The latest and greatest from Chennai!

We made it back from Borneo (Pictures Linked HERE). We actually stayed in Miri. When I was googling things to do in Miri there was not much. Most of the tours required additional means of transportation as well as lodging. Our goal was to actually spend a quiet weekend relaxing. We were able to accomplish just that!

As we flew into the airport, I watched out the window. This was a very small airport - only 3 terminals! It was great! First through customs, no problem. Second, found a booth that happened to be a promotional booth for our hotel. They called us a shuttle. Third, found a place to sit and wait for the shuttle - STARBUCKS! Yeah!

We arrived at our resort. It was cool. An open air lobby and beautiful scenery abound. We checked in and headed to the pool. It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy clean air and poolside drinks!

We did take one tour that led us through the rainforest and to the Niah caves. It was truly amazing. God has really created some extraordinary creatures. I have some really cool pictures. It was really hot, and we were all excited to get back to the hotel and enjoy a swim.

We enjoyed some shopping and more swimming. We were able to visit another Starbucks and eat at McDonalds. Just a nice change of pace from all the big cities we have been visiting. I will get a link to some pictures later.

Tuesday afternoon it started to look like rain, but it hardly rains right now. Later into the night we heard thunder and saw lightning. We were getting a real thunderstorm. Of course that meant that we lost power, but we have a generator. It rained hard and all day. We ran the generator for almost 36 hours. Streets were flooded, and the kids were praying for a day off. This was a result of a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal. Just one more thing that you do not get in Michigan - cyclones!

We are back to normal and doing well. Planning our trip to London and Paris. But Charles has thrown a wrench into our plans, he is heading home for work. Yes, he gets to leave this beautiful city two weeks before us. I was trying hard not be bummed out. I knew it would be hard for me if he ever had to travel back to Michigan, but this is even harder because he will not be able to bring stuff back since we are planning on meeting in London. M told him that is was not fair. He gets to eat all the "American" food before us!

Hot, Hot, and More HOT!

Okay we are officially melting here in Chennai. If you stand outside too long, you feel like you have been caught in the rain. Wet with your clothes sticking to you. It has seriously been in the upper 90's for days. We had a brief break when it rained for a few hours a couple of weeks ago.

We have all been doing our usual. Charles heads off to work each day with the kids. I sometimes join them when I am planning on going out with my friends. Of course this puts a wrench in the works, and it often sends us into some sort of rushing out the door frenzy. Last week after one of these mornings I had a calm conversation with the girls (yes it was calm) about being responsible and getting ready the night before as well as getting out of bed and proceeding with the morning routine. After my conversation, our driver turned to Charles and asked if there was "drama" this morning. I said, "Of course, with girls there is always drama!" We all laughed.

I have been doing some scrapbooking, enjoying lunch with friends, shopping with friends, and even going to the movies. I went to the movies for the first time last weekend. They were actually showing "The Last Song" with Miley Cyrus. What a crazy experience! There was a lot of cell phones ringing, people chatting and laughing, and an intermission! New experiences daily!

We were at a volleyball tournament Friday and Saturday. N's team won a few and lost a few. Charles and I were proud of his attitude on and off the court. Our school played the American School from Bombay as well as many local schools. N was always giving high 5's and congratulating the other teams.

We had a relatively regular week until the A/C in the family room quit working, the hot water tank in the master bath shorted out and needed to be replaced, and we were locked out of our house on Mother's Day.

Here is the Mother's Day reenactment: We went to brunch with some friends and then came back home to let the kids swim in the pool. Now, our housekeeper left just an hour or two before we got home, so the groundskeeper had to lock the door when she left. We arrived home and could not get the key to work. We had 2 dads, 1 groundskeeper, 1 driver, and 1 pre-teen trying to open the door. Well after a few failed attempts tools started coming out. We had pliers, hammers, etc. Charles said, "Don't break the key." Famous last words. The key broke and now we are in trouble. There is literally no other way to get into the house. The back door (service entrance) only locks from the inside. They tried to get the bars off the front windows, but they are screwed into the concrete from the inside. Up on the roof went N, but that was also a failed attempt. Then Charles decided to head up on the roof. That is when the driver decided a carpenter would be best, so he got in the car as he mumbled that he would go get a carpenter. Have I mentioned our driver is awesome! Charles managed to get into the house. Not willing to disclose details at this time, but I will share in person another time. Noah let us in the back. Oh, I forgot to mention that crowbars also came out which only resulted in getting the door handle off the door without getting the lock undone. Tools flying up to the roof. Our driver got back with the carpenter, and all is well again. A Mother's Day that will be remembered for a long long time!

We leave for Borneo in a couple of days. We are looking forward to nice clean beaches and fresh air. We may be able to get some walking through a rainforest and swim in a pool of water below a waterfall.

We only have 4 weeks left once we come home from vacation before we head to London and Paris! We are looking forward to our home visit. At least in the States we do not need to get our passports stamped. I think we will need to have pages added to our passports soon. How awesome is that! We are seriously enjoying the travel perks of this move. I just wish all of you could come along. See you soon!