On the Move... Again.

Hello!

For those of you who don't already know... We are moving! Again!

It's been 16 glorious months back in the States and we have recently found out that we are moving to Den Haag, The Netherlands. We were a little surprised and shocked at first, especially since the wounds of moving back from Singapore were still fairly fresh in our minds. But the more we thought about it, the more we realized that this would be an amazing opportunity for all of us and we really couldn't pass it up.

B's new company that he works for is based in Rotterdam. He will be going to the office to head the reorganization of the company's Europe and Asia operations.

We visited Amsterdam and the surrounding area over Labor Day weekend. We visited schools, looked at housing and toured the area. We all fell in love with the Dutch charm.

I am hoping to keep the blog updated as to our travels and experiences in Europe... IF I can get back into the habit!!!

See you on the flip side ;-)

The start of a new school year...

The kids have been in school for a few weeks now. After the initial shock of "I bought school supplies at the end of the year, and I still need what???", they are settled into a routine. V loves being a big kid in 7th grade and loves all the freedom that comes with it. He made the off-season basketball class and was so proud. With Orchestra, basketball at Legends and Algebra - he is pretty tied up. He handles it like a champ - I am an extremely proud mom!

S is back to the same attitude of "I love school, but I don't like school". He is also busy between Legends basketball, mathnasium and schoolwork. One smart, smart cookie that doesn't apply himself to his fullest potential. He keeps me hopping, that's for sure!

B has been pretty busy with his new job, travels quite a bit. When he is in town, his schedule is pretty grueling. We look forward to weekends when we can spend a little time with him.

Myself, you ask? Just trying to keep my head above water getting these kiddos to keep on moving... Still crazy, I don't think there's any hope for me :-)

I am definitely going to try to keep this up - I have missed the blog and am ready for more - chat soon!

S

New Beginnings...

So, I realize it's almost been a year since any post whatsoever.

I've changed the name of the blog and am ready to start again :-)

In a nutshell, after moving back from Singapore - I think I felt a little displaced. It was odd to have experienced this amazing place that we LOVED so much and be yanked from there so quickly. When we got back and finally got back in to the swing of things, it was almost as if we had never left. Don't get me wrong - with only being gone a year - it was very easy for the kids to assimilate back into their routines, and that was a blessing.

And even though we were gone for such a short time, we thought we were going to be over there longer - so we sold EVERYTHING - down to the electric can opener. We're still replacing things :-)

But, we are settled and happy - I had missed my friends and family terribly. And we are happy for the new friends we are making along the way.

Enjoy!

S

Random thought of the day...

This one is courtesy of an email my dad sent me...

"If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just BUY dinner?"

;-)

Random thought of the day...

Just came to me...


Is "Swine Flu" past tense for "When Pigs Fly"???

So much for hopping the pond...

Well, as many of you already know - we have been called back to the US. So 10 very short months later, we are in the midst of moving madness... AGAIN...
It's a wonderful opportunity for B - I couldn't be prouder. He has worked tirelessly. His loyalty and commitment to this company is evident - and he is being graciously rewarded.

We are going to miss this place. I am going to miss the beauty, the cleanliness, the people we have met and haven't nearly gotten enough time to know. I am going to miss the quality of education the kids are getting here, how V struggled so much at first and has flourished over the last 2 months - right before our eyes. I am going to miss the traveling - how convenient it is to get to other countries from here. I am going to miss Little India and Chinatown - where I could spend everyday if I had the time.

I have no worries about our move - we are going back to the same area, same town. The kids will be fine wherever we land - they had this amazing experience for a year and I hope they won't ever forget it.

What I do worry about is that we will come back and feel as if we "fit" or "belong" here better. I can't describe the feeling of being culturally connected to our heritage. It's all around us, you can't escape it - it's "home". From the food to the spices to the BAD B.O. ;-)to the haggling over prices... it's familiar, comfortable.

I will take Singapore back to the US with me - and I hope to give a little bit of it to all of my friends and family that I have missed SO much.

National Organ Donor Awareness Month

Okay - So every April, I get on my high horse about organ donation. I understand how personal the choice is, in fact, before having to live with the possibility of having it creep into our lives, I am not so sure how I felt about it myself.

First, a few facts:
Organ Demands
Each year 20,000 people receive organ transplants. This figure is only 25% of the 94,000 people in need of an organ.
Everyday around 17 people die while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ.

The Waiting List
Nearly 4,000 new patients are added to the waiting list every month.

The Potential Donor
You can choose to donate one or more of the following organs: kidneys, heart, liver, lung, pancreas, intestines, cornea, skin, bones and/or bone marrow.
The heart is the only organ that cannot come from a living donor.
There is no age limit for organ donation.
The few absolute exclusions are those who are HIV+, have active cancer or systemic infection.

Statistics
Less than 30% of the population has signed a donor card or has discussed organ donation with their family.
One organ or tissue donor has the potential to save 50 lives.

Common Misconceptions
Organ donation happens only after the patient is declared brain dead. The law clearly states that the doctor who pronounced brain death must have nothing to do with the removal or transplantation of organs.
After organ removal, the body does not become disfigured.


Second, the pitch:
I know that there are so many reasons NOT to become an organ donor, but in my life there in one MAJOR reason that is behind my reason TO be one.

My son.

He never asked to be born with liver disease. There is no defining reason why he even has it. It's a "fluke". All I know is that he has been through so much in his short life and I'd like to hope that when he ventures down the path of transplantation, someone thought enough of children like him to make that decision. I know I have.
No, we cannot guarantee who our organs go to. But we can pray that our decision changes someones LIFE for the better - that they actually get to LIVE.

If you haven't already - PLEASE consider giving the gift of life.