Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Weekends At the Edge of Adulthood

We had a busy week!  Between bake-sale preparation at our home.....




.... and Teachers' Day celebrations...


Nice suit Gav! 

... it was time to get away for a weekend.


We were lucky enough to get a free night stay at a splendid coastal resort in windswept Ho Tram (about 45 km up the coast from Vung Tau) and took full advantage of our time there.  Talk about a room with a view!




Many a beach walk was taken.




Always right behind my trusty leader...




Found something!


Trash grazing... we found enough wayward flip-flops to keep Vietnam's children flopping for generations to come.






And counted at least half a dozen different tropical fruits.  Offerings at the beach to ancestors of times past.




Tidepools in the early morning.



Then pool side in the afternoon.



Endless smiles for endless summers.




We shall return to the edge of the East Sea as soon as possible.

Friday, November 15, 2013

Half-Way There...

What a whirlwind the last 5 months have been!  We have made a baby, moved house, worked our buns off, and enjoyed every second of LIFE here in Vietnam.  I have wanted to share more about my pregnancy on the blog, but just felt like it was all a little too fragile until now.  Now that movements have started and my baby is making its presence felt round the clock, I feel it is safe to share a bit.

This pregnancy was a surprise.  We had been wanting to have a baby for some time, but it just never worked out the way we expected it to.  We had finally decided to throw in the towel for a while while I racked up some more teaching experience with my shiny new teachers certificate.  4 weeks later, I was staring at a positive pregnancy test.  Blood tests and an ultrasound confirmed a beautiful little creature living in my belly.


We are excited... beyond thrilled... over the moon.  This is the job I have always felt I was meant to do.

The excitement hasn't really died down around here since the little blob was discovered.  We worked to contain it in the early weeks for fear something would go wrong as it has in the past, but as we met milestones and marked the weeks off the calendar, this little baby's presence has grown bigger and bigger in our little household.


Now, here I am.  Half way there.  Half way to meeting my little one.  It is amazing to think of how much he/she has grown in the past 20 weeks.  How strong it has become.  We already have so much love for this little baby, I can't wait to see how it fits into our little family, our little house, and our little lives.


We are busy creating the most amazing space for our growing family.  We moved to a beautiful new house with a magical garden, a big bathtub, an abundance of natural light, bar-free windows, fresh air, and plenty of room to play and grow.

It seems as though everything has just sort of fell into place in the last few months.  Something magical is brewing.  The stars have aligned.

I don't think I have ever felt so complete and so completely satisfied with my life as I do now.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Ở ĐÂU? presents... The Dead Farmers Live in Saigon



Ở ĐÂU? is delighted to announce that Australian garage rockers Dead Farmers will be hitting Saigon on Thursday 21st November.


Taking cues from classic bands like The MC5 and The Saints, Dead Farmers have earned a reputation in Australia as a live act that's a force to be reckoned with. If you're up for a night of high energy rock 'n' roll, then head to Darts Darts Darts on the 21st November to see them performing live.


Support will be from local bands Kill the Whale and The 67’s, as well as DJs spinning a mix of indie/pop/rock/electronic/lo-fi/hip-hop/psych ‘til the early hours. 

Doors: 8:00PM-2:00AM
Entrance fee: 50,000VND