Australia and New Zealand February 2008

We decided to take advantage of the fact that we live as close to Oceania as we ever will, so the last leg of our month-long adventure took us to Australia and New Zealand. We spent 3 very full days in Sydney, eating great food, celebrating Billy's birthday, and walking all over this lively and extremely livable city. Then we spent a full week in New Zealand, where the breathtaking views literally made our lungs expand with each exclamation. It felt so good to be able to let Will run around without having to tell him no at every turn, as we have to, living in a city with limited space. This was one heck of a month - wistful that family vacation is coming to an end, but excited for Billy's new job and our next few months in Singapore.

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Kerala, India February 2008

After the excitement of the New Year, we went on a 4 day trip without Will. We were in Kerala, a southwestern Communist state in India known for its old colonial charm and lazy "backwaters." The colors, sounds, and smells of India are as vibrant as one would imagine, yet in Kerala, there was a deep sense of peace and calm, especially since we spent some time on a boat cruising - seemingly without aim - along what is known as the backwaters. We missed Will terribly, but also appreciated being alone together and having time to relax and catch up on some reading and writing.

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Chinese New Year February 2008

After Cambodia, it was off to Taiwan for the Lunar New Year. We arrived a few days early to do a commercial shoot for Nac Nac, a line of babycare products from brenda's dad's company. It was a very...unique and memorable experience, to say the least! This Chinese New Year, it was unusually cold in Taiwan, so we spent most of our time huddled at home together, eating, talking, playing mah-jong, the Taiwan edition of Monopoly, and following Super Tuesday results on TV. It is so meaningful to watch Will inherit and carry on this most precious of family traditions.

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Cambodia February 2008

Billy starts a new job in March, so we decided to take all of February off to do a bit of traveling. First stop, Siem Reap in Cambodia. The ruins of Angkor Wat temple is the most well-known, but we quickly realized that there are also many other temples that are equally awe-inspiring. There is a real sense of peace in these temples and something almost other worldly about the quality of the light. Will had a blast trekking through the temples and taking more than his share of tumbles and falls. People were friendly and laid back and the food was absolutely beautiful.

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