Art & Pets

Okay, so maybe not art, but at least an artistic picture.  I think the photo credit goes to Gabi -- and I'm not entirely sure this is so candid.  But great connection between that girl and that dog.

Visiting Drama Artist

Rania got to work with a visiting artist in drama.  Fun to catch a great picture from the archives of the yearbook as Rania is deep in concentration focusing on some dramatic technique.

With the Team

What a difference when you get great pictures from friends' parents! This was during some down time in Dalat- and some great looking girls enjoying time together between (or after) games.

Enjoying Dalat!

In addition to all of the basketball, there were also fun opportunities to have some down time and enjoy the incredible view from Dalat.  Overlooking the sea, it is hard to think of a more picturesque school campus.  Wow!

And, of course, great to see friends and spend time with them. 

Dalat Tournament - Team

Gabi and the U15 basketball teams made their way to Dalat to compete in a middle school basketball team.  It was a great experience, great fun and some really fun interactions with teammates.  Also some great chances for improvement on the court!

Hoops

What a treat to get to watch Reeve get to play against Dalat and some local teams in the IASAS warm-up tournament.  His explosiveness off the ball is quite fun to watch - and great to see him attack the rim, get some baskets and create some opportunities.

Cheering the Team

Fun to see Coach Pike's son as part of the cheering squad during Varsity Basketball Season. 

It is more fun, however, to get to cheer Reeve on - and looking forward to some great basketball coming up over the coming weeks. Go Panthers!

The Birthday Bash

Always fun to celebrate an office birthday - and with Jane and Peter sharing a birthday, this day in January is always a highlight.  Thanks to our incredible office staff, we also had a great time eating some delicious cake!

Pavilion Decorations

With Chinese Year approaching, the Pavilion now has its Chinese New Year Decorations up - and has for some time.  Always impressive to see the attention to detail and the incredible decorations that take place at the biggest malls in Kuala Lumpur. 

Enjoying the Morning

Weekends are always wonderful - and great chances to take a break.  It also means that Chocolate tends to get a lot more attention from the rest of the family.  Some of that might be attributed to the whining right outside the window.  Some of it might be the guilt of not having so much attention during the week.  Also, Chocolate sure likes the mornings better -as the dropping barometer and potential for storms in the afternoon are not among our dog's favorite things. 

Photographic Fun

The girls had fun in the garden taking a couple of pictures and enjoying the wonders of Instagram. With far less fanfare and in a far less timely manner, here is the portrayal that makes it to the blog.

Basketball Game

Fun times - both on the court and the bus ride home.  Gabi and her friend, Emma, get to enjoy the trip during basketball season.  So fun to see the team playing together, often mixing up teams and switching teammates as nearly 24 8th grade girls are part of the U15 basketball program. 

Walking Chocolate

Always neat to capture part of daily life - and the chance to walk the dog in the neighborhood.

Christmas Dinner!

We saved our traditional Christmas dinner for our return from Rome.  And great to have the ham, the frozen fruit salad, the ridiculous Oreo Cookie Frozen Desert, twice-baked potatoes and enjoying the traditional Christmas dinner before returning to school.

Trampoline Park

For a final walk around Rome, we went back to the park and the kids had some time enjoying the cool weather, jumping on the trampoline and getting out some energy before heading to the airport and the flight back to Kuala Lumpur. 

What a great trip - and what a thrill to get to have this time with Doug's parents.  They are off to Milan pretty soon to get to see The Last Supper and one more part of Italy that has yet to be visited. 

Museo Nazionale Romano

For our last evening in Rome, a few of us (Nancy, Tracy, Doug) went into the city to visit one of the few museums which Doug's mom had not yet visited.  Some absolutely incredible mosaics and an incredible sight.  Just to think of the history, craftsmanship, contributions to the arts, including a recreated Roman Villa. 

Located at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, it is quite a museum. . .even if Tracy wasn't sure why we needed to take pictures of so many things!

Returning to Rome

Time to end our trip around Italy.  Our rental vehicle served us well.  Some of the streets were incredibly narrow - especially heading to Pompeii!  But good to drop that off and be done with our travels as we had an incredible trip.  Now for just a couple of final moments in Rome before our return to SE Asia.

An Eerie Goodbye

I had remembered - not sure from Elementary School - or from The Magic Tree House series - the pictures of those who were buried by ash in Pompeii - and how the hollow pockets were refilled to create the casts of the last dying moments. 

Eerie. 

Sunset Over Pompeii

As the day came to an end, we had walked all the way through the city - what a cool experience to see the sunset over the ancient city streets of Pompeii.  We also had the opportunity to see the Pompeii Coliseum. 

And credit to Gabi for some great sunset photos as she looked to the skies - and tried out the new camera on her phone.  Great eye!

The Plaza of Pompeii

It was pretty wild to stand in the main plaza and see Mt. Vesuvius right in the background.  Thinking that we had just been on top of that mountain a few hours earlier. . . and thinking of the destructive force that was unleashed upon this Roman city two millennia ago. 

 Such a sight - Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

Of course, trying to get a family picture is worth an effort to start the new year.