Hong Kong Melver

Melvers live in Saudi

2009-07-31T02:02:00.000-07:00

Our time in Hong Kong has come to an end. A new exciting life in Arabia begins.
Come continue the journey abroad with us at Melvers of Arabia. See you there!
Hugs!
The Melvers 4

Our little rock star

2009-01-11T06:20:00.000-08:00

Sleeping on YouTube

Looks like Anika had one too many orange juices and socked out in our bed. We love this girl!

Merry Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

PART ONE: Saskia gets a baby doll
Bigger on YouTube

Christmas eve was perfect this year: we stayed home, had the traditional meatball meal, sang carols, listened to internet Christmas radio and opened our packages together. Tante Annelise was here from the states. It was warm and cozy. With all the news from the states about 3 foot snow drifts and chains to go grocery shopping, our blustery 65 degree weather with no chance of even a drop of rain hardly seems like Christmas in Tacoma or Bend. Yet somehow, this evening, it still felt like home to us.

The videos here are of our packages. There are more videos to be made: Anikas two seasonal performances (one at school and one at church) for one. We hope that you'll come back more than once to sit and open our gifts with us. Thanks to all our awesome family that got gifts out the door and to us in time for the holiday. Even though we are so far away, we feel the love in every small wrapped bundle that comes to our doorstep.

Peace and a very merry Christmas holiday to all. We love you!

PART TWO: Anika gets a bike
Better on YouTube

Pool party in the city!

2008-10-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

Hey, just some quick pictures of our cutie patooties. We went to a BBQ at our new friends Lauren and Keith's place in the midlevels. Keith works for Morgan Stanley (for now anyway) and they have a SWEET pad on the hill overlooking downttown Hong Kong. I have never been to such a sweet apartment pool. You can just see the skyline behind us. Lauren's parents were in town, so she had a few of us friends over to meet the family. Look how cute Saskia and keith are sitting next to each other. Baldies. They got along like gang busters.

Here's a great picture of Anika and Daddy. The "baby pool" was way warmer than the grown up pool, which is why everyone is in the little pool on this cool 87 degree day. Brrr. Anika had an exciting moment in the grown up pool when she took a step of the edge and realized it was a bit deeper than our pool at Granville Garden. Erik jumped in after her one millisecond before the life guard did. It was one of those moments in parenthood when you feel like everything is frozen in time.

Here's a great shot of Saskia and Daddy later in the evening.

And another one of Saskia walking to the elevator on our way out,

cause of course in Hong Kong, pools are on the 7th floor.

More to come...

In case you were wondering....

2008-10-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, the Melvers are,in fact, still alive. It was a hectic summer, and has been a crazy start to the school year. Our first quarter just ended last week. Unbelievable.

Erik is particularly busy with his regular teaching and directing duties, being the amazing Dad that he is, an incredibly loving and attentive husband, AND taking two on-line classes towards his teaching certification. Most of you know he started this program in Bangkok last summer and will finish it up next summer. (You can expect a post or two featuring some of his new fun friends from his program. In particular, Lauren and her partner Keith, who live in Hong Kong, and have become great friends and introduced us to some fabulous restaurants, bars and hot spots. Can you say Philipino cover band? Sweet.)

That being said, I am going to step in a little more, to help keep everyone updated on the Melver sitch. I am feeling more confident about this blogging thing everyday. So stay tuned, there might be some updates from the summer and early fall, but mostly I think we'll just keep you posted from here on out.

Things to look forward to:

1. Pictures of Anika in her school uniform
2. Video of Saskia WALKING.
3. Updates on our job/home hunt process.
4. Pictures and videos of the entire family.
5. More fun stories about and pictures of the big sih-tay (including flip footage of Heather and Erik rocking out to said Philipino cover band!)

You can expect the first real post this weekend. And we'll be back to weekly posts (at least) after that. Thanks for hanging in there with us.

Blowing Bubbles in the park

2008-05-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day: naps by everyone and then out to the park for a picnic and some bubble blowing. Heather was behind the camera for most of these and caught some awesome bubbleness.

Anika really starting becoming an artist with the wand after about 5 minutes. She's a natural. And going out and blowing bubbles every other day with Lilian really helps, too.

Chasing the bubbles is the best part. After a while, it's more fun to let daddy blow the bubbles and get all the kids to come around to help clobber some bubbles before they hit the ground.

After watching Anika's expertise, I started finding a flow myself. Check out this series of shots from Heather. That one bubble is as big as my head. Nice capture, honey!

And who says you still can't have a blast for a dollar any more?

Saskia's many faces

2008-05-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

Trying to explain parenthood to anyone that isn't a parent is hard sometimes. So I'll let the pictures shine a little light on what it's like to watch a baby grow in the first year so you can begin to appreciate the miraculous transformation that happens literally day-to-day right in front of you.

Saskia is at that awesome age where it's like her body and our brains are trying to figure out what the heck she is. The following photos were taken in just the last 20 days.

Is she a little boy?

A rabid, mini Beethoven?

A bald, darling little girl?

An old man?

In need of a commercial contract?

A bit clueless?

A charmer?

A middle aged Senator?

A henchman for some mafia don rolling up on you in her low-rider while you're doing something you ain't supposed to be doing and are about to take a ride to go "sleep with the fishes?"

Or is she just almost 1 year old?

Anika says: "No, daddy, that's Saskia."

Whatever she is, we'll definitely keep her.

Anika in focus

2008-05-15T00:53:00.000-07:00

How fast they grow.

Anika is three (looking like four) and testing us on so many levels as parents.

We love the adventure we are on and fall more in love with both our girls every day.

Anika's 3rd Birthday

2008-05-05T21:16:00.000-07:00

Presents on YouTube

Anika is on her way to 4 in a hurry. This little princess is officially recognized as a paying member of Hong Kong's subway and bus system and can no longer get into Disneyland for free. It's a whole new chapter for our little family.

We wanted to do a huge party with all her friends from the clubhouse downstairs. We had all the decorations and invites planned and then the clubhouse had both weekends booked for other parties already. So we opted to go easy on big plans (our apartment is big but not big enough to have 12 little girls running around for a couple hours). Anika dressed up anyway and we had a blast.

Hopefully we can make up the lost opportunity for a princess party this summer with family.

Erik's Birthday 2008

2008-04-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Big Screen Blowout

Birthday was a bit harried this year between school life and buying groceries. That sounds awful but the truth is sweet somehow.

35 came and went like a flicker of the flame on the candles. We have plans to celebrate in a bigger fashion this summer with all our family and friends back in the NW.

For the time being, here is how we front the b-day HK style.

Daddy Cam

2008-04-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Crawling onto YouTube

Here's another Daddy cam moment. Sunday afternoon and Saskia is crawling and standing up on her own. Everything small enough to put in her mouth gets a taste which means one of us is on baby duty constantly. Might as well make a movie, eh?

If you listen really closely you may catch the sound of Anika avoiding her nap in the background.

Disney Spring Break 2008

2008-04-05T00:35:00.000-07:00

Spring Tube

So why all the Disney?

Quick answer: why not?

Longer answer: we have an annual membership and the girls get in the park free before their third birthday. It's an easy way to kill time, cheap(er) when you bring sandwiches and your own drinks and since Anika is terrified of most of the rides we will have a lot of discoveries and new "brave moments" for her to experience in the years to come.

Saskia stayed home with Lilian this time which made our day in Mouseland much quicker to get around (we didn't have to carry all the extra equipment for the infant). It's much better that way as Saskia gets the naps and food she needs and Lilian gets a little bit of a break. Usually Lilian would be home with both girls while we are at work. Today she gets to read a book while Saskia naps most of the afternoon. Just one of the perks of having in house help with kids and cleaning.

Anika's Stickers

2008-03-26T03:04:00.000-07:00

Sticking to YouTube

Watching kids, especially little kids, really helps you appreciate the small things.

Development of motor skills is a gradual process: who knew? I must have always thought that everyone popped out of mom ready to master the Rubik's cube. Watch here as Anika shows us her new favorite hobby: stickers. Notice that it really has little to do with final placement in the book but rather just getting the things off the sheet. Mind and fingers working in tandem to accomplish a basic but necessary task for life.

Next up: buttoning and unbuttoning buttons.

Let's Dance!

2008-03-23T22:30:00.000-07:00

Dance on the tube

Anika likes to dance to the Curious George Soundtrack. A lot. Stay tuned for more dancing to come. We all like to get jiggy as a fam on a regular basis.

Happy easter and spring break everyone!

Saskia Crawling

2008-03-16T06:08:00.001-07:00

Crawling on YouTube

So a lot has happened between Christmas and now. Here is the most exciting news of the year so far. Saskia started crawling this week. If you don't have a webcam, seriously consider getting one and call us on Skype. You could see this baby live!

Saskia, 6 months

2007-12-31T13:23:00.000-08:00

Saskia Tube

Adorable footage care of Heather-cam.

This is an example of the simple joy of being a parent: watching your kid figure out they have hands.

Can't think of a better way to bring in the new year.

Peace to all.

Christmas Afternoon, Part 2

2007-12-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

Full Screen on YouTube

Here we go again. Recap, rides and cotton candy. There is dancing and this is where the snow comes into play. I should mention that this video is not for the cynical-of-heart or bah-humbugs out there. If you can't stand cute kids, I would not play this video at all costs.

To the rest of you: enjoy!

More to come everyday until January 6. Then it's back to business as usual and giving my blogging fingers a break.

Christmas Afternoon, Disney Part 1

2007-12-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

Full Screen on YouTube

This is the first of two parts from our Disney Christmas afternoon. More cute stuff from the girls and commentary from the boys (namely me).

We did not have nearly the paparazzi experience that Thanksgiving showed us at the park. Must have been the day...everyone was on their best behavior. That said, I should mention that Saskia does get as much of a crowd as Anika does. Sometimes when I have her in the Bjorn (front pack) I feel like a mannequin just standing there with her latched on and everyone staring. I wouldn't have it any other way, of course.

Tomorrow we continue with the one-vid-per day extravaganza until January 6. It's getting tougher since my material is getting used up and family is about to arrive from the states. So don't expect too many more of these epic 8 minute webisodes. They take too long to produce. Believe it or not, I do have a life past the camera and the blog.

Happy new year, y'all. See you tomorrow.

Christmas Morning, Stocking stuffers

2007-12-28T05:59:00.000-08:00

Tube Stockings

Anika "gets" her first Christmas stocking. Erik gets "cubed" and Heather is, well, "UNO."

12 days, 12 videos continues tomorrow with a Christmas trek to the magic kingdom. There is snow in Hong Kong.

Stay tuned!

Christmas Morning, Santa's Gift

2007-12-27T04:53:00.001-08:00

Santa Tube

Now that the video from Christmas eve is tapped out, it's time to move on to Christmas morning. Santa came with a big present for Anika and stocking stuff for the whole family.

So presents today, stockings tomorrow. 12-days of Christmas with a video in your stocking everyday until January 6. Merry holidays everyone.

Christmas Eve, Music & Carols

2007-12-26T06:12:00.000-08:00

Carols on YouTube

Heather said to me this afternoon that she's worried this third and final Christmas eve segment might run on too long and will be boring for many of you.

And she is probably right.

However, it's Christmas and you have to play some songs and sing a little bit. So even though this selection could have been edited down, I tried to leave in some serious attempts at whole verses along with the funny failures to highlight my hit and miss musical ability on the keys.

And come on, people! Have any of you broken the news to Heather that she married a dork? I look at some of these vids and cringe at some of the things I say, how I look, what I'm wearing (I mean, the dancing, please)...BUT, in the end, I think time and our old age will look back on these blogs fondly. In fact, I'm betting on it. So, in the spirit of our personal humanity and for the children's sake, I say: let us put ourselves out there boldly, keep our dorky head up and wave off the niggling feeling that it's all a big mistake.

Furthermore, I told Heather that we have to savor the moments and post these precious chapters for us. Five days from now people are going to be onto the next thing. A month from now, no one will care. And a year from now, who knows, maybe it will only be me looking back. Nevertheless, we'll always be able to log on and show off our first Christmas in Hong Kong from anywhere in the world with all it's zits and pits for posterity.

As a parent and as a proud camera ham, I get a kick out of this stuff!

And just think, honey! It is something that we can always hang over our children when they become teenagers: "Saskia, if you don't clean up your room and finish your chores I'm sending all your friends on Facebook the music and carols from 2007." Or, "Anika, if you use that tone with your mother one more time I will send out the '07 Dumbo footage to your boyfriend." This project will come in handy in a 1001 ways by the time we are 90.

Tune in tomorrow as our 12 days of video links continues with footage from Christmas morning. Disneyland will follow right after that and then Annelise arrives in time for New Years. The hits just keep on coming...we hope, dear viewer, bored or not, you'll leave a comment!

Christmas Eve, Unwrapping Packages

2007-12-25T07:13:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Day!

Part 2 of 3 from Christmas Eve. Saskia breaks her first wrapping paper at her first Christmas outside the womb. Anika is showing definite signs of "getting it." Unwrapping presents is fun!

Tune in tomorrow for the next video installment of the 12 days of Christmas Hong Kong style brought to you from the house of Melver abroad.

Presents and gift giving is a full 12 day affair at our house. On Christmas eve, gifts are opened from Heather's side of the family and Yule Nissen (Norwegian Santa-troll). On Christmas day, Erik's side of the family arrives under the tree and Santa has a few things from the chimney. Every day, December 25 through Jan. 5 is a stocking stuffer and on January 6 (Epiphany; the wise men, all that) we open gifts from each other. It's a tradition started by my folks with us kids growing up and really stretches the holiday out. While there is a lot of gifts, it also keeps the real reason for Christmas and the nativity story alive somehow. Suddenly the wisemen from the East aren't an afterthought.

The downside? Telling kids at recess on January 4 when you get back to school that you don't know what your parents got you. You haven't opened your presents yet.

Christmas Eve, Dinner & Dancing

2007-12-24T11:22:00.000-08:00

A very merry Christmas friends and family!

We love you. We miss you. And we hope you'll take a minute to come have dinner and to dance a little bit. While there are so many miles between us here and you there, the next 12 days of Christmas are going to be filled with video of our time on vacation away from school and hanging out with the girls.

Life size on YouTube

We even gave our nanny, Lillian, tickets home to the Phillipines for the holiday (her first time for Christmas in over 14 years!) so that we could dedicate our full attention to the two people that matter most to us: Anika & Saskia. While I'm not looking forward to all the cooking and cleaning while the help is away, I am reminded of how blessed we are in all that we have, the friends that we can call on, the family that supports and encourages us and, especially, each other.

Thank you all for being such a vital and amazing part of our life as a fam.

Mor Mor & Mor Far lay over

2007-12-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

Lay on YouTube.

Heather's folks stopped by on their way back to the states. We did lunch and played at Snoopy World for a bit before they got back on a plane. We'll see them again just in time for new years eve celebrations.

This isn't the most exciting video but precious in it's own way. Saskia is sitting up in a high chair out in public for the first time. She'll be running around with Anika before we know what hit us.

Also noteable: Mor Far Mark is where Anika gets a bunch of her looks.

Happy Birthday Grandma Carol!

2007-12-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

Happy YouTube it!

Since we live so far away, this is going to have to do for the time being until we see you live and in person come Spring, Grandma Carol.

Hey everyone! Erik's mom is turning 39 again this year and all of Hong Kong is coming out to celebrate. There are special outdoor BBQs planned, a candle lighting ceremony on a giant cake at New Town Plaza (the local mall) and a dragon boat race down the spill way right in front of our apartment...all in her honor. The Chinese know how to do it right! Wish you were here to see it!

Seriously, Mom, we love you, we miss you and we hope that the year ahead brings more blessings and rest to your home in Bend, Oregon. We'll call you soon!

(Everyone leave comments for my mom! Even if you don't know her. Just layer it on.)

Crazy like Sunday Morning

2007-12-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

Hard to read? Check on YouTube for the blow up version.

Here is what happens when the girls wake up early on a Sunday morning and I haven't had my coffee yet. Let the operative word start with a C end with a Y and raz you in the middle. Fashizzle!

Gibbs brothers in Hong KongThe graffiti tour

2007-12-06T06:16:00.000-08:00

Ed and Geoff of Fools Play Improv fame came for a visit over Thanksgiving.
By the time they left we had walked over half the city,

found some amazing new restaurants

and I lost all my hair.

After taking a couple hours of video footage this was the most interesting bit. Ed is a graffiti connoisseur and gave as a tour (pre-haircut) of a couple back alleys in the big city to hunt for sprayed treasures before heading out for some fantastic Lebanese food.

Get the big picture with YouTube.

Hong Kong DisneyThe Carousel

2007-12-01T05:23:00.000-08:00

Around again with Youtube

This has to be one of my top 5 favorite captured moments with Anika on camera. I thought about editing out the parts where she goes into shadow and is back lit but there is something about the genuine nature of the thing that I didn't want to lose. So I didn't touch it.

From my extremely biased point of view, daddy's girl pushed the hook deeper into daddy's heart with this one. It was soon after reviewing this footage that we decided an annual pass to the park was worth the pennies.

Hong Kong DisneyThe Paparazzi

2007-12-01T00:22:00.000-08:00

Flash over to YouTube

Anika seems to be a phenomenon everywhere we go.

The Chinese love babies. They flirt with them openly, reaching out and touching them whenever they can, even if the baby isn't theirs.

But Disneyland seems to bring out a whole different side of Anika's fan base. To date this is the most extreme case of baby fanatacism we've seen. Blond hair and blue eyes combined with Anika's charm and blown kisses are an unstoppable magnet. Maybe we should set up a booth next visit and pay for our annual membership in one go, eh?

Hong Kong DisneyThe Rides

2007-11-29T05:08:00.000-08:00

Take a ride on YouTube~

Thanksgiving this year was pork roast. And what better way to celebrate turkey-day than to get out to Hong Kong Disney and listen to Christmas music.

This is the first in a series of video logs dedicated to a new holiday tradition for the Melver family overseas: paying (and by paying, I mean literally) a visit to the mighty mouse down the street.

Anika and Saskia are the perfect age for this little (and growing) version of the Magic Kingdom. The rides are so much more fun with a video camera.

Fan Counter reveals worldwide audience

2007-11-26T16:52:00.000-08:00

So I'm not sure who you are in Iceland but it's cool to know you are tuning in and checking out the blog. Even if it is for only 2 seconds.

About a week ago, I put a stat counter on the blog (see column to the right under Visits since November) to get a notion of how much traffic we see and who is watching us. The results are in and a fascinating look emerges at who is tuning in. We have had almost 200 hits in the last seven days, mostly from returning friends and family. Here are some interesting facts:

~ According to the visitor map, the pacific northwest, naturally, is where a majority of our traffic is coming from. Our hub of friends and family there make that an easy stat to believe. New York, we know who you are. California and Medford, Oregon: you are accounted for. Germany, we love you. Saudi Arabia is Heather's folks. After that, it turns into a bit of guess work: Texas, Louisiana, Poland, England, France and Iceland are harder to peg but only stick around for a second or two...hello, window-bloggers! Is that a term? I may have just coined a new phrase: window-bloggers. Drop a comment if you've heard of this one before.

~ The following blogs link to us: Zesty Enterprise and The Freelance Mama. We get traffic from both these friends sites and encourage you to check them out. Facebook has a link that we have posted that brings some visitors as well from the PLU side. (View Erik's facebook) (View Heather's facebook)

(SIDE NOTE: At the risk of sounding too eager we should mention an exciting potential link to our blog. There is a bit of chatter right now of a link (potentially) to HongKongMelver from the official PLU website. Having worked at PLU and been intimate with the meetings to discuss such linkage, I'm not holding my breath. It would be an unprecedented occasion to see such a bold and controversial connection made by the PLU web. HongKongMelver would welcome the additional audience but understand the complexity involved for PLU to make the changes in policy to allow such a thing. You'd think having a willing and visible presence of a Lute couple and their family living overseas would be a great thing to share with the world from a PLU perspective. I've added a link to PLU's website on HongKongMelver as an offering to forge the alliance. Bring it on, PLU! We love you like family. )

~Almost half of our visitors clock in at under 5 seconds. Those must be our returners coming to see about new news or vids (or lack thereof). Hopefully, it takes you longer than 5 seconds to read down this far and pop you into a different visit-length category: the 30-seconds-to-five-minute club. The 30sec-to-5min crowd makes up about 15% of the traffic coming to check in.

~ Our second largest block of visitors stays on the site for over an hour. Almost a third! Now I'm not sure what you are doing hanging out for more than 20 minutes on HongKongMelver but keep it up. Having your presence means a lot and we love the company. It's you hour-or-more folks that I feel guilty about not having more new content more often to reward your dedication. Stay tuned: exclusive Hong Kong Disney footage, a visit from long time friends (Ed and Geoff Gibbs of Fools Play Improv fame) and an Anika dream sequence are on the way to video as soon as our out of town guests are on a plane.

~ Everyone is linking to our blog using Google. Hands down, the favorite direct entry of 99% of our new and returning guests. I guess that's a significant tidbit albeit a bit nerdy to list here.

So whether you are coming from a google search or tracking from a friend's blog, keep checking back everyone and know that we are watching you watching us.

By the way, we tune in several times a day to read your comments. A new trend that confuses us is (since the videos have gone up, starting two weeks ago) is that your posted comments to us have trickled off. Not sure why but we hope you'll take a minute to get registered and post so we and everyone else can hear from you. We love reading what your first impressions are after checking in.

By the way, all the stats about HongKongMelver are on display for you to look at anytime. Just click on Who's reading HKM around the world? in the column to the right of this entry.

Drawing the family

2007-11-19T03:38:00.000-08:00

Here's another day after work. This time daddy's feeling artistic...or at least sarcastic. Nevertheless, we like to share the little things.

Extra fun, large size!

Saskia's Eyes

2007-11-17T09:15:00.001-08:00

Here's a short vid with Saskia as the focus. Anika is hilarious as usual.

YouTube, large screen edition.

I'm getting great lessons playing the straight man opposite Anika's random anticalness. She is master of the whim keeping me on my toes.

Novemeber 16, BIG SHOW DAY

2007-11-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

It just happened that Middle School Council called Friday, November 16 at Bethel Campus "Come Dressed Like Your Favorite Movie Character" Day. It was the same day that the DramaClub's big show was set to perform for a packed house. Heather hooked us up with some FBI badges and we came to school as Mulder and Scully from X-Files.

OLD AGE ALERT: None of the kids knew our characters even though some had heard of the show. To them, we were just a couple of older people dressing like a news team. I tweaked the image here a bit to sell our look. That's me there on sports and Heather must be doing the weather.

The ICS Courtyard was transformed over the week and I held all of my classes down on the portable stage that Paul Wilson and his Tech Arts class erected for the show.

Paul Wilson, Tech Dog. Micheal Wilson, Set engineer. Julius, 6th grade camera operator. We shot video from three angles to make a DVD of the show in post.

So I was busy all day working last minute with my actors. The 8th grader in the middle of this shot with the sports uniform on is playing Hamlet (she was an understudy that came on to replace my main pick last week).

Directing arms.

Directing wings.

Hamlet is a highlight of the show. Ceiba (pronounced say-baa) was fabulous.

Another look at the courtyard set up. This is just hours before the actual show and we don't even have chairs or tables set yet. I'm working with Lia on her Lady Anne in our Richard III moment.

Audience was encouraged to sit around the stage first and then move to the balconies. The title of the show is Shakespeare under the Stars. Stars cost just under $20US and hung beautifully above the stage.

My silver back. If getting grey hair is from stress it must be from the good kind. Directing is a blast.

Lia was terrific all the way through the rehearsal process. All tolled, the cast only had 14 hours of rehearsal and most hadn't even read Shakespeare before this process started in September.

Lia practices laying a rose on the coffin of her murdered husband.

Next, I show her how to fry eggs.

She was brilliant for the show. Probably the most polished scene of the night.

And there's Richard, played by Isaac. He's an amazing actor for 8th grade and will probably go into rocket science.

I'm waiting to get my hands on some footage and pictures of the actual show. It was a magical evening and a highlight of my entire theatrical career. Over 200 people filled the courtyard to standing room only. We had parents of kids that weren't even part of the show come see us. Our goal was to make enough money to pay for a family sized tile on the New School Building that ICS is moving into. Admission to the show was Free Will Donation. At final tally, we surpassed our goal and made enough money for the tile and a couple teacher chairs (about $1500US for a middle school production, not bad!). Development and top brass were all in attendance and thought the whole event was splendid.

I'm very proud of my DramaClubbers. One unforgettable evening.

The Magic Wand Search

2007-11-07T06:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight I wanted to capture reading a book to Anika and Saskia. Anika promptly had different ideas and we ended up with this.

YouTube of Pt. 1.

See if you can figure out where Saskia goes in Part 2 because I'm stymied.

YouTube of Pt. 2

After work, Tuedsay

2007-11-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

I'm going a little crazy with the new vid-thing so don't expect anything and you might enjoy some of these as they come out. The content is off-the-cuff, unrehearsed and fairly spontaneous. Our little camera only allows for 5 minutes of total footage before battery is gone, memory depletes or both so I have to work fast and make deletions and edits very quickly in the can most of the way; part of why it's so fun I suppose.

So here is a little video snapshot of our boring lives after work. Nothing going on but waiting for dinner, climbing on the furniture and tickling the baby. I figure that it's the everyday things that are the most interesting since that is what is most common and usual. Typical is envogue, right? And then, with the camera rolling, you might catch something really special if you're lucky.

That makes this nothing special pretty special to us.

After work, blown up YouTube style.

Anika misses a nap

2007-11-05T05:17:00.000-08:00

Anika wouldn't sleep yesterday for her nap so after an hour and half I decided to investigate. Here's a rough play-by-play of how the discussion went...

See a large version of this video on YouTube.

Piano Moving Day

2007-11-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

So here's the big reveal. Are you ready?

And...wait for it...

TA DA!

This is way old news but we have to catch up a bit. In leu of a television we have opted for a rented piano for the front room. This baby arrived just over a month ago.

Anika took no time in getting acquainted.

Everything looked good on first inspection.

The sound was clean and clear albeit a bit out of tune. Tune up guy scheduled within the week.

First impressions are everything we hope.

I never thought that I'd hear me say this but here it is for the record: I'm happy with having a piano and haven't missed the television at all. Playing piano after dinner and just before bed for the girls makes so much sense and is a great way to get limbered up again after years since our last instrument (New York, 2002).

Welcome home, Yamaha. Even though you are an upright, you are still a grand addition to our Hong Kong home.

Saturday Naptime

2007-11-02T22:49:00.000-07:00

Here is some more fly-on-the-wall video. Saturday naptime at the Melvers in Hong Kong.

This clip gets cut short at the end because our little digiCam only takes 5 minutes of vid tops. This is ideal for shooting fast and off the cuff without letting the camera roll too much; annoying when your battery runs out in the middle of a magic moment. All part of the tuition you have to pay to learn new ways of capturing the memories. So we are getting to know a lot about quick editing in the can and on the go. That said, this movie is my first attempt at something edited in Window MovieMaker, so bear with us as we get our feet wet above the ankles with the technology.

More to come, folks. Thanks for all the comments!

Saskia over 4 months!Where have we been?

2007-10-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

Hello fans!

So we've been away for a while and no excuses besides the usual: school life, home life, shopping life, adjusting to Hong Kong life and just plain ole regular life. You know, life in general has a way of creeping up and taking over sometimes. Ces't la vie, right?

Now that doesn't mean we haven't got any pictures of it or had nothing to say. Just no time to post the pics and say something snappy for the blog.

And that's why we have a surprise for you.

I'd like to say that I've been waiting for the darn thing to upload for the last month, cuz it feels at least that long since I started sitting here watching the little video icon go around in a circle.

Check out Saskia:

And if you liked that, you'll probably want to see Anika, too:

Leave us comments! We love to hear your thoughts after you peek into our lives out here in po-dunk.

Saskia celebrates 3 months

2007-09-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

Saskia came in at just over 7 lbs. when she was born. She now weighs just under 14 lbs just 3 months later.

Mong Kok Pet Stores &the Ladies' Market

2007-09-16T00:23:00.001-07:00

Anika got her first visit to the pet market while Naomi was here. This shot, with our new Nikon D80, captures her first reaction to the puppies.

Many of the pets are in glass cages. It's hard to tell if they are sleeping because of the heat or just sleepy from playing all day with their cage-mates. Cute nevertheless.

Anika sang songs and went from store to store looking at all the puppies, kitties, rabbits, gerbils and fish. The pet market has become one of her favorite places to visit since coming to Hong Kong.

I promised Heather that we could get a dog once we got pregnant again. That was before Saskia. Since Saskia has arrived, Heather has had a strong urge to get started looking seriously at small dogs to round out our home life. While I'm not as sold on the work any new pet would entail, I must admit a definite draw as we move from cage to cage. These dogs just want to get out of their hot, humid cages and come home with whoever will love them. Seeing the way many of the dogs are kept at the stores makes any animal lover want to buy them all just to free them of what looks like misery. That said, the animals look well nourished and not sick. So the impression we have of the pet market may be misguided.

Naomi loved the opportunity to shop for her pet dog, Pele, anxiously awaiting her arrival back home in San Fransisco from her three-week trek abroad. Naomi spent time in Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan starting the middle of August.

She found several good buys and special treats for Pele while we were out.
The variety of fish at Pet Street is unbelievable. Every shape size and color. The salt water tanks were amazing to look at and the most expensive to maintain (not pictured here).

Once we left looking at pet possibilities we headed over to the Ladies Market. There is a Men's Market as well in another part of town but you'll see why they call this one the way they do.

Lanterns are everywhere these days as the market gets ready to supply the Autumn Festival in Hong Kong.

Shops like these are all over the place in Hong Kong but I tried to capture the boredom of the lady working the stand. She looked away before I could catch her face. The hours that these people work is phenominal and seems unending. That said, it's hard to find a store that doesn't have at least one person walking around inside it during business hours. It must be a living even though the hours are long.

The variety of shops and merchandise is staggering. It's no wonder so many products in the states say MADE IN CHINA. This store was right around the corner from the last one and had a whole different selection even though the type of inventory is similiar.

Same thing with plants and flowers. These are plastic. A whole row of booths at the market sold the same fare but I was hard pressed to find an exact match of merchandise at any of the stands.

Like any big city, fruit and veggies come into Hong Kong and out again every day like the tide. I'd like to think that all the produce we see on the street and at every market we go to is eaten but the amount of food at these stands never seems to deplete. We love the fresh fruit that Lillian brings home, so I'm not complaining about the selection.

This ended up being one of my favorite shots with the new camera. I was able to capture this butcher enjoying a good conversation as he went about his business putting the next bird on the chopping block. This meat market was open and prepping meat at 8:30 at night; fresh glazed duck and chickens in the window.

On our way back home Naomi snapped this photo of the train platform. That's a train just pulling in there on the other side of the tracks.

Anika was sad to see the puppies go but always is in the mood for a train ride. Especially if there are escalators and elevators along the way.
Naomi got pretty good with our new camera the night we were out. Not too often I have decent shots with me them. This new camera is sweet.
Thanks, Naomi, for your visit and for leaving us this family portrait on your last night in Kong. We miss you like crazy!

HongKongMelvercelebrates 100 chapters

2007-09-14T07:06:00.001-07:00

HongKongMelver turned the corner on 100 chapters this past week. To celebrate we figured an upgrade was in order. Thank you, Hong Kong, for your reasonably priced Nikon Digital Cameras (with a cool new lens for close ups that make your jaw drop, 2 gig memory and the free tripod to boot). What a hoot! Stay tuned to see the quality of HongKongMelver in crisp D80 format.

Naomi, Days 2 & 3

2007-09-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

So now that all the good pictures of Naomi are used up in (see last chapter) we can take you on a stroll with us out on the town and down to Repulse Bay to Stanley Market. Some sights that seem everyday for us might be interesting for you back home. Hence the shot of us waiting with Naomi for our elevator on the 23rd floor of Granville Garden. Anika's favorite thing is to push the buttons for all elevators everywhere.

Waiting for the light bus to take us to Tai Wai station. That's my love right there!

Here's the neighborhood around Tai Wai station. The New Territories look a lot different than the area around Hong Kong Harbor. Much more spread out and room to breath by comparison.

People everywhere you go, 24/7. Never a quiet moment anywhere it seems like. City living is an acquired taste for some people. We love it.

Typical taxicab stand during rush hour (7pm) by Tai Wai station. Note the light buses on the other side of the street in the background. Just another example of all the different ways to get around Hong Kong at your fingertips where ever you go.

Anika got new glasses on our evening trek to Tai Wai.

And wore them the next day for our trek to Stanley Market.

View from double decker bus, weaving through tight traffic and lots of hairpin turns out to Repulse Bay.

Trek to Stanley Market is worth it just for the view. On the Hong Kong Monoply Board, Repulse Bay is Park Place. Ritzy Ditzy.

Arrived to the market just before sunset.

Approach to Stanley market.

Having a bite to eat at one of Stanley Markets sweet eateries. Can't wait to take you here when you visit.

Yes, Naomi is still with us. I don't have anymore good shots of her so here she is getting Anika on her camera.

Anika likes fries and chicken nuggets even if they aren't McDonalds.

Saskia was a champ throughout the whole journey. Took over an hour just to get out to Stanley from home.

Stanley Market is one of the most famous and crowded markets in the area. Some people think that Stanley is over-hyped and over-priced since it really is pretty small and the options aren't all that different from other small markets around the city. We enjoyed going but got there a bit late in the game. The place was closing up by the time we got done with dinner.

Naomi in Hong Kong

2007-09-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

More to come with this story but these were some of my initial favorites from Naomi's Visit at the end of August.

Color coordinating with our stroller for maximum effect out on the town? Actually, many Chinese thought Naomi was our Ama and gave us strange looks whenever Heather or I was doing all the carrying of babies and pushing the stroller around. Plus, Naomi always dressed very hip...typical for nannies on their day off. Even more strange that we would be hanging out in public with our nanny on her free time.

Sisters-in-law.

Breaking for dinner down at Stanley market on Repulse Bay. Hard to find a Melver that doesn't agree that the youngest Melver sib on the Ron Melver side of the family is the prettiest.

Saskia reaches 10 weeks

2007-09-13T07:30:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's only been 10 weeks since we became a family of 4. It feels like we have been in Hong Kong for a year already. Seeing these pictures puts it all back into perspective though. Our new life is just beginning all over again. Ain't she something?

We finally were able to get the close up we need for the milk carton and adoption paperwork. We won't ever use this for those but, somehow, she looks like WANTED should be slapped above her head here.

Brown eyes, folks. Look out!

Saskia is getting her focus down pat. She will spend more time these days checking out things that are right above her head: mostly mobiles and boobs.

Some concern for her embarassing flatulence.

One for the Saturday Evening Post.

And finally, the presidential "I'm-trying-to-look-like-everything-you-say-really-matters" look.

Birthday bash

2007-09-13T07:03:00.000-07:00

Mom got Anika all dolled up for a birthday party down in the clubhouse. The theme was "come in costume" so we pulled out a pillow case and threw on some of Heather's jewelry for flare. High Neanderthal fashion!

Anika is taller everyday and losing her baby plumpness.

She loves to dress up.

Saskia came as herself.

Anika has made a few friends around Granville and meets often down in the clubhouse play area with other toddlers to throw a ball and climb.

The Party had games and stories.

But mom was the most fun.

Especially when the confetti came out.

Elijah (Batman) turns 5 and Jianna (Pink princess) turns 3 this year. They have a joint party since their respective birthdays are so close together.

In Memoriam: Guttorm Gregersen

2007-08-23T06:27:00.001-07:00

Guttorm Robert Gregersen 10/3/1919 - 8/16/2007 Guttorm (Greg) was born in Luroy, Norway and passed away in Tacoma, WA.

Guttorm was the loving husband for 58 years of Inger Gregersen; father of Gerd-Inger (Mark) McDougall and Paul (David Cahail) Gregersen; grandfather of Heather Liv (Erik) and Annelise; great-grandfather of Anika Liv and Saskia.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ole and Oluffa, and his brother Paul, who died in childhood.

As a boy of 10, Guttorm immigrated with his family to Anacortes, WA. He earned a BA in Journalism from the University of Washington, a BA and an MA in Education from Pacific Lutheran University, and was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Oslo. A WWII veteran, Guttorm served in Europe, in the Pacific, and studied Japanese at the University of Chicago.

Guttorm taught in the Tacoma School District, was principal for Department of Defense Schools in France and Germany, and completed his career as elementary principal in the Puyallup School District.

An active member of the Norwegian-American community, Guttorm served leadership roles in the Sons of Norway and Nordlandslaget. For many years he was a Tacoma correspondent for the Western Viking newspaper. In recognition of his consistent fostering of Norwegian culture, Norway's King Harald VI honored Guttorm with the Saint Olav's Medal in 2000.

Always active, Guttorm had a strong zest for life, rooted in his strong religious beliefs. He was a faithful member of Trinity Lutheran Church since 1951. He enjoyed gardening, fishing, time with his family, socializing with friends, playing card games, and visiting family in Norway. Guttorm was a firm believer in the democratic process, and never missed an election in over sixty years.

Guttorm actively supported Pacific Lutheran University as a Q-Club member, and was a regular attendee at reunion banquets, special programs, and many athletic events. He was proud to attend the PLU graduation ceremonies of both of his children as well as both of his grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, August 22, 2007 at 2 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church, 12115 Park Avenue South, Tacoma, WA 98444, (253) 537-0201.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity Lutheran Church.

Published in the News Tribune (Tacoma) on 8/19/2007.

Goodbye Katie

2007-08-21T06:25:00.001-07:00

After three and a half weeks (already?) we said our final goodbyes to Katie at 6 in the morning just before leaving to school. This one was hard.

Katie, you'll always have a place in our hearts and home. It is not very often that you meet a true kindred spirit. You are that to us. Peace and love to you in the year ahead back under the Lutedome.

Hong Kong through Katie's Eyes

2007-08-20T06:27:00.000-07:00

From the photo journal of Katie Allen, babysitter turned travel bug...

First Day of School

2007-08-13T06:10:00.000-07:00

So it's the a-crack of dawn and we're waiting for our light-bus to arrive and pick us up from the bus & taxi station at Granville Garden. I don't remember it being this light out at 6:30am.

ICS is divided between two campuses at the moment. We work at the Middle & High School in Kowloon (about a twenty minute bus ride and 10 minute walk away from home).

We share the buildings with another mission (Bethel) at Hong Kong. This is the second of two entry ways. To the right of the pillar up ahead is the main office and beyond that is the main courtyard for ICS' half of the premises. The computer is there to scan student IDs as the schoolers arrive.

At 7:15am Bethel Campus is like a ghost town. Every once in a while you'll come across another teacher walking to their desk or heading to make a copy or two. It's just the calm before the storm.

From the balcony outside my home classroom you can see the blue of the greenhouse and the second half of the main courtyard from above. That's the main office again to the left of the pillar this time.

Now looking back across at the balcony where the last photo was taken: the main courtyard. That open door on the right is Heather's office.
And there's Heather working now, getting ready for her first clients of the day. Students and parents come to her for advise on everything from depression issues to academics.

Heather found out today that she has a subordinate social worker that interns under her. Add that to the fact that she didn't know about the psychology class she's teaching on top of her regular work load and that makes her a little on edge today trying to keep all the balls in the air. She did remarkably well taking everyone and everything in stride. First day of school is pretty much controlled chaos for everyone.

Back to the tour: Here is the side of the gym from third floor balcony.

And the gym from the inside. They are getting ready for the middle school assembly at the moment.

Meanwhile, the faculty swap last minute notes about the day ahead and get a couple cups of coffee down to push out the last few cobwebs from two weeks of moving to Hong Kong and coming back from vacations.

The faculty room has a new set up this year. The space is tighter to accommodate more students coming to campus before we move to the new building in the spring. That means only two fridges (the one on the left works the best) and two waves for everyone. Worked splendidly from what I could tell.

The faculty sink is pretty ghetto, though.

There are vending machines with coke products and junk food right around the corner from Heather's office. The coke machine broke down today about 12:30 (middle of first lunch) and dispensed free drinks to all the middle schoolers. The cans were gone in a matter of minutes; way before they brought someone out to turn the machine off all together. I happened to be on lunch duty in my homeroom when a few of the boys came back with arm loads of soda. Nothing like getting 12-14 year-olds hopped up on sugar before 5th period.

Morning assembly started with some songs. There was clapping hands and praising Jesus for about 10 minutes before the middle school principal laid down the law with a 20 minute speech about rules and expectations for the year.

Each of the faculty, old and new, were brought in front of the student body one at a time for introductions. I used my time to snap a couple shots of everyone I would be working with this year. Say cheese!

After assembly I got to meet my 7th grade advisory class. Think of home room for 50 minutes each day and you get the idea. Essentially, it's a student support group throughout the year Monday through Friday until June. This picture will look a lot different next summer. If today is any indication, I have a terrific bunch of kids to start each day.

Back up to second floor just downstairs from my home room in between classes.
This is a shot of just outside my homeroom on the 3rd floor. That's a high schooler exiting photo left, a sixth grade boy center back and a few 7th grade girls loading their lockers I just assigned them. Pretty nice frame to show the gamut of ages and hormones running around this place.

A final look down on the courtyard from above.

Big news: I have arranged to lead a drama club every Thursday after school starting at 3:20pm. I have got approval from the principal to put on a production on November 16 in this space (my first official show as a middle school drama teacher!). As it stands right now I have a ton of interest from girls in all grades. No boys have stepped up as confidently. I'm already thinking that an all female production of a condensed Macbeth could rock this place. We'll see what happens in the next few days as sports finish signing people up for soccer and basketball season. I might end up creating something original with the kids as well if the Macbeth pitch doesn't take with my club members.

Ama on board

2007-08-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

Meet Lillian. She is from the Phillipines and speaks fluent English and Cantonese. She already has experience as a nanny in Hong Kong with infants and toddlers and dynamite in the kitchen.

A quick bit of history: Lillian was the best of 7 nannies that we interviewed about ten days ago. We were interviewing each of the ladies along with one other family with younger kids. Both of our families and kids wanted Lillian. We held the Saskia card and ended up with Lillian in the end.

Katie took some time to show Lillian some swaddle technique and share her vast knowledge on living and working with the Melver family. She will officially pass the torch to Lillian this Friday when she heads back to the states. We hate to see her go.

Anika-- thanks to all her time in day care and in the resident hall back at PLU-- is already keen to accepting Lillian as her new "auntie." We are taking an approach to our nanny that is a bit unusual by Hong Kong standards. Our hope is that Anika and Saskia will grow up seeing Lillian not as a servant but another adult member of the family. Someone to be respected and cherished; never taken for granted.

We took a morning to get to know each other a little bit, discuss expectations over coffee and talk through how we might be able to get everything in place for her to manage both kids, clean, shop and cook on her own in the week and months ahead. With school officially starting tomorrow (August 13) our schedules will fill up fast so we are doing all we can to make sure our bases are covered and Lillian is comfortable.

Granville TourPardon our mess

2007-08-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

Pardon the mess while we continue moving in.
Here's the living room. View from front door as you walk in.

Pan right to view entry to hall with dining nook off to the right. Kitchen is immediately to your right as well (not seen here).

Dining Nook, IKEA table and chairs.

Kitchen. Note the oven on the right there-- not typical for Hong Kong housing. We'll be able to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving.

View from living room window. Front door on the right, with the kitchen just off-center. Anika seems to be missing a leg in this photo.

Hallway with master bedroom at the end.

First door on the left: girls room.

Last door on the left: guest bed...please come visit. Brand new IKEA fold out couch awaits you. Katie is first to break'er in.

Second door on right: guest bath.

First door on right: Ama's room. Small but we got her a fold out bed with drawers underneath and a rod to hang clothes on. Compared to some of the other places we looked at this is luxury for a nanny.

Master bath is last door on the right.

Master bedroom is the largest and nicest room Heather and I have ever shared.

Home getting & moving home

2007-08-12T05:51:00.000-07:00

So we have a place to call home! Here is the view from our bedroom window. Rental agreement came in $1000HK below our monthly stipend so that means we have money to go towards utilities. We are living large!

Here's the living room. There is lot's of natural light in this spacious 1100-square-feet, three bedroom, two full bath, spectacular kitchen with a small Ama's quarters. This flat is actually one of the properties we looked at online back in the states. So our dream comes true: we have room for our babies, our in-house help and all of you to visit! So come ahead. Wait until you see your room.

Before we could move in, we had to find enough furniture to make it liveable. IKEA gets our business, along with a couple mom-and-pop shops around town. Everyone delivers and our budget is taking it's whacks. Hopefully we can make it to the end of the month with a little spare. Payday is the 31st.
After living in a hotel room for over 10 nights, we make the move to Granville Gardens in Tai Wai. We hire the same van and driver that picked Anika up from the airport head out. Once we arrive in the car park, we move the bags from the van to the lift.

We arrive home on August 7th.

Jade Market

2007-08-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

This chapter is slightly out of order. I'm thinking we did this before Anika came to HK, but it's still worth a gander. Here I am with Saskia on the morning we left with Katie to got check out the Jade Market in Kowloon.

So here we are as three-quarters of a family and two waters.

Once we get down next to the market the streets seem empty. It's a weekend morning just before the shops open.
Yet more remarkable housing. Probably twice what we can afford. Rents go up the closer you get to the water.

Harry Potter is big in Hong Kong as well.

Not sure how many zones there are but we start at the beginning.

Jade Market takes up several city blocks and sort of rambles in and out of the underbelly of giant city buildings. Think of Seattle's Pike Street Market and double the acreage.

Katie quickly became acquainted with art of bargaining. She worked it hard core and got some good deals. Katie bought jewelry and posters. Heather got jewelry. I got an old-school travel chess set with hand carved wood pieces.

We aren't too proud to not eat at McDonalds. (What do you want? We were hungry and needed the AC.) When I saw this sign I had to blog about it. It seems that there is a huge environmental benefit of denying straws to all your patrons one day a month. Who knew?

It's the Nancy Reagan approach that slays me.

Bus Tour of HK

2007-08-12T04:24:00.000-07:00

So during a break in training, we decide to take a random ride on one of the double decker buses zooming around the city to get out of the heat and get a lay of the land. You can't beat the 75 cent fare!
Anika is safely back at the hotel with the grandparents and Katie. Saskia has to stick with us since she is tethered to mom's breast. The AC and great view are a perfect place for Saskia to take a nap. Luckily the yellow bar is there to protect her should there be an accident.

Incidently, it's kind of strange how lax we have become around the girls and public transport. Since coming to Hong Kong we are at the mercy of the causeway. Taxi rides are the worst obviously since we don't typically cart around Anika's car seat with us. Depending on the day, we have Saskia in a bjorn, a sling or her car carrier but never with the base and never do we buckle up. I suppose it would be the same if we were in New York and taking taxis, though. I mention this merely as an observation.

Traffic flows like in London (opposite side of the road) and steering wheels are on the British side as well.
Check out the advertising! Not just on the back of the bus in front of us but look how far the signs stick out into the street.

I'd love to live on WOO HOO street. I also got LUK YU tea for Heather the other day. Terrific!

On the way to Kowloon from the New Territories we have to take a tunnel.
The tunnels in Hong Kong are pretty amazing. This one goes underground but there is another one that bores through a mountain.

Once in Kowloon the living and working quarters all around us get even more cramped and there are less trees. Check out the housing up ahead!

Just like the living arrangements dying ain't any better as far as space goes. In fact, it was explained to us that in many cases, grave yards like this are all rented. It's no longer possible in Hong Kong to own a plot, so when your prearranged lease is up, they dig you up and cart you off to the incinerator to make room for the next fresh stiff that comes along. And that's how we roll in the big city!

Hello baby sister!

2007-08-12T04:18:00.000-07:00

Anika was excited to share her first moments with Saskia the next morning at the hotel, bright eyed and bushy tailed.
It seems like both girls have grown up so much since we saw Anika last.
Anika spends as much time as she can helping with Saskia in every way: diapers, blankies, tea...she is a great big sister.
Saskia seems to light right up when Anika is around. Two bright stars in our lives. We are so lucky.

Anika arrives in Hong Kong

2007-08-12T04:07:00.000-07:00

After six days of waiting, Anika arrived in Hong Kong with grandparents Mark and Gerd-Inger. She had slept all of an hour and a half since leaving Vancouver, Canada but still seemed excited to get here.
I arrived in a van we rented with a driver to pick up all the luggage that Heather's folks had carried over for us. Heather was bummed that she couldn't be there but there was only room for three in the middle seat and me up front with all our luggage loaded in the rear of the vehicle. Anika slept on the 40-minute ride from the airport to the hotel.

Finally at the hotel she opened her eyes just briefly to see mommy. We rushed her upstairs and put her to bed. The whole Melver family is finally together in their new home city.

Thanks Mor Mor and Mor Far for bringing her safe and sound over to us. We love you!

Training for School

2007-08-11T23:29:00.001-07:00

Training for ICS started about 5 days after we arrived. After a weekend of looking for houses it was time to get down to the business of learning about ICS's philosophies, teaching practices and standards; not to mention, meet our fellow teachers, old and new.

Here are a few of the people I'm looking forward to working with more over the next year.
This is Ian. He is the Physics teacher for Middle School. Yes, they teach physics in Jr. High here. When I was in Jr. High I probably would have thought someone mispelled P.E. if they brought the subject up. We are dealing with some smart cookies for kids. I've already had some really great conversations about THE EDGE project I have been working on since New York and can't wait to have a couple more lunches with this guy.

This is Jennifer. She teaches 7th grade. She stopped me in the hall the other day and told me she was excited to help me with the theatre projects I work on with the kids this year. She taught as an intern at ICS a few years back and is returning to Hong Kong as a full time teacher. She has a few scripts for Chapel dramas she organized when she was here.

Remember Henry? Resident HS Math and Science guy and all around best smile. Henry has a great sense of humor and a wonderful family. They live in Granville Gardens (same complex we do, different tower).

Bill has been living in Japan for many years with his wife, who is from there. He teaches bible and another subject I can't remember at the moment. He speaks fluent Japanese and represents the kind of guy I want to be when I get to be his age...out-going, kind and still globe trotting. Bill's looking pretty good for 36, huh!

Hello, Greg! I'll be going to Greg if any of the larger 8th graders give me any grief. Probably the biggest guy on our staff, it's too bad we don't have American football in our sports program. He'll be teaching computer science and helping out with I.T. at the new school as well. His whole family is wonderful: wife Cherie, daughter Erica and son Landon.
This is Judson. Hailing from Georgia, Judson is a dyed-in-the-wool bible belt Christian. He spent some time in the military and has a beautiful family: wife, one son and a daughter that is destined to be an interior decorator...Audrey always has the next great idea for everyone's apartment planning.

John Lee is Canadian Korean and will teach art to all the different levels of elementary school (K through 5). I really appreciate John's laid back approach and genuine spirit. He's been a real stabalizing energy during our transition for many of us just by being around.

Now we move into the old guard. Aaron will be helping Heather learn all about teaching Psychology. Heather didn't know until she got here that she would be teaching a class so Aaron offered to ramp her up since he taught it on-the-fly last year.

Samantha or Sam as many people call her teaches choral arts. She is also old guard and we hit it off right away. No doubt we will be collaberating on something with our students in the year ahead. She is incredibly energetic and enthusiastic about everyone around here, especially those in the arts.

This is Susan Wade. She taught drama to the Middle Schoolers last year and has set me up nicely with a great curriculum map to follow over the next year. Thanks for putting the wheel together, Susan! We'll keep her rolling...

Tim Wong is the principle at the Elememtary School in Fo Tan (where we had all our joint training with the different campuses and set up home base while we adjusted to Hong Kong). Tim is solely responsible for getting everyone set up with an apartment and cell phones. He speaks fluent Cantonese and has been in Hong Kong for many years. Truly, the nicest and busiest guy on the block.

And last but not least, Andrea. She'll be teaching middle school P.E. this year and has a wild resume. She's pretty much taught on every continent and even spent time with a school up near the north pole. She is a terrific lady and has a great out look on life. I'll be probably going to her for nutritional advise as soon as we are settled enough to start working out.

So there are some of our new friends. The new friends only make me think more about the old friends, tried and true, back home and around the world. In the end, no matter how Hong Kong turns out, I can definitely say that the people are what make the difference and this group has a lot of really great ones!

Looking for a house, inside

2007-08-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what a busload of foreigners would look like coming to enjoy an open house on your rental while you were in it? We did this all day while looking around Hong Kong for a place to live.

And you have to leave your shoes at the door everywhere you go. That's this apartment's current resident peaking out into the hallway. She's wondering how many more are coming. She seemed a bit relieved to find out it was just me.

Living rooms are small. Well, make that everything is small in HK. This living room is a great example of how small it can get for a family of four with a nanny.
Most kitchens don't have a stove top built in like this. Many places you plug in your stove. This one was nice and even had a kind of western feel to it. Appliances for your countertops tended to be rice cookers and microwaves. This one had a toaster oven.
I couldn't get back far enough (because of the hall way) to get a decent shot of the main bathroom. Bathrooms in HK are crowded with all the essentials and have everything you need. This 950-square-foot flat had two bathrooms; both had bathtubs.
Again, this was a family of four with an Ama (nanny). Here is the kids' room with a bunk bed.
And the Ama had a bunk, too. She shared her space with the den/office/study room for the whole family. Some places come with Nanny quarters (usually a small closet just off the kitchen.)
The master bedrooms were always the largest and nicest places in most apartments. Master bath was dark granite. Nice!
And the view at the Villa Athena was unbelievable. Water view with a water park for the kids just down the street. Sweet! But, alas, too expensive for us.

Looking for a home, outside

2007-08-11T06:07:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong has many options for living. Not all of them are way up in the air.

We drove around in a bus for a whole day looking for a place to live with everyone else moving to Hong Kong that is teaching at the school.

We decided before coming to HK that we would aim for one of the high rise living arrangements. Most come with terrific amenities for families: a pool, tennis courts, play areas for kids, a gym. Some even come with their own grocery and spa. Of course, the greater the amenity package the more you pay.
This is Granville Garden. It's a sweet deal for families and only a couple stops from both the new school and our current campus. We didn't know it when we snapped this but this is now home for the Melvers.
These pictures represent about 10 different places that we drove past. We ended up looking inside only three or four actual apartments (see next chapter).

These tri-block towers are government housing. In one building alone there may be as many as 35,000 tenants. Apartments are small and unavailable to ex-pats. They look from the outside to be a step up (a short step) from ghetto living but the neighborhoods are definitely more safe.
Here is an example of typical ex-pat family living. And the price shows it. We have been given a housing allowance of $16,000HK which is around $2100US. The Villa Athena is just out of our price range.

If it hadn't been for Katie, we would have had to carry Saskia up and down a lot and in and out of the bus too much. This picture was taken right before Saskia decided to lay down a massive screaming fit while we checked out the inside of the Villa. For all she has been through with us this trip already, Katie always has a smile. We love you, K.A.!

Mall Food

2007-08-04T08:35:00.000-07:00

So this is the first of many food tributes. Since coming to Hong Kong we have had some of the best food ever and experienced some "other" types of food that confound and surprise. Saskia slept through this evening's dinner.
Hawaiian pizza. Note that the ham is similar to the processed stuff you get at the deli at Thriftway. Katie picked hers off.

I dove in and went for the special of the night: escargo on cheesy mashed potatoes. The potatoes were instant and the snails were chewy.

New Town Plaza, Sha Tin

2007-08-04T08:09:00.001-07:00

This is Gostick Kahn, aka the sweetest lady in the world. She is solely responsible for getting all of us to Hong Kong, organizing our stay, coordinating our banking, housing and nanny options plus coming to our rescue whenever we need it. It is not uncommon for one of us to call her cellphone so that she can tell our taxi driver where we want to go. For as much crap as she deals with you wouldn't know it. She is as graceful as she is kind. ICS would not be running as smoothly without her and everyone knows it except for her. She is humble, too.

The mall is big and the stores are top notch...think 5th Ave, New York stacked in rows on top of one another. The crowds you see here are on a slow night: Sunday evening about 8pm.

As we came into New Town Plaza, there was a live broadcast happening in one of the big foyers. China, like most of the world loves it's soccer. These boys were getting some heavy face time in front of a live and televised audience and seemed to have a lot ot say. This set up was there for a couple nights and then went away.

Not sure why I took this photo but this dude is all over Hong Kong. And to have a body like his costs either $500, $2000 or $175. Since I'm duped by the Chinese on this sign I'm guessing that the $175 (about $25 US) is a warm up fee for this gym-chain. It's the look on the guy's face that kind of creeps me out I guess.

My favorite store sign to date. All the clothes are black and white and are either expensive hand-me-downs or new, made to look hand-me-downish sort of ware. I'm still trying to peg the punctuation and it's relavence but admire the sheer creative impulse behind the name. Weird and wonderful.

Walking to the Mall

2007-08-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

While look for permanent housing, we are living the middle class high-life at The Regal Riverside Hotel. Amenities include a pool, 4 star dining, gym, spa and a pastry shop. Right in the middle of Sha Tin ("Shaw Tin") is one of the largest malls I've ever seen. New Town Plaza has become an air conditioned oasis for all us weary travelers as we search for food, cell phones, banking and baby supplies.

Right across from the Hotel is a park. This photo looks a lot more spooky than the park really is. I took this photo show a couple things. One: trees are all around and throughout Hong Kong and two: building are all around and throughout Hong Kong as well. The city is built right into rocky, mountainous expanse and everywhere you look it's clear that for as ugly as cities can be, the developers here have spent some time thinking about how to rest bustling industry and piles of people into the tranquil and hard beauty of water and rock that define the region. Those high rises in the background are houses.

Here we are walking along the man-made river that runs through Sha Tin. Ahead lies a number of foot and traffic bridges. This little stretch at times feels like the promenade in Brooklyn.

New Town Plaza is big, rivaling any mall in North America. Too long to fit the whole thing in my lens here.

All over Hong Kong you can still see the British influence (1997 marked the end of British colonialism in the area). Check out those buses! We are going to take a ride on one of these very soon so stay tuned.

Getting IDeed

2007-08-04T07:03:00.000-07:00

So I need to have a chapter about the bus ride from the airport, arriving at the hotel, the first night in sleeping in Hong Kong, first impressions, meeting our hosts, meeting our colleagues and missing Anika. I don't have pictures for any of these moments (my trigger finger on my camera has taken a back seat to holding Saskia, pulling luggage and salvaging every wink of shut-eye I can get) and so I'll jump to getting our Hong Kong ID.
Our new jobs are at International Christian School. Campus is spread over three different locations around the New Territories in Hong Kong. Our main base of operations for the last couple weeks has been at the elementary campus in Fo Tan ("Foe Tan"). It shares a home in a six story building with a small super market, a couple restaurants, a laundry, piano store and a the place where everyone comes to get their Hong Kong ID. Convenient and funky.

So here is the line for getting a Hong Kong ID before they open the doors at about 9am. We got there with the rest of our "newbie" colleagues an hour ahead of time and still was about 100th in line. Besides having a passport our new host country requires that we have more than a visa to work...we have to submit our mug and fingerprints so big brother can keep tabs. No messing around out here.

That's Henry there behind me. Henry is teaching math and science at the High School at ICS. His wife is teaching second grade (the blurry lady there to the left) and they come to Hong Kong with their two sons.

Just like any other place we will go over the next couple days, there is paperwork to fill out or money to spend or both. Heather completes the deets on our request for a Hong Kong ID. Anika and Saskia don't get an official ID until they turn 11.

Melver Family in Hong Kong

2007-07-28T04:17:00.001-07:00

Dear Family and Friends,

On July 25th we arrived safe and sound in Hong Kong. Anika will be joining us in a few days with her grandparents (on their way back to Saudi Arabia).

We are forever grateful to all of you that have helped us get here. Please know that we keep you all close in our thoughts and prayers each day and feel incredibly blessed to have you in our lives.

Even though the distance seems extreme we hope that we will hear from you in the months ahead. Our plan is to be back one year from now for a vacation in the states (summer 2008). Until then, we look forward to getting your calls and emails.

Our story is better with your commentary. Please don't forget to drop a comment on this blog as often as you feel the urge.

Love and warm hugs,
Erik, Heather, (Anika) & Saskia

Hong Kong here we come

2007-07-28T03:07:00.002-07:00

After spending July 23 packing our bags we decided to not sleep before leaving on July 24. We arrive at SeaTac just after 7am for a 9am departure via United.

First flight is short: landing in San Fran on time at 11:50am.

In San Fransisco we pick up our traveling companion and baby sitter extraordinaire, Katie Allen and jump on the big bird bound for HK at 12:30. Saskia is introduced and makes quick friends.

We all call our mothers for a final goodbye.

Saskia likes flying and only cried when we landed and started to deplane both times. Not much to do on the plane besides watch movies and take turn holding the baby.
And sleep, of course.
After 14 hours flying over the Pacific we are more excited than tired. We get ready to put our feet on the ground and start our life overseas.

Saskia was so excited she puked all over the cute outfit we put her in to get introduced. She ended up arriving ala carte.

Last look at the ladies (waiting for the tram) before marching through customs and getting introduced to our new friends and colleagues in Hong Kong.

Melver Family reunion

2007-07-28T03:07:00.001-07:00

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Saskia passport acquired

2007-07-28T03:06:00.000-07:00

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Saskia Baptism Day: July 15

2007-07-28T03:05:00.001-07:00

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NW Friends party

2007-07-28T03:03:00.000-07:00

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Whidbey free time

2007-07-28T03:02:00.002-07:00

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Grandpa Ron turns 39 again!

2007-07-28T03:02:00.001-07:00

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Saskia meets Mor Mor and Mor Far

2007-07-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

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July 4th at Alderbrook

2007-07-28T02:59:00.000-07:00

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Family Time

2007-07-28T02:57:00.000-07:00

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Checking up, checking out & checking in

2007-07-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

Saskia's first check up with midwife, Nancy Spencer went splendidly. Saskia's right on track with no major maladies or malformations. As far as looks go, jury is still out on the eyebrows but the buzz is that Saskia is yet another Heather look alike. Sorry, Dad, egg trumps seed in the looks category.

Go now to post your own verdict.

Anika checked out of Trinity Daycare on June 29.

Teacher Pam had one last lesson and a snack before saying goodbye. All the folks at Trinity have been wonderful and will be sorely missed.

We heartily recommend Trinity Daycare.

Both Anika and Saskia checked in with their great aunt Marita during a special visit out at Alderbrook.

Marita has always been a wonderful guide and mentor for the Melver kids: Erik, Kirsten, Matt and Naomi. It was fun to see her bouncing on the bed and playing on floor with Anika like she did back in the day with all us first-gen nieces and nephews.

Anika, Saskia Comparisons

2007-07-03T16:59:00.001-07:00

Anika Liv, May 13, 2005 (6 days old).

Saskia Melver, July 3, 2007 (11 days old).

With every visit there comes a moment when our guests comment about how similar and different the two girls are. So we thought a side by side of Anika and Saskia at roughly the same age might be a fun opportunity to get some online response from our family and friends that can't visit in person.

Please drop a comment to let us know your two cents and we'll try to publish a comparison poll result after we get into Hong Kong (August).

Saskia Meet'n'Greet

2007-07-03T16:31:00.001-07:00

Saskia's had some visitors over the last 11 days from family and friends. Here are some highlights...

Great grandparents, Guttorm and Inger Gregersen paid the first official family visit on the evening of Saskia's original birthday. This is just hours after birth on June 22.

Auntie Kirsten and cousin Jackson Griffin made an appearence the next day.
Grandpa Ron made it out on Saturday as well, along with...
Grandma Carol. The Melvers came all the way from Bend, Oregon to our apartment at PLU just 24 hours after Saskia arrived.

Anika got to introduce her little sister at Daycare on Monday afternoon. We kept Saskia in the carrier and our visit short to keep germs at bay.

Visits not pictured: Uncle Paul, Auntie Rachel, friends Lael Pederson and Megan Hampson, Darren Bouta, PLU President's office, Alumni Center, Admissions office, Residential Life office and of course, Saskia's birth team: Tante Annelise and Jenny Jacobs.

Hello, sister!

2007-06-24T13:56:00.001-07:00

Anika and Saskia are getting along splendidly. Right after we got home from the birth center we picked Anika up from day care and spent some time together just as a family. After getting through the first night, Anika wanted to hold her new little sister for the first time. Right now the sessions are short but sweet as you can see from the picture above.

For an unabridged version of the last 48 hours you can visit our Kodak Gallery.

Saskia Melver Debut

2007-06-24T13:30:00.000-07:00

Saskia Melver rode home from the birth center just 2 and a half hours after she was born (which would have never happened if we were in a hospital). She pretty much slept all night and through several visitors.

Saskia is still working with mom to get some milk flowing but has had some amazing diapers already as the meconium (baby's original tar-like poop) makes it's way out of the system. Here she is just after a diaper change on day 2 of life in the big world.

That's dad's thumb there next to Saskia's right foot. She had really great color right from birth which is a good sign of normal circulation.

And she's got character (look at those eyes and cheeks!) and Anika's knack for turning away from flashing cameras.

Birthday: 1:38, June 22, 2007

2007-06-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

Saskia Melver
Born: June 22, 2007
7 pounds, 10 ounces
20 inches
14 inch crown
Brown hair
Steel blue eyes

Birhday, 12 noon...contraction traction!

2007-06-22T12:00:00.001-07:00

Contractions are coming short and frequent. They are intense and cause Heather to stop mid sentence and focus on a breath.

Birthday: 10:30am, Water broken

2007-06-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

No turning back. With Nancy's help, we broke the water on the amniotic sac surrounding the baby. The fluid is clear (a great sign) and dialation is now at 3-4 cm. Heather commences walking and pacing to help guide the baby with gravity towards the light.

Annelise comes in just afterward bringing groceries; the first of our birth party to arrive and help with the days events. This is starting to ramp up!

Friday, June 22...Labor underway

2007-06-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Stay tuned throughout the day as we attempt to give an update of the birth as it unfolds.

A few of you may have got a call two nights ago when we thought things were kicking into high gear. There were contractions but not frequent or hard enough to rush off to the birth center.

So fast forward to this morning and now we have had a couple good nights of rest, Anika is at daycare and we have been sitting with our midwife at her beautiful birth center on Lake Tapps having another check.

After we arrived at 8:15am we did a regular check up: all is well, baby is very happy and heather is dialated to 2-3 cm. After a brief discussion of the options we decide as a team to go ahead with a birth today.

We played scrabble for an hour while we waited for the ivy to hydrate. Heather enjoys a nice cup of tea.

Baby on it's way...Friday, June 22 or before.

2007-06-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

We had our midwife appointment on Monday morning. Heather was dialated to 2 cm already. We have our next and (most likely) final pre-baby midwife appointment this Friday at 8am. Word is that we should have a new baby delivered by dinner time Friday night if all goes as planned. Keep sending us your positive energy everyone.

Baby will be born at the birth center on Lake Tapps. In attendance will be Heather's sister Annelise, our doula (and best friend) Jenny Jacobs, Jenny's husband (and our other best friend)Aaron and of course midwife Nancy. Anika will be in daycare for most of the day and will join us as soon as the baby is born or by 6pm whichever comes first.

Fingers are crossed and everything is prepared...cheers to all our family and friends for the encouragement and support always.

West Side Story: What a trip!

2007-06-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of my job in the Alumni and Parent Relations Office is getting to participate in some pretty swank events with high profile clientelle of the university. Last night we were invited by my boss to check out West Side Story at the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle. Since the tickets were paid for, it was an excuse to take my wife out for a much deserved night on the town. The plans were simple: babysitter, nice dinner, dessert and a show. Dinner was at THE KEG...fine wine, steak, seafood...delicious.

After THE KEG it was over to ROCK BOTTOM PASTA for dessert and coffee in downtown Seattle. We entertained ourselves with conversations about different names for the new baby, syncing-up on preparation lists for the move to Hong Kong and playing some video poker.

Finally we got into the theatre and caught the show.

After the show, we had the opportunity to stick around for an exclusive talk-back with the entire cast. Louis Hobson, a 2000 grad from PLU, plays Tony and was instrumental in getting us behind-the-scenes access to his show.

And then it happened.

On the way down to the front of house, Heather got her heel caught in her pant leg and took a spill. She went down hard but managed to take all of the impact on her hands and knees. She got right back up and dust herself off. We sat through the talk-back. As soon as we got back to the car, Heather called our consulting nurse who referred us immediately to St. Joes Hospital to get checked out as a precaution.

So to cap off the night we spent 2 hours with a nurse getting Heather and the baby monitored to rule out any possible trauma a fall can cause on a 37-week pregnancy. Fortunately, all that was shaken was some pride and we left feeling a lot better knowing we had done everything we could to make sure we were still on track and the baby was fine.

There was one remarkable moment in Heather exam that smacked of a sit-com, though.

After lots of questions and thourough physical exam-- with monitors still ticking off the baby's heartbeat and documenting Heather's mini-contractions in the backgroud-- our nurse looks up from her reports.

Nurse: (Smile) Sorry to ask so many questions and seem repetitious but we just want to make sure that we cover everything before we let you go tonight.

Heather: No problem.

Nurse: (Suddenly somber) Because last week I treated a lady that was almost to term that took a spill, came in and got checked out and we sent her home. Everything looked fine. She monitored well and by all accounts her fall wasn't that hard: a slip on the stairs onto her rump. Four days later she was back and lost her twins.

Me: !!

Heather: Oh dear. That is awful.

Nurse: (Smile) So everything looks fine here and we want to you check in with your midwife first thing tomorrow morning. Other than that you are free to go.

Me: !!!!

Heather: Definitely. Thanks.

Of course, this a condensed version of the conversation but you get the idea. Did she really just say that and send us home?

As we left the hospital, I had Heather tucked tightly on my arm and walking slow. Just before we got to the car she caught her heal again and would have gone down for sure if she wasn't holding onto me. It started feeling like we were in some Seinfeld episode or something.

We made it back to campus just after 2am. Even though it was late we both slept easier knowing we had checked in with our little bun and everything seemed be cooking right on schedule.

Erik in NY: Dad gets to play

2007-05-21T20:59:00.000-07:00

I got hooked up in March with a ticket to go to Pittsburgh to see two of my best friends from graduate school: Steve Cirbus (on the set of the pilot he is shooting with Donny Wahlberg and John Leguizamo) and Dylan Shelton.

So what's with the subway in NY?

The skinny: after Steve started shooting in April his schedule didn't have him actually in front of a camera until late May and into June. That means that if we kept the schedule the way it was, all three of us would be hanging out in Pittsburgh...lame, lonely, empty Pittsburgh...and force Steve to leave home (since he wasn't going to sit around playing solitaire in Pennsylvania). Tickets got changed for New York to accommodate Steve's shoot schedule and give us more to do in the evenings.

And then Steve's producer called right before flying out. Steve is called back to the set right in the middle of the weekend both Dylan and I were slated to be there. It's too late and way to expensive to change tickets.

So we decide to make lemonade.

And actually, I was pretty pumped to get to spend a day alone with Dylan. I hadn't seen Dylan since our wedding over 4 years ago and a lot had changed for both of us. I had moved three times, had as many jobs, had a baby and buried four grandparents. He had moved in and out of NY, suffered through an awful divorce and landed one of the sweetest and most unique acting/directing gigs I've ever heard of: he builds puppets and writes original plays that travel all over Ohio and the Appalatias.

So Steve's off to Pittsburgh and the first full day in the city is me and Dylan off on our own in NY. He's single, carefree and wants to check out the new sex museum downtown and I want to go buy some shirts for my girls back home.

For the record: I am a husband and a dad first.

The museum was not our first stop but makes a better story going first. This, by the winkle-dinkle, is the only picture that was able to make the cut on my little family blog. The rest have been burned or probably posted somewhere by Dylan. That's a riding crop for those of you zooming in right now.

But it wasn't all debauchery.

After several hours looking at the history of sex-- I took us to the first place I could think of to redeem both our souls.

I thought it would probably do us both a favor to get a little refresher on how we could sanctify our wretched ways by going to the one church in all of the Americas that actually posts the 10 commandments over the altar. (Those may be the originals, folks. )

Then we sat with the dead for a while to remember what life really should be about.

Dylan was still convinced that sex was a pretty major component-- something he had foregone most of his life before getting married and was now making up for post-haste after his heart was crushed by his ex.

I reflected on how my grandparents were probably rolling over right now and how I was going to explain the last couple hours to my wife.

The rest of the first day went pretty normally for a couple of out-of-towners: we visited ground zero...

...saw some celebs...

...visited famous NY art...

...and the Federal Super Max prison. Looks like something out of the Davinci Code, doesn't it? Creepy.

So we got home late after a show.

The next morning, Steve greets us bedside with awesome bagels and fresh brewed coffee. After a quick recap of our day without him we head out.

First stop: killer bar in Soho. This photo was taken by a gal that had just got back from Hong Kong on vacation. Joyce, if you are reading this, thanks for the great suggestions about our new digs!

Next stop: Hookaville.

After sushi and saki, Amy joined us and we had the best dinner I think I have had in months: Tibetan food hits high marks with all of us. I had the Shirpa Kahla: tasty, friends, believe it!

The whole experience was memorable and the company is even better.

In the end, my trip to visit Steve and Dylan was about reconnecting with the two guys I graduated with back in 2000. We are all middle aged guys who have all married (at some point) and are in different modes of career, family life and love. I have strong feelings and love Steve and Dylan like brothers. Our time together at Ohio University wasn't even close to going to war but the bond, I would argue, is just as indelible.

In July, Steve and Amy will fly out to Tacoma and become the godparents of our second born (due in just over 5 weeks at this typing).

Thanks, Amy for putting up with our ridiculous antics! Can't wait to have you visit the northwest in a couple months.

Birthday Uff da!

2007-05-19T00:47:00.000-07:00

Your face says it all, Anika. What would a birthday be without sending someone to the hospital?

The last few weeks have been rough on the Melver family. Dad's getting his heart checked out and now Grandma Carol heads to the ER.

After making the sweet effort to trek all the way from Bend to see Anika on her big day, Grandma C spent the morning playing in Anika's room reading books and playing with stuffed animals with he birthday girl. But unexpected and serious sensations of nausea set off alarm bells for this veteran RN and it was off to the ER to rule out an attack.

I dropped mom off at the hospital on my way to getting the cake for party back at the res-hall and didn't even get out of the car. That's just how we Melver's roll. I have to say that while we all were acting calm, the surreal nature of the situation was felt throughout the day. Nevertheless, Grandma insisted that the party go on without her and that, as a nurse, she didn't need our help to get checked in.

And checked in is what she did! Overnight the tests came back benign for any evidence of heart attack activity. However, there was some indications that her heart had suffered a temporary lack of oxygen on and off the morning of Anika's party. So, with Grandpa Ron on a plane to come drive her home, Anika stopped in after her party to make sure Grandma Carol got some love and saw the pictures from her Hong Hall Birthday Bash.

Grandma Carol was released the next morning and headed back to Bend with Ron. She is doing well and chalks the experience up to playing it safe.

Birthday Red Carpet

2007-05-19T00:06:00.001-07:00

PLU celebrities abounded at Anika's 2nd birthday bash. Here are some of our favorites...

Josh and Joey, resident directors for Stuen and Harstad, couldn't wait to get a shot with the star of the hour at Hong International Hall. Anika's always sporting the next new trend: tongue depressors are definitely in! Check it...

What would a party be without fashion? Hard on the scene and always hoppin' to make Anika pretty again for another year is Tante Kirsten. Look out summer! Sizzling hasn't a chance with this sweet new number just off the shelves! Check yourself before you wreck yourself...

College co-eds, Kaarin and Jenna, one of whom just back from making waves and headlines at Spring Donor Banquet 2007 (hoo-ha!), enjoy a slice of cake with the birthday girl. Anika's style is to feign disinterest as not to distress any of her fanbase into thinking she's playing favorites. What a cool little princess!

Jackson from the Griffin Clan made an appearance and was crawling and rolling, rolling and WALKING (with little aid) all over this mamba jamba! Dad get's distracted for a minute and had to get an autograph.

More frosting anyone? Anika poses with Erik's boss, Lauralee Hagen who has been working on campus ever since she graduated in 1975. Classes come and go but Lauralee is the common denominator. We expect to see Lauralee still holding the line when Anika graduates in 2027.

Stumos! Their everywhere! And always cute as a button! My camera can't get enough of that sweet ole' Stumo stuff...

Andy Guinn, fresh off the Bubba Gump fishing boat, paid a visit. Andy is one of the student interns in my office and a real asset to PLU's study away program. Since starting at PLU last year he has spent as much time on campus as off. Anika doesn't know Andy too well, but he's into Scrabble which makes him a hot button bloggable...

Anika's fan base is officially international. Han is Anika's next door neighbor on the first floor of Hong Hall which is dedicated to a good number of PLU's Chinese students. Cool to think that in a few short years, Anika may be holding full conversations with Han in his native language.

And finally, Uncle John gets included in a lucky candid, as Anika displays the latest in tissue fashion. Whether it's solids or polka...Anika will have the final say on what get's stuffed in gift bags over the coming year...looks like blue will have to wait in the wings while pink and dots steal the show.

Anika turns 2

2007-05-18T23:32:00.000-07:00

We've turned the corner on another year at Hong Hall. Anika has spent the majority of her life coming home to a resident hall at Pacific Lutheran University. She spent her first birthday in the same room and, I think, the exact same cake design.

Here are all of Anika's big brothers and sisters from around the dorm. Anika has been molded by all the love and care that everyone takes with her. The impact of PLU on her life will no doubt be felt for the rest of her life. Hong hall: you will be missed when we leave.

And the Stumos came for the big day. Brynn and Karsten and their mom, Nicole make weekly treks across campus on their bikes. Thanks for coming, guys!

Aidan and Jackson made it as well. Here Jackson looks on while Anika makes an easy job of unloading her presents and opening cards. She already recognizes that parties are fun, that parties for her are better and parties where there are things to open are fantastic.

Not sure if she's got the important concept that what is in the package is something she has been given directly by another person, however. For her, it just seems fun to have boxes and bags to rifle through. At one point, she opened an envelope, took out the card, ripped all the cool pop up thingies off the front and insides and tore the card in half; didn't even stop to read it and all in front of the person that gave it to her. It's her birthday so who's going to stop her? I guess we have Christmas coming up to practice our graciousness in front of guests before next year.

Anika sews a horse! Kyung, one of Hong's housekeepers, hooked her up with a sweet set of animals and string. She digs on the new challenge to her hand-eye coordination. For 2 years old, Anika continues to get high marks from her daycare teachers for her concentration and focus on specifics. This toy will be a favorite.

Spring Donor Banquet 2007

2007-05-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

So this is what I do for a job at PLU. Well, the registration anyway.

Every year the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations coordinates the banquet that thanks all of PLU's major donors. This year the theme was PLU Passport and highlighted the significant impact that PLU has in Tacoma and out to the world with it's global programs. Despite what this picture looks like the programs were not six feet high.

To prove this point here's a shot from the back of the room. While Jacob sets the tables, I make sure that all the people have nametags and know where they are sitting. Our Director, Lauralee Hagen takes a full day to coordinate who is sitting with who at these things.

Here are our interns. It's not a terrific picture and they aren't all gussied up looking like a million bucks but it's how I want to remember them: relaxed, smiling and available to do Jacob's bidding. Jacob is the other Ass. Director in our office and is the main reason everything always looks so good at these events.

The stage was set to celebrate some of the noteable places PLU visits most frequently. The banners looked great and even better behind all the pictures of awardees getting their recs. But check this out...from this angle don't the individual banners look like giant aresol cans? Pop the flag-top and spray your favorite country all over the room!

PLU media services kept the event live. I don't know why I like this photo. I guess it's that I've always appreciated the people behind the scenes that make these things go off without a hitch. That's Bob Holden there in the middle looking like the Godfather. He was at PLU when I graduated over a decade ago. He doesn't look like a day has gone by.

I'm onto the next chapter but wanted to document a small piece of what I actually get to be a part of from my desk at Nesvig Alumni Center.

PLU Luau '07

2007-05-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

PLU Luau is a special tradition on campus. Every year students of all cultures come together with the Luau Club to fill an evening with music, dance, story and great food. Faculty and Staff are encouraged to bring their families and join in one dance at the beginning of the evening.

The kids steal the show every year. Brynn and Karston Stumo (kids of Heather's old boss over in Admissions) took one side of the stage for the children's number.

Anika kept up pretty well with all the big kids. She looks good in red!

Everyone did so well and the crowd really responded with lots of warm applause throughout the night. By the end of the show the student performers had them on their feet.

Notice anything strange about Heather's attire here? This picture was taken right after all her hula shaking shook her skirt right off. It happened right in the middle of the faculty number and got lengthy applause. In true Hawaii spirit, though, no one skipped a beat and went right on with the show. Heather remarked afterwards that she didn't feel embarrassed as much as she was thankful that she had kept her pants on. It would have been a different story all together had she gone more native with the costuming.

Echo Holter

2007-05-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

So I couldn't resist documenting my first (and hopefully last) engagement with a portable heart monitor. I even got to sleep with the thing on last night. What a peach.

Besides the obvious awkward placement of wires, having to document in a written log all the times my heart did it's weird dance and that I couldn't shower this morning it wasn't that bad. It will all be worth it if it isolates the part of my heart that is hesitating every once in a while.

Next stop is a date with a cardiograph next Monday. Stay tuned for a full report once my doc gets a look at the 24 blip-screen.

Beach House Visit

2007-05-02T22:41:00.000-07:00

Took a few hours with Annelise and Darren to head out to Shelton last weekend. We are scouting the possibilities around moving some of our larger furniture items out to the house to live while we skip the country.
Here we are hugging a tree together in the side yard.

The Beach House is really a beautiful place. The house is in pretty good condition considering no one has been in it for a while (well over a year). Our hope is that family will come and use our stuff once in a while and do some dusting. It should make the place a real wonderful alternative to come home to in the summers.

The front of the house is not as interesting as...

...the back. Notice how everyone can't take their eyes off it. Oh, look! Anika found grass almost as tall as she is.

The view from the front yard is alright. The tree-lined drive is welcoming and easy to mow with the riding mower on site.

But it's the view from the back porch that makes coming out from Tacoma so worth the drive. That's puget sound right there. Marsh grass beach. We are already getting Anika psyched about a row boat ride and fishing when we come back after her third birthday.

Thank you to the Guttorm, Inger, Paul and Gerd-Inger for letting us take advantage of the empty space.

April 27, Erik's epic 34th

2007-04-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

April 24, prologue: I've been feeling dizzy on and off. I chaulk it up to allergies messing with my sinuses which messes with my inner ear. The dizzyness occurs mostly when I lie down for bed and get up in the morning so I decide to wait about calling a doctor until it get's worse or doesn't go away.

April 27, Birthday day: I started my morning early, roused by the gentle stirrings of Anika awake at 3:30am. After an hour of diaper changes, fresh milk and a lot of coaxing, Anika was down until the sun came up.

That's when my heart decided to start skipping a beat every other minute. So now the dizzyness with the heart thing has my attention.

I call the consulting nurse at 6am. She determines that while the skipping heart beat isn't an emergency, I should definitely get into my family doctor first thing at 8am.

9am, I'm laying on my back with my shirt off and wires stuck on my chest and ankles. Nearby a nurse and an lab tech take turns monitoring my heart and trying to capture my heart-skip on paper. This is the moment that I wish I had a picture of for the blog: me on a gurney half naked with doctors pouring over charts and graphs with this written underneath: "Erik gets new heart for 34th birthday." As it turns out, the heart-skip misses an actual paper-capture since the nurse can't push the buttons on the machine fast enough.

9:30am: I'm sent back to my regular doctor who diagnoses my dizzyness as benign vertigo and orders more tests on my heart. As it turns out, the two symptoms are not related to each other nor to my allergies.

At 10:30: I arrive at work. My office mates have remembered my birthday and have a sign in the window and balloons at my desk. So sweet!

I spend some time on the phone ordering an echo-holter (basically a little EKG purse) to monitor my heart for a full 24 hours while I go about my regular routine and a cardiogram to take a sonic picture of my heart to figure out which part of the muscle is getting out of sync.

I have emails and voicemails from family and friends that I delight in all through the day. Thank you all that virtually got on in touch with me. This really helped to remind me how lucky I am to have so much love and support around. Cheers!

After work I head home after picking up Anika from daycare. We are on our way to Luau dress rehearsal. On the way, Heather and Anika surprise me with my birthday present: a box of my favorite candy (Whoppers) and a folder full of new family pictures for all the frames in my office.

At Luau rehearsal we eat dinner with all the students, faculty and staff that are participating in the performance. They sing me a happy birthday. I try and stay upright and play it cool while the world feels like I'm leaning to the right all the time. Since benign vertigo has no prescription meds to counteract the sensation of spinning every once in a while, I'm basically riding it out. Might as well go on with life as best we can, right? I take it easy under the lights and get through rehearsal just fine. Anika was cuter than a patoot up there with the other kids during her hula number.

At last we get home right before Anika's bedtime at 9pm. I relax with Heather on couch for an hour , talk to my folks and bring my scrabble rating to over 500 online. (Scrabble fans can meet me anytime at the Internet Scrabble Club.)

So that's my 34th, folks. For all the drama, I'm happy to be at home and in one piece. Thank to all of you for your calls of concern. I'm going to be just fine over the long haul. Tune in back here for updates in the weeks ahead.

Melver family stone, Spring '07

2007-04-29T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hello handsome family!

Whenever there's a blue moon, the Melvers all come together and picture-up! So here's one for the album: April 15, 2007 in Renton at Griffin Manor.

To put this shot in perspective: Mom & Dad are in Bend, Naomi is in Oakland, Erik's in Tacoma, Matt's in Everett and Kirsten holds the fort in Renton.

All over the map = hard to get this shot together.

So this is really a special moment. Thanks for putting up with my posing everyone!

Uncle Matt's in town!

2007-04-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

A special bonus at the Griffin Baptism was a surprise visit from Uncle Matt. This is was the first in-person meeting of uncle and neice.

We love getting to see Matt when he's in town. Stay tuned family-fans: it sounds like he might be around for another baptism in July.
Matt has to split his time between all his neices and nephews when he's around. Here he is holding Anika just after nap time at the Griffins on Baptism day.

Griffin Baptism Day 2007

2007-04-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

John, Kirsten, Aidan and Jackson have joined Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Seattle. Pastor Susan Birchfield heads the ministry at Emmanuel along with Pastor Dan Erlander (pictured here). Interesting to note that Susan married Heather and I; Dan married John and Kirsten.

Emmanuel's church is as filled with light as all the people we met in her parish. The service style is structured enough that any Lutheran would feel at home with the liturgy but layed back enough that the experience on Sunday mornings feels like a dialogue with Pastor Susan. If we were staying in the country, Susan's church would be our first stop for Sunday service. Bravo Griffins for finding a spiritual home here.

Besides becoming members of the church, Aidan and Jackson became official on the God-front with dual baptisms. Here's Jackson getting his...
Aidan was so excited that he decided to baptize himself...a surprise that delighted everyone in the room. Luckily, I had my camera waiting to capture the actual baptism so this is Aidan splashing water on his face before Pastor Susan had a chance to say word one.
And then we got down to the getting it done right! Not pictured here is another special part of the ritual. Both Grandpa Ron and Pastor Dan also took part in the water-part of the baptism as well.

Digital Action Capture

2007-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

Our digital camera sometimes takes a full two seconds before it takes a picture, especially in low light. Very annoying. So I decided to take this little anomolie and try some experiments to see what results I could get on purpose with the delay. Here's what came out:

So hold your digital camera in front of a moving subject (keeping the distance the steady between the lens and what you want in focus) and snap your picture.

The results above show Josh moving in a circle and Anika walking towards the camera.

If you have fun shots like this (accidental or not) please send them along!