Friends

Last week, other friends from LA - the Rinaldos - visited Aaron and Carly....and therefore us too. :) 

We took this opportunity to explore some new places in Greenville. Highlights from the week were:

The Children's Museum! 

We are only here a couple more weeks, but I bought an annual pass because we are only 5 minutes away and this place is amazing. There is a grocery store for kids, a huge but kid-friendly and safe climbing section, a race car section (Marlo is very much into race cars at the moment), a water play area, music room, space section, construction zone, putt putt course, and more. 

Side note:

I took Marlo and Indi to the museum this morning to get out of the house. Marlo played with the race cars for quite awhile, but then we explored the last two areas we hadn't been to before- water station and outside playground. Both proved to be very entertaining. Indi especially enjoyed the water station!

Greenville Zoo. 

This little zoo is still developing but was the perfect zoo for our kids. Exciting animals we saw were monkeys (very loud ones!), orangutans, giraffes, leopards, lions, flamingos, an alligator and turtle, and lots of snakes, frogs, and spiders. 

Falls Park on the Reedy / Downtown. 

Falls Park contains a portion of the beautiful, treelined trail (20 miles long) called the Swamp Rabbit Trail. A waterfall lies amidst modern buildings and flows into a river the follows a portion of the park. All of this lies right next to Greenville's recently developed downtown main street. We walked down this street passing restaurants, coffee, ice cream, boutiques and other little shops. 

A “wall waterfall” in downtown

Just thought this was funny and often true.. :)

Other fun highlights include:

*Golfing at McPherson Park. By golfing, I mean that we use a bat and golf ball.

*Swimming in Aaron and Carly's rec center pool (Marlo was excited to go swimming again)

*Over the course of the last couple weeks, Marlo has been treated to several special treats including a couple cookies, some ice cream, donuts, and "coffee" (aka hot chocolate) in his own little coffee cup. He's a big fan!

Successful selfies have become much harder..

*Indi turned 6 months old and promptly grew a tooth.

Baseball

We love weekends.

Weekends are when Walt doesn't have to work. We have time to all be together and to go on adventures. We didn't plan to do much this weekend because the boys are still tired from all the moving around so naps are a priority, but we were still able to get out a little bit.

After breakfast, Walt took Marlo to a new park that is supposed to be pretty great. Marlo enjoyed finding the "deep dark woods" there. The Gruffalo's house was there but he wasn't home.

Once Indi woke up from his morning nap, we all drove 3 minutes to the Shoeless Joe Jackson Memorial Park. If you don't know much about baseball (like me), Shoeless Joe Jackson was a great baseball player in the early 1900's. If you want to know more, I will include a biography below.*

It was nice to get outside but it wasn't nice to be outside. It's actually not that bad (I can get a little dramatic about the weather, I know). There is definitely some humidity, which isn't horrible, but what I mostly have a hard time with is the mosquitos. Again, it's not bad, but they are around. Also, the ants here are huge! 

The park itself is nice. Marlo enjoyed trying to touch the tree while on the swing. The branches were just out of reach for him, but he still liked trying. There is a really nice baseball field just on the other side of a small creek. Marlo and Walt "played baseball". Marlo tried to hit some balls and then ran around to the different bases. He especially loved sitting in the dug out. 

Marlo probably thinks this is how you get into every baseball field. :)

 Fans

That afternoon, we drove to the Mullenix's house and had a nice time hanging out. Marlo really enjoys playing with Verity and all of her toys. Occasionally, Verity would come out to tell us something and a minute later, Marlo would come out saying, "Verity come play!"

Sunday morning, we went to Aaron and Carly's church (Heritage Bible Church). We dropped the boys off in the nursery and Marlo did really well! He played most of the time and only toward the end did he start to get sad and told the nursery worker he wanted to go to sleep. 

After the main service, Walt and Indi joined Aaron and Carly in a break out seminar for a little while. I sat in the foyer with Marlo while he played with his toys. He loves to play and I love to watch him play.

Greenville has a minor league baseball team and the field is only a 4 minute drive from us, so after Marlo's nap, Walt took Marlo to his first baseball game! We guessed he would be interested for just a little while before wanting to leave but they ended up staying for a couple of hours! At first, he was mesmerized and just stood and watched everything that was happening. 

Then he would play on the stairs and occasionally go watch the game.

 The baseball field has a grassy hill and play area for kids so Walt took him to play there for awhile too. 

One of the highlights was meeting Reedy, their mascot. He was both fascinated and scared of him.

It was a good weekend.

*Shoeless Joe Jackson. More from this article at https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/shoeless-joe-jackson/

Shoeless Joe Jackson was a country boy from South Carolina who never learned to read or write much (“It don’t take school stuff to help a fella play ball,” he once said1) but is widely hailed as the greatest natural hitter in the history of the game. A left-handed batter and right-handed thrower, Jackson stood 6-feet-1 and weighed 178 well-built pounds. He belted sharp line drives to all corners of the ballpark, and was fast enough to lead the American League in triples three times. He never won a batting title, but his average of .408 in 1911 still stands as a Cleveland team record and a major-league rookie record.

Unfortunately, after Cleveland traded him to the Chicago White Sox, Jackson’s career ended ignominiously because of his involvement in the infamous Black Sox Scandal of 1919. He was expelled from the game in his prime, and for that reason he has never received a plaque in the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown.

Ding Dong Ditch

 Wednesday:

If Pop Pop was watching tennis, Marlo ran to get his tennis racquet (racket?) and immediately transformed into a tennis star- falls and all. Although he's never seen baseball played, at Noma and Pop Pop's house, he had a baseball picture book and a baseball bat. Over time, he has slowly but steadily gained more and more interest in the sport, especially if a diving catch is involved. While here in Greenville, his interest really gained traction when he found the softball in the field. On Wednesday, it was clear that he needed (yes, needed) a baseball bat. Walt quickly ran to Walmart to secure one. Once the stage was set, Walt took Marlo outside to find a blue baseball bat, a tee, and baseballs! Marlo was delighted and wanted to carry his new bat and tee everywhere he went. 

That afternoon, while Marlo was playing (probably baseball), we told him to drop everything and come outside with us! There was rumbling thunder, pounding rain and a "cool" breeze. Marlo was fascinated and enjoyed getting wet (just a little) in the rain.

The last noteworthy event of the day actually came in the middle of the night. First, a little context on where we are staying is needed. The house was recently renovated but is located in a lower socioeconomic area of Greenville. It is in the process of being gentrified, but most of the homes on our street are still very old and run down and the crime rate in this area is higher than other areas of Greenville. I don't feel unsafe going outside during the day but we lock the doors and there are security cameras on both doors. That was the context and now for the story. 

We were sleeping peacefully when all of a sudden we hear the doorbell ring a few times. It's 2:45AM. Fortunately, the babies stayed asleep but Walt and I were wide awake and very confused. Walt looked out our window to see if he could spot anyone and I contacted our host to look at the security cameras. She actually responded right away (apparently she is a night owl and was still awake). She and her husband didn't see anything on the cameras but they only record when movement is detected and they had lowered the sensors because of the traffic that drives by the house. Still, it was a bit disconcerting. I wondered if some kids were ding-dong ditching? But then wouldn't the camera pick them up? While looking out the window, Walt saw a motion light go off at a neighbors house and then a person run behind the house. Soon after, police cars started patrolling the area with their lights flashing. I felt much better when they arrived. Walt decided to call 911 (we couldn't find a non-emergency number to call) to let them know of our experience. The operator told us that there was a woman trying to find help for her boyfriend who was injured. Who knows if that's the real story, but the police eventually left and the rest of the night was normal.

Thursday:

I continued to settle in. I've been purchasing a few items from facebook marketplace for the boys. In the morning, I picked up some baby items for Indi. I now have a baby chair (yay!) and a play mat. The play mat quickly became a home for Marlo's "guys." Multipurpose! That afternoon, I bought a gallon sized ziploc bag full of more "guys" for Marlo to play with. I gave him a few to play with first and so far his favorites are the Cookie Monster (According to Walt, he works at a gas station and sells cookies), Mickey Mouse, a little bobble head kitty car, and a little bobble head mouse.

This happened while shopping at Walmart. Marlo thought this was the funniest thing. When a guy started asking where he had gone, Marlo thought that fun game. But eventually the guy left while Marlo was inside and he became confused when he took it off. Then he tried to do it to other strangers passing by. 

Friday: 

Highlights of the day were: 

*Indi started randomly laughing at Marlo. He really loves to watch Marlo. 

*Friday night pizza, breadsticks (all homemade bread), peach spinach salad, cinnamon roll sticks, and ice cream. 

Bugs

 Sunday morning was slow and relaxing. Marlo enjoyed playing with Verity's toys and became particularly attached to her kitty cat stuffed animal. 

Marlo and Dad eating oatmeal on the screened in porch

The weather is hot and humid...not my favorite but I'm trying to be ok with it. 

Sunday afternoon, we packed up again and drove to the airbnb we had rented for the month. It is an old place with old furniture which is fine, but it was dirty. Our feet and socks quickly became black from the floors. It wasn't filthy, but it also wasn't clean. I'm not a fan of dirty so it just didn't feel very comfortable. The pans were very worn and also didn't seem very clean. We put each boy in a bedroom and Walt and I slept in the two single beds in the third "room" (it's a little add-on with no door). The house was not very soundproof so when Indi cried after going to bed, we soon heard Marlo crying as well. 

“Marlo’s baseball field”

I wasn't upset by the situation but didn't feel very comfortable or excited to stay there for a whole month. One nice thing about the house was it's proximity to a park. After a dinner of disgusting burgers from Culver's (I would not recommend), we took a walk across the street to check out the park next door. A highlight for Marlo was when Walt retrieved a softball someone had left in the baseball field. He dropped Marlo over the fence and then hopped over himself to go and get it. Very exciting. 

Walt woke up on Monday morning with bug bites. Not OK. Then we saw the red line climbing up his arm from the bug bite. This indicates a bacterial infection in his blood which if it reaches his heart can kill him. It's easily treated with an antibiotic but that was the last straw for us. We contacted the host and asked for a refund for the rest of our stay. He was very apologetic and immediately gave us a refund. We were able to haggle down the price of a new and nicer airbnb and they were gracious enough to let us check in the next afternoon. 

Before I move on to Tuesday, I will share our more pleasant moments from Monday. Marlo played with his new "guys". I went to Whole Foods and it felt so nice to be in a familiar, healthy, and clean place. That evening, we went to the Mullenix's house for Juliette's one year birthday party. Carly had a water table set up outside and Marlo LOVED this. Another highlight for Marlo was the cupcakes! He ate a whole chocolate with green frosting cupcake and it was the topic of conversation for at least a day or two.

Monday night was not the most restful knowing there were bugs about. I slept in Marlo's room and Walt slept in the bed I had been in, but he continued to get bit even there and ended up on the couch. 

Walt still had to work Tuesday and we couldn't check in until 3pm, so we spent most of the day in the dirty house. We packed up yet again. The new house was a breath of fresh air! It was clean and updated and had more space. We love it. 

In case the bugs biting Walt were bed bugs (he did an inspection of the mattress and found one he thought might be), we left all our luggage in the unused room and did a lot of laundry that night and the next day. 

Traveling to Greenville, SC

It's been awhile!

This adventure is different from my previous adventures. Rather than hopping around from location to location and filling each day with sites and restaurants and pastries (I miss those pastries), we are living life in a different location. Greenville, South Carolina. 

Getting here was an endeavor. The two overarching truths of the journey were these: God was gracious to grant smooth travels and both of our boys are absolute champs. Over the span of six nights, we slept in five different places. That's a lot of change for a two year old and a five month old, but they handled everything so well. 

Here's how the traveling went. 

Friday morning, we loaded the car. In doing so, we realized the big stroller would have to be left behind because we had no room for it in the Lexus with all of our luggage and the car seats. We opted for the little, cheap umbrella stroller. I'm just glad we brought something because it came in very handy at the airport.

We waved goodbye to Noma and Pop Pop (Marlo has since asked me several times if we can go back to Noma and Pop Pop's house....he misses you guys). The drive to LA/the Carder's house went really well. I spent most of the drive reading books to Marlo. That night we got to spend some wonderful, quality time with Uncle Stephen and Auntie J. 

Early Saturday morning, we packed up again and Paul dropped us and our ten bags/items off at LAX. This is when everything got hectic. I had Indi in the baby carrier and Marlo in the stroller and was watching our carry on items. Walt was left to figure out how to transport and check in one carseat (we took the other onto the plane), a pack n play, and three large suitcases. 

First he grabbed a couple items and stood in a line outside only to find out he couldn't check them there. Then he dropped these bags inside, ran back outside to where I was and we quickly transported the rest inside. Around this time, Walt was able to find a cart to load the luggage onto. Next we tried to check in at the self-check in kiosks. The kiosk wouldn't check Marlo in so we had to get help. That person got us our tickets but said we had to wait in the long line to actually check our luggage. Oy. 

Walt waited in the long line while I stood next to the luggage cart with the boys. Both Marlo and Indi were getting restless and hungry. I handed Marlo a bag of cheddar bunnies which kept him occupied for quite awhile and then I fed Indi. Boom. Happy babies again. 

Once Walt reached the counter, he came to get all of the luggage. The guy checking our luggage was very helpful for which we were extremely thankful. 

Having a stroller really helped us out during the next stage. We basically skipped the line to get to security. They took us up an elevator and directed us to the security stations. Security still took us awhile because three of our bags were flagged (water wipes have done this to me a couple times now and the baby monitor and sound machine are electronics we were supposed to take out of our bag...still learning!). Once through, we had the perfect amount of time to get to our gate, rest a few minutes, and then board early with the other families. 

Then I sat back in my chair and sipped coffee while watching a movie for the next several hours. Oh wait...that's what used to happen before traveling with kids. :) 

Our first flight was LAX to Atlanta- 4.5 hours. I took care of Indi who was extremely tired by this time and Walt did a wonderful job with Marlo the entire flight. Some Dollar Tree presents, lots and lots of snacks, books, and a Cocomelon show did the trick. We brought Indi's car seat thinking he would sleep in it but Marlo ended up taking a decent nap in it instead. 

Our layover went really well. It was the perfect amount of time to take a train (Marlo enjoyed this!) to our gate, change diapers, run around with Marlo, let a nice lady hold Indi while I snack, and then board early. 

This flight was up and then down...only 30 minutes or so. Easy. 

Aaron picked us up from the airport and helped Walt transport all the luggage. It was about 9:00pm when we left and Marlo kept commenting how dark it was outside. We realized this was the first time he had been in a car at night since he was a baby. 

"Marlo can't see!" (he said that several times while looking around with wide eyes) 

"Marlo see the deep, dark woods." 

That night we stayed with Aaron and Carly. The boys were very tired from a long day, so after dinner and a quick bath, they knocked out. 

Last few days in fast forward

Thursday-Saturday, June 15-17, 2017

Honestly, I am really proud at how well I kept up with my blog this trip! I rarely finish a trip. This post is more for myself and Walt; a few highlights from the last few days. It probably won't make much sense to many others. :)

This is also a glimpse at how many of my blog posts start. I type a quick outline in my phone, then expand later as I have time.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Uber to president's house. 

Walked over an hour in 100 degree weather to India gate

Walked to lunch

Weird drink, good drink, vegetarian

Uber back to Hyatt

Uber to Qutub Minar. Forgot wallet. 

Awesome place

Had to find wifi...finally did. Guy was sleeping

Rested. Headache

Indian accent for dinner. Too expensive. 

Friday, June 16, 2017

Walt took pics while I packed. 

Left around ten. 

Airport. 

I thought man was a lady. 

Boarded plane to Heathrow. 

Left bag on plane. 

Customs took forever and waited at least an hour for bag. 

Good to see Drion's. Snacks and bed. 

Saturday, June 17,2017

Woke up at 5am so we went out. 

Walked to river then rode bikes. 

Queen's proper birthday today. We will miss seeing her by only a couple hours.

Coffee and croissants

Breakfast with Drion's and their friend.

Went to Heathrow. 

Flew home

Overall, we had an amazing time. India was one of the most fascinating, different places I have ever been to and we absolutely loved it. 

Breakfast at Jasper's

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

We weren't scheduled to meet the owner until 9:00, so Walt took part of the morning to explore and photograph the streets of Siliguri. I relaxed and packed up again. 

A little after nine, we checked out and met the owner and a colleague of his. They drove us and our backpacks over to the restaurant where we were greeted by some of our waiters from the night before. They were setting things up for the day while making a special place for us to eat. Breakfast was fabulous. They make everything at the restaurant, including some yummy chips. We had omelettes, little veggie sandwiches with the aforementioned chips, stuffed paratha with something I can't remember the name of, and real/good coffee! 

Everything was great, but even better than the food was getting to know our host. He talked about his passion for food and for always wanting to improve or make something new. We learned that every 60km you travel in India, there is a new cuisine. There is also a new language spoken but we learned that elsewhere. When he caters a wedding, he will talk to the bride and groom to figure out their preferences and their culture. He will often serve dishes that originated in their culture but have since disappeared. He also asked us a lot of questions and was a really good listener. When the time came for us to get to the airport, first, he wouldn't let us pay for the meal, and second, offered to drive us over. He said it gave him more time to get to know us. His generosity was overwhelming. 

I also appreciated the way he talked about his wife. He always held her in high regard and praised her in many ways. He also explained the modern process of arranged marriages. Parents will still arrange marriages, but it looks more like setting up their kids. Then they will court/date and decide if they want to marry them. I noticed that marriage and family is a big part of Indian culture. 

We said goodbye at the airport and went inside to check in. It's a small airport so dropping our bags and getting our tickets went quickly. Usually, the security line also goes quickly, especially for me because there have typically only been a few women compared to men. For some reason, today was different. The woman's line was packed (women were cutting) and it was taking forever. As I got close to the front, a flight attendant flagged me down and told me to come to the front of the line because they had just made a last call for our flight! I bypassed a few ladies, grabbed my belongings, and ran through the airport, following the flight attendant to the gate. I joined Walt and we ran outside to board out plane. Fortunately, his line had been short and when he heard the last call, he told the flight attendant where I was. It all worked out. 

Crazy enough, we also ran into our friend from the Himalayan zoo! I couldn't believe the coincidence. 

On our flight to Delhi, we sat beside an Indian man who has actually a U.S. Citizen and has lived on the east coast for over 20 years. Walt and I pestered him with questions almost the entire flight and he was very obliging. It was great to hear the perspective of someone who understands both cultures. 

After a taxi ride to the Hyatt and once we had checked in, we ventured back outside to see Lodi Park. It really surprised us. The park is beautifully maintained and holds several old (ancient) buildings. We explored the buildings and the park and then walked to a nearby restaurant we had read about. It is called Sodabottleopenerwala. This restaurant also surprised us. It was one of the best meals we have had in India. I had a vegetable curry that was tasty but walt's dinner stole the show— a mutton dish with coconut, curry, and spices mixed in rice along with two fried veggie? balls. We ventured on to dessert and tried a coffee cake (with lots of chocolate) and a traditional Persian custard with nutmeg and something else. I don't normally love custard, but once again we were surprised at how much we loved it. 

We took a walk around the surrounding street and alley that had several restaurants and shops before calling our uber to go home. 

I enjoyed a hot shower— the first in about a week. :)