Rob went out this weekend to visit some people. He had a converstion with a new friend that went something like this....
Friend: So, are you a Godfather?
Rob: A Godfather? (searching his new language vocabulary for this guy's word and meaning)
Friend: You know....a Godfather.
Rob: (Hmmmm....marlon brando, mafia, horse head in the bed....what could he mean?)
Friend: You know...a Godfather, who stands between a man and woman and tells them that NOW they are married.
Rob: OOOOhhhhhh....one of those. No. (that state of oklahoma liscense, isn't gonna do any good here)
Friend: Could you work on becoming a Godfather?
Rob: I will look into it.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Fun Never Ends Here
Culture is a thing of wonder. About the time you feel like you are ok with it, can grasp and adjust to it.... BAM..."dorothy, you aren't in Kansas anymore".
Today was one of those days when I looked at my husband and thought "how did I get myself into this?"
It all started a month or so ago when I met a girl, about my age, in my apartment complex. She and I started a conversation which led to exchanging phone numbers which led to an invitation to dinner.....ooops did I say dinner? What I thought was dinner was an invitation to karaoke with her and all of her officemates....fun times. That night I met my friend's mom, who somewhere between my rendition of Celine Dion's "I'm Your Lady" and Brittany Spears "Oops I Did It Again" became my friend.
For the new year holiday, we left the country, and my friend went to visit her husband and son, who live far away (keep in mind this is a different culture, although my mom would probably be ok right now if I would just come back and live with her, well...at least my kids).
My friend's mom started texting me last week after we arrived back home, asking me to come over to her house, that she really wanted to see me. I told her I would love to come, but was too busy last week, that this week I would have time in the afternoon. So, she called me on Friday, and asked "if I could come to her house to play". Unfortunately, both of my kids are feeling the need to stay close to the bathroom this week (I won't say more than that) and Rob was going to be out of town, so I told her my kids were sick so I couldn't come over. She called me again this morning, but we had tutoring this afternoon, and my kids didn't feel well so I told her today wasn't a good day either. She replied back .......that she would be at our house at 3pm. OK. I am trying my best to build relationships with people here, and now that I can speak a little, it is amazing the doors it opens to friendships. So.....I told her 3pm it was.
Promptly at 3pm she called and double checked my address. Then 5 minutes later, she was buzzing my apartment. Immediately she asked to see Hannah. Hannah came out and was wearing a t-shirt and a jean skirt. The temperature is very spring like here, warm with some cool moments when the wind is blowing. She bawked when she saw her, becasue she was wearing too few clothes, no wonder she was sick. She made Hannah sit down next to her, and scolded me for letting Hannah walk around the house barefoot. She said, no wonder she is sick. She inspected the bottom of Hannah's feet, her arms and nail beds, then told me Hannah's lips were too red, and that the freckles on her face were a sign that something inside was not right. She drew a diagram of the how "local" medicines could really help Hannah be more healthy. And she said I should never let Hannah or Hudson drink anything cold....nothing. And they should avoid meat and milk altogether becasue this was horrible for their health, oh and so was KFC. I should also massage Hannah's feet to the calves every night after her shower....she liked this advice.
Hannah quickly left the room.....this lady doesn't speak any English, and Hannah wasn't too sure about her poking her. Thankfully, our tutor was still at the house so she could help me with the medical words she was using. After she asked us about our bathroom habits, (quantity and quality) she said she could help us. That is when she pulled out her magazine and began selling her herbal medicines. She explained to me about buying wholesale and cutting out the middle man, etc, etc..... It was at this point that I looked at Rob, who was sitting quietly behind her with a smile/smirk on his face the whole time acting like he spoke NOTHING but English, and I thought I AM GETTING A SALES PITCH in another language. We can buy all these medicines for our kids and ourselves if we go to the special store with her, and then we would get money back, and so on and so on, and if we tell other people.....ahhh, the pyramid thing.
Come to find out, my friend sent her mom a text message which caused her mom to start calling me to begin with, that said, "my friend is fat, can you help her." Nice. Nothing like living in the land where the women are 5 feet tall and a size 2 to make you feel like a giant anyway, but I can handle it. She then began hitting my thighs and inspecting ME, asking me if my mom and grandma were fat. Had I been fat as a child or just fat after marriage and babies. I told her I had been this way since I was a child, and then she said the words I love to hear......It is my mom's fault, and her mom's before that, and her mom's before that!! YES!!!! I am relieved ....it's not my fault.......now I need a cookie or chocolate. Thankfully, she told me she could help me. If only I knew the words to explain Weight Watchers to her, but I didn't so I just sat there and listened to how her medicine could change my life. Once again, I didn't ask for this, I only wanted to be her friend, but alas....here in this country, this is what friends do, tell it like it is.
Finally after 2 hours of this, she realized that supper time had arrived, so we planned to meet again, at her house next time for another session in self-confidence. I gathered my family and our tutor and we all went to pizza hut....good thing she didn't say anything about that being bad for us.
Today was one of those days when I looked at my husband and thought "how did I get myself into this?"
It all started a month or so ago when I met a girl, about my age, in my apartment complex. She and I started a conversation which led to exchanging phone numbers which led to an invitation to dinner.....ooops did I say dinner? What I thought was dinner was an invitation to karaoke with her and all of her officemates....fun times. That night I met my friend's mom, who somewhere between my rendition of Celine Dion's "I'm Your Lady" and Brittany Spears "Oops I Did It Again" became my friend.
For the new year holiday, we left the country, and my friend went to visit her husband and son, who live far away (keep in mind this is a different culture, although my mom would probably be ok right now if I would just come back and live with her, well...at least my kids).
My friend's mom started texting me last week after we arrived back home, asking me to come over to her house, that she really wanted to see me. I told her I would love to come, but was too busy last week, that this week I would have time in the afternoon. So, she called me on Friday, and asked "if I could come to her house to play". Unfortunately, both of my kids are feeling the need to stay close to the bathroom this week (I won't say more than that) and Rob was going to be out of town, so I told her my kids were sick so I couldn't come over. She called me again this morning, but we had tutoring this afternoon, and my kids didn't feel well so I told her today wasn't a good day either. She replied back .......that she would be at our house at 3pm. OK. I am trying my best to build relationships with people here, and now that I can speak a little, it is amazing the doors it opens to friendships. So.....I told her 3pm it was.
Promptly at 3pm she called and double checked my address. Then 5 minutes later, she was buzzing my apartment. Immediately she asked to see Hannah. Hannah came out and was wearing a t-shirt and a jean skirt. The temperature is very spring like here, warm with some cool moments when the wind is blowing. She bawked when she saw her, becasue she was wearing too few clothes, no wonder she was sick. She made Hannah sit down next to her, and scolded me for letting Hannah walk around the house barefoot. She said, no wonder she is sick. She inspected the bottom of Hannah's feet, her arms and nail beds, then told me Hannah's lips were too red, and that the freckles on her face were a sign that something inside was not right. She drew a diagram of the how "local" medicines could really help Hannah be more healthy. And she said I should never let Hannah or Hudson drink anything cold....nothing. And they should avoid meat and milk altogether becasue this was horrible for their health, oh and so was KFC. I should also massage Hannah's feet to the calves every night after her shower....she liked this advice.
Hannah quickly left the room.....this lady doesn't speak any English, and Hannah wasn't too sure about her poking her. Thankfully, our tutor was still at the house so she could help me with the medical words she was using. After she asked us about our bathroom habits, (quantity and quality) she said she could help us. That is when she pulled out her magazine and began selling her herbal medicines. She explained to me about buying wholesale and cutting out the middle man, etc, etc..... It was at this point that I looked at Rob, who was sitting quietly behind her with a smile/smirk on his face the whole time acting like he spoke NOTHING but English, and I thought I AM GETTING A SALES PITCH in another language. We can buy all these medicines for our kids and ourselves if we go to the special store with her, and then we would get money back, and so on and so on, and if we tell other people.....ahhh, the pyramid thing.
Come to find out, my friend sent her mom a text message which caused her mom to start calling me to begin with, that said, "my friend is fat, can you help her." Nice. Nothing like living in the land where the women are 5 feet tall and a size 2 to make you feel like a giant anyway, but I can handle it. She then began hitting my thighs and inspecting ME, asking me if my mom and grandma were fat. Had I been fat as a child or just fat after marriage and babies. I told her I had been this way since I was a child, and then she said the words I love to hear......It is my mom's fault, and her mom's before that, and her mom's before that!! YES!!!! I am relieved ....it's not my fault.......now I need a cookie or chocolate. Thankfully, she told me she could help me. If only I knew the words to explain Weight Watchers to her, but I didn't so I just sat there and listened to how her medicine could change my life. Once again, I didn't ask for this, I only wanted to be her friend, but alas....here in this country, this is what friends do, tell it like it is.
Finally after 2 hours of this, she realized that supper time had arrived, so we planned to meet again, at her house next time for another session in self-confidence. I gathered my family and our tutor and we all went to pizza hut....good thing she didn't say anything about that being bad for us.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I Love Walnut Grove!!
This post has been a long time coming. I haven't had the time and have had other things to blog about, but now, the time has arrived for me to gush about my love for the Ingalls family.
Several months ago, our friends let Hannah borrow Season 1 of Little House on the Prairie. Since that was my ALL TIME favorite show growing up, I thought it would be fun to watch it with her, in order. Rob and I thought it might be something we could watch as a family every once in a while. Wouldn't you know everyone loves it....including Hudson.
So, we began. The first episode almost moved me to tears. There were great themes of honesty, integrity, trusting God....yes, on prime time tv many years ago. And that was just in the first episode. Episode after episode of what it means to be a family, how to love your neighbors, etc... Then there was the one where the man got drunk every night and beat his son, so Charles moves in with the man and the boy moves in with Ma and the girls while, instead of ostricizing the man, Charles walks with him through withdrawals and helps him realize he does love his son. OK....all of this was just in the first season. We have had great conversations with our kids after almost each episode. Some are just fun and funny, while some are thought provoking and full of moral truths.
I am sure I have seen every episode already, but I love watching again and again, and as Rob always says, "Another tear jerker!"
Hooray for Little House!!
Several months ago, our friends let Hannah borrow Season 1 of Little House on the Prairie. Since that was my ALL TIME favorite show growing up, I thought it would be fun to watch it with her, in order. Rob and I thought it might be something we could watch as a family every once in a while. Wouldn't you know everyone loves it....including Hudson.
So, we began. The first episode almost moved me to tears. There were great themes of honesty, integrity, trusting God....yes, on prime time tv many years ago. And that was just in the first episode. Episode after episode of what it means to be a family, how to love your neighbors, etc... Then there was the one where the man got drunk every night and beat his son, so Charles moves in with the man and the boy moves in with Ma and the girls while, instead of ostricizing the man, Charles walks with him through withdrawals and helps him realize he does love his son. OK....all of this was just in the first season. We have had great conversations with our kids after almost each episode. Some are just fun and funny, while some are thought provoking and full of moral truths.
I am sure I have seen every episode already, but I love watching again and again, and as Rob always says, "Another tear jerker!"
Hooray for Little House!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Catching Up
I have found myself in that place again....where I have so many blogs written in my mind and no time to write them. So with that said I will give you a small update and highlights from our week. Also I want to say "hi" to Joseph and Sarah Beth and say "thanks" for thinking of the O Fam!!
1. First I would like to show one of my new favorite pics. While on vacation we ran into some great Oklahoma friends who we have known for a long time....the kind of friends who you can hang out with and talk with until late in the night. They were one of the highlights of our trip. So with that said here is a pic of our cute kids together, minus hudson who had been throwing up all day, so he had to be kept separate. And, I really think Hannah should be the same size as the other 2, not looking so old. (thanks aunt heather for the cute shirt)
That is all I can think of to tell you about for now, hope you feel caught up!
1. First I would like to show one of my new favorite pics. While on vacation we ran into some great Oklahoma friends who we have known for a long time....the kind of friends who you can hang out with and talk with until late in the night. They were one of the highlights of our trip. So with that said here is a pic of our cute kids together, minus hudson who had been throwing up all day, so he had to be kept separate. And, I really think Hannah should be the same size as the other 2, not looking so old. (thanks aunt heather for the cute shirt)
2. If only you could have seen me fall down and go sliding across the garage parking lot of the mall..... It was a big WIPE OUT!! You see, the parking garage in the mall has a very smooth surface, and as I tried to avoid the speed bump, I turned and my bike went out from under me. I fell over and my bike and I went sprawling. I wasn't hurt, only scraped a little and VERY dirty. My bike, after a little adjusting, was no worse for the wear. Thankfully, there was nice man coming the other way who witnessed my accident. He kindly stopped, helped me get my bike up right, and made sure I was ok. I am sure that was quite a sight, large white woman skidding across parking lot.
3. Last week I got a call from Hudson's school. He was running at recess, tripped, and fell into some bushes and a fence and cut open his head right on the eyebrow. The teacher said, if we were in America I would probably say you needed to get a stitch or two, but here they do 1 or 2 stitches where there should be 4 or 5. Rob had a butterfly bandage he was carrying with him (you never know when it will be needed with hudson around). While he was there he decided to super glue his head together. He had an unopened tube, cleaned the wound, pinched the skin together, and glued. Hudson lost a few eyebrow hairs, but his cut looks good and I don't think the scarring will be bad at all. Way to go honey!!
4. Valentines Day. I have the best husband and kids and I love them so so much. It is our tradition for me to make my family a SPECIAL meal for V-Day. When we were in OK, I would use the best plates, silverware, tablecloths, etc for the event and make everyone's favorite dishes. So, this year was no different. My family's new favorite meal (I say new becasue I NEVER made this in OK) is chicken fried steak. Since it is extrememly unhealthy, this is only the 2nd time I have made it. Everyone was pleased to have this along with mashed potatoes and veggies. To top it off Rob made some biscuits that were heart shaped. I told you he is a GREAT guy. Here is a pic of our decorated table all ready to be eaten on. Please note the BEAUTIFUL red, pink, and white roses Rob gave me. 
And here is a pic of the heart biscuits and the chef!
5. Last week my love for technology came into full bloom. As I sat in my living room on this side of the world, my brother and sis sat in their living room in Nashville, my other brother was in Moore, and my mom in Edmond....and together we raced each other playing Mario Kart on the wii. Now that really really blows my little mind. However, it was so fun. When I saw my family's miis pop up on my TV it was so exciting. What makes it even better is that our wii was bought here and uses the japanese operating system, no english. It was quite a feat but thanks to skypeing with Ryan and him showing me the English on his screen, we figured it all out. Please keep in mind that my family is very competitive, so this begins a whole new world for the Wagoner family. Let the gaming continue!! It's a small world after all! Here is Hudson sporting his Valentine present from his nana. He is the most excited to play his uncles in Mario Kart. 
That is all I can think of to tell you about for now, hope you feel caught up!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Beach Hair
Here is a little souvenier from our time on vacation. Sadly....Hannah's hair is back to normal, but it was cute while it lasted.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Some of our FAVORITE people!!
With February comes some birthdays for the O Fam. Not any of the 4 of us, but some of our favorite people.
Yesterday was my brother Ryan's birthday. Hudson quickly expressed that the person he admires most was his Uncle Ryan. While I am sure he loves the fact that Ryan has a pinball machine, a BIG projection tv, a wii, PS3, etc in his bachelor pad and that Ryan gets to play basketball for a living, he also said Ryan is just really really nice to him, and he likes him. At this point in Hudson's life, he is aspiring to someday play basketball for Uncle Ryan. This is his highest goal for now. 
The other night during our family devotions, we were talking about Phil. 4:8-9. We spent quite a bit of time giving examples, positive and negative of things we should and shouldn't dwell on. When we got the phrase, "whatever is admirable.." we began talking about things we admire and people we admire. Rob asked the kids about someone they admired. It just so happens that Hudson's #1 and Hannah's #1 both have birthdays yesterday and tomorrow. So, I thought I would share their answers with everyone and honor some of our most ADMIRABLE people.
Yesterday was my brother Ryan's birthday. Hudson quickly expressed that the person he admires most was his Uncle Ryan. While I am sure he loves the fact that Ryan has a pinball machine, a BIG projection tv, a wii, PS3, etc in his bachelor pad and that Ryan gets to play basketball for a living, he also said Ryan is just really really nice to him, and he likes him. At this point in Hudson's life, he is aspiring to someday play basketball for Uncle Ryan. This is his highest goal for now. And, Hannah's most ADMIRABLE person is her Aunt Krista. Hannah has always had a special place in her heart for her aunt. Hannah loves going to her shows, hearing her sing and act, and hoping that someday she will have the opportunity to be in a show like Krista. Hannah loves to sing, and sad to say, it isn't becasue I can sing, but becase Krista does.
Happy Birthday Krista and Ryan!!!
You are loved and ADMIRED!!!!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Happy New Year....again
Words cannot describe the evening we are having. There is nothing in my life that could even come close to telling you about what the last night of the Lunar New Year's Celebration is like here. As I type, it is 10:30pm and fireworks of all kind have been going off continually for the last 4 or 5 hours. I have never been in a war zone, but I can almost guess what it might sound like. The explosions from the firecrackers, rockets, and every kind of fire device you can think of are echoing off the concrete buildings, so the sound is ricocheting everywhere. I doubt we will sleep for a while.
The best part was that from about 6:30-9:30 we were apart of the noise and mayhem. We met our friends out on the street for a picnic about 6:30. Please notice we are sitting on the median of the street. Bike lane behind us, car lane in front. While the kids were excited to shoot fireworks,
the dads....ROB and E....were the most excited. 
Since we arrived home from vacation 3 days ago, Rob can't resist the fireworks stands...that are on every corner. He has been bringing them home for 3 days. Two nights ago we went up on the roof of our apartment and shot 3 massive explosions off....the kind you aren't able to buy in America, unless you are a professional. Amazing. Then today he and his friend E went to lunch and both came back with firework fun for the whole family. The kids had a GREAT time.
The moms had a great time when it was over and all children still had 10 fingers and toes.
There was only one time when it was a little touch and go....some neighbors came along beside us and didn't use the caution that we were using. Their rocket was stuck in the ground too hard....it didn't rise into the air so it exploded on the ground. We migrated quickly away from this crew. 
Some of the mess we made on the street. 
All in all, it was a great night, and another "new" holiday for us to look forward to. I will leave you with a small video of one of our explosions, not a good video, but you can hear the sounds in the background and the excitement of the kids....note the car driving by and how the children are really too close to the action. The best is one screaming "daddy's gonna die!"
The best part was that from about 6:30-9:30 we were apart of the noise and mayhem. We met our friends out on the street for a picnic about 6:30. Please notice we are sitting on the median of the street. Bike lane behind us, car lane in front. While the kids were excited to shoot fireworks, the dads....ROB and E....were the most excited. Since we arrived home from vacation 3 days ago, Rob can't resist the fireworks stands...that are on every corner. He has been bringing them home for 3 days. Two nights ago we went up on the roof of our apartment and shot 3 massive explosions off....the kind you aren't able to buy in America, unless you are a professional. Amazing. Then today he and his friend E went to lunch and both came back with firework fun for the whole family. The kids had a GREAT time.The moms had a great time when it was over and all children still had 10 fingers and toes.There was only one time when it was a little touch and go....some neighbors came along beside us and didn't use the caution that we were using. Their rocket was stuck in the ground too hard....it didn't rise into the air so it exploded on the ground. We migrated quickly away from this crew. Some of the mess we made on the street. All in all, it was a great night, and another "new" holiday for us to look forward to. I will leave you with a small video of one of our explosions, not a good video, but you can hear the sounds in the background and the excitement of the kids....note the car driving by and how the children are really too close to the action. The best is one screaming "daddy's gonna die!"Happy New Year!!
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