Borrowed furniture

With few exceptions, Foreign Service apartments come furnished. The US government buys these furnishings in bulk. They find a pattern they like and buy it all. 1000 dressers, 1500 highboys, 2000 couches and love seats with 5 different styles of chairs (captain, arm, easy, rocking etc.) in complimentary patterns to match. Every once in awhile someone will get lucky and arrive to their assigned post at the beginning of phasing in the newest generation of furniture, but usually every apartment interior looks the same. There are myriad upsides and downsides to living like this, but so far it has made things pretty easy for us. We've had the same pattern in both Caracas and Lima and we actually lucked out. Dark green is ideal for small people. When we left Lima, we weren't assessed any fees for property damage. We were diligent about keeping the furniture in good condition, but even still kids will be kids. We have been pretty successful this time around too. A few cushions have split seams, and the dining room chairs will need some scrubbing, but for the most part, I'm very proud of our ability to treat our borrowed furniture with care. Or, almost.

Isaac is a budding artist. Okay, so he's not a child prodigy or anything, but he does love to color. He has ample coloring books, scrap paper, and butcher paper at his disposal and he uses them liberally. But, sometimes, he forgets and colors floors, walls, doors, people, and whatever else happens to get in the way of his flowing creative juices. We say "only color on paper" a lot around here, but occasionally the non-paper surfaces are just too tempting. His latest aberration was in the form of a desk chair. Just an ordinary desk chair to some, but to me, with it's white canvas seat cover, an accident waiting to happen. And happen it did. Several times. I guess he just couldn't help himself, over and over and over again. So, on a recent stateside trip I bought some replacement fabric and thought that I could do the re-upholstering myself. Ha! Who was I kidding? I have neither tools nor skills. The chair is solidly constructed and there are lots of screws involved, and, most importantly, it doesn't belong to me and I'm trying to avoid having to pay to replace it. I put it on my list of things to get done, knowing it might not and then moved on to the next item.

Then a few days ago as I was driving on the same street we have driven on everyday for 2 years I saw it, my salvation. A hole in the wall upholstery store. I've passed this store a hundred times, and hundreds like it. Shops not much bigger than a large bedroom stuffed into whatever space they could find. Cobblers, luggage and leather repair stores, tailors, electronics and small appliance repair stores, ribbons and notions stores and on and on. They are everywhere. Usually without storefronts of any kind, places you have to know about to find. They are so much apart of the landscape that when I told Kenny about the place, he wasn't sure where I was talking about until I pointed it out to him this morning. On my way back though, I didn't pass by, I stopped. They quoted a price, $13. I made a deal and returned with the chair. Tomorrow it will be ready and good as new. Fascinating, no? So much for living a glamorous life abroad.

the chair

the damage -- not exactly Van Gogh

the street -- yes, from up close, most of Caracas looks like this

the hole in the wall

You know you're in South American when...

Not long ago, we took the boys to preschool on what seemed like a normal Friday morning and were surprised to find the place deserted. No children playing in the yard, no smiling teachers ready to greet arriving students, even the security guard was absent from his post. Our initial thought was that maybe there was a Venezuelan holiday we weren't aware of. After two years in Caracas we knew it was also possible Hugo Chavez had declared a holiday on a whim. But, we heard noises emanating from the building and went in to find the source. A quick look around around revealed the entire school crammed into an upstairs classroom, clad in their team colors of choice and glued to the television for game one of the World Cup. It didn't matter that no one present had obvious allegiances to South Africa or Mexico. This was the first match of the holy grail of sports, for most of the world anyway, and business as usual would have to wait.

I never played soccer as a child. It was an option, sure, but not a popular one. I'm sure part of that is that America is a few decades behind the soccer, or rather football, revolution, and part of that is a consequence of growing up in Hawaii. I can dance the hula, pound taro into poi, even husk a coconut if necessary, but I don't know the first thing about soccer. Or didn't. Soccer mania is rampant in Caracas right now and I'm sure in a hundred other countries too. Every other car on the road if flying their team flag. Embassy employees have all the televisions on and the volume turned WAY up. Shouts of GGGGOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLL and cheers are echoing through the halls day in and day out. And I find myself checking scores and statistics and rooting for players I'd never heard of a month ago. The US is doing, I understand, surprisingly well and we are rooting for them in their next match against Ghana. I read an article (see what I mean about the fever?) that said the US has never won 2 back-to-back World Cup matches, I'm hoping this will be the year. Honestly, I don't care who wins, but the excitement is contagious and I'm enjoying the fun.

On their way to school last week. Fridays are now team color days.
Vaya Argentina y Messi!

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The list just grows and grows

I have been working on my "new" blog for ages and now that it is finally ready to roll, I am far too busy to give it the posting attention it deserves. We are up to our eyeballs in preparing for our move back to the US of A and it seems to be sucking up much more energy this time around than it did the last time. There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of things still undone on my "to do" list and none of them is negotiable. The worst thing is that we don't have a solid departure date yet, I know when I am planning to be gone, but we have to get Uncle Sam on board with that plan too.

In addition to all the normal things on my already too long list, we have just added a new item, and a colossal one at that. Isaac and I are scheduled for a very unexpected and quick trip back to the US for some minor surgery, maybe. We have been to several doctors in Caracas, including a just this side of quack ENT, to ascertain the cause of Isaac's multiple eardrum perforations. The consensus is that he is walking around with an unhealthy amount of fluid in his ears and that if we don't intervene soon he could suffer permanent hearing damage or loss and/or delays in his speech development. Neither of those sound like a good option, so we are choosing tubes instead. We have one last visit to an ENT stateside to verify this diagnosis and then a minor outpatient procedure requiring general anesthetic, aack! This visit should only require a few days travel, but I know from experience any time you add customs and a two year-old to a trip of any length, all bets are off.

There are some other things of note going on in our lives, but those will have to wait to be shared until our all too frequently absent friend Spare Time comes to call.

the patient

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New and Improved

Beginning June 15, Rambles and Ruminations will be published exclusively at www.ramblesandruminations.com, please update your readers, favorites and bookmarks so we don't lose each other in the transition.

Thanks to some help from a very creative soul, my blog has been given a much needed face-lift. Not everything is up and running yet, but I am in the final stages of preparing for some exciting, scary and altogether huge life changes and I wanted the blog to come along for the ride, I hope you will too.

On the horizon

Rambles and Ruminations is due for some changes (and, ahem, a post or two...). There is a major overhaul in the works, but it won't debut until we return from our next grand adventure. Tomorrow we're jetting off for a two-week respite from all things Venezuelan to here :

and here:

and a plethora of other places we've only ever dreamt of visiting. We are giddy with excitement.

See you when we get back!

14 Days of Love - 5

Truthfully, I was not looking for sympathy when I posted about our water situation. I have come to terms with decorative faucets. I was just so grateful to have running water, I felt the need to proclaim my excitement.

But, as I was reading your comments, I started feeling, well, sorry for myself. I love getting comments, they are my link to the rest of the world. But, yesterday's comments were so sympathetic and all about taking things for granted and I got to thinking, wow, no running water is the pits, and kind of unfair.

Whenever that word -- unfair -- edges it's way into my consciousness, I know I'm in trouble.

I know life isn't about fair or unfair, it is about finding contentment with what we have and where we are. I know this. I've learned this -- the hard way. So, instead of allowing myself to wallow in self-pity, I decided to take action. And since we can't go home, I decided we needed to go big!

Using the Marriott points we've been accumulating for awhile, we made a 5-day, 4-night reservation here:

And where is here you wonder? The Marriott* in Aruba. We'll be there in a month and I can't wait!

As you can imagine, today we LOVE our Marriott points, our close proximity to Aruba and spur of the moment getaways. This pity party is officially over.

* Photo courtesy of Marriott.com

14 Days of Love - 4

Most days in Caracas the sky looks like this:

Big, beautiful, puffy clouds dotted against a backdrop that is Crayola sky blue.

I love the weather in Caracas, in fact, it is fast becoming the only thing I love in Caracas. But, so much cumulus loveliness is really starting to get old. I know what you're thinking, how can I possibly be complaining about this nearly perfect weather, when all the northerners in my life are desperate for Spring?

I promise, I've got a good reason for such seeming insanity.

Blue skies in Caracas mean no rain, and no rain means no running water. Period.

For the last several weeks, for 21 hours out of every 24, our faucets, on or off, have looked like this.
Which means between the hours of 7 am to noon, 1 pm to 7:30 pm, and 8:30 pm to 6 am there is no hand, clothes or dish washing, no showering or bathing, no window or floor washing, and worst of all, no toilet flushing. This has been going on for weeks, and it's not fun, at all. Especially not with a 2 year-old and 4 year-old who make messes of all surfaces and themselves on a regular basis. Needless to say, I'm going a little mad.

Then just a few days ago, a miracle. It rained. Sheets and sheets of wet, luscious water cascaded down upon the parched (for Venezuela) earth. And, then, yesterday morning at 7:01 am, this happened...

We cried. We washed, everything and everyone. We washed things that didn't need washing. We did weeks worth of laundry. We used the bathroom all day long and flushed gleefully. We didn't plan our day around 3 precious hours. We lingered at the grocery store and in the playground. We played and read stories after baths instead of rushing straight to bed. We slept peacefully.

And this morning...with trepidation, we turned on the faucets and water flowed. Again.

Today our LOVE for running water runneth over.

We know this precious gift won't last. Even now the endlessly, blue sky outside is taunting us with it's brilliance. The bathtubs and buckets are full in anticipation of what is certainly coming. For now though, the water is running and I'm looking forward to doing the dishes.

14 Days of Love - 3

My cousin Dana is fabulous.

She is uber-talented, has two adorable children, and, best of all, loves sharing her wondrous ideas with the world.

These are her kids in costumes she made -- fantastic, huh?

For the entire month of February Dana is celebrating...

BOYS!

Today we are celebrating Dana because we LOVE boys and we LOVE her too. Click on the button below and go see what she is doing at MADE today and every day -- you too will fall in LOVE with Dana!

PS - These photos are from Dana's blog. As you'll soon discover, she's an above average photographer too.

14 Days of Love - 2

Today we love school. Well, most days we love school. What's not to love when your schedule is: arrive, play, sing, play, wash hands, snack, play outside, wash hands, do art project, puzzles and games, sing and/or dance, play, home?

Isaac's first day of school was today.

He happily donned his red shirt and Buzz Lightyear backpack, waved goodbye to Daddy and trooped down the hill to the first day of many years to come. I stayed with him the whole time, but who knows why? He didn't need me. In fact, I spent more time holding, reading to, and generally entertaining his classmates than I did interacting with my own child.

Tomorrow is day two, will he need me then?

I vote no and that's okay, actually, better than okay. He loves school, just like his parents and we couldn't be more thrilled.

14 Days of Love - 1

I was surfing the blogosphere recently and happened upon Leslie's blog and her Valentine's Day challenge. I cannot hope to compete on her level, not because I don't think loving bigger and better is always a good idea, but because I am severely hampered by resources and creativity, but I did like the idea of blogging about love, loving, giving and receiving love and, my favorite, being in love. So, here's to love, in all its manifestations.

Day 1: Today, we are deciding to love our bodies by focusing on good dental hygiene. I'll admit, I have a hard time with getting my kids to brush their teeth on a regular basis. I know we need to form good habits while they are young, but these are baby teeth right, they are going to fall out anyway, so what is the point? Okay, that is rhetorical, please do not pepper me with horrified comments about the importance of brushing and flossing. I am fully acquainted with the benefits of well-maintained teeth. My kids, however, are not. Enter the chart.

This is the first chart of any kind I have introduced as a parent and I'm anxious for the results. Each day is divided in half for morning and evening brushing. I have given them an envelope of their own stickers and when they have successfully brushed their teeth (or in Isaac's case been brushed by a more thorough person) they place their sticker on the chart. At the end of of each week we assess if there are enough stickers to qualify for a surprise. I'm thinking 28 stickers each week = surprise, fewer than that = zilch...can we do it? I don't know, but we're already feeling the love around here and looking forward to minty freshness or rather bubblegum flavored freshness from here on out.

Day 1 = Success!

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

Isaac turned 2 today, and though we aren't really celebrating for another couple of weeks, I do want to devote a few lines to our little one who is no longer my baby.

Isaac is a sweet-natured little boy who is far more patient with his older brother than should be expected. He is funny and loving and smart. His English and Spanish vocabulary are growing by leaps and bounds every day and he loves trying out new words just to see if he can. He loves to run, climb, jump, gallop and generally propel himself through life. He is utterly fearless, and if he were our first child, his kamikaze approach to life would keep us in a constant state of panic. He is a champion sleeper and is still taking a long nap everyday, thank goodness! Isaac loves food. He loves to admire it, play with it, share it, buy it, carry it around, and, most importantly, eat it. He is also a social eater and hates for anyone to be having a meal without him there to savor the experience. Isaac has no favorite foods, but can be coaxed into doing almost anything with the promise of chocolate for a reward. He is happiest outside and waits breathlessly each day to hear, "Isaac, go get your shoes." He loves all things that go and is very well-behaved on trains, boats, airplanes and buses, but not so great on long car trips. He loves to dance and listen to music. He is very attached to his bolsa (beanbag) and blanket, but otherwise not overly demanding so this is an attachment we can live with. Isaac likes to be read to. He especially likes books about things that start with "P," -- puppies, pigeons, pigs, penguins, etc. He is learning to count, identify colors and letters, and sing. He is healthy and affable and loves his Mommy and Daddy and older brother. It is impossible to know how your life will change with the arrival of a new child, but we definitely lucked out when Isaac was born. Isaac has made having a second child a true joy and we are grateful everyday that he is a part of our family.

In a year, Isaac has grown from this...

to this!

Happy Birthday, Isaac!!

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Photo of the Day: Day 31

For three days at the end of 2009 we were lucky enough to attend the wedding of some dear friends we've met in Caracas. They got married in a beautiful ceremony on New Year's Eve in Austin, TX. The morning of the wedding we also had the fortune of taking a quick day trip to San Antonio, where Kenny fulfilled a long held desire to visit the Alamo.

the church at the Alamoon the banks of San Antonio's River Walk
eating the famous mango ice cream at the Menger Hotel

We have been very blessed this year and are grateful for the many wonderful opportunities 2009 has afforded. We look forward to what we hope will be an equally eventful, exciting and unexpected 2010 and send each of you our love and best wishes.

Happy New Year!

Photo of the Day: Day 30

One of our favorite trips in 2009 was to Panama, and more specifically to the Panama canal. It is impossible to describe just how fascinating it is to watch mammoth cargo and cruise ships go through the canal, especially when you consider the technology is essentially the same as when the canal was first opened in 1914. The canal operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and can accommodate an average of 35 ships a day. A ship is charged based on it's passenger capacity or the number of cargo containers on board. A few weeks before our visit, the most expensive ship ever to use the canal paid over $400,000 in fees. Many of the vessels that pass through the canal are called Panamax (yes, it's a real word) ships, meaning they are the maximum size (965 feet long by 106 feet wide) the canal can manage. Plans are underway to expand the canal for even larger ("New Panamax") ships. Caleb and Isaac loved watching the boats pass through so we visited the canal twice in 3 days.

locks swinging open to let a ship pass through

a cruise ship before the water is let out from the second lock

same cruise ship after the water level has dropped 28 feet;
now the main deck is at ground level

these locks are as tall as a 7 storey building

this causeway was built only using dirt/rock removed during the building of the canal

The Bridge of the Americas marks entry to the Pacific Ocean after ships have completed their passage through the canal

Photo of the Day: Day 29

Just outside of Caracas there are several large deposits of very high quality silica. For this reason several glass producers have made their home in Venezuela where they produce intricate and beautiful creations for distribution all over the world. World famous Italian glass maker Murano is one such company and we were lucky enough to be able to see some of their craftsmen in action. There is also a show room with items for display and sale at a fraction of what they would cost in Italy.

the factory

a glob of molten glass becomes...

a delicate, yet still fiery hot, horse right before our very eyes

the showroom

Photo of the Day: Day 28

Isaac loves limes. Any time I am using them in a recipe he snatches one and takes off running. I flip flop between thinking it's okay if he ruins the enamel on his baby teeth and not wanting him to get in the habit and cause damage to his permanent teeth. But, his expressions when he eats limes are so delicious, sometimes I just can't resist letting him have his fill.

going in with gusto

wow, that's sour

but, sooooo good!

Photo of the Day: Day 27

On the North side of Caracas, is a mountain called El Avila. It it over 9,000 feet high and separates Caracas from the Caribbean Sea. There are several ways to summit El Avila, the most enjoyable of which, in my opinion, is via the teleferico, or cable car. As our children love all things mechanical, particularly the ones they can be passengers in, we knew this would be a popular outing. At the top of El Avila is a restaurant, a now defunct hotel, a sometimes in operation ice rink, and vendors selling all manner of cold weather delights. Why cold weather? Well, because it is much, much colder atop the mountain than in the valley thereby necessitating the need to have endless amounts of canned fruits, winter gear and hot beverages on hand. We were surrounded by locals clad in winter apparel, and were definitely out of place in our shorts. On a clear day, you can see the Caribbean Sea from the top of the mountain, and if you're lucky, and we were, airplanes taking off and landing from the airport that serves Caracas.

In the cable car on the way up with Caracas behind us

At the top -- it's hard to distinguish, but that slightly
darker blue in the background really is the Caribbean Sea

Photo of the Day: Day 26

In May, we visited my parents in London. We were there for 2 weeks and had a glorious time. We had both been to London before, though not together, and, of course, it was a first time visit for Caleb and Isaac. They won't remember our visit, but we took lots of pictures so they can't say we never take them anywhere. Below is just a sampling of pictures from of our jam-packed vacation.

watching the Royal Horse Guards' daily exercises

standing on the Prime Meridian at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich

the Tower of London

the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War rooms

inside the London Eye

fun at the London zoo

reading sonnets at Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford

the world's largest trebuchet at Warwick Castle

the grounds of Blenheim Palace