Singapore

We've been in Singapore the last few days visiting the Fishers, our friends from Austin Ridge. So great!



It's been great to catch up with friends, and so random to be in Singapore doing it! They are such a sweet family and we've loved our time with them.

Kristy dropped us off in China Town today for some exploring. Man, Chinese New Year is alive and well in these parts. Such a colorful, lively time.



Tomorrow we're back in Bangkok for a 1 night layover and then back home we go!

We'll have a month to pack up our apartment! Yikes!

Thailand

We just finished up our week in Thailand.

We had fun catching up with friends.

Here's Nate making Clay laugh while he's trying to work.



We had some good down time with dear friends.



Clay and I gave a talk on communications to the big group, and Clay also taught a couple of breakout sessions on producing videos.



The last day we headed out with some friends for a walk. Gotta make the most of the time we have together, right?



We found an enormous field of beautiful GRASS! Grass like none of us have seen in years due to the places everyone lives. Actually I don't know if I've ever seen such an incredible expanse of well-kept grass.



Here's Clay and some of his guys.



The frisbee came out, and the moment was complete.




It was INCREDIBLE to all be on the same side of the world together. We talked and talked. And laughed a lot.



I think 'belonging' is one of the best feelings out there.



The sun set, and it was pretty much the perfect afternoon.



We are so thankful for the privilege of being able to return to Thailand this year. We're thankful for the friends God has given us over these last few years, and how they challenge and inspire us as we seek to know the Lord more.

Blarg.

Oh sad day :( Internet is extremely slow here!!! No pics any time soon. But we did our presentation today and it went well! It was fun working with Clay the past few months preparing the talk we gave on different forms of communication. We are a good team :)

Clay is teaching two more sessions this week on video, and it's been fun talking about all this stuff. As has spending time with all of our dear friends on this side of the globe.

What incredible, precious people God has introduced us to over the last 2 years. We are thankful to him!

Hooray!

We made it to the big BKK!! Bangkok is crazy!!! Cars and people everywhere. Street vendors and spirit houses. It's intense and hot and loud. And wonderful! :) We were so excited to get to return this year, and in the dead of Belgian winter too. Our feet are very happy to be in Chacos again.

We've been recovering from jet lag the last few days, spending time with friends who are so nice and patient with our brains that still think it's 6 hours earlier than it is... I think we kept them up until after 1am our first night. Sorry guys.

The elephant building is alive and well. As are the hot pink taxis.



And, Land of Cute that it is, Thailand is rocking my socks off once more with its incredibly cute ways. They add big cute eyes to a toilet, and you find yourself wanting to love it forever.



Not only could I resist the Nativity set for myself a few weeks ago, but a set for my Thailand girls seemed necessary as well. We had fun playing with it after breakfast this morning.



We ran around town a little bit today. There is nothing like time spent with good friends. Precious precious friends.



SO happy to be in Bangkok and thankful to God for being able to share life with friends!

Month 23!

We're cruising right along here and just entered our 23rd month! Yikes! Time is flying! And we are trying hard to enjoy every second!

Last week Sirin came and spent the day. We had fun putting together the nativity set I found onsale at the grocery store. A month or so late, but Jesus' birth is pretty cool all the time :)




We've also been spending a lot of time at our new favorite pub. It's bittersweet finding such a welcoming and special place in our last few months but we are enjoying it. Rita and Jean Claude are neat people.

This is the night she made us chicons au gratin, a Belgian specialty.



The weather has been extremely beautiful, which I take as a personal farewell gesture from Belgium. Thank you, Belgium. You really are stunning when the clouds peel back just a bit.



Oh, and I found a little cat friend!! A real one, this time ;)



Yesterday we had lunch at Ali and Nada's and I couldn't wait for Nagham to get home from school, because I finally was able to bring over her gingerbread house!



It was so fun.



The boys had fun on their computers as usual. Sweet friends.



For the last week, most of our days have found us at our dining table working on a talk we are giving next week in Thailand.



We are leaving tomorrow to join a group of folks we work with to give a little presentation on communication and video. We are super excited!! My jeans got soaked with chilly rain as I walked home from the grocery store today, and all I kept thinking was "Bangkok, Bangkok, Bangkok..." 80 degrees, here we come!

So long!

We had a nice, relaxing, belge kind of day with our friends yesterday.

First things first, we grabbed some frites. Mmmmmm.



Then walked all over town through the mist. It was good to catch up with my dear old friend.



We bought some bread and looked for the swan family that hangs around town.



Some of our earliest memories involve large birds. Thankfully these swans were a lot less aggressive than Laura's childhood pet geese.




It's Belgium, right? Last night we led them in a sampling of some fine brews.



And crepes.



As the four of us walked to the train station this morning we noticed halted traffic and frantic street cleaners. Oh yes. This really happened. A trash can filled to the brim with cow parts from a recent butchering flung it's contents all over the main round-about in town.



It was hilarious, random, and disgusting. Jut perfect for our group's final jaunt across town. Also fitting considering our back to back evenings of B-movies (last night was "Tremors"). The four of us are no strangers to ridiculous gore in ridiculous places :)

I don't believe those actually dealing with the cow parts this morning found it quite so humorous.

Laura and Andy left today, on their way to Paris. It was so good to see them, our last visitors here in Huy.



We coped by eating breakfast at our new favorite pub. And wouldn't you know that this place that we discover mere months before moving is the one that serves a full American breakfast.

Sigh.



If you look behind Clay's shoulder you'll see an interesting cultural sight. In Belgium it is not at all strange to see beer being consumed at all times of day or night.

Exhibit A:



Off to clean and process some veggies! It's market day after all!

Laura and Andy are here!

An old friend came to town Sunday! And she brought her new husband! If you had told us as little girls sitting next to each other on the school bus at the age of 6 that we would someday we running around Brussels together we wouldn't have believed you (or known where the heck Brussles was).



We walked around Huy with them and thought it would be fun to take them up to Old Huy to watch the sunset.

Old Huy is a place we really love. There's a great view of the city, and in the summer we've had a lot fun BBQ picnics.

Good times like these:



And these:



But the other night we found this:



A bricked up wall. What??? No more Old Huy, people. Sad but true. Apparently the city is cracking down on the youth drinking and drug situation and this secluded meeting spot was targeted.

So we walked around a little bit in disbelief.



And then found a way in! Andy is a genius. A deputy Macgyver for sure.

Our eyes beheld this view for what will more than likely be the last time. Sigh.



And the sneaks themselves. I was so nervous we were going to be caught. Even the flash on my camera made me jumpy.



We went to Liege yesterday, and Laura tried her first Melocake. Epic moment for any Belgian tourist.



Last night we got some wine, bread, and cheese (we are going to miss living over a cheese shop) and settled in for one of our traditional B-movie nights. The selected film was the original 1970s "Piranha". Nice.

2 things

I am pretty sure I got my last Belgian haircut today.

I headed out in the rain today, not knowing which salon I was going to, but clutching a printout of Alyssa Milano with cute short hair. When you lack vocabulary, a picture is always a good idea.

I ended up at a place called Veronique's. And it was the best salon experience I have had yet.

1. I didn't have to make an appointment.
2. She kept saying my hair was beaux, just so beaux. A stylist that loves your hair for some reason is a stylist to keep. It made me laugh.
and 3. It cost 15 euros less than everywhere else I have gotten a cut. Score!

She ended up ignoring Alyssa's picture, but I decided to see where inspiration would take her.



Ay chihuahua! Believe it our not, I love it. Veronique did a great job.

My last Belgian haircut experience was a success. Whew. Here it is after a wash.



Another momentous occasion today.

The removal of the Christmas tree. The tree pick-up is not until Wednesday, but we have company coming tomorrow (the former Miss Laura Mszar and her new husband Andy, yay!) and this thing takes up half of their bedroom!

We wanted to avoid as much needle-shedding as possible, so there was only one option.

Out the window with it.

These are the moments that Clay Sandoz lives for.



I was so torn. I didn't want to be the one on the street (ie I didn't want to be the one that was arrested), but I wasn't quite strong enough to lift the tree.



My main job was watching to make sure no one passed by when he dropped the tree. Can you even imagine how horrible that would be?



And this is what a tree looks like falling from 3 stories up.



And here it is dejectedly lying on the cobblestones in the rain.



And thus concluded the Christmas chronicles of 2010.