cell phone. - She is always 20 min's ahead of me anyway, so the only time I ever saw her on the ride anyway was at rest stops and as her behind pulled away from me after rest stops:)
This is the 28th anniversary of this ride (Duluth to Minneapolis) and the 14th year I have ridden. Wendy I have ridden through, marriage, divorce, kids, health concerns and now geographic challenges. I am really proud to be able to do this with her year after year.
Last year the ride raised over $1.5 million for MS research, support and awareness. I am proud to say, that thanks to all of you, I maintained my $1,000 club member status. That means I raised over $1,000 myself ($1,250 to be exact). Thank you!!
To give you a little background on why this is so important to me, my Uncle Alan had MS. He was diagnosed shortly after I was born and to be honest, MS is an integral part of my family memories with him and my cousins. Alan's illness had a profound affect on his work, friends and family. He had an incredible spirit and was able to make all of us laugh, even in the worst of situations.
So, I ride in honor and in memory of Alan. (Now is where I ask for money ...)
If you feel compelled to give to this amazing movement (literally), I'd really appreciate it. I'd love to be able to brag that I was a $1,000 club member 4 years in a row!!
How do you do that? Go on line to http://www.blogger.com/www.ms150.com and choose the ePledge option on the left hand side of the page.
(Please let me know if this doesn’t work and we'll figure something else out as sending me a check isnt really an option this year:) But... If push comes to shove, I could have you send your check to Wendy and she could "deposit" it with the MS Society for me.
Thank you so much for you support, it really is an amazing experience !
Tracy.
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 11:53 AM
Hi ALL
Wanted to give an update on my training and fundraising progress - Over all - fair and good, in that order:)
Training - It is MUCH harder to train on a stationary bike, I am finding. First of all, its boring as h_ll and secondly, you cant COAST! Uggh.... But... I do loose about 2-5 pounds in sweat each time I go to the gym, so that's always nice:) I'll get there. I think the biggest struggle will be not dying of boredom. I am hoarding good books and am thinking I'll put together a schedule for my friends of when they can come "visit" me and work out with me on the bike next to mine...
Fundraising - I am 1/2 way to my goal. Not bad for 4 weeks away. BUT... So... Good news, I have raised almost $500. Bad news, I still have $500 to go. For those of you that were early contributors, THANK YOU! For those of you still interested in contributing, there is still time:) (hint hint)
Other news - Wendy has formed a team for us for this ride. I'll be a virtual member of the Red Ribbon Ride Team. We are a team of 4 (hopefully growing) and are trying to raise awareness not only for MS, but for AIDS. Wendy is using the MS150, in addition to a great fundraiser for MS, but also as a training ride for her longer and much harder AIDS ride in July. Once again, I am amazed by her strength in body and in character:)
So...Keep me in your thoughts, wish me entertainment and happy cycling. AND... Don’t forget to send in a donation.
PEACE!!
Sent: Monday May 28th
Hi ALL
A special THANK YOU! I have exceeded my fundraising goal - YIPPEE.
A very heartfelt thank you to a couple of "Big" contributors - Aunty Lynn, Mom and Dad and Leona. You guys are the BEST!!
For the rest of you, if you have made a donation, thank you so much. Everything counts and because of your combine efforts, I am at $1,200!!!
If you are still interested in pledging, I'd like to suggest an alternate. My friend of 16 years, Wendy Reed, will be riding the REAL ride in MN. She could use some fundraising help, so if you planning on pledging me, please pledge her instead. The money goes to the same place and we are a team:) You can go to the same site and just look for Wendy's name next to the 6/8-6/10 ride.
On other fronts, while fundraising is terrific, I think I need all your support for the physical part. I know that I get nervous each year, but this year is a bit different. I have plenty of books, People magazines, etc, but I really need your support during that long long weekend on the stationary bike. Be sending thoughts of energy and fitness to me:)
LOVE to all of you!! And THANK YOU!!!
Tracy.
Sent: Sunday June 10th
Ok all! I'm done, finished, over for another year! Yippee! I will be very happy if I dont need to see another stationary bike for another 10 months (until I decide to punish myself and do this again).
Updates:
Fundraising - The BEST year ever! Way to go and a hearty thank you to all my friends and family that have faith in me, my abilities and hope that we'll figure out how to stop MS together!! Grand Total: $1,440:)
Ride itself: I decided to split the ride into 3 segments, 4 hour each Fri, Sat and Sun. The good news is, I had the LATEST People and US magazine along with the latest book from Tom and my favorite author. Lee Child. You can almost forget you are riding on a stationary bike for hours when Jack Reacher is kicking butt. I managed to talk to Wendy a number of times on the ride and they had hot weather and head winds the 1st day and beautifully HOT day the 2nd day. I can relate. Our club doesnt have air conditioning, just big fans. Even though I wasnt moving, I felt like I was in 90 degree heat with hot wind blowing on me:) I feel great, the 1 1/2 hour Thai massage from Julie on Saturday did the trick. I was a little tired, but not sore on Sunday morning and that makes all the difference. I almost got used to being at the club for 4 hours at a shot, scary in itself.
Overall, how do I compare riding here and in MN? Well, I really really missed Little Angies for BIG margaritas and fantastic mexican food. On the end of the 2nd day, I could almost see, taste and feel that I was standing in line for a massage with an ice cold beer in my head. (Julie's massage and a vodka lime soda saved me). I actually really did miss camping and all the snack finger food that we used to consume. I particularly missed Wendy and our time together. I didnt miss waking up to a cold/wet tent or peddling up hill or into a wind. (I hate that!) But... I have to admit, sleeping in your own bed has it merits and coming home to a chilled glass of champange and a love note that says "go mommy go" from your fabulous husband and 3 kids has its mertis. PLUS, Tom made me fahita's for dinner so... I should go:)
Overall, its do-able. Would I do it again? YES! Be warned, I'll be hitting you up for donatioins next year, no matter WHERE I am:)
Tracy.
As many of you know, I am an avid bike rider and supporter of trying to “solve” the mystery of MS. I thought I’d share my fundraising/training experiences over the last few months in prep for the ride.
Read on!!! J
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2007 12:33 PM
Yep, its that time of year again. The sun is out (as it always is here) but I am unable to get on my bike (fear of death by auto rickshaw).
BUT... I AM getting ready for the annual MS 150 trek with my friend Wendy ANYWAY. How you say? The trip this year is 6/8-6/10 and I will be riding "virtually". I will be dedicating "butt" time on a stationary bike at our gym Saturday and Sunday evenings 6/9 & 6/10, riding the required 150 miles (234 kilometers here). I will be touching base at rest stops with Wendy on the hour via cell phone. - She is always 20 min's ahead of me anyway, so the only time I ever saw her on the ride anyway was at rest stops and as her behind pulled away from me after rest stops:)
This is the 28th anniversary of this ride (Duluth to Minneapolis) and the 14th year I have ridden. Wendy I have ridden through, marriage, divorce, kids, health concerns and now geographic challenges. I am really proud to be able to do this with her year after year.
Last year the ride raised over $1.5 million for MS research, support and awareness. I am proud to say, that thanks to all of you, I maintained my $1,000 club member status. That means I raised over $1,000 myself ($1,250 to be exact). Thank you!!
To give you a little background on why this is so important to me, my Uncle Alan had MS. He was diagnosed shortly after I was born and to be honest, MS is an integral part of my family memories with him and my cousins. Alan's illness had a profound affect on his work, friends and family. He had an incredible spirit and was able to make all of us laugh, even in the worst of situations.
So, I ride in honor and in memory of Alan. (Now is where I ask for money ...)
If you feel compelled to give to this amazing movement (literally), I'd really appreciate it. I'd love to be able to brag that I was a $1,000 club member 4 years in a row!!
How do you do that? Go on line to http://www.blogger.com/www.ms150.com and choose the ePledge option on the left hand side of the page.
(Please let me know if this doesn’t work and we'll figure something else out as sending me a check isnt really an option this year:) But... If push comes to shove, I could have you send your check to Wendy and she could "deposit" it with the MS Society for me.
Thank you so much for you support, it really is an amazing experience !
Tracy.
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2007 11:53 AM
Hi ALL
Wanted to give an update on my training and fundraising progress - Over all - fair and good, in that order:)
Training - It is MUCH harder to train on a stationary bike, I am finding. First of all, its boring as h_ll and secondly, you cant COAST! Uggh.... But... I do loose about 2-5 pounds in sweat each time I go to the gym, so that's always nice:) I'll get there. I think the biggest struggle will be not dying of boredom. I am hoarding good books and am thinking I'll put together a schedule for my friends of when they can come "visit" me and work out with me on the bike next to mine...
Fundraising - I am 1/2 way to my goal. Not bad for 4 weeks away. BUT... So... Good news, I have raised almost $500. Bad news, I still have $500 to go. For those of you that were early contributors, THANK YOU! For those of you still interested in contributing, there is still time:) (hint hint)
Other news - Wendy has formed a team for us for this ride. I'll be a virtual member of the Red Ribbon Ride Team. We are a team of 4 (hopefully growing) and are trying to raise awareness not only for MS, but for AIDS. Wendy is using the MS150, in addition to a great fundraiser for MS, but also as a training ride for her longer and much harder AIDS ride in July. Once again, I am amazed by her strength in body and in character:)
So...Keep me in your thoughts, wish me entertainment and happy cycling. AND... Don’t forget to send in a donation.
PEACE!!
Sent: Monday May 28th
Hi ALL
A special THANK YOU! I have exceeded my fundraising goal - YIPPEE.
A very heartfelt thank you to a couple of "Big" contributors - Aunty Lynn, Mom and Dad and Leona. You guys are the BEST!!
For the rest of you, if you have made a donation, thank you so much. Everything counts and because of your combine efforts, I am at $1,200!!!
If you are still interested in pledging, I'd like to suggest an alternate. My friend of 16 years, Wendy Reed, will be riding the REAL ride in MN. She could use some fundraising help, so if you planning on pledging me, please pledge her instead. The money goes to the same place and we are a team:) You can go to the same site and just look for Wendy's name next to the 6/8-6/10 ride.
On other fronts, while fundraising is terrific, I think I need all your support for the physical part. I know that I get nervous each year, but this year is a bit different. I have plenty of books, People magazines, etc, but I really need your support during that long long weekend on the stationary bike. Be sending thoughts of energy and fitness to me:)
LOVE to all of you!! And THANK YOU!!!
Tracy.
Sent: Sunday June 10th
Ok all! I'm done, finished, over for another year! Yippee! I will be very happy if I dont need to see another stationary bike for another 10 months (until I decide to punish myself and do this again).
Updates:
Fundraising - The BEST year ever! Way to go and a hearty thank you to all my friends and family that have faith in me, my abilities and hope that we'll figure out how to stop MS together!! Grand Total: $1,440:)
Ride itself: I decided to split the ride into 3 segments, 4 hour each Fri, Sat and Sun. The good news is, I had the LATEST People and US magazine along with the latest book from Tom and my favorite author. Lee Child. You can almost forget you are riding on a stationary bike for hours when Jack Reacher is kicking butt. I managed to talk to Wendy a number of times on the ride and they had hot weather and head winds the 1st day and beautifully HOT day the 2nd day. I can relate. Our club doesnt have air conditioning, just big fans. Even though I wasnt moving, I felt like I was in 90 degree heat with hot wind blowing on me:) I feel great, the 1 1/2 hour Thai massage from Julie on Saturday did the trick. I was a little tired, but not sore on Sunday morning and that makes all the difference. I almost got used to being at the club for 4 hours at a shot, scary in itself.
Overall, how do I compare riding here and in MN? Well, I really really missed Little Angies for BIG margaritas and fantastic mexican food. On the end of the 2nd day, I could almost see, taste and feel that I was standing in line for a massage with an ice cold beer in my head. (Julie's massage and a vodka lime soda saved me). I actually really did miss camping and all the snack finger food that we used to consume. I particularly missed Wendy and our time together. I didnt miss waking up to a cold/wet tent or peddling up hill or into a wind. (I hate that!) But... I have to admit, sleeping in your own bed has it merits and coming home to a chilled glass of champange and a love note that says "go mommy go" from your fabulous husband and 3 kids has its mertis. PLUS, Tom made me fahita's for dinner so... I should go:)
Overall, its do-able. Would I do it again? YES! Be warned, I'll be hitting you up for donatioins next year, no matter WHERE I am:)
Tracy.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Julie's Here!
Julie has spent the last 5 weeks studying Thai massage in Chiang Mai Thailand. She is a 5th level Thai massage therapist and that bodes well for her 3 weeks with us:)
We decided that having Julie in Thailand, a mere 3 hour flight away, was just too tempting to pass up. So, we packed up the kids and headed off to Chiang Mai via Bangkok.
As you've read before traveling with the LoudAmericans is always an adventure. The ONLY flight to Bangkok from Bangalore is at 12:30am, that's right half past midnight. The flight is only a 3 hour affair, followed by a 2 hour layover and another 1 hour flight to Chiang Mai. Let's see, 3 kids under 6 and the opportunity for less than 2 hours of sleep at a shot over a 24 hour period. Can you see where this is headed?
We arrived in Chiang Mai weary but with all our limps and some of our sanity left. As a side note, the Bangkok airport is AMAZING! ALL the best shops, food and its about 5 km long. You just walk and walk and walk. I considered my 30 min walk with 3 kids between gates as my work out for the day. I think that counts, dont you?
The hotel was nice and let us check in early (9:30am) and we ALL crashed for a very cozy 3 hour nap. The beds were labeled "doubles" but were slightly bigger than twin, so Tom and Jimmy cuddled in one and Kay and I cuddled in the other. Thankfully Julie woke us at 1:30 and off we went. We saw her room, met her friends, got a quick survey of Chiang Mai and then were the ONLY guests at the graduation ceremony. She acheived her 5th level of Thai massage and we took photos of all the graduates for prosperity sake.
That night we celebrated with an early dinner of Thai food, fish and cold beer. Yumm... Then it was off to the night safari. This is amazing. Its a totally decked out park/attraction/theater/zoo. You ride on a trolley and see the animals up close. The very cool thing is that its at 8:30pm so the animals are all really active, wandering around and some even come right up to the trolley. Pretty cool.
The next day was a 1/2 city tour of temples. It was suppose to be 4 hours and somehow we magically were done in 2 1/2 hours ... Hmmm... was it the 110 degree heat, or the whiny kids, or the complete lack of interest in the kids part or the fact that we were all crammed into a tourist van... Hmm... Must just be that our guide was really good:)
We lunched on Korean food and as usual when we go out for Korean, the kids ate and ate and ate like we never feed them. This is a BIG treat for us since the only Korean restaraunt in Bangalore only serves Chinese food. The kids were ordering all their favorites and couldnt understand why they didnt have kim bop or chap chae. I was laughing as the Korean waiter looked at them in amazement.
Next stop, the pool. Can you guess whose vacation is now "made" ?
We decided to be truly adventurous and attend one of the girly/man shows. Thailand is famous for men that dress and look like women. There is a HUGE sex "change" industry and they put on these really really elaborate drag shows. We thought, "why not?!" 1st issue however, what to do with the kids. We managed to find a babysitter that was a friend of Julie's friend. Thinking it was a relatively save bet, we bought our tickets. It was only later as I was contemplating the poster "Stop child trafficing" that I began to doubt our choice. I could just imagine ... we go to dinner, this "friend' babysits, packs the kids off and out they go into the big scary world of child trafficing. How in the world would you ever find them? Its not like they carry id's or have been finger printed (at least I dont think they have....) I took a deep breath, ordered a drink and let go. If any child trafficer spent 5 min's with my kids, they'd return them just as fast.
The "show" was interesting. The ladies were thoroughly bored and could hardly bother to make it through their routines. The only people who seemed to have fun were the 2 "fat" dancers. They were really having a great time. We made up for this with a great Thai dinner overlooking the river. Really nice and relaxing.
The kids on the other hand, had a blast. Jimmy informed us that "May" was nice, but didnt speak English or Hindi either. Kay talked her into a bubble bath and the 3 of them proceeded to use ever drop of soap, flood the bathroom and lock the babysitter out of the bathroom. I am pretty sure she's never doing this again. The kids however, raved about the whole night the next morning. They sure had fun! (see previous comment about the child trafficers)
A few tidbits on Thailand, there is a 7Eleven on every corner, I saw very little litter, their tuk tuks are bigger than ours (for those of you non-Indians, their auto ricksaws are bigger than the ones in India), pollution is better but the humidity will kill you. I also saw a full size Tesco grocery store and "real" bars. Now, dont get me wrong, we do love India, but it is amazing how a 3 hour plane trip can land you in a TOTALLY different world.
Sunday came and we were off to Bangkok and our journey home. The kids were pretty good until BIlly decided to throw a collosel tantrum during the last 1 1/2 hours of the flight. Of course, the minute we landed and he was in his car seat, he feel asleep.
Since our adventure to Thailand, some other quick highlights ...
Julies courses paid off ! Both TOm and I have volunteered to let her practice on us. I think shes pretty good, but she probably needs even more practice. Good thing we are here to help!
We have showed her the ins and outs of Palm Meadows and she's gotten to experience our supper club group and Bangalore traffic.
We are taking her to Mysore tomorrow (palace and elephant rides) and Ooty next week (hill station, tea plantations). She is studying with my Auverydic DR and has been a big help with the kids. Angela has found her to be a great yoga partner too:)
We still have 2 weeks with her here and a lot to do and see.
We'll keep you updated!!
We decided that having Julie in Thailand, a mere 3 hour flight away, was just too tempting to pass up. So, we packed up the kids and headed off to Chiang Mai via Bangkok.
As you've read before traveling with the LoudAmericans is always an adventure. The ONLY flight to Bangkok from Bangalore is at 12:30am, that's right half past midnight. The flight is only a 3 hour affair, followed by a 2 hour layover and another 1 hour flight to Chiang Mai. Let's see, 3 kids under 6 and the opportunity for less than 2 hours of sleep at a shot over a 24 hour period. Can you see where this is headed?
We arrived in Chiang Mai weary but with all our limps and some of our sanity left. As a side note, the Bangkok airport is AMAZING! ALL the best shops, food and its about 5 km long. You just walk and walk and walk. I considered my 30 min walk with 3 kids between gates as my work out for the day. I think that counts, dont you?
The hotel was nice and let us check in early (9:30am) and we ALL crashed for a very cozy 3 hour nap. The beds were labeled "doubles" but were slightly bigger than twin, so Tom and Jimmy cuddled in one and Kay and I cuddled in the other. Thankfully Julie woke us at 1:30 and off we went. We saw her room, met her friends, got a quick survey of Chiang Mai and then were the ONLY guests at the graduation ceremony. She acheived her 5th level of Thai massage and we took photos of all the graduates for prosperity sake.
That night we celebrated with an early dinner of Thai food, fish and cold beer. Yumm... Then it was off to the night safari. This is amazing. Its a totally decked out park/attraction/theater/zoo. You ride on a trolley and see the animals up close. The very cool thing is that its at 8:30pm so the animals are all really active, wandering around and some even come right up to the trolley. Pretty cool.
The next day was a 1/2 city tour of temples. It was suppose to be 4 hours and somehow we magically were done in 2 1/2 hours ... Hmmm... was it the 110 degree heat, or the whiny kids, or the complete lack of interest in the kids part or the fact that we were all crammed into a tourist van... Hmm... Must just be that our guide was really good:)
We lunched on Korean food and as usual when we go out for Korean, the kids ate and ate and ate like we never feed them. This is a BIG treat for us since the only Korean restaraunt in Bangalore only serves Chinese food. The kids were ordering all their favorites and couldnt understand why they didnt have kim bop or chap chae. I was laughing as the Korean waiter looked at them in amazement.
Next stop, the pool. Can you guess whose vacation is now "made" ?
We decided to be truly adventurous and attend one of the girly/man shows. Thailand is famous for men that dress and look like women. There is a HUGE sex "change" industry and they put on these really really elaborate drag shows. We thought, "why not?!" 1st issue however, what to do with the kids. We managed to find a babysitter that was a friend of Julie's friend. Thinking it was a relatively save bet, we bought our tickets. It was only later as I was contemplating the poster "Stop child trafficing" that I began to doubt our choice. I could just imagine ... we go to dinner, this "friend' babysits, packs the kids off and out they go into the big scary world of child trafficing. How in the world would you ever find them? Its not like they carry id's or have been finger printed (at least I dont think they have....) I took a deep breath, ordered a drink and let go. If any child trafficer spent 5 min's with my kids, they'd return them just as fast.
The "show" was interesting. The ladies were thoroughly bored and could hardly bother to make it through their routines. The only people who seemed to have fun were the 2 "fat" dancers. They were really having a great time. We made up for this with a great Thai dinner overlooking the river. Really nice and relaxing.
The kids on the other hand, had a blast. Jimmy informed us that "May" was nice, but didnt speak English or Hindi either. Kay talked her into a bubble bath and the 3 of them proceeded to use ever drop of soap, flood the bathroom and lock the babysitter out of the bathroom. I am pretty sure she's never doing this again. The kids however, raved about the whole night the next morning. They sure had fun! (see previous comment about the child trafficers)
A few tidbits on Thailand, there is a 7Eleven on every corner, I saw very little litter, their tuk tuks are bigger than ours (for those of you non-Indians, their auto ricksaws are bigger than the ones in India), pollution is better but the humidity will kill you. I also saw a full size Tesco grocery store and "real" bars. Now, dont get me wrong, we do love India, but it is amazing how a 3 hour plane trip can land you in a TOTALLY different world.
Sunday came and we were off to Bangkok and our journey home. The kids were pretty good until BIlly decided to throw a collosel tantrum during the last 1 1/2 hours of the flight. Of course, the minute we landed and he was in his car seat, he feel asleep.
Since our adventure to Thailand, some other quick highlights ...
Julies courses paid off ! Both TOm and I have volunteered to let her practice on us. I think shes pretty good, but she probably needs even more practice. Good thing we are here to help!
We have showed her the ins and outs of Palm Meadows and she's gotten to experience our supper club group and Bangalore traffic.
We are taking her to Mysore tomorrow (palace and elephant rides) and Ooty next week (hill station, tea plantations). She is studying with my Auverydic DR and has been a big help with the kids. Angela has found her to be a great yoga partner too:)
We still have 2 weeks with her here and a lot to do and see.
We'll keep you updated!!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Monday, May 14, 2007
Happy Mothers Day
Mothers Day is celebrated throughout the world on several different days. For us Americans it was May 13th, and we had a great deal to celebrate this year because of our Mom, Tracy.
Did you know that our Mom works very hard here in India and just last month was honored by her work for achieving 100 team members. How hard would it be to handle 100 different kids, I mean there are three of us at the house and by God it is hard to follow all the rules I can not imagine what it is like with 100, Way to go Mom!!
Our Mom also spends much of her free time playing with us. Did you know that she takes Billy and Kay for a walk almost everyday and she teaches them songs and tells them stories. Then when she comes home she gets Jimmy breakfast makes sure he gets his eye drops and we all brush our teeth. Then she even reads stories to us and sings songs while we play band and she does all this before she goes to work, We love You Mom!!
Our Mom is really special because she is very aware of tons of stuff. One of the things she is aware of is something called MS, Muscular Sclerosis. Her Uncle Alan died of this disease several years ago and Mom decided that she was going to do something about It. So she has been riding in this bike ride which is 15o miles विथ her friend Wendy। Over the past thirteen years or so they have rode over 1,950 miles to raise money for this cause. Now being that we are in India this year has not stopped her determination. Her and Wendy have formed this virtual team and are riding the race together or at the same time at least, sort of. There are a bunch of time zone difference and other things but the point is our Mom is raising money and riding a stationary bike her in India to raise money to help people back home, Mom you humble us!!
There is many more great things our Mom does for us however the best thing is that she loves us.
Happy Mothers Day Mom,we are proud of you and, WE LOVE YOU, TOO!!
Jimmy Kay and Billy.
Did you know that our Mom works very hard here in India and just last month was honored by her work for achieving 100 team members. How hard would it be to handle 100 different kids, I mean there are three of us at the house and by God it is hard to follow all the rules I can not imagine what it is like with 100, Way to go Mom!!
Our Mom also spends much of her free time playing with us. Did you know that she takes Billy and Kay for a walk almost everyday and she teaches them songs and tells them stories. Then when she comes home she gets Jimmy breakfast makes sure he gets his eye drops and we all brush our teeth. Then she even reads stories to us and sings songs while we play band and she does all this before she goes to work, We love You Mom!!
Our Mom is really special because she is very aware of tons of stuff. One of the things she is aware of is something called MS, Muscular Sclerosis. Her Uncle Alan died of this disease several years ago and Mom decided that she was going to do something about It. So she has been riding in this bike ride which is 15o miles विथ her friend Wendy। Over the past thirteen years or so they have rode over 1,950 miles to raise money for this cause. Now being that we are in India this year has not stopped her determination. Her and Wendy have formed this virtual team and are riding the race together or at the same time at least, sort of. There are a bunch of time zone difference and other things but the point is our Mom is raising money and riding a stationary bike her in India to raise money to help people back home, Mom you humble us!!
There is many more great things our Mom does for us however the best thing is that she loves us.
Happy Mothers Day Mom,we are proud of you and, WE LOVE YOU, TOO!!
Jimmy Kay and Billy.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Not so imaginary conversation - What language are we speaking?!
Below is a reenacted phone conversation based on real life events between our travel agent and Tom...
(As background, the screwed up our airline tickets and we are working to get them changed.)
Ring Ring...
Travel Agent: Tell me
Tom: How are the changes coming on the tickets?
Travel Agent: Can you pre-pone coming to pick up the same? Please revert.
Tom: I am not able to come pick up the tickets today. Where are you? Can you bring them out to us tomorrow?
Travel Agent: I am here only. We will do the needful.
Does ANYONE have a clue as to what's going on?
Later - we suspect they are on the way to our house with the tickets. Tom calls again to check..
Ring Ring
Travel Agent: Tell Me
Tom: Hi this is Tom Murphy, are you on the way to deliver our tickets?
Travel Agent: I am here exclusively.
Tom: When will you be to our house?
Travel Agent: 10 minutes
When do you think we'll get our tickets???
Now... in English:)
Ring Ring ...
Travel Agent: Hello, how may I help you?
Tom: How are the changes coming on the tickets?
Travel Agent: They are ready, can you pick up the tickets earlier than planned? Let me know.
Tom: I am not able to come pick up the tickets today. Where are you? Can you bring them out to us tomorrow?
Travel Agent: I am in the office, we will insure that you get your tickets as we do deliver.
Ring Ring
Travel Agent: Hello, how may I help you?
Tom: Hi this is Tom Murphy, are you on the way to deliver our tickets?
Travel Agent: Yes, we are, in fact, I am on the way.
Tom: When will you be at our house?
Travel Agent: Sometime in the next 1-2 hours, pending traffic.
(As background, the screwed up our airline tickets and we are working to get them changed.)
Ring Ring...
Travel Agent: Tell me
Tom: How are the changes coming on the tickets?
Travel Agent: Can you pre-pone coming to pick up the same? Please revert.
Tom: I am not able to come pick up the tickets today. Where are you? Can you bring them out to us tomorrow?
Travel Agent: I am here only. We will do the needful.
Does ANYONE have a clue as to what's going on?
Later - we suspect they are on the way to our house with the tickets. Tom calls again to check..
Ring Ring
Travel Agent: Tell Me
Tom: Hi this is Tom Murphy, are you on the way to deliver our tickets?
Travel Agent: I am here exclusively.
Tom: When will you be to our house?
Travel Agent: 10 minutes
When do you think we'll get our tickets???
Now... in English:)
Ring Ring ...
Travel Agent: Hello, how may I help you?
Tom: How are the changes coming on the tickets?
Travel Agent: They are ready, can you pick up the tickets earlier than planned? Let me know.
Tom: I am not able to come pick up the tickets today. Where are you? Can you bring them out to us tomorrow?
Travel Agent: I am in the office, we will insure that you get your tickets as we do deliver.
Ring Ring
Travel Agent: Hello, how may I help you?
Tom: Hi this is Tom Murphy, are you on the way to deliver our tickets?
Travel Agent: Yes, we are, in fact, I am on the way.
Tom: When will you be at our house?
Travel Agent: Sometime in the next 1-2 hours, pending traffic.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Taxes, funerals and work....
We've had an interesting week. Let me see if I can give you some "highlights" ...
1) Visa/Residency Renewal - We are in the process of renewing our visa which means renewing our residency permit. To do so, you need to fill out a kazillion forms and visit your local police station. Keep in mind.... You need to do this 45 days before it expires. Our's expires 6/13. 45 days out was 4/30. Despite my constant questions about this Feb through March, we found out a couple things this week (note that we are now PAST 4/30)
Taxes - We have to have a copy of our Indian Tax Return in order to renew said visa/residency permit. Taxes arent due until 6/15. Our visa expires 6/13. We found this out on 4/30. We spent a frantic week trying to "quick" get our taxes in before Friday so that we'll have time to get them processed before our visa runs out.
Police Station - ALL of us are required to appear at the police station to get a stamp that says we live in Whitefield. The commissioner needs to be there to issue the stamp. We packed up the kids in the car, took them out of school and appeared at the police station twice this week, only to find out the commissoner WASNT there. We went today, paid a "fee" of 1500 ruppees, spent 2 seconds in the station and magically we were approved. Not sure if this is because of the "fee" we paid (read .... bribe) or the fact that Jimmy had on one of the policemans hats and was running around yelling (in an Indian accent)"you are under arrest". Not sure the 3 guys shakled to the desk thought that was funny.
2) Christian funeral in India - One of Tom's friends and local charity directors died unexpectedly this week. It is really sad as she was an incredible lady and advocate for the disabled. We felt we need to go say our condolences and that's how we ended up at a Christian funeral in India. I polled all my coworkers... "have you ever been to one, what can we bring, what do they do, etc? " None of them had been to a Christian funeral before. Interesting...So, off we go, dressed up, 110 degree heat, outside service at 11:00am. There are, besides 200 people in attendance, 4 cows and various street kids that "stop by" to watch the proceedings. The service is kicked off by the pall bearers bringing her out in a glass coffin. Really. Glass on all sides. Did I mention it as 110 degrees? The hymns, bible readings and words from the family were all very similar to our services. That was nice. They even sang, "Blessed Surrender" our FAVORITE Tonia Hughes hymn. Very very touching... Then, after the service ended there were 2 moments of interest ... 1) the pall bearers lifted her body out of the glass coffin and into the waiting wooden coffin. 2) the minister announced that the hearst was leaving for the cemetary, that cars should follow with lights on and that the hearst "would be going fast, would NOT wait, so please keep up..."
3) Prep for the BIG Visit next week - At work we are in the throws of getting ready for our ENTIRE executive committee and 40 of their closest friends/team members to visit us next week (May 11-12). This includes our CEO, President, CFO and CIO. It also includes about 5 EVP's. Think of it as a wedding that is planned in under 4 weeks. This has included trying to plan dinners, lunches, speeches, presentations, transportation, and a remodel of our building. Needless to say, it has been an interesting process. We are editing, tweaking, modifying and adjusting the same presentations so many times that I am beginning to dream about them. We have all been out shopping for just the right Indian attire so as to make us look professional and yet ethnically appropriate. We have all had new haircuts and are all getting at least one spa treatment before the BIG day. Each day we learn something "new" about the visit. Much of which isnt really new, but just hadnt been shared before. I am trying to stay very zen on the whole process/topic/thing. Many many people are putting their heart and souls into making this a success. It will all work out. Even if there are a few issues, I doubt anyone but us will notice.... Right?.... Right?!... Right !?!?!?!
So... for those of you that thought all we did was galavant around India siteseeing and entertaining family members, there is the same stuff her that gets you bogged down at home ... taxes, funerals, work....
Its not all fun and games :)
1) Visa/Residency Renewal - We are in the process of renewing our visa which means renewing our residency permit. To do so, you need to fill out a kazillion forms and visit your local police station. Keep in mind.... You need to do this 45 days before it expires. Our's expires 6/13. 45 days out was 4/30. Despite my constant questions about this Feb through March, we found out a couple things this week (note that we are now PAST 4/30)
Taxes - We have to have a copy of our Indian Tax Return in order to renew said visa/residency permit. Taxes arent due until 6/15. Our visa expires 6/13. We found this out on 4/30. We spent a frantic week trying to "quick" get our taxes in before Friday so that we'll have time to get them processed before our visa runs out.
Police Station - ALL of us are required to appear at the police station to get a stamp that says we live in Whitefield. The commissioner needs to be there to issue the stamp. We packed up the kids in the car, took them out of school and appeared at the police station twice this week, only to find out the commissoner WASNT there. We went today, paid a "fee" of 1500 ruppees, spent 2 seconds in the station and magically we were approved. Not sure if this is because of the "fee" we paid (read .... bribe) or the fact that Jimmy had on one of the policemans hats and was running around yelling (in an Indian accent)"you are under arrest". Not sure the 3 guys shakled to the desk thought that was funny.
2) Christian funeral in India - One of Tom's friends and local charity directors died unexpectedly this week. It is really sad as she was an incredible lady and advocate for the disabled. We felt we need to go say our condolences and that's how we ended up at a Christian funeral in India. I polled all my coworkers... "have you ever been to one, what can we bring, what do they do, etc? " None of them had been to a Christian funeral before. Interesting...So, off we go, dressed up, 110 degree heat, outside service at 11:00am. There are, besides 200 people in attendance, 4 cows and various street kids that "stop by" to watch the proceedings. The service is kicked off by the pall bearers bringing her out in a glass coffin. Really. Glass on all sides. Did I mention it as 110 degrees? The hymns, bible readings and words from the family were all very similar to our services. That was nice. They even sang, "Blessed Surrender" our FAVORITE Tonia Hughes hymn. Very very touching... Then, after the service ended there were 2 moments of interest ... 1) the pall bearers lifted her body out of the glass coffin and into the waiting wooden coffin. 2) the minister announced that the hearst was leaving for the cemetary, that cars should follow with lights on and that the hearst "would be going fast, would NOT wait, so please keep up..."
3) Prep for the BIG Visit next week - At work we are in the throws of getting ready for our ENTIRE executive committee and 40 of their closest friends/team members to visit us next week (May 11-12). This includes our CEO, President, CFO and CIO. It also includes about 5 EVP's. Think of it as a wedding that is planned in under 4 weeks. This has included trying to plan dinners, lunches, speeches, presentations, transportation, and a remodel of our building. Needless to say, it has been an interesting process. We are editing, tweaking, modifying and adjusting the same presentations so many times that I am beginning to dream about them. We have all been out shopping for just the right Indian attire so as to make us look professional and yet ethnically appropriate. We have all had new haircuts and are all getting at least one spa treatment before the BIG day. Each day we learn something "new" about the visit. Much of which isnt really new, but just hadnt been shared before. I am trying to stay very zen on the whole process/topic/thing. Many many people are putting their heart and souls into making this a success. It will all work out. Even if there are a few issues, I doubt anyone but us will notice.... Right?.... Right?!... Right !?!?!?!
So... for those of you that thought all we did was galavant around India siteseeing and entertaining family members, there is the same stuff her that gets you bogged down at home ... taxes, funerals, work....
Its not all fun and games :)
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Yes ... Jimmy is only 5 ....
As you know, Jimmy is a big kid. He has a healthy appetite and we are saving money, not for college but for our grocery bills when he hits the teenage years.
This is non fiction account of actual events, all resemblance to characters living/dead is intentional ....
Background - Jimmy is 5 yrs old, weighs 63lbs and stands 4'2" tall, he'll eat almost anything
Yesterday at Lunch (all direct quotes):
Jimmy: Dad I'm hungry.
Dad: What do you want for lunch
Jimmy: Chicken
10 minutes later ...
Dad: Jimmy would anything else
Jimmy: more chicken
10 minutes later...
Dad: Jimmy are you done?
Jimmy: can I have more chicken please.
Dad: OK
10 minutes later....
Jimmy: Dad I am done that was delicious, can I have some chocolate milk?
Dad: Sure any more chicken?
Jimmy: Save the rest and I will eat it for dinner
God help us, there WASNT any left for dinner, he ate an entire chicken by himself for lunch.
This is non fiction account of actual events, all resemblance to characters living/dead is intentional ....
Background - Jimmy is 5 yrs old, weighs 63lbs and stands 4'2" tall, he'll eat almost anything
Yesterday at Lunch (all direct quotes):
Jimmy: Dad I'm hungry.
Dad: What do you want for lunch
Jimmy: Chicken
10 minutes later ...
Dad: Jimmy would anything else
Jimmy: more chicken
10 minutes later...
Dad: Jimmy are you done?
Jimmy: can I have more chicken please.
Dad: OK
10 minutes later....
Jimmy: Dad I am done that was delicious, can I have some chocolate milk?
Dad: Sure any more chicken?
Jimmy: Save the rest and I will eat it for dinner
God help us, there WASNT any left for dinner, he ate an entire chicken by himself for lunch.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
The Maldives
The Maldives is basically a group of several islands of the southern tip of India.
The area has very strong ties with the Islamic faith and obeying the traditions and religious rules is of the utmost concern. Translated several of the Island paradise destinations due not serve alcohol or meat so they were crossed off the list and Summer Island became the chosen destination.
Webster’s defines tranquility as: quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.
Which is nice however a more up to date definition is, no kids, large Target cups filled with ice and the drink of the day, a book, chaise lounge and the sound of the ocean waves gently rolling onto shore.
The all-inclusive choice is the way to go and while the food is ok, the cocktails, water and free soda more then make up for it. We basically read books, took naps and snorkeled, everyday. We were lucky enough to go night fishing and caught several fish. The next night they prepared them for us for dinner!
The three nights and four days were about all you can handle, as on each Island there is only one resort and that is it! Even going for a walk entails. Walk for 5 min’s, hit the end of the island, turn around, walk for 5 minutes, hit the other end of the island, turn around. You’d get dizzy before you got in shape. So if you decided to go to the Maldives bring a large glass, several books and American dollars, the Maldives does not accept Indian Rupees! Here is our suggestion on a sample itinerary…..
Sample Itinerary
Schedule: eat read snorkel drink sleep eat read snorkel drink sleep eat read snorkel drink sleep.
Duration: 3 days is heaven, 4 days is hell
Attire: swimsuit, sarong, sunscreen, and preferably lots of tattoos (no need to bring shoes or even a clean t-shirt)
Guest List: Germans and Australians (see above note on swimsuits and tattoos, there were people here that shouldn’t have been “sporting” either) we were only the 2nd Americans that had ever come to this island.
The area has very strong ties with the Islamic faith and obeying the traditions and religious rules is of the utmost concern. Translated several of the Island paradise destinations due not serve alcohol or meat so they were crossed off the list and Summer Island became the chosen destination.
Webster’s defines tranquility as: quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.
Which is nice however a more up to date definition is, no kids, large Target cups filled with ice and the drink of the day, a book, chaise lounge and the sound of the ocean waves gently rolling onto shore.
The all-inclusive choice is the way to go and while the food is ok, the cocktails, water and free soda more then make up for it. We basically read books, took naps and snorkeled, everyday. We were lucky enough to go night fishing and caught several fish. The next night they prepared them for us for dinner!
The three nights and four days were about all you can handle, as on each Island there is only one resort and that is it! Even going for a walk entails. Walk for 5 min’s, hit the end of the island, turn around, walk for 5 minutes, hit the other end of the island, turn around. You’d get dizzy before you got in shape. So if you decided to go to the Maldives bring a large glass, several books and American dollars, the Maldives does not accept Indian Rupees! Here is our suggestion on a sample itinerary…..
Sample Itinerary
Schedule: eat read snorkel drink sleep eat read snorkel drink sleep eat read snorkel drink sleep.
Duration: 3 days is heaven, 4 days is hell
Attire: swimsuit, sarong, sunscreen, and preferably lots of tattoos (no need to bring shoes or even a clean t-shirt)
Guest List: Germans and Australians (see above note on swimsuits and tattoos, there were people here that shouldn’t have been “sporting” either) we were only the 2nd Americans that had ever come to this island.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Sue's Here!! Let's get Busy (aka another trip - to Kabini)
Well... our string of visitors continues. This month it is our wonderful Aunt Sue! She is with us for 3 weeks and the kids are in heaven (again!).
She landed in Dehli on Monday 4/9 and we quickly adjusted her schedule so that she could get a quick, hand guided trip through the Taj Mahal. Then she flew into Bangalore (4/11) and we wisked her away for a weekend at Kabini Jungle Lodge. So in her 1st 6 days here, she was on some sort of sight seeing tour for 5 of those days. We aim to please!
Kabini Jungle Lodge is exactly what it sounds like. An old hunting lodge in the middle of the Indian National Forest, filled with wild elephants, peacocks, boars, buffalo, striped deer, mongoose, birds, birds, birds, crocodiles and even tigers. We were lucky enough to see everything but a tiger.
The basic premise of the camp is ... eat, relax, have tea, go on a safari (6pm), watch a nature film, eat, sleep, go on a safari (6am), eat, relax, sleep, have tea, so on a safari (6pm), etc.
Now, in case this doesnt sound very adventurous, let me assure you, ANY travel with 3 kids under 6 is an adventure.
The 1st safari trip out, it was POURING rain. Not just a nice sprinkle or a cooling mist, but a full on downpour with thunder and lightning and the works. However, we seemed to the only ones that noticed since all the guides continued to get the jeeps packed up and our fellow travelers settled themselves as if it were a perfectly sunny day. Did I mention that these are open air jeeps with no sides and no roof? We also did not have rain coats or umbrellas. Tom and I debated on how many animals would actually be wandering around in the middle of a storm. I mean, I may not hunt, but I have listened to him enough to know that NOTHING comes out in the rain, just stupid humans. Fortunately, the rain lasted just long enough to get us soaking wet and then it cleared up. So... We did get to see tons of elephants, etc. Kay was amazed by the size of elephant poop and pointed it out the rest of the weekend (elephants poop a lot in case you are wondering).
The next day we passed on the 6am safari and opted instead to sleep in. For ONCE in my parenting years, the kids cooperated. They actually slept until 9am. Must be something about the fresh air and rain. It was heaven.
Once we had eased into the day, our good friends/neighbors invited us to swim at their lodge. They were joining us for the adventure, but we were unable to stay at the same lodge. This turned out well as they had a pool and we didnt. It wasnt as great at night when we wanted to relax with a glass of wine on the patio and the kids werent cooperating with bedtime, but not all is always accomodated. Of course the kids LOVED the pool and we had to drag them out by their teeth. Once again, I am sure this was Jimmy's favorite part of the whole weekend.
We did the evening safari and this time, rather than a jeep ride in a thuderstorm, we got to enjoy a boat ride in 110 degree heat with mandatory life preservers. They didnt mention that this weekend was also a spa/sweat lodge experience. I think I dropped 5 pounds on the 2 hour safari alone. But... the highlight was seeing the crocodile. That made it ALL worth it. Billy could hardly stand it, he was so excited. Very cool.
Sunday am we braved the 6 am safari, by this time, I have seen my share of elephants and wild life, but this safari proofs to be "different" as we get to do the jeep trip AND a boat ride during the same safari. The "boat" turns out to be a bamboo donut covered in a blue tarp (noting another use for blue tarps). Each boat seats 3. We are about 1 foot out of the water and I am remembering the crocodile we saw the day before. PLUS, I have both the boys with me, alone. Needless to say, it was not relaxing. The boat "driver" also thought it was fun to spin the boat in circles. I was trying not to hurl as the boys were screaming in joy (no wonder we didnt see a crocodile).
We headed home with 3 exhausted kids and 3 equally exhausted adults.
Another fun Indian adventure.
She landed in Dehli on Monday 4/9 and we quickly adjusted her schedule so that she could get a quick, hand guided trip through the Taj Mahal. Then she flew into Bangalore (4/11) and we wisked her away for a weekend at Kabini Jungle Lodge. So in her 1st 6 days here, she was on some sort of sight seeing tour for 5 of those days. We aim to please!
Kabini Jungle Lodge is exactly what it sounds like. An old hunting lodge in the middle of the Indian National Forest, filled with wild elephants, peacocks, boars, buffalo, striped deer, mongoose, birds, birds, birds, crocodiles and even tigers. We were lucky enough to see everything but a tiger.
The basic premise of the camp is ... eat, relax, have tea, go on a safari (6pm), watch a nature film, eat, sleep, go on a safari (6am), eat, relax, sleep, have tea, so on a safari (6pm), etc.
Now, in case this doesnt sound very adventurous, let me assure you, ANY travel with 3 kids under 6 is an adventure.
The 1st safari trip out, it was POURING rain. Not just a nice sprinkle or a cooling mist, but a full on downpour with thunder and lightning and the works. However, we seemed to the only ones that noticed since all the guides continued to get the jeeps packed up and our fellow travelers settled themselves as if it were a perfectly sunny day. Did I mention that these are open air jeeps with no sides and no roof? We also did not have rain coats or umbrellas. Tom and I debated on how many animals would actually be wandering around in the middle of a storm. I mean, I may not hunt, but I have listened to him enough to know that NOTHING comes out in the rain, just stupid humans. Fortunately, the rain lasted just long enough to get us soaking wet and then it cleared up. So... We did get to see tons of elephants, etc. Kay was amazed by the size of elephant poop and pointed it out the rest of the weekend (elephants poop a lot in case you are wondering).
The next day we passed on the 6am safari and opted instead to sleep in. For ONCE in my parenting years, the kids cooperated. They actually slept until 9am. Must be something about the fresh air and rain. It was heaven.
Once we had eased into the day, our good friends/neighbors invited us to swim at their lodge. They were joining us for the adventure, but we were unable to stay at the same lodge. This turned out well as they had a pool and we didnt. It wasnt as great at night when we wanted to relax with a glass of wine on the patio and the kids werent cooperating with bedtime, but not all is always accomodated. Of course the kids LOVED the pool and we had to drag them out by their teeth. Once again, I am sure this was Jimmy's favorite part of the whole weekend.
We did the evening safari and this time, rather than a jeep ride in a thuderstorm, we got to enjoy a boat ride in 110 degree heat with mandatory life preservers. They didnt mention that this weekend was also a spa/sweat lodge experience. I think I dropped 5 pounds on the 2 hour safari alone. But... the highlight was seeing the crocodile. That made it ALL worth it. Billy could hardly stand it, he was so excited. Very cool.
Sunday am we braved the 6 am safari, by this time, I have seen my share of elephants and wild life, but this safari proofs to be "different" as we get to do the jeep trip AND a boat ride during the same safari. The "boat" turns out to be a bamboo donut covered in a blue tarp (noting another use for blue tarps). Each boat seats 3. We are about 1 foot out of the water and I am remembering the crocodile we saw the day before. PLUS, I have both the boys with me, alone. Needless to say, it was not relaxing. The boat "driver" also thought it was fun to spin the boat in circles. I was trying not to hurl as the boys were screaming in joy (no wonder we didnt see a crocodile).
We headed home with 3 exhausted kids and 3 equally exhausted adults.
Another fun Indian adventure.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Annnual Day/Report Cards
One thing that continues to amaze me is the amount of energy the Indian people put into celebrations, like this one may be the last, so lets go for it.
Annual Day is the accumulation of the previous years learning all round into one on stage performance for the kids. The performance has nothing to due with the studies but everything to due with, performance.
Starting about a month before the last day of school the children are given the roles they are to play in the upcoming performance and then practice that role exclusively for the remainder of the year. Terse warnings are given to the parents as to keep the child under the allotted tardy days as "Jimmy is are star dancer" and if his misses one more day we will be in trouble, who knew.
Kay must be well rested and please give her a bath because she is our best "Egyptian Princess" and princesses must be well presented and proper, what?
The Annual Day performance was based on a trip around the world featuring all the continents and music from each. It was quite long in fact when the key note speaker got up to talk his 40 minute speech about topics best suited to a Harvard or Yale commencement ceremony, started to wear on even the most patient person.
So after much ado the day finally arrived. Jimmy was splendid in his "Elvis Costume" complete with this guitar and led the class to a standing ovation we are truly proud. I am mean what a great beginning to a wonderful air guitar career!
Kay went to the local beauty parlor and was doted upon for an hour. She had a hair piece put in, make up, a bindi along with several other facial ornaments and then gold glitter all over her. This is the only time in recent memory where she sat still and cooperated. She did as fabulous Egyptian dance and we again we proud. What a way to launch a career as a infomercial star.
Not to be out done Billy decided to get into the act. He has been listening to the story of the three little pigs and decided to make it four. He spent the entire evening crawling around in the dirt. Push piles of dirt around, rolling in it, picking it up and pouring over his head, we pretended to ignore him and when people would look at us we just shrugged our shoulders. What a little darling. The best is when he started crawling all over us and the chairs and then fell off hitting his head with a loud "thuwnk" on the hard dirt. Fortunately, he wasnt permanently hurt and it gave a good excuse to leave the event before the end.
I am proud to say we "made it" through 3 of the 4 hours of the annual day event. Next year we will be prepared!
Now the following day it was time to have the parent teacher conference and find out how well the little darlings did in scholastic participation, The Report Card.
Jimmy received such acclimates as "my super sixer" "Wonderful wonder boy" for his command of English. Mathematics drew him, Super performance, Superman!, Fabulous James I am proud of you. Environmental studies started out with Wonderful wonder boy and ended with "keep it up your almost there"? He received " shows a lot of interest in learning" along with, "keen learner" for his interest in Hindi. The activity based part of his studies garnered showing progress in sports, music( he has the music "in him"and in crafts/art he received the highest accolade, master!
Annual Day is the accumulation of the previous years learning all round into one on stage performance for the kids. The performance has nothing to due with the studies but everything to due with, performance.
Starting about a month before the last day of school the children are given the roles they are to play in the upcoming performance and then practice that role exclusively for the remainder of the year. Terse warnings are given to the parents as to keep the child under the allotted tardy days as "Jimmy is are star dancer" and if his misses one more day we will be in trouble, who knew.
Kay must be well rested and please give her a bath because she is our best "Egyptian Princess" and princesses must be well presented and proper, what?
The Annual Day performance was based on a trip around the world featuring all the continents and music from each. It was quite long in fact when the key note speaker got up to talk his 40 minute speech about topics best suited to a Harvard or Yale commencement ceremony, started to wear on even the most patient person.
So after much ado the day finally arrived. Jimmy was splendid in his "Elvis Costume" complete with this guitar and led the class to a standing ovation we are truly proud. I am mean what a great beginning to a wonderful air guitar career!
Kay went to the local beauty parlor and was doted upon for an hour. She had a hair piece put in, make up, a bindi along with several other facial ornaments and then gold glitter all over her. This is the only time in recent memory where she sat still and cooperated. She did as fabulous Egyptian dance and we again we proud. What a way to launch a career as a infomercial star.
Not to be out done Billy decided to get into the act. He has been listening to the story of the three little pigs and decided to make it four. He spent the entire evening crawling around in the dirt. Push piles of dirt around, rolling in it, picking it up and pouring over his head, we pretended to ignore him and when people would look at us we just shrugged our shoulders. What a little darling. The best is when he started crawling all over us and the chairs and then fell off hitting his head with a loud "thuwnk" on the hard dirt. Fortunately, he wasnt permanently hurt and it gave a good excuse to leave the event before the end.
I am proud to say we "made it" through 3 of the 4 hours of the annual day event. Next year we will be prepared!
Now the following day it was time to have the parent teacher conference and find out how well the little darlings did in scholastic participation, The Report Card.
Jimmy received such acclimates as "my super sixer" "Wonderful wonder boy" for his command of English. Mathematics drew him, Super performance, Superman!, Fabulous James I am proud of you. Environmental studies started out with Wonderful wonder boy and ended with "keep it up your almost there"? He received " shows a lot of interest in learning" along with, "keen learner" for his interest in Hindi. The activity based part of his studies garnered showing progress in sports, music( he has the music "in him"and in crafts/art he received the highest accolade, master!
Jimmy had a great first year at Gopalan and proved that he indeed is a school ager!
Kay was rated on several levels of creativity , personal work habits, social habits, participation and finally cognitive and language development which I dare say is a tough ciriculum for a 3 year old in nursery school.
She was not deterred and received the highest marks and her teacher stated that she works well with others, follows directions well ( yea right) and is careful and neat. In her social habits she partakes in informal conversation as well as respects other people's property. At this point I asked for a picture of the child in question for just that morning our Kay spend several minutes on a time out for biting Billy over a puzzle right after she snuck into the freezer and ate a Kit Kat bar for breakfast! I am sure the 2 incidents are not related.
Gladys Ma'am (Kay's teacher) did indeed confirm that child in question to be Kay Marie Jeon Murphy so we continued with the assessment. Kay loves music and excels in arts and craft enjoys reading and even taught the entire class a song about the 7 days in a week. (Thank you Sandy!!) The children to follow in Kay's footsteps will also be taught, "Sunday, Monday , Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. There are seven days there are seven days there are seven days in the week".....The closing remarks about Kay and her ability to be stubborn were summed up as " Kay is creative and exhibits and expresses her ideas very well".
Gladys Ma'am will miss her "little butterfly" and is even trying to maneuver her way into being Kay's teacher next year. Who knew Kay had that kind of pull.
Kay was rated on several levels of creativity , personal work habits, social habits, participation and finally cognitive and language development which I dare say is a tough ciriculum for a 3 year old in nursery school.
She was not deterred and received the highest marks and her teacher stated that she works well with others, follows directions well ( yea right) and is careful and neat. In her social habits she partakes in informal conversation as well as respects other people's property. At this point I asked for a picture of the child in question for just that morning our Kay spend several minutes on a time out for biting Billy over a puzzle right after she snuck into the freezer and ate a Kit Kat bar for breakfast! I am sure the 2 incidents are not related.
Gladys Ma'am (Kay's teacher) did indeed confirm that child in question to be Kay Marie Jeon Murphy so we continued with the assessment. Kay loves music and excels in arts and craft enjoys reading and even taught the entire class a song about the 7 days in a week. (Thank you Sandy!!) The children to follow in Kay's footsteps will also be taught, "Sunday, Monday , Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. There are seven days there are seven days there are seven days in the week".....The closing remarks about Kay and her ability to be stubborn were summed up as " Kay is creative and exhibits and expresses her ideas very well".
Gladys Ma'am will miss her "little butterfly" and is even trying to maneuver her way into being Kay's teacher next year. Who knew Kay had that kind of pull.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Hampi
The loudamericans plus two( Grandpa Jeremiah and Grandma Kay) headed off to the town of Hampi. Hampi is a religious town in the deserted area of Vijayanagar, of which Hampi is the capital. It is India’s most evocative ruin. It lies about 5 hours north of Bangalore and you can not bring your American Express, Visa, or any other card, Hampi excepts rupees, cash.
The way to Hampi is quite an interesting view into India. Many villages, no electricity and Government ration water supplies keep the people and tourists survival instinct alive!
Hampi itself was destroyed in 1565 after the battle of Talikota, in which the Vijayanagar army was defeated by the Bijapur confederacy. There are many temples and ruins highlighted by the World Heritage site. The backbone of trade came from the wealth of spices and cotton trade, and at one time the population was 500,000.
Among it’s many sites, the Vittala Temples remarkable. The sculptural detail is awesome. The Royal enclosures house the remains of the Lotus Mahal and the domed chambers of the Elephant Stables.
Enough history.
We set out full of adventure and the van full of gas. We arrived to find a somewhat Bohemic group of people and the area was borderline a state fair gone bad, that however did not deter us. We found our hotel only after our driver Saravanna forced our way into the gated city where no cars were allowed.
The way to Hampi is quite an interesting view into India. Many villages, no electricity and Government ration water supplies keep the people and tourists survival instinct alive!
Hampi itself was destroyed in 1565 after the battle of Talikota, in which the Vijayanagar army was defeated by the Bijapur confederacy. There are many temples and ruins highlighted by the World Heritage site. The backbone of trade came from the wealth of spices and cotton trade, and at one time the population was 500,000.
Among it’s many sites, the Vittala Temples remarkable. The sculptural detail is awesome. The Royal enclosures house the remains of the Lotus Mahal and the domed chambers of the Elephant Stables.
Enough history.
We set out full of adventure and the van full of gas. We arrived to find a somewhat Bohemic group of people and the area was borderline a state fair gone bad, that however did not deter us. We found our hotel only after our driver Saravanna forced our way into the gated city where no cars were allowed.
The rooms were 500 rupees per night; around $10.00 and that did not stop us either. Although it should have warned up.
There is a picturesque view of the river Tungabadhra where many of the locals do laundry and bathe.
We were in need of lunch and some cold water, alcohol here is forbidden. Surprisingly the menu had a great deal to offer, Chinese, Mexican and Western along with the usual array of Indian food. We consulted with the waiter/owner only to find there was only veg items, no meat in the religious city.
Noodles for everyone seemed the hunger cry. We actually had some additional Indian items that were bland and really disappointing. We toured the city walked to several great ruins and through a real Indian village, which was both beautiful and impoverish.
Dinner was much the same as lunch and then off to our rooms for what became a hot and restless affair. The Millers whom also traveled with us had no air conditioning and no lights. What can one hope for at $10 a night?
We had negotiated with a local guide for a tour via rickshaws son after breakfast off we went. We toured the Lotus Mahal, the underground Virupaksha Temple, and the Queens Bath. They used to keep crocodiles in the moat around the queen's bath to keep people from disturbing the ladies while they swam....
The tour was awesome and definitely worth taking.
We headed back to Bangalore with a stop in Hospet for a quick lunch. One and a half hours later we finally got our “to go” lunch and were on the way. We used the last of our rupees for lunch but figured we would not need any more being we were going home, wrong.
One hour out of Hospet is the beginning of nowhere and it does not end until you reach the outer limits of Bangalore. This was the spot Saravanna informed us that we needed gas. !7 gas stations later, none taking credit cars, we ran out of gas. On the highway, in the middle of nowhere, with a temp of about 95 and 8 people in a 6 passanger car. Why didnt we stop for cash, you ask? It was a public holiday and all ATM's were closed. We had three American dollars and several frayed wits!
Luckily for us the Millers were ahead of us and we were able to call them and they brought us three water bottles full of gas. That only took an hour and a half; they were a ways in front of us. The next stop a gas station, which of course did not take a card. We then ran out of gas again. The Millers returned with more gas and more importantly rupees. We made it the gas station and finally back to Bangalore. The original 5-hour journey became nine.
A final note:
Dangers& Annoyances: quoted from the lonely planet India book page 841:
Hampi is a safe place, generally free of any aggression. That said, don’t wander around the ruins at sunrise or sunset, particularly on the climb up Mantaga Hill and don’t wander alone, as muggings and violence have been on the rise in recent years. Foreigners should register at the police station inside the Virupaksha Temple upon arrival. This is a simple process involving logging your details in a book –it’s routine as a hotel check-in. The station, which is just inside the temple entrance on the right, has a photo gallery of crooks.
For another view of Hampi visit www. WACMiller.blogspot.com
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