Happy Birthday Abigail!

Abi's birthday was on the 22nd but since we weren't here we decided to postpone the party till we got back. Her party was fun; full of friends, cake and many, many pink things. Again, I'm lagging behind on the photos...

10 things I love about my Abi Girl:

1. She's patient
2. She's thoughtful and considerate of others' feelings. She almost never says anything mean to anyone.
3. She's quick witted and a little bit sarcastic. This coupled with her little girly-girlness is uber cute!
4. She has the willpower to let her bangs grow. They're to her nose now.
   
5. She has always been a good sleeper.
6. She looks beautiful in a dress and stockings.
7. She's quiet but not a pushover.
8. She's left handed
   
9. She climbs on absolutely everything. She's fidgety; It's impossible for her to sit still with her feet flat on the floor for any amount of time.
   
10. She beats me at Candy Land every time.
    

Tioman Island in Malaysia

We had a chance to go snorkeling along a coral reef; something neither of us had done before. It was so much fun and before we knew it, we had been swimming about the open sea for nearly an hour. That and the heat totally exhausted us but we had a great time. We explored the Marine Park Centre on another part of the Island and there were monkeys! We couldn't get any pics though because they ran back up to the trees when we tried to get close.

(apparently there were more than one)

We stayed at the Paya Beach Resort in one of their deluxe chalets. It was beautiful and very comfortable. I enjoyed a full body massage the first night of our stay and it was soooo nice! Our stay was 2 nights/3 days. We slept during the hottest part of the day and caught up on some much needed rest.

The below picture is of our adorable little friend, Adam. He was visiting the Island with his brother and 3 sisters and mom and dad. They're from New Zealand! We made quick friends with this neat family.

Home, At Last

We made it home last night around 7 o clock, and went straight to my parents' to pick up the kids. To say we missed them would be an understatement. We were all so happy to see each other that we clung rather than hugged. It sure is good to be home. We ate a quick meal at mom's then headed home to open presents. The kids were so excited to get some great toys. =)

Since it's hard to find the time to update you all on our trip in one sit-down, I'll post pics and give you the highlights. It may be a bit sporadic, but I'll try to keep it as organized as possible.

Eating crab at an outdoor restaurant in Singapore

Pastor Melvyn Mak and Hetee (displaying a crab claw for our Mongolian friends to see)

Our hosts, Cynthia and Steven and their 2 sons, outside of an awesome Mexican restaurant. Cynthia and Steven are professional matchmakers and have made many successful matches. They then counsel the couple on into marriage!

Delirious? ministered during the conference by leading the praise and worship. They also held a concert afterward. We got to hang out with them and have our meals together in the VIP lounge...way cool! Did you know that Martin Smith has 6 kids!?

More to come...

Pictures (Sentosa)

2 of my g12 girls, Oyuka and Ogii Tseegii and I, cooling off in the shade.

Me, baby boa, and a nice Indian man.

Me and my Baby (in the bright SUN!)

Holding a starfish...

Horses!

The Underwater World

Greasing up at Palawan...I have never been so white!

Ok La

That's how they talk here, they put "la" on the end of everything. Kind of like how Americans say "ya know?" ya know?

We visited Sentosa and had some fun at Palawan beach. We swam and played on the beach for a while and then headed over to the underground aquarium to cool off and look at the incredible marine life they had displayed there. We got to touch stingrays and feed them. I got to hold a baby boa constrictor, too.

The highlight of our Sentosa visit was the Dolphin show. I had really wanted to see it, even though I'm not one of those people who LOVE dolphins. We got there just as it was starting and there were about 300 people seated. The commentator asked for 2 volunteers to come up and I raised my hand. She picked me and I got assigned to a trainer and a beautiful, pink female dolphin named "Han". As I walked into the water and Han swam up to me I suddenly got choked up and began to cry. She looked at me with such beautiful and serene eyes and it just took me by surprise. The trainer was shocked. He asked me if I was ok but I just couldn't speak! I felt silly but it was just too powerful for words. As I stood there in the water, chest deep, she came up and planted a "kiss" on my cheek. I hugged and kissed her back.

As I got out of the water the commentator asked how I felt. I cried into the mic and all I could manage to say was, "She's so sweet!". I was still shaken an hour later. What a thrill! I will upload pictures as soon as I get a few more minutes.

More soon la!


Before I go, a quick picture for my sweethearts, Abi, Nate and Kenny: