where have we been?

Happy New Year!!!!!! - a little late I know

It is already the middle of February... you may be wondering where we have been. Oh the stories I could tell. I will start from the beginning of my last blog.

Christmas in Panama was more than I imagined. The city was decorated beautifully. There were mangers on every corner, trees were all lite up and the stores were insane... We took in the parade which was fun, the music was the best part!

Look Santa came on a boat... In Venezuela Santa came on a donkey, in Thailand Santa came on a elephant now here in Panama Santa made his appearance in a boat... only Panama

My cutie reindeer... Em & Everett loved the parade, Easton had enough after 10 minutes.. he wanted to head to Jimmy's our favorite restaurant.



here is a picture of the concession stand ... Panama style

The kids are standing with Carolina our personal waitress at Jimmy's restaurant... when we show up at the restaurant no other server will help us. If Carolina is not on the floor they run to find her.. it is pretty funny, she is a very nice lady and always asks about everyone who has ever accompanied us to dinner.

Now on with our story.... Trent looked at me one night at the beginning of December and asked if I would cry Christmas day if we stayed in Panama for the holidays... my reply was "probably" his response was "well you better book us tickets back to Calgary!" So a week before Christmas we packed our bags AGAIN and headed to the airport. I do have to say my kids are such great travelers now... they have the routine down to a science... Fly days are bribe days :- )

Flying back to Calgary we had good flights we left Panama at 10 am and we arrived in Calgary at 10pm... good day.

the kids are amazing travelers.. soon I will be able to sit back and relax :- )

Calgary had pretty mild temperatures when we landed (thank goodness) and the kids were thrilled with the idea of playing in snow again. That thought was very short lived once their hands were freezing and it was to cold to run around for more than 3 minutes. It was pretty funny!

Emma all bundled up with her winter coat trying to stay warm.

It was great to be back in Calgary to spend time with Bonnie the kids and my Mom. Bonnie and I saw a few movies (one of our favorite things to do) and lots of shopping. It was nice to go shopping and get assistance in English when I needed something (I love that). Trent and I both found Calgary to be so quiet, it was strange. I think we are used to crazy driving here in Panama that everything else seems so mild. It was also so great to sneak in a few visits with friends which was a bonus.

here are the boys exhausted from day after day of running around Calgary... they are troopers, it just show how the kids will sleep anywhere any time. Everett one minute was sitting up and the next he fell over drooling.

Christmas morning was spent at Bonnie's with to many gifts... we are so blessed with what we have. Before we left Panama we took Lola (out cat) out to Elia's house (our helper) and oh my it was worse than Trent & I thought it would be. As we drove into the neighborhood Easton said "this is where poor people live" we stuck out in this community, all Elia's neighbors sure stared at us. I wonder what they were thinking, what everyone was thinking.

our famous Christmas morning picture... this year everyone is clothed..haha - most years there are little bare bums running around :- )

Me, Bonnie & cutie girl Harlow... Harlow is now 3yrs. old... time is flying

We made a quick trip to Edmonton trying to see everyone especially Monty our poor old dog, he is at my Uncle Ian's. The kids were so happy to see him and I think Mont was happy to see us. It was sad to say good-bye to him once again but as we were leaving Monty laid down.. in a way of saying "I choose to stay here" Thank you again Uncle Ian & Tammy for taking such great care of him!

Edmonton was great we saw everyone except my Gramma & Grampa Galbraith - NEXT TIME! The kids had a blast - like usual... they do so great for moving beds as much as they do. The only time it is sad is when Everett wakes up and he has no idea where the bathroom is, then I know he as moved around to much :- ) but it is funny.

One of the conditions of us heading back to Canada that Trent made was that we would get away just the two of us for a bit of time to recharge. Trent's favorite city was calling his name... Via Las Vegas.. we flew down for a few days of good food and fun shows. For anyone who has been with someone for over 3yrs. the show "Defending the Caveman" at the Golden Nugget is a must see. It was so funny that I had to hold my cheeks because they were soar from laughing so hard. I have concluded that my husband is a CAVEMAN and yes I like details. It is very funny! We had a great time but going away does come at a cost. When we arrived back in Calgary the kids were at my mom's, Emma was sick and my truck was broken into. Nothing major just a pain...

Two days in Calgary to pack up everything and celebrate Harlow's 3rd birthday early (so happy to be there for that) I just can't believe she is already 3 yrs. old! The kids are growing to fast.

Happy Birthday to you!!!

Keidis REALLY enjoying the birthday cake

The day after the party we headed back to the airport at 5:00am to make our way back down to the warmth in Florida. We met up with our good friend Nick who used to live in Panama but moved back to the States. It was great to see him and catch up, the kids love spending time with Nick... Panama is not the same without you.

Nick with Em & East... I think the kids drove Nick a little crazy :- )

While in Florida we seized the opportunity to not skip DisneyWorld since we were so close (we snuck a few days in). Everett is big enough to go on most rides, it is a blast to go with the kids and be big kids ourselves.

I tell the kids all the time "Good thing your Daddy is strong because he carries and pushes you guys alot"

A fun DisneyWorld picture at our favorite 3-D Donald Duck show... the kids wanted to go see the show over and over and over to smell the baked apple pie.

This Disney trip we did not do very many character pictures as we have alot already... but Chicken Little made an appearance and the kids went wild... it was our first time seeing the little guy.

Some of you know that at Christmas Trent & I bought each other the same Christmas present unknowingly... it was to drive a REAL STOCK CAR at the Richard Petty Race Track in Orlando. Do I have a story about this....

Trent raced on the Wednesday and I was to race on the Friday. Trent went and said it was the "most amazing thrill ever, the power of the car is amazing and the speed , wow it was AWESOME." Trent's top speed was 127 mph. He was the fastest racer in his group. I would say if we lived anywhere near a race track it would be a definite addiction for Trent. Trent wanted to race again but all the classes were full, he would of done anything to keep racing.

this is the real deal, sponsors, pit crew, mechanic team... everything

If by chance Trent did crash I have no idea how he would of got out fast, to get out you have to pull this leaver & that leaver, then the steering wheel comes off and squeeze out the window... these cars are FAST

Friday was my turn. I left the hotel early to make it to the track nice and early to plan how I was going to beat Trent's time. I was the only female in my class of 13 other men and they all knew about the competitiveness between Trent & I. Due to the weather the racing was delayed a few hours. The safely procedures the staff goes through prior to your racing is pretty intense. They drive the track a few times with the students (us) in big white vans to show us how to take each corner and then they show you how to escape the car in case you crash, hit the wall or loose control or catch fire... very comforting thoughts. As they are explaining all the safely procedures I had to learn what all the flags and hand signals meant... this is intense stuff!

Finally the track opened. Trent suggested I do a ride -a-long with a pro driver to get a feel for the power of the car and the speed before I strap myself in the drivers seat. (as I write this I feel sick to my stomach and my heart is pounding) I get my helmet on, crawl through the window of the passengers side and I become one with the car as they strap me in so tight. My neck brace is clipped to the roll bar behind my head so my head and neck don't break in case of a accident (how comforting). They lock me in and my heart is pounding, I am strapped in so tight I can not move my head & I can not even recognize the driver who is about to drive me around this track at 160 mph.

The driver (I later found out was one of the guys excited to help me beat Trent's time) sped out of pit row and was holding nothing back. This guy wanted to show me how this car handled. Trent told me the faster you go the smoother it handled on the turns. Well by the second lap I was pretty much seeing stars, I felt like I was going to pass out. I had three laps with the pro driver and it was three to many.

For all who know me this was a very difficult situation for me. I was about to vomit while seeing stars and the instructor was telling me I had to get in my own stock car now and do my 18laps. I was to start out gradual with my fastest time being just over 127mph. This thought as well as crashing, catching fire, being strapped so tight you can not move (not good if you are clausterphobic) ... ya I needed a few minutes to catch my breath. I had to beat Trent, this was the mission all along and I had to do this for myself, my Dad would of given anything to have this chance.

Trent finally showed up with the kids & Nick... as soon as I saw Trent I bursted into tears and I realized I could not go through with it. Trent was trying so hard to be supportive but you should of seen his face light up when I said "suit up you can take my spot!" He told my instructor that "it is a sad situation but I have to make the best of it" (sad for me and would make the best of it). Trent was like a little kid in a candy store, he could not stop smiling. The Richard Petty staff was wonderful, they were very understanding and supportivem usually you can not just give your spot away because of the safety class you have to take but Trent just raced two days prior so they made an exception. It was to much money for me just to go on the track and drive slow.

I do have to say I was so happy to see Trent grinning from ear to ear racing his heart out and I am at peace that the ride-a-long went against everything I believe in. a) someone else drove and was in control b) I do not like to be restrained in anyway especially my head... thanks to my Dad who used to play phobia (inside joke). The whole racing experience was filmed from inside the car so in a few weeks we will have the video, if I can I will include it on my blog. A video of Trent's race as well as my ride with the pro driver with the look of horror :- )

p.s. last year a woman lost control of the car and totaled it... $70,000 later.

On Jan 12th, the whole purpose of our trip to North America, we boarded the Disney Magic cruise ship for a whole week with our good friends the Drew's. We booked this cruise last March,07 and never told the kids... it was their Christmas present.. a great surprise. I can not explain how much fun we had. This was the most relaxing trip we have ever ventured on with our three munchkins, it is the best trip with kids. The Drew's have three kids pretty much the same ages as ours and the trip was awesome.

At our safety drill that none of us really caught since the kids were playing sumo wrestling with their life jackets on and we were catching up on chit chatting... The Schmu/Drew Families!

This huge ship was home for one week... the kids wanted to stay and live on it for a while... I would in a heart beat!

The ship docked at the ports of Key West, Grand Cayman (AMAZING) and Cozumel, Mexico...

Key West reminded me of a small surfer town. We took the kids to an aquarium which had a touch pool that they all loved, they even got to touch a shark. It was great to watch all the kids soak up all the information on the sea creatures and to be enthralled about it. Trent & Jim took all the kids back to the boat so Jodie and I could walk the streets of the quaint little town of Key West.

one of the small streets of Key West, a typical tourist little town

I know we take strange pictures xoxox love you honey

Every night on the cruise ship they had Broadway production shows as well as magicians or comics. The entertainment was first class, our days seemed to be centred all around the evening entertainment, even Trent went early to get good seats in the large theatre.

Our first night on the boat Trent was picked to go on stage to help out with the show... we laughed pretty hard, he did a few dance moves that we will not forget.

Our next port stop was Grand Cayman... we fell in love with this island. If we could afford to live here we would, but only the very wealthy can afford nice houses on this beautiful British Island. Trent said " OK lets move here", but once I started telling him the cost of everyday living his song changed... milk alone would break our bank.

In the Grand Cayman we chartered a boat to take us out to Sting Ray City - a must once in our life and to visit some beaches. Oh what a great day it was. Our guide was a native Cayman man, grew up there and raised his boys on the island. He was full of immense knowledge and it was great to just hang out with him. John was his name and he was very patient with our kids, this day we needed a lot of it.

here is the boat that was ours for the day

Our first stop was Sting Ray City... it is a sand bar out in the ocean a 20 min speed boat ride off shore, it is where the stingrays hang out. These are wild stingrays NOT captive so they still have their barb in. This is a major tourist attraction that is why we opted for a speed boat to beat the crowd. John through the anchor over board and we looked down and all you could see was large grey/black spots in the water... it was stingrays... alot more than I had imagined.

When it was time for us to get our snorkel gear on Everett would not let go of me and Em & East were not so keen on getting in the water. Trent himself was a bit nervous but to show the kids it could be done he jumped in the ocean. Trent's face was priceless as one of the stingrays brushed up against his leg, it is a strange feeling.

John gave Trent some squid and showed him how to hold it so the stingray did not suck his finger off with the squid. There were alot of stingrays, it was fascinating. Emma finally went in with Trent but would not put her feet down on the ocean floor. The waves were pretty strong and were knocking Emma over pretty good. Em went in for a few minutes and that was good enough for her. I finally jumped in and the rays were huge, Everett screamed from the boat for 10min while I was in the water (that is why we all needed patience, he would not calm down)

It was a great experience, John even taught Trent how to hold the stingrays... they are very gentle animals, amazing creatures to spend time with up close. If you get a chance do it, it is pretty neat to spend time with a wild animal not in captivity.

here is Trent smiling for the camera with his new buddy

see Mr. Ray's eyes... he is a very intriguing animal

after all of Everett's screaming he fell asleep, sleep was all he needed and the boat put him in dreamland... thank goodness

My diva princess... she knows she has it good... Em your so cute

The boys both fell asleep and so we went snorkeling for a while... it was fun, Trent and I swam the ocean for a long while looking for interesting ocean creatures.

I think we could be on postcards since we look like models.... just waiting for our casting calls :- )

Here is a creature found on the ocean floor, the slug is still in his shell, if you look closely inside you can see him.

After snorkeling we went to this amazing beach that had all private homes surrounding it. It was breathtaking, the water was crystal clear, it was warm and the sand was like powder it was so soft. The kids had the best time not worrying about waves or the current, they just ran and played. It was a fantastic day in the Caymans!

everyone taking a walk to see what could be found.

Em & East are such great buddies, they have a great bond that I pray stands the test of time.

The kids wrestled Trent to the water... I needed this great picture!

Everett found this beautiful star fish - he was so happy!

Next port stop... COZUMEL Mexico.

The ports are one of my favorite parts of a cruise, because I love seeing new places and at each port it gives you a small taste of a destination.

For Cozumel I planned a dune buggy tour for the day. On this tour we were to go snorkeling, to a swimming beach, a visit to some Mayan ruins and lunch. When we got off the boat we had to remind ourselves we were in Mexico so anything could go this day. I did not book our tour through Disney so again anything could happen this day.

We found our tour operator down a street that most tourist would be very hesitant to venture down, it was all torn up and interesting water through out the street that had no sidewalks. Trent located what he thought might be the meeting place but it had no sign so we were unsure. Trent talked Spanish to some guys and sure enough it was the unmarked meeting spot (oh, Mexico) As par for Latin standards we waited and waited for other customers and of course our dune buggies... We were excited for our day.

Everett dancing yelling "WHAT'S UP DUDE" keeping us entertained as we waited.



finally we found our buggies... These buggies were converted bugs which had no seat belts and popped out of gear every so often. Again I say it was going to be an interesting day, and everyone was very excited.



as you can see we ventured out on a highway going at least 50mph or 85-90km/hour baring in mind no seat belts or doors on the dune buggies. The kids loved it, I was full of anxiety and Trent of course was in his glory.

our first stop was snorkeling... it was over cast so it was not to hot at all and the water was a pretty good temperature. Everett was not very interested in snorkeling for long so Trent stayed on the beach with him while Em & East did the tour.

Emma is a natural in the water... Easton got tired so I swam him back and Emma decided she would carry on with the group on her own, she stuck close to the guide, she is a born fish.



after snorkeling we loaded back into our dune buggy to continue our tour. There was six other people on our tour with us, all from the States a great group to spend a day with. We made a quick stop at a great beach for some pictures and to get Emma her coconut milk she loves so much... I love this picture of her.. she is a beach babe.



Our family - what a great family, I cherish each of our days.

LUNCH TIME- welcome to Playa Bonita... this was our lunch shack. These guys prepared truly one of the best meals I have ever had... it was mouth watering and we cleaned house... the salsa was - DELICIOUS



Ev loved the rice, he could not get it in fast enough... the guys gave him a serving spoon to shovel it in :- )

Adjustments on the beach - life could not get any better..haha... Trent kept complaining about his back since a roller coaster ride in DisneyWorld. He was so desperate that he was going to find a Chiropractor he heard about in Cozumel after our dune buggy tour. As luck would have it one of the guys on our tour with us was a Chiropractor and he was able to adjust Trent on the beach. They both had never done this before ... it was picture worthy.

Easton says the waves are two thumbs up!

A great picture of our three beach bums

Our last and finally stop was Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas. I have to say Disney definitely knows how to do things right. The island was immaculate, perfectly groomed it was like it was not real. We spend the whole day there baking in the sun, playing in the sand and eating ribs... very yummy ribs. It was sad to be here as it was our last day the following day we disembarked our home for the week.

For all the Pirates of the Caribbean fans... The amazing BLACK PEARL... Jack Sparrow was on the island and he was perfect... a perfectly stumbling Jack Sparrow. The Black Pearl was beautiful.

Avery & Emma out in the water with the stingrays, they had a lot of fun, Emma was more relaxed this time :- )

Beach time for Everett... notice the huge play ground behind him, kids can swing, slide, run all around it.

It was hard to choose one of my favorite nights between special apple drinks, ear tasting, vino at the evening shows, the kids finding tinkerbell, looking for Trent & Jim by their new friend Neil but if I had to chose it would be Pirate night. There was a big party on the top deck with dancing, food and fireworks. All of us dressed up to get into the theme of the night and Easton desperately wanted to be Jack Sparrow, the boys dressed from head to toe... cute Sparrows I have to say.

Trent was one scary pirate... he seems to fit the costume very well.


My cute Jack Sparrows, Em as a Mickey Pirate and of couse big daddy Pirate.



This was a fun night with Jode, since our husbands had a hard time finding us later in the evening :- )

The party on the top deck was a great time... we danced and pirated it up! Ev is one of the best looking little pirates I have ever seen... he got right into the fun.

Both families had a lot of fun on the cruise... each night the kids would go to the kids club to play games and watch movies while us adults went to the adult club to be entertained by comics, magicians and some times dance the night away. It was a lot of fun! One night Trent and I were one of three couple who played the Love Connection. First couple had to be married less than a year, second couple to be married 10-20yrs. and third couple 50+yrs. Obviouly we represented the 2nd group--- the premise of the game was; one of us was sent out of the room, the other person stayed to answer some questions, then they brought back the person from the sound barring room to answer the questions hoping for a match. (note we did this game for Jodie & Jim's amusement) I am proud to say Trent & I won the game with the most matches... we know each other pretty well I guess :- ) all except about locations (ha ha - you had to be there) The funniest part of the game was the couple who had been married for 55yrs. they were very cute.

We had a lot of fun at Rockin Bar D... here Trent, Jodie & Jim could not sing any louder to Bon Jovi... it was a fun night. Good thing I do not have my videos ready or I would have some fun film to show some great moves from Jodie.... & Jim as one of the Village People.

It was alot of fun... we will have to do it again! See you in the summer.

Daisy Duck made her apperacne a few times on the ship... she is a rare find.

The girls with their special hats that our waiters made for them.

Easton loved his chocolate milk bubble maker at dinner

The girls have alot of pictures because they stayed still long enough to have them taken. They looked so cute in there matching dresses.

People knew we were coming this our gang of six... one time a guy said to me "Oh you are that big family" it seems like we have alot when they are all talking at the same time.

After we left the boat we arrived in PANAMA on Jan 20th. It was a whirl wind of a month back in Canada/United States but it was a blast.

We arrived at our apartment which was still intacked (you never know) and we wasted no time, we were moving. Before we left to Calgary in December we decided that we were going to move out of the apartment into a house we found in Clayton. Clayton is an area outside of the city about 10min and is the area where the US army lived when they occupied Panama. Our place is an old US soliders place that has been somewhat fixed up.

I had the whole place painted before we moved in which we did a few weeks ago. The kids love it so much better! We don't have our own pool but there is one down the street and a park outside our front window which they play at everyday. Our backyard is jungle and it is very quite out where we are now. We are in a neighborhood so it is nice, lots of kids and close to the new school the kids will go to.

It has been a great transition for us and the kids are very happy. It has been interesting for me in terms of decorating... here in Panama it is a very difficult thing, what I like is pain staking to find and if I do things are way to expensive. One day my stuff from Calgary will make its way down here and I will have my pictures, painting and nic'nacs.

Our move went very smooth with the exception Trent has been quite sick. The day of our move he was in bed and for many days after that. He is still working out pneumonia out of his body but is at least showing some improvment... if he does not kick this himself soon he will be having a few days vacation in the hospital here. He has been to the hospital a few times already and the doctors are excellent, top notch and there is no waiting... service is important here.

Right now we still have no internet at our house... We moved during Carnival so the city shuts down for a week, then a transformer went with the only internet company that presently services our area, we are praying they fix it fast. I am going slightly crazy being disconnected! We do not even have television/cable/satellite... nothing, we watch alot of movies.

I am sorry to say I have no other recent pictures to share since I forgot my camera at the house and believe it or not I have not been taking many pictures lately. Durning Carnival we made our way out to the beach with friends...

In a few weeks we are heading north up to Honduras to meet the Richards for two weeks of fun in the sun. We are pretty excited about the trip but getting there will be very interesting... it will take us 4 planes to reach Roatan... Our plane leave at 5:30AM on Feb 27th that means we have to be at the airport at 3:30AM, fun fun! Honduras is suppose to be very primitive so it will be fascinating to see how people live.

Tomorrow we give up the apartment that has been home for the last year, I can say I am not sad to say good-bye... it is time to move on. I am at the apartment using the internet one last time until we get it in our house... who knows when so to all have a great weekend, email when you get a chance I will be checking email but no blogs and our phone number will not be up and running until we have fast internet.

All our love to everyone and for everyone who has emailed to ask where we have been I hope this blog answers your question. Thanks for checking on us.

Until next time.

Love Trent. Jody. Emma. Easton & Everett