Malaysia Spring Break

While Jake was busy fishing and biking and running, I was busy playing with the monkeys and enjoying the beautiful country of Malaysia (as well as Singapore and Japan). It was much more jungly than I thought - it was amazing!!!

Enjoy the pictures!!

apparently they eat this in Malaysia! I did NOT try it!
Genting Highlands - most amazing place in Malaysia - unbelievable city up above the clouds...
more of the view
the Buddhist Temple up in the Highlands
WOW!
At the Malaysian Palace - couldn't get him to smile!
beautiful downtown Kuala Lumpur
At the Chinese Street Market (Amanda, Jamie (our gracious host) and her boyfriend Long - our driver)
amazing invention...coffee in a bag!
crazy monkeys who wanted ALL of our bananas
me with some of the crazy monkeys!
trying to feed it!
he was peaceful!
the view from the Hindu temple we climbed! This is where we played with all the monkeys!
The Petronas Towers downtown KL.
monkey!!!
Holland!!! For you Miedema's and Stams and Van Dams and family everywhere!!!
some of the best food I've ever eaten - ROTI!
We were there - pretty awesome!
Malaysian sunset
MY HOME! :)
Three awesome friends! What an awesome trip!

Singapore Spring Break

Over Spring Break, my husband stayed home to rest and fish and play sports, while I got to go off with Amanda and explore some amazing, colorful and fun parts of the world. We stayed in Japan for about 20 hours (see other post) and then went to Singapore for three days, then Malaysia for three and back to Singapore for two days. Here are some highlights from the Singapore trip! It was full of animals, beautiful buildings and cultures, shopping, walking and meeting people!

Enjoy!

World's Largest Fountain - Fountain of Wealth - amazing!
At the fish spa - a very new and CRAZY experience....

fish eating my feet

Amanda and I with more water-front view - I LOVE SINGAPORE!!!
beautiful buildings!
An escalator that goes from the 7th floor to the 11th. SCARY!
The Raffles Hotel - gorgeous!
Amanda and I at the famous Long Bar. The famous Singapore Slinger (drink) cost $29.90 here...YIKES! Needless to say all we did was take a picture and not drink!
ahhhh! Singapore!!
the 70th floor view of the city!
me and orangs!!!
The new casino and hotel!
me and the waterfront restaurants!
Carrot Cake?!?!?!
smoking some sheesha! =)
Mosque on Arab street
Amanda, Hozumi and I downtown Arab street - so beautiful!
Me and Fat Buddha
The colorful streets of Singapore

ME Love

We had our Marriage Encounter weekend and it was truly amazing. Jake and I had our personal weekend way back in November 2008...feels like forever ago!! We have been a part of the ME community since then. We love it! They are our family here on island - they are full of love and have been through the same things we have and we talk about our relationships and marriages. We help each other grow and Jake and I LOVE being a part of it. We try to be as involved as we can because we truly believe in it. We also wouldn't have such amazing friends or people in our lives here if we weren't a part of it!

Here's us at the weekend (March 19-21, 2010)

After the whole weekend was over (which consisted of LONG LONG days and short short nights of sleep) on Sunday night we had our Love Circle. All the couples that helped organize and run the weekend stick around after all the clean-up and have a love circle. We go around and share what the weekend was for us and how God worked. It's the best part of the whole weekend - we never miss it!

It is also the time where people are nominated and chosen for planning positions for the next upcoming weekend...and we'll we are very EXCITED to say that we are the new HEAD Coordinators and Chair people for the Fall 2010 Weekend. It took a lot of preparing Jake for the notion (all weekend we talked about it) but by Sunday night, after a few beers, we agreed and are ready to take it on!!!

So now lots of planning and preparing!!! Good thing I'm an organizer!

Good thing we are in LOVE and LOVE Marriage Encounter!!!

So there's a quick update....

Spring Break is upon us and neither of us can wait! I am heading off to Singapore on Saturday with my friend Amanda. Pray for safe travels. Jake will be sticking around Saipan to fish, golf, fish, fish, bike, swim, play frisbee, fish, golf and fish. =)

Love

J&J

March so far...

We are about half-way through March and it keeps coming fast. We only have 1 more week and then it'll be Spring Break. 10 days of freedom and neither of us can wait!!!!

We've been keeping really busy since the lost time I wrote.

We have another Marriage Encounter weekend coming up this weekend. Jake and I are in charge of the hotel facility and so we've been busy planning and helping and organizing and getting ready. Last weekend we also competed in our first xtreme triathlon: The Xterra. So we have also spent alot of our time preparing for that and training. Now that's 1 of the 2 is over we can take a small breathe.

The Xterra is an extreme off-road triathlon. First you swim 1 mile (which really isn't that extreme). Then you run out to your bike and bike 24 miles (which doesn't sound that bad...) but those 24 miles are almost all uphill, on rocky, hill trails and through mud. (CRAZY) Then once you get finished with that you still have a 7 mile run (of course which is hilly, rocky, in caves and mud-outs) and then you are finished. There are lots of professionals that come out (from Aussie, Europe and even the States) and then there are lots of regular athletes (also from all over). Jake trained really hard these last few months for this and for doing the whole event. I trained hard on my bike as I did it in a team. Tami Winkfield was the swimmer and Amanda Allen, the runner.

We were all geared up and ready to go but then I had to go an crash and end it for our team. Two crashes, both hitting my head and after the second one they decided it was best to take me to the hospital. NOthing is broken and now everything is slowly healing - so I'm fine.

Jake finished and did amazing! This man is a triathlete for sure! He was hoping to be under 4hours and 30min and he finished the WHOLE thing in under 4 hours!!! His time: 3h58min. I could not have been more proud of him and all his hard, tiring work.

Here are some pictures to show it!

Oh and his "prize" for doing so well - a ring tattoo (since he lost his actual wedding ring)

Things are great here - just looking forward to a break - soon enough!

We miss y'all back in the States but then again, soon enough we'll be back there to see ya!!

Love always,

J & J

Jake, Tami, Russ and Kai (Kai who swam faster than all the pro's out there)

Tami and Jake getting ready to swim with me and "Oma" watching behind!!
Jake and I with Mike Vine, the Canadian pro
Kevin and I and our injuries!!!
my nasty knees
me after my 2nd fall in the First Aid tent
Jake right after he finished the whole thing - looks like he could keep going!
camping at Managaha!!!
wishing I could be in Japan for Cherry Tree season so instead I found a fake one to take a picture with!
Jake getting his Xterra "prize"
5-19-2007 (I LOVE YOU!)