five on friday

1. We are packed, our bags have been put on a truck, and we will be boarding a train for the first time today! I've never had the pleasure of riding on a train, so I'm not sure what to expect. I'm hoping it exceeds my expectations. We will arrive in Bhopal on Sunday. Let the house hunting begin!

• This is not "one" of the "five on friday." It is merely unsolicited advice. Since we packed all of our things on Wednesday, I spent the last two days making do with what remained in the house. While I was cooking some cookies on Thursday as a gift for someone, I realized my trusty spatula was on a big truck headed for Bhopal. Using my ingenuity, I scanned the house for other objects that might help me carefully remove my warm cookies without leaving them malformed. Guess what I used? An nice handy index card. I have to admit that it not only worked, it was better than my spatula. I'm sure they make some fancy-schmancy contraption to remove cookies that costs lots of money, but I'm quite a fan of my index card! That was free information by the way!

2. We've spent the week trying to explain to our househelper in Hindi that we were moving. At one point, I think she thought we were just taking a vacation. Yesterday, however, she was persistently asking us something. We called a Hindi-speaking friend to to help translate. Kumlesh was just simply requesting that give we HER a gift in honor of US moving! Her forwardness paid off. She is the proud owner of a new outfit! Just one of the many new customs we have to get used to!

3. Honesty is another quality of the people here. Last week we were spending some time with the owner of our house. He commented that Jason and I had become very HEALTHY since arriving in India. I used to like him. (After I find a house in Bhopal, I intend to get UNhealthy. If and when that happens, I'll let you know.)

4. I started reading a series by Liz Curtis Higgs a few weeks ago. I finished the second of three a few nights ago but was devastated when I realized Kindle didn't offer the third book. Guess I'll request it in a package from the states. The books are set in Scotland and the language has a definite Scottish tone to it. This may sound crazy, but after reading two of the three books, I keep finding myself wanting to speak Scottish. Words like "ken" (to know), "tae" (to), and "verra" (very) keeping wanting to burst out of my mouth. Add that to my new Indian-English accent, and I'm beginning to have trouble understanding myself.

If you are interested in reading something great, here are the books:

1. Thorn in My Heart
2. Fair is the Rose
3. Whence Came a Prince ( I warn you... it's not on Kindle!)

5. Speaking of new terms and languages, Max has recently started referring to Jason and I as "Daddy-O" and "Mommy-O." I'm not sure I love this. And who taught him this? Crazy kid.

five on friday

1. We move in 7 days. This will be our 9th time to change locations in a year. Once we arrive in Bhopal we will begin looking for a house. I'm trusting that God has the perfect home all lined up as we begin life in our new city.

2. We've promised the boys a new dog. Here's a quick picture of the sweet puppy we will most likely adopt! She's a "pughasa"- a cross between a pug and a llasapsa. I have two little boys that can't wait to get their hands on her!

(On a side note... how cute is that aqua door behind the puppy?)

3. You know times have changed when Jason starts surfing my Pinterest page! I've caught him checking it out multiple times. It humors me.

4. Our church, East Heights Baptist Church, sent us a HUGE box a few weeks ago. We made a video for them in appreciation for their generosity. Check it out:

5. One of my favorite times of the day is bedtime. The boys BEG to read the Bible each night. We've finished several Children's Bible Story Books and The Jesus StoryBook Bible. We have just recently started Long Story Short. If you have kids that are a little older and need something to think about when you read the Bible with them, this is the book for you. It's simple enough that Max understands, but it allows us to discuss deeper things with Jack. Their desire to hear the Word before they close their eyes makes my heart smile and encourages my own walk with Christ! What a great way to end our day together!

party animal

My mother retired several months ago. I thought we sufficiently celebrated her accomplishments in all her years of service.... until I met Mr. Pachhi.

This morning around 8:00 I heard Jack downstairs talking to a man. I sent Jason down to check out the situation. He returned with Jack in tow, along with an invitation.

The man downstairs introduced himself as Mr. Panchhi (pronounces Pon-chee.) He explained that he had recently retired from the bank and tonight he would be celebrating his retirement. He kindly invited us to his party, despite having NEVER met us prior to this morning. What was even more ironic was the fact that we didn’t hesitate to accept.

Only two questions remained: Number 1- What time did the party start? and Number 2- What were we required to bring in honor of the celebration? We answered the first question by calling the phone number on the invitation.... the party was to begin at 8:00 PM. And the second question was answered by our language teacher. He told me that it was customary to bring flowers but also something that would last, like a decoration. Being that I've never been to a retirement party in India, we did the best we could on a gift... flowers, a pot, and some fancy soap. It's the thought that counts, right?

Eight o'clock almost never came. Just as the boys were tiring out for the day, it was finally time to head out. With everyone dressed and ready, we were out the door a few minutes after 8:00 PM ready to party.

Although I read the invitation, I still had no idea what to expect. And even if I had some expectations, they were way too low for what we experienced. IT WAS SO FUN! There was live music, a guest appearance from "Bobby Cash," dancers, videos, food, and much more!

Apparently when I got dressed for the evening, I put a note on my forehead that read: "I'm a white girl with NO rhythm. Please ask me to dance so that I can humiliate myself!" And all those sweet people at the party were much obliged to invite me on the dance floor!

By 10:15, the boys had had all the fun they could muster up, so we gave Mr. Panchhi one last "Congratulations!" We said our goodbyes to a few other neighbors, but one neighbor begged us to stay and have dinner. Dinner was being served at 10:30 PM! Unfortunately, all our boys were interested in were counting sheep so we had to turn down the offer!

I walked away with a few thoughts tonight. First, Mr. Panchhi throws a great party. Second, I now know to hire a babysitter for the next party so that I can stay out all night. And last, I may have missed my opportunity with my mother's retirement, but I'm fully armed to help my dad step into unemployment when he's ready! I know all the tricks of a retirement party now!

Please check out the video of our evening. I was in fact the only white girl at the party, so if you see me on the video, be gracious. I already told you I have NO rhythm! :)

Untitled from Sarah Marlin on Vimeo.

five on friday

This week was marked by a few "first-time" happenings-- of course, that shouldn't surprise me. India is full of new things!

1. We had our first injury in India this week. Jack pushed the huge metal gate a little too hard, and it slammed into his forehead. Luckily it didn't require stitches, but it offered a little excitement in our day!

2. Yesterday, I heard Jason and Max outside and I went out to find this:

Evidently, Jason spotted an injured bird in the grass. Our house helper didn't think looking at it was enough. She grabbed that blessed bird from the grass and brought it upstairs. The boys just looked at first.

But Jason couldn't leave it at that. Despite the fact that this animal was probably suffering from some awful disease, Jason had to touch it.

And somehow he convinced Max to reach out and pet the poor bird.

Touching him wasn't enough. Jason had to hold him.

After all the drama was over, I went back in to cook supper. From what I hear, Jack went out to take part. While he was holding the bird, he somehow managed to take flight and was gone. Here's hoping you survived, little birdie! Thanks for the entertainment.

3. I've had the opportunity to take several new forms of transportation since arriving in India. Our main mode is an "auto."

We also occasionally take the "vikram." This is a public mode that is much cheaper than an auto.

But this week, I tried my hand at a scooter. It's the most popular "vehicle" around here. Our language helper, Sara, took me riding.

The boys took a turn, too.

I'd definitely get one when we get settled. It was really fun. Not to worry though-- I'll be investing in four of these!

(Apparently we broke open the red kool-aid on the day this picture was taken!)

4. We also went to a new park this week. It was called "Deer Park." From what we understood, they had a playground and live animals. Both were true. There were deer, birds, and several other animals.

I found it ironic that this little guy was locked up. Right above him, there were families of monkeys swinging freely in the trees. These things are EVERYWHERE in this city. Bless him! The good news is no one will steal his bamboo pole.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) would be sadly disappointed in this place! :)

Jack spotted the large pool when we first arrived. He couldn't wait to see the "hippos." I had to break the news to him that the only living organism in that stagnant water were millions of mosquitoes carrying encephalitis!

The boys had a great time on the playground after we looked at the animals. The equipment is OLD-- reminds me of what I grew up with, but the boys didn't seem to mind. They even had a few pieces of equipment that were new to us.

5. Other random tidbits from the week:

• We found out we are moving to Bhopal at the end of this month. We are looking forward to getting our own home!
• My househelper finally convinced me to let her give me a massage. Turns out India really means "full body massage." I'll spare you the details, but before we do the massage thing again, I'm going to brush up on my Hindi and learn to say: "Back, legs, and arms ONLY!" :)
• I was a little bummed that all of my US friends were off for Labor Day until I realized we had a three day holiday this week. I'm not sure why we had a holiday, but I'm not complaining!
• When we get to Bhopal, we've promised the boys a dog. We've been researching possible breeds. We want a small, inside dog, that doesn't shed too much, doesn't bark too much, and is kid friendly. The dog doesn't need to be too small--- I don't want the kids to kill it! Any suggestions???
• I'm dying for a caramel cake. Anyone have a recipe that they've tried and know is good that they'd be willing to share?
• It's been almost 3 weeks, and we still have 5 fish. I think I'm beginning to figure this fish thing out!
• This morning while skyping with a friend, I saw something walk up our stairs out of the corner of my eye. Being more interested in my conversation, I didn't stop to look at it. A few minutes later, that "something" came back down my stairs. The "something" was a very large MALE monkey. Thankfully, he scurried off pretty quickly. In the future I'll take note of strange things moving up my stairs!
• If you don't have one of these, I'd highly suggest you purchase one! Eagle's Nest Hammock