Okay, it's time for me to break the silence and get back on the saddle. I don't know why I haven't blogged lately. I'm not on Facebook or Tweeting or whatever else people are doing these days. I just haven't been feeling the whole blogging mojo. But, tonight I find myself home alone--Alec has taken the big kids to a drive-in movie, my Tivo "Now Playing List" has run dry, and I find myself feeling an itch to blog. So here goes nothing.

Most people tell me I should just start from today and move forward with my posts. My brain won't let me do that though. There are way too many fun memories to leave behind without posting about them. Based on the photos from my camera, we have a major trip down memory lane ahead of us....

For spring break this year we drove down to SoCal to spend the week at Alec's parents' home. It was wonderful enjoying the sunny weather before spring really hit here in Utah. And as always, the kids loved seeing their grandparents whom they adore. Here are some of the highlights:

Nate wore his sunglasses practically the entire time, and loved driving around in the Cozy Coupe.

Owen and Abigail loved "fishing" in Grammy and Pop's pool. (Yes he is in his underwear.)


We saw Monster vs. Aliens in 3D.


We went to the California Science Center. Totally fun and totally FREE (except for Alec's highwire bicycling--Abigail was actually the one who wanted to do it, but wasn't tall enough).


Granny Goose (Alec's grandmother) hosted an Easter egg hunt at her home...always fun.


The Easter Bunny also came to Pops and Grammy's house.

And of course we enjoyed lots of time outside having picnics, playing at the park, going for walks, and this shot of us being amazed by Owen's stomp rocket he picked up at the science museum. Of course one of the rockets eventually ended up on the roof. Pops just lifted Abigail up there to walk and get it. I think I about had a heart attack.

Every time we go to California I always wish we could go more often and stay longer. I am so grateful to Alec's parents for being such loving and supportive people. We are definitely blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives and our children's lives.

En Route to SLC

There have been times over the past two and a half weeks that I've tried to be clever while writing my posts. Ultimately, I'm not sure that I was but I put the effort in so that I could think that I was. Right now, I'm kneeling in front of a free internet terminal at the Changi Airport in Singapore. It is 4:50 am and the timer just crossed over seven minutes remaining. I have been hoarding pictures of funny things I saw on this trip so that I could write a picturelouge at the end. That may still happen, but the only reason I signed on this morning was to let everyone know that I am EXCITED about leaving Singapore and sitting on 3 planes for the next 20 hours. Excited to be on my way home knowing that my family will be there waiting for me, excited to sleep in my own bed at the end of it, and excited to be able to hold my family instead of holding conversations over the phone.

With a full four minutes to spare on the counter, I'll catch you on the flip side of the International Date Line.

Looky what I got!

These arrived yesterday afternoon--a much needed reminder that I do in fact have a husband. And a romantic/thoughtful one, at that!

mouths of babes

Abigail (out of the blue): "I can't take it any longer...can't Dad come home yet?!"

India, the Land of a Billion _______

For the first time in my life I find myself in a country that my dad's never visited. For most people, this might not be a very remarkable thing, but I almost passed out when my dad said he hasn't been to India. It's kind of too bad that he's never been since I'm pretty sure that this is an experience that can only truly be understood through living it.

My initial impression of India (I'm staying in Delhi) was, "I've felt this way before, but I can't figure out where." After thinking about it a bit I realized that I felt similar to the way I felt going to my first area on my mission. There was a certain bit of unbridled happiness, it's so cool going to new places and seeing new things, there is a certain disorientation at how different things are, and there's a mix of sadness and respect for the people that call it home. It is an amazing amalgamation of smells, sights, and sounds- truly one of a kind.

The people we are working with here are among the nicest and hardest working I've ever met. They're extremely conscientious of the American palate, almost to the point that I had to beg to get some real Indian food. They are quite polite (despite the fact that they eat with their hands) and apparently very genuine. In addition to all that, they're incredibly proud of their country. I have loved being here.

The hardest part of this leg has been the time difference between home and work. We are almost 12 hours ahead here, it is actually 11.5 (I said some things are disorienting) hours ahead of home. Everyday I wake up and think, I should call and realize that it's either dinner (when I've woken early) or bed time (and I need to head to the office). In the evening I think of calling when kids need to go to school or be picked up from school, at least in Brazil and Germany I could work out a time to call. Instead I've posted twice to keep Andrea up to date as much as anyone.

Due to the recent political events in India, everywhere has heightened security. We all saw the tragedy in Mumbai and it is the Indian national elections this month. Anyway, one funny side effect of this new level of security is the omni-presence of security. Every hotel, building, or restaurant that we've entered requires us to pass through a car check, a bag check, and a metal detector. Since we're almost always carrying laptops and cell phones we tend to get stopped and given the pat down. Some of these pat downs are cursory, nothing more than a quick pat down the sides and check of the pockets, but some are much more than most Americans would expect (last time I asked if they provided a free cigarette).

There is more, much more, but for now I need to cut it off and try to get some sleep. From Nehru Place (more specifically the InterContinental Eros), good night or good day.

WW Tour 2009, Day 6-7 - Germany

While not totally relevant to the trip I'm currently on, Andrea and I are planning on going to Germany this summer to celebrate our 10th anniversary. I haven't hadn't been back to Germany since my parents and I left 30 years ago. Despite realizing now (as a father of a two year old) that very little from that time could still be making any kind of an impression, I have had a strong desire to return to the land of my birth. Needless to say, the opportunity to spend a day (even an abbreviated one) in Germany was a chance I couldn't pass up, I'm glad I didn't.

Köln was my overnight stop, Frankfurt (by many accounts) wasn't interesting enough to spend a day in and an hour long train ride got me to a place of wonder. I actually risk babbling on this post as I felt like a kid at an amusement park for the first time- major sensory overload. I'm not sure what follows will be overly well written, but I'm not sure I will ever be able to rationally remember my first 22 hours back in Germany.

ICE (Inter-City Express) Train from Frankfurt airport to Köln
This was the fastest I've ever been overland (186 mph/300 kmph), passing the previous record held on Redlands High School Homecoming night in 1994 (160 mph in Charla Krebbs Cadillac). Everything was enchanting about the ride. The landscape was a rolling hill country, not dissimilar to places I've been in Pennsylvania or Wisconsin, but the forest was a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees. There seemed to be a stream or lake everywhere I thought, "It would be über-gorgeous if there was a stream or lake between these hills or next to that town." I'm know I'm getting ga-ga over something silly, but I was hardly coherent at some point, I was so excited.

Arrival and Check-In
Here's where Andrea's mandate about a picture for every post is more useful than a hastily written paragraph. I didn't take this picture from the train, but that is the sight that greets you upon arrival. In the foreground is the train bridge into the train station and in the background is the world's largest gothic cathedral. From a distance it is impressive, up close it is nearly overwhelming in beauty. I can't even begin to describe it. Especially impressive about the cathedral is the fact that it was built over hundreds of years, completely without modern tools such as cranes and power tools. Too bad time travel isn't possible, I think it would be fascinating to travel back in time to when the cathedral was being built. Imagine the pride of the residents of the city as the cathedral grew to dwarf everything in the region. If ever you get a chance to go to that region of Germany, Köln is definately worth the just to see the cathedral.

Admittedly, I was extremely nervous about going to Germany. Andrea thought I was being strange since I was happy and content to traipse around Shanghai last August but freaking about being in Germany. After my fourth or fifth interaction with a German who assumed I was German, I realized why I was so nervous. In China, I knew nobody would mistake me for a native so they either ignored me or spoke English. In Germany, people assumed I was German. Luckily everyone there is German and speaks more than one language (their English being at least serviceable). My nervousness was overkill, Andrea was right (again).

Wandering and Wonderings
Thank goodness for phones with GPS for I spent five hours wandering around the city of Köln, never once getting so lost that I couldn't find my back to my hotel. Other than the cathedral, Köln has some of the oldest Roman ruins in Germany, a number of other pretty churches, and German charm to spare. I'm sure what fascinated me wasn't extraordinary but rather very ordinary everyday things. It was the small parks hidden between buildings with moms watching their kids play. I loved following the winding cobblestone streets and accidentally running into the old city wall. And I missed my wife, my grandfather, and my parents when I passed old couples walking arm in arm.

Long before I was ready to go, my time was up and I was back on the ICE train to Frankfurt to catch my flight to Delhi. It was a thrilling 22 hours, well worth the price of admission. I can hardly wait for my next trip in June, I hope to wander the streets with Andrea and see the old parks where my mom used to watch me play.

From the chaos of the streets of Delhi, I sign off with new sights, sounds, smells, and spices swirling into an exotic mix that I can hardly wait to write about.

WW Tour 2009, Days 3-5

Despite the fact that I slept like a baby on the Korean Air flight to Brazil, I somehow managed to sleep through my alarm on my first morning in Brazil. For those that didn’t spend years trying to wake me up for Seminary, hungry kids, or school, let me just say that I love to sleep. Knowing that my body has at times betrayed me, I long ago stopped closing the blackout shades on business trips. I find that my love of sleep can’t overcome the sun and its persistent reminder that the day as begun. This habit worked to my benefit on Tuesday when I awoke late for breakfast, but on time for my meetings after a quick shower.

I was thrilled to walk to the office in the fall weather, Brazil can be hot with oppressive humidity but the weather while I was in São Paulo was perfect. The days were sunny, mid-to high seventies and the nights were refreshing. I was amazed to learn that while I had left behind similar weather in Utah, spring in Utah isn’t nearly as predictable as one would hope. To all of you who dealt with the snow and cold, I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I looked at the weather in Delhi before I left for the airport today and found that the weather (according to weather.com) was 82 degrees with “widespread dust” at 2 in the morning local time. Admittedly, I had never seen widespread dust on a weather report before, I guess I’ll find out what that means exactly.

In my previous post, I said that I was off to work, work, and more work. More accurately I should have written that I was off to sit in meetings, sit in meetings, and sit in meetings. I’m afraid my rear end may not recover from all of the sitting that I’m planning on subjecting it to over the next couple of weeks. Some people have said that all the travel must be exciting. I admit there are definitely cool aspects to it, but sitting in meetings for 12 hours a day and then on planes for 9 hours straight don’t make the cool list. Honestly though, the only thing that feels more numb than my backside after that many hours of meetings is my brain.

I may be showing my unsophisticated side, but people eat dinner late in São Paulo, we didn’t even start dinner until 9pm the couple of times we went out to eat. How there aren’t a bunch of obese Paulistas either is a miracle or debunks the eating late is bad for you stuff. Anyway, one night the guys I was traveling with said that they wanted a simpler meal, something more similar to what our hosts would eat on a normal night after work. We went out for pizza not far from the office. I have to admit that a whole new world of pizza was opened to me, Portuguese pizza. It can best be described as the ultimate “brinner” pizza, a mix of ham, eggs, cheese, herbs, and a tangy tomato sauce. I may not be skilled enough in the pizza area but this is definitely worth experimenting with for you creative ones out there.

Lastly, and on a much sadder note, I must write of my grandfather, Jay. He passed away today after living to the ripe age of 86. I feel extremely lucky that I was able to be in California last week to visit with and say goodbye to him. I realize that death a natural part of life, but adjusting to life without the Jay part of “B and Jay” seems utterly unnatural to me. My fractured heart goes out to my dear grandmother, my mom, and her siblings. Rather than sit here on the plane and cry/type, I’ll assume those of you that knew him have your own fond memories that you can pause and remember at this point rather than reading mine. Although I will say that there wasn’t anything funnier as a kid than making his chair “lumpy,” nothing more frustrating for him than having his “damned” grandkids out-fish him, and nothing that meant more to me last week than hearing him say last week that he had always been proud of me.

From somewhere 31,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean and approximately 2427 miles from São Paulo and 3678 miles from Frankfurt, good night.