Thailand Post #4-Wrapping it Up

Drinking cashew juice

On our last day in Thailand we had a very relaxed, easy day.  Although we had seen a lot of the area around Phuket, we hadn't actually been to Phuket yet and decided to take a tour. We were driven around downtown Phuket and saw the historic Chinese section of town. We actually saw the herb store the Amazing Race had visited when they went to Phuket (only fans of the show would care, but we were excited!)

They took us to a cashew nut factory which was pretty interesting-who knew that you could drink cashew juice and that's it's pretty sweet and tasty! They had cashews with every flavor imaginable that we were able to try-chocolate, honey, wasabi, and even durian. Now if you've never heard of or tried durian it is a fruit that is extremely pungent and common in Asia. In fact, there are even signs in taxi cabs and at the airport that you can't bring durian because the smell is so offensive.  Unfortunately the taste of the durian among the cashews was too much for me, and I thankful was able to get something else in my mouth quickly!

Chalong Temple

We visited the huge complex of Chalong Temple next. There were five buildings we could see, all of which were ornate and had huge Buddha statues inside. As the temperature outside was in the 90s I was in shorts and a tee shirt, and I was asked to put on a shawl not only to cover my legs but also my arms.  One of the temples was three stories tall, and at the top many people were worshipping because Buddhists believe part of Buddha's bones are behind the glass case inside the temple.  Throughout the complex you would hear fireworks going off in a large outdoor oven every few minutes after worshippers bought them to give thanks to Buddha. In each room we saw lots of people bowing and kneeling to Buddha statues, and to be honest it became a little overwhelming to me at some points.  Buddha never said he was a God, yet people are treating him as such. I just felt very overcome with emotion visiting here.

Big Buddha-hard to tell from here how big it was!

Next we went to "Big Buddha," the largest sitting Buddha in the world. It was just recently finished and is on a huge hill overlooking Phuket, so you can see if from almost any point. You don't realize how big it is until you actually are underneath it and staring up at it. There were many, many tourists, but there were also lots of people there worshipping.  Again I was asked to cover up out of respect, and once again it was very sad for me to see all these people worshipping a man instead of God.

That night/early morning we left Phuket and headed to Seoul to visit Eastern, our adoption agency in Korea. Jon wrote an AMAZING post on the entire experience which I can't even begin to replicate, but suffice to say it was wonderful to be there but also very hard.

Thailand Post #3-Cheese and James Bond

Goofy Golfing! 

Thanks for sticking with me as I chronicle our journey to Thailand. I didn't think one day on our trip would take up an entire post, but I wanted to be thorough so I could completely explain the craziness of the sea canoe trip.

After a very exhilarating and long day, the next day we decided to take it easy. We slept in and hung out at the hotel before going down to Karon Beach to partake in some good old fashioned goofy golf. This place would end up fitting nicely with the theme of the day, "Nothin' But Cheese." The place was dinosaur themed, and the facility didn't let you forget it. There were fake dinosaurs at every turn, as well as some gnarly looking stalagmites and lagoons. Although we both started off strongly, the afternoon heat began to affect our game. Jon beat me by a solid three strokes, but we had lots of fun.

FantaSea Theater of the Elephants

That night we went to the largest show in Thailand, the Las Vegas style "Phuket FantaSea." We purchased the dinner package and ate in this HUGE buffet room. I think there were probably 1000 seats inside the room. Although it was billed as being an international buffet, the food was definitely heavy on the Asian side. I think the lone American offering was french fries.  After dinner we walked around the theme park.  They were trying so hard to be like DownTown Disney, but it turned out more cheesy than anything else.  Inside one building they had animals on display, but it was pretty sad to see the conditions of these animals. There were three separate rooms that were completely in the dark and illuminated by black light only, meaning these poor animals never saw daylight.  Plus, the rooms were much too small for the size of the animals inside of them.  The types of animals really varied from monkeys to birds and...wait for it....hamsters?!?!  (See, I told you it was weird!) The main spectacle of the animal exhibit was three white tigers. Two of them were very active, but once again the space was totally inside and too small for the animals.

The big show was in this ostentatious theater.  Although at times there seemed like a storyline we were supposed to be following about a young boy trying to rescue his love, some of the acts seemed to be included just because they were entertaining, such as the magic show.  The highlight was probably the trapeze artists (see, I told you it was random!) and seeing the elephants do circus like stunts.

Suwankuha Temple

On Saturday we left Phuket for another all day tour. This time we would actually be heading to mainland Thailand in order to see some sights around Phang Nga. After being picked up from the hotel and a long drive later we arrived at one of the first highlights of the tour, Suwankuha Temple inside Monkey Cave.  Inside the complex were several large caves where many, many monkeys lived, one of which featured a gigantic golden Buddha. Several people were there not as tourists but as worshippers, but they mostly stayed to themselves in one of the smaller prayer rooms on the sides of the cave.

Koh Pan-yi Floating Village

We then hopped onto a long boat to enjoy lunch on Koh Pan-yi, a floating village in Phang Nga Bay. The lunch was in one of the tourist friendly restaurants at the village, and it was completely Thai. We had a lot of food-soups, chicken, stir fry, omelet, but I was most excited about getting out of the heat of the day and getting a cold drink! After lunch we were given time to walk through the village.  There were of course no roads as it was in the middle of the sea, and the walkways between buildings were all lined with people trying to see tourist trinkets. We passed by the village school and in so doing into the main part of the village and saw lots of people's homes.  Here you realized how shabby the living conditions were and it was a difficult thing to see.

James Bond Island

This tour also included some cave tours, this time of Tum Talu. After experiencing the caves from a few days ago these were so mild in comparison, but we saw more mangrove forests and went past more limestone formations by canoe. All of these caves were very high and we never were in the dark like the previous cave journey, but it was still beautiful and a great experience.

The highlight of the tour was the visit to James Bond Island. This natural formation was made famous because in the 60's one of the James Bond films was shot around this location. We arrived at the very end of the day so we practically had the place to ourselves.  We got so many beautiful shots and it seemed like at every turn there was another beautiful scene to capture.  We weren't sure if this spot would live up to the high expectations, but we were so thankful we got to experience this place.

We were riding back to shore around sunset, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset in Thailand. It was a perfect way to end one of our last days in Thailand.

Sunset at Phang Nga Bay

Thailand Post #2-Elephant Ride and Scary Experience

It's so hard to condense the 600+ pictures we took on this trip to my little blog posts, but hopefully the ones I selected gave you an idea of what we saw and experienced.  However, I know that the pictures won't even begin to do justice to the scary, overwhelming tour we took on our next day in Thailand!

Riding our elephant whom I named "Slow but Steady."

Jon had researched every little thing about this trip, and he knew before we left that he wanted to do an Elephant Jungle trek.  (No, this isn't the scary thing, but it happened first in that day). We were picked up at our hotel and whisked about 15 minutes away to the elephant camp. We arrived and saw about four huge elephants eating, and we were promptly escorted to one and placed on its back. Before we knew it, we were off. The elephant's trainer sat on its neck, but to be honest the phrase about an elephant having a wonderful memory held true because he didn't need any assistance knowing which trail to take for our hour long adventure through the Thailand jungle. He occasionally stopped to eat, and we were impressed how he kept on chugging as he climbed higher and higher up the mountain.

Kata Bay and Kata Noi Bay in the background

At about the 45 minute mark the elephant trainer asked if I wanted to ride on the elephant's neck, so being the adventurous woman I am (no laughing!) I agreed. I climbed down from his back without much fanfare and straddled this huge creature like no one's business. There was nothing for me to hold onto except the elephant, so I was using all of my leg muscles to stay on board as we made our way down the mountain. By this point the guide was about 20 steps away from us, taking pictures with the cameras, as Jon, me, and the elephant slowly approached the main camp again.  The ride was a bit bumpier and I felt less secure than from my original perch, but I'm glad I had this experience. When we got off I told Jon I didn't think I'd have to exfoliate my legs for a long time...that elephant had very rough skin, and I was thankful I wasn't wearing shorts that day.  :)

Limestone formations around Phuket area

Entering the first cave

We had about an hour to get ready at our hotel before the next tour was coming to pick us up-John Gray's Sea Canoe. The reviews on Trip Advisor were amazing, and people said the price was worth it because it was the best thing they did on their trip. I already knew from our ferry ride between Phi Phi and Phuket that Thailand had beautiful scenery, and this trip would take us to a new area we hadn't explored yet. We were both very excited about our journey!  I should also explain that in the middle of the ocean around Thailand there are huge limestone rocks that jut straight up from the ocean 100s of feet.  From the boat they look like solid pieces of rock, but flying over the area you can see there are actually holes in the center of some full of mangrove trees and shallow water. After many years, the water has formed caves inside of these limestone rock formations, and that is what we would be exploring today in order to get to the mangrove forest "inside" the rock formation.

Inside the cave...before it got bad!

We arrived to the dock after a harrowing 45 minute taxi drive. I could probably write an entire post about the driving in Thailand, but suffice to say that people make their own lanes, they don't obey speed limits, and using your horn is a mandatory part of the driving experience.  On our way out to the caves we were treated to a delicious Thai lunch and were told a little bit about how the caves were formed and you can only enter during low tide.  We were matched with a "friend for the day" who would be paddling through the caves for us.  When we arrived I was surprised how hidden the mouth of the cave was to the ocean. If you weren't looking for it, you'd never know there was a cave there.  As we approached in the canoe I was given a small light to wear in order to illuminate the caves.  We entered the mouth of the cave, and I quickly discovered I'd have to use the light to see anything because we very quickly were in the dark. I was propping myself up on my elbows, taking in the experience. Soon, however, the area around me began to get smaller and smaller. I was having to lie completely down in the canoe because the walls of the cave were coming closer and closer.

View looking up from the interior of the mangrove forest

Our canoe after passing through the caves into the middle of the limestone rocks

The interior of the limestone-mangrove forests!

With all this being said, the last two caves weren't nearly as bad. In fact, the last one was probably the best. Called "The Bat Cave," we entered it at dusk and it was a huge cave.  There were bats hanging from the top, so they told us to keep our mouths closed (see, I told you this tour was fun!). Once we got into the interior of the rock formation we lit an offering Jon and I had made, with help from our guide, and released it into the water. For us it was a way to thank God for the beauty of the area, and it was neat to see so many of them lit up around us as others in our tour did the same. When we went back into the cave we were told to flick the water so the bioluminescent plankton would sparkle.  The glow was subtle, but it was a neat experience.

We got back to the dock around 8:30 at night, so this was really an all day trip. Jon felt like this experience was the highlight of his trip because of the unique experiences we had the chance to take part in. Although knowing I survived I can now say I'm glad I did it, but I wish I would have been more prepared going into this so I knew exactly what to expect.

Entering the last cave at sunset

Our "offering"

Mystery Vacation Location Revealed and Trip Post #1

So, are you wanting to know where the Mystery Vacation location was? Maybe I should just prolong it a bit more, just to keep you hanging onto my every word! Here's some hints:

• We crossed the International Date Line
• The country is mostly Buddhist
• The country borders the Indian Ocean
• There are long tail boats everywhere

Any guesses?

Greeted with a pina colada when we arrived at the Phi Phi Island Village

Okay, okay....I"ll tell you!  We were in Phuket, Thailand!  As soon as we got on light rail and were on the way I said, "Is it time yet?" Jon didn't make me wait long, and he had me open the backpack to find a manila envelope that said "Top Secret" on it in a red ink stamp. I felt like such a spy on Alias. :)  Inside there were packets of currency (US, Thai, and South Korean), our itinerary, and a travel book on Phuket. The entire rest of the way I pestered him with questions, and I spent a fair amount of time on the flight over scouring the travel booklet Jon got me (when not sleeping or watching movies, of course!). 

Sign says "Watch out for falling coconuts." Taken from our hotel on Phi Phi

Phuket is in the southern part of Thailand and is actually an island connected to mainland Thailand by a bridge.  Our first few days would be spent on a different island off the coast of Phuket called Phi Phi Island at the Phi Phi Island Village.  This would end up being my favorite part of the trip. The resort was in this little cove with crystal clear blue-green water. The sand was a fine white powder, and the room and restaurant was wonderful. The entire place was just simply beautiful, and we had so much fun here. One day we took a tour from the hotel and snorkeled around Phi Phi Island as well as headed south to Phi Phi Leh Island. The water was so warm (think bathtub warm!) and it was so clear. At times we were surrounded by schools of fish, and some of the fish were fantastically bright and colorful.  On this tour we visited Monkey Island, which you can imagine contains...wild monkeys, as well as Maya Beach where the film "The Beach" with Leo was filmed about 10 years ago.  The entire time here was wonderful. 

Monkey Island (look at that clear water!)

Crystal clear water at Kata Beach

After I reluctantly left Phi Phi Island and headed back to Phuket, we found ourselves at our home for the next six nights, the Boomerang Village hotel on a hill with views of Kata Beach.  Our first day in the Phuket area we became beach bums. We started on Kata Beach and were blessed with more warm, clear water. Kata Beach is busy, but not as busy as some of the local beaches like Karon or the mega beach, Patong. After hanging out in the water we walked a bit through the town area by the beach and decided to walk south to Kata Noi, a smaller beach which was, again, just as lovely.

Our Thai lunch

After more fun in the water, we stopped for lunch and ate Thai food (Jon had Thai curry with a Thai beer, and I had a fried noodles dish with a Thai iced tea) on our way to Karon Beach.  Although these three beaches are right next to each other geographically, the distance became more obvious when we were walking the entire way. Plus, the heat was a bit of a factor at 90F plus humidity. When we finally got to Karon Beach I was exhausted and a bit sun burnt.  However, we knew the water would cool us off, but unfortunately the water at Karon Beach wasn't as clear and it got deep pretty quickly.  Also, Jon and I both felt like something was stinging us under the water the entire time, so we didn't end up staying as long as we had hoped.

We returned to the hotel to discover I had developed a heat rash on my foot. Ugh! And the cure is to stay in cool, air conditioned places, which is hard to do in Thailand where nothing is air conditioned but our hotel room. In addition, my foot was swelling up due to the rash, so we called it a night and ordered room service at our room.

Drinking from a coconut at the beach side bar at our hotel on Phi Phi Island

Check back soon for part two.  Highlights will include:
*One of the scariest experiences of my life (and Jon's favorite part of the trip)
*Riding on a huge beast

Can you say relaxed? At the private beach on Phi Phi Island

Thanksgiving

We were in Milwaukee for Thanksgiving this year, and I think we were both excited to be fleeing the snow and ice and get to some place warm.  (No kidding---Milwaukee was about 20 degrees warmer than Seattle!).  Of course, being in Milwaukee also meant the opportunity to see family.  It had been a year since I was last in Milwaukee (Jon was there for a short visit in April), and it was amazing to see how much Jon's step brothers have grown!  We were very thankful to spend the holiday with family and eat delicious food and have great conversation.

Because we are either crazy or love good deals, we decided to brave the Black Friday sales and head out around 5:30AM.  We hit up Menards (for you non-Midwesternes, this is a cross between Home Depot and Walmart), Kohls, Best Buy, and the Boston Store (a big department store like Macy's).  When we got home at around 9:45AM we went straight to bed and didn't emerge until after 1:00PM.  We did find some pretty good deals, but Jon's mom scored the most loot with a $150 computer from Best Buy.

We ended up staying in Milwaukee until Tuesday, so we also had lots of time to relax, sleep in, and hang out with the family.  I also (finally!) got to take the Miller Tour this year, something I've been bugging Jon about for ages.  Although I'm not a big beer drinker at all, I couldn't wait to see the "Miller Caves," and I heard about some cheesy movie they play that starts off with a deep voice saying, "Since the dawn of time there has been Miller time" for far too long.  Unfortunately the movie has either been retired or was bypassed on our tour, but I did enjoy seeing the bottling, distillery, distribution center, caves, as well as enjoyed three samples of Miller beer and pretzels.  Since the tour is free, I was surprised to hear from Jon that he only went on it once in college, thus passing up multiple opportunities for free food and beer.  If I went to college in Milwaukee and liked beer, it would have been a very popular place for me!

Yee Haw, we're in Texas!

Jon's grandparents celebrated a milestone wedding anniversary the beginning of October: 60 beautiful years of marriage! The big celebration has been on our calendar for close to a year, and everyone in the family was planning on heading out to Giddings, Texas (halfway between Austin and Houston, population about 5,000) for the event. We were very excited to get to see Jon's dad and step mom (since we so rarely get to see them in Florida) as well as the rest of the family-aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews!

Jon and Dad

The weather in Texas was beautiful compared to Seattle, a sunny 68-72 degrees. We were in heaven! The day of the event was perfect. The family got there early to take pictures with a photographer, and we set up for the big open house at the Giddings Country Club. Around 100 guests ended up showing up, and I think Granny and Grandpa had a great time. The other three days were great catching up with family and eating some Texas style grub. And remember the post I mentioned earlier about the lion? He made a surprise appearance and everyone got their picture with him to put in our book.

Granna and Grandpa

Living in Seattle I sometimes forget how liberal it is in the great Pacific Northwest, but being in conservative Texas I was reminded that parts of the country think about things very differently.  I also developed (or tried to develop) a Texas accent when I was there.  It's so easy to add a little "Ya'll" into your speech or change your vowels slightly.  Jon called me out on it one day, but who doesn't love a Southern drawl?  Coming back to Seattle I instantly lost my new *cute* accent.  

Getting together with the family reminded me how I wish we could all live in the same part of the country (or even the same side of the Mississippi river!).  Hopefully it won't be another 2 years until we see everyone again!

Memorial Day 2010

Memorial Day weekend Jon and I decided to get out of Seattle and head south...to Portland! Only a 3 hour drive away, we wanted to get our of the city and take a mini vacation. Jon had never been to Oregon before either, and it seemed like a good time to do it.We stayed in the Nob Hill district of Portland, a cute neighborhood area in the Alphabet District close to downtown. It is famous for their shops and restaurants. We ate both nights in Nob Hill, and we actually had some of the best Mexican food we have found in the Pacific Northwest here. Now I know my Phoenicians friends may not agree if they tried it, but I have learned I have to be more flexible while living up here or else I'll never eat Mexican food! Jon and I explored downtown Portland and walked through Powell's books, reported to be the largest bookstore west of the Mississippi. I tried to figure out what system they used to arrange their books (because it certainly wasn't Dewey), but I couldn't figure it out.

We also made a stop at Voodoo Donuts, a Portland hot spot made famous for their unique take on the breakfast staple. Need an example? They are famous for their maple glazed doughnut with bacon on top! Jon was excited to order this unique combination. Although I usually like plain glazed donughts I thought I needed to be adventurous and purchased their voodoo donut. It is shaped like a doll with chocolate frosting and red filling (to simulate blood) with a pretzel stick through the heart. Classy. Their other flavors are even weirder than this...cereal on top, oreos crumbed as a topping, and there are some very "unique" doughnuts shaped and named in a risque fashion (you can click here to see the full menu). Plus, the line was 40 minutes long. At least it wasn't raining!

Jon and I also visited the International Rose Test Garden (see picture of Jon). Although all of the roses weren't in full bloom (that would be a sight to see), it was a relaxing, pretty place. The Japanese Garden was in this same general park, and we stayed here for about 30 minutes. Some of the spots inside were lovely, and we got some good pictures. (See top picture).

We also took a trip to OMNI, Portland's Science Museum. We heard it was fantastic and was very highly ranked on Trip Advisor, my #1 source for finding hotels and top attractions. Although they had some neat exhibits, we were glad we paid extra to see the IMAX movie on the Hubbel Telescope and go inside a Navy submarine.

The submarine itself was used for active duty between the 1950s to 1980s, but it was amazing to hear about the living conditions for the officers on board. I don't think I could be confined to such a small space and have no personal area. The air still smelled musty, and I couldn't imagine what it would have been like with 80 big, sweaty crew members who got showers every 5 days and were allowed to smoke on board!

The highlight of the trip was Multnomah Falls. It is not far from Portland, and it is very impressive. We decided to climb to the very top of the mountain, with Jon pushing me to keep going with each step. I always feel good when I accomplish something like that, but the actual going up part is never fun. Knowing I'd get a cold glass of water on the way down was a good motivator to keep going! (Can you see this by the expression on my face in the picture on the left?)

Overall we really liked Portland. Although much smaller than Seattle, it still seemed like a big enough town with lots to do. The neighborhoods, in general, seemed clean, safe, and well kept up. We were also surprised how quickly you could leave Portland (a la 15 minutes in one direction) and be in farm land. Seattle is definitely more built up than this (as is Phoenix, t00).

It was such a great time to get away!

Three different cities, three different days

The title of this post pretty much sums up our busy travel week. Last Friday we left Seattle to head for Vancouver, site of the 2010 Olympics games. We had planned this trip last April once we knew we were moving and would be so close to the Olympics. Jon really had an excellent post about our overall experience at his website, but suffice to say we had a great time. We both enjoyed the bed and breakfast we stayed at, and our seats to both events (hockey and moguls) were perfect. We got to witness history as the first Canadian won gold on home turf in men's moguls, and we also got to cheer on an American to a bronze metal in the same event.

Vancouver was, as many of you have heard, very warm for this time of year. Although it rained on Friday and Saturday, similarly to what we have experienced in Seattle this time of year, Sunday was gorgeous with blue skies and highs in the 50's! Both Jon and I enjoyed the city which was very clean, and the Canadians were all so friendly and nice. I purchased my pair of red mittens which is supposedly all the rage this year, but when we found them on Friday night (same day as the Opening Ceremonies) there were plenty left to be had. Speaking of Opening Ceremonies, we were right outside of BC Arena when the event started and saw lots of motorcades taking dignitaries to the event.

After a busy weekend in Vancouver we left the next day for Phoenix for a short, 69 hour trip. It really did fly by. In fact, on Tuesday I left the house at 9:10 and didn't go home until after 5:00PM! I was able to (finally!) see Heather and meet Matthew, her new baby boy, have lunch with Troy and Kelly, catch up with Garrison while babysitting him for the day, and even managed to get a quick meeting with Ericka before leaving. I was happy that I got to catch up with friends and family as well as stop in to see my work "family" from Copper Ridge. Since I was there for six years I knew many of the people a very long time, and many knew me before I even knew Jon! It was really nice to be there and catch up with everyone. It reaffirmed for me why it was so difficult leaving my job in the first place.

Since we returned late Thursday night Seattle has had beautiful blue skies and highs well above normal this time of year. It always helps to return to Seattle with weather like this since I get so spoiled in Phoenix (it was in the 70s there!). We're not sure when we will be back again, but hopefully it won't be seven months from now like our first time out.

Already mid August!

The title of my post pretty much says it all. I can't believe it is August 18th. At the end of July my parents came out to visit and it was a really wonderful time. We didn't necessarily do much, but it was great having family around to talk with and hang out with during the day. It's nice that they now have a picture in their heads of where we are living and where things are when I talk about them. They also brought us 2 fans to ward off the plus 100F heat we had been having in Seattle.

I spent the last few weeks finishing up 8 hours of library science classes in conjunction with Highline/SPU. I don't start my next round until September 21st so I have a little time off. In fact, it is just enough time to begin my University of Phoenix classes. I began my mentorship last week and started officially teaching yesterday. I am instructing 2 courses on critical thinking simultaneously. There is a lot of initial prep work for each class as I have to post all of the materials, welcome each student individually to class, and respond to each student's welcome as well as individual bio. As the weeks progress the most time will be spent grading. Although I am use to grading papers, the university is very specific about how quickly I need to give feedback and what the feedback looks like. Until I get use to their format of grading (as opposed to the one I have used for the past 6 years...my own) it will take me awhile to get into the swing of things.

To celebrate our 4th anniversary Jon and I took a trip to Oracs Island, part of the San Juan Island chain north and west of Seattle (about halfway to Victoria, Canada). We stayed for two nights at a fun bed and breakfast located on an otter's pond.

The food was great. We were served 5 course breakfasts every morning of sorbet, fresh fruit, some type of hot dish (oatmeal, french toast, or eggs), and scones. It was a great way to start the day.

We drove up Mt. Constitution, the highest point in the San Juans and located on Orcas Island, and hiked around Mountain Lake down to Cascasde Falls. It was a great 4 mile trek, and we sure worked up an appetite by the end. Lunch and dinner were spent walking through the biggest town on the island, Eastsound. All in all it was a relaxing weekend. The only bummer part was the traffic. Getting up to Anacortes, where we caught the ferry, took 3 hours instead of the usual 90 minutes because of a traffic accident. Coming home we lined up to get on the ferry nearly 3 hours before it left. We both wished there were easier ways to get to the San Juans.

Below: Us at Mountain Lake

We are planning on taking a short trip to the Portland area if the weather stays clear for Labor Day weekend. Jon has never been, so we plan on exploring the downtown area, hopefully still seeming some roses in the Rose Garden, getting to Multnomah Falls for some hiking, and ending at Mt St Helens. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather because if it does get overcast we have decided to stay in Seattle for the long weekend instead. It will be interesting to see how I can balance taking a little vacation while also monitoring a very lively UP class environment, too.

Bottom picture: From the top of Mt. Constitution on a very cloudy day.

Top picture: Jon at Cascade Falls

End of 1st quarter

It's very hard to believe, but this is the last week of the first quarter.  This year has just flown by so far, probably the combination of learning a new job and the fact that I'm getting older so every year seems to go by faster.   This year we will be making our way out to Texas over part of Fall Break to visit Jon's family.  I haven't seen the aunts, uncles, and cousins since before we tied the knot, so it will be nice to catch up with them.  Hopefully the weather will be a bit nicer than AZ, too!   We plan to spend a few days in Austin, too, a city both of us are unfamiliar with but excited to see.   We don't have any concrete plans but to see 6th Street and get to know the general area.

Recently Jon and I heard that Disneyland is offering free admission to The Park on your birthday.  We both got very excited at this prospect because we absolutely love Disneyland and had so much fun the last time we were there together about one year ago.  Since the European extravaganza ate away our entire vacation budget and more, I think this sounds like a pretty sweet gig for a much more affordable-yet fun-alternative.  I still would like to get to Hawaii and go on a cruise, but perhaps one of these is what I can look forward to when I turn the big three zero!  

Speaking of birthdays, and subsequently presents, I just found out that Amazon allows you to put items other than those found at Amazon on your wishlist.  This is a fun option I have been wanting for a few years, and there is now absolutely NO reason why anyone should avoid getting an Amazon wishlist.  Whether it is to add items that are indeed wishes or things people could actually afford to purchase for you, I had great fun with this last night.  I got to add some overpriced jewelry from Tiffany's, some gift certificates for spas to be pampered, as well as Southwest Airlines $$$.  Jon asked me who would actually buy airline money for me, but I thought the gift of travel would be very fun and perhaps help us pay for that trip to Hawaii (I mean California!)  

A new day

Reading one of my last posts about my new position I forgot how hard that first week in this new job was.  God definitely answered my prayers because life as the media specialist has gotten much better since then.  I am adjusting to my new position and finding out how to switch "hats"-from kindergartners who are 4-5 years old up to eighth graders (13-14 years) in the next moment. I am also learning the new curriculum and crafting lessons that correspond in (hopefully!) meaningful and fun ways for the kids each day.

Overall I really am enjoying it.  The kids are fun, and I've even gotten a few hugs from kids when they leave.  (Middle schoolers never did that!).  I also like being able to share literature and "acting out" the roles of the characters.  This was one of my favorite parts of teaching younger kids, and I've missed

 it in middle school the past five years.   I have also found a great group of ladies who are "teamless" as well because they teach a "special" or a mismatch of subjects.  Overall I am really happy with my new job and love the challenge of something different.  

Labor Day was a great, restful weekend.  We went up to Payson and saw some amazing rainbows after one of several downpours.  It was one of the brightest rainbows I had ever seen, and we could see the whole thing stretched across the sky.  Then, out of nowhere, another rainbow faintly began to appear as well.   It was gorgeous!

This past weekend we got together to celebrate Dad and Troy's birthday as well.  Of 

course Garrison was the center of attention, and here are a few cute pictures of the family, too.   The one with Garrison holding the can of beer was particularly funny.  He pretended to drink it and gave us this grimace when we tried to take it away from him.  

Jon and I went to a DBacks game against the Marlins a few weeks ago, 

and I thought I'd post a fun pick of that, too.  We totally pigged out and bought SO MUCH food-two dogs, nachos, soda, beer, and peanuts.  We sang "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," did the wave, and cheered on the Dbacks, especially after their one and only home run which opened the game.  Unfortunately they lost, but it was a great time.