YES, You are more important than ME!

You cannot truly appreciate this title unless you live here or have traveled to India! Whenever we travel in and out of India, it can be so frustrating. As soon as the plane lands, all the people jump and to grab their stuff. They push past you, but they have no where to go since the plane has not even stopped moving!! The aisles are jammed, but they insist they need to get to the front. At the airport check in if you stand in line behind the line, they will cut in front and run you over with the trolleys.

This past weekend I traveled to Sri Lanka for N's basketball tournament. Charles was still in the U.S., so I was going by myself. Instead of having ropes to signal lines, you just get in behind people. I took the line that looked like people traveling by themselves. Big mistake, by the time I realized it, each of those people had 6 or more traveling with them. They were not all in line, and we had to wait. So Frustrating! It took me over 40 minutes to get checked in. Also, each of these groups of people had too many bags and they were too heavy. I had people asking me to take their luggage because I only had one small bag. Ah, NO!

We had a blast at the tournament. I love watching N play sports. He is a great leader on the playing field, no matter what sport. He is always encouraging others. He played well, and his basketball game has improved. They won all the games the first day, and took first place in that tournament. There was a separate tournament the next day. It was a little different, so the first game they played was against one of the local schools. They were really good, and we lost that game. Now we would play later for 3rd or 4th place. We won that game, so we took 3rd place on the 2nd day.

Charles returned from the States the same night that Noah and I traveled from Sri Lanka. It was nice to see him again after being gone one month. He also brought back the American goodies! We have enough bacon to last us through June! We had BLTs and the kids were hilarious. They kept asking how many pieces can we have. At the end of the meal, M asked how many each person had. I think we were up to 7, so M took another piece. N took another piece. E looked at the plate and grabbed the last two and said, "Six, Seven." It was funny. The girls put their bacon in ziploc bags to put in their lunch the next day.

Well, we are anxious for our next R&R trip. We are going to go to Australia. I am starting the research now. Cannot wait.

It is starting to get warmer here. I am bummed. The weather has been great. It has been cool in the evenings, and I have even needed a light wrap at times. Charles is happy to be back to the sunshine. We will see when he is sweating from the 100 degree days!

No, we do not have a return date yet. We are trying to get the final plans in for our time here. We will let you all know soon. Have a great day!

Oh, I almost forgot. I was going to say that I think I should have the title of this message made into t-shirts! Okay, maybe not. I guess I just needed share some of the craziness with all of you.

Let's Catch Up!

Another new month, and I have not been diligent with the postings. I can make 100 excuses, but none of that matters now. I also have not been good with the pictures either.

Since I last posted, we have been to Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. For some you may know this as The Golden Triangle in India. In Delhi we visited Ghandi's house and walked the path that he took his final day. We went to a Mosque, drove past India Gate, saw the Lotus Temple, and enjoyed cleaner streets and cooler temperatures. January 26th is Republic Day, so we were unable to see some of the usual tourist attractions.

After a day of seeing Delhi, we headed to Agra. Not really looking forward to the traffic and long drive, but we were pleasantly surprised. The road was not bad, and the traffic was not bad. Some of the streets were closed again due to Republic Day preparations, but we arrived in Agra in the afternoon. The only thing we had time to do was see the Taj Mahal. What a spectacular site! Our guide was truly in love with this masterpiece, so we got a great tour. He shared with us the story of why it was built and just how precise and intentional the builder was.

We got up early and headed to Jaipur the next day. A long drive, but the road was nice. I now believe that they do understand the concept of highways. Something we did encounter along the way, were these men standing in the middle of the highway with a large flag/banner. They wanted us to stop, and our driver told us it was because they wanted money. What people want to do for money!

We arrived in Jaipur and found out our hotel was still 10 kilometers outside of the city. We had to stop at each turn and get more directions. We traveled down a very bumpy dirt road before arriving at the hotel. I can best describe the hotel as a bed and breakfast. It had been a home that had been renovated into a hotel. Really?!? This is where we are staying. Now, if you have not lived in India or even visited, you may think, "What is the issue?". Well, I have lived in India long enough to know better!

The manager of the hotel asked me how many beds we needed? Really? We did have reservations (oh, by the way, we booked this through a travel agency). After not getting anywhere, I asked to see the rooms. We went up the staircase, and I noticed all the signs that said "Mind your Head". The manager showed me the rooms, and we settled on three. Our room had an old door that did not have a lock on it. They used a chain and padlock.

The manager told us that there would be a party tonight since we were staying with them. Oh no, I am not sure if I am ready for this. We also told us that we could do to the restaurant when we were ready. After we got our stuff into the rooms, we headed out to see what was on the menu. Now, the restaurant was closed, but they opened it up for us! The food was amazing, and we were excited to have a good meal. We were again assured that we needed to stay for the party.

At some point in the afternoon, we mentioned that it was my mom's birthday. In the evening we gathered where there was to be music and dancing. A dinner table was also set. Soon, there were 30 people all gathered listening to the Rajastan music. After a little while, the dancers joined them. It was truly amazing! We really enjoyed ourselves, and they even made a cake for my mom. They stopped the music and we all sang Happy Birthday. I am sure she will remember this birthday for a long time.

We spent the next traveling around Jaipur and shopping. We had a good time and rode elephants. Dad was unsure of this, but we told him you may as well. We went to some palaces and heard of some of the history of this country. There is still a King, but he has no power.

We made it back to Chennai safe and sound on the 26th. My parents were leaving on the 28th/29th, so we just had a couple of more days. One day was spent watching E play with her classmates in the annual field day. Dad also went to a marble and granite factory. My dad bought some uniques souvenirs from India. Some of you will never meet my dad, so I will share with you his souvenirs - a 300 pound marble slab and some wood! If you do know my dad, you can keep asking him what he plans to do with these souvenirs. Unfortunately, he cannot take them on the plane, so we will have to bring them back in the sea crate!

We celebrated M's 13th birthday at our one of our favorite places in Chennai - the Asiana Hotel. She wanted a Masquerade Ball. It was great. We managed to get the place decorated in time - a big thanks to my friend, Darlene, and her driver. Most of the kids showed up with masks. It was great. They ate, danced, and laughed. I think she will also remember this milestone birthday.

Since my parents left, we have been doing the usual. Baksetball practice at 6:30a for both M and N. E has ballet class on Wednesday mornings at 7:00a. E is also swimming three days a week. She has learned the butterfly stroke, and she is developing some good arm muscles!

I have been working in my craft room more. I did not think I would be so busy, but I have manged to keep busy and out of my craft room. I will need some weekend retreats to catch up!

We have not had as many exciting stories since moving into this new house. We do not see the bugs, and the power is a lot for consistent (spoke too soon - just lost power). There has been a few lizards, but we are no longer having them exterminated.

N made the boys basketball team and will be traveling to Sri Lanka. M made the 1st alternate, so we are not sure of her chances. If someone cannot travel, then she will be able to go. They both have decided to go out for track and field.

We are planning our next holiday - Australia! It will be great, and we will be visiting some friends that we met here in India. It will be a few short weeks after that when we will be making our final trip home!

I am not sure if our life back home will be too boring after all the "fun" we have had here in India.