Yeah, We live here!

From the backside of the island durning the day........

to the peak at night..............

This last week we have been living in extremes. It started off unbelievably beautiful and clear. It has been raining everyday for the last three weeks and to see blue sky was wonderful. Then yesterday we were smashed with a typhoon. It got me thinking about how much we love this city and how much we are going to miss it. We are excited to come home and each day that brings us closer to our departure makes us even more anxious, but it will be hard to leave Hong Kong. We'll miss our guards at our apartment complex, the old guy who walks around our neighborhood yelling, "Thank You!" every time he sees us, Mrs. Seh the laundry lady,(she tries to carry the laundry up for Cassie but is just as limited with her old age as Cassie is with the baby.) We'll miss the pineapple buns, and the little noodle place that we go to even though we find weird things in our noodles sometimes, but they just keep calling us back. We wont miss the taxi drivers always thinking we want a ride just because we're white, or the crazy bus drivers we entrust our lives with. I look forward to watching a Jazz game instead of listening to Hot-Rod Hundly while I read the play by play on ESPN.com. I could go on, but both of us are just happy that we have the time left that we do to live it up here in Hong Kong.

The Colors of Rain

I just Mr. Miagee'd a nat that has been bothering me while I set up our sweet new playlist. I hope everyone enjoys the mix. After one of our good friends kindly reminded us that we hadn't posted anything in a while we felt guilty, so here it is. (Thanks Martha, Adam and Marian. Enjoy the flight.) Life has been a bit on the exciting side. We have faced floods, typhoons, and even rabid monkeys. When you think you've seen it all... well you haven't. I lay sleeping soundly on my lumpy futon that my pregnant wife and I have shared for the last ten months, the soothing sounds of the waterfall outside our window is calming to my soul. There would be birds singing, and the sweet smell of flowers waiting for me when I woke up...Wait a second we don't have a waterfall near our house... Oh crap! It is pouring rain and we left the window open to keep us cool. The window seal happens to be my closet, and my closet happens to be my suitcase. I've really got to do something about this. I know, I'll cover my suitcase with this plastic bag I got from the Park'nShop last night. I'm not closing the window. It's too hot and I'm too tired. I finally wake up for the day to find they have hoisted the Black Rain warning. No it is not black. My bag managed to weather the storm okay. It's dumping more than 100ml an hour. My friend calls me and says there is a river in front of our house. He speaks English, but sometimes the translation isn't that great, so I wanted to check out the so called "river." Sure enough, in all sense of the word, a five inch raging river was flowing down our road into the ocean. It was unbelievable. I still managed to get some sweet pics. ..Tonight there is a Typhoon, which means I probably wont have to work in the morning. Yes!! This will be the second time weather has kept me from work... In other news the baby is a kicker! She loves to kick on mommy's pants or skirt if she is feel'n any pressure. She is tough! That's my girl!

Daddy's little girl!

There are a lot of things to be excited about in life, but perhaps one of the greatest is knowing that I'm going to be the father of a little girl. That's right my friends. For those who may venture into the depths of our lives, here it is announced, that Cassie and I are going to have little baby girl in October!!! It has been fun keeping it a secret from everyone since we have been living in Hong Kong, but it is time to let the world know!! Mother and baby are doing well. She is an active little thing, and when ever Cassie stops moving the baby starts dancing around. We couldn't be more excited. For those who may be wondering, yes we will be coming back to have the baby so...See ya in August! Peace out!

Sometimes All it takes is a Decision

Life is such an interesting thing. It is fun being young and experiencing life one day at a time. It can, however, be a stressful pandemonium, fraught with decision that will determine the rest of our eternity. We are here to gain knowledge, grow, and progress. It is important that we live astute lives making important decisions at important times. The greatest obstacle I believe is making the decision between two or three good things. It is obvious that I should not dedicate my life to being an NBA player. It would be a bad decision. But to be a lawyer, businessman, or diplomat could all be good things. I find myself stuck, at times, in the middle of great opportunities wondering which way to go. I have learned that when you just make a decision and work towards that goal, Heavenly Father will guide you to the right path. He will fortify you and point you toward the best way. Let us go forth with firmness in our faith, and a smile in our step and make great decisions.

The art of barbecue

There is an art popular to man that foments a primal instinct to boil inside our souls. It can be an art of love, a bellicose art, an art of appetite. It is the art of barbecue. That's right my friends... to take raw meat seasoned to perfection and cooked till golden brown is art! As we experience the tastes of the world in Hong Kong we have the opportunity to see the way other cultures respect this art. Tonight it was Korean. I preface by saying that an American BBQ is great. You pull out the lawn chairs, set up the grill, grab your slab of steak and begin the process. Tonight I gained respect of other ways. Sitting in the middle of my table was a nice round grill. The selection of meat was almost unlimited. We had our staple beef, chicken, and pork. We could also extend our tastes with tongue, octopus, and fish. However, the greatest thing was, after I filled my grill with meat and it was cooked, there was no setting a table or waiting for the potato salad. I took straight from the grill into my mouth. It was beautiful. All the meat I could eat, grilled to my liking, and eaten in an instant. To the Koreans...Respect!