Looking Back to Move Forward.

I think a mustache looks good on me.  What do you think?

I made some resolutions last year, and I don't remember what they were.  Well, I remember one- I wanted to read the standard works (New Testament, Old Testament, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price).  I didn't make it.  I finished everything except the New Testament, and some of the Old Testament.  Not a total fail, but I could have done it.  I gave up early.

I trained for a half marathon, and although I wasn't able to run the race I wanted, I ran the distance.  It was a challenge, but I am glad I did it.  I hope to keep it up, and perhaps run a race later this year.  Perhaps this spring?  Or Utah this summer?  

Last year was full of discovery for me.  Good, bad, and everything in between.  

Some of the things that I learned about myself this year:

• I am not as perfect as I think I am.
• I need to be a better wife/mother/friend.
• I think a lot about myself.
• A lot of my outfits I wore were not a awesome as I thought they were. (Huge bummer.)
• I am pretty good at math; I got an A in my math class after not taking any math for several years. I have one more math class this semester and I will get my associates degree.  HOORAY!!! Then on to a Bachelor's Degree.  Now I have to decide what to get it in...do I go for something I love or go for practical? 
• I am a talented person; there are some things that I am really good at.  Maybe I can't sew, sing, or draw, but I have some amazing talents.  (This discovery was/is huge for me.)
• I think I have a shopping problem.

2012 was a roller coaster for sure.  For the most part, I think it was a great year.  It is always difficult to realize imperfections.  I am trying to figure out the difference between discovering weaknesses and trying to improve weaknesses and being too hard on myself.

What am I going to do about these discoveries?  Well, I hope to improve myself this year.  I'm starting with the shopping problem.  Ready for this?  For the next six months I cannot buy myself any clothes.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.  It is going to be a challenge, but I think I can do it.  I know this might sound ridiculous to some of you, but it is something I know I need to work on.  

I am going to take my last math class, and figure out what I want to do for my bachelor's degree.  

I am going to work on developing my talents and not be so hard on myself that I can't do everything.

The other things require a lot more reflection and self discovery.  I know that I will never be perfect, but I know that I can improve.  

There you have it.  Looking back at 2012 to figure out where I am going in 2013.  

Let's hope we can end 2013 a little better and a little happier.  

If you have any goals/resolutions for 2013, good luck!  

So long 2012.

2012 began with us living in Tijuana.

When our time was finished in Tijuana, we were able to visit with friends and family for a little while before heading to Virginia for training.

We ended the year in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  

My, how things can change in a year. 

This year has been full of family, friends (old and new), and many adventures. 

We are excited to see what 2013 has in store for us.

Best. New Years. Ever.

It is 12:30 a.m., January 1st here.  

Happy 2013.

This has been one of the best New Year's Eve.  Ever.  

We started out by setting off some loud fire works.  LOUD.  Really Loud.  We stopped after one shot straight up into the air, came back down and exploded in our neighbors yard.  Opps.  Don't worry, we checked it out, and nothing was damaged.

Then we went inside and made some party hats, and set some resolutions.  One of Ben's resolutions last year was to write in his journal, so he wrote in his journal one last time before the end of the year.

The boys had a little dinner,  and we set off some more fireworks (the pretty kind, not the loud kind).

We came inside and made a snack tray and some yummy spinach artichoke dip. We finished up the evening with a dance party and at 9:00 we had some sparkling cider, and put the boys to bed.

At midnight, things got crazy around here, and we climbed to our roof and watched the fireworks around the city.  It was the loudest, most spectacular fireworks I have ever seen.  There were fireworks going off in every direction, and we had an amazing view.  

Happy New Year!

Just another Saturday in Sri Lanka.

One of the things I love about not having a car, is we end up walking a lot.  Sometimes the boys aren't really into it.  You know, it's hot outside, they are hot and sweaty, they are tired.  Sometimes though, we stumble on something interesting.  Today it was a building that was missing it's front wall; exposing a toilet. Then we walked along the train tracks.  It was a fun walk, and just as the boys were too tired to take one. more. step.  We went to Baskin Robbins.  

It was a good day.

Christmas Day.

Did you know that we have had "Hand, Foot and Mouth" disease running its nasty course through our family (and the whole of Colombo, as far as I know).  Well, everyone has had it at our house, except for me.  It really hasn't been that bad, but it is extremely contagious for an unknown amount of time, so we have been trying to avoid contact with anyone.  Luckily for us, there were a few other families that have been infected with this highly contagious disease, and so on Christmas day we had a Quarantine Christmas celebration.  It was perfect.  The kids ran around and played and the adults talked and played games.  Oh, and did I mention our gracious hosts are scheduled to leave two days after Christmas?  Wonderful (and impressive) people, they are!

Merry Christmas.  

What Ben built, and what I built.  Can you guess which is which?

How we spent our Christmas Eve.

We went for a walk along the beach, and found a lighthouse with some cannons around it.  We were not allowed to take any pictures of the lighthouse, so here are some shots of the cannons.

Thomas was in this picture, but he ran behind the cannon before the timer went off.

And we opened Christmas pajamas.

Most of our traditions are for Christmas Eve.  We had huge plans, but they kind of all fell through- due to Ben being called into work.  We will have to see next year if these traditions are going to fade away, or if this year was a fluke.  

I wasn't in the best mood when Ben got home after the boys were in bed, but we ordered some really yummy food and watched a silly movie.

Even though we didn't set out any cookies or milk, Santa still came.  I hope next year will be a little more traditional (at least for us) or we are in a really nice hotel.

Local Wears.

My lovely friend Ann bought this dress in India, and gave it to me!  It was so kind of her, and I was so excited to wear it.  It worked out perfectly that it was Christmas colors, so I wore it to our Church Christmas party.

Last week my friend invited me to join her at a wedding.  It was the perfect excuse to wear a saree.  

I didn't know how much goes into wearing a saree.  Finding the right one can be a bit overwhelming as most of the shops have hundreds of beautiful options, but little to no organization.  However, it was fun to find "the one".  

Then I had to have a blouse and an underskirt made.  Most women here have their blouses made rather short, and expose their stomachs, so when I requested mine longer it was met with resistance.  I was successful, and it turned out lovely.  

The night of the wedding, I had to have someone wrap and pin the yards of fabric around me so I could walk without everything falling apart.

It was so much fun to wear, and I can't wait for the next opportunity.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Visit with Santa.  Check.

Christmas Scavenger Hunt.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Colombo.  It is rather surprising considering that this is a Buddhist country, and the percentage of Christians here is rather small- someone told me like 2% (don't quote me).  

However, Christmas seems to be a big deal here.  It is fun to see all of the decorations up, cashiers wearing santa hats, and retailers referring to this as the busy season.

Ben and I decided to go on a Christmas Scavenger Hunt.

It was such a fun date!  

We wandered around the city in search of the items on our list, in fact, there was only one item we did not find.  

Here are the results of our scavenger hunt.

1.  Santa Claus.  We didn't want to pay for a picture with Santa.  (Sneaky, huh?)

2. Reindeer. 

3/4.  Christmas Tree and a Star.

5.  Poinsettia.  I thought this one was going to be difficult, but artificial poinsettias were abound.

6.  Snow/snowman.  We did not find a snowman, but this display had plenty of snow.

Ben told me this picture was not the most flattering, but I was trying to look cold.

7.  Baby Jesus.  This is the only one we could find.  I am hoping one of the churches will have something a little bigger, but not so far.

8. CocaCola Christmas ad.

9. Angel

10. The Grinch.  

We couldn't find him.  We even went to MANY video stores, with no luck.  

I hope that wherever you live, and whatever you celebrate, you are able to find a way to enjoy it.

Lazy with a side of crazy.

I apologize for my silence over the last few weeks. I also apologize to those on Facebook and Instagram who have seen these pictures before. It is extremely redundant, but for some, this will be new, and this is for you.

 

Here is what we have been up to.

Jack and Thomas dancing "Gangnam Style".

 

Jack and Thomas figured out how to sneak into the advent calendar. We do it one day at a time now.

Some of our Christmas decor.

Making sugar cookies. So much more work than I expected.

The boys only liked playing with the dough, and frosting the cookies. Not much in between. They didn't even like eating them.

I don't know about you, but nothing says winter like swimming in an outdoor pool.

Not.

But we love it.

And after six months of going to the pool regularly, Jack can swim! It's one of those fabulous mom/dad moments.

Girls Night Out at St. Andrew's Ball (Scottish)

Where I tasted haggis for the first time, won a door prize to our favorite pizza place, AND received some fabulous sunglasses in my swag bag. So much fun.

 

Oh, and I ran a half marathon. Not in Bangkok like I wanted, but I did it nonetheless. On a treadmill.

 

All of that and we are helping with Christmas parties, I am finishing up two classes I am taking this semester, and preparing for Santa's arrival.

We are pretty exhausted around here.

 

 

Until next time.

Hopefully it is sooner than latter.

 

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