Our Sweet Boy Jaek

As some of you may or may not know, our sweet boy Jaek had been dealing with what we found out was a ruptured disk in his neck/back for about 6 months. It upsets me so much to know how much pain he was in for so long. The steroids, pain meds, and acupuncture were barely enough to keep him well enough until we were able to fly him back to Houston on June 12th to meet with a specialist about how bad his injury was and if we could do surgery.

After a very intense surgery to scrape and clean out all the ruptured debris from his spinal column, blood transfusion, serious seizures, ICU and 2.5 weeks at the vet, I finally got to bring Jaek back to my parents where we watched him closely and were up hours on end to help manage pain and work on rehabilitation to help him walk again.

Now it is July 21st and he is able to get up, walk on his own, and only has a bit of a wobble mainly on his left side from what we think was a minor stroke during one of his seizures. He appears to have lost vision in his left eye, but we hope some of it may come back as the nerves heal. We are so thankful for the huge recovery he has made thanks to the outstanding vets at North Houston Veterinary Specialist. Without their great work, unconditional patience and kindness, and a lot of prayer, we know he wouldn't be where he is today.

In just 9 short days Me, Mom, Jaek, and Chloe will start our journey up to Calgary. 4 days, 6 states, 2 countries, and 2,200 miles later, we should be reunited (for a short time as Kaes still has to go back to Malaysia) as a family after a long exhausting 6 weeks.

Please pray for us that we have a safe trip with no major hurdles or incidences! Posts from Calgary will come soon :)

It's Official - We are Moving!!!

Well the time has come once again for us to relocate to our next position. Our company has been very good to us over the past 3.5 years with new and exciting places to live and amazing opportunities for both of us. We have known about this potential move since June, but it was just finalized a few weeks ago, and Kaes' announcement was published to the region this week.

We will be relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. KL is just a short 3.5 hour drive to Singapore and on the Malaysia mainland that is bordered by Thailand to the north, and Singapore and Indonesia to the south. For those of that are unsure of where it is located, see the map below.

{click map for larger view}

Our very first overseas location was in Malaysia, but on the eastern side of the country in Miri, on the island of Borneo and close to the border of Brunei. I have pinpointed each location {A - KL and B - Miri} to see the distance between each city. 2.5 hours by flight separates the two from each other; similar to the distance between Houston and Denver.

Kaes officially starts his new position on October 1, which is a 2-year assignment, but it will take us a bit longer to relocate. Currently, there is a ban on importing horses and domestic animals from Australia to Malaysia {this is very unusual due to the strict quarantine process in Australia} due to the deadly Hendra virus {transmitted by fruit bats} that has killed 20 horses, a dog, and has infected humans. The ban on livestock and goats was just lifted a few weeks ago as they are the biggest exports for Australia and where Malaysia gets its main source of meat. Unfortunately, the virus is on the eastern side of Australia, over 2,000 miles away, but Malaysia is taking all precautions to ensure it is not transmitted to Malaysia.

What that means for us is a waiting game...the dogs and I will stay in Perth until the ban is lifted and Kaes will travel back and forth to KL. Hopefully the Malaysia and Australian governments can sort the issue quickly so this does not turn into a lengthy process. Once we get the green light, it will take 6 weeks by sea for all of our furniture to be transported from Perth to KL. I cannot say that I am ever excited to be packed up, wait for what seems like forever to finally get to sleep in your own bed again, then have to unpack and organize everything...it is quite the daunting task...

Perth's beautiful summer is quickly approaching, so I can't say that I am complaining {too} much!! It will be bittersweet to leave the beautiful beaches, river, and amazing weather that makes Perth such an enjoyable place, as well has the many friends that we have met, but we are excited about new opportunities in Malaysia as well as being closer to quick getaways in SE Asia.

Stay tuned for updates and pictures of our new city and home!!!

Trip to Lancelin

Kaes and I decided to take the dogs in the jeep and drive up the Coral Coast 1.5 hours to Lancelin. Lancelin is a small fishing village, but known to have some good beaches, beautiful water, and good places for off roading. The dogs love going to the beach and Jaek especially loves to chase the birds, whether in the water or in the air. It was a really scenic drive and a great way to spend our Saturday. Here are a few pictures below of our trip.

The white sandy beaches and beautiful water of Lancelin


Jaek about to head out for a swim


Jaek trotting along - I think he is almost "starting" to get tired

Chloe testing out the water - mmm, not so much...

Litte Chloe chasing after a bird...she has been taking lessons from her big brother, and is now quite the little hunter :)

Almost Settled In

Well we have made our move to Australia and found our house. We moved into our permanent house on July 31st and had some temporary furniture delivered until our shipment makes it through customs. Fortunately enough, it made it to Perth within 7 days and we are just waiting on customs to clear it (Who knows how long that will take, but we are waiting patiently)

We found our house in Bicton and didn't realize how much we would love it! The weather has been amazing in Perth getting up into the mid to high 60's during the day and in the 30's in the morning. Kaes and I went on a long bike ride this weekend around the river, almost to the city and back. The view is breathtaking and the weather amazing. The Point Walter golf course is less than a mile from the house and also has tennis courts. Many people gather around Point Walter on the weekends for barbecues, picnics and skiing on the river.

Jaek and Chloe are in quarantine in Byford and as of today, only have 13 days left! Over half way through. They have met many new friends while there and the workers are very nice and friendly. They will both be very excited to move into their new home. The backyard is big enough for them to have plenty of running room and I am sure Jaek will love going for a swim in the pool :)

Here are a few pictures below


Front of the house


The kitchen and living room looking out onto the deck and backyard


Our new backyard


Chloe saying hello!


Jaek rolling on a lemon in the exercise yard at quarantine. Some things never change, no matter where they are!