SandraGrayBoutte

It has been 30 years and I admit sometimes I pine for the past, for the good ole ISKL days and ways, but mostly, I can’t wait for the opportunities and experiences that the second half of life will bring. I learned to snow ski at 40 and horseback ride at 45, maybe I’ll mountain climb at 50, or ski dive at 60. Who knows?

My summary of life since ISKL has to begin with the celebration of the 32 year friendship with and 25 plus 4 year marriage to, the greatest gift that Kuala Lumpur gave me, Brian Boutte. The bond (not just between Brian and I, but with friends, classmates, and teachers) created by our time spent together in K.L. is something that I can’t forget. Every morning that I wake up beside my husband is a reminder that my life was immeasurably altered by the unexpected circumstances that took my father’s job to Malaysia in 1973. Memories of K.L. are alive and well in our home. The years since ISKL have been an incredible journey influenced by our love of overseas life and the desire for our children to have experiences similar to our own; of course the overseas premiums were only a small incentive. Here’s the recap.

I left Auburn University when Brian and I married in 1976. We lived in New Orleans, there I received my BA in sociology (University of New Orleans) and Brian his BS and MS in geology (Tulane). In 1980, after working with Gulf Oil for two years, Brian accepted a position with Exxon International and we moved to Houston. I worked in Personnel at a major department store until the children started arriving.

Todd was born in September 1982, and Kelsey in May 1985, (just 10 days before the first ISKL reunion here in Houston which I organized with Louise and Cindy.) Things plodded along like any normal American household until an overseas opportunity came our way in 1987 and we were off to Jakarta Indonesia. Our family grew to 5 in 1989 with the birth of Reid. In 1991 we returned to KL and put two of our kids in ISKL. Talk about weird! It was so fun to see Coach Daniels, Shirley Ting, Mrs. Maehendron, Mrs. Kailas, and others still there.

A short 18 months later we moved to Stavanger Norway. Another odd coincidence because Kelsey’s 2nd grade teacher was the same one who taught Stacey when the Bouttes lived there from 1966-69. In 1996, we were sent back to Houston. Underpaid and underappreciated, Brian made the difficult decision to leave Exxon and go to work for Apache Oil Corp. This job took him to Cairo in 1999 and the family (or most of it) would follow in 2000, after Todd’s high school graduation. In 2003 right after Kelsey graduated high school at the pyramids, we packed up for Houston for our third time.

Today I am: finally at the end of an extensive remodeling of our 1958 home; fretful over leaving a fascinating and challenging position in a real estate office, consulting for Prudential Relocation seminars on everyday life in Cairo, and volunteering for Dress For Success Houston.

Brian is working on new ventures exploration prospects, with occasional travel overseas. Todd is in business school at the University of Houston, Kelsey is here in community college, hoping to get accepted at Texas State University and study technical theatre in the fall, and Reid is a sophomore at Memorial High School, stealing hearts on stage and off, and supporting the sports teams as an athletic trainer.