An Unexpected Night.....

The other night we were in the middle of our nightly routine when all of a sudden we heard noise coming from outside. We looked out our 17th floor window and saw…


A stage set up on the only small section of grass located in our apartment complex. There were already many people sitting in chairs and many more were walking toward it. The girls began getting excited and wanted to go see. So we eagerly started making our way outside to the stage to see what it was all about. There we found…



The locals were putting on a variety show! There were acts of traditional dances, magicians, musicians, and much more.



We really enjoyed how people of all ages participated in the show.



Here are a few pictures of the crowd.


We smiled at many people while we were there as we were the only foreigners attending the show. One sweet lady and her son took the time to translate for us. Every time Jen would take a picture or video she would insist Jen stand where there were no heads in the shot. She gave up her spot many times to make sure we could see. We hope to run into this stranger and her family again soon.


It began getting late so we decided to head up to get ready for bed. On our way, we passed by our guards setting up for a huge firework show! YEAH! They know how to end a show right! We ran to our apartment to watch from high up. Sarah set up our window seat with pillows and blankets. We were ready, but the camera battery was not. We did happen to get one picture and one very short video. Hope you enjoy them as much as we enjoyed our Unexpected Night!

Hong Kong...

We had a great time in Hong Kong this past weekend and look forward to going back soon. Our good friends live there; we miss seeing them. They can actually get Dr. Pepper. It is $1 per can mind you (and the import store only sales singles...

USA Day...

Every once in a while, when we miss certain foods or smells (ok, especially smells, words can not convey how the smell of hickory smoke offers comfort that only can be understood if you have had to miss it). We take a taxi (wo men yao qu da di) over to the local TGI Friday's and split a couple orders of Bacon Cheeseburgers, French Fries, and an appetizer of Fried Macaroni and Cheese... Is it home? Well, when we are sitting across the table from our family, laughing, and listening to Steely Dan (and we always get excited when we hear 80's music, i.e. Duran Duran) over the sound system in the restaurant... Sure it is! That is home... That is family...

Cleaning Windows, What a "Pane"...

If there is one challenge for a neat freak like Russ, it is how to keep the windows on our 17th floor apartment clean. Jennifer found a magnetic window cleaner that works well on the single pane portion of certain windows throughout the house, but, the double pane windows will not allow the magnet to attach and do its job... So, it calls for some old school cleaning techniques and bravery... What a "pane"...

Kate Kate The Great is 10....

Mom and Dad can clearly remember the day Kate was born. Kate was born on a warm day in August, on the Island of Oahu. Mom, Dad, and two year old Emily spent Friday evening, August 18th, at the beach and visiting local markets, before going home, for what seemed like a normal night of relaxation. But suddenly, in the early morning hours of August 19th, Mom woke Dad and said, "we need to go to the hospital". After rushing to the hospital, we were told that our new baby was on the way.

Local Traditions..

Every culture as its own traditions. The beauty of this this culture is that they never come to your house empty handed, but more importantly, they always bring food, specifically fruit.

Last night, we were honored to have the owner of the language institute, whom we will fondly refer to as "Dr. G" (and we also, as fondly, greet with a loud, "YO "G", WAZZUP?), as well as his family, join us for dinner. Upon their arrival, they blessed us with fresh melon (from an area close to Pakistan) and a local species of grape. We had never, before last night, seen grapes this large; they were the size of Golf Balls. The best way to descibe the flavor would be to compare it to a Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) of the grape family, from the Southern USA.

We (Jen actaully) served a Southern US cultural meal, and they loved it. Dr. G's son especially loved the secret recipe of Jen's mashed potaotes...

X-Games at the local mall...

This guy was really good and the real thing...