Wandering Browns

Landon opening Auntie Em's present We flew into Colorado in the nick of time for Christmas! We tried our best to get into the Christmas spirit in Indonesia, but we were elated to be able to be in the United States with family for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Landon with his Christmas jammies! Christmas Eve, Austin's family has a traditional holiday dinner with his grandparents, and aunt. We had ham, mashed potatoes, rolls, etc. I made sugar cookies with Landon for dessert. I love baking and was happy to be back in a real kitchen. Familiar food was wonderful as well. Landon has changed quite a bit since our last visit so it was fun to see him interacting with all of his great-grandparents. Landon opened his Christmas jammies from Auntie Em. By the end of our time in CO, Landon was calling her "E Bim" and I think that might be her name now. We will see.  Landon in his Christmas PJs and Grandma Ev helping open Christmas morning was wonderful. ...

Happy guy half way up the mountain After spending 24 hours a day with my son, excluding one two-hour adults-only dinner in Bali for three months while in Indonesia, it was time for a break! Austin's main birthday present from me was a ski getaway without Landon in the Rockies. Austin selected Arapahoe Basin ski resort to go skiing, and we found lodging in nearby Dillon, Colorado. We drove up from Arvada on the day after Christmas. We were expecting tons of snow in the mountains because the metro area of Denver received over a foot of snow. When we got up to the ski resort, though, they had only gotten 3 inches.  At the highest ski resort in the Rockies situated right over the Continental Divide, stands the Arapahoe Basin ski resort. There is one beginner hill and mini lift, and then a few green beginner runs and blue runs up the quad lift to the middle of the mountain. After a morning re-learning to ski, Austin and I went up to the top of the mountain. All of the runs u...

Grandma, Landon and the tree We landed in Colorado early in the morning on December 23rd. We really wanted to get haircuts, make sugar cookies for Santa, and visit Santa before Christmas. I'm happy to say that we accomplished all of our goals, despite being very jet-lagged. We heard Bass Pro Shops had the best Santa around. We called to see how late Santa would be there the 23rd, and learned that all the passes had been given out for the day. So Christmas Eve, we ventured out in the morning to find Santa! We arrived around 10:00 and learned that the first available time slot was 12:00 pm. Thankfully, there were lots of activities to do and things to see so we took our ticket for 12:00 and walked around. I was surprised so many people were there to see Santa on Christmas Eve! If we weren't flying in from Jakarta with only a few days to spare, we would have visited Santa in early December!  We decided that we could be in the very front of the 12:00 line if we had an ...

Having been back in the comfort of the United States for one week now, it seems like our time in Cilacap was something that happened long ago! Here are the last batch of pictures from our time in Cilacap: Mrs. Titi asked us to come take pictures at a studio in the center of town. They had us take the picture against a plain gray background, and then photo-shopped in some pretty awesome backgrounds, including the Eiffel tower!? I loved how Mrs. Titi had us go to this professional studio, then made the funniest faces and poses. Also, Landon and Mrs. Titi are making the same face in the picture above. The other children are Mrs. Titi's niece and nephew who live next door to her. Mr. Teguh is holding Landon, and is Mrs. Titi's husband.  On our last full day in Cilacap, I took Landon down to Teluk Penyu beach to dig around in the sand, blow off some steam, and take some more pictures of boats. On our way there, we ran into two school PE classes playing in the field cl...

Before starting our crazy adventure as full-time travelers, I did not fully grasp the implications of traveling in remote areas and developing countries with a small child. It is possible with sufficient preparation. Here's how to keep yourself and loved ones safe and happy while traveling in a developing country: 1.  Be prepared for medical emergencies and natural disasters:  We bring along a small pharmacy in our bag- pain meds for adults and kids, cold/cough medicine for adults and kids, insect repellent and bite first aid, bandaids, antibacterial ointment, antidiarrheals, electrolyte packets for adults and kids, thermometer, antibiotics for adults and kids (travel clinics or PCP will give you prescriptions just in case of a particularly nasty case of diarrhea.) I also pack and use essential oils extensively for all sorts of ailments as a more natural remedy. Although we hardly ever use anything of the medical stuff we bring, it gives me peace of mind that it is there in...

As a college student, December was always a hectic time. After Thanksgiving, it seemed that everything came to a head- papers, projects, and finals all loomed in the weeks before Christmas. I always shopped early and over the course of a few weeks to combat the pressure of that time of year. After completing my graduate program, I never felt that Christmas was so hectic and commercial that I didn’t have time to celebrate the real reason for Christmas- the birth of Jesus Christ. Sure, I was annoyed when Christmas stuff appeared in the stores in October, but really the start of the Christmas season for me has always been Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, you prepare for Christmas! Here in Cilacap, there are no problems with the “commercial” part of Christmas. No rushing around buying gifts. No Santas in the mall and commercials on TV with all the best Christmas toys. We don’t even have a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints here to sing Christmas songs wi...

I will sum up Indonesian food in one word: Good. Alright, now we're done! Before coming here, I had no idea what Indonesian food would be like! Turns out it is kind of like Thai and Chinese mixed together. Here are a few of our favorite dishes: Nasi Goreng with recipe  here Nasi Goreng: Fried rice. This fried rice has onion, garlic, veggies, eggs, and a protein of choice. Landon loves fried rice and so usually I get chicken for him. Mie Goreng; Fried noodles. Same thing as above but with noodles instead of rice. Cap cay: This can either be served stir-fried or in a soup. It is a collection of veggies- carrots, cauliflower, leafy greens, cabbage, served with tofu or chicken in a sauce or broth. Apparently it is Chinese Indonesian in origin and means mixed vegetables. I eat it with steamed white rice thrown into the broth and it is pretty yummy. Quality of the broth can vary widely, I have found, but d Best restaurant in downtown Cilacap has a delicious version. Cap ...