Same shot

I looked through some old pictures and found this one, taken at the same Jungle Gardens, back in 1989! All I remember from that experience was that it felt like that bird weighed a TON! Guess I'm a bit more buff now....

Updates on Kerith

Thanks to those of you who have been praying for Kerith. I know several of you have asked how she is doing. Rather than emailing, her parents have set up a CaringBridge website you are free to visit for updates and to express your prayers for them. She turned 6 months yesterday!

Home again....almost

Here's a group shot of all of us from the weekend! We had a wonderful time, though now we all need a vacation from our vacation (especially Erin and Jeni!). I'll drive home tomorrow and go back to a normal life, I suppose!And here's one of my cousin I love!

Jungle Gardens

This afternoon we (Jessie, Mattie, Sam, Erin, Jeni, Madi, Erin, Kadin, Merritt) are just returning from the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. It's a small zoo-ish place that has mainly birds that roam and reptiles that do nothing. Turns out the birds are quite funny, since they can walk and fly freely. We got a kick out of the flamingos that were taller than us, especially since one pecked Jessie on the head to get her to move. As you all know from a previous post, I hate birds, but decided to brave the roaming birds here, only to get pooped on! Why do birds hate me? I do nothing to them, and I didn't hear anyone else in the whole park complain about being pooped on but me!!! As a peace offering, I went to the parrot cage and offered to hold the largest bird in the cage. We'll see if this appeases the bird-gods. Hopefully they will spread word that I am really nice and I only hate them because they first hated me, because clearly, from this picture, everyone can see this is not my favorite thing to do!

Word Cloud

Thanks to Kelley for giving me this cool Word Cloud idea to put on my blog! This is a compilation of the most frequently used words on our blog; the bigger, the more frequent. Cool, huh?

Let's go to the beach!

Madi and Kadin went to the beach for the first time today! If today is any indicator, they will both be beach bums rather than ski bunnies. My cousin Jessie and her daughter Mattie, cousin Sam, Aunt Patti, and we girls (and Kadin!) played outside and went to the beach, and then our clan spent time at my grandparents house for dinner (at 430!) and a beautiful sunset. I gave Grandma a computer lesson (she's actually incredibly tech-savvy), and we sat around talking. Good times.

Seen any resemblance?

Are they famous?

Yes, I realize this is a strange picture of me. What am I doing? Read on....

It's a Girls Weekend in Florida (except for Kadin!)! Mom, Jeni, Madi, Erin, Kadin, and I are here and are finally relaxing after a busy day. Since there are four adults and two carseats, my fabulous aunt and uncle arranged for transportation from the airport...in a limo!! We were stylin'! And you know they were wondering what fabulous famous person was inside! After assessing the traffic situation, I am shown staking out a spot for the limo driver in the congested loading zone! I hope to have better pictures tomorrow after going to THE BEACH! (I'm not actually swimming--it's too cold for that!)

Fashion show

Tonite as I was packing for my trip, I got a little distracted by some of the other things in my closet. I pulled out a large hanging bag full of dresses. You know the kind: all those ones you wore in high school and college and in weddings that you just haven't had the heart to get rid of. So, packing took a pause, and I went to trying on all those fun dresses. Brett decided he was glad he met me during college after he saw a few of the dresses from high school I donned. Then there were one or two from college that were not quite so cool anymore. And then there are the few that I just can't get rid of yet. I'll probably never wear the halter dress with sequins, and I don't foresee an occassion to wear those bridesmaids dresses...but I still need them with me for a few more years.

Favorite boys

One of my favorite things in life is that my husband and my younger brother are really good friends. I remember specifically when Bro came to my college for a visit, and he and Hubby hung out together, playing videogames and what-not, while I went to do something else. It was fun for me that my brother and then-boyfriend could have fun together, independent of me. Now it's been several years and they are even better friends! I'm glad that my fab husband can be more than just "that guy that my sister is married to"!

And here they both are....on different days....doing the same thing....
I need a good photo editing program and then I could put them in the same picture!

Early to bed, early to rise

I guess you can blame it on jet-lag but for the last week Brett and I have been wiped out by 930 and up by 700am before the alarm even goes off. Since it's Saturday, we slept in til 730; such rebels, I know! By the time 10am rolled around, we had piddled sufficiently on our computers, taken showers, and had breakfast at Chick-Fil-A, compliments of free breakfast coupons. I made banana bread and Brett did the taxes, and we both watched a documentary called Paper Clips. It was only 3pm by that time! Since we've mastered the whole early-to-bed-early-to-rise thing, I'm waiting for my wealthy and wise portion to come rolling in.

This video made me laugh:

Continue to pray for Kerith

To our prayer warriors:
Back in December we told you of our friends' daughter Kerith who underwent and recovered from cancer surgery. Now she is over five months old, and she again needs our prayers as testing has revealed that she has spots on her liver that are most likely cancerous. Richard and Jessica have asked that we pray these things specifically:

1) That the CT scan and tests next week provide clear direction for treatment
2) That Kerith can avoid having chemo, or having a liver biopsy
3) That if Kerith needs chemo, the potentially bad side effects would be as minimal as possible

I'll let you know when we have any other news. Thanks for your prayers!

Attention! Attention!

Get your own countdown at BlingyBlob.com

And then the day after that is Jonathan!
And then the 9th is Katie!
And then the 16th is my dad!
Anyone else??

MARCH is the BEST month EVER!

Happy Birthday, Erin!

Dear Erin,
I hope that you have an absolutely wonderful birthday! Thanks for being a part of our crazy family and keeping some calm in the life of Matt and Kadin! I don't where they would be without you! I love your gentle spirit and admire the way you serve others before they even realize there is a need. You are an incredible example! See you next week!
Love, Merritt

Love is a verb

So, here's a list of the things I love TO DO! (or at least really like to do):

-read
-visit (with) friends
-buy the perfect gift for someone
-shop when I have money to spend
-drink tea and orange juice (but not together)
-get mail
-be with my husband
-receive flowers
-be goofy, thereby embarrassing my husband
-pet cats
-make people laugh
-eat kettle corn and cheese (again...not together)
-travel
-take pictures
-blog
-wear new clothes
-spend time with family
-be surprised
-watch Broadway shows
-get into my big bed at night
-come home to a clean house
-get massages and manicures
-eat Blue Bell mint chocolate chip icecream or any icecream
-spend warm days outdoors

What do you love to do?

Valentine's for me!

It's Valentine's Day! Well, actually, it's tomorrow, but today was our Valentine's Day! I'm not a huge sap and I really would not be offended if we didn't celebrate the day, but Brett did good. Since tomorrow will be so hectic with dinners and everyone else getting flowers, not to mention the fact that we have Bible study, Brett told me not to worry about dinner tonite. So I didn't! He came in the door with a bouquet of roses, reminded me how wonderful and beautiful I am, took me to Pei Wei for Chinese food I've been craving, and then came home and watched The Notebook with me! Isn't he great!!?

Incredible India

Friday, the 9th, was our last full day in India. We had a flight that left that night (the next morning) after 1230. It was great, though, to have an entire day to do some of those last-minute things we hadn't done. Especially once Brett arrived, our time seemed to absolutely fly by, and we wished we had more days to spend. But we made the most of our time.

During the morning, Jonathan took us to see the Lotus Temple. This is a place of worship built by those who practice Baha'i. If you notice, it was really overcast and the temperature seemed to drop throughout the day, which we hope means Delhi has a few more days of winter!

Kelley and I went out later that afternoon to do some gift shopping with her friend Alicia. Kel and Alicia helped me get good bargains and find some good stuff.

We had one last Indian meal and then headed to the airport. I know I was asleep before we even took off, and the 15 hours to US didn't seem to take too long, which was a relief! Once we arrived back to Texas, we willed ourselves to stay awake all day and went to bed early.


There's a commercial on TV in India that talks about tourism and has a slogan called "Incredible India". It's true. India is incredible in so many different ways. The smells. The people. The history. The number of stray dogs. The cows that roam the streets. The traffic. The friendliness of neighbors. The stares. The busyness. The homelessness. The beggars. The sweater vests. =)

Brett and I came away so glad we went. The people of India need a Savior and need people to love them. Without that, how can they come to know Him? Please pray for the people of India. And go there if you get the chance.

Happy Belated Birthday, Marty!

While we were galavanating around India, I would like to recognize that my favorite younger brother had a birthday. I don't feel too badly about not posting on his actual birthday, mainly because I was early in giving him a present (amazing!) and I got to do so in person while in INDIA!!! Who would have ever thought!?! So, here's hoping Marty had a fabulous birthday on February 7th!

Love,
Your favorite and loving big sister

Jaipur

Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur are three cities that make up a triangle in Northern India. After a day in Agra and about 2.5 hours on a platform due to a delayed train, we arrived in Jaipur after 1am. Jonathan made reservations at a hotel that completely exceeded our expectations. It was gorgeous. And the best part was the endless instant hot water (at J & K’s we have to turn on the geyser—hot water heater—about 40 mins before we want to shower).

Over the next two days, we explored places in The Pink City such as The Palace of the Winds and an observatory, as well as the City Palace Museum. The Hawa Mahal was a place on the busy streets built so that the maharajah's concubines could look out and see the happenings without being seen. It has tons of little windows and coves, which were fun to explore.

We also did a bit of shopping; Brett and I purchased a quilt for the second bedroom that we hope one day to have! So, you can come visit us, see all our pictures, and sleep under our Indian comforter! Oh- and seeing a cow out shopping with us in the market really isn't that unusual, amazingly!

One of Brett’s favorite times of the entire trip was while we were in Jaipur. Wednesday evening, we ate at a restaurant on the top of the sister hotel in which we were staying. The restaurant was on the roof of the hotel, and the atmosphere was really neat. Throughout the whole trip both of us agreed that we like Indian food, though I had a hard time when I came across the spicy stuff! After dinner, we were able to go back to the hotel and watch a delayed broadcasting of American Idol and order icecream from room service!

Late Thursday nite, our train arrived in Delhi and we slept before our last full day there! More to come...

The Taj Mahal and Red Fort

It means “Crown Palace”. Did you know that? The dude built it to memorialize his favorite dead wife (yes, that means he had more than one). He had plans to build an identical one in black onyx across the river for himself, but his youngest son threw him into prison. That put a kink in the building plans. The Taj is beautiful. When asked what our favorite experience about India was, how can we not say the Taj Mahal? It truly is breathtaking.

Everything on the grounds is exactly symmetrical. Besides the Taj itself, there are beautiful gardens, a mosque, and some other building I can’t remember. The detailing on the walls, including the flowers and the chapters from the Quran are completely inlaid. And the whole thing is marble! It’s amazing! We had perfect weather, and I dreamed of spending a whole day there, just sitting for a picnic, playing Frisbee, and enjoying the miraculous view. I told Brett that I expect some equal type of extravagance in my memory some day! =)

So, back to being in prison: the Red Fort is where the ruler was kept imprisoned. The buildings are made of sandstone and marble. The floorplans are open and very Arabic; I envision long, flowing, colorful fabrics draped from the ceilings with candlesticks glowing, reflecting the diamonds that used to be on the bedroom walls in parts of the fort. Many parts and the area in which the ruler was imprisoned face the Taj Mahal. I wouldn’t mind being in that prison, because it truly wasn’t a cell in a basement, but was an entire area of the fort. (balconies, gazebo, marble, and all) The painful part, though, was that he always looked toward the Taj Mahal and the foundation of his own black replica, knowing it would never be completed.

The photos are my favorites from the day in Agra. Next came Jaipur.

Dress up

I'm in my 20s, and today I experienced the most fun dress-up time ever! Kelley's helper showed us both how to put on a sari, which is actually quite hard with only two hands. I really wish I had a place to wear one, because I felt like a queen!

Last day

Friday, 857am
Hi, everyone! We just returned back from several days in Agra and Jaipur. Today is our last full day in India, and we'll head to the airport tonite. I'll post more about the last several days as I get the chance. Here's proof we have seen the Taj Mahal!

Old Delhi

Monday, 1002pm

Some friends came over a little after 10 this morning to watch Kiran for several hours, which gave us the opportunity to visit India Gate and Old Delhi. This area is north of where we are, and is insanely crowded. Not many Westerners visit the area, as it's a much poorer and conservative area. At times, I felt as though I were in a zoo, since we four definitely got lots of looks!

Street in Old Delhi

We ate lunch at Karim's, which is a restaurant praised by Westerners and Indians alike. It lived up to it's reputation! Our intention was to immediately visit the largest mosque in India, but because of the call to prayer, our plans were delayed. Instead, we walked around the busy streets of Old Delhi, taking in the sight, sounds, and very distinct smells.

Kelley and Jonathan at the mosque

Eventually, we made our way to Jama Masjid Mosque. It's a beautiful structure. Upon entering the mosque, we had to remove our shoes, meaning we walked around either barefoot or with socks. As women, Kelley and I needed to cover our heads. We were able to march up the minarets and take in views of the entire city. It really was a neat experience!

Jama Masjid Mosque

Tomorrow we are leaving very early in the morning and heading to Agra and Jaipur. We'll be back in a few days! Hasta luego!

An Indian Super Bowl Party!

Hey all, this is Brett checking in. So today Jonathan and I woke up at 4:30am to host a Super Bowl party. All indications are that this was the only Super Bowl party in India outside of the American Embassy. The game started at about 5am and we had a total of 7 in attendance. (Merritt chose sleep over football...surprise, surprise!) We had a whole host of snacks too; pico de gallo and brownies were a big hit....for breakfast! The game was not on CBS but ESPN and they had their own announcing crew. Unfortunately, our commercials were not the great ones that y'all got back in the States, but a repetitive cycle of cricket and football (soccer) commercials. That was a bit disappointing, so too was Prince's halftime show. (Who made that decision, by the way?) All in all, it was great fun, even at 5am in the morning.

Humayun's Tomb

Sunday, 734pm
Can you believe it's Sunday? I'm so confused on my days, but I guess it doesn't really matter! Today was Brett's first day here in India! And we had a great one!

Brett and Jonathan took Kiran out for a walk this morning, which gave Brett the chance to see the neighborhood. After lunch, we all headed out for Humayun's Tomb, someplace none of us had been. Humayun was an emperor and the grounds are a mausoleum, from which the Taj Mahal was modeled. The buildings are very cool, and the grounds are green and expansive, something rare in this city. We explored Humayun's Tomb for a while and then went to Barrista to have an afternoon dessert. On the way up to the apartment, we met J & K's landlord, and a few minutes later we had chai (compliments of Jonathan!) with some Indian friends. It was a full day, which helped Brett stay awake! The next few days will be especially hectic, but we are having a great time catching up and living life with J & K and Little K! Here's a wave to everyone back home:

Brett's here!

Saturday, 1156pm

Strange Streets

Saturday, 408pm
This afternoon we have been shopping at Khan Market. From the picture, you probably would not suspect that this market has the highest rent rates in Delhi. It's the posh part of town. There were tons of Westerners in the area shopping and having lunch, just as we were. Our last stop was The Big Chill where we got some mint oreo ice cream! Mmm!

As we rode to and from the market, I was able to snap a few photos of things I saw on the streets. You begin to realize that American streets are so uniform and boring, but here there are tons of things to distract and amaze you!

He's coming...

Friday, 943pm
Brett is on his way! In a little over 24 hours, he'll be here to experience this adventure with me! Pray for his safety and adjustment once he gets here!

Guidelines, not rules

Friday, 655pm
Auto rickshaws are one of the most convenient ways to get around town here, so I thought I would put up a pic and tell you a little about traffic here in Delhi.

I think that all drivers believe that the driving rules are merely guidelines, if that. For instance, the 3 lane roads really become six or more. And they don't really even go by lanes. As a driver, you just crowd as closely to the front of the street as possible. And if you happen to miss your turn, don't worry. Just stop and put it in reverse on the one-way street. No problem. Or if you are having trouble turning because of oncoming traffic, merely drive into the street anyway. They will probably stop to let you go through. Double park. Take turns at top speed. Don't worry about the blinker. And make sure you honk to let others know you are coming.

The drivers here really do amaze me. Every possibe type of transportation is on the road: car, bus, bicycle, auto rickshaw, walkers. And your trip will be incredibly loud, as people honk constantly. The good thing is, they don't get mad if you cut them off; that's just life and it means you are more aggressive. Yay for you! Oh--and don't forget: they drive on the left-hand side!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Friday, 916am
Delhi is known for the hot weather, but the locals here are saying that winter has indeed left. So, if this side of the world is any indicator for whether or not the groundhog will see his shadow, my prediction is he'll come out and see it.

Colorful India

Thursday, 315pm
Kel and I just got back from a fun little trip: shopping for a sari! I'm glad that she has a wedding reception to attend soon so that we had to go out and buy a new one for her! Anjuli, her helper, went with us and really helped Kelley get some good deals.

The sari shop was absolutely beautiful, full of color. They must have pulled out about 100 different patterns and colors. Once Kelley decided on the blue embroidered cloth, we then went through the market to find appropriate shoes, jewelry, a bindi, and bangles. It was really fun!


(Obviously, in the picture, Kelley is not actually wearing the sari as it will be worn, but enlarge the pic & you can see how pretty it is!)