From Our Home to Yours...

I've had nearly 6 weeks of friends, family, and food to enjoy here in the states and there's more to come this week for Christmas! So much fun. I can't believe we head back to Australia on Sunday night. (I refuse to think of our 18 hour straight through flight to Singapore, couple of hours layover, and then an eight hour flight to Sydney. I want a smile on my face for the holidays and that just makes me feel bah, humbug.) So what has made my spirits bright this Christmas season? Here's my 12 Days of Christmas for you...



On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me:

12 Parents and siblings (mom, dad, Karl & Becky, Eric & Karen, mom, dad, Darin & Chris, Matt & Dianne

11 Presents I'm getting from Phil for Christmas...yippee!

10 frequent guests of the Lankford home and the best friends ever (Jared & Kristi with Josh & Ethan; Rob & Faith with Grace & Jacob, Gregg & Ashley)

9 Nieces and nephews (Kyle, Jack, Jake, Sammy, Jordan, Hannah, Josh, Zach, & Alexandra)

8 Hundred hours of being with Sox (not really sure of the hours but I needed something for 8)

7 slices of pizza from Brother's (again, not sure of the number of slices but needed something)

6 Sundays at Langhorne Terrace Ministries (our church)

5 Friends called the DAGS (Diana, Robin, Joan, Kelly, and Mary)

4 Trips to Chick-Fil-A

3 Lunches At Panera

2 Christmas parties (our annual Sunday School party, and a CGCA Class of '91 mini-reunion)

and 1 Thanksgiving spent in Tipp City, Ohio.



Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. New Year's Eve will find us back in Sydney on our balcony taking in the firework show over the Harbour Bridge. Now that is something to look forward to...

Home, Sweet Home

Made it back on Monday night. Man...that is one long flight. On the bright side, I have to do it all over again at the end of December. Oh wait...after the 18 hour flight to Singapore, I get to have a couple of hour layover and then hop on a 8 hour flight to Sydney. Just smilin' big, folks.
Our computer at home has finally been put to it's eternal rest, so I'm at a computer at the local library with yikes, 9 minutes left. I'll have to type fast.
Indonesia was...yep, not a big fan of Indonesia. I don't like it when people stare at me and I was stared at all day long. I was seriously creeped out. We watched some dragon boat races, walked through the town, I tried to not smell the local smells, and then spent a long time at the ferry boat dock waiting for the boat to take us back to Singapore. At some point, I'll post some pictures.
Yikes... 6 minutes left. I'll make this quick. So nice to be back home! There are just no words. I'm off for a lunch with the DAGS, then dinner tonight with the Eppinger's, and then off with Faith to see Ashley's show tonight. Just can't wait! I love it here. Just love it. As I wrote on my facebook status, Dorothy was right. There's no place...

You Are Not Going to Believe What I Did In Singapore...

We've been here in Singapore since Wednesday night. Not much time on the computer since I can only get on when Phil comes back to the hotel after work, but I needed to blog about what the trip's been like so far. So what did I do?

Am I talking about looking at the um, unique Christmas decorations that are going up all around town. Nope...but they are unique. Very colorful and apparently the theme this year on the big shopping road- Orchard Road, is candy. Picture street lights with purple and white candy canes on them, red hearts hanging everywhere (with a bit of Hitachi advertising on them), big baby blue ribbons tied on the street lights, wrapped "candy" hanging from trees, giant cupcakes on the side of the street, and just in tonight...huge Precious Moments figures that have appeared around the Fountain of Wealth which we can see from our hotel window. An eclectic collection indeed.

Am I talking about our dinner one night at a Scottish restaurant? Nope...but I will say that it was the first time I ever had an Asian waiter serve me wearing a kilt.

Am I talking about our fun day today in Sentosa? Nope...but it was fun. We took the monorail over to the island of Sentosa and toured an old English military fort that is now a museum, went to the aqarium, toured the exhibit-Images of Singapore, walked up to the top of the Merlion, and had another fun ride on the street luge. For those keeping score (okay...me) I beat Phil on the luge even after a close photo-finish. Not really, but I did feel like I got a bit close to the boards when he tried to squeeze me out at the very end. Wasn't going to happen...I raced ahead and beat him.

I am talking about my experience yesterday afternoon at Kenko, the fish spa. Yes...the fish spa. After meeting Phil and a U.S. co-worker and his wife who now live here for lunch, the co-worker's wife informed me that we were going to have an adventure. Hence...the fish spa. Yes...I was a bit apprehensive. What in the world is a fish spa? In a nutshell, you roll your pants up, sit on a bench, put your feet and legs in what looks like an aqarium and let all of these little fish come up and start biting your feet and legs. Yeah...really. Apparently these fish feed off of any dead skin they can get from you. I know...eeww. I guess my feet and legs were dry because as soon as I put my legs in the water, it looked like I had knee-high boots on that were made of little fish.

How did it feel? Um...very odd at first. I mean these fish were eating my skin! I was getting seriously skeeved out. But if I had to fork over 30 dollars for 30 minutes, my legs were staying in the water. After awhile, it felt like pins and needles. You know if you sit on your foot and then it falls asleep and you get pins and needles while you wait to get the feeling back? That's what it felt like. Did the treatment work? I'm surprised to say...yes. My feet are as smooth as a baby's behind! Who knew? Would I do it again? Not sure, but how many people can say that they've had skin-eating fish nibble on their feet and legs in Singapore? (Wow...that's a really weird sentence to write.)

Tomorrow we head over to Bintan, Indonesia. Never been there so I'm sure I'll post again.

In the Air Again...

Just can't wait to get in the air again...everyone, sing along. You can thank the Lankfords (more realistically, Phil's company) for single-handedly keeping the airlines afloat in these bad economic times. Phil and I leave tomorrow afternoon for Singapore. Yes...I'm heading back to the country that smells like one giant Chinese restaurant. Not sure what I'm going to do with myself while Phil is working, but if I come across anything interesting...you'll be the first to know.

We may also fly over to Malaysia on Friday night or Saturday. Kuala Lumpur (no idea if that's spelled right) to be exact. And did you know that only the US prounces Lumpur like lum-pour with emphasis on pour? Everyone else says Lumpur like lump-er, emphasis on lump. No, I'm not making this stuff up. We may also throw in a quick trip to Indonesia. I'll keep you posted by well...posting.

After my mini-Southeastern Asian tour, I head for home on Monday. After a straight-through, non-stop, 18 hour plane ride from Singapore to New York. Good times. But it's all good...I'm heading home for the holidays! Phil unfortunately has another week in Singapore, then a week in India (poor guy...he's going to have to eat turkey curry for Thanksgiving...how depressing), a week back here in Sydney and then will join me back in Philly in early December. Then we can celebrate Christmas together in the cold weather...as it's supposed to be when it's December!

Diversity

And you thought this post was going to be about our new President...nope. But I will say here, was it disappointing that the man I voted for did not win? Yes. Am I a bit nervous about the next four years? You bet. Do I wish Barack Obama would change his worldview when it comes to abortion and same-sex marriage? Absolutely. Would I rather choose to spread my wealth when and to whom I wish, rather than big government choosing for me? Oh yeah. But...all that does not change the fact that nothing happened on November 4th that wasn't supposed to happen. Why? Not sure, but I'm a firm believer that nothing surprises God. All I do know is that whoever is President, deserves my respect (at least for the office itself), my ability to keep my mouth shut when I want to say negative things about him, and most of all, my prayers. (Hmm...and surely our current President deserves all of these as well instead of what he and his family have had to endure for the longest time!) But I was talking about diversity...
I meant diversity on the streets of Sydney. It hit me as I was walking to Subway for lunch today. Because I. Just. Can't. Eat. McDonald's. Anymore. This. Week. I love my cheeseburger but I must take a break. You see it all on the streets of Sydney, such as...

1. People wearing pointy bamboo hats. You know...like the ones you see in a picture of people from Vietnam. But what's puzzling, is they're not of Asian descent. So why...

2. School children wearing big floppy hats with wide brims. I was struck with how many children you see wearing hats down here. Because the only time you see kids, especially babies and toddlers wearing hats in the U.S. is when their parent wants to take a picture of them in a cute hat and has to take the picture real fast before the kid reaches up to pull it off. Found out in my research (only for you, my faithful readers...no stone unturned) that several years ago there was a major health campaign around Australia that insisted that parents put hats on their children when they went outside. In fact, it's almost considered a form of child abuse if you don't. Most schools won't let children outside for recess unless they wear their big, floppy hats. Why? Australia has the world's most cases of skin cancer...three times more than the U.S. Makes sense.

3. Tee shirts with writing on them. Most I could not re-print here for my family-friendly blog, but did pass one today on a guy that said, "You Look Like My Next Girlfriend." Uh...no.

4. Flip-flops. Everyone wears them. You'll see business women in conservative tailored jackets and skirts, shuffling along in flip flops on their way to work. (I assume they change shoes when they get to their office.)

5. And on the other end of the spectrum...high-heeled shoes like you wouldn't believe. It's also not unusual to see women shuffling along in 4 inch heels. Come on...how is that remotely comfortable? (says the American who is mostly seen in her faithful Nike's.)

6. Ridiculously skinny jeans. Can I just say that no one, even if you have the body of a supermodel- male or female, looks attractive in those really tight skinny jeans. And men...you just look like you have skinny chicken legs when you wear them. Eewww.

7. Uggs. There's a reason why these boots sound like you're saying the word, ugly. And who wears furry boots when you have shorts on? Shorts with furry boots? That doesn't make any sense.

8. Man Bags. Um...what? Women carry purses. Men...you just carry a wallet. If you have more to carry than that, sure...carry a briefcase. Sling a backpack on your shoulder...fine. But carry a man bag? You just look silly. And finally...

9. Leggings as Pants. If you want to wear leggings...go ahead. But put something on that covers your backside. A skirt. A long shirt. Whatever. And the same goes for all those men that jog in the Botanical Gardens while wearing spandex. (Except for the skirt part.) Really don't want to see any of that.

It Snowed!!

In Hanmer Springs that is. And only stuck to the top of the mountains. (Side note...It's the end of October. It should be cold. This 70's and 80's weather in Sydney at the end of October is nuts. I shouldn't be seeing Christmas decorations in stores while wearing tee shirts and shorts. And I shouldn't see this sign either- "Beat The Heat This Christmas at Baskin Robbins." But I digress.) We woke up Sunday morning to the pictures below. We got breakfast at our breakfast place, Robbie's Pub, walked around some and then got in the car to drive back down to Christchurch. But first...some pictures.

Once we got to Christchurch, we decided to walk around the city. Yes...it is one of the biggest cities in New Zealand, and yes, there are some tallish buildings (our hotel room was on the 11th floor ) but at times you'd be walking in "center city", turn the corner and then were faced with a city block of 1 and 2 story buildings that looked like Main Street USA. Very strange. Our hotel was next door to Christchurch Cathedral.

We continued walking through the city over to the Botanical Gardens...

passed the tram that takes you on a circuit around the city...

and then came upon the holy grail. Literally...the Holy Grail Sports Bar just down the street from our hotel. The sky should've opened up with a beam of light on the sign as angels in one chorus broke out in a harmonious "aaahhhhhhh". Wings and cokes...20 something dollars. Being able to watch the Phillies play and win Game 3 of the World Series on a 50 foot tv screen while in New Zealand...priceless!

As I type this, I'm watching the replay of today's game where our Phillies won the World Series. We watched it live this morning/afternoon as well and I think Phil speaks for us all when he turned to me after the win, while watching the pile-up on the mound and said, "I think I'm gonna cry." Sweet day! Now if we could only be there in Philly for the parade down Broad St. this week...

Hanmer Springs...New Zealand's Alpine Spa Village

Or so the advertising slogan goes. On Saturday morning (being the outdoor enthusiasts that we are so known for) we decided to do some outdoor stuff since we were up in the mountains and all. And there was so much to choose from...mountain biking, hikes (or tramps as they call them here), fishing, hunting, bungy jumping (uh...no), jetboat trips, river rafting, quad biking, skeet shooting, 4x4 tours, paintball, mini golf, horseback riding, helicopter tours, archery, and even sitting in the thermal pools at the main attraction- Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa.

First...we chose archery. No, really we did. And it was fun. The competition was fierce. After a stinging injury on my left inside elbow (got in the way of my blazing arrow and stung like the dickens!), I couldn't keep up. Actually...I was never in the running. I don't think I could hit a target if it was painted on the side of a barn. Got a few in, but was no match for Phil aka Robin Hood. Look at the equisite form.

And if you can see it...the end result. I hit the paper a few times but nothing to write home about.

Late morning we left for our next adventure...horseback riding. Seriously! I've never ridden a horse before and it was always something I wanted to try. The drive out to the farm was again, beautiful. So was the farm itself. Take a look.

Now the horse lady knew that in our group, I was the only one who had never gotten on a horse before. And which horse did I get? Raleigh...who according to her is, "The biggest horse in all of New Zealand." Uh...thanks. One seems very far off of the ground when seated on a huge horse while holding tightly to the reins. But Raleigh and I hit it off...when he wouldn't jerk his big ol' head forward nearly lifting me off of the saddle. Now I thought we would just be plodding along little trails around the farm. And we did...but soon set off up a small mountain. With no guard rails. On a horse. Yeah, I was a bit freaked out. Remember the scene from The Brady Bunch when they were at the Grand Canyon and taking a mule ride down into the canyon and Alice is furiously waving her hand over to get the mule to hug the canyon wall? Yep...I know the feeling. But the views...

See? Raleigh is the biggest horse there!

Oh...I've got to add a picture of the farm's pets on the front porch. They would nudge you like a dog to be petted. And no...I wasn't thinking of dinner. That's just sick.

Later that day we drove to "Thrill Seeker's Canyon". Not necessarily looking for a thrill, but that's where a lot of the outdoor activities are based from. Including bungy jumping from this bridge. Seriously crazy!

We drove back to the village past some more beautiful countryside...

and then put on our bathing suits (or swimmers or cosi's) as they call 'em in Australia and relaxed in the thermal springs for awhile. Ahh...a great end to a very fun day. Tomorrow...Christchurch.