Off the Grid for 5 Whole Days!

Day 2 was a huge success by all accounts and measures.  We completed our first massage (a Lymphatic Drainage Massage at Neo Spa) and took in Mall of Asia.  Avatar at the Imax surpassed all our expectations – definitely one of those must-see films to put on your list.  I’ve never seen anything like it – a visual stunner!  Here we are in our “too cool for school” 3D glasses…

Sad to say, but I’ll be off the radar for the next 5 days.  We’re taking a trip down to an island in the Southern Philippines for some New Year R & R.  I totally wanted to bring the computer so I could give you the play-by-play in blog posts and photos but Nick and Rachel outnumbered me in the vote and now I don’t get to take it.  Kind of nervous… haven’t gone this long without computer in quite awhile!  Gotta get to bed so we can get up at the crack of dawn and beat the traffic to the airport!

Since I won’t see you for a few days, HAPPY NEW YEAR in advance!

Rachel Does Manila: Day 1

The 24 hours leading up to Rachel’s arrival in Manila were filled with non-stop pacing and a few mini panic attacks.  The mix of anticipation, concern and lack of control threw me into a tizzy.  Here’s the play by play.  She was 45 minutes late out of MSP airport due to a hold-up in Chicago, where the jet was coming from.  Then Denver set her back another 45 minutes due to de-icing.  It was not looking good.  There was a critical connection that she needed to make in Albequerque in order to get to Los Angeles in time for the flight to Taiwan.  (Yes, I am well aware that this sounds like a nightmare schedule).

The Albequerque flight was scheduled to take off at 8:35, but they held it until 8:45 when her plane arrived.  She ran to the next gate over and hopped on as the gates slammed shut.  At this point, we were watching flight tracker but had no idea if she’d made it or not.  We assumed the luggage was a lost cause.

I was over the moon when she called from LA to say that not only was she sitting on the Taiwan plane on the tarmac, but at the last minute she’d decided to downsize to a check-on only in case connections were tight.  I was in awe (seriously, who can pack in a carry-on for a 2 week trip???  Not me, that’s for sure).  We were golden – my friend was really going to make it here!  Not such a good start, but I was determined to make it up to her…

Rachel got in around 12:30 and we were home within the hour enjoying Norma’s specialty, Sweet and Sour Pork.  36 hours of flying and she was still smiling!  That’a girl!  We decided on an afternoon of pampering to keep her awake (she needed to get on our schedule) and went to Henri Calayag’s Salon to get the ultimate hair cut for her.  The picture above is the before shot.  The “Master Stylist” looked slightly apalled when she told him it hadn’t been cut since April!  :)

As I mentioned before, Filipino salons are the ultimate in pampering.  In total, the haircut took around 75 minutes.  The picture above shows the blow-out, which lasted a good 30 minutes.  That was before the “final cut” which took about as long as the “inital cut”.

This is my favorite shot from the day, taken during the “final cutting.”  Why bother using a hair clip when you can just have your assistant stand there and hold it???  Thank goodness for the assistant!

Rachel emerged a new woman with healthy, layered locks.  Next up we were off to Browhaus to both get a little eyebrow threading done.  I was so excited for Rachel since this was her very first time trying it.  As for me, I’m on my 4th time and am really starting to see the stylist’s vision for my brows!  :)

Here’s the after shot – isn’t she stunning?  And all for a mere $25!  Now that’s a great reason to stay awake… stay tuned to find out what’s on the big agenda for tomorrow.  There’s no time to rest, our days are filled to the brim.  I am honestly having a hard time editing the agenda to make sure it’s reasonable.  So much to show/do!  There’s nothing better than playing host, especially when it’s for one of my dear friends!

The Mis-adventures of Nick and Sarah’s First Manila Christmas

I swear, we tried our best.  There was a solid plan, we stuck to it steadfastly and yet…nothing quite turned out right.  Guess we’ll just chalk it up to that old adage “The best-laid plans oft go awry.”  In order to prevent you from making similar mistakes, we’d like to share the Top 5 Things We Learned:

Learning #5:  The 3D showing of Avatar on Christmas Eve will NOT have tickets available.  Plan accordingly.

Oops.  So much for getting the day off to a good start.  We watched the depressing movie “The Changeling” instead, in the comfort of our air-conditioned condo.  Not quite the same.

Learning #4: Minimize your expectations for the most grand and glorious hotel in the city when paying $50 a ticket for your meal.  The Peninsula’s buffet is still subject to cold food and lack of options.  Don’t go hungry.

A $50 meal here is pretty much the equivalent of a $250 meal in the US, so we were expecting it to be good.  Not so much… thank goodness we had wonderful company and amazing ambiance or I would have been really bummed.  Rudy was right, that is too much money for a meal in Manila.  Guess we should have listened…

Learning #3:When going to mass on Christmas Eve at a Catholic Church in the Philippines, understand the risk you are putting your life in.  Fire codes are non-existent and in the case of a fire, you would most likely perish.

10 PM Mass was crazy and chaotic, in typical Filipino fashion.  We managed to get two of the last seats, but were astounded when we turned around and saw that the passageways were 15 people deep with NO room for exiting.  Add to that the 200 people outside the church and it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen.  And so much for the “English” mass – the entire homily was in Tagalog.  At least I could sing along with Silent Night though!

Learning #2:When people say they “might” come to your open house, it means they mean there’s a 1% chance they’ll show.  Plan food sparingly.

Christmas day was mellow and fun.  We skyped with our families, who were enjoying Christmas Eve in their time zone.  I was surprised to find that virtually bringing ourselves into our state-side family’s Christmases wasn’t nearly as weird as I thought it would be.  Gotta love technology.  We watched everyone open our gifts to them and then opened ours in exchange.  We even shot pictures of each other on the photo screen.  So bizarre.  Happily, I could feel the energy of my sisters through the screen and it was just like being there (almost).  Pretty cool…

We opened our presents and then began preparing for our Christmas open house from 1-5 PM.  We had loads of food and lots of maybe responses (with one firm Yes).  You guessed it, only our good friends Andrea and Brian showed (the firm Yes).  Thankfully, they are delightful company and saved our Christmas Open House from becoming a disaster.

Learning #1: People WILL surprise you.  Delight in the unexpected.

Despite everything that went wrong, I was humbled by the people that really came through for me.  First and foremost, my AMAZING husband Nick, who practically put on a circus for 2 days straight, trying to keep me from bursting into tears.  He was wildly successful and I can honestly say that I didn’t shed a tear for my beloved MN Christmas.  Pretty amazing that I could have such a great time with just 1 other person – it’s incredible how much you come to depend on your partner when you’re in a situation like this.  Thankfully, he keeps coming through time and time again.

I was also profoundly touched when Rudy showed up at our door at 4 PM on Christmas Eve to bring us a Christmas gift.  We know how hard it is for most Filipinos to find money for gifts and we would NEVER have expected a gift.  We were so touched that he took the time to travel to our place (never a short trip in Manila) and get meaningful gifts for us (unique pen sets).  Nick and I decided that was our favorite memory of the two days because it was so completely unexpected.

Also, to our wonderful parents as well, who spoiled us with more gifts than we could have ever imagined opening… a thousand thanks!

And finally, a shout out to Andrea and Brian who have become dear, dear friends and (as mentioned above), saved my Christmas Open House from being a failure.  We are so blessed to have them as friends and already love their little 3 week old Leni to pieces!

The End.  As always, lots and lots of pictures on SMUGMUG.  Peruse them at your own will…

Merry Christmas from Manila!

The Holidays Done Manila-style

Ah, what a strange time it’s been lately.  Holiday events wrapped up around the 15th because 50-60% of the expat population was going home.  I was doing really well up until the activity stopped and have fallen Grinch-y place over the last few days.  It’s just not fun when all the things you associate with Christmas are missing – like snow and sweaters and fires and wild rice casserole.  And then there are the strange things that show up – like the fireworks show pictured above that takes place right next to us each and every Friday in December.  So weird – Christmas & fireworks?  WRONG HOLIDAY PEOPLE.

Yes, I’m crabby.  And homesick.  But it will pass (because I’m working on an attitude adjustment).  There’s just so much ambiguity surrounding this first holiday away (and my first one EVER with Nick).  Nothing like longing for the familiar when you can’t have it.  And so we adapt.  Here’s our current schedule for the 24th and 25th:

Afternoon of the 24th: See Avatar in 3D
Evening of the 24th: Open 1 Present (Nick’s stupid rule- I’d open more), Dinner at a local Hotel & 10 PM Mass
Morning of the 25th: Skype with our families, Open the rest of our presents
Afternoon of the 25th: Host an Open House potluck for anyone that doesn’t have a place to go for Xmas

Seems like it should be a decent itinerary for our first year.  I wonder which traditions with stick!?

This week I treated myself to the ultimate in massages, the one I’ve been saving for the perfect occasion, just like a bottle of good wine.  Being that I needed a little Christmas pep-me-up, I decided the time was NOW.  I went over to my second home, The SPA at Greenbelt and requested the Twin Massage.  That’s right, you guessed it, two massage therapists working on me at the same time!  And for the unbelievably low price of $30!

SOOO indulgent.  One on the top half and one on the bottom for a full 60 minutes.  So unique…

It was borderline sensory overload for me.  Since I already have problems focusing for any amount of time, it was virtually impossible to try to ease myself into a calm place with that much activity going on.  But boy did my body feel good afterwards, even if I didn’t get to the “ohm” place that I usually find during a massage.  Definitely a must-try for those of you coming to visit!

PS- I added in a whole bunch of links to other foreign service blogs!  You’ll find the hyperlinks in the right column.  Enjoy!

More Tea Parties & My Very First Ornament Exchange!

I know you remember the horrible “biscuit” faux pas I made at my last tea party – well not this time!  I knew a scone when I saw one and dabbed it with clotted cream and jam.  Now that’s progress!  This holiday tea party and ornament exchange was put on for the members of the American Women’s Club of the Philippines.  It was a wonderful morning but please remind me to never host a tea myself, it looked like an INSANE amount of work!  There were little things to nibble on and 10 types of tea and beautiful decorations all around.  The host did such a marvelous job!  Check out these wonderful photos I got of the event:

Nick’s 30th Birthday Party

Sadly, as seems to be the case with our family lately, sickness rained on Nick’s birthday parade.  :(   Not exactly how you want to spend your 30th.  It was just stomach issues, so we decided he could survive a small party (we refuse to let this ongoing illness ruin all our fun).  We invited over 5 of Nick’s friends for a little Buco Pie (buco = young coconut).  The best pies come from South of Manila, so we sent Rudy on a wild goose chase to find the perfect pie.  6 hours later he returned with 5 pies (for 7 people).  Kudos to Rudy for finding the needle in the haystack.  It was worth it!  The attendees liked it too because each couple got to take home a pie of their own!

Nick couldn’t stomach the idea of beer, so two of his pals kindly volunteered to “test drive” his new San Miguel mugs.  How kind!

Our dear friends Andrea and Brian finally had their baby.  We were just enamoured with this 10 day old pumpkin!  She was the hit of the party.

Check out this great picture of Nick!  He looks completely unsure of what to do with her (support the head, support the head!!)  I was so proud of him for giving it a shot though… he’ll be a great Dad someday!  He was very attentive.

And here’s one last must-share picture of beautiful Leni.  Isn’t she stunning!?  Already looking forward to the next time I get to hold her…

Holiday Party at Friendship Home

I was in charge of designing a holiday party for the Friendship Home kids.  I was determined to make it highly memorable, introducing the kids to a few new holiday activities.  It didn’t take me long to decide on cookie decorating for the main activity.  Norma was in the kitchen for 2 days baking 60 cookies and making 6 different colors of frosting.  It was absolutely sensational – the kids ate it up, quite LITERALLY!

Their favorite part was the sprinkles, which they’d never seen before.  There was all sorts of curiosity about what they were.  When I demonstrated that they were edible, the kids were awed.  All of a sudden, sprinkles adorned every inch of every cookie!  Just look at these final products!

I thought it would be best to have two stations that the kids rotated betwen, so I came up with an art project as well.  I thought back to some of those classic holiday projects and finally decided upon the one where you wrap a piece of tissue paper around the end of the pencil and dip it in glue to create a Christmas object.  I waffled for a bit and almost didn’t do it because I thought it was too basic, but boy was I glad I did.  It may have been even more popular than the cookies.  Just another reminder that the things I take for granted or consider old and mundane are so fresh and exciting to these kids that have never experienced it before.  So great!  Here are some of their creations….bring back memories?

Random Holiday Updates

I’ve had some fun holiday-related experiences recently that I thought I’d share with you…been running short on time to blog lately, but I’ll try to do better next week!

1.  There are lots of holiday work parties taking place right now, as you might expect.  The thing that’s crazy about Filipino holiday parties is that every one has an elaborate song/dance competition.  No kidding.  Everyone gets up in groups to perform and then it’s usually judged.  And this is no half-ass attempt – they seriously practice for days.  Pretty cool tradition, if you ask me.  I can hardly imagine the boycotting of holiday parties that would ensue if the U.S. adapted a similar tradition!  HA!!

2. We’ve been pondering what Christmas present to get Rudy for quite some time now.  The thing is, he doesn’t really seem to need anything and when I try to question him regarding it, we don’t get anywhere.  One day I came up with a brilliant idea though.  You see, Rudy lives with his wife, daughter and their two grand-daughters.  Wouldn’t it be fabulous if he could take them out for an afternoon of family fun??  We came up with the idea of dinner and an IMAX movie at the Mall of Asia.  We knew McDonald’s was a big treat, so off I went to get a gift certificate.

That’s where I started running into problems.  Gift certificates are practically unheard of here.  After getting a series of “no, mum, not available” I asked to speak to the manager.  Oh, it was possible, all right – and fabulously convoluted.  In order to get my $10 gift certificate, I needed to place an order one week ahead.  Someone on staff would then drive to McDonald’s Manila head office to pick it up.  Next I’d be texted that it was available for pick-up and could come over and get it.  Unbelievable, huh?  It was the only way to get one though, so I did just that.  I sure hope Rudy enjoys his family outing!

3.  As for Norma, we had a better understanding of what her needs were.  Specifically, I knew that she wanted to go and visit her family down in the provinces.  It had been 9 years since she’d seen them and they’d never met her daughter who is almost 3.  I knew she had looked into boat and plane fares and that she couldn’t afford two round-trip tickets for she and her daughter.  Nick and I talked about it one night and decided to contribute 75% of the cost of the plane tickets.  We also did the booking for her to ensure that it happened.

It was pretty amazing to see the tears streaming from her eyes when we told her what her present was.  So much gratitude for something that only cost us $80……We booked the tickets for a 10 day period in January that coincided with her daughter’s birthday.  My favorite part of the story is that when she called and told her Dad the news, he said they were going to kill their best pig, lamb and chicken in honor of their coming!  Now that’s going to be one heck of a celebration!

I am feeling so thankful this season for the plentiful resources that we have to share.  I learned some powerful lessons about giving in the aftermath of Hurricane Ondoy.  I was truly humbled by the Filipinos who had lost a majority of what they had and willingly gave half of their remaining posessions to their neighbor in need.  Now that’s selfless.  It’s been so rewarding to show our gratitude to the Filipinos in our life that we’ve already come to love.  I see much more clearly now how much abundance Americans truly have (even in these hardest of times) and will never take the gift of my citizenship for granted again.  We are truly blessed!

Dreaming of a White Christmas That’s Not to Be…

Dear Minnesota Friends,

Please stop complaining about the snow on Facebook.  I do not feel sorry for you.  Yes, I know it’s cold and the hairs in your nose are freezing and that you’re sick of shoveling and your car got towed in the St. Paul Snow Emergency.  But that just gives you an extra excuse to treat yourself to Caribou and turn on the fireplace!

I can’t think of anything much better than a snow day – those were some of the most joyful days of the year – trapped in the house with nothing that you “need” to do….

I would pay some serious money for a white Christmas right about now.  In my perspective, you are the luckiest people on earth.  Who doesn’t love a nice fresh coat of snow for Christmas??  Take my word for it, Christmas just doesn’t feel the same when you’re sweating in a tank top.  So don’t expect me to give you any sympathy.  I would trade places with you in a heartbeat on Christmas day!  Another of the many things you have to be thankful for… just wanted to make sure you weren’t taking it for granted!

And P.S., I have yet to receive a single Christmas Card.  Please don’t forget about me – I’m starting to get a bit nervous.  Feel free to email if you need my address!

Big hugs,

Sarah

And for my CSB/SJU readers, a little memory of the golden years!

MN Toy Drive – Help Bennies and Johnnies Stuff the Link!

The CSB/SJU Young Alum Committee invites you to “Load the Link with Toys for Tots” on Saturday, Dec. 19! The mini-Link bus will collect donations at various Twin Cities stores throughout the day, and then head over to KARE 11 studios to be featured on the 10 p.m. news!

Buy a new toy or gift card, look for the white mini-Link in the store parking lot and make a donation!  Gifts for teenagers are especially appreciated. Toys and donations will be collected until 9 p.m.

Please Note: All Alumni and donors are invited to the newscast and following celebration at Cooper’s Pub/Restaurant in Golden Valley.

PLEASE COME SUPPORT TOYS FOR TOTS AND CSB/SJU
Show up in your CSB/SJU gear at KARE 11 studios by 9:45 p.m.

Mini-Link Itinerary:

Week of Dec. 14 to 18

CSB/SJU students, faculty, staff, and Alumnae/i can drop off new toys, money, and gift cards at either campus – Drop sites will be the Gorecki Dining and Conference Center at CSB and Sexton Commons Bookstore at SJU.

Saturday, Dec. 19

CSB/SJU alumnae/i can drop off new toys in the Twin Cities at the following times:

• 9 a.m.  Departing CSB/SJU with the mini-Link

• 10:30 a.m. to Noon  Shoreview Super Target

• 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  Woodbury Target

• 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.  Bloomington Target

• 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.  Eden Prairie Target

• 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  Plymouth Super Target

• 9:30 p.m.  KARE 11 in Golden Valley

• 10:30 p.m.  Cooper’s Pub/Restaurant in Golden Valley

Amazing IMAX Wows the Kids…And the Adults!

As I lay in bed writing this post, I can honestly say that after 5 hours with 35 eleven and twelve year olds, Nick and I are officially exhausted.  But it’s a good exhaustion, one of those moments of exhaustion where your body has given out but you can’t wipe the smile off your face.  Because I’m pretty sure that today was bigger than Christmas for these kids…. And we all know that it doesn’t get much bigger than Christmas in the eyes of a kid!

As most of you know, I’ve been volunteering at Friendship Home since October.  It’s a home for children and also an after-school latch-key type program.  Our group goes every Wednesday from 4-6 PM and plans some activity to do with them.  Apparently it is tradition to do an extra holiday event each year, with all of the Embassy volunteers chipping in to fund it.  The event this year was a kid-tastic Mall of Asia Spectacular – Lunch at Jollibee (the Filipino version of McDonald’s), some playtime at the mall and a 1 PM showing of The Christmas Carol in 3D at the IMAX Theater.  But most importantly, I finally got to introduce Nick to these great kids!  I may have been just as excited as the kids!

When we arrived at Jollibee at 11 AM, the kids had already arrived and were broken out by table.  We were assigned to a group of 6 of them (pictured above), whom we were in charge of for the entire afternoon.  Lunch was a bizarre mix of Spaghetti and Fried Chicken, which I have yet to understand the appeal of.  The kids were in heaven though, biting every last piece of meat off that bone.  I opted for a Cheeseburger, which came with a strange mayo/thousand island mixture on it instead of the normal fixings.  Hmmm…not understanding the appeal of this place yet.  All that really mattered though was that the kiddos were happy.  Eating out is a very rare occurrence for them, which is hard to fathom coming from the US of A where that can often be a daily occurence.

After lunch we had a good hour to kill before the movie, so Nick and I rounded up our group and decided to go burn some energy out on the playground.  The Mall of Asia sits right on Manila Bay and there happens to be a little playground near the Boardwalk.  Thank goodness, because that’s exactly the type of thing that we needed!  They had a blast, even though in my opinion the playground was pretty crappy – basically it consisted of outdoor exercise equipment.  Very odd.  Didn’t matter though – they would have been content playing with a stick.  Lucky for us, they play amazingly well together.  They act just like brothers and sisters (except they never fight and have crushes on each other, as we learned today).  It’s really quite adorable!

You could feel the anticipation slowly building for the kids.  For many, this would be the very first movie they’d ever been to in the Theater.  And then, on top of that, it was 3D too.  It was all too exciting to handle and manifested itself in the form of non-stop bouncing.  They were wired!  10 minutes before the show we were all handed our goofy glasses and allowed to proceed into the theater.  The kids jaws dropped open as they took in the two-story-high screen.  The excitement just kept coming, as Nick and I surprised them with popcorn next.  The bouncing just kept on going!  :)

At last it was time for the show to begin.  We all put on our glasses and settled in.  The 3D effects were fantastic.  They really added a new dimension for those of us who are intimately familiar with the story (I was quoting the lines along with it, having acted in it 4 years in a row in high school).  They were awed by the things zooming at their faces and stuffing their heads in their shirts when the ghosts came…all in all, it was a heart-warming, fantastic experience.

I am really learning a great lesson here in Manila about how much joy I get in return when I give of my time and financial resources.  I have experienced it in Minnesota as well, but the poverty here really magnifies the impact.  My wish for you this holiday season, is that you will experience a “giving experience” that is equally as heart-warming.  Because all I know is that it doesn’t get much better than this!

P.S. – LOADS more adorable pictures of these kids at SMUGMUG.

Dreamy Bali – Photos Don’t Do it Justice…

I am well aware that I have been a horrible blogger lately and I promise to make it up to you.  Soon.  It’s just that there was the honeymoon and then the nasty cough decided to come back for round 2.  And those are my current excuses for today.  Please don’t stop reading, okay?  I promise to write more!

Time to wrap up the honeymoon with one last post about Bali.  So here goes… As I eluded to above, somewhere between Siem Reap and Bali my immune system went on the fritz again.  It started with a little cough, then some sniffles and poof! there goes all my energy.  Here’s the good news: Bali was a great place to be sick.  I even had a view from the bed.  I’d go take in some clean air, then hit the bed again for a nap.  Of the 5 days in Bali, the first 2 I functioned and the last 3 I was villa-bound.  Lucky for us we could get all our meals delivered straight to the villa!

Since I mentioned the villa, we’ll start there.  And what a villa it was!  This was definitely a honeymoon-worthy splurge and oh how we enjoyed it!  We stayed in a Terrace Villa Suite at the Viceroy Bali in Ubud.  With only 11 villas in the resort, the place felt like it was all ours.  We had worked with the hotel to craft a 5 night package for us.  It included a bottle of champagne, a flower bath, 2 hours of couple’s spa treatment, a 6 course degustation menu and round-trip transfers.

It far surpassed our expectations.  We loved the luxury boutique feel of the resort and the on-demand nature of the staff.  If we showed up in the lobby and asked to be driven to town, a car would be there in 5 minutes.  The answer was always yes, no matter what the request!  And every staff member knew our names and what activities we had scheduled for that day (not sure Nick liked that part as much as me).

Our favorite part of the villa was the terrace area.  We had our own private plunge pool (a first for us) and a fabulous Bale hut to relax in.  Nick pretty much just rotated between swimming and napping in the Bale.  I was more content to lounge on the edge of the pool, sipping my endless Diet Coke (the two-a-day rule goes out the door on vacation) and read books on the Kindle.  This was a definite stretch for me — laying around is not in my nature.  Luckily, it’s one of Nick’s best skills and he’s helping me ease into it.

When I think back on it, we really only did 4 different things in Bali.  We hung out in the villa 70% of the time, ventured into Ubud on 3 different occasions, had a fancy Thanksgiving Dinner at the resort’s restaurant and did a 2 hour white water rafting trip down the Ayung River.  Doesn’t sound like much when I write it out like that, but it proved to be a good way to unwind after the long days in Siem Reap.

I was a bit nervous to try out rafting since it had been 16 years since my last attempt.  The river proved to be fairly mild though…only class 2 and 3 rapids.  Enough to get your heart racing but not enough to bring on panic attacks.  One of our favorite parts of the rafting experience was jumping out of the boat and floating down a calm part of the river.  The water felt so good!  The waterfall was stunning too.  Definitely a must-do experience if you’re in Bali!  We used Sobek Adventures and they were absolute pros.

I’ll leave you with a few pictures from our Thanksgiving dinner.  Our 6 courses were: Bread, an amuse bouche, scallops, soup, foie gras, tenderloin and chocolate lava cake (plus a 2nd honeymoon dessert).  Not quite what I’m used to but oh so good.  I had a ridiculous-size portion of foie gras (pictured below)!  Honestly, the steak paled in comparison.  And no one warned me to save room for 2 desserts!  Oh well, you’re supposed to feel sick after a Thanksgiving meal, right?

As always, if you want to see all the shots from Bali, head over to SMUGMUG.  In closing, I’ll leave you with an adorable shot of my husband, doing two of his favorite things – relaxing and being in the water!  Hoping you all had as wonderful of a holiday weekend as we did.  Thanks again to everyone who made this trip possible for us!