We got invited to Taylor's 1st birthday party. It was the best kid's party ever! They had tons of kid's activities, including face painting, a balloon maker and a bouncy castle, and so on and on… It was like a private carnival. 

She doesn't seem very pleased with the (bat-like) butterfly.

Hello, birthday girl!
Thank you Wishik family for letting us be part of your very special day! What an amazing party. We had a blast~

My parents and I took the kids for a little play time at a local park in the morning. 

 "Design Journeys" exhibition by AIGA in New York. 

Shane's room…

Chloe's room

The weather was brutally hot this weekend. The kids played in the pool in the morning but other than that we stayed indoors with AC hard at work. Chloe got to see Toy Story 2 with Andrew and she loved it. We kept the activities to low-key for the most part but had so much fun just hanging out with the kids at home.

We went to Sprayground at Dorbrook Recreation Area, Colts Neck, NJ. This place is a perfect spot for little toddlers to safely run around and get cooled by spraying water jets. It was easy for Andrew and myself to hang out, watching the kids from the distance from time to time, rather than accompanying them the whole time. 

Chloe and Shane are ecstatic that we came back. Shane was practically glued to my side the entire weekend. Chloe enjoyed telling us all about her week at school. They were very sweet and at their best behavior. Will see how long this will last. Feels really good to be home…at last. 

We had our last dinner in Africa on the beach. The sky was clear and as we saw shooting stars, we made a wish to come back here with the kids when they got little older to do some service work. 

Africa is a beautiful place, not like any other places I've been to. In such a short period of time, we felt the vastness of the land and witnessed the "circle of life". We also went from seeing the village people's humble lifestyles to experiencing the most luxurious wedding I've been to. It's hard to pin point and grasp what the trip has taught me yet. Too many things to digest and think about over the next couple of days, or weeks. One thing though…I promised myself never to forget the lesson I learned from Dee and the people we met. Staying positive and enjoying what we have. "No problem" is the phrase we most heard during this trip. If they have no problem, what do I have to complain about in life? 

Although we very much enjoyed looking for wildlife during the safari trip, I most enjoyed the landscape. There was nothing on the field. Nothing. Just the land and the sky but it was the most incredible sight in my eyes. How can nothingness be so breathtaking? Such silence in the field felt so roaring… I never felt so close to sky… heaven… 

And the wedding… 

Aleena and Samir, we wish you all the happiest in the world. Thank you for letting us be part of your magnificent wedding. It's truly memorable. 

I thank God for this amazing adventure as we head back to the States. 

PS. We counted the number of times we were on the air. 11 times total . Crazy!

We're always the first ones to arrive at meal time.

The party isn't over yet.

We stayed up until 4 a.m. last night. The last time we did that was probably in our  mid 20s… I'm so proud of us.

We stuffed ourselves with delicious Indian food everyday. I'm really going to miss NOT cooking and being served…

Are you a spider?

MIdsummer Night's Dream Invite:

Grand Reception

Dinner & Dance

Attire: Dress to Impress

Talking to my loving kids back home.

Shane: "Hello? Hello? Mommy? I miss you. Daddy? Mommy? I love you…"

Chloe: "Mommy, I miss you. Are you buying me presents? I want princess stickers, microphone, giant strawberry lollipop, …., …., "

I had so much fun playing with Fabienne's kids. They are my new buddies. They made me miss my own kids… 

We had a "HIgh Tea" time every afternoon around 4pm. Delicious fresh coffee with crepes with nutella. This is the way to live.