I noticed that the last posting was just after N's basketball tournament. We also traveled to New Delhi for the SAISA Track and Field just before we left for Australia. It was a lot different of a sport than we have been to in the past, but it was good. N participated in relays, high jump, shot put, and discus. He did well, but he was in the 13-14 year old group now. When he was 12, he was so much bigger than most. In this category, he was the same or smaller than quite a few of the boys traveling from the other schools. This made the competition tougher, but he still walked away with 4 medals.
We have moved onto volleyball now. Both M and N made the team and will be traveling to Mumbai for this tournament. It is the first weekend in May. Go Raptors!
Well, we traveled to the Land of Oz (get it?) and had a fabulous time. We started by visiting some friends that we met here in Chennai. They live in Lara near Melbourne. The weather was cooler, but it was absolutely beautiful. Charles and N went to an Aussie Rules Football Game. They had a great time, and N has a jersey as well as a ball.
We spent some time in Melbourne, Geelong, and Lara. We also went for a drive on the Great Ocean Road.
In Sydney we went to the Blue Mountains and took a bus tour of the city. The night life was amazing. We had to leave our hotel at 4:45a to catch our flight to Cairns, and people were all along the streets and so many businesses still open from the night before. I much prefer the quietness of the country!
In Cairns we drove to Port Douglas. The road takes you along the ocean. It was beautiful. We enjoyed the relaxation that came with this vacation. We also snorkeled in The Great Barrier Reef, visited a crocodile farm, took a train ride to Kuranda, and went to an Aboriginal Culture Park. More Australia pictures than you can possibly stand are just a click away.
For Easter we went to our usual Sunday brunch restaurant. Easter was different, but we were able to talk to my parents and some people from church.
We have started the countdown (as you can see on the right), and we will be returning to the U.S. on June 24th. We are all excited and looking forward to seeing everyone.
M is still trying to talk us into letting her stay here. She loves the school. There is a lot she is missing from home, but she is definitely in her glory at the school. She is in a Glee group, and she will be performing at the Jazz concert. She raised money so they could have another dance at the school before the year ends. I probably forgot to mention this, but in their P.E. class they had to take care of watermelon babies for one week. Since there was track practice, she and some friends started a babysitting service. They watched the watermelons for 30 rupees and hour (60 cents). They also took pictures of the watermelons socializing with other watermelons. It was clever, and they raised enough money for the dance. The remainder of the money will be donated to charity.
M is still trying to talk us into letting her stay here. She loves the school. There is a lot she is missing from home, but she is definitely in her glory at the school. She is in a Glee group, and she will be performing at the Jazz concert. She raised money so they could have another dance at the school before the year ends. I probably forgot to mention this, but in their P.E. class they had to take care of watermelon babies for one week. Since there was track practice, she and some friends started a babysitting service. They watched the watermelons for 30 rupees and hour (60 cents). They also took pictures of the watermelons socializing with other watermelons. It was clever, and they raised enough money for the dance. The remainder of the money will be donated to charity.
N is doing well also. He will have played a total of 5 sports this year, and he did well in all of them. Track and Field was by far the greatest challenge. He very excited for the volleyball. He is almost 6 foot now, so he is ready for some great spikes!
E has picked up swimming and is doing well. She has moved up into the Gold group, and she is actually faster in her breaststroke than her coach! She is still creative and a little comedian as you will see in some of the pictures.
Oh, we have started the process of purchasing a new house in Hartland. It is a nice house, but I have not physically seen it. My parents toured it with Charles, and they took a lot of pictures. If all goes well, we will not have to live in a hotel for long when we return. Our stuff will not be arriving until the end of the summer, but Ford will provide us with rental furniture.
