T.I.V. Tuesday

Here is proof that not everything in Venezuela is bad, backwards, irksome or irrational. Recently, we took a weekend trip to Tortuga Lodge. It is situated on the coast of Venezuela in the midst of a National Preserve. The area is reasonably remote and required a 15 minute motor boat ride through a mangrove forest to reach our destination. Our accommodations were on the rustic side (no power during the day, salt water showers etc.), but we were lulled to sleep at night by the sound of crashing waves, and it is hard to beat that. This was Isaac's first trip to the beach and he was in love. We spent much of the weekend trying to convince him that believing you can swim is not the same as actually possessing said skill. Caleb became adept at sneaking up on crabs and had his first lessons in body surfing. He asks daily when we're going back and sadly the answer is probably never. The Chavez government is in the process of expropriating Tortuga Lodge and in the very near future it will no longer be beautiful and inviting, like so many other things in this country that are now government controlled. But, we had an enjoyable weekend there and it will always be lovely place in our memories.

Keeping the Self-pity at Bay

My readers are aware that I do not love Venezuela. True, the country is beautiful and the weather is perfect (unless you dig seasons and changing leaves and snow) and we have a great apartment and some cool neighbors, but the government is abysmal and it is REALLY not safe here and there isn't much to do for the under 5 set.

When we discovered we were expecting a baby, I was thrilled. Not just because we wanted another child, but because that meant I was going to get a 3 month reprieve from Chavezland -- Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in the US of A sounded too good to be true. And, as it turns out, it was.

Of course I was/am sad about the baby and what might of been, but truly, I was/am mad. I wanted those 3 months (not away from Kenny) but away from Hugo and his increasing craziness. I wanted my boys to go trick-or-treating with kids who wore costumes and said "trick-or-treat" instead of hanging out with kids in street clothes carrying pillowcases and yelling "Halloween." I wanted Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings instead of having to make-do with mail-order ingredients. I wanted to play in the snow and go for walks on actual sidewalks and eat sour cream and cottage cheese. I wanted to go Christmas caroling with our new baby girl bundled up in a fuzzy, pink snowsuit and watch "The Sound of Music" and "It's a Wonderful Life" on network television for the millionth time. I wanted all of that, and so much more and I still do.

October is coming and I'm worried. I'm worried that I haven't dealt with the baby as well as I think I have. I'm worried that when we're still here when we weren't supposed to be I won't be as "okay" as I think I am. Mostly, I'm worried that I am not as pragmatic or rational as I give myself credit for being. My kids deserve not to have these fears realized so I have taken some dramatic steps. I have begun what I call "project embrace Venezuela." We have gotten out the guide book, there is only one, and scoured it for everything and anything that sounds remotely fun. We have already embarked on a few of these adventures and though we've had mixed results, we are feeling a little more friendly towards our current home. We are becoming scuba certified and planning a Thanksgiving trip to Bonaire, purportedly the best scuba diving locale in the world. We have decided to spend Christmas in the US after all and I am ecstatic with anticipation. And, perhaps most dramatic of all, I have taken a job with the US Embassy.

I never planned to work after we had kids, at least not until they were old enough to be in school full-time. But, I came back from UT and knew I needed a distraction. Working for the man is just about what I expected it would be, but I am enjoying the adult interaction and the feeling that I am contributing to the US Government's diplomatic mission in Caracas. The unexpected drawback to the job (apart from the salary - this is definitely not a get rich quick scheme) is that the Department of State blocks blogger.com so I have been silent in my commenting and posting, though I continue to read all my favorites. Another drawback is that I miss my boys, but I love coming home to them and losing myself in the excitement of our reunion. My position is thankfully not full-time, but I think the job and my renewed determination to embrace this country is having the desired effect and if I'm lucky, October will ease quietly into our lives devoid of sadness and self-pity.

Gratuitous photos of come cool kids

T.I.V. Tuesday

Tomorrow we will not have internet access. Evidently, THE cable, yes, that is singular, that runs under the Caribbean sea from the USA to Venezuela has been damaged and is in need of emergency repair. This cable must be a wonder indeed. Millions of people linked into one mass of apparently vulnerable wiring all at the mercy of the tides and hopefully accommodating sea creatures.

Wednesday has been designated as repair day and the engineers will head out to the middle of nowhere large body of water and begin, what one can only assume must be, the painstaking process of bringing THE cable back to full life. During this process which supposedly will consume merely 4 hours (don't expect to hear from me before Friday) the entire country and surrounding region (i.e. Aruba, Curacao, Trinidad & Tobago etc.) will be without internet service.

The questions I have are 1) how was the cable damaged...I envision a very large anchor falling in precisely the wrong spot or a pod of mischievous whales wreaking havoc?; 2) if the repairs are so urgent why has service not heretofore been affected?; 3) since when does the government of Chavezland have the courtesy to report problems of this nature in advance? Which leads me to 4) is the world at last coming to an end?

This situation has given me pause. Of course I know that internet doesn't just appear in my house by magic or because I click my heels together and fervently wish. I know there is no Google Fairy or Firefox Sprite...but, I always just assumed there was more to internet service than just a big 'ole cable and hundreds of millions of little cables all snaking their way to the fiber optic mother ship. Is there no redundancy in the system, one wayward octopus and we short circuit? And, really, even if there is just the one cable, wouldn't we all be better served to pay the engineers overtime to fix it on the weekend than to shut down several economic systems in the middle of the week? Economics is not my forte by a long shot, but isn't this sort of like not preventing a pilot's strike at Christmas? Of course, "this is Venezuela" where nonsensical is de rigueur. I have to remind myself about the former bus driver who is the current foreign minister and his common law wife who is head of the Senate. I have to remind myself that we have been without sugar, in a country that grows sugarcane, for more than 2 months. I have to remind myself that last Friday Chavez nationalized the ports and then handed them over to the Cubans to run. I suppose with these conditions in mind I should be grateful that there is a cable at all and that we aren't expected to make sacrifices to Yahoo! in the hopes that he will feel magnanimous and grant us access to Amazon.com.

A New Member

Our housekeeper Mariza has been with us since just after we arrived in Caracas last year. She is a godsend in many ways, not the least of which is that she genuinely cares for our children. When Kenny is out of town over the weekends (which occurs often) she accompanies me to church to help with the boys while I direct the music in every conceivable meeting. A few months ago she started coming to our Sunday meetings even when Kenny was in town and then last week she made the decision to be baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was very excited, and we were thrilled to be there with her on such a very special day. The boys were a little confused and wanted to know why they too couldn't go in the water if both Mariza and Daddy (he baptized her) were. Mariza will likely return to her home country of Peru when we leave Venezuela next year, but for the time being we are delighted to be with her as she begins to learn more about this church we hold so dear. Next on the agenda is finding her skirts and dresses to suit her diminutive size.

School's Out for Summer

Caleb's last day of school was also a medals ceremony.

All the medals were alike and each child received one.

For whatever reason Caleb started the event in tears.

But, once the singing began he forgot his woes and joined in with gusto.

He sang the loudest of all the students. Apparently, he is always the loudest and was not just trying to impress his parents.

Then he received his medal. He was excited about it
for approximately 5 minutes, then took it off,
handed it to me and said, "no mas, Mommy."

The whole class.
(Incidentally, by law, all preschool children in Venezuela wear red shirts, elementary children wear white, junior high are assigned light blue and high school wear tan in all schools, public and private -- according to the government, it is just easier that way.)

Caleb with his teachers Margot and Mariolga. He has loved his school and only a week into vacation is already asking when he can go back. Mid-September is not going to come soon enough for either of us.

A Hair Cutting We'll Go

At nearly 18 months old Isaac was finally
ready for his first haircut.

Initially, he was a little nervous.

But, after sizing up the situation,

and proof that others had gone before and survived,

he calmly and cooperatively,

acquiesced.

Ah, the delicious sweetness of success.

Happy 233rd America!

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays and in my opinion best celebrated with the masses. I love the food, the fireworks, the feeling, the festivities, everything and have been disappointed the last few years not to be able to share all of that with our children. Summer in the foreign service is transfer season so it is rare that US embassies will celebrate the 4th of July, claiming, erroneously, that most families are on vacation or have left the country for good. Sure there is the formal diplomatic reception, but unfortunately families are not invited to this event.

A former US ambassador to Venezuela decided a few years ago that as long as Hugo Chavez was anti-America anyway, the embassy should pull out all the stops and celebrate Independence Day American style. In particular, he wanted a fireworks display that was visible all over Caracas, especially from the President's official residence. Luckily for us, his decision started a tradition of a 4th of July extravaganza just like those back home. We had our very own county fair on the embassy grounds complete with all-we-could-eat food and drink, live entertainment, characters in costume, a petting zoo, bouncy houses, red, white and blue bunting and festoons and culminating in a fireworks display as grand as any we have ever seen.

the embassy all dressed up for the occasion

Isaac getting close enough to touch without actually making contact

playing with the giant pinwheels

waiting for the fireworks to start

finally the wait was over

BOOM!

our lone patriotic decoration (Isaac's hands and Caleb's feet)
we got the idea here

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

Baby Update

Caleb and I came to Utah earlier this week for some routine pre-natal screening. The Doctor discovered very quickly that things were not as routine as we had hoped and after some additional tests to confirm his suspicions we learned our baby's heart had stopped. We are sad not to have this little one join our family, but all the more grateful for Caleb and Isaac and the joy and meaning they give to our lives. Many of you have shared your heartfelt sympathy, thoughts and prayers with us and we are very grateful to be blessed to know and love you. Stay tuned for future, happier posts.

On the off chance you're still checking this blog, we'd like to announce:

At least that's what they've told us, but I know sometimes they're wrong so the pinkifying of our universe is still on hold...for now. She is scheduled to make her debut November 13, 2009.

Part 1:Utah

Today is my birthday and as a present to myself, I am finally updating the blog. (Did you notice that sly shout out to me?!?!) As I'm sure you've noticed, if you're still reading us, it appears we have done next to nothing over the last 2 months. But, such is not the case and this post begins a series of updates from our recent past. A disclaimer up front, these are posterity posts and may be less than interesting to 97% of our readership.

We enjoyed 2 fun-filled weeks in Utah during December. It was a whirlwind visit, as ours so often are, but we packed in a ton of fun, seemingly endless visits to family and friends and plenty of blogbook fodder.

Our first night we enjoyed my Mom's last concert performance as a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. My Dad retired from the choir last year and my Mom last month so I no longer have a parent who sings with the Mo-Tab. They both had great experiences with the choir and it was always fun to pick them out during LDS Church General Conference broadcasts.
Next on the agenda was a ride on the Polar Express, okay so it's the Heber Creeper all dolled up to look like the real deal, but Caleb and Kenny had great fun! Passengers are encouraged to wear their pajamas (sorry, way to cold for that), everyone is served hot chocolate and they sing and read the story on their way to the North Pole to pick up Santa Claus.

Then we took a quick road trip to Roosevelt, UT, for the boys to visit Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa. Driving conditions on the way back were fairly treacherous, but we made it home in one piece and it was a good visit -- especially for Isaac who had never met his only living Great-Grandpa.
A highlight of the trip was our visit to the Salt Lake Children's Museum. If you live in UT (anywhere near SLC) and have kids, this is not to be missed. Even our boys, both under 3 at the time, really enjoyed the exhibits and could have stayed all day if hunger and fatigue hadn't prevented them.



In the midst of all the fun, we also closed on the purchase of our first home. It is in Austin, TX, and we just had renters move in this week (hurrah!). It is in a wonderful, family-friendly neighborhood, close to great schools, shopping and the major artery leading into downtown Austin. We bought the house without ever seeing it, but had the world's greatest realtor and when we went to visit it finally a couple of weeks after closing, were delighted with our first home. We were in Texas just long enough to open a bank account, apply for driver's licenses, power wash the house, do some yard work and catch a sunset from our "new" backyard.

We had lots of snow while in Utah and Caleb definitely got his fill. He made a snowman, well sort of, out of just what had fallen on my parents' upstairs deck. We made the mouth out of licorice and had to keep replacing it as it melted away from the cold and liquid of the snow.
Christmas Eve and the wee hours of Christmas morning were spent in the Emergency Room at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center (this is our second Christmas since becoming parents that we have spent in the ER -- the fact that we have only been parents through three Christmases suggests we don't have a great track record), because Isaac was severely dehydrated and needed some perking up. Christmas morning was slightly subdued as a result, but there was still plenty of merriment and the boys ended up with quite a haul. Caleb enjoyed handing out the gifts probably even more than opening his own. The youngest mobile person in the family passes out the gifts on Christmas morning, and Lyman, my youngest sibling, was only too happy to relinquish the honor that has been his for the last 20 years.



We shopped and ate (and ate and ate and ate) and played and sang and visited friends who were home from places far and wide from California to China. Isaac spent a lot of time working on his walking (a skill he has since mastered) and we made many, many visits to Costco sometimes for no other reason than hot dogs and berry smoothies. Next stop, Colorado.