Indonesia - Part 1: TRAVEL and Jakarta

On Monday, March 18th, Phil and I embarked on the trip of a lifetime.

The first 34 hours were spent on airplanes and in airports (Tampa to LA was 5.5 hours, LA to Taipei was 14.5 hours, and then Taipei to Jakarta was 5 hours).

 We had a 3.5 hour layover in Taipei, and it was 6:00 AM (although time has no meaning when you're traveling internationally), when we feasted on a bunch of authentic Chinese cuisine.

 Phil wanted to try something new and adventurous at every meal (Exhibit A: Thousand Year Old Egg) while I simply wanted to find something that wouldn't upset my already nauseous pregnant belly.

We arrived in Jakarta at 2:30 PM on Wednesday, and the two hour cab ride back to Ann's apartment was a quick introduction to Indonesia.  For lack of a polite way of saying it, I barfed ALL OVER MYSELF on that herky-jerky drive through the crowded streets of Jakarta.

This is the view from Ann's apartment on the 20th floor.

  

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that it's impossible for us to visit a new place without also visiting its zoo.  On our first full day in Indonesia, we went to the zoo.

After 8 blessed years with my dear husband, it's time that I confess that this is purely an act of love on my part.  I am not an animal person.  I am not a zoo person.  I am not a "walk around in the stifling heat and humidity while miserably pregnant" kind of person.  I kept snacks in one hand and water in the other,
and that is how I will remember the Jakarta Zoo.

Phil, on the other hand, was a CELEBRITY!  NO JOKE!  There were multiple times on our trip that he was asked to be in a picture with the locals.  They must have thought he was someone famous, or a basketball player or something,
because they just couldn't get enough of him.

The zoo was enormous...although many of the habitats were empty or overgrown.  It gave us a greater appreciation for Busch Gardens.

 These were the two kangaroos...one of which I was certain to be dead.

 We had to pay extra to see the primates, but our tickets included "assurance"...INSURANCE.  Just makes you wonder when/why that was added to the price of admission.

So...there you have it...Jakarta and The Zoo!

Growing...

What is Growing?

Our family and my belly!

We are thrilled to share that God is blessing us with another little life.  After a devastating miscarriage several months ago, we were reminded that life is such a gift and such a miracle.   We knew that we wanted another baby, but we also knew that God was in control of our family's future.

On February 11th (my birthday) we took another positive pregnancy test, and now we're almost starting our second trimester.  I wish that I could say time flew by just as quickly and smoothly as that, but it has been pretty brutal.  It should be called "all day sickness" rather than "morning sickness."  I have been flat on my back and totally out of sorts ever since the end of February.

My belly popped very quickly...as if to say, "Ahhh...we know what to do from here."  I haven't felt the baby move yet, but I watched the little squirt dance around for about 25 minutes last week.  It was a beautiful sight!

Clare was born at Brandon Regional Hospital.  Isaac was born at St. Joseph's Hospital.  This little one will be make his/her grand entrance at Labor of Love Birthing Center.  We are SO EXCITED to experience birth (and all of our prenatal care) from a very natural/holistic angle.  We had our first official appointment today, and it was completely different than any appointment we've ever had.  We LOVED it, and we are thrilled that we get to walk this journey in a whole new way.

Where Have We Been?

We've been off the reservation for the past several weeks.  There are thousands of pictures to post and dozens of stories to tell (which will come in due time), but the basic gist is that we recently returned from the trip of a lifetime!

We flew over to Indonesia to visit my sister!

We traveled through Indonesia.

We experienced Bali.

We ventured through Australia.

 We came home (after two weeks, ten flights, and close to 30,000 miles of travel) and hit a wall.  We could have slept for a week, but life had to resume.  I promise to get with the program and post more SOON!
My sister posted some fun pictures on her blog, so you can get a sneak peek there.

Hard Work...But Someone HAD To Do It!

How are the following two pictures connected?

1. Two Macaws

2. Beautiful panorama in The Bahamas

Well...

Those two macaws needed to be transported from Busch Gardens to The Bahamas.

Can you think of a better person to do it than Phil?

After lots of arm-twisting and begging, 

he agreed to bite the bullet and fly to the Bahamas for a few days.  Rough!

Needless to say, he had a WONDERFUL trip. 

He enjoyed a sea lion encounter as well as a deep-sea dolphin encounter
(no pictures were allowed during that).

He told me that he was lonely,
and then he shows up with these pictures of his new girlfriend.

The following picture shows two beautiful things (in the eyes of Phil):

1. The view from his bedroom (at The Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island)

2. Fresh Conch Salad

The conch salad may have been his absolute highlight of the trip...although it didn't come easily.  He had to walk over the bridge from his resorty island into the heart of the true Bahamas.  He, as a clean-cut white guy walking through the streets of the slums, was immediately offered drugs.  When he politely declined, the peddlers couldn't figure out what he was doing there.  Conch salad, man...that's all he wanted.  :)

Dinosaur World

 Phil joined Clare on a school field trip to Dinosaur World a couple of weeks ago.  

I'm not sure who had more fun.

One of Clare's favorite parts was digging for "fossils."

 She took the job very seriously.

 Can you believe all the dinosaur teeth just lying around in Florida?

It was a fun day for Clare and Daddy.

Backyard Camping

It was a special weekend in the Hillary house.

This Hillary tent was put to good use as Phil and Clare went camping in our backyard.

Clare was BEYOND excited!

 Who are we kidding?

Phil was pretty excited too!

They pulled a mattress into the tent for a 4-Star camping experience.

One of the highlights of the night was the bonfire...

but a bonfire pit needed to be created before that could happen.

The kids aided in the manual labor or the bonfire construction, 

and they had a blast being Daddy's helpers.

The fun quickly ended when Isaac stepped on a rusty nail.  It went all the way through his shoe, through his sock, and into his foot.  There was a blood trail between the backyard and the house, and the poor kid was in quite a bit of pain.  Yes, this is the same "Terrific Two-Year-Old" who shoved a "nail" up his nose just last week.

 Being close to home makes for camping comfort.

Bonfire Cuddles

Camping classics: hot dogs, enormous marshmallows, S'more stuff, and camper-friendly dirt dessert.

Hillary Campsite

Dinner Time!

Little guy, with the Cheetos face, was happily recovered by the end of the night.

These two peas in a pod had a wonderful night 

while Isaac and I roughed it in the air-conditioned house.