Skip to main content

A Very Merry Mongolian Christmas

Yet again, it's been soooo long since I've blogged.  Last week I even debated continuing to blog or not and came to a decision:  my target audience will be my family and close friends.  Period.  If others take a peak, they're more than welcome, but my primary goal is to share my life which is so far away from home with the people who matter most to me.  Whew!  This decision has taken a great deal of pressure off me for some reason--after all, it's not like I have a huge blog audience just waiting for my next post.  Anyway, I do enjoy the technical challenge and creativity involved.  So, all that said, grab something warm and yummy to drink 'cause there are lots of pictures.

Here's a peak at my December in Mongolia.  Expats start leaving the country en mass to their home countries for Christmas.  This year I decided to stay and keep Randy company--though I have to admit I wasn't very good company as I tended to mope much more than I should have.  However, there were good times to be had...
like holiday baking & cooking...(that's pumpkin for soup and pies cooking in the crock pot)













 ...the party with my Bible study sisters at Nancy's place (that's the hostess herself yukking it up :)...

holiday sewing...including backing 16 knitted baby blankets with flannel to go to a needy maternity hospital next week (no, I did NOT do the knitting--you know me better than that :), and a Christmas table top quilt.  The table runner I bought from a local shop--it's from silk and not quilted at all.  I think it is gorgeous!





...the Notre Dame Orphanage Christmas program--note the little sheep's behind--he was quite an unruly sheep :D

...our Christmas Eve buffet dinner with as many remaining expats as we could find plus two Mongolian friends, Shagai & Ulzimaa & children Tselmeg & Enkhmaa--my Kenyan friend, Jane and her Dutch husband, Jon, as well as the Mongolians had never seen or tasted turkey!




finishing up with the Wagner Holiday party on Christmas night....can you recognize the moms above in a group picture below?  Oh, and the young guys from Wagner, Chris, Josh, Derrick & CJ, all dolled up?!  OK, Randy & I are probably hard to recognize, too--hint:  I'm the one dressed like the Queen Mum :)




...that's our December festivities.  One more week of the month left and I am hoping it will be a quiet one :)
MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!


Comments

What a whirlwind month you've had, with lots of activities and time with friends! Thank you for sharing the pics, and for continuing with your blog...it is a delight when you post your adventures!

Popular posts from this blog

Much Needed New Winter Robe - Vogue 9232

Last spring I chucked my 20-year-old bathrobe, giving me no choice but to replace it come winter.  Granted, I never took it to Mongolia, so it only got worn when I was home in the US.  But still.  For summer I made several light weight robes, but I knew I liked the style of my old RTW one.   When I saw reviews for Vogue 9232--on PR (all 3 of them), I knew I'd found my pattern.  Interestingly enough, the pattern is actually for a caftan-type dress; but all 3 reviews were done up as a robe.       Sham's review   in particular had great tips.   On a trip to Colorado Fabrics  in early summer I spotted a beeeuuutiful pink sweatshirt type fabric.  The outside is more like a thick knit and inside is dreamy soft.  And it's baby pink!  Which is hard to tell in the pics as we in Colorado have had lots of rain and no sunshine. And OK, I'm no photographer.  But seriously, this is like stepping into a pink cloud. ...

St. Patty's Day UB Style

I know this is a few days late, but we've been out of power for about 48 hours . Another story, another time. Anyway, holidays as we know them are a real challenge here. We did manage to go over to the Grand Khaan Irish Pub (remember, I do not make this stuff up) for a pint of Guinness (OK, it's watery Guinness out of China, but the sentiment is there as you can see :) and some Chinese stir fry. You see, their power was out, too, so the the grill was down but the wok was up. The place was packed and when the power did flash back on now and then, the Irish Rovers were a playin '. My first response to the 2nd picture was " Agghh ! I look 110 years old!" Randy reminded me that he took this on his cell phone. Hmm ... The 1st picture is of my first homemade corned beef!!! My dear friend, Beverly, shared her recipe (and her corned beef!) with my Bible study group 2 years ago. It turned out stellar! I have a handful of ladies of a Certain Age that inspire me and...

Jesus, Me, and Yoga

Almost a month ago I signed up for a 3-month membership at a local Dahn yoga center--and I have to say it has been life changing! Seeking to conquer my constant heart palpitations and gain lots more flexibility in ever creakier joints and muscles, I am constantly surprised--and delighted--to find it a profoundly spiritual experience. Not in a zen way, no Hindu gods invoked--but lots & lots of Jesus. I have found this stage of life to be an intersection where my spiritual life & emotions collided head on with my body. Things that for years I could sweep under the rug or just push through (ok, and blame others, hold grudges, lash out, etc., etc., yuk & yikes); well, my body would no longer tolerate it. Results: constant heart palpitations, sleep issues, anger/depression, etc. God used the hormonal stew of this life stage to bring me to a Ground Zero of sorts--what a journey it has been! My trip to Cambodia was the beginning of Change; it rebooted my decision-making p...