lighting of the lanterns

i could totally do without the masquerade of fireworks here this time of year. it is loud and wild and long. over 2 weeks of non-stop banging after 9 p.m. BUT at the end of it all is the lantern festival and i love doing the lanterns. never did it as a kid, but it sparks this child-like nostalgia in me. kev bought 2 lanterns this year for us to light. they are like mini hot air balloons. you light a little kerosene lamp at the bottom, then wait for the lantern to fill with hot air, let it go and watch it float up into the sky until you can't see it anymore.

our first lantern went up with such grace.

our 2nd lantern...not so graceful. the wind carried it into a tree and then up up under the 7th story awning of the apartments next door. would have gotten a picture, but i was too busy standing there, biting my nails and imagining the building bursting into flames. kev was busy rushing around trying to figure out how to get help. all the bystanders just stood there with us....staring at the flaming lantern in the awning.

weston thought the whole thing was quite exciting. never a dull moment. seriously.

thankfully, after 15 minutes or so, it lost momentum and floated down to the ground leaving the building (and the awning) unscathed. next year we'll choose a really open space!

lantern festival

we surprised w the other night and went out after dinner to a famous walking street in our neighborhood. they had it all done up for the recent festivities around here.

kev and i did something out of the ordinary for us (especially for my dear introvert hubby) and chose the busiest night of the busiest time of year to go to the busiest place in town. lets just say it made day-after-thanksgiving shopping seem serene.

but we did it anyway and it was awesome. these people do not joke around when it comes to dazzle.

free photos of the foreigners. aren't they handsome?!

we had such a fun night. w kept saying; "isn't it beautiful mommy?" i think we started a new tradition.

little valentines

w was in a wedding saturday with his best little buddy here. she is full of sass and spunk. can you tell? weston is wild about her and, much to our surprise, was quite enthusiastic about being center stage with hundreds of googling locals watching him.

the mountains

got back from our big trip. it was really sweet. God answered so many prayers and showed His favor in countless ways. traveling, as always here, had it's share of challenges...altitude sickness, travelers tummy, long bus rides, temperatures so chilly at night that the water around the toilet was frozen (yes inside!), and eating extravagant amounts of pig fat. the challenges, however, did not compare with the joys we experienced perched up in the mountains last week.

we soaked in the fresh air and bright sun

 w became quite the farmer, insisting on going with our friends every morning to feed the pigs

and keeping watch over the cows as well

our comfy abode also happened to be the meat locker

i especially loved the part when kev was cleaning up a mess w made so that it wouldn't attract the mice and our sweet host laughed and said; "oh mice! there are tons of mice in here. they like to eat the meat." yeah... there were benefits to not understanding the language.

the scenery was breath-taking. but even more beautiful than that are the people. we were so loved and so blessed by these wonderful friends who, having so little, gave so lavishly.