Ben Franklin

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man".

  Benjamin Franklin

2010 Post-it-Note

Reflection

As 2010 comes to a close I find myself reflecting, not in a mirror or pond but in my mind.  I know myself better then to set new years resolutions, easy to make and easy to break.  So on December 31st I take a moment or two and reflect on the past year by asking myself a few simple questions: 

1.  Am I a better person today then I was a year ago?
2. Did I learn anything new this past year?

I need to be honest with myself, this past year I made some mistakes - I am not proud of them.  Yet, looking back on the lessons I have learned has helped me to be a better person.  I have grown and will continue to grow.  I am not perfect but I am trying.  It is for that reason that I do think that I am better today then I was a year ago.  Will I continue to make mistakes, yes... but hopefully  as the years pass I will learn how not to make so many.   The older I get the more important relationships become.  My relationship with my Heavenly Father, with His Son, with family and friends has become the most valued gifts in my life.  I am truly blessed.

Jane Austen is my favorite Author and my favorite quote is...

"There is nothing that I would not do for those who are really my friends.  I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature."  Jane Austen

May I learn to judge less and love more, including myself in the coming year.  

A first class movie...

There is so many things that I love about Thailand and this ranks right up there among the best.  I can go to the movies and get first class seating.  The chairs are comfy, you get snacks before it starts, they bring you a nice clean blanket and best of all they bring soda and popcorn to you!   

 All you do is sit back a watch the big screen.  

Twenty Baht

While we were visiting Ayutthaya a small Thai girl stopped me and wanted me to buy a locust made from a banana leaf.  She put her hands on her hips and told me - "Just Twenty Baht"  when I smiled she stopped, and pulled a twenty Baht bill from her coin purse and said "Just Twenty Baht" She was pretty insistent and also pretty darn cute.

The joy on her face when she was trying to teach me how to make the noise was priceless.  So little means so much to some of the lower class Thai's.  It was the best twenty Baht I spent that day.

History & Monkey Mayhem

While David and Mandy were visiting we decided to that Mandy should be able to cross something off her bucket list.  So off to learn about Thailand History and meet a few of Mandy's closest friends.  

Monkey Mayhem Madness

A Sweet Ride and a little bit of History

Mandy was so excited to come and visit us in Thailand.  When we first asked them if they wanted to come for Winter Break, Mandy said yes if she could see an elephant.  Not only did she get to see one but she has a sweet ride..

And we saw a little bit of History

I love visiting Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya . The city was founded in 1350 by King U Thong, who went there to escape a smallpox  outbreak in Lop Buri and proclaimed it the capital of his kingdom, often referred to as the Ayutthaya kingdom or Siam. It is estimated that Ayutthaya by the year 1600 CE had a population of about 300,000, with the population perhaps reaching 1,000,000 around 1700 CE, making it one of the world's largest cities at that time. In 1767 the city was destroyed by the Burmese army, resulting in the collapse of the kingdom. The ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya historical park.

 Lest you thought that Mandy had all the fun with the elephants...a few weeks later I visited Ayutthaya again...

Markets = Shopping

Here is a taste of retail therapy Thai style...

Can I interest you in something you don't need and will have a hard time getting into your luggage? John is a trooper, he carried the packages.  Baskets anyone?  I don't think I can carry my laundry basket that way, I might have to practice.

Chinatown, Little India and the Thieves market - a nice place to get a guitar, way to shop John.  Mandy goes for the peacock feathers and the girls take a boat ride down the Chao Phraya River!  

To end the therapy -it is off to the flower market.  Every night the flowers come into the market and the colors make the eyes dance with delight. Roses, Orchids of all sorts, Lily and Mums, along with big Gerber Daisy are definitely eye candy.  I always go home with my Star Gazer Lilies, I can afford them here and my house smells of fresh flowers for weeks.  I love my retail therapy Thailand style.

Road Tripping through BALI

While our trip to Bali was intended as a scuba diving adventure, you must not dive for 24 hours before you fly on a plane so the day before we left ---ROAD TRIP.  We had to take two cars as they don't believe in big vans.  Small windy roads, hike to a waterfall, a local lunch and market shopping rounded out the day.

1.  Heidi at the waterfall - the spay was cool and nice after our hike.
2. Laura and a young Balinese girl, she wanted Laura to buy a bracelet.
3. David, Laura, Amanda and Mandy - walking the streets
4. Bali Cove and South China Sea
5. Ron, David and Mandy drinking coconut water
6. The gang eating the fresh coconut flesh
7. Balinese boy
8. Waterfall - see John in the green shirt...
9. Balinese woman carry a load on the trail
10. The fresh egg delivery guy...
11. Selling T-shirts
12. Cow and master on trail.. 

It was a wonderful way to end out Balinese vacation - we are already planning for next years trip.

Temple Trip

Bali is primarily Hindu which means it is has many temples, here are a few pictures of the temple that we visited...

You must put on "temple" clothing to go inside the Hindu temple.  You are allowed to take photos and watch the ceremonies that are taking place. 

One Wicked "TAT"

My Bali Tattoo...

While gearing up for a night dive I realized that scuba divers are a strange breed, and I am asking my self what the heck I am doing. 


This strange breed likes to go scuba diving when the sun goes down and it is pitch black over and under the water!!  You must use flashlights and have a back up light in case your main light goes out.  You have to stay close to your buddy in case their light goes out.  I am still asking myself what the heck I am doing.






Sea creatures that hide in the light of day come out at night - not sure if that is a good thing or not. Really BIG fish, long nosed pencil pike fish and then you see eels and octopus.  The sea bottom looks so different during a night dive.  

You must watch out for urchins the spiny ones especially.

So this is how I received my "wicked" Bali tattoo... I was diving at night, darkness above and beneath when... I feel a strong poke through my wet-suit - my leg starts to tingle and the stinging pain begins. Like all good divers I stay calm and motion to my buddy that I have to go to the surface. (Okay we didn't even have to do a safety stop as we were diving off shore in about 10-14 feet of water - still it is dark remember)  Oh and I am as calm as I can be with my leg stinging... I surface and tell the others that I have been stung by something.  I have already pictured myself being airlifted to the closest hospital with the antidote flying in from somewhere else...it just really makes the story sound better.  Really I swam to shore (a total of maybe 12 -15 feet) got my gear off and looked at my leg.  And there it was my "WICKED" Tattoo...

It looks like the Indonesian Island with Bali on the right... Or it could be one of the beautiful star formations that you find in the night sky.  What ever it looks like - I was a marked woman.  No one in the dive shop had seen anything like it so we had to go find the internet and DR. GOOGLE it.  Much to my relief the urchin sting was not life threating but it did sting - we followed the directions of washing the area with soap making sure no spines were still in the skin and the pain would be gone by morning - the sad thing was so was the "WICKED" tattoo!

Scuba Duba Doo!!

I swore that I was never going to scuba dive,  I have learned not to SWEAR!!

Bali diving is some of the easiest diving there is...

just three easy steps:

1. You get up

2. You get your gear

3. You get in the water!

And oh the things you see...

Under the sea is a place of magic and wonder

A Very BALI Christmas

We had a very Bali Christmas this year! Not many people get to have the opportunity to visit Bali in the South China Sea but we went in October 2009 and I knew that I wanted to come back.  So, when David and Mandy decided they were coming to Thailand for Christmas, I knew we should have a BALI Christmas.


David and Mandy arrived on late Tuesday afternoon, December 21, tired and jet lagged. I didn't give them much time to rest as we had to be leave for the airport at 4:00 AM for Bali.  It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas.  We stay on the north end of the island, were the diving is.  No city, no noise, no people, no TV, no real internet just family, fun and the SUN.  

Christmas morning their were no presents under a tree

just some scuba divers waiting to be set free.

Christmas Decorations - Thailand Style

Since this was my first Christmas without COLD and with the heat of the SUN I wondered how different the Christmas decorations would be in Thailand.  I found out that decorating one's home can be a very BIG deal.  We happen to live close to a factory that makes Christmas decorations for upper end stores in the states - of course Laura and I had to explore the outlet factory ... I wasn't going to decorate for Christmas this year and then...well... the bargains were to good to pass up.  So I snagged me some pretty cool Christmas items.

Here in Nichada Thani they have a charity event, the Christmas home tour.  People open their decorated homes for others to come and view and the entrance fee goes to charity. I just marveled at the size of some of the homes and the amount of decorations.  They do have the Christmas Spirit here despite no SNOW!!

Here is a small taste of decorating for Christmas Thai style...

Where You Is..Part 2

To Justin my wonderful nephew who all ways wants to know... "Where you is"?


This is where I live, Justin.  

 39/623 Promsook, Nichada Thani, Pakkret, Nonthaburi, Thailand

Mailbox and Doorbell 

combo unit.....

Welcome to my Thailand home....

Not my front door - but the one I use,  it opens into our study...

Study 

Back of Study - Entrance

Kitchen, Dining and upstairs entry way

Dining Room with Laura's Tree

Entrance in to Living Room and Upstairs

Living Room looking towards Dining room - with my tree

Guest Bedroom - Open for all visitors

Laura King size bed and room, decorating is a process!

Upstairs landing 

John's Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom,  a work in progress...

Kitchen, with 2 Fridges!  Yahooo

I love my Thai home, it is truly a lovely home and I am grateful to be living in such a beautiful place.  So to answer Justin's question... 

"This is Where I is."

Where You Is..Part 1

One of my nephew's liked to always ask me where I was..but for a three year old it came out..Where you is? So for all of you wondering "Where I is?" I am about to show you.


Bangkok is a large Asian city, much like Hong Kong, Beijing or Saigon. I live about 30 miles north of Bangkok in Nonthaburi. Then I live a division of Nonthaburi called Pakkret. Within those boundaries I live in a gated neighborhood, which I call the compound, known as Nichada Thani. The "compound" was designed and built around the Bangkok International School or ISB. The school is at the heart of the neighborhood.


The whole neighborhood is walled and gated. There are three gates into the area which requires special sticker entrances or you must have a visitor pass. Outside out gates is the "REAL" neighborhood, full of colorful people, sights and smells.

Outside our HOOD

Bikes, cars, motorcycles and golf carts share the road just outside of Nichada Thani.  We can drive our cart to the mall using the back streets, it give John a lot of freedom.  Laura found a place that caters to the parking of golf carts!  Street dogs called here in Thailand as "SOI dogs" run wild and are usually found sleeping just about anywhere.  The picture of the house with all the trash is an actually house about 3 blocks from our communities entrance.  They keep our area clean, but some of the locals have a hard time.  I see oxen wandering in the fields and yards, not to mention goats and the "FREE RANGE" chickens!  The good news is that we have a 7/11 and a Subway!



The school is at the center, so naturally the main gate street leads right to the school.  Though the community kids drive gold carts, scooters and bakes to school as well as to the small villa "supermarket".  The roads are paved with paving stones and there are over 30 different housing subdivisions.  The one that I live in is called Promsook.  My subdivision has 8 large homes, with a gated entrance that has a security guard 24/7 as well as the outside gates.  My running route is around the lake, a nice 1.5 miles, which  makes my runs not only easy but enjoyable as well. 

Nichada Thani

So this is "Where I Is...Part 1"  

Nichada Thani, Samakee Road, Pakkret,

Nonthaburi, Thailand

Pooped

I was a little tired today, you might even say I was pooped!  But then I guess my grandson was Pooped to ; or he pooped!  One of my favorite things to do everyday is check out my NANA blog - this was the post from Austin today.  I have to say it was one of my favorites!  It always brightens my day when Austin blogs to his Nana Heidi.... ENJOY
Monday, December 6, 2010

Dear Nana,

In answer to your question, yes, I am most definitely trying to cut teeth.  In fact, I've been miserable today because of it!  Mom and I both hope that the teeth pop out soon.  We'll keep you posted.  So guess what happened yesterday?  I pooped my guts out!  I had poop all the way up to my neck and out to my elbows.  Haha.  So funny, huh?  Mom didn't think so.  She was practically dry heaving while she peeled my poopy onesie off me.  By the time she got it off she had poop up her her elbows!  Anyway, the best part of it is that I got to take a bath...in the kitchen sink!  It's the perfect size for me and Mom doesn't have to hurt her back.  If I'm lucky I'll be able to take all my baths in their from now on (until I get too big, of course).

1 comments:

Heidi's Heartland said...

Nice Nut! Mom had to cover the jewels I see! I wish I could have been there to watch mom handle that one, good for you Austin - make her work for those kisses!

That's my grandson - I am proud of you. If you have to poop - do it right the first time!

Love, Nana