Winter is coming!

The usually hot Arizona has been cold since yesterday. Well, at least I know Goodyear is! The sky was dark and it rained when I sent Zac to school yesterday morning. And according to dear, it rained again last night. No wonder I felt so lazy to do anything... just wanted to snuggle up in bed. Hehe.

According to the calendars, autumn / fall began on 23rd September... (The date actually coincides with Zac's birthdate!) But the summer heat can still be felt the last few weeks. Temperature only started to get cooler after yesterday.

Coming from a tropical country where it's hot and humid the entire year, I am always excited each time the season changes. 31st October marks my first year overseas. I was born and raised in Singapore. Therefore, I've never experienced any other climate. And since I've been here, I have only seen 3 season changes... from winter to spring, spring to summer and summer to autumn. So, can you imagine how excited I am to be able to witness the season changing to winter soon?

During summer, the days are longer than nights... 5 plus in the morning here feels like it's 7 a.m in Singapore and it only gets dark at around 8 plus at night. And when I say summer, I mean hot! Really hot! Too hot that no one wants to leave their home! It seems like every other Singaporeans here were hibernating, except for the husbands, as they needed to work. Even the children don't go to school. My goodness! A 3 months break for them! My children almost rotted at home, and I almost went insane!

Now that it's autumn, the sun is rising later, at around 6 plus in the morning and setting earlier everyday, at around 5 plus in the evening.

By the way, I have officially stopped turning on our home aircon! Time to enjoy the cooling autumn and winter air... :)

White Sands National Monument

We head down to White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo after the balloon fiesta. I must say that it is a beautiful place! We really love the colours of the white sand and the clear blue sky! Surprisingly, the sand was very cooling despite the hot sun!

The kids had fun sledding, while we adults, enjoyed the view and of course, writing on the sand!



Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 2010

Phew! Finally I'm done with all the editing and selecting of the photos from the recent trip to New Mexico. We had so much fun those 3 days and kept snapping pictures of everything. Too busy snapping that we didn't realise we actually took almost 300 photos. That was why it took me ages to post them here or on facebook. Hehe.

The journey from our home in Goodyear to Albuquerque was a tiring 7 hours drive. Nope, I didn't drive during the trip. I know some of you out there must be saying "Never drive so cannot complain that you are tired!" But... but... but... just sitting in the car was actually bad enough for me. I can't afford to fall asleep because I have to keep my dear hubby entertained. I worry he might doze off while driving. I know he's worn out, and I really wish I could take over so he could nap, but driving during roadtrips is not within my capability yet. So far, the furthest I have driven to is Lee Lee, an oriental supermarket which is at the most, a half hour drive from my place. 

Anyway, the Balloon Fiesta was a good experience. To be able to see the hot air balloons was really a rare opportunity. Back home in Singapore, this is something that we could only read up on or watch on TV. Now that we are in US, we definitely wouldn't want to miss it. The fiesta is an annual event held in Albuquerque, New Mexico during the first week of October.  

We bought tickets for 2 days since we wanted to see the beauty of the balloons when they light up at night and when they take flight in the morning. Both times were equally awesome. While we were there, we definitely could feel the massive joy everywhere around us. It was super crowded! 

What we saw on Saturday night was breathtaking! The balloons fired their burners and lit up when the sun began to set. The sight was like giant holiday ornaments glowing. We were disappointed though, when there were only a few being lit up, probably around 10. We had expected to see more. This was followed by a spectacular fireworks display. When that took place, it almost felt like we were back home, watching fireworks at Marina on National Day! 

The next morning, we went to the Fiesta again. This time to watch the mass ascension of the balloons. You should see our faces when we saw the balloons take off and sail silently through the blue sky. It was magnificent! We were so excited and got busy with our camera. By the way, did I mention that it was a very, very cold morning? The kids had their winter wear on, but I came unprepared. Just had my normal thin jacket with me. Luckily Echo had a spare jacket, a thick one, to lend me! :) I might have not enjoyed myself as much if not for it...

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta - definitely one which we will never forget!

Zac's swollen cheek

My poor boy got bitten by an insect on his right cheek. Not sure if it's a mosquito that kissed him though... We find it kind of cute and kept bugging him to allow us to take a photo. That explains the long grumpy face!

Lake Havasu

Dear has always wanted to go to Lake Havasu, a lake which is about 2.5 hours drive from home. As usual, what other places can keep a "fisherman" interested? Back home in Singapore, the beach is our usual weekend hangout as dear would fish at the nearby jetty. Now that we are in US and there isn't any sea, the lakes are his next favourite place.

I, however, wasn't really looking forward to it. It's freaking hot in summer! Like all other trips to lakes, I usually just sit down and watch dear and the kids fish. Fishing is just not my thing! Haiz... But I have to admit that it is indeed a good family activity! I see Zac & Nana benefiting from it. Fishing instills patience in them. Most of us go through life rushing from one thing to the next and at times, practising patience becomes a challenge for us. As much as I am all for fishing, there's one thing which I dislike - getting darker. I get darker after each and every fishing trip. I'm a Malay so I have been tan all my life. I definitely don't wish to get any darker than now. And thus, that explains why we kept having the trip to Lake Havasu postponed.

We finally made it yesterday though. Dear was still on leave, and the kids had nothing much to do during this break. Lake Havasu is actually a nice place. There are boats for rent if you want to venture out into the lake. And they have a designated area for visitors to suntan or swim. The highlight of Lake Havasu is the bridge there. It is called the London Bridge. Why is it called the London Bridge?

As we all know, the London Bridge was originally in London, England. In 1962, it was found to be not strong enough to support the increased load created by the level of traffic crossing it. The bridge was therefore dismantled in 1967. The founder of Lake Havasu purchased the bridge with the intention of turning it into a tourist attraction. Granite blocks from the original bridge were sent over. Construction began and the bridge was finally completed in 1971.

Anyway, back to my story... Dear, of course, brought along his fishing rods and tools. We found a great spot. And there's even a sheltered seat for me. Hehe.

All 3 of them started fishing while I kept myself busy snapping photos. The kids stood at the shore initially. A few minutes later, I saw them standing in the water, with the water level up to their ankle. I just warned dear to watch out for them since they were just behind him. I started checking out the photos which I took and when I looked up, the kids were already half-submerged in the water. I called for them to come out, but as usual, they didn't want to listen. Then, a while later, I saw both of them IN THE WATER! They were practically swimming! I almost started my incessant naggings. But when I saw their happy smiles, I just couldn't bring myself to scold them. They were having so much fun! It has been quite some time since I last brought them for a swim.

A fishing trip that turns out to be a swimming trip as well. What a day! By the way, dear didn't manage to catch any fish that day... Hehe.