Earthquake

I just wanted to put up a quick note to assure you all that we are fine. The earthquake was approximately 573 miles away from us, and we felt nothing. Singapore is also very protected from tsunamis by the surrounding Indonesian islands. As I understand it, Singapore is one of the safest places in the world with regard to natural disasters. No earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanoes, flooding, etc.

We've had a wonderful Christmas season so far, and will update you a little more later, but I wanted to reassure you as soon as I heard about this! (I actually didn't even hear about the earthquake until this morning (Monday).

Escaping the City

In early November we had a five-day weekend and were able to go to Sibu, Malaysia to relax and escape the fast pace of city life. We went with two other couples from the school. (Bob is sitting by Betsy.)

Sibu Island

The island of Sibu is only about 20 acres and provided a nice, quiet get-away.

Leaving the mainland

Sibu Island Resort

Fishing house on the ocean

And in the background, the many islands of Malaysia.

The beach

RDA, horses in the city!

This is where Betsy spends her Thursday and Friday mornings, the Riding School for the Disabled.

"Working" Hard

Her day starts with grooming and saddling a horse in preparation for the riders.

Meet Rama

Warming up

After saddling the horse, Betsy takes him out to walk around the arena and get prepared for the activities of the day.

The arena

The riders are led through many different obstacles during the ride.

The Ride

During the actual ride there are three volunteers per horse, one leading (this is what Betsy does) and two making sure the rider is stable and not going to fall off. There are also two or three instructors for the whole group.