Tuesday, January 15, 2008
More Exploring the Island
We rented a four-wheeler so that we could explore the island a bit. There are lots of different beaches, but the island is a National Forest too. The first beach is the biggest and it's kind of the party beach. The beach where we stayed is a nice quiet little cove. There were still plenty of people there and enough amenities, though. In our exploration, we found some very pretty private beaches with only one resort on them. They were a lot more primitive with only one restaurant and no stores, but you would literally be the only people on the beach. I'm glad we were able to explore a bit. We got some pretty funny looks with our whole family on one four-wheeler. It's always so funny to me because the Asian people will pile so many people onto a bike or motorcycle. Seriously, I have seen the craziest transportation arrangements. But, whenever Westerners do the same thing, they get the craziest looks. Maybe if we were all on a motorcycle instead, we wouldn't have drawn so much attention. But, we felt more safe on a four-wheeler.
Jason was able to get a massage right on the beach. The ladies kept asking me if I wanted my hair braided in little tiny braids, so I decided to do it. They charge by the braid, so of course, they did the tiniest braids you can imagine. 
More playing in the sand! My kids sure love being outside!
All the restaurants are right on the beach. So our kids could play, then come take a bite, then play some more, then come take a bite, etc. And Jason and I could actually enjoy our meals instead of trying to get our kids to sit still at a restaurant.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Koh Samet--Dec. 24
**Disclaimer: I still forget to check the settings on my camera before I start taking pictures, so some of these pictures were the very wrong setting. Sorry about that. I wish I could remember those sorts of things.
We really loved the resort we stayed in. We had a bungalow just up the rocks from the beach. So we were on a cliff overlooking the ocean, but it was only a 2 minute walk to the beach. 
Koh Samet is beautiful! It was a lot more primitive than I expected. There are shops and resorts and restaurants, but there is only one dirt road on the whole island. And the only cars are these taxi trucks and then motorcycles. People walk around barefoot all day. Everything's right on the beach. The water is gorgeous. During low tide you can walk out forever.
We rode in the back of a truck with a bunch of people to get to where we were staying. They dropped us off literally right on the beach and then we had to find which one was our resort. We looked really silly trying to wheel our big suitcase through the sand. Finally Jason ran ahead to check in and some bus boys came back with a big cart to get our luggage.
While we were waiting with the luggage, we discovered some sand bubble crabs. It was so much fun to see them because we had just watched a Blue Planet video about them. They are these really tiny crabs that come out during low tide and the filter through the sand, eating the tiny organisms in the sand and spitting out the rest, forming these tiny balls of sand. They were everywhere on the beach. We had so much fun watching them. A man even caught a bunch and gave them to my kids to hold. You can't see the crabs in the pictures because they blend in with the sand, but you can see all the tiny little balls that they made.
We really loved the resort we stayed in. We had a bungalow just up the rocks from the beach. So we were on a cliff overlooking the ocean, but it was only a 2 minute walk to the beach. We played on the beach for a while, until it started getting dark. Then we went and changed. Our resort had a big Christmas Eve buffet dinner with lots of different Thai and Western food dishes. The restaurant is right on the rocks on the beach, so you are eating in the moonlight, right next to the water. It is breathtaking.
Afterwards, we just walked along the beach, enjoying the evening. There were some fireworks and some fire dancers for Christmas Eve. They also had these paper balloon things that you could buy and light a candle in them. They fill with air and begin to float in the sky. So, it's a glowing ball floating in the air. They are very pretty. We did one and the kids loved it. 
The first few days of our trip
We got to Hong Kong around 4:00 and went straight to check into our hotel. We were shocked at how small our room was especially for the price we were paying. That's Hong Kong for ya.
The whole reason for going to Hong Kong was to watch the BYU bowl game over the internet. We had a blast watching the game. I'm so glad that they won.
We also went to the Space Museum in Hong Kong.
In the evening we left Hong Kong and traveled to the Shenzhen airport where we took the plane to Bangkok. We got to the airport 4 hours early because we were unsure how long it was going to take to get there. They wouldn't even let us check in until 2 hours before our flight. And the airport was very small, so it was interesting trying to entertain our kids for those few hours.
Our plane arrived in Bangkok at 1:30 a.m. The airport wasn't crowded at all since it was so late, so customs, getting our luggage, and finding a taxi was a breeze. We stayed in a hotel by the airport that wasn't anything special, but it seemed HUGE compared to our room in Hong Kong. And it was about 1/4 of the price.
In the morning, we traveled to the bus station where we caught the bus to Koh Samet. The bus ride was very interesting. We were the only family on the bus. There were tons of couples consisting of a very old white man and a very young Thai woman. These couples were everywhere we went. They played a horrible Thai horror film on the bus. It was a lot of screaming and a lot of blood and guts. We turned the TV by us off because we were the only ones in the back of the bus, but even the music and screaming was awful. We tried to distract our kids and do other things. Mostly we just all slept on the way there.
The whole reason for going to Hong Kong was to watch the BYU bowl game over the internet. We had a blast watching the game. I'm so glad that they won.
We also went to the Space Museum in Hong Kong.
In the evening we left Hong Kong and traveled to the Shenzhen airport where we took the plane to Bangkok. We got to the airport 4 hours early because we were unsure how long it was going to take to get there. They wouldn't even let us check in until 2 hours before our flight. And the airport was very small, so it was interesting trying to entertain our kids for those few hours.
Our plane arrived in Bangkok at 1:30 a.m. The airport wasn't crowded at all since it was so late, so customs, getting our luggage, and finding a taxi was a breeze. We stayed in a hotel by the airport that wasn't anything special, but it seemed HUGE compared to our room in Hong Kong. And it was about 1/4 of the price.
In the morning, we traveled to the bus station where we caught the bus to Koh Samet. The bus ride was very interesting. We were the only family on the bus. There were tons of couples consisting of a very old white man and a very young Thai woman. These couples were everywhere we went. They played a horrible Thai horror film on the bus. It was a lot of screaming and a lot of blood and guts. We turned the TV by us off because we were the only ones in the back of the bus, but even the music and screaming was awful. We tried to distract our kids and do other things. Mostly we just all slept on the way there.
Christmas Morning
We took video of the kids opening their gifts, but we can't get the video to upload here. So, I don't have any pictures. They were both really excited for all the things that they got. Haley got a new doll, a scooter, and some blocks. Britton got lots of Lego sets and a scooter. They also got some books and other little things in their stockings. We had breakfast, played with the new toys, went on a scooter ride, then finished packing. Our bus left for Hong Kong at 1:00.
Christmas Eve
We celebrated Christmas Eve the night before we left on our trip. We read the Christmas story out of Luke 2 and the kids acted it out.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Grateful Sunday
Things I'm grateful for this week:*We're doing so well on our daily scripture study and prayer.
*Our kids really love going to Primary.
*We found out that Clifford Supermarket delivers for free, so we didn't have to lug all our groceries home on the bus on Saturday.
*We have the Tanner's to play with (thanks for the fun games last night!)
*We found out that we can take a night train to Vietnam so now I'm not stressed about finding plane tickets. And we'll save a TON of money.
*We had a really great time at church so afterwards everyone was calm and happy. We had a really good Sunday.
*Jason finally just took the hard drive out of the laptop and downloaded our trip pictures to this computer, so get ready for A LOT of pictures and posts from our Thailand trip.
Everyday Life
Here are a few pictures from the last few days.
Haley playing with her animals around the table.
One night, Haley kept getting up out of bed with different accessories on with her pajamas. She has boots, a purse, a bracelet, and a hat. She just kept making excuses why she couldn't go to sleep yet (I need to say another prayer, I need my hat, etc.)
Haley playing with her animals around the table.
One night, Haley kept getting up out of bed with different accessories on with her pajamas. She has boots, a purse, a bracelet, and a hat. She just kept making excuses why she couldn't go to sleep yet (I need to say another prayer, I need my hat, etc.)
Britton and Owen playing "together". Owen wanted to play Xbox and Britton wanted to play PSP, so I made them at least sit next to each other.
Haley and Liam playing together. Liam is Owen and Jackson's little brother. They live next door to us. Recently, Liam learned how to open the door, so at any given time, he may just wander into our apartment.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Last night
When we were coming home from our date last night, Jason and I heard laughter as we approached our door. When we walked in Haley was sitting on Aiee's lap and they were both just giggling away. I can't even explain how happy it makes me that these two get along so well. What a blessing!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just some randomness
*My students are working on a project writing a commercial about saving endangered species. A lot of them have big posters/banners that say "Save the chimpanzee" or "Save the tiger" or whatever their animal is. All I could think about the whole time I was watching them work was "Save the cheerleader, save the world" (from Heroes). I think I watch too much tv.
*Also whenever I'm watching my students do projects, it reminds me of all the groups project I did in Jr. High with Desiree, Amber, and Tya--writing and performing melodramas, the French Christmas presentation, the Tabloid magazine (Moon magazine) that we wrote and sold. Anyway, there were tons. And it seems like we were always making up songs to remember things for tests or for different presentations. Anyway, these songs get stuck in my head some 20 years later while I'm watching my students. "Dary Sckedams fashion designers incorporated, fashion designers incorporated, fashion designers incorporated, Dary Sckedams fashion designers incorporated, BUY our stuff!" "Ran said the goon in Burma, Peking over the wall of China, Jakarta! Jakarta! cry unto the people of Indonesia. " and so on. These are the things that go through my head all day long.
*Britton has the greatest memory. He just soaks in anything and everything that I teach him. I use all the same power point presentations that I use with my classes at school and I show them to Britton and Haley during lunch. I can't believe all the information that Britton retains. I need to be better at taking advantage of this time when he really is like a sponge, soaking it all in. Sometimes I get lazy and stop do regular "homeschool" with them. The other day one of Britton's friends (a 7 year old) came in and asked me, "How does Britton know everything?" I thought it was pretty funny. He does know quite a bit. Unfortunately, right now, his knowledge is limited to science and math since that is what is easiest and most natural for me to teach.
*Last night Britton wrote a story by himself about a bear that lives in a house with a "trdl shel roof" (turtle shell roof) It was a cute story and I just love when kids try to write things. It's so fun to see the spelling that they come up with.
*Haley cut her own hair the other day. It was when Jason and I were gone and the Aiee was here. Fortunately her hair is curly and therefore the cuts aren't as evident. She mainly cut in front (probably where she could reach) so it actually just looks like bangs and some layers. I asked her why she did it and she said, "so I won't have to have ponytails anymore". She cut quite a bit, but it's really not that noticeable. In fact, it took me a bit before I even noticed and then when I mentioned it to Jason he said, "oh, I thought something looked different". So it definitely wasn't one of those drastic cuts that most little kids do where there is no possible way to hide the damage they've done.
*Also whenever I'm watching my students do projects, it reminds me of all the groups project I did in Jr. High with Desiree, Amber, and Tya--writing and performing melodramas, the French Christmas presentation, the Tabloid magazine (Moon magazine) that we wrote and sold. Anyway, there were tons. And it seems like we were always making up songs to remember things for tests or for different presentations. Anyway, these songs get stuck in my head some 20 years later while I'm watching my students. "Dary Sckedams fashion designers incorporated, fashion designers incorporated, fashion designers incorporated, Dary Sckedams fashion designers incorporated, BUY our stuff!" "Ran said the goon in Burma, Peking over the wall of China, Jakarta! Jakarta! cry unto the people of Indonesia. " and so on. These are the things that go through my head all day long.
*Britton has the greatest memory. He just soaks in anything and everything that I teach him. I use all the same power point presentations that I use with my classes at school and I show them to Britton and Haley during lunch. I can't believe all the information that Britton retains. I need to be better at taking advantage of this time when he really is like a sponge, soaking it all in. Sometimes I get lazy and stop do regular "homeschool" with them. The other day one of Britton's friends (a 7 year old) came in and asked me, "How does Britton know everything?" I thought it was pretty funny. He does know quite a bit. Unfortunately, right now, his knowledge is limited to science and math since that is what is easiest and most natural for me to teach.
*Last night Britton wrote a story by himself about a bear that lives in a house with a "trdl shel roof" (turtle shell roof) It was a cute story and I just love when kids try to write things. It's so fun to see the spelling that they come up with.
*Haley cut her own hair the other day. It was when Jason and I were gone and the Aiee was here. Fortunately her hair is curly and therefore the cuts aren't as evident. She mainly cut in front (probably where she could reach) so it actually just looks like bangs and some layers. I asked her why she did it and she said, "so I won't have to have ponytails anymore". She cut quite a bit, but it's really not that noticeable. In fact, it took me a bit before I even noticed and then when I mentioned it to Jason he said, "oh, I thought something looked different". So it definitely wasn't one of those drastic cuts that most little kids do where there is no possible way to hide the damage they've done.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Computer Woes
While we were in Bangkok, the power went out while our laptop was plugged in and somehow it burned up our power supply. We looked in Bangkok to get it fixed or find a replacement, but we were unsuccessful since it's a power cord from the U.S. When we got back to China, Jason took it in to be fixed. Several days later, they told him it was irrepairable. Today, Jason went to buy a new one which worked for a few minutes and then stopped working. So, now we think that the battery is bad or something.
Before this all happened, I downloaded and saved all our pictures from our trip on that computer. So, I only have the pictures from the last day of our trip. I know we'll be able to fix the problem eventually, I'm just eager to post all my pictures from our trip. So, I guess I just have to be patient.
Lucky for me though, Jason tends to get obsessed with things when they don't work and he doesn't give up until he can figure it out. So, he'll probably have it working in the next few days.
Before this all happened, I downloaded and saved all our pictures from our trip on that computer. So, I only have the pictures from the last day of our trip. I know we'll be able to fix the problem eventually, I'm just eager to post all my pictures from our trip. So, I guess I just have to be patient.
Lucky for me though, Jason tends to get obsessed with things when they don't work and he doesn't give up until he can figure it out. So, he'll probably have it working in the next few days.
Friday, January 04, 2008
Britton's Aspirations
The other day, Britton said, "I changed what I want to be when I grow up. I don't want to be an astronaut anymore, I want to be a taxi driver. They make a lot of money."
I guess you can tell where all of our money has been going lately.
I guess you can tell where all of our money has been going lately.
The New Year
I have been putting off writing on my blog for the past few days because I have so many pictures to post and things to write about from our trip and I know how long that is going to take, so I've been avoiding blogging at all. But, I wanted to post my thoughts about the New Year and what I look forward to doing. I always love to set goals and make resolutions and reflect on my life and where I want to be and how to get there. I think sometimes I enjoy making the goals more than actually keeping them though. So, this year I am keeping it simple and only making a few resolutions and really focusing on making some changes.
I have seen a lot of blogs where people choose a word for the year--a kind of motto or motivator for the year. I really like this idea. For the past month or so I've been thinking about what I would want my word to be. And I came up with something that I think is perfect for right now.
My word is:
SAVOR
I have noticed in myself that I am always looking forward to the next thing in my life without stopping to enjoy where I am in the present. I really want to change this and just appreciate and soak in every moment that I have. I looked up "savor" in the dictionary and there was one definition that I really liked. It defined it as "giving oneself to the enjoyment of". I love this. I really want to stop and take time to really give myself to whatever I am doing. I want to really be there for my kids when I am playing with them instead of thinking about all the other things I could be doing. I want to do my best at my job when I am there without constantly thinking that I'd rather be at home with my kids. I want to relish in the experience that we are having here in China without thinking of all the things I miss about back home. I just want to be grateful and content and appreciative of the present. I want to savor my life instead of just letting it pass by. It has only been a few days, but having this word on my mind has already changed me.
We also came up with a family motto for the year. It's "Don't miss a day!" (pertaining to scripture study and family prayer). It's fun to have something that we all came up with together and that we're all committed to achieving.
Lastly, I just wanted to record a short list of things that I have learned or realized in 2007:
I have seen a lot of blogs where people choose a word for the year--a kind of motto or motivator for the year. I really like this idea. For the past month or so I've been thinking about what I would want my word to be. And I came up with something that I think is perfect for right now.
My word is:
SAVOR
I have noticed in myself that I am always looking forward to the next thing in my life without stopping to enjoy where I am in the present. I really want to change this and just appreciate and soak in every moment that I have. I looked up "savor" in the dictionary and there was one definition that I really liked. It defined it as "giving oneself to the enjoyment of". I love this. I really want to stop and take time to really give myself to whatever I am doing. I want to really be there for my kids when I am playing with them instead of thinking about all the other things I could be doing. I want to do my best at my job when I am there without constantly thinking that I'd rather be at home with my kids. I want to relish in the experience that we are having here in China without thinking of all the things I miss about back home. I just want to be grateful and content and appreciative of the present. I want to savor my life instead of just letting it pass by. It has only been a few days, but having this word on my mind has already changed me.
We also came up with a family motto for the year. It's "Don't miss a day!" (pertaining to scripture study and family prayer). It's fun to have something that we all came up with together and that we're all committed to achieving.
Lastly, I just wanted to record a short list of things that I have learned or realized in 2007:
- things affect me much more than I let on
- I don't like to live in fear
- It's best to be open, upfront, and honest with people
- things work out for the best, we just have to trust
- it's always best to respond with love
- it's really hard for me to share myself with other people, but when I can get past that, great friendships are formed and so much joy comes into my life
Of course, I'm sure that I've learned a ton of other things too, but these things all correspond with specific experiences throughout the year. It's been a great year in 2007 and we've accomplished a lot as a family and I've discovered a lot about myself. I'm really looking forward to 2008!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Back at Work
Yesterday when I walked in all my classrooms, the kids clapped and cheered when they saw me. They didn't get a Christmas break, so they've been going to school this whole past two weeks with extra Chinese classes. It was great to have such a warm welcome back. It almost makes coming back to work after a great vacation bearable.
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