The end is the beginning is the end

Well here we are again. My parents came and went in a flash. I wish they were here triple as long. I also wish I had unlimited vacation days. Alas, no world is perfect. We had a mind-blowing trip with them. Here's a brief list of things we did: drank luwak coffee (yea, the poop coffee from The Bucket List) amid a bevy of rice terraces in the one of the most picturesque places I've ever seen; had Japanese food at a restaurant overlooking rice terraces with a mountainous backdrop; visited a black sand beach, saw boobage, collected lava stones; took a road trip to Amed on the northeast coast, where we snorkeled a reef 20 feet from our villa door; had several great meals, most of which my mom actually enjoyed as well (this was a big victory); watched a traditional ceremony on the beach in Amed commemorating the start of Galungan; watched my all time favorite Kechak dance in Uluwatu; did a silver jewelry making session in Ubud; chilled at Tom's and my regular beach spot where mom and dad met our Indo buds; ate suckling pig several times; had an insane amount of massages (Dad even lost his massage v-card); and only one person fell victim to "Bali belly"...I won't mention any names, but it was someone who lives here... Aaaand it wasn't Tom. Oh, the sacrifices children make for their parents. So you can see we did boat loads of stuff. It truly was amazing. Tom and I have less than three months left here, so you guys better get to planning if you want to visit. Also worth mentioning, we now live in our own villa and have a futon for visitors to stay on. Come one, come all, to the super mega Bali ball. Our new place is super mega as well. We have a two-story villa that we share with our friends Tanya and Andy. Upstairs has a loft and our room and bathroom. Tanya and Andy are downstairs with the kitchen, living room, and kitchen-table-eating-space. Outside we have a massive porch, coi pond, our own pagoda hut, and a quite large yard for sweet Rosy to romp around in. Unfortunately, Rosy has been romping a little too much and has achieved full-fledged tick queen status. I woke up Tuesday morning to a bed full of ticks (Ro sleeps in the bed, they weren't from Tom). After some quick-fingered googling, the battle of Brenna v. Tick colony commenced. I, with my tweezers and Rosy, with her new found friends, battled it out for the next hour. I pulled about twenty or thirty ticks to their death. Apparently they hide in the paws, ears, and butthole. Yes, Butthole. After poor Rosy's initial torture session, we haven't found too many ticks on her, but we're getting some Frontline just in case. That's about all that's been going on here, in Bali. Obviously most of you are aware that Hurricane Isaac just hit Slidell, luckily everyone in my family fared well. No water, no trees. It is shocking for something like this to happen, but at least we can all say that we learned and were hopefully more prepared after the K-word. Things like this always are aweful, but always have a way of making people less selfish and more appreciative of life. Good luck to everyone recovering and returning home. You are in our thoughts. And on that note, I will bid you adieu. Happy Labor Day weekend, all you laborers! Happy Decadence Festival weekend! And Selamat hari raya Galungan dan Kuningan, to my Bali buds!