Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It does not feel much like Christmas here except for my endless stream of Christmas music and making cookies with kids!

I know it has been forever, and I must apologize for that. I cannot believe how incredibly crazy, busy, frustrating, joyful, etc. my life has been in the last few weeks. This email will be long, but please bear with me.

When we got home from our fall break, we were having internet issues. Of course, I have a husband that prides himself on being extremely resourceful in the area of electronics. I call him my I.T. Help Desk! Despite our lack of permanent connection (6 weeks and counting), we have had a backup connection. We unfortunately do not get the greatest speed for connection, but the kids can still homework and we can still surf the net. We also had a problem with our phones which also use the internet, so we have not been able to make calls back home.

I think I mentioned that we were moving. We have moved, and we are officially unpacked. The movers were efficient but not necessarily as careful as I would have liked. We had the "B" team since the "A" team was at another Ford family's house packing them to go back to the States. We lost another plate, couple glasses, and one of our dining room chairs. All in all, that is not too bad considering them packing boxes larger than any human should carry filled with canned goods!

The Monday before they were scheduled to arrive it started raining. It continued off and on, and them the skies opened up on Tuesday! This means that they cannot pack, load, and then unload the new house. They stayed in the old house all day just packing. They packed the kitchen (why is that the room that they always pack first). This meant no dinner. They also wrapped all the furniture, so we had no where to sit. The rain had also made them an hour late. I had no way to make lunches the next day either. You cannot buy lunches here like the U.S., so we had to get creative!

Wednesday, they arrived almost on time, and promptly started packing. My friend came with her driver, so her driver could stay at the old house and supervise. My driver would take us to the new house, and we could get things started there. Things never go as planned, and the driver that was supposed to be at the new house phoned and said that he would not be there for another hour. My friend decided we should go to get lunch, and then it would be time for the keys to be there. When it was time for us to be at the new house, the moving people decided that they needed lunch. REALLY! Now, we were not able to stay in the house until the landlord received the check from Ford. We told the movers to leave the beds for last...I think you can see where this may be going. I received a call from Charles around 3:00p. He said that maybe we were breaking them down, and we could sleep at the new house. Just as he said that, the doors opened and in came our beds. I told I hope so since our bed just arrived!!!

Wednesday night was the first night in the new house. Thursday I worked on unpacking and getting things put away with a lot of help from my friend, Darlene. Her driver helped put things away and unpack. My friend, Karrie, was kind and made us a dinner, so we had food! I really appreciate these ladies taking time out of their busy schedules to help me. In addition to all of that they also helped me shop for hours for curtains.

I know what you are thinking...moving is a pain, but you had movers right? Yep, but let me share something else.

At our school, we do have local schools that will come and play our kids in sports, and then we finish the season with a big tournament with schools locally as well as other parts of India. This year I offered to help with the tournament. We house kids who have to travel as well as provide a hospitality room for the coaches, event volunteers, and referees. I volunteered to coordinate the hospitality room. I had to organize breakfast and lunch for two days. This tournament was on Friday and Saturday of the week we moved! M and N were also playing in the tournament!

We managed to get it all done, and we are no worse for the wear! The next week was a short week because of Thanksgiving. That was our reward for all the other stuff!

Singapore was great! It is so nice to be able to walk around and enjoy the outdoors. We stayed at that Hard Rock Hotel o Sentosa Island. It was pretty cool. There was a place behind the hotel with restaurants and shopping! We arrived in Singapore on Thanksgiving morning. After checking in and finding our friends, we headed out for lunch. We found a Chili's! I can only imagine the stories after we left. We ordered so much food! I love the chips and salsa, and the fountain coke was awesome! We did some shopping in the afternoon, and we found two scrapbook stores.

On Friday we went to Universal Studios. It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed the rides, shows, and food! I know our theme is shopping and food!

After 4 days in Singapore, it was time to head back to Chennai. I was not really ready, but we only had three weeks of school before the Christmas break.

The week we got back, I had to help with another tournament which was 3 days this time. It was high school basketball. Long days, but it went well.

Just some tidbits...

kids are doing well...finishing up projects before we leave on break

Charles got a second car...why not, it will be fun

I have been making cards with friends...

Mom and Dad will meet us in Dubai....cannot wait

24 plus hours of rain...streets flooded...no school for two days

It is hard to believe that I have been here for one year. There are still so many things that just baffle me, and all we can do is just shake our heads and say "oh well". I have come to realize that there are some things in life that are just not worth the effort of getting upset over. I will have many more Christmases and Thanksgivings in the U.S.with my family. I have come to realize that so many things should not be taken for granted. You never now when they will not be available to you. I am looking forward to the last few months here in India, but I am making sure to use my time wisely. God has provided an opportunity of a lifetime, and my kids as well as myself are all the better for living it. We all have friends now throughout the world. M and N are finding things at the school that they will not get back in the U.S., and they are both using it to make the best of their time here. M loves the academic challenges, and N loves his "celebrity" status. E is just E floating along.

As the year closes, I have done a lot of reflection, and I am looking forward to the next year. I want to thank all of our friends and family that have taken the time to send letters, emails, packages, called, and most importantly your prayers. I know I could not have made it through without all the support of so many.

Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We miss and love all of you!

I was trying to post this before we left on our holiday in Dubai. Sorry, but my computer and internet had enough and made me take a break. I will post our Christmas and New Year's celebrations in a day or two.