Robertson Tribe Updates

We have arrived in the US in one piece.  We are incredibly tired and happy to be here.  It was a rough trip home, but the end result was worth it.  

It looks like our entire family will be joining Daddy on his trip to the states in June, instead of our previous plan of returning in August.  We leave at the end of next week (GULP!  ) and will stay for approx. 4-5 weeks.  The kids are ecstatic and have started counting down the days.  I’ll be happy as soon as I catch my breath.  I’m off to write, re-write and create lists.  So much to do!!!

Yes folks, it is still raining.  It has rained every single day since my last post, and we are supposed to get more rain into next week.  Today, things got a bit more exciting.  We were under a Black Storm Cloud advisory.  According to my information line, aka my friend Beth, that’s worthy of attention.  Things shut down, events are canceled, taxis, buses, etc don’t run, everyone is advised to seek safe shelter and stay there.  The weather was incredible!!  Lots of thunder and lightning, (or sunder and lightming, as L says) black clouds, wind, heavy, heavy rain…joy.  Our pool area flooded, along with the car park area.  The ground floor apartment got damp, despite the sandbags at all the doors.  The girls and Daddy went out and got some great videos.  We are working on getting them online so you can all see I’m not making this stuff up.  I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you to those that wished me Happy Birthday in the comments from my last post.  It was nice to be remembered.  I spent the actual day doing mundane things, but the day before found me with my friend Beth, getting a 45 minute foot massage  (not a big fan) and then high tea at the Marriott.  (Just for grins, google the Marriott in Hong Kong and click on high tea or the lounge area.  You can see what it looked like).  It was lovely and I felt like a grown up.  Thanks again, Beth!! 

It has rained every day for the last, oh, I don’t even know how many days (6 maybe?) and the forecast for the week…RAIN, as far out as they can predict.  Not just showers, people, RAIN, complete with thunder and occasional lightning.  Any of you with small children are feeling my pain right now, aren’t you?  Hrm?  Oh yes, you are!!  I am so tired of it.  It’s depressing and the kids are stir crazy.  We’ve been doing exercise videos inside to burn off energy, lol!!  Getting laundry to dry is next to impossible, and everything feels damp.  When we go get the mail, it’s wet and we have to dry it out before we can open it without ruining it.  Our mailbox isn’t exactly weather tight.

Did I mention that it’s just depressing? Ick. 

On the up side (is that one word or two?), at least I don’t have to shovel it! 

As I’ve mentioned before, the handful of friends we’ve made since moving here is dwindling at an alarming rate.  July and August will be tough months as that’s when most of the families are leaving.

However, I want to clarify something.  Not all my friends are leaving.  Beth, my best buddy over here, is staying put.  If she ever leaves me, I will hunt her down.  She knows this and chooses to stay, living in fear of me.  I am just SURE that’s the reason she’s still here.

Actually, I do not know why she puts up with me.  I really am a pest.  I call her almost daily with some sort of question.  We’ve turned it into a joke now.  I call and say, “Hello, information?”  She will say, “Yes, the information line is open.  For directions, please press one.  For craft instruction, press two.  For cooking related emergencies, press three….”  We laugh, and then I ask my question, because it seems like I ALWAYS.HAVE.ONE.  She would doubt it was actually me if I didn’t ask her a question.  Not only is she my information line, she comes to my rescue when I have to take R to the orthodontist and hubby is in China.  That means I have to take all the children to the “scary” island, riding the trains, etc with the whole gang.  She holds my hand the whole way, showing me what to do.    She’s my cheerleader, challenging me to go places and do things by myself.  She brings her car over so I can make a trip to the Salvation Army with all my donations so I don’t have to make thirteen trips, carrying it all on my back and in my hands (with all the children).  She babysits for my children when my Bible study starts (no nursery) and hubby is in China.  She listens to me tell stories of my day and understands in a way that only someone that lives here can.  There is so much I can’t share with those in the US…it gets lost in the translation.  She has a great listening ear.  She trusts me to watch her little one, feeling confident I can keep K alive while she’s with me.  (She doesn’t know I used to have more children and that I’m down to four….tee hee…KIDDING, people!!!)She challenges me to set goals and then <gulp> she asks me if I DID it.  (SHEESH!!)  She is the best.  And I thank the Lord He put us together.  I can’t imagine being here without her.

Beth, I know you’re reading this.  (She’s also a faithful blog reader).  I got an e-mail about friendship from a special far away friend and wanted to share it with you.  I personalized it just a bit, to fit you and I more specifically.  It expresses how I feel about you…

Are you tired of those sissy ‘friendship’ poems that always sound good, but never actually come close to reality?

Well, here is a series of promises that actually speak of true friendship.

You will see no cutesy little smiley faces here,  just the stone cold truth of our great friendship.

1.  When you are sad –I will jump on the person who made you sad like a spider monkey jacked up on the “real deal” coke.

2.  When you are blue — I will try to dislodge whatever is choking you.

3.  When you smile — I will know you are plotting something that I must be involved in.

4. When you are worried — I will tell you horrible stories about how much worse it could be until you quit whining.

5.  When you are confused — I will use little words.

6. When you are sick — Stay away from me (and my children) until you are well again.  I don’t want whatever you have.

7.  This is my oath…. I pledge it to the end. ‘Why?’ you may ask;  ‘because you are my friend’.

P.S.  Go to http://proclaiming-peace.blogspot.com/ to meet Beth.

We went on an impromptu outing this past week to see the endangered pink dolphins.  Yes.  Pink Dolphins.  Take a moment now and  please refer to the title of my post.

There really are pink dolphins here in China.  To be more specific, they are white and they blush to a pink color.  They aren’t exactly sure why they are pink, but think it has something to do with regulating their body temps; similar to our faces flushing when we exert ourselves.  It could be the horrid pollution in the water, but hey, who asks ME?

We did have many sightings, including one who danced for us and a mother and baby combination that was fun to watch.  Many of them were close to the surface prior to coming up for air, which allowed us to get the kids looking in the right direction in the middle of an ocean.  That was a trick, let me tell you. 

The actual boat was lovely, so we had a wonderful ride out and back, even without the dolphin sightings.  It was a perfect HKG day, with a nice breeze, so it was a great time.  Then we treated the kids (ok, and us) to lunch at TGI Fridays before making the trip back home.

Fun memories to add to the HKG experience….yay!!

Yes, there was a big earthquake in China, but we are fine. Absolutely fine.

No worries.

Edited to add: It registered on the equipment that’s used to monitor this type of thing, but no, we didn’t actually feel it. We are closer to the area than many other places/countries that did feel it, so I’m not sure why that is. Guess I should have paid better attention in science class; something about fault lines…..

I suspect that the black gecko that lives in my bathroom met the tan gecko that lives in my pantry, because now I have a creamy white itty, bitty gecko that lives in my kitchen.

I guess sharing my discouragement and sadness was a mistake judging by the responses I’ve gotten. Let me clear some things up right now.

1. I am not so despondent I’m going to jump off the roof of my apartment building.
2. I am not angry at hubby for bringing me here.
3. I will not demand we go home now.
4. I don’t hate it here.
5. I will be fine.

Please stop freaking out everyone. Only positive, upbeat posts from me from now on, ok?

B got a video camera for her birthday. She has wanted one for 4 or 5 years now. She went ballistic when she opened it in April. Since then, any poor unsuspecting person could find themselves being video taped.

This video clip is worth sharing. We were at a local park here in HKG, and L was trying to swing by herself. Often, older ladies at the park will come over and take her down, thinking she’s too small. GRRRRRR! The day this was filmed, there weren’t any ladies there, so she got to stay on. This was the first time she figured out how to pump her legs to keep herself going. She was beaming as she did it, very proud of herself. You can hear B in the background, as well as R (who got her started and is in the background for a second or two), encouraging her. Toward the end, you can catch glimpses of D next to her in a red shirt and gray pants. Please remember, this was taped by an 8 year old…be warned of erratic angles, ha ha ha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr0JUBoXwig

The second video is of the Tea Cup ride at HKG Disney, with interesting narration by Daddy. The three oldest ventured on with Daddy, while L and I watched from the sidelines and tried not to be ill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zsf_3md1IXA You catch a glimpse of L and I watching outside the fence at one point, if you’re not sick from watching it. UGH.

Enjoy.