May 2009

I am sitting on the airplane headed to Bali and it has the feel of a Funjet Vacation charter headed from Houston to Cancun. There is a large group of Victoria AFL supporters all wearing matching shirts and drinking a lot…A LOT of alcohol. I have to say the longer we’ve been here the more disgusted we have become with the overuse and misuse of alcohol. It is really quite disturbing to me. I can’t believe we are going to Bali. About 10 years ago we planned a honeymoon for a co-worker to Bali. It was quite an expensive trip and I remember thinking how exotic it sounded and here we are, on our way. Who knew??!!! For Australians it is like going to Mexico. It is a shorter and cheaper flight for us to fly to Bali than Sydney.

SOCIAL LIFE:

The month of May proved to be a very “social” month. One of the first days of the month I called Clint and left a message that I was having such a great day. I met a new friend, Machelle, for morning tea, had lunch with Ragan (another new friend) and got a call from Karis that she wanted to come over the “play” that afternoon. In addition, I was driving down the highway along the beach and feeling very blessed that I get to see the ocean every day. I am so grateful how God has brought each of these people into my life in such weird random ways. I got an email from Marybeth Rubinacci with Machelle’s contact information. I’m so glad I made the effort to get in touch with her. She is an amazing person with such an interesting and wonderful testimony. Through this experience we may have found Luke’s wife. Machelle’s daughter Phoebe is absolutely precious and she and Luke played so well together that first morning we met. Thankfully, Luke is use to Kennedy making him play all sorts of things and he went along with whatever Phoebe wanted to do. They had a “tea” party on the trampoline and while she dressed up as a princess, Luke put on a Buzz Lightyear costume. Our families got together one Friday night and we enjoyed sharing stories about our lives in the US and comparing it to life in Australia. Machelle and Chris are Australian but lived in Chicago for 4 years and absolutely loved their experience there. Machelle has introduced me to the THERMOMIX. It is this crazy cooking machine that makes everything you can imagine. She makes her on butter, mayonnaise, grinds her own sugar, wheat, etc…. Her kids haven’t had a preservative (at her house) in YEARS! Of course I became extremely interested but this fancy machine costs $2K and fortunately Clint is off the hook because the voltage won’t work in the US. BUMMER! The thermomix has become somewhat of a joke now but oh, how I would LOVE to have one. It is amazing. So that night she made the entire meal in the thermomix. We had INDIAN food. It was really good. The kids were so gracious…Luke even said, “This is DELICIOUS!” in the middle of dinner. WOW! Proud Mommy!!!

We went bowling with Steve and Stephanie and had such a great time. Some of you have noticed that, at times, we have a “divided household” and it is even obvious in the game of bowling! You will see a picture of the scores from that night and Luke and Kennedy almost had the same score and Mackenzie and Reid were just 2 points apart. I don’t want to embarrass Clint but my score fell in line with Luke and Kennedy’s!  We’ve always been told that Kennedy and Luke resemble my side of the family and Mackenzie and Reid resemble Clint’s side. Clint and I see it in all types of situations - what they eat, attitudes, personalities, quirks, preferences, etc. Clint likes to call “his team” the adventurous ones and “my team” the sleepyheads! I hardly think this fits! Last night I expressed my dismay over being given the name “sleepyheads”. He said it was just a polite way of saying “the boring ones”. HA! Luke and Kennedy boring!?! Maybe he needs a refresher – I think a full day alone with the two of them would do the trick. And this is what I get after bungee jumping, scuba diving and moving across the WORLD! BORING??? HA!

Another social event we attended this month was QUIZ night at the church. QUIZ nights are very popular here. This particular one was raising money to put African kids through school. I didn’t know the answer to one single question but it was certainly an experience. Clint knew the answer to two questions in the Bible category so at least he was able to contribute! We went with Tyson and Karis and a few of their friends from their “small group” at church. Again, we found it interesting to see bottles of wine on the tables for a church function. We joined a “small group” at the church as well; but honestly it is a really hard thing for us. It is on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm we find it hard to concentrate on a lesson with 12+ kids running around.

My friend Stephanie and I started a Supper Club this month, with the first one held at Stephanie and Steve’s house. It’s a bit smaller than the supper club we started in Cypress, especially with all the kids. It makes me so happy that the group in Cypress is still together! When we were packing up the house I came across the kid predictions we did at one of the supper clubs. There are 16 kids between the original group…can’t remember who but one of the guys predicted 19 kids…someone better start having some babies!!! Our supper club has only 6 kids, 4 of which are ours. But Steve and Stephanie are expecting so our numbers will grow to 7 in November.

Right before leaving for Bali we had the Meiers and the Posells over for dinner to thank them for helping us with our transition upon arriving in Perth. We had Clint’s yummy fajitas - chicken AND BEEF! We were able to find a butcher that knew what “skirt steak” is and he ordered it special for us. These were the best BEEF fajitas Clint has EVER made. What a treat!

MOTHER’S DAY:

Mother’s Day was extremely special for me this year. Clint and the kids made me feel so loved! They were super excited to give me their gifts. All of them made me something at school. Luke made me a tea cup, Reid decorated flip flops (so painful to wear but I wore them with pride…the little stars were cutting into the side of my feet and literally taking off the skin – OUCH!), Kennedy made me coupons and Mackenzie made me a clay pot, which I put my rings in, and a bracelet. They ran into our bedroom and yelled “Surprise, Happy Mother’s Day!!” They jumped in bed with us and showered me with gifts. They also got me a kettle and a tea pot. I can’t believe that I wanted a kettle AND that I actually use it. Yes, things are a changin’ in the Smith household. “Afternoon” tea has become the norm. When we first moved here I saw the “biscuits” at the store but refused to buy them since they were just hard cookies. I am a soft cookie type and the only cookie in my world is a chocolate chip one. But with the tea comes biscuits and so if you opened the pantry you would find 2 large family packs of Australian “biscuits”. After we talked to our moms back home we went to church and then spent the afternoon at Kings Park with Kyle and Ragan and their two kids, Chase and Taylor. Kyle works with Clint and I met them at the party I spoke about in my last blog post. Kings Park was filled…and I mean FILLED with families sitting around on blankets and sharing a meal together. It was absolutely beautiful. Take a look at the pictures…it truly gave me chills to see it. I think this year was probably the BEST Mother’s Day yet! I am so thankful for the gift of Motherhood. It is my hope that one day my kids can say that, to them, I was the “Proverbs 31 Woman”.

EXPERIENCING DIFFERENT CULTURES:

The month of May proved to be a very cultural month for the Smith family. We tried Indian and Thai food, attended the “Spanish Flameca” at the International School and International Day at the boy’s Australian public school. A bunch of the moms at Reid and Luke’s school laughed at how ironic it was that the American lady made the Australian dish for International Day. Unfortunately, the USA did not even have a “booth” at International Day. I made Lamingtons for Reid’s class, or should I say “WE”, for International Day and they were very good. It was one of those things that I told Clint “it shouldn’t be that hard”…I mean the school provided all the ingredients…all we had to do was dip the cake in chocolate and roll in coconut. It was the night of the American Idol Finale (yea Kris Allen!! And we also loved Danny!...we were NOT Adam fans!) and of course I waited until after the show to start the Lamingtons. We ran out of ingredients before we even got all the cake dipped and keep in mind stores close at 5pm. I managed to find some stuff in the pantry that would work and I think we finally made it to bed by midnight with Clint reminding me “it shouldn’t be that hard!” Last Christmas we had an Australian themed Christmas Party in Prosper. I think someone even made these for the party. It is funny now to think back at what we made. Some of the dishes were right on but from our experience so far we should have all made some sort of Asian dish and then it would be exactly what you find in Perth. Reid absolutely LOVES Lamingtons! While I am thrilled with the kids trying new things and my diet has also improved to include onions, bell peppers, etc., none of us can stomach VEGEMITE! I have to “tip my hat” to the boys because at least they have tried it (at school)! I can’t get past the look or the smell. It looks like tar and there is nothing I can think of that I could compare the smell to. Evidently, Australians start giving this to their kids at a very young age and it is pretty much a staple…perhaps like our peanut butter. Vegemite is a dark brown food paste made from yeast extract, used mainly as a spread on sandwiches, toast and “biscuits”. For the International Day Reid’s class made “bush walker hats”. They took corks from wine bottles tie them on a string and place them around the brim of the hat. Australians wear these when walking in the “bush” to get rid of the flies in their face. All you have to do is shake your head from side to side and the flies leave you alone. Pictures are on the slideshow.


MISCELLANEOUS:

This month we also started extra-curricular activities. Mackenzie and Luke are taking swim lessons, Reid is taking Karate and Kennedy is doing gymnastics. The place where Kennedy is doing gymnastics reminds me so much of my first gym, TWISTERS, in Hattiesburg. Kennedy has been moved up to advanced and still amazes us with how strong she is. Mackenzie and Luke are learning proper techniques for swimming although they were adamant that they already knew how to swim. Australia is a great place for them to take swim lessons! I think Reid has already lost interest in karate. Glad I didn’t buy the outfit!

Clint and I celebrated 14 years of marriage on May 27th. We got “take-away” from Wagamama, which has to be our favorite restaurant in Perth. Clint gave me a new water bottle. Many of you have asked me about my water situation. No, I have not had a déjà blue water since January 27th. Within a few weeks we bought a water filter and the blue water bottle has been replaced with the “black camelbak”. It is too big for the water holder on my bike so I am also the proud owner of a red camelbak. You guys may find it humorous that I am leaving my mark on Perth. Several of my friends are now the proud owners of “camelbaks” and they even take it to restaurants too!

Sweet Luke is so precious to his mommy. One day after working out, we were getting in the car and I thanked him for going to the gym with me. His response, “Sure mom, anytime!” LOVE THAT!

I started the Ester study by Beth Moore this month and it is perfect. So many of my friends back home have recommended it and once I found out I could view the talks online I asked my mom to send me the book. There is a verse in Ester that says, “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” I am not considered “royalty” in the eyes of the world but right here, right now I represent the KING. Beth pointed out that in Acts 17:26 God “determined the times set for (us) and the exact places that (we) should live”. I know God has a purpose for us being here, some of those have already been revealed. I pray I represent the KING well to those living here in Australia. It is so comforting to me to know that God orchestrates every detail of my life. I love how when you are going through something and once on the other side of it, you can see how HIS hand was on the situation all along. For example, a year before we actually got the assignment to move to Australia, the job was open but Clint was not chosen for the job. It was in that year that Kennedy was diagnosed with scoliosis and we were able to get treatment for her at Scottish Rite Hospital. God’s perfect timing! Ephesians 1:11 says “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will.” Another example of God’s perfect timing has to do with my company. Last year was the busiest year we have ever had. There is no way I could have left Rachele and Marletta to handle all the business we had last year. With the downturn of the economy my company has lost a lot of business yet with me here, it is probably for the best. In addition, I know that He has brought certain people in our lives here in Australia, that had the timing been different we would not have had the same “God designed” experiences. God has revealed so many things about the perfect timing of this adventure. I would like to share one more interesting point about his timing. Remember how we signed the contract for our house at 4pm on our last day in Prosper! WOW! Well, had the sale of the house gone through any earlier we very well might not be in this house. You see, we chose this house thinking we would be paying a mortgage back home. We did not want to stretch ourselves in out of pocket expenses and this house seemed to be the best choice considering the expected financial situation. Many of you know that this is NOT my “favorite” house but “I know” (NOT “who knows”!!! - for those of you who have done the study) that we are here for “such a time as this”. I am so grateful that HE is in control.




BALI:

The adventure started at the airport. I was in the bookstore and all of a sudden I heard a child screaming and I recognized the scream…LUKE! I ran out and with bloody tissue in hand Clint says, “We were just playing”. Luke had hit his top front tooth (the one that is left!) on the chair. Yep, this one is going to die too…it is now very loose and appears to be turning grey. But the fun was just getting started! What an amazing trip! After enjoying the most extravagant breakfast EVER (can’t say I have ever had baked beans and fried rice for breakfast), we spent the first day relaxing by the pool. For the first time since we’ve been gone I was able to get in the pool without turning blue. It was HOT! The kids enjoyed the waterslide for 7 hours straight!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are wondering if complete exhaustion was the reason for Luke’s vomiting that night. This was a first for us to have a sick kid on vacation. I was emailing back and forth with a friend from Houston and she said that her family has never had a vacation where one of the kids wasn’t sick. So I feel very blessed that this was a first and we definitely did not let it ruin our trip. The next day Luke wasn’t feeling great but he was a trooper. More than anything I think he was weak from not eating. We had a driver for the entire day, our first stop being “Monkey Forest”. Little did we know that this little adventure would create quite a scare for us. The monkeys are incredibly friendly and quite smart. You will see a picture of one that jumped on Clint’s back and started unzipping his backpack because that monkey knew where the bananas were. They were so cute, especially the babies. We had to keep getting on to Kennedy as she was getting too close and was teasing them with the bananas until one bit her. We immediately cleaned it with hand sanitizer and while she did cry, we thought it was because Clint got firm with her about getting too close. Honestly, we really didn’t know she got bit…we just thought it scratched her. But, the next day she had a huge bruise on her leg and asked her what happened and that is when she told us the monkey bit her. Honestly I was not all that concerned until we got back to Perth. I mentioned what happened to a friend and she told her when her son got bit in Thailand that he had to have a series of rabies shots. By that afternoon I was on the phone with the health department and they said it was unlikely that she would get rabies but there have been cases of rabies in Bali, but in dogs. They encouraged me to see a doctor in order to make a decision. I saw my friend Loraine at the school Monday morning and her husband is a pediatrician. She phoned him immediately after I explained what had happened and within hours we were at the ER getting the first rounds of the vaccine. We prayed about it and really felt that she was fine, but we simply couldn’t take a chance. I was told that if she were to get rabies she would die. Not a chance I was willing to take. Since then she has had one more round of the shots with 3 more to go. She is such a trooper and hardly BORING! After monkey forest we went shopping, which we rarely do on vacation. However, it is really inexpensive and I want to bring back things to remind me of this adventure. I bought salt and pepper shakers, dipping bowls and a platter made out of cinnamon. After shopping we went to HARD ROCK CAFÉ! I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it was to eat American food. We had to go all the way to BALI to get it but it was well worth it! It was also nice to let the kids get their own things and not have to share. We went to a Circle K and got 6 bottles of water and a coke for $2.20. Very nice. The next day the kids and I stayed at the resort and Clint went diving. He was supposed to be gone from 10-1 and by 2pm Mackenzie started pacing. She was so worried about her daddy. She kept saying, “Mom, aren’t you worried? I mean think of what could happen to him out there!” Struggling with my own fears and concerns (not letting the kids know); she was just adding fuel to the fire. Finally, by 3:30 I had ENOUGH! Clint doesn’t know we did this but we went to the dive shop and were informed that they had just received a call from the boat and they were on their way in. When Clint returned he was pleased that I was so calm and relaxed…little did he know that we took that trip to the dive shop. Shhhh! Mackenzie sure gave him an earful! That night we went to an amazing restaurant – BUMBU BALI…authentic Balinese food. It was INCREDIBLE! The night was cut short as Luke threw up in the bathroom. The other kids were excited to report back to Clint the color of the vomit and by this point the entire restaurant knew what had happened. Clint could tell from the looks on their faces what they were about to announce and tried to stop them but they could not contain their amazement and pride in what their brother was able to produce! LOVELY! So after I cleaned the bathroom we left! Oh but it was such a great meal!! That night Kennedy threw up not only in her bed but in ours too! She came to tell us she had thrown up and wasn’t quite finished. What memories! The next day we went on the “Bali Safari”. We saw all kinds of amazing things…white tigers, zebras, cheetah, tigers, elephants, camels and even touched and held things like orangutans, turtles, puffer fish, etc. Clint got chosen to go up on stage for one of the shows and got kissed by an elephant. The kids were so proud of their daddy!!! That night Kennedy and Reid fell asleep at dinner.

Our final day we played up until the last second. The kids went down the slide “just one more time” until it was time to get ice cream for the last time. Usually by the last day of vacation I am excited to go home but whatever reason I did not have those feelings. I found it funny that for the first time all the kids were old enough to go into the Westin Kids Club and it was FREE, yet we did not use it one time. We enjoyed the kids and didn’t want to be without them! (Luke did enjoy his breakfast in the kids’ area each morning.) I guess that is an indication of a GREAT trip despite the dead tooth, vomiting and a monkey bite. I’m sure the housekeeping department was glad to see the Smiths leave. I find it so humorous that when leaving FOR Bali we were at the airport 3 hours early yet when leaving to go HOME we cut that time in ½. I think both of us were struggling with the fact that the “home” we were going back to really doesn’t feel like “home”. I’ve heard the saying “Home is where the heart is”…guess our hearts are with all of you! We love you all so much and miss you like crazy!