An Old Owl and New Years Resolutions

A wise old owl sat in an oak,

The more he heard the less he spoke;

The less he spoke the more he heard.

Why aren't we all like that wise old bird?

One of my resolutions this year is summed up quite perfectly by the wise old owls actions above. It is to simply listen MORE. Especially to the ones I love the most. In the swirl of life (and the noisiness of my girls), I usually still manage to hear what's going on around me, but hearing and listening are really two different things.

I hope that as I endeavor to speak less and listen more, I will see and know the ways in which I can really help these little seeds of mine grow!

Sultanate of Oman......

Otherwise know as, the country I fell in love with!

Chad has been telling me for a long time now that I would love Oman, and he was right on {almost} every level. The people. The smells. The culture. The most perfect sunsets and sunrises I have ever seen (yes, even more than the sunsets I adored all my years ago in New Zealand). The Juices (oh the juices) but above all, the warmth and generosity of the people is really what stole my heart (I know that is an incredibly cheesy thing to say, but it is quite literally true!

I have never experienced such genuine kindness from complete strangers. I can't imagine meeting someone in the streets of Australia, or many other countries for that matter, and taking them up on an offer to go home with them to meet their family and have lunch or to join them for tea. But in Oman, it seems quite the norm to receive such invitations. 

You'll also see from the photos that camels really do roam free in the desert. We had to stop our car on more than one occasion because the road was blocked with camels. It seemed quite novel in the beginning, but we did get used to it :)

A very typical scene.......

Don't be too shocked by this next picture - apparently it was "not real" but still.......I was a bit surprised when I called this little boy and he turned around like this....

Goodbye great Sultan of Oman. We miss your birth place of Salalah and its magical juices and hope to be back again soon{ish}!

China

Because our time in China was so limited, we planned on seeing what we thought were the obvious sights not to be missed - The Great Wall, Tianamen Square, the Forbidden city and of course, some markets. Unfortunately we ran out of time to see the forbidden city but managed to do everything else - which we absolutely LOVED!!!!

The wall itself is really something quite spectacular, especially when you consider the history of this man made wonder. Much like the iconic dragon that represents China with its power and great strength, the wall weaves up and down the mountains for almost 9000km, and really is a sight to behold.

We caught a cable car up to the wall and by doing so, were exposed to the breathtaking scenery that would likely be missed if you chose to hike up. Beautiful greenery surrounds the wall with splashes of Autumn trees glowing in their rustic glory. Add to that the morning son peaking over the mountains and it was quite the picturesque scene! If I wasn't slightly afraid of open air cable cars I would have taken about 100 more pictures :)

We visited a section of the wall called Mutianya. Not the most popular section (which means less tourists) but we LOVED it and loved that we weren't drowning in a sea of people. It's also the only section of the wall that has a metal toboggan you can ride down from the wall which was an experience in its own right :)

this next pic makes me laugh :)

 

At the base of the wall at street level, markets line the path and while you can get everything at cheap prices, it's not without some serious bargaining first (and I mean serious bargaining :)

oh how our kids loved the little trinkets and Chinese paraphernalia we got them!

One of the things I love the most about traveling is people watching (I realise that sounds somewhat stalker-ish :) but I find it so fascinating watching people from different worlds live their lives and the highlights are always meeting 'locals' and hearing parts of their stories. 

Tiananmen square was somewhat disappointing in that there was NO sign of any memorial AT ALL to the lives lost there (not surprising.....) - but we didn't have a guide so we may have missed it....I hope (but doubt)! That being said, I still loved the amazing detail in which things were presented there, even down to the words formed out of beautifully growing flowers!

After the square we visited some markets that offered 'delicacies' in the way of creepy insects and all kinds of bugs etc.

Some of the options were a bit disturbing.......

Snail soup anyone.....

Or how about some hairy black spiders......

Or some gliders......

Despite all the delicacies on offer, It was the scorpians that brought us to these markets and exactly what Chad wanted to sample (please don't ask me why :) In an attempt to be adventurous I agreed to eat one (shudder) and when I asked the guy selling them if they were dangerous, he smiled and said in his chinese english accent "yes, ob course, bery dangerous! haha. I assume he thought I meant 'delicious'!! The creepiest part was that when we chose our skewer, they will still wriggling around on it......eewwww! In the end they didn't taste that bad, but it was still creepy putting it in my mouth!!!!!

 

All in all we loved our day in China and look forward to going back and spending more time there. It's also no understatement when I say it's a miracle that we survived the day! Our taxi driver who we met at the airport, wasn't in an official taxi, even though he assured us he was. When we got to his car (which was completely black including the windows) we questioned for a moment if he was actually going to take us to the great wall or if he was going to take us around the corner to a gang of  'ninjas' waiting for us :) luckily he turned out to be somewhat legit, even though I have NEVER experienced such a crazy ride. EVER. I nervously laughed for most of the trip and at one point, when our driver almost crashed the car (the nearest miss) even he laughed maniacally at how crazy it was! I have never seen so many pedestrians/cyclists jump out of the way of a moving vehicle nor have I heard so many horns blown!

After our day in China, we boarded a plane bound for dubai, before heading to Oman!

Adieu

And so it is that I bid you Adieu. Not forever, just for 18 days :)

Tomorrow Chad and I embark on a journey that will take us to places like THIS and THIS and THIS and THIS.

To say we are excited is a little understated. I've been meaning to blog about it for months but time has slipped away far quicker than I thought and now we're leaving!!!!!!!

I'm praying for my sweet Mother (bless her little heart :) that she will survive the whirlwind that can be 4 children and hope our bribes sticker charts help them be on their best behavior (which incidentally didn't work tonight and I almost cancelled the whole trip......OK not really, but kind of :)

And now I leave with you a song that makes me ridiculously excited for our travels every time I hear it!!!

Did I mention that I'm going to miss my babies? In fact, I already miss them just anticipating the separation!!

leaving on a jet plane.......

Ok maybe not on a jet plane, just on a plane.......

 

.....for 5 days without my babies for my annual "sisters retreat" with my family on the Gold Coast.

I Can't wait to cuddle my new nephew and see my sisters and sleep through the night and maybe even sleep in in the morning ;) Oh what luxury :)

no, I'm not pregnant again :) this pic is from last years retreat ;)

While I will miss my babies, I really can't wait to spend time with my sisters and do all the funny crazy things we do together....the kind of things you only do when you're with your family :) 

And to Chad. Thank you Thank you Thank you :) I will come home completely refreshed and patient.......for at least one day ;)

guilty

oh my.

I am guilty of THIS.

I have been asked the very question, "are you listening to me? Is the computer more important than me?" (please tell me it has happened to you too...... :)

My answer was "Of course not". But 'words are cheap and actions are priceless'.

After reading these words tonight, I vow to not let it happen again (OK - I will try my best to not let it happen again ;). Because the people in this picture (oh how I love their little faces :) are the 'things that matter most'!. 

Before the morning

There are some moments in life that nothing can really prepare you for. Some phone calls that come so unexpectedly and can knock the wind out of you so fast, changing everything in your life in an instant. 

A couple of weeks ago my sister and her husband received a call like this. My Brother in Laws mother, Kay, unexpectedly, without warning passed away. She was family to us and my heart is heavy for those that loved her and those that now miss her.
 
Silent tears flowed as I stood in my kitchen holding the phone looking at the 'thank you' chocolates I had for her that had not yet been delivered. Tears at the realisation that it was too late. Not forever I know. But too late for now. Tears for my brother in law and his siblings. Tears for her husband. Tears for my sister and her sons. Tears for all the unsaid things, and unsaid goodbyes.

When heartbreak like this happens, isn't it true that we resolve to ourselves we are going to make things 'different' from now on. Live life to the fullest, no regrets. Savor every moment. Not waste time on unimportant things because we just never know when this part of the journey could end. But then life keeps moving like a wheel in motion and we, I, slip back into the flow of it. I forget for a while that life is precious and can be taken away at any moment. Sometimes I let things that don't matter, matter.

This time, I'm hoping to hang on to this 'realisation of life' a bit longer and really make things count. 

These words appropriately filled my car that afternoon as I drove home from seeing the 'children' who had just lost their mother..........

"It is but a small moment and this time on earth will pass and we will once again be reunited with those we love that have passed before us"

To my sister and her family. My family. We love you and we pray for you.

 

Reflections and bloggy guilt

While sorting through some pictures of Lily the other day,

I came across this picture of myself in the reflection of the TV cabinet.

Yes. This is how most of my photos are taken. With pictured toddler climbing all over me :)....and the reason for {most} of my blurry pictures ;).

As I laughed at the sight of 'us' and the memory of all the cajoling that went on to keep Jasmin out of the photos, I thought about how sometimes it can be easy to feel frustrated if I try and do 'some things' with little ones around.

But as I've learned and learned and re-learned many times, sometimes it's just easier to put 'those things' aside until later (unless of course it's photographing your baby who is growing by the minute and you don't want to forget one second of it :)

Currently I feel like blogging is one of 'those things'. And while I have 'EXTREME-lack-of-posting-guilt' (oh how it eats me up....do you ever get blog guilt???) I realise that sometimes my retrospective photos thoughts will have to wait. I just hope I don't forget them all before they make it on here :)

{Luckily I take about 2000 photos a month, so If I do happen to forget somethings, hopefully my photos will be enough to jog my memory :}

Extremes

I vowed last time that 80 - 90% of banana crops were wiped out in cyclone affected areas, that if it was to happen again - I would be prepared. 

I admit sometimes I am extreme :)

$37.54. Approximately 16kgs.

Food storage money well spent.

And for a little more of 'scaled' perspective.......

It was about 10 bags full and they took up half the trolly. (It was funny watching people 'observe' our stash, and even funnier when a small group of people gathered around asking questions, then quickly followed suit :)

We will at least have banana muffins and smoothies for a little while longer!!

ps) Incase you're thinking like the lady in ALDI that said, "they won't last you very long dear", they are peeled, cut up, sealed in air tight bags and frozen. Not left on the bench in the hope that they will 'last' :)

Day 22 - Changes

Finally I am reacquainted with the gym!! Hooray!! Oh how I have missed it and promise to visit 5 days a week from now until the end of the school year. 

Maybe. 

Definitely.

Hopefully. (can you feel my resolve here???)

(I tried a Zumba class today and was once again reminded that the 'latino moves' are SO not for me.....the 60 year old lady next to me was better at doing the 'bootie shake' than I was.......bahahahahaha. Not pretty I tell you. Not pretty :)

And speaking of fitness, if you want to be part of Australian Women's sporting history, it's not too late to register for the PINK triathlon this weekend. They have 3 different entry levels so pretty much anyone can participate. Trust me, if I can do it 5 months pregnant and finish without dying ANYONE can do it (yes even my 60 year old friend from Zumba could do it ;)

I think you can kinda see my 'Jazzy bump' under my number :)