Gone to America

Julia and the kids left for Texas on Sunday night to spend time with family and friends during the summer break.  They flew Qatar airlines and seem to have had a good trip (well, as good as it gets traveling to the other side of the world with three kids).  ;)

The original plan was for everyone to come to China with me next week, but there was complications getting visas, so we had to scrap that and get new tickets for Julia and the kids.

Anyway, Julia and the kids are excited to spend lots of quality time with our loved ones in Texas, and we feel blessed to be able to spend so much time with them even if it is concentrated to only one part of the year.

More new furniture

Last week, our new bench was delivered.  It was made by a local shop called Batavia 3 that specializes in making custom furniture from old, recycled teak.  The teak often comes from old houses that have been demolished. 

We saw the bench at her shop the first time we stopped by and were intrigued by the rustic look of it.  Apparently it hadn't sold because most buyers want the entire piece completely sanded smooth.  Julia and I like the rustic look of the bench, so we had the shop add some Dayak style carvings (inspired by my Iban headhunter shield that I got from my mission days on Borneo island).  The Dayak style carvings on the upper portion of the bench replaced the previous carvings taken from a old house in Madura island (that we didn't care for).  The result is striking and interesting to look at and is as solid as a rock.  It is also quite confortable to rest on as well.

We also commissioned a coffee table that also will have similar style carvings and character in the wood.  We look forward to it being delivered in August.