Fire in the hole!

I pick Alec up from school everyday and ask about his morning. It's usually "good" or "boring" but today he told me it was "good, no, no, it was really really bad!" So of course, I'm curious. He tells me that he was playing with Teaku (A beautiful little Japanese girl with a Maori name meaning 'seashore') anyway, he calls out to Teaku "Fire in the hole!" (don't ask cause I don't know where it came from and I don't know what he thinks it means either!) After he calls this out to the little beauty, well, she umm, punches him in the face! That's when he walked away from her. At least he knows when to fold 'em , knows when to hold 'em, knows when to walk away , know when to run.

Hermits

We brought a few friends back from the beach today. 2 friends with shells on their backs. Hermit crabs are now living in our house. It was really cute to see Alec and Elias chasing them around the livingroom until I came back a few minutes later and they were sitting on the couch reading with each other (a shocking sight to see them so still and content at the same time!) My question to Alec, "Honey, where are the crabby crabs?" His response...priceless, I might add. "I don't know Mommy, on the floor somewhere"
YOWZAA.

Let's get it started, yeah

Alec is in school this morning, Elias has been watching Monsters Inc. He loves this show. Funny, as I don’t think I let Alec watch this type of show until he was closer to 3.
This morning I feel somewhat lucid. For some reason I have days and days where I feel like my brain is cotton balls and my eyes are clouds. Hazy, y’know? But every once in a while, I get a really vivid day. I don’t know what it is or maybe it’s just the heat/humidity combo that is slowing me down. I also remember being able to get dressed and just shush my clothes over my skin and zoom out the door. Here, you get stuck in your clothes. I hate this, as it’s a throwback to being 2 years old! The only way to get your clothes to slip onto your body is if you use powder. I have finally found a use for talcum powder! For some reason I end up with loads of it. (as you do when you have babies) I have never used powder on my boys. Now, we sometimes use powder just to get dressed!

Well, I have the messiest house and no one else to clean it but me. I guess my day is planned for me. What used to take half a day in housework can now be accomplished on 3 days sometimes more. There is just so much more to do here on a daily basis to maintain adequate cleanliness.
Well, I have just queued up the Black eyed peas on my music match program, ‘let’s get it started’ it’s my cleaning mantra! Yeah, huh, yeah, everybody, let’s get it started, huh, in here…

Hallelujah, praise the Lord

This day we went to Saweni Beach to see Rye/Opa. (Gerrys’ Dad) We had a nice visit, the boys enjoy the time out there as it really is “the wild green yonder” there. Every kind of tree and plant and flower that you can imagine, God out-imagined you and put it at the Orchid Inn where Rye is heading up a renovation project for a new resort development there. Totally lush and what you would think of as tropical. Our Puppy, Angel is also out there now as we couldn’t handle her special needs! She’s just an obstinate dog and I don’t and won’t have time to train her. EVER. We also left with 3 gold fish from Opas tank. We are presently in the midst of name chosing. Alec insists on Dash for one of them. And the other 2? Slow poke and super slow poke. I suggested Bob and Jack. I dig Bob Marley and I think Jack Fish is just hilarious! Fish Face was ixnayed immediately. I am consoling myself as we speak.
As I type, a man is screaming at the top of his vocal box saying “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!” I hope he gets happy soon. He sounds so angry and mad. He is screaming into a mic and the sounds are carrying across the valley here like the pony express on high octane and sugar cubes. It doesn’t help that most of what he is saying is in another language. But the whole tone of the meeting going on up there makes me want to avoid it all together! He keeps saying “Marama” which is Fijian for “Woman” so I’m thinking he’s preaching at the women tonight. “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!” yadda yadda yadda … “Hallelujah, Praise the Lord!” Is he ever going to lighten up? I go to bed with his voice reaching into my subconscience as I finally drift off to sleep. Even his yelling cannot overtake the dogs and roosters outside my house. Good luck buddy, by the way, it really is a good message to drift off to sleep with. Vinaka vakalevu.

2 years and 4 days since

We left Canada on Valentines day 2003. We arrived in Nadi on the 16th. Blurry, bleary, and sweaty, 2 year old in tow and a newborn attached to my flesh, only because he was so sticky hot! Our ride was not there. We had a delay in Honolulu of 3 hours. Sitting in the plane for 3 extra hours. On the tarmac. I felt like a refugee, illegal alien, unlawfully in Hawaii and unable to get out of the box I was in. Finally, they fixed the tin we were in and we were off. We flew in a 737 across the ocean. We spent 14+ hours in a 737. I was used to flying YZF toYEG in those pieces of tin. Not across the ocean. Not 14 hours. At last we arrived in Nadi to find our ride decided we must have changed our minds about coming and neglected to come back for when the flight actually arrived. After about 2 hours of sorting that out and figuring out where we were going. Elias had enough and pooped right through his nappie. Remember newborn poops? As we are waiting for our lift to arrive, a bright and bubbly lady comes up to me and slides Eli out of my arms and lifts him up and starts sniffing and kissing and snugging my baby. She says she's going to take him into her office to show the girls. Yes, I am somewhat alarmed. She's also unaware that he's 'poo-through' so I mentally figure, 'she'll be back'. Gerry looks at me, I look at Gerry, we shrug our shoulders, momentary frowns, questioning Elias' safety until our gaze follows her into her AIRCONDITIONED office. We now know above all else Eli is the happiest of us all. Gerry takes Alec in to the office for a cool down and I try to hide the 'poo-through' on my shirt as I look out for our ride. Elias has never known anything different than strange ladies and men scooping him up and sniffing and kissing him and walking around to show him off. Alec has always been left out of the baby sniffing thing, which I'm sure suits him just fine as he is most independant. I always remind the strangers that the baby has a wonderful older brother who has the greenest eyes they've ever seen.

We arrive at out hotel. Is this really Fiji? What's up with all the garbage on the roads and the smoke in the air? Where is the beach? the "tropics" ? Why is it so noisy here? I'll get a coffee to settle my nerves. HELLO. Instant coffee. What is wrong with this country? That was the first few hours. I'll feel better after a sleep. kids won't sleep. Maybe tomorrow. We go to the pool but my fear of losing a child to water takes over and I freak. a little.

We are finally moved into our place after being made to stay in the hotel an extra few days while the place was 'sorted' cleaned, arranged etc. We pile out of the van, babies and bags stacked up and open the door so the cleaning ladies can bring in the towels and arrange things and well, clean. What a dump, they hadn't done anything but incur us more expenses by making us stay at a hotel while they completely did not do their job. (we were in a surprise as this is how most things are done here as a rule, not an exception) Pig sty. Emotional pig sty in my mental state as well. A few days of loose screws for me, an alarmed husband from watching his crackpot wife, crack up. and 2 baby boys. trying to be happy. We spent 2 whole days in the one aircon room and finally braved the heat and humidity to walk to the pool. avoiding the mozzies as we go. (small ones that bite really hard) It's going to be ok. really it is. A few weeks pass and I meet a girl with 2 boys. Almost same age as mine and she's an Aussie lass with alot of really funny sayings. She takes me to her house and turns on the fans and makes me a coffee. a real coffee. It will be ok, it really will be! Meanwhile, my husband just loves his job, I mean, he's flying barefoot!

As time passes, we find our place in the Nadi, Fiji world and are shocked when someone honks their horn on their car and waves at us as they drive past. Somebody knows us!!! I still craved for a place that felt like home. Wondering all the while why we ever left the only place that ever felt like home just a few months before that.

More time passes with many learning expereinces that has made us all who we are and more importantly, who we are not. You can't even begin to imagine the frustratiopn levels when asking for something in a shop...oh for a Walmart associate!

We have finally got the house that feels like a home. Had to buy it to make it more like a home but a home it is. I have a beautiful garden, loads of roses all around the compound. And many different species of hybrid plants that change colours in the sun. We have a dog. maybe get some fish. Never get out for a walk because it's too stinking hot and humid all the time. Rarely make it to the beach as it's an hour away. but life is getting easier and more normal. Still can't take the instant coffee but when push comes to shove, it doesn't really matter either. We are a family of 4 living in Fiji and I think we are mostly happy.

Black and Decker strikes again

Yesterday, my much applauded purchase of a cheaper coffee maker had a mini explosion and poured out grey/blue smoke all the while perking away. Finished his coffee making and then quit. The coffee was good but it wasn't until this morning when I went to make more coffee that I poured in my 8 cups, (if there were 12, I would drink 12, so I make only 8) and out of the bottom, he poured 8 more! This was not duplication, this was downright rude! After I dried things up, I tipped him over only to find a great big gaping hole. That explains everything. Now, I make the dreaded trip to Nadi town again, face the music, quite literally blaring in my face, assaulting my ears and to make matters worse, it wasn't even a good tune. I hand the coffee maker back to the shoe saleslady and explain to her that it exploded a bit, smoked a lot and can I exchange? still? at all? She replies with " no problem lady, we never know which ones will work anyway."
So now I'm using the latest in the Black and Decker coffee maker saga. It's not Black and Deckers fault, they rejected all the products that are in the SHOE STORE. This is a country of rejected and unwanted, damaged and out of date. I'm talking products here, nothing deeper than that. At least not out loud. ;)
Happy perking!

fishing in the ditch

at 6:40am this morning my 2 little ones are already in the gutter catching fish, crabs, prawns and tadpoles. Not for supper mind you, who would partake of fish from the ditch? Interesting thought as we are all fish from the ditch compared to the perfection found in Jesus, a beautiful, muticouloured parrot fish from the great blue sea. Not that I generally compare Jesus to a fish as that is absurd but if you have ever been underwater and seen a parrot fish gently float by, with his body swathed in colours, lulling the passerbys to just "be" and admire his beauty. Not to mention how fulfilling it is to commune with God is the garden of Eden under the ocean. We really are fish from the ditch and Jesus...is Jesus.

Funky Town

Here I am, enjoying "Funky Town" by Lipps Inc.

and my little 4yr old, Alec, tells me to ‘turn down the music MUM!’
Something is wrong with this picture!

I can’t help it, I really like the tune.
If I could put the link in here for it I would. Go now and download it for yourself, or just put on the old LP....

what size of shoe does your coffee maker wear?

Here's the deal, I'm so stinking tired of waiting for my 'dial-up' server to give me this page to add my stinking thoughts to that now I've lost all sense of patience. ARGHHHHH

nuf' said, So, like, I've been without a coffee maker for 2 weeks. I've had to go back on the 'instant'. What a rough time of it. It's not nice. Well, I decided to 'brave' Nadi town with all it's smells and noises and pollution and then I had to get out of my car! and tackle all the smells, all the noise, all the pollution AND the pushy rude peeps out there.
I was on a mission, not really optomistic but I thought, if I hit about 4 stores this day I will be doing good in my search for a coffee maker. You don't come to expect much when you live here. I was giving myself a 2 week search to find a coffee maker under 60bucks. Of coarse, I was getting desperate! I mean, have you tasted instant?! So, I enter one shop with thing syou would expect in a small goods store, like blenders, vaccuums and yes, coffee makers. "How Much?"... "For you? fifty bucks." (HMMMMM I think to myself...tempting, yes but still, 50buck for a coffee maker?) I let him down easy with "OK OK, I be back, my car is just there and I'll walk around and give it a think." .... He relies "OK Lady" So, here I am, shocked and bewildered to have found a coffee maker in a store that actually sells them! Why don't I just turn around and shell out the muchachos and get on with life?
Nothing here has EVER been this easy! but I just keep walkin'.
2 shops later I'm looking in a Shoe Store window at some really swank 2nd hand shoes. Right next to them? A Black and Decker coffee maker on sale $39.00. Right next to the swank shoes. I go in, buy the coffee maker AND some curtains. but no swanky shoes. Just goes to show you that you can't judge a book by it's cover. Or a store by it's sign. That has been the most successful shopping bid I've ever had in the 2 years of living here. I could take over West Jet now!