A BOY AND HIS NEW TOY

You want to know what makes Johnnie smile so big? Can you saw...NEW GOLF CLUBS!!! Don't even ask me the brand, I couldn't tell ya, and I'm too lazy to run into the front room and look, but look out world, John has now become a true threat on the golf course. Well, believe it or not, this lovely bunch of bananas was growing in my back yard. How wierd, and cool to just pick a banana off of the tree.

This almost reminds me of the time I took my dad to Florida, and he had never seen an orange tree before. He wanted his picture made by the orange trees. Oh well, we had our really nice, expensive camera stolen on an excursion in the Bahamas, and we never got to show the family those pictures. Oh well...

Bree has the bball tournament finals on her camera, which of course I can't find, but I was mortified when the blow up bed I had put our guests on was totally deflated in the morning and they were sleeping on the floor. I tried to make it up to them, but you never get over that.

So Bree is running track now, and we are making plans for a home visit during June/July and a quick get away in a couple of weeks. I really need to go somewhere...

YYAAAAYYYY, MORE PICTURES...

Well, we are on the precipice of hosting two students from Bangalore this week that are competing in the basketball tournament. The plumber is still working on installing our bathtub, and left today with promises of finishing next week. Yeah, right. I've become pretty good at interpreting the lingo around here. Let me see, translation: "Yes, Mrs. Sykes, the tub should be completed by the turn of the century." I think I'll go take a nap.

I've learned a new trick, do ya wanna know what it is? Okay, since stress is a killer, and we are all trying to live as long as we can, when a stressful situation arises and you don't want to deal with it...just walk away like it doesn't exist and go take a nap. I'm telling you, this works everytime. Say the credit collectors are calling you non-stop, wanting the last few month's backpayment and you just don't have it...."fiddle-dee-dee, I'll just worry about that tomorrow..." take the phone off the hook, light an aromatic soy candle, less toxins, play some soothing music, (I recommend Vivaldi or Mozart), and just take a nap...I'm telling you, it works wonders. Say for example Ashley and Bree are fighting again, whining for attention or getting on my last nerve...completely ignore them and???? GO TAKE A NAP. People are always being so pushy sometimes, encrouching on your space -- it's like they don 't know where to "step off", and what's a girl left to do after having to put them back in their place...(I know you're getting the hang of this now) Take a NAP.

So here are a few pictures of Bree and friends and a few repeat pictures that you've seen before that I just didn't get deleted off the smilebox. No, I haven't gotten around to take pictures of the house, it's almost like you've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Whoop-dee-doo. I'm tired...I'm going to take a nap now. p.s. Be sure to check out Bree's video at the end of the pictures on smilebox.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

GO RAPTORS!!

Go Raptors!!! Bree had her first basketball game tonight, and where or where was my camera? Not in my purse where it was supposed to be. Oh well, they looked so cute in their blue and white uniforms. I'm almost resolved to not go to another game, I really lost control. I'm one of those mothers yelling and screaming from the sidelines that usually gets evicted. John was worse than me, and Ashley is worse than both of us. Things got really wild. Boy, these girls are aggressive. I miss Bree's friends from Garfield and the YMCA's team too. Seems like Jessica and Danielle should be running up and down the court screaming at Bree to throw them the ball. It was so many girls out there. I don't know if they won or lost, there was no scoreboard, which was probably a good thing.

Other news of the day, Ashley tells me that my driver Vendan saw a ghost and now he's scared. He ran to the temple today and had ashes on his forehead. He told Ashley he was coming down the road and saw a woman in a dark purple sari with long black hair and her face was convered. And when he turned back, she was GONE. Vanished into thin air...She was standing by a tree, and now he thinks the tree is evil. Hmmm, it's been a while since I studied pantheism, isn't that like when you think spirits can get into inanimate objects...hmmm.

And on that note, I'm heading to my infrared sauna to detox and chill out. We went to HotBread after the game for some hot fries and friendly conversation with the waiters there. I like to practice my Tamil on the guys, and the lead one there is really nice. Now he's being transferred to the HotBread by the airport. Hey, nothing is forever...make the most of each day and treat all people with kindness. Chow-Chica.

SLUMDOG WINS THE OSCAR

It's kind of funny, but if you look at it through this slant, we all can really relate to Slumdog...that is, getting the correct answer by drawing on some (childhood) experience in the past. Let me see, like say what if I found someone's purse in my living room, full of rupees...(you can tell I've been in India too long, I normally would use dollars, okay.) The question is: Should I take the money and run? (a) No....(b) Yes...(c)...Get Ashley and Bree to do it for me (d) Kick it under the couch for later contemplation.....
Then my mind would race back to the days of being with one of my childhood best friends, Sharon, who had swiped her foster mother's purse and we ran off together to Montgomery Wards down the street with the money on a shopping spree, later hiding the purse in one of the bedrooms...Yes the "whoopin' of my life" is still layed into my memory. It's a wonder that I'm still alive today to tell the story...
So, despite the devil whispering in my ear "Go on, take the money and run...whooo, whoooo, whoooo....the answer is: (a) No, Marsha don't grab the purse. Yeah, I win.... I can just see the funfetti falling from the sky as I look up in joyful anticipation.
Yes, I am glad Slumdog won. My analysis on the movie, although yes, it is a love story...the real love story that no one seems to talk about is the one that occurs between the brothers. Yes, I'm the baby of the pack and I know what it's like to have pushy older siblings running the roost (ha). But remember the older brother despite all of his aggressiveness still loved the younger brother.,,he saved him from being blinded. Don't get me wrong, he did his fair share of detrimental work, but he still loved his brother and ultimately gave up his life so his brother could finally connect with his true love. Yes, the scriptures state: No greater love is this that a man will lay down his life for a friend. Yes, to me that is the true love story here.

Okay I'm off my soap box now.

Bree's Big Adventure in an Indian Village...

Well, Bree's 6th grade class went on a trip to a rural Indian village. They took cow dung, cow pee and a little sugar to make fertilizer (Bree said the sugar tasted like grape juice...) They planted seeds and put fertizer on it. I hope I can put the little video clips up. They are so cute. They rode in a tractor, and they played games. Tomorrow Bree is going away for three days. What will I do??? (hehehe)

They are going to Yeligiri Park... or something like that. I'll share more pictures with you when they get back.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIANA!!!

Well, today is my baby's birthday. Briana turned 12 today, and boy have I been suffering through her mood swings. One minute she is happy, the next...she has gotta get out of here. Anyway I'm finally getting around to posting pictures...pictures of the baptism Sunday, pictures of Bree in the hospital, pictures of the birthday cake, pictures of my friends at Tamil class learning how to bargain with the "vegetable man", etc. Bree and Ashley are out now picking out a camera for her. Hopefully that will put her into a different phase of capturing events in her life here. She really has a good eye for shots.

WHERE DID JANUARY GO?

Where did January go? Seems like it was just yesterday I was coming down from Xmas...a lot has happened this month. It seems like a blur. In reflection, I was ecstatic watching Barack get sworn in. I was one who never believed America would let a black man into that realm (Actually, I have always felt his mom deserves credit as well, but we often just see "brown" skin and categorize people into little boxes. He is just like the posters you see of him, mulitcultural and everybody gets a piece of him that way. Being in India, watching everything on tv...I miss my country and am hopeful and prayerful that everything will be all right. I hope he is successful and can bring our country together.

In one week I saw more pain and anguish since I have been in India. It started when John's driver bumped a motorcycle...I tell you, I didn't know if he had ran over this guy or what...we were talking and WHAM...just like that the accident happened. Then the next day Briana had an asthma attack...which left me running for the car and whipping it around, oblivious to never having driven here, or even attempting a left-handed shift in crazy evening traffic...well, Bri wouldn't get in the car with me...need I say more? I could have handled it. (I had sent my driver home early...) I won't begin to go into the detail and trauma of the "good meaning" doctor whose prescription sent her into antoher...no, I'll just skip it. I get so tired of having to play doctor as well. Do you know how many people die from good meaning prescriptions...Anyway, we are straight now.

Then the next day going to the hospital for her blood work, I saw a motorcycle cream a lady standing too close to the road...thank God she could get up.

Well, after having a plethora of house problems and going through my manic depressive mode, I told John I had to move. Believe it or not, the company said, yes. Then the bad news, the movers would be here like in a week. Say it ain't so...

So I've been plowing through boxes. My back just isn't the same...which I can't figure out why I signed up for a Bollywood dance class, because after the first encounter...I dropped out. There is no way I can deal with the quick jerky movements with the back problems I've been having.

Then Roy, our minister, got slashed. Last report I heard out of 57 COC ministers here, 11 died last year. Most in the rural village areas... okay....pray for Roy. I went into shock that Sunday.

Whizzing down the street with my driver a few weeks ago we hit rush hour traffic and there was a truckload of musicians, all singing and playing instruments so beautifully. My driver told me they were all blind...well, we saw Slumdog Millionaire two nights ago, and that sent me back into my manic depression. Is it really true? Is that what really happens to children to make them sing for money. I just can't take it.

Johnnie's Aunt Zella passed away this month, and we couldn't go to the funeral. I sat the kids down and told them all the stories about her that I could remember. We always had such good times with her and Uncle James...life is but a dream....WHERE DID JANUARY GO?

February has got to be better. I'll put up house pictures and twist Bri's arm...she may even let me put a picture of her getting an IV drip at the hospital up...yeah, I had a camera to distract her and calm her down...it did help. One thing is for certain...my babies has really grown up. I'm really proud of Ashley for taking charge when Bri was falling ill, and I'm proud of Bri, after getting control of her panic/anxiety attacks, understanding that God is in control and we don't have to be afraid.