India, Baby

Well, I'm in India. Noida to be exact. They have me staying in some great apartments even though they are in the middle of nowhere. In fact, most of them are empty and still under construction. BUT the locals assure me that the address I am at is the new posh district. Take a look at the pics and tell me how posh it is. Actually, the units really are nice.

The smog is absolutely unbelievable. My eyes actually burn at times. Since they are having a record cold spell, it will hit freezing tonight, all the homeless or tent/shack dwellers are burning files of foul smelling wood and stuff. It almost smells like sandal wood. Regardless, it makes for an interesting stay.

Noida,India

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I went to dinner last night in the equivalent of a food court. The food was good but it was really weird to have to go through a metal detector just to get into the mall area. Its crazy but I understand why with the killings, bombings, and stuff.

These shacks are crazy and literally right behind the house. I can throw rocks from the balcony and hit it if I tried. I also watched these women with baskets on their head move an entire mound of dirt. A tractor could have made short work of the dirt in 3-4 scoops but they just kept walking from one mound and spreading the dirt out in this open area. They were done by end of day and it probably cost a butt load less than hiring a tractor. Makes it easy to see how the pyramids we built.

India

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That reddish looking shack is a tea shop and cafe. Not sure I will be visiting that one.

The smog is horrible here. I actually had my eyes burnin. A lot of the poor people are burning trash or something to keep warm as India is experiencing record cold temp. It should be freezing tomorrow.

Its actually not as bad as I initially thought. Yes, the apt is miles from anywhere and I feel like a prisoner at times but work is good and its pretty interesting here by the office. I'll get some pics of it but it is amazing how you can have a modern office bldg in a slummy neighborhood that the locals say is actually pretty nice. Wow, how perceptions rule our thinking. I suppose its really not that bad.

Hangin in Singapore

Well, I am here in Singapore and at this point am actually headed to the airport to fly to India. I'm going to be in Noida for almost a month. I'm kind of looking forward to it but I'm really beginning to miss the family and I haven't even been gone a week. I did get out and see quite a bit of the city and met some old friends a few nights. It was wonderful seeing them after 6 years. It was amazing...Just sat down and picked up the conversation like nothing no time had passed at all. Kristoff and Simmone are doing fantastic and are trying for kids. They really haven't changed a bit. Good on them. I didn't even get sick this time! Anyway, if you want to see more pics than this click the pic below to go to picassaweb

Singapore Photos

Playing with the new toys

Ahh, the joy of parenting...toys that require"some assembly". Alex got this Kenex Roller Coaster that stands 5 ft tall! Took 3 days to actually build the dang thing. Needless to say, itys the funnest stuff we got...Plus all pics are taken on my new camera :) alex too to Othello like a champ and beat Cristy right out of teh gate. Smart kid.


 

Family Photos

We finally got the pics back after a couple of months and we love them. The one of all of us sits over the mantle now. I hated spending the money but it seems to be worth it. We needed these to capture all of us at this point in our lives. 

Hard Rockin Guitar Heroes

I got a Guitar Heroe game for my BD this year and it is so much fun. We have all become addicted to it, including the kids. Alex and Wes love to jam when they can and Max likes to get into the mix. Needless to say, Cristy is by far the best in the house. It must come fromall those years of being a GNR junkie.
 

We're going riding on the Polar Express

The Heber City Historic Railroad puts on a Polar Express trip every year. This is an absolute blast since my kids love the PoleEx. They serve hot chocolate, have a Conductor and Santa is picked up in the middle of a snow covered valley about 30 min into the wilderness. His sleigh is having issues and he needs a lift. Finally, he meets all the children and gives them a silver bell. It was so much fun and the kids loved it so much. Looks like we are starting a new tradition.

 

More Powell pics

 

Fun on Lake Powell

This actually went down in Oct but I forgot to post the pics. My bro has a house boat on the lake and the clan gathered. We had a blast. We fished, skied, and tubed. The boys had a knock off challenge and it was pretty brutal. My bro Robby and I were thrown from the tubes at ~35-40 mph and it HURT. We did get it on video and I truly skipped across the water n my face! All in all, we had an absolute blast.

 

Fall Fun

Fall has officially arrivd when th eleaves begin to fall, and boy do we have leaves. This pile is from one of the Aspen trees we have and we have tons of pears too. The kids love it though. Alex wanted us to bury him in the leaves and we obliged. The third pic is really cool because we got the leaves in focus and Alex in the background. Its a pretty neat effect.
 

All Hallows Eve.

Just a couple shots of our new dalmation and a roque clone trooper. They ended up with quite a haul too. Dad had to tax it! 

Cub Scout Regatta

Alex had his first Cub Scout Regatta in late Oct. He is such a man. He made his own boat, for the most part, and it did pretty well. He was very proud of it and I am very proud of him. Go Alex!
 

A warm day at the Pumpkin Patch

We took th eboys to get pumpkins mid Oct and it was WARM. We were all in shorts and having a blast. The kids loved the hayride and Alex thought the tractors were the best thing since popcorn. We cam ehome with entirely too many pumpkins but had a blast anyway. Soak up all the warmth possible until winter arrives.