The Ketchum Family

Our House

2011-09-20T11:07:00.003+07:00

Here are some pictures of the inside of our house. We live on the 3rd and 4th level of a 5 story traditional row house. These types of houses are usually found in the city, and they are connected together. Thus, our 5 story house kind of stands out here in the country! Our front door is actually on the back of the house and it is up about 30 steep steps. A few weeks ago we found a baby gate in a local baby store - it has been a life saver (literally).

This is a view of our kitchen from around the front door. Our dining area is just to the right of this. You can also barely see a door way behind the rattan cabinet - that is where our washing machine is.

This is the hallway just beyond our kitchen/dining area. Our bedroom is on the right, Megann's bedroom is on the left, and one of our SIX bathrooms is straight ahead. If you turn left at the bathroom you will pass the stairs to the girls' rooms and then you'll end up in the living room.

This is the living room. The door you see leads to a small balcony that is on the front of our house (see below). We have a matching sofa, but we can't get it around the curves in the hallway, so it's upstairs. This room is large and has several windows, so if there is any breeze outside it comes through this room nicely (good for air flow, but bad for dust).

A front-ish view of our house. You can't see the bottom level, so our flat starts at the 2nd bank of windows. You can also see the balcony off our living room (the living room is 2 stories tall). We also have a beautiful covered roof. Our laundry dries up there, and we would eventually like to put some kind of table and chairs to put there for those nights when it's too hot to eat inside.

Random

2011-09-20T10:36:00.003+07:00

Here a few random pictures that I thought you would enjoy...

This is what happens when you're out on the moto (motorcycle) and it starts to rain!

Bath-time with hairstyling and a concert - a nightly tradition for Addie and Meg.

Sweet Megann

Our Anniversary

2011-09-20T10:10:00.003+07:00

A few weeks ago we celebrated our 13th anniversary! It has become our tradition on Sunday mornings to go out for coffee, just the two of us. We ventured downtown to a great little place for an iced coffee (it's just too hot for the warm stuff), and enjoyed just being together.

We were given some money for our anniversary, so we decided to spend it on a little rooftop garden. One thing that I really missed in Ooty was gardening, but we were blessed with beautiful gardens both at our house/school and next door at the Botanical Gardens. Here are some pictures of the place where we bought the pots, and another place down the road where we bought the plants.

The pot shop - they're imported from Vietnam. I think I paid $3-10 per pot! The tallest pot won't have a plant in it because it holds the umbrellas by the front door.

Nursery

The finished product!

Catchin' Up

2011-09-20T09:49:00.003+07:00

Well, we've been in Cambodia for 2 months! In some ways it seems like 2 days and in other ways it seems like 2 years! Sometimes when I'm getting overwhelmed it's good to remember that we're still new around here. Couples who have 2 month old babies aren't parenting experts and professionals with only 2 months of experience aren't usually regarded as experts in their field, so I'm trying to be a little easier on myself when it comes to adjusting to this new life.

I'm really behind on blogging, so I have a lot of pictures and updates to post. I'll get going on it right now, since Megann is sleeping and I probably won't have the mental energy to get on the blog in the near future (did I mention that I started my Masters?).

Here's one picture for now. This is the packaging for the local rehydration powder (kind of like Gatorade). Ryan bought a big box of it because he needed to break $20 and thought it would be good to have at the house. I think the writing is hilarious - I just wish they would have included a picture at the top of some heavy sweating people!

This is the way we go to school...

2011-08-16T13:34:00.003+07:00

This is how the girls come and go to school each day. It's called a tuk-tuk (sounds like took) and it's pulled by a moto (motorcycle) driven by our friend Wibol (pronounced Vee-bol). Clear?!

Our House

2011-08-13T19:06:00.003+07:00

I don't have any pictures of the inside of our house, except for a couple of shots taken just after our crate from India exploded in our kitchen, that I really want to (okay, so the crate didn't actually explode, but from the mess you would've thought it had). But I do have some pictures of the view from our house. I'll work on getting more shots - until then, just enjoy these!

Looking west from our rooftop - the road you can see is 1966, heading towards Hanoi

Looking west from our front door (which is actually on the back of the house). The white balcony on the right is the kitchen balcony.

The view straight out of the kitchen door (looking south). The field behind our house is flooded from the monsoon rains, but our property is surrounded by a high concrete wall that keeps the water from flooding us (or at least our landlords - our house is on the 2nd and 3rd story, so we don't worry too much about floods).

Staying Cool by Any Means Possible

2011-08-11T13:55:00.006+07:00

Cambodia is hot. Now, most people here will say that it's not that hot, or that we should just wait until the hot season gets here. But to us, Cambodia is hot. So, we've had to get a little creative in dealing with the temperature and the humidity. This is what we've tried so far...

Facing one of the many fans in the house (singing is optional, but also very fun)

Swimming at Logos School (the pool is amazing!)

Eating crushed ice with new friends (at a great little restaurant downtown called The Blue Pumpkin)

Having your sister squirt lime juice into your mouth (while relaxing at an air-conditioned coffee shop)

And if all else fails - taking off your diaper and pointing your bottom straight at the fan during afternoon naptime!

Safe in Cambodia!

2011-07-29T19:57:00.003+07:00

These past few weeks have been absolutely crazy! We had a great 4 weeks in the US visiting with family and friends following our very tearful goodbyes in India. Now we are in Cambodia - moving into our house, getting around town knowing almost no Khmer (local language), making new friends, adjusting to the heat, getting acquainted with Logos School, and did I mention trying to adjust to the heat?!!

The thought of trying to write out everything that has happened recently feels really overwhelming, so I'm going to list it out according to winners and losers - hope you enjoy!

Winners:

1. Incredibly welcoming community. The Logos/Asian Hope staff have been so good to us, and we are really thankful for their care and support.

2. Our shipment arrived from India! I know life isn't about stuff, but it makes me happy having my own towels, sheets, and kitchen things (not to mention the guitar, drums, trumpet, etc)

3. Indoor playgrounds, nice restaurants and beautiful grocery stores - need I say more?

4. An incredibly adaptable family! We are amazed at how our girls have adjusted to everything that's happened over the past few months. They are settling well into life here, and are really looking forward to going to school in a little over a week.

Losers:

1. Grumpy immigration officers at the airport when we arrived (not what we needed after traveling for almost 30 hours with 4 kids!)

2. Snakes and rats - luckily the snake wasn't in the house...

3. The HEAT! This is rainy season, so some days (like today) aren't too bad. But, having the temperature inside your house in the upper 80's is exhausting.

4. Cold showers... strangely enough, we're going to be purchasing a water heater before any air conditioners. I don't think we're going to be able to afford our water bill if I have to let it run forever just to get up the courage to get wet!

Well, that's just a taste of what's going on with us. Thank you to all of you who have been so incredibly supportive of us! We left India and the US with such a sense of being loved - we are so blessed to have you in our lives!

(pictures to come soon!)

Packin' Up

2011-05-31T17:41:00.003+07:00

We're officially living out of suitcases, as you can see! We spent our first night in the new (to us) flat, but we're continuing to sort and pack at our old place during the day. It's a little crazy trying to juggle our work schedules, our kids, and all of the requirements of moving away from India (then going to the US, then going to Cambodia). But we're learning a lot in the process!

The End is Near...

2011-05-30T10:16:00.003+07:00

The countdown has begun - we will be leaving India in three weeks. After 3 years of living and serving in this amazing country, our departure feels very bittersweet. We will miss our friends (even more than we realize now), we will miss the beautiful Ooty climate, we will miss the amazing students of Hebron... However, we are so looking forward to what God has next for us in Cambodia. It feels good to be simplifying once again (as you can see by my smile in the pic below), and it feels good to be making conscious decisions about how God wants us to live as a family. We are committed to serving Him and honoring Him - which makes all of life's craziness (and believe me, it's been crazy) worth it!

This week we are moving houses so that we can downsize before our "big" move. We'll be living out of suitcases and essentially "camping" in a smaller apartment so that we can send off all of our stuff in the next week or so, and can focus on "leaving well". We'll be shipping a small container to Cambodia, and the rest of our belongings will go into suitcases.

Last weekend, Lauren's dorm had a Jumble Sale (yard sale) to raise money for a service project in North India and to help feed local beggars. We donated several boxes and bags of clothes and household items - they raised almost $700! It was great to donate to such a good cause (and great not to have to deal with selling it ourselves). Unfortunately, our belongings seem to be like the widow's oil that would never run out, so we'll probably be having a sale of our own in a couple weeks. The money will go towards setting up our new home, so hopefully it will go well :)

In closing, I should probably leave you with some "Bubba" cuteness. When Addie was little, this is what she called her best friend, Jordan. And this is now what Megann calls herself. The Tamils call her "Papa" which means baby, and he Ozzies refer to all babies as "bubba". So, with all of those influences, the nickname stuck. Her sisters, of course, add their own flavor and call her "Bubba Choo Choo".

New Sunday Tradition

2011-05-18T11:33:00.004+07:00

This is tourist season in Ooty. Local schools are on summer holiday, and our town is flooded with people. I don't know quite how to explain it, but even for India the crowds are crazy. Unfortunately, our school entrance is just inside the gate of one of the most popular tourist attractions - the Botanical Garden. For the past few weeks the crowds and traffic have been almost more than we can handle, so we've been finding creative ways to escape the craziness.

Our new Sunday tradition is to go to one of the nice hotels on the edge of town for the afternoon. We can't afford to eat there, but we enjoy a cup of tea out on the lawn with friends, while our kids play with rabbits, ride bikes, and just have a great old time!

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy...

Addie and her new friend playing with rabbits

Lauren, Addie and Megann playing with friends

Addie - making friends like only Addie can (no, we don't know these people)

Brenna and her new talent (whistling)

Ryan - helping Addie learn to ride a bicycle...

Giving up, but still having fun!

And one last picture for my Grandma Bass - 'cause she appreciates the importance of sticking out your tongue when you're really trying to concentrate!

2011-04-01T13:40:00.003+07:00

Two weeks ago, Ryan's parents came to see us! They were only with us for a few days (it was an add-on to a speaking engagement already planned in India), but we had a wonderful time! We were able to spend a couple of nights in Coimbatore resting and enjoying being together without other responsibilities. We did a lot of relaxing and swimming and eating out and playing and talking. Also, it was a chance to enjoy some warm weather!

The Tooth Situation

2011-02-28T11:30:00.004+07:00

Here's a picture to update you on Megann's teeth. One of her top front teeth is just about to come through the gum (we think that was the reason for one very sleepless night last night), so her mouth won't look like this for much longer. It does make for a very cute and ornery grin! Funny enough, Brenna's teeth also came in this order, so it doesn't seem too out of the ordinary.

Addie turns 5!

2011-02-27T23:29:00.004+07:00

It's hard to believe that the little two-year-old girl with blonde curls that we brought to India turned 5 this month!

Addie celebrated her birthday with four friends (and her sisters) by having a Princess Pizza Party. Everyone dressed up, and we went out to our favorite pizza place in town (okay, so it's the only pizza place in town). We played games, ate pizza (veg only, of course), played more games, opened presents, ate brownies and ice cream, and sang songs in the car on the way home (what else do you do when the car is loaded with girls!?!). It was such a fun night for all of us to celebrate a little girl who brings so much life to our family - Happy Birthday, Addie!

6 princesses and one "drama-queen" (ha!)

** As a side note, I just had to add these two pictures to give you a better understanding of our life here. When we go into town, people stare at us. When go into town with with Megann, people stop and giggle and stare at us (and pull out their cell phones to take pictures). But when we go into town with Megann and 7 girls dressed like princesses, people stop, stare, giggle, pull out their cameras, and eat their pizza while taking pictures of us eating ours. I have to say, it's little weird and a bit awkward.

All this to say that these two pictures are neither weird or awkward, it's just what happens whenever we go to this restaurant - the waiters take care of Meg (and occasionally pass her on to other customers). It's cool. It's normal. This is our life.

Sweet Meggie-girl

2011-02-19T12:28:00.006+07:00

Megann is crawling!! Unfortunately, our home is not safe for a crawling baby, so we have to watch her very closely. We have dirty fireplaces, concrete floors, steps and ledges. This, coupled with Megann's insatiable desire to chew on dirty shoes, is going to make for an interesting few months.

This is what happens when your big sisters get nail stickers from Grandma and run out of nails to stick them on - you get a faux nose ring!

Pure sweetness

Brown Eyed Girl

2011-02-17T11:51:00.004+07:00

Brenna - this month you turned 10! From the time you were born, we knew you were special. You had crazy hair and big brown eyes. You started crawling before you could sit up, and you started walking well before your first birthday. You loved to wear tutus and rain boots, and you could often be seen parading around our yard carrying the neighbor's cat like a sack of potatoes.

You are an amazing mix of confidence and reserve. I have learned not to be concerned when you lock yourself in your room or when you want to play with friends (or by yourself) for hours on end. You love reading biographies about people like Anne Frank, Mother Teresa, Winston Churchill and Bethany Hamilton but you also love the fanciful world of imagination. You are introspective and yet dramatic, and you are deeply affected by suffering around you. You continue amaze me in the way that make and keep friends so easily, and the way that you bring out the best in others.

Don't worry, I promise not to freak out when you tell me that you're dropping out of college and moving to a slum to help the poor and needy, or when you decide that you're not going to have any children or get married. But I also know you well enough that I'd better expect just the opposite, because you're predictably unpredictable. More than anything I want you to know that I love you and I'm so proud of who you are and who you're becoming. And I'm so glad that I get to be your mom.

Addie. Oh, Addie...

2011-02-15T23:17:00.004+07:00

This is Addie at home watching movies on Christmas Eve after she threw up in the car on our way to a big party with our friends.

This is Addie on Brenna's birthday. She had thrown up earlier in the day in the dining room when we were trying to decide where to go for lunch.

Last Friday Addie came down with a fever and what she said were "mosquito bites". Well, it definitely wasn't mosquito bites, but rather a mild case of chicken pox! And how fitting since this Friday is Addie's 5th birthday. Thankfully, she is feeling much better (hopefully it will last for a little while longer).

A day in the life...

2011-01-25T22:32:00.001+07:00

When we were in Bangalore visiting with some good friends last month, we ate a traditional biryani meal in their home. Biryani is a very special food - kind of like an Indian version of fried rice with pieces of chicken in it that is served at weddings and on holidays. Our friends had tried not to make it too spicy, but I still wasn't too sure that the girls would manage very well. They eat Indian food for lunch at school, but it's really difficult to get them to eat it any other time. Our friends offered to make the girls noodles, but I thought it would be best for the girls to at least try.

Anyway, what ensued was something I will not forget for a long time. Lauren, Brenna and Addie tried the biryani with smiles on their faces, and kept asking for more pieces of chicken and more servings of rice. They were quick to say please and thank you, and when they were full (after having at least 3-4 servings each!) they graciously said, "I think I'm full, but the food was very good," folded their banana leaves in half ('cause that's what you do), and went to wash their hands.

Honestly, I was a bit shocked, but so so SO PROUD! I was so proud of them for trying something that they weren't sure they were going to like, for having good attitudes and gracious manners, and for being genuinely appreciative of our friends' hospitality. I was also struck by how much they had grown and matured since we first moved to India, and it gave me a fresh desire to be a more patient and "present" mom - knowing that the years ahead will go by so quickly.

As for Megann - she seems to prefer Indians over westerners, she loves spicy food, and she doesn't mind getting pinched on the cheek for good luck.

Don't you just hate days like this!?

2011-01-12T21:05:00.000+07:00

Christmas Holiday

2011-01-10T10:52:00.000+07:00

This holiday started with a crepe breakfast and a toenail painting party - two things that we don't have a lot of time for during the school term. Plus, we enjoy being reminded of how much we enjoy being together as a family, and how much we all really love Nutella!

I know, I know...

2010-12-09T10:39:00.000+07:00

It's been a long time since last posted on our blog - a really long time! We're doing fine here in India, so I hope you haven't been worried. I've just been finding it really challenging to bridge two worlds (the one we currently live in, and the one that our family and friends live in).

Recently I've been reading some blogs by other women who are raising families overseas, and I've really been inspired. So, I promise that I'll post some pictures, updates, and stories soon. But right now I really need a shower...

Cross Country 2010

2010-11-18T00:28:00.005+07:00

Saturday was the annual Cross Country Event at school. Lauren, Brenna, and Addie ran and did an amazing job! Enjoy the pictures!

Lauren and Megann (aka "Little Lauren") supporting Blue House with their hair ribbons

Addie, the one-legged-wonder!

Lauren crossing the finish line

Brenna crossing the finish line - wishing she had taken off her fleece!

Friends :)

Brenna in 2nd place for her class (girls)

Addie in 3rd place for her class

When Addie finished her race I told her what a great job she did, and she answered,"I know - I just LOVE my running!"

The entire event was a little much for Megs, so she slept in her stroller under the rain cover. So very sweet!

Megann & Addie

2010-11-09T17:38:00.002+07:00

SISTERS

2010-10-28T11:01:00.001+07:00

The SISTERS conference is happening this weekend!! Here is a pic of the ladies who have been organizing the event - I am so grateful to be a part of this group!

Honey, talk!

2010-10-18T20:38:00.003+07:00

6 months old already!

2010-10-18T15:36:00.005+07:00

Megann is growing and changing so quickly, so I thought I should post some pictures of her before they become outdated!

Such a happy baby!

Riding in the stroller

"Helping" Lauren choose a DVD

First bucket bath!

"Annie"

2010-10-12T17:26:00.004+07:00

This is officially "Drama Week" at Hebron School, and the standard 7 students put on the show "Annie". Lauren played an orphan named "Tessie" - the one who always says, "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!" It was so much fun, and Lauren did a great job - enjoy the pictures and the video!

New Pictures!

2010-09-15T11:43:00.001+07:00

Cotton Candy

2010-08-22T21:51:00.004+07:00

A wonderful thing about living in a tourist town is that there are often street vendors selling snack food along the side of the road. Often they'll have fresh carrots, deep fried peppers and bananas, roasted corn on the cob (not sweet corn, unfortunately), sugar cane juice, or (our favorite) COTTON CANDY!! Now don't worry, this isn't some strange Indian version - it's the real thing, and it's makes this entire family very happy for right around $1!

Doddabetta

2010-08-22T21:28:00.003+07:00

A couple of weeks ago we went up to Doddabetta, which is the highest mountain in the Nilgiri Hills (the area where we live). The views from the telescope house at the peak were beautiful, and even though it was pretty windy at the top, we had a great time!

Kooti Papa

2010-07-29T22:15:00.004+07:00

"Kooti Papa" means "small baby" in Tamil, and is what Megann is affectionately called wherever we go. When we were thinking of possible names for our soon-to-arrive baby, Ryan really wanted a name that had an Indian origin. I was a bit skeptical because if/when we return to the US, I wanted our child to have a name that wouldn't be considered awkward or "too ethnic" in American culture. We looked at a few Indian baby name websites, and started reading out the names. I called out name after name, until I got to the M's and read, "Mehboobah". Needless to say, we stopped searching Indian websites for names.

So, when she was born we named her Megann Maielle because we loved the name. She wasn't named after anyone (except that we got the idea for her middle name from a Canadian snowboarder who won gold in the Olympics this year), and we didn't choose her name from the significance of the meaning - or at least we thought.

When Megann was a couple weeks old we were talking to one of the Indian teachers here at school, and she said casually, "You know that Maielle is the Tamil word for peacock, right?" We couldn't believe it - not only was it Indian, but it was the name for the national bird of India in the local language of the state where we live!

So, here is a picture of our "kooti papa" with our friend Kingsley - who always calls her "Maielle".

Great Weekend!

2010-07-29T18:10:00.003+07:00

On Sunday we travelled to Kotagiri (about 45 min away) for the dedication of a new church building. We had a great time supporting the pastor, our good friend Kingsley, and making new friends.

We stayed overnight in a hotel (very fun!) and the next day had the opportunity of visiting a child development center (CDC) in a local village. The girls were treated like celebrities (a little too much attention for their liking), but we had an amazing time. It was a warm evening for us, but I still got scolded by some women for not having a hat on Megann. Again, we were so blessed by the warmth and graciousness of new friends, and we even got to see the full moon rising over the rolling tea plantations! It was a great weekend!

Here's Addie making her Tamil singing debut.

Bangalore

2010-07-27T19:17:00.003+07:00

Last week we went to Bangalore (about 6 hours away) to see friends and relax - as much as you can in a bustling Indian city. We had a chance to see friends, do some shopping, eat some great food, go to a movie (Toy Story 3), and have dentist appointments.

Here are some pictures of our week!

Big Eyes

2010-07-11T22:44:00.003+07:00

This is one of Megann's most famous expressions - we call it "big eyes". She's been doing this since she was teeny-tiny, mostly whenever Addie is around.

This is why I'm so glad Megann is a girl...

2010-07-11T22:29:00.002+07:00

... because when you're a boy, and your sisters dress you up in sunglasses and a Hannah Montana wig, it can really mess you up. But when you're a girl, it's just a lot of fun!

Oopsies

2010-07-10T23:57:00.005+07:00

Hmm... my last post was over a month ago. That means the grandparents haven't seen any recent pictures of Megann... not good. So, here are a few pics and a video - Enjoy!

Preschool Assembly

2010-06-06T12:24:00.003+07:00

One of the highlights of this past week was Preschool Assembly on Wednesday morning. Addie had been looking forward to it for quite awhile, and had been giving us pre-show demonstrations of their program. Here are a few little videos of her and her friends.

**the first quesion in this video was, "What is the national flower of India?" At home, Addie told us that the answer was "lettuce"!

**evidently these preschoolers have seen some pretty fast peacocks!

Unfortunately, the video of Addie talking about America was too big to upload on the blog. Too bad, because it is really cute. It included fun facts such as the name of the US flag being the "Stars and Stripes", and that the man in the White House is the "Pres-ni-tet". It also had a great rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" - what could be more American than that!

Sisters

2010-06-02T17:43:00.003+07:00

Umm... Dad?

2010-05-20T18:09:00.003+07:00

On Saturday we took a walk across town to the Hebron girls' campus for a garage sale (because who appreciates a good garage sale more than Americans?). Since it was flower show weekend, the main entrance to school was closed so we had to go the back way. As we were headed down the hill, these buffalos were headed home to the Toda village up the hill. Lauren and Brenna were a bit nervous, but Addie didn't seem to care and Megann didn't even notice.

Okay, okay

2010-05-18T12:01:00.004+07:00

So, I've gotten a few messages this week from friends and family wanting to know if there are any new pics of the girls or any updates on life in India. And, since Megann has officially grown out of the tiniest pajamas that she was wearing in the previous blog posts, I guess it is time to get back to it.

As for news, there isn't much. We are so grateful to everyone who has helped us to raise money for a larger vehicle. We have enough, and now all we need is a vehicle! Right now is tourist season, and there are so many pedestrians and busses in town that we just keep our little car parked here at the school. Ryan will probably need to go into the larger city to go "car shopping", but that just isn't a possibility right now. Our next big trip will be to the US Consulate in Chennai to get Megann a passport, and I've already informed him that we will be flying. No long car rides or overnight trains for this momma and baby right now!

Here are the latest pics of Megann (Meggie Moo, as her sisters call her).

Just so you understand... this post took me over an hour to write. Most of it was done one-handed while trying to get Megann to stay asleep. It was interrupted by two "wake-ups" from her nap, a feeding, a diaper change, and then a full outfit change. I'm not looking for sympathy, just understanding... Okay, so maybe a little bit of sympathy - this fourth baby thing is hard work! :)

This is the life...

2010-04-13T15:57:00.002+07:00

Megann has a bit of jaundice, so we got her into the sunshine for a few minutes by the Hebron swimming pool. The elevation here is really high, so we have to be really careful but she enjoyed her short time of luxury.

Girls' Movie Night

2010-04-09T12:09:00.002+07:00

Since the girls only had a short day of school today, we let them watch a movie last night after dinner. Here they are on the couch - all four of them!

Announcing...

2010-04-06T20:11:00.004+07:00

Megann Maielle (my-El) born on Monday, April 5th at our home here in India. She weighs 7lbs, 2oz and looks just like her sisters! Angie and Megann are both doing great!

Addie's New Haircut

2010-04-03T15:00:00.002+07:00

Here's Addie sporting her new haircut with her favorite stuffed animal, Jordan Bear.

Baby on the Way

2010-04-02T23:40:00.002+07:00

Okay, it's late so I'd better stop posting and just go to bed. Here's one last picture just in case this baby is born tonight (hey, it could happen - tomorrow starts week 40).

Hiking in Coonoor

2010-04-02T23:33:00.003+07:00

Every term before school starts we have Staff Retreat. In February it's always a special time because it's less business and more "retreat". This time we went up to Coonoor with the Hebron staff to rest and relax for the afternoon. Several people went on hikes through the tea plantations while others (like Addie and me) stayed at the guesthouse and visited with friends. Ryan and Brenna took one of the longest hikes up the hillside, winding their way through the tea bushes. What an amazing view!

Kodaikanal International School

2010-04-02T23:13:00.005+07:00

On day two of our trip to Kodai, I spent the morning with in the Health Center with the school doctor (a great experience!) and the girls decided they wanted to go to school. Luckily, the teachers at KIS were very accommodating, and the girls ended up spending most of the day in class. In the afternoon, Ryan and I sat outside of the elementary school waiting for the bell to ring. It was kind of a strange way to spend a day of vacation, but we were really glad that the girls had such a good time. Brenna said that being in school that day helped her feel "100% American".

The view of the elementary school.

Looking down from the elementary school - over the playground.

Addie getting ready to paint in the preschool classroom - after she had run away from her outdoor PE lesson because she saw a dog on the field!

Matching glasses - Addie found hers in the dress-up box in her classroom.

Brenna working on a science project in her class.

A picture of the girls in our hotel room on the last morning of our trip - eating some amazing cinnamon rolls that Barb had found at a local bakery. Notice that Brenna is up, dressed, and ready for the day. Addie is awake, but still in pajamas. And Lauren is fast asleep. Yep, that's how it goes!

Kodaikanal

2010-04-02T22:56:00.003+07:00

The day after the solar eclipse we went on a weekend trip to Kodaikanal. Kodai is another hill station about 8 hours away from Ooty. Some friends of ours, Barb and Torulf Holmberg, from here at Hebron lived and worked at the American school there when their kids were young like ours (actually, Torulf attended the school when he was a small boy). They were very generous to meet us in Kodai and show us around. We had such a great time - that is, after we got up the hairpin bends. The views were breathtaking, but so was the fact that we almost were run off the mountain by another bus.

Solar Eclipse

2010-04-02T22:32:00.006+07:00

Here are some pictures of the solar eclipse we had on January 15th. It was wild -the shadows were all eclipsed (if this is the right term), and the light was really strange - like your eyes couldn't quite adjust to it. I got all kinds of comments about being outside during an eclipse while being pregnant. It's a superstition that if you do, then your baby will be born with a cleft lip. Well, you know me... I'm really not into superstition. But, if this baby is born with a cleft lip, then I'm leaving the country!

In the afternoon, once the eclipse was over, we went to a hotel across town with friends for afternoon tea. The kids had a great time playing with rabbits, riding bicycles, playing badminton, and going on pony rides. We had a great time just sitting in the sun.

Back to Blogging

2010-04-02T22:28:00.002+07:00

Okay, so I just got on our blog and realized that my last post was over 2 months ago - how pathetic! I think there has just been so much going on that I felt a bit too overwhelmed to blog. My mom must have picked up on it too, because she's usually the one telling me to post some new pictures and stories and she hasn't mentioned it recently :) So, I'll be posting some new stuff over the next couple of days. Just don't be too surprised if it's not really "new" - it'll actually be updates on our life here in India over the past two months.

Mahabs and Pondicherry

2010-01-26T21:02:00.005+07:00

After a few days in Chennai we ventured down the coast to Mahabs (Mahabalipuram) where there are ancient stone carvings and a shore temple. It would have cost us $5 to see the temple, so we opted to just see the stone carvings. It was a rainy day, but we got some great pics of Ryan and the kids on this huge stone hill with a boulder (if you can call it that) named Krishna's Butter Ball.

Further down the coast was Pondicherry, a former French colony. This is where a lot of pottery and paper is made. I have very few pictures of our time here since a lot of the places we went were affiliated with an ashram where photography wasn't allowed, but I did get a few shots of the house where we stayed and of one of the rooftop restaurants we ate at on January 6th. It just happened to be my grandma's birthday, so I ordered Quiche Lorraine in her honor (since her name is Lorraine). It was wonderful!

Singing in the Wind

2010-01-26T20:33:00.003+07:00

Whoever wrote the song "Singin' in the Rain" obviously never met Addie, because she prefers to sing in the wind. We went up to St. Thomas Mount in Chennai where it is reported that Thomas the disciple, and first missionary to India, fled for his life just before being martyred. The church has a large shrine there with several monuments and statues. Addie found a good spot to sit where she could overlook the city, and gave a great concert - much to the amusement of several Indian families. I was too busy taking pictures to realize that her concert was taking place on the statue stand of the Pope! I hope no one was offended.

More Pics of Queensland

2010-01-26T19:46:00.003+07:00

Here are a few more pictures of our time at Queensland and the Pleasant Days Resort. We spent 2 nights here just relaxing, and it was such a treat! The park had rides (both dry and water) and then we ended the day with a cable car ride over the park.

Chennai

2010-01-26T18:00:00.009+07:00

Just after New Year's we took the overnight train to Chennai (on the southeastern coast of India) to spend a few days with our friends Lydia and Judah (they live in Ooty, but were on holiday with Lydia's family). Lydia's parents graciously let us stay in their home, and Lydia was an excellent tour guide of the city. Some of the highlights were visiting a snake park, playing in the ocean, going to an amusement/water park, shopping, and just relaxing with friends. Ryan also led worship in Lydia's brother's church on Sunday, and then sang in one of the english services at New Life Church (the largest church in Chennai). I'll post several pictures with captions so you can get a taste of our adventures.

The kids at the entrance to the amusement/water park called Queensland. We had such a great day!

Addie getting a lesson on how to drive a bumper car. It was funny to us that she was trying to explain to a 3 year old how to drive, and even funnier that she was doing it in Tamil.

At the water park playing in the wave pool. Addie wasn't all that impressed with the ocean waves, but she kind of liked the calm side of the pool. Also, here's a pic of the "baby bump".

On St. Thomas Mount overlooking the city.

Lauren: "I'm so glad I wore a ponytail!"

Judah: "Are my eyes open?"

Brenna: "Why did I even bother brushing my hair?!"

Addie playing with Judah and his cousin.

Playing in the sand - lots of fun, but a huge mess to clean up!

It's been a busy month!

2010-01-26T17:56:00.002+07:00

We've had a great few weeks off of school, but I haven't been very good about updating our blog. I'll post some pictures over the next few hours so you can see what we've been up to!

Chocolate Fondue and Testicles (no, I am not making this up)

2009-12-25T07:03:00.006+07:00

**Disclaimer: if you are offended by the title of this post, then you probably shouldn't read any further. If you have been diagnosed with a medical condition such as glaucoma, high blood pressure, heart disease, or emphysema, then you should proceed reading with caution.**

Ryan and I have decided that Lauren and Brenna are both "too young" and "too old" to be watching the movie My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding. This realization came to us when our daughters started talking about testicles during our traditional Christmas Eve chocolate fondue dinner. The conversation went something like this...

Lauren (or Brenna, it's hard to remember) asked, "What are testicles?" Being the serious health professional that I am, replied, "You know, they're those ball things that boys have." (to which Ryan rolled his eyes and muttered, "Unbelievable.") I shot back at him a grin that said, "Well then, you give it a try." To which he replied with a look that said, "Fine, maybe I will." At which point Brenna interrupted our non-verbal conversation with, "Lauren told me that they're in your knees!" To which Lauren exclaimed, "I did not!". "Oh, yeah," Brenna retracted, "You said that testicles were the things that hold your pelvis together - but that's your kidneys, right Mom?" "What?! No." I said (trying not to laugh, but laughing anyways). Then Lauren replied, "Well, how am I supposed to know?" and then asked, "What's a pelvis?" (to which no one replied).

Ryan, trying to get back to the original question said, in a calm manner, "Have you guys ever seen animals around town like goats, dogs..." Just then, Lauren interrupted enthusiastically, "and chickens!!". At which point I exclaimed, "What?!? No, not chickens!" At which point Ryan and I start laugh uncontrollably, and I think I started crying.

Just then, Brenna stood up, put one finger in the air, and with a look on her face like a lightbulb had just turned on in her head stated, "I've seen a cow with six testicles!!" At this point we all started laughing hysterically, and continued to do so for several minutes. This was until the laughter slowly died down, one of us gave the "post laughter sigh", and Ryan and I looked at each other as if to say, "What made us think that we were qualified to raise children?".

Don't worry, Addie missed out on this conversation because she had already overdosed on chocolate and "pencils" (pretzels - turns out she loves them and can't remember ever having them before), and was dancing around the table doing her impersonation of Maria from The Sound of Music (a much more appropriate movie for children).

Also, just to let you know.... when we finished eating we let the girls open one Christmas present. When they were done I told them it was time to go upstairs and go to bed. Brenna, quite surprised at this, even though it was already after 8:30pm, said, "But we didn't have a proper dinner!" At which point Ryan and I started laughing again, both at all of the "improper" things that had been said around the table, and at the fact that our 8 year old was complaining about having to eat fruit, cheese, chips, sausages, and chocolate for dinner on Christmas Eve! Oh, well... I guess that's what we get for raising our children at a British residential school.

Shrew Update

2009-12-04T20:22:00.003+07:00

Tonight as Lauren left the house to go to prep (like homework club) a shrew ran inside, and ran straight into the trap in the kitchen! Seriously, this shrew has a problem... so, Ryan and the girls let it loose down the hill. We'll see how long it takes it to come "home".

One Nation, Reading Together

2009-12-01T23:13:00.003+07:00

On Friday in Junior School they celebrated "One Nation, Reading Together", an event to promote literacy in India. All of the children were encouraged to dress up like a character from a book, and they had special literacy activities throughout the day. Lauren was Fern from Charlotte's Web, Brenna was Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia, and Addie was Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

In the evening we celebrated Thanksgiving with our American friends. It made for a long day, but we had such a good time with great friends. And we ate more food than I've ever eaten at a Thanksgiving dinner in the US - it was incredible!

Taming of the Shrew

2009-11-30T22:51:00.000+07:00

We've had a shrew in our house for the past few days. We know it's been living in our kitchen, and we know that it came in through the hole where the washing machine drains (yes, we bought a washing machine!). However, we've been unable to catch it, even though we've tried, as you can see from the pictures. We didn't really want to kill it (remember how upset Ryan was when I accidentally shut this little shrew's brother in the front door?) so we got a box trap. And we caught it... twice, but it kept escaping. Then Ryan noticed that it was starting to pee and poo in the box trap. Great, so not only did we have a shrew living with us, but it was house trained!?! Well, it finally had enough of us tonight and it started shrieking in the kitchen (probably thought it was dying of starvation or somehow got shocked under the fridge), and so we chased it back out the hole from where it came in. And then we promptly mixed up some plaster of paris and plugged the hole. So, for now little shrew stay outdoors where you belong... until that unlucky day when you meet your demise in the front door.

Hollywood meets Bollywood

2009-11-07T22:36:00.006+07:00

Twice a year the Student Council at Hebron puts on a dress up event. This semester the theme for the SC Event was Hollywood meets Bollywood (for those of you who don't know, Bollywood is the name of the Indian film industry). Being Americans, we jumped at the chance to show off our Hollywood style - and tried to convince our friends that we usually dress like this when we're in the States (yeah, right). Anyway, enjoy the pictures... Brenna is Maria from The Sound of Music, Lauren is Miley Cyrus from Hannah Montana, Addie is a princess (this is what she always dresses up like), I'm just some movie star with way too much make up, and it wasn't intentional but Ryan ended up looking a lot like Bono from U2.

Stop and take time to smell the flowers...

2009-10-15T21:17:00.002+07:00

even if it's in a home store and the flowers aren't real - it will make for a really cute picture.

Lemon Meringue Pie

2009-10-15T20:05:00.003+07:00

Today I got an urge to make Grandma Ketchum's Lemon Meringue Pie. This is such a great recipe that we used to have every Thanksgiving. Grandma would make it the day before, and it would be sitting on the washing machine out of the way of all the other food, along with a couple of pumpkin pies. I haven't thought about the trouble that Grandma would go through to make pies for us, but I thought about it today because this pie is a PAIN to make! Well, it's just a lot of work, and I'm not that good at it (as you can see by a sunken crust on the right and the strange meringue shape). But, to my credit there were two power outages this afternoon that I was also having to accommodate.

But... it did make me think of a couple of funny lemon meringue pie stories that we've had over the years. Once when Ryan was trying to make this pie he mistook the egg whites that we had separated out for the lemon juice (they do look alike) and added it to the filling instead of saving it for the meringue. He realized it just as he was pouring it in and the mixture was turning into something resembling scrambled eggs. We ate the pie anyway, and it was fine.

Another funny pie incident happened when some friends were over and I had a fresh pie shell cooling in the fridge. We were all standing around ready to assemble the pie and then eat it warm when I accidentally hit the pie plate against the door of the fridge. The pie shell fell onto the floor and broke into a bunch of pieces (but luckily not the pie plate)! We all just looked at the floor and then looked back at each other. I said, "I just mopped the floor this morning." So we quickly gathered up the pieces of the crust, put them into a casserole dish, poured in the lemon filling, and put the meringue on top. After a few minutes in the oven and a few minutes of cooling we ate the pie with four spoons. That was a great night! (Thinking of you Derek and Chelsea - sorry that you're sick this week!)

Rat: Take 2 (or is it 3?)

2009-10-02T12:16:00.002+07:00

We caught another rat. This one has been scavenging through our kitchen ever since we were on vacation this summer. We think it was also the one that was in our attic, and ate through a couple of toys in Brenna's room. Seriously - I HATE RATS! So, now that we've bleached everything in our house and caught the rat, we're resting a bit better. That is... until the next one shows up.

Funny

2009-10-02T12:01:00.004+07:00

This is a video that was taken of Addie when we were in Colorado this summer. We were having dinner at a park with friends, on a very windy evening, when Addie started this "production". It's pretty funny!

Cross Country 2009

2009-10-02T11:19:00.003+07:00

Okay, okay... I know you're all wanting blog updates. This school year has been absolutely crazy (all 2 months of it), but I do have a few things to post of our life here in India. The Hebron School cross country race was on Ryan's birthday this year (Sept 5th), and here are a couple of pics so you can see Lauren and Brenna during their race. I don't know how long the route is, but I think it's over 2 miles up and down hill. The girls did a great job! Brenna came in first place for the girls in her age group again (here she is crossing the finish line). She especially loves running - where did we get that girl? Lauren had a strong finish with a great attitude. She is definitely her mother's daughter, and I was so proud of her for persevering through the entire thing. Way to go!

What Could Be More Fun Than... COUSINS?!

2009-09-15T13:57:00.007+07:00

Here are some pics of our recent visit to the US. One of the highlights was getting to be with Abby & Micah and Gregory & William. What fun!

It's been a long, long time...

2009-08-12T10:44:00.002+07:00

Hi Everyone!

We're back in India after several weeks of traveling all over the US. We had a great time with family and friends, but we were so happy to finally get back home! Over the next couple of weeks I'll be posting pics of our travels, but not today. All of the boarding students return to school today, and classes start tomorrow. I've been back in Ooty for over a week, and have been working in the clinic like crazy. India is in quite a state right now because of influenza, and even though it hasn't reached international news (because it's not new to the rest of the world) it is creating a lot of panic around here. Needless to say, it makes my job a lot more difficult.

Well, enough about that. You'll be glad to know that I got all of the rat poo and pee cleaned out of my kitchen cupboards. And we were able to find places to put all of the stuff that we brought back from the US. The girls were really happy to be back in India, which we didn't really expect but it has been really great.

What was I thinking?

2009-06-06T22:02:00.005+07:00

I consider myself to be a pretty discerning person - a fairly self-controlled and rational thirty-one year old woman. However, there is a man here in Ooty that has more influence over me than any person should have over another. He gets me to do things that I know are completely nonsensical, and even if I tell myself, "I'll never do that again" I find myself drawn to do it.

The man happens to be the ingenious owner of "Modern Stores" in Ooty. Take last week for instance... Just because I had not had tortilla chips in soooo long and he happened to put them on the shelf on the exact day that I was craving salsa, I purchased this one bag of Hint of Lime Tostitos for $6... TWICE! And then this week I had a chocolate craving on the exact day that he got in a new shipment of peanut M&M's (I hadn't seen them in India before) so I bought a single serving bag for $2... TWICE!!

I seriously need to reclaim control of my life.

For the record, though ... I spent over $3 a few months ago on a small package of Ritz crackers only to discover that the Monaco biscuits that cost around 75 cents taste almost as good (actually, they taste really good when you eat them with peanut M&M's).

Don't you just hate it when this happens...

2009-06-04T17:28:00.003+07:00

Have you ever been trying to find a parking space across from your favorite restaurant, only to discover that only one available has a cow parked in it? NO, BECAUSE THIS ONLY HAPPENS HERE!!! Actually, that's not true - I'm sure it happens other places in the world, just not back in the US.

Well, on Saturday we went to the Hyderbad Biryani House and happened to get a parking spot right next to the cow (as you can see above). Don't be deceived - this picture was not taken out in the country, but rather about 50 feet off of the busiest road in town. Anyway, when we came out from eating we noticed that a car had parked right by the cow. Actually, it's not really a car but a "car-van-can" that we immediately recognized as belonging to our friends, the Palms (they had just gone into a coffee shop next door). As we were getting into our car we noticed that the cow was not sitting down anymore, but had stood up and was resting it's "behind" on the passenger door of the "car-van-can". By this time it had started raining (not a slight drizzle, but a good monsoon shower), so we did what any good friends would do and took a picture of the cow so we could show it to the Palms later in the evening when they came over for dinner!

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What a luxurious life...

2009-06-04T12:59:00.001+07:00

I am not making this up...

2009-06-02T23:38:00.003+07:00

On Friday night when I was walking home from the school clinic I heard a mouse running through the flower bed by our front door. When I got to the door I shook one of the plants to scare the mouse away since I knew from experience that it would try to run inside once the door opened (this has happened once or twice before, and we managed to catch it and put it back outside). So, since I wasn't sure if I had scared it off or not I opened the door really fast, got inside the house, and shut the door - almost all the way. I would have shut it all the way, except that THE MOUSE WAS IN THE DOOR! I SHUT A MOUSE IN THE DOOR! Well, actually I think it was a shrew, but that isn't the point!

Anyway, I was pretty traumatized by the whole thing, and yelled to Ryan to come and see what I had done. That was a bad idea because what I didn't know was that earlier in the evening Ryan and Addie had been watching it outside running through the flowers. Evidently they had made friends with it, and the fact that I killed it made him a little bit upset. So, needless to say I had to clean up the mess by myself (and it was messy).

Why Addie doesn't have a bed...

2009-05-12T21:48:00.010+07:00

I think I've mentioned this before, but Addie sleeps on the floor. I know several of you will have problems with this (Virginia), but it really is the best thing for her. When we moved to India we tried to get Addie to sleep in the little room next to ours without any luck. Since it was monsoon season the room was cold and slightly damp, and she wasn't interested in it after spending the first two years of her life in a porta-crib next to our bed.

So, we put her little bed at the end of ours, and it worked out fine until we went in one night and couldn't find her anywhere. She was under the bed - fast asleep. Now this wouldn't bother us if we lived in a warm, carpeted house... but we don't! Our house has cement brick floors that are cold and hard and cannot be fixed by a throw rug. After a few nights of moving Addie up to her bed after she'd fallen asleep we decided on a great plan - we put her mattress under her bed. This worked for a few nights except when she would sit up suddenly, hit her head on the wooden frame, and start crying in the middle of the night.

So, we took out the bed frame and just left the mattress on the floor which is still there to this day. However, there are still many times when we still can't find her when we go to bed at night. One night I noticed that she had cleared off the bottom shelf in my closet and had fallen asleep in there (too bad our camera was broken). And several nights we've found her under our bed.

See if you can spot Addie in this first picture... then look at the other two to see if you were right!

ps. yes, there is another small mattress under our bed. We thought it would be good for Addie if she happened to roll off of her bed, but most times she just rolls onto the floor.

Beautiful Skies

2009-04-21T20:40:00.005+07:00

There several things about Ooty that we love - one of them is the weather. While the rest of India is sweltering and the US is barely thawing out, we have been enjoying beautiful weather since last September! Today was another beautiful day. Not too hot or too cool, light rain in the afternoon, and a gorgeous sunset! Here are some pics that Ryan took tonight from just outside our front door. Enjoy!

Easter Sunday

2009-04-19T13:41:00.007+07:00

On Sunday we went to church, and then over to the Palm's house for lunch. The church had been decorated with strings of jasmine flowers - it smelled lovely! After church we had a great afternoon with four other families and some friends from Ooty. The children enjoyed hunting Easter eggs, and then put on a Variety Show of dances, jokes, advertisements, and wrestling - it was a huge hit! We went home so thankful for good friends!

Easter Weekend

2009-04-19T13:23:00.004+07:00

The week before Easter this year was the last week of the term here at Hebron. The week was very busy! School ended on Thursday and we had some friends visiting from Bangalore for the Easter weekend. The kids had a great time coloring hard-boiled eggs (well, at least most of them were hard boiled - that's the reality of living at a high altitude).

Jr School Open House

2009-04-08T22:49:00.003+07:00

Junior School had an open house yesterday, and we had a chance to visit Lauren and Brenna's classrooms to see what they've been working on for the past term. Brenna's class has been studying the Romans (which explains her costume), and Lauren's class has been studying the Ancient Greeks. Lauren's class also has been studying animals and their habitats - so here's a picture of the habitat that she and her friend Leah made.

Swimming Gala

2009-04-06T17:02:00.002+07:00

This week is Parents Week at Hebron, so we are busy, busy, busy! It's great to meet so many parents from all over the world, working and ministering all over Asia. Today's big event was the Swimming Gala. Lauren and Brenna had a great time, and Brenna even won a gold medal!

SC Event - Metropolis

2009-04-05T10:31:00.004+07:00

Last night was so much fun! Games, food, dancing, singing, and dress up - all around the theme "Metropolis". Here is a picture of Addie (ballerina) and her little friend Tavi (pigeon). Lauren just dressed up for her dance, and Brenna was a chimney sweeper. Ryan played in a staff brass quintet, so I'll try to post that video soon - they did great! I was "on duty" so I didn't dress up. Luckily, I didn't get called away from the event, and I was able to chase everyone around with the camera and even got to visit with a few friends.

You Don't Dance?

2009-04-04T22:39:00.006+07:00

Here is Lauren and her three friends (Abbi, Leah, and Mikayla) performing a dance at tonight's Student Council event. They were great! In case you can't tell, Lauren is wearing the pink shirt. All of these girls have the same color hair, are about the same size, and are all wearing Lauren's clothes - so they all probably look a little bit familiar!

Creativity Day

2009-03-30T20:35:00.004+07:00

The theme for Creativity Day was "In the Jungle". There were special activities for Junior School (equivalent of Elementary School), and all of the children got to ditch their uniforms and dress up. Ryan took the girls to the "props cupboard" here at Hebron, and they came out with some pretty cute outfits. Brenna was an explorer - complete with a Safari hat and an old camera. Lauren was a bird of paradise. And Addie was a jungle mouse - not sure if there are really mice in the jungle, but she was really cute! For some reason we didn't get a picture of Brenna, so the last one is Lauren and her friend Emma (the bird watcher).

Edible Underwear

2009-03-12T11:12:00.010+07:00

Now, before you get offended by the title of my note, let me tell you a little story...

For those of you who don't know, Addie has been potty training for the past few weeks. One of the conditions for her to wear her birthday crown was that she would be using the toilet and wearing underpants every day. She has been doing great, but for some reason we didn't plan ahead and bring her any underpants in her size when we moved to India. Strangely enough, undies in India are not commonly used by children so they are difficult to find and can be expensive. So, I asked my mom to send some new undies in the mail.

Also in this package my parents included a large canister of Gatorade, ant traps, a cake mix from her friend Virginia (thank you!), our new camera (since Addie broke our last one), 3 packs of Skittles, two ink cartridges for our printer, lots of undies for Lauren, Brenna, and Addie (since they've all been sharing the same 10 pairs)... and did I mention GATORADE?

Anyway, when the package arrived there was Gatorade powder leaking out of the corner, and when Ryan and the girls opened it up this is what they found...

Trying to make the package more fun, my mom had hidden underwear throughout the package. So, the mess was even bigger than first thought! Luckily everything in the package was unharmed - except for a few pairs of undies that are now tinted orange.

Here's one last photo for you to enjoy - it's Addie licking Gatorade powder off of her new undies!

Our ICM family

2009-02-28T11:26:00.004+07:00

This post is especially for our family from Intercultural Ministries in Nampa. Last night one of the Hebron students came to our house. His mother is Korean and his dad is Indian. We started talking about Korean food and language, and he asked why we felt such a connection to Korean culture. So we began to tell him about ICM...family worship, eating together, Korean School for the girls, Korean camp in the summer...wonderful memories.

Today he came back to our house to give us something from his mom (he lives off campus with his parents). It was some dried squid and a plate of kim bap! So as I sit here writing this post I am eating Korean food and thinking of all of our friends at ICM that are demonstrating Christian unity in cultural diversity.

You are an inspiration to us, and we look forward to the day that we will see you again!

Quick Hello

2009-02-23T08:52:00.004+07:00

This is quick note to say "Hi". I am just heading into the clinic now, and later I will be busy cooking dinner and going to Mizpah (local children's home). So, there won't be any time for blogging later tonight.

We're doing well - had a great day yesterday hanging out with friends after church and in the afternoon before Lauren returned from her camping trip. Almost all of the girls in Lauren's class (and the class above her) went on a campout for the weekend. They had a great time! On Saturday we celebrated the support staff at Hebron. They came to the school with their families for a short service, lunch, and games. We gave a really gift to the two ladies that sweep our house and wash our clothes, and Ryan even memorized a little Tamil "thank you" for their work.

Speaking of Tamil - we've had a breakthrough!!! Over the past few months we've been having our friend come and teach us Tamil. It is a difficult language that uses symbols (almost 150 of them) for sounds we can't even seem to make consistently. Anyway...I've been getting really discouraged, and told Ryan before our last lesson that I didn't know if I could continue anymore. During the lesson we both realized that if we are going to learn to speak, then we have to learn to read and write. So, we have successfully memorized the first 25 characters, and have realized that most of the other characters follow patterns that we have already memorized - all this since Thursday! The funny thing is that once we memorize them all, we still won't have any idea what we're saying! But it will be easier to read the notes that our teacher leaves us.

I'm going to try to post the symbols that we have learned so far, but it may take me a little to figure out how...

Addie turns 3!

2009-02-18T16:08:00.003+07:00

Today is Addie's 3rd birthday! Since I have to work in the clinic tonight, we celebrated this morning before school with a pancake breakfast. Addie opened her presents (clothes, undies, and a little princess doll), and got to wear her birthday crown!

Here are some birthday pictures of Addie from the past 3 years - hope you like them!

Beef...it's what's for dinner

2009-02-17T00:25:00.002+07:00

Every Monday night we cook a nice meal and eat dinner at home with our friend Don Foster. He's a fellow American, and after dinner we all go to a local children's home for the evening. For a few weeks we had different soups (carrot & coriander, vegetable, cheesy broccoli), but that got a little too boring so recently we've turned to beef. We've had tacos, chicken-fried steak, and tonight we had spaghetti (with an amazing salad, but it didn't have beef in it).

The interesting thing about beef in India is that it's not a really popular food (Hindus do not eat beef). However, the Muslims and Christians really like it, so it can be found (just more difficult to get on a Friday). Even more interesting is what you have to go through to get beef around here. We have found stall #8 in the market to be a good place to purchase beef - mostly because they have built bird houses in their stall to attract little sparrows that eat the flies. The bad thing about the butcher (and all the butchers in the market) is that he cuts the meat on a large tree trunk, which means that there are always little pieces of wood in the meat when you get it home. Luckily a rinse with drinking water takes care of that problem. Also, if you want ground beef, then you have to grind it yourself - with a good blender, this works pretty well. Then you just have to cook the daylights out of it (just to be sure), and you have a great meal!

Here's a photo of stall #8 for you to enjoy!

Prayer Updates

2009-02-12T09:12:00.000+07:00

Dear Friends and Family,

The great thing about a blog is that everyone can have access to it. The bad thing about a blog is that EVERYONE can have access to it! We have realized over the past few months that there are things going on in our lives here in India that we can't share over the web - things that we desperately need you to be praying about! This blog is great for showing you pictures of our family and where we live, but it really falls short when it comes to really connecting you to what God is doing in our lives.

If you would be interested in receiving a more specific update from us, would you please email us with a brief description of how you know us (or came to know about us)? We need you to be praying for us!

Our email address here at school is angiek(at)hebronooty.org (Be sure to replace the (at) with an @ or it won't work)

We look forward to hearing from you!

Christmas in India

2009-02-10T18:57:00.000+07:00

We celebrated Christmas four times this year. The first was with Brandon and Karissa in Ooty (with gifts sent from Ryan's parents) - complete with chocolate fondue and Ryan dressed up as a Christmas tree. The second was with my parents in Mysore - they brought a suitcase full of stuff for us. The third was when the package from Ryan's sister and family arrived. And the fourth was last week when three packages arrived friends in Idaho. It has been fantastic!

Here are a couple of photos of our Christmas with my parents. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures, but the gifts were pajamas, marshmallows, gatorade, a raincoat for Addie, sunscreen, skittles, carpet cleaner, citrus air freshener, birthday candles, corn meat, baking powder, and lots of other great stuff! Thank you to all our friends and family - you sent us so many things that we were needing, but the most fun was receiving things that you just thought we would enjoy (and we did)!

Update on Last Post

2009-02-09T10:20:00.000+07:00

We scraped the frosting off the top and sides, and then ate the cake. It was delicious!

Brenna's Birthday Catastrophe

2009-02-03T20:11:00.000+07:00

Brenna's 8th birthday was on Sunday. It was a busy day, but we managed to make it memorable. That afternoon I made my first cake in India. I don't usually like to brag, but it was beautiful. Brenna helped me put the finishing touches on it by adding candles (which my parents had brought out at Christmas) and little pink candies in the shape of a "B" to the top of the frosting (recipe was thanks to my friend Heidi). We put it on top of the fridge - mostly to keep Addie away from it, and went to a local hotel for dinner.
Brenna had chosen to go to the Holiday Inn, because they are one of the only places in town that has hamburgers and french fries. Before we got there we called my friend Bec to see if she knew what time the restaurant opened (places here don't serve dinner until at least 7pm). She called ahead for us, and told the manager that it was Brenna's birthday and that we would be arriving a few minutes before they opened. What we didn't know was that she also requested that they bring us a cake with candles. So, before our dinner arrived we ate chocolate cake - trying not to spoil our apetites for our dinner and our chocolate cake and ice cream at home.
Needless to say, we were really full when we got home so Brenna opted to open her birthday gifts and not eat any more cake that night. Ryan and I were also really tired, but before we went to bed I figured that I should probably cover the cake with a pot or something so that it wouldn't dry out during the night.
The strange thing was that when I went to cover the cake I noticed that there were only 3 little candies on the top of it. "Addie!" (surprise, surprise) "Did you eat the candies on Brenna's cake?" I asked her. "No, Mommy. You ate them!" Well, obviously I knew that I hadn't eaten them, so I asked Lauren who also denied eating them. By this time, Brenna was asleep so I couldn't ask her. But I figured it was her birthday so it didn't really matter if she had eaten them (I was a little disappointed that I hadn't taken a picture of my beautiful cake earlier). So I covered it with a big pot and went to bed.
The next morning I told Brenna that she could have some cake for breakfast (as any normal parent would have done). However, as I uncovered the cake, I noticed that there were little footprints all over it. Something had been on the fridge the night before when we were out to dinner, and had stolen the candies off the cake! I yelled for Ryan who took one look at the cake and pulled the fridge away from the wall. There tucked into the back of the fridge were all of the pink candies (and a bunch of poo)!! So, last night we put a large trap on the fridge, and this morning when Ryan checked it, the cake ruiner was in it - A RAT!!!
Here is what I heard Addie saying to the rat while Ryan was getting his shoes to take the rat out to the garbage pit. "You naughty, naughty wat! You ate the sweeties off Bwenna's birt-day cake. Now you have an owie neck. Don't you do that anymore. Okay? Okay."

Cochin

2009-01-30T19:05:00.000+07:00

We stayed four nights in a great little guesthouse in Cochin called Kapithan Inn. They served us breakfast on the roof, and we were within walking distance of everything - including a Cafe Coffee Day, which we frequented at least once a day.

We were really close to the Arabian Sea, and the girls were able to put their feet in the water on one of the first days we were in Cochin.

A couple days later an auto driver took us to a place on the shore where we could see across the bay to the mainland (Cochin is on a peninsula). I was shocked by the garbage in the water, and wasn't anxious to let the girls play in the sea anymore.

The Journey to Cochin

2009-01-30T18:43:00.000+07:00

These posts are slightly out of order, but I think you will still enjoy seeing what we've been up to recently. After celebrating Christmas in Ooty, we ventured to Cochin. This was quite an experience! First of all, I have to say that we love Cochin! It was so relaxing, and there were enought tourists around that we were able to "blend in", which was a real treat for us. The trip there, however, was an adventure - not one that I would care to repeat. On the taxi ride down the ghat (mountain) Addie got carsick. Unfortunately, I was listening to some music on the iPod so I didn't notice until she had thrown up all over my lap and the backpack where we had put all of our snacks. We had to stop by the side of the road, and Ryan had to ask the driver to take down our luggage from the roof rack so I could change my clothes. Luckily there was a tiny village within walking distance, and I found a lady that finally understood that I needed a room where I could change (thhis was after two women had directed me to a stream where I could wash).
The first leg of our trip was a 3 hour taxi ride to Coimbatore - where we would catch a 6 hour train to Cochin. We didn't know it, but our train was late since it was coming from the Nepal border. Since we thought we were going to miss our train, we were pretty stressed out when we reached the train station. None of us had ever seen such a mob of people! Luckily the mob cleared during the time when we were waiting for our train, so we were able to get to the right platform without getting trampled.
Unfortunately for us, we ran to the wrong end of the train, and then had to run back to our car with all of the kids and luggage as the train was pulling out of the station! All of us were sweating, aching, and nearly crying when we finally got to our seats. I think that must have been the longest train I had ever seen.

The Day You've All Been Waiting For...

2009-01-30T18:26:00.000+07:00

I'm back to blogging!!! Okay, so A LOT has happened in the past 2 months. The last time I blogged about the terrorist attack in Mumbai I was in the middle of writing health reports for the Hebron students - all 360 of them! Well, I actually had help from one of the other nurses, and I only had to actually write a little over half of them. But I did have to sign all of them!
The next four weeks included a two week visit from some NNU friends, and then a two week visit from my parents. Needless to say, it was an amazing holiday but we were thankful to get back to Hebron with our girls.

2009-01-17T16:00:00.000+07:00

Okay... so we stink at updating our blog, and we're having some issues with the size of our family photo. We are leaving our hotel in Mysore (and our internet connection), and we're headed back to Ooty. Over the next few days we'll be posting pictures of our recent adventures - we've had company for the past 4 weeks!

We are SAFE!

2008-11-27T12:55:00.000+07:00

Several people have been concerned about us with the current terrorist seige in Mumbai. We want you all to know that we are safe! However, there are many children in our school who are from Mumbai, and we have several friends living in Mumbai. Please pray for all of them!

We hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We are not having a big get-together this year because of crazy schedules (things don't slow down around here for our favorite holiday!). But Ryan is really craving pumpkin pie, so I think he will go down to the market today and get one (a pumpkin, that is). Nothing around here is ever easy. We did buy ourselves a food grinder/juicer for Christmas, so that will come in handy. It will also be good for grinding up the cinnamon bark that Ryan ordered the other day (note to self: order ground cinnamon, not just cinnamon).

Thank you especially to those of you who have emailed, posted on our blog, and called us recently (Samuel & Jessie!). We love you, and miss all of you!

I'll close with a prayer from Brenna from last night... "Dear God, thank you for calling my family to India. Even though I didn't want to come, and sometimes I don't like it here, I know it was the right thing to do."

And one from Addie, "Dear Jesus, thank you Nanny and Papa come mine house again. Thank you for Jesus. Amem."

Our First Visitors

2008-11-13T13:48:00.000+07:00

Ryan's parents came to visit us this weekend, and we had a great time! Here are a few pics for you to enjoy.

Hebron School Needs a Nurse!

2008-11-01T23:08:00.000+07:00

The school council has recently approved the hiring of another resident nurse! If you, or anyone you know, might be interested in nursing in India please contact me.

Updates

2008-10-31T11:40:00.000+07:00

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted - sorry to those of you who worry when you don't get regular updates. We are all doing well, but have been very busy with the start of second term. The second monsoon season started about two weeks ago, so we have been enjoying some amazing showers (rain, that is). The rain has also made us appreciate the bits of sunshine even more!
Work is still busy for both Ryan and I. Ryan is preparing for a piano duet at the end of November with a music teacher from a neighboring school. It's a 30-page Mozart piece, so he's been practicing quite a lot. I am still working the same hours in Hoz, but it has seemed a little more manageable recently. The nurses are meeting today to finalize a schedule for the rest of the term that will spread the load a little more evenly. Please pray that we will be able to accomodate the needs of the staff along with the needs of our community.
Also, I want to let you know that we have a mission family at our school that is really going through a difficult time right now. I can't give many details (please email me if you would like to know more), but there are some serious health and financial issues related to one of our students. The home church (they are not American) is not able to give them any additional financial support at this time, and they are struggling to get their daughter the necessary treatments. Please pray for this family, and also let me know if you would like to give a one-time financial gift to support their family. We have been amazed at the way we have been provided for, and we are trying to pass this on to them.

Water Park - India Style

2008-10-16T17:48:00.000+07:00

On Tuesday, we took a bus, with two other Hebron families, to a water park called Black Thunder. It was amazing! There were all kinds of amusement rides, water slides, swimming pools, horse/camel rides, paddle boats, and a wildlife refuge (not bad for $5 a person). The scenery was beautiful - it was right at the base of the mountains, and the weather was pretty good (rained fairly hard in the afternoon, but wasn't too cold). Needless to say, we were the ONLY white people in the entire park. During lunch we were the main attraction - seriously, about 40 people just sat and stared at us while we ate our food.

Also, as you can see from the photos, the swimming attire was quite different than what we're used to in the west. There were women and girls in their school uniforms, salwars, and even saris going down the water slides! As you can see from the pictures, I too was fully clothed in the pool - it was quite an experience! To add to the show, we had three little ones with blond, curly hair in our group which made them targets for attention. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but Indians love to pinch the cheeks of white babies. They believe that it's good luck, and they love to pinch hard enough to make them cry! I only had to yell at one group of women for pinching Addie, so that was good. There were a lot of people standing around, so I think the word travelled quickly.

The one ride that we all avoided was the Ferris Wheel. I've never seen a more terrifying ride - it was going so fast! At the other extreme was the Lazy River that went around the park. It was so slow that we ended up paddling with our arms the entire way. The next morning, we were all complaining that our arms were sore, and it took a while before we realized it was from that dumb river.

Side note: in case you're wondering about the volcano that Addie is sliding down... no, it is not made of cement - it's some kind of rubbery something.

Chips & Salsa

2008-10-12T11:53:00.001+07:00

Yesterday I had a craving for chips & salsa. I went to Modern Stores (that's the biggest grocery in town...about the size of a mini-mart), and found Doritos and some imported salsa - the problem was that it would have cost $12.50!! So, I decided to make my own. Luckily, the ingredients for chips and salsa can be found easily, as they are the same ingredients used in Indian cooking. However, the experience of making chips and salsa in the States and making them in India is quite different. And I probably wouldn't even make them in the States, because I would just go down to El Tenampa and buy them - they're better than homemade!
Well, here is what the experience is like in India. First, you have to pick a day when you have nothing else going on, because it's going to take a long time to get it all prepared. Next, get on the internet (that is if the electricity is on) and find a recipe for tortillas - yep, you're going to have to make the tortillas before you can make the chips. Then take an inventory of your cupboards - flour, hmm... wonder if they have corn flour in India... After this is done, stop for lunch. Undoubtedly these first couple of steps will have taken you all morning to complete!
Now you are ready to head into town. The first stop is Modern Stores to look for corn flour. They don't think they have it, and they don't think they can get it. You don't even bother, because if there was any chance they could get it, then they would have told you to come back next week. You also notice that they have a new little section of fruits and vegetables, but you wonder if you could get a better price down at the market, so you get on your way. Oops, forgot to mention that you ask if they have any rolling pins for making chapatis (that's the Indian equivalent of tortillas), but they don't.
You start your walk down the street, wondering why you decided to do all of this on a Saturday - Indian tourists are everywhere. A nice little shortcut, called Stink Alley, takes you right to the busiest intersection in town which you cross like a local - if you don't make eye contact, then they probably won't hit you with their auto or car or truck or bus, but they sure will honk at you! Too bad for you, the vegetable market closed sometime earlier in the day. Of course you wouldn't really know when, because the posted signs are all in Tamil.
Off you go, towards the main market - pedestrians everywhere, horns honking, beggars singling you out to ask for money. It's all the same as every other time you've gone to the market. On the way you drop into a few shops (like five) to ask about those nifty little rolling pins, but everyone tells you to go to the market. Once in the market, you wander through the labyrinth of booths looking for the little old man with no teeth, yelling, "Bic, bic, bic, bic, bic, bic, bags!" Why didn't you bring some from home, you think. Oh well. You find the man, buy a bag for 5 rupees (about 10 cents), and keep wandering into the depths of the market. You buy garlic from a man who only sells garlic in his stall, and then you get cilantro (only they call it coriander here) from a man who only sells greens. Then you pick out peppers, tomatoes, onions, and limes from another man. All this costs about 50 rupees (a little more than a dollar) - what a deal.
You then wander out of the market - not the way you came in, because you have no idea where you are. You wander past the fish stalls, the chicken crates, and the beef butchers. It's quite an experience trying to breath through your mouth to avoid the odors, and also breathing through your nose as not to inhale any flies. Finally, you reach the end of the market, and you begin your walk back home. Along the way you pass about twenty-five autos, but you don't get one because you figure you should walk the 2 km home since you're going to eat an insane amount of chips and salsa later in the evening. As you pass Modern Stores on the way home, you pick up a few more things for the next day (cheese, yeast, tomato paste - you know the pizza craving will be next), and you notice that the prices for veggies are just as good as in the market. Oh well, you'll know for next time.
When you get home, you still have to mix up and roll out the tortilla dough (you did manage to pick up a rolling pin in the market for 12 rupees), cook the tortillas on the gas stove, wash (in clean drinking water) and cut up the veggies, then cut the tortillas and fry them. It's a very long process, but the end result is so worth it!

So, all of this to say that I hope you will go out to your favorite Mexican Restaurant with some friends or family this week. When they bring your food, I hope that you will pray for us here in India, and know that we wish we could be eating out with you!

New Bath Tub!

2008-10-08T00:47:00.000+07:00

The Ketchum family has a brand new bath tub - hooray! Ryan went to the market today, and came home with this tub. When I saw it I smiled and said, "Wow, that's pink!" He just smiled back and said, "We have three daughters, of course it's pink!" The girls absolutely love it - especially Addie, who can now take a bath without having to be folded up into a little ball.