Happy Easter!

We've already covered that March wasn't my high point of blogging - but it was eventful! Easter morning started the way many mornings do... making an extra large pot of coffee and pouring with a big thermos. Except that this morning, the coffee smell made me gag. I hadn't been feeling well at all for days (which is not at all unusual in India), but NEVER have I not been able to drink coffee...except...that one time... when...I was...uh... pregnant with Caden...
A morning test confirmed the very unexpected news...Caden was going to be a big brother, and my plans for Easter (aka champagne) brunch were about to change dramatically. Come to think of it, my entire (admittedly not totally healthy) lifestyle was about to change instantly and dramatically. No more drinking. No more smoking. Where in the world was I going to get healthy food?? My normally non-linear mind jumped singularly from behavior change to behavior change. But wait, this was good news, right?!?
Luckily the rest of the day brought busy distraction...Amber, Abhi and Roshan hosted a fantastic Easter egg hunt and muffin breakfast for all of us. I am continuously awed by Amber's seemingly effortless domestic skills... a totally fun time for all, complete with candy and plastic eggs with prizes. Super well done - thanks!!
The kids eagerly awaited the official start...
Then raced into the yard to find the much anticipated rewards...
Everyone ended with full baskets and big smiles!!
But lest we stop there, brunch was right around the corner (ok a 45 minute drive around the corner at Taj West)...where we met up with another 20 or so folks to enjoy brunch. While I carried a half glass of champagne around the whole time (quite sadly), the food was fantastic as usual with lots of good choices and the kids had a blast playing and getting covered head to toe in glitter...
An eventful day, and the end of my blogging for a month as sleep took priority and partying took a backseat. But Happy Easter - I guess those eggs really are a pagan symbol of fertility! :)

Happy Holi! Happy St. Patrick's! Go TRACY!!

Holi, the festival of colors, was again a hit with the little guy - how can a kid not love a holiday where you are given a squirt gun, a bag of colors, and permission to shoot anything and anyone you want?
*unfortunately*, I had a pre-departure to-do list in mind that included a haircut and shopping, and wasn't able to partake... Chandra joined me instead for an afternoon of the spa, lunch at Sunny's and shopping Commercial Street...before the St. Patrick's Day round 2 at Murphy's. We had a great afternoon chatting and "focusing on the positive" with the occasional discussion item of the, er, not so life of leisure and luxury. My haircut was once again not exactly the small trim I'd requested (more like Posh Spice, but without the body or husband's body to go with it). But lunch was great, and we spent all our shopping time at the jewelry store - man will I miss that place! Full and happy were we!
Back at the ranch, the kids continued to enjoy Holi celebrations in full swing...
At the end of it, Caden's hair was red, Bob's head was green, but it was a good day!
The evening brought a celebration - Round 2 of the Murphy St. Patrick's Day party, with a special twist for Tracy's promotion to Director!!! I couldn't think of anyone that deserves it more Tracy - congratulations and you ROCK!!! The Murphy household was decked out befitting the magnitude of the celebration! The short red hair is mine - go figure. I think a not-favorite haircut is good once in a while and builds character. This being the case this year has been amazing character development. Or does the hookah counteract that some...??In any event, it was a great time. Congratulations again Tracy!

First a note...

Ok, so "Spring" didn't bring with it a blossoming of blog entries - I've heard! But (insert series of excuses here). I'll try to get caught up to date and share some thoughts on repatriation before retirement...
But first a note that these will not come in order - I fully intend to use this handy feature of blogger called "date stamp" where I can change the date and time to be whatever I want it to be! For the record, I will briefly acknowledge that everything after this is really done in late April or so... but let's not talk about that.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

It was a dark and stormy night. The traffic was crazy and we got into another fender bender with a bus. The storm drains (if existing??) were over-flowing and rickshaws were floating.But there was a party to be had, and we hearty gang of expats headed off into the night, dressed in green with roadies on board.But alas, this was no Oktoberfest Bangalore...this OWC St. Patrick's Day party...was that an ice sculpture I saw?Well, Wade donned a party hat to keep the air lively while he did his check-in duties. and Petra and I couldn't help but notice the jewelry exhibition next door...And besides, it might not be Oktoberfest quality party, but there was beef, and mashed potatoes too. Shephard's pie, and salt and pepper on the table, and a kiss from my sweetie...Oh yeah, and there was Guinness.Stay tuned for round 2 St. Patty's when the Murphy's have their party next weekend...

More thoughts from Kerala vacation

Monday awoke with a smile and Caden and I went through the resort in search of the most beautiful flower. It was a job Caden took very seriously:
An there were lots to choose from...
But I have to go with this one:
It was also Bob's birthday and we finished breakfast with cake, naturally. It's custom in India (and I have no idea why) to not just feed the lucky-birthday boy the first slice of cake but to smear it all over their face. Well, since it's custom... :)I think she did a darn fine job for being new at this!
The morning finished with some more leisurely playing.

And a final stop in the butterfly garden where the kids enjoyed exploring immensely...

Our next and final stop in our journey was Marari Beach Resort, and it was fabulous! A fantastic beach and lots of space, a big pool, an ayurvedic spa, a little shop, a few restaurants and a number of bars. The rooms were big, clean and spacious, and again the bathrooms were open air (kinda cool I think).

The day was good, and while Caden's fresh squeezed orange juice was the last moment that apparently inspired me to take a photo, the look of post-vacation was had all-around. Dinner that night was complete...starting with a babysitter for the kids (Caden was asleep before she arrived, and stayed asleep while five kids played in the room), an open air restaurant with live music of classic ballads that made us sing along while we ate fresh seafood platters from snapper to lobster to prawns.
The morning brought some great pool time, a comment from Caden on breakfast that "my grandpa makes the best bacon" (he's apparently picked up on Indian subtlety) and all-around some great memories with some great friends. mmmmm...mmmm.. good.

Back to the Backwaters

Sunday we piled back into the car for the three hour ride to Alleppey, a backwater location we had visited and loved last year. It had been a highlight of our time in India and well-worth a repeat performance. Immediately on arrival, we piled into the boat and were off.A snack of bananas and fresh pineapple super sweet and luscious (oh, and the chilled white wine and beers we'd brought along) and the morning's car ride was quickly behind us. Lunch was fantastic, as were the fried bananas that came along with the afternoon tea. We floated peacefully past the villages and villagers, the rice paddies and the churches, the other boats and the lilly pads.The boat ride was just for the afternoon as we had agreed that what was relaxing for a while probably had it's limit, and six curious kids on a boat was not the recipe for a good night's rest. We returned to the resort in time for some more good swimming in the great setting, with quaint Kerala-style rooms complete with open air bathrooms and showers.Oh yeah, and we had stopped before heading back to pick up some dinner from a local fisherman...YUM!When I'd inquired at the restaurant if they served wine with dinner and the eventual no answer came, Bob and I took a rickshaw back into town while the kids finished their swim.The first place we stopped, both Bob and I were too scared to take a photo. It was a muni down an alley past a beggar complete with bars on the selling window and a full menu ranging from about 40 rupees up. Walking in past the few people leaving told us, yep, liquor is sold here. As it were, we decided against the moonshine with our fresh prawns and asked the rickshaw driver for a, uh, better wine shop. ... he suggested a hotel then...ok we said. I was the only woman in the place, and we were able to procure their only bottle of wine. Seriously. The only one they had. Apparently Kerala is not wine country. But this place also had Smirnoff, and we decided a vodka/fruit juice cocktail would be fine with prawns. Bob completed the transaction and we were on our way.Back at the resort, relaxation continued in full swing...And the kids had a fantastic time playing together...We had very sympathetic thoughts for the only other couple staying at the resort, who were enjoying their otherwise peaceful dinner and vacation, but they were good natured. The day was a good one and the kids crashed to bed pretty hard while the adults enjoyed a hookah and a cocktail on the banks of the backwaters. It had been well worth the repeat visit!

Where the Sidewalk Ends...Kanniyakumari

In a place where it's almost always 85 and sunny, what better way to honor the near-Spring break season than with a road trip?
In India? With six kids aged six and younger? In one vehicle? Ah yes, that is what we decided on! The Miller's, Murphy's and Fischer's all agreed that we would fly into Trivandrum, drive to the very tip bottom of India, and then back up the coast to fly out of Cochin four days later. And so we awoke early Saturday, raced off to the airport, flew off full of adventurous spirit and then piled into our Tempo Traveler.We hurriedly (as much as six kids hurry) checked into the hotel and then back into the TT for the 88km, three hour ride South to the tip... what I liked to think of poetically as where the sidewalk ends. Three waters come together there - the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.
After a threatened mutiny and phone calls to the travel agent, we pulled over to fix the air conditioner in our rapidly heating car. Not an auspicious start...Most of the journey looked like this - a road a bit too narrow for us and a bit bumpy. I suspect most driver here would be great at geometry and billiards... if one car is traveling this way this fast, and this bus is coming at us this way while a motorcycle veers in between a stray dog and a cow while a pedestrian skirts the side, which way should I aim to get through... The interesting part of this picture is that I took it from the window of the car...Chandra and I agreed the safety senses get dulled not sharpened in India as a coping mechanism. And our driver owned apparently three English CDs - Abba, Bryan Adams, and Backstreet Boys. So it was, how do you say, a long ride.
When we arrived at our first stop three hours later and our driver pulled over to a temple...twelve kids (those both under 7 AND those over 30) looked at him sideways and said "how about lunch instead?" Sadly, with all the tour books and travel in India experience between us, none of us had brought a guide book to learn that "where the sidewalk ends" is a parking garage style viewing tower in a place with no beach to swim on, no good restaurants (the missing guidebook I just now referenced starts the Eating section with "there are plenty of fruit stalls and basic veg restaurants..."), and not much for to-dos with kids. The views were good and the wind was brisk.A half hour later after a short walk up the beach, a quick hat recovery mission, we agreed that the three hours trip there wasn't likely going to be shorter going home. And this had been, uh, a "sunk cost" that sticking around wouldn't fix. But at least I can say we went...right?....that's worth something.... right?!? Ah, the poetry of Shel Silverstein alludes me now.
The views on the trip home were as lovely as the way there (go figure).And the parade of motorcycles didn't in fact make it faster...But lest you think all was lost (and my attitude totally sucks), we made it back to the hotel in time for a walk to the local muni for wine, and to the beach in time for sunset. The kids enjoyed their beach time about seven hours later than planned, but that seemed quickly a memory.And when darkness fell, they jumped into the pool with the dads with the same enthusiasm that the moms applied to settling down with a cocktail and a snack.Dinner time brought worn out kids that ate peacefully while the adults savored a seafood meal of fresh lobster, savory fish and cheap wine. All in all, another roller coaster day!