Wandering Browns

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 ...

Gamelan! Yay! Our last night in Bali, we hired a babysitter and went out for dinner at the hotel. Every night, they have a Balinese night market, giant buffet, and cultural performance. Typically it is held outside in this cool terraced area at the hotel, but since it was off-and-on raining all afternoon, it was moved to the Watercourt restaurant. Because we have been living at Hyatt hotels instead of a house this year, we were presented with special butterfly VIP pins and were shown to a very comfortable cushioned booth right in the middle to best view the stage area. The buffet spread was overwhelming! There was a ton of meat, which made Austin very happy, but also a good array of salads, including the traditional Indonesian salad Gado-Gado with peanut sauce, of which I ate way too much. There were different rice and noodle dishes as well and potatoes, which I had not eaten in quite a long time! Austin liked having pork, since that is hard to find on Java, and I enjoyed eating...

Eating leaves in the beginning of the play I have always liked elephants. They are one of just a few animals that start with the letter, E, like my name. When the convenient (and free if you book tickets online) shuttle picked us up from our hotel, little did we know that we would discover what we quickly dubbed, "The Disneyland phenomenon." When you go out of your way to do something over the top and super awesome for your kids, they must reciprocate by throwing numerous fits and trying to make the day as miserable as possible. I chalk some of our troubles to not having adequate snacks. I usually have nuts, granola bars, crackers and dried fruit for go-to day trip snacks. These were confiscated at the gate of the park, which was infuriating! I understand them wanting to make money on food, and not wanting people to feed the animals, but I like to keep my child happy with snacks. All they had at the park were weird flavored potato chips, traditional Indonesian food bei...