Hello friends and family!

It's been another great month here in Vietnam. Halloween and Thanksgiving have now come and gone, Christmas and a trip back to America are on the horizon. Here's what we have been up to.

Growing Boy

Angie totally rocks (humble brag on my part) at her job! The boy and I are very proud of her. Owen continues to thrive as well. He enjoys his new school and new friends. He definitely misses his friends and family (and dogs) back home, as we all do, but he has done so well adjusting to life here. Oh, and he is missing a couple of other things, as the pics will show.

 Our Halloween Boxer

 Dressing up as Rodrick from Diary of a Wimpy Kid for a school day

Soccer Star

Owen is fully immersed into soccer at the moment. He has started to practice with a local sports academy and had his first tournament this past month. Like all proud parents, Ang and I believe we have the next Messi on our hands but time will tell.

Volunteering

I have continued to join a group of Expat spouses who volunteer weekly at a local charity school/orphanage here in the city. Helping these little folks with art projects always makes my week!

We have also started to work with and support a school/orphanage that is in an area where many of the footwear factories are located. The St. Joseph's school is run by a group of nuns and we are helping them in several areas that will hopefully result in a reliable support structure going forward. 

Cat of the Month Club

We had intended on giving a couple of kittens that a friend here had rescued a place in our home. The brother and sister kittens were very sweet, unfortunately, Owen and I were also very allergic. Not to worry, the kittens found a great new home. The good news is that Stubbs, the stray we have been taking care of, is still with us and has started to spend time inside as well. So far Owen and I are not sneezing and rubbing our eyes uncontrollably. For the record, "Stubbs" is short for stubborn. When she first came to our house I would not let Angie feed her for three days. Before you think I'm truly mean, just know that once you start leaving food out here a cat colony will soon be at your doorstep. But Stubbs was still around after the three days and we are happy to have her, life is just better with animals right?

A few random pics to close. 

Endless Summer

A trip to a local market