Chiang Mai Plethora

Our first day in Chiang Mai

 was a plethora of activities.

  

First stop a visit to the Doi Suthep Temple

And then a little "KIDDING" around

Shopping for furniture, holding babies, watching little kids, eating spicy Khao Soy soup and finally a $3.00 foot massage at the night market.  The day was great from sunrise to sunset!

Sukhothai Revisited

When I visited Sukhothai last spring it was just beginning to be the "HOT" season in Thailand.  This visit was during the "WET" season.  It is really a beautiful place for its age, ruins are about 700 years old.  When you look through the lens of a camera the city has a life of it's own...

1. John and I close to a Bodi tree, the tree that Buddha laid down next to as he received his "enlightenment".
2. John using my camera to take some pictures, I have to keep him busy somehow.
3. Laura and I listening to the headsets that tells the history of this once thriving capitol of Thailand.

Sukhothai revisited was even better the second time! 

Good Luck

As we started out on our visit of the Sukhothai ruins, Laura and John wanted to make sure that they would have some "good luck". So as to  follow Thai tradition of setting something free, they, and by "they" I mean I gave them the 100 Baht to purchased some live animals and set them free in the mote surrounding some of the old ruins.

Both of them released 1 fish, 1 turtle and 1 frog - I am sure the animals are happy and now bring on the good luck!

Driving in Thailand

We decided to go on a little driving adventure...okay little might not be the correct word.  Ten hours drive later, we did find ourselves in Chiang Mai...for an adventure of a life time, that for a later blog.  This blog is about how we drive in Thailand, which in reality we don't do any of the driving.  We leave the driving to our driver, Sayan!  So here is what we do...

Laura is either coloring or sleeping in a very fetal position.  Ron is always working - business for Coca Cola never STOPS.  John, I think now has a permanent ear apparatus know to some as teenage ear buds - they are in when he is awake and when he is asleep.  What do I do while driving...SCRABBLE, and I am pretty good at it!  

Biking with Boo..

Laura has forever been known as BOO.  I am not sure when I first started calling her that - but it stuck and I think she likes all the extra nicknames  that the family members call her...


Boo, Booey, Boo Bear, Booskins, BooBoo, Booalicious, and so on.  I love my BOO and she loves to do fun things with us.  Here is our recent bike riding adventure to Koh Kret..

First we have to ride the bikes to the pier...then we have to heave them on to a "ferry boat" (a term I use loosely) so we can cross the river to Koh Kret Island.

Biking with Boo on Koh Kret is always an adventure,

one we both really enjoy.

The Next FIFTY

My first fifty birthdays seemed to be all about me, and rightly so, after all it was MY BIRTHDAY.  Today was different, I woke up this morning I decided that I wanted my next fifty birthdays to be about someone or something else.  I decided that from now on each year on my birthday I would be involved in a service project, be a volunteer for something or do a random act of kindness for someone.  

"The value of a man resides in what he  GIVES and not in what he is capable of receiving." 
Albert Einstein 

Today I was able to help with a clean up project in downtown Bangkok.  We picked up litter on the sidewalks and scrubbed down bus stop waiting areas.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate my birthday, giving back is so much more rewarding then receiving. 

All that being said, I am not refusing the wonderful tripod for my camera that my husband gave me, I do have my priorities straight.

The Last Fifty

At midnight I will complete my 50th year of life!  It is strange how fast the time goes.  I remember when waiting for Christmas morning seemed like an eternity, now it feels like Christmas is always right around the corner.

Today I decided to celebrate by doing a personal triathlon.  Bright and early I headed to the pool to swim 1,000 meters.  Next came a quick 1.5 mile run around the lake, followed by a 10.5 mile bike ride.  When I jumped into the pool at 7:30 am rain was falling making lovely little ripples on top of the water.  By the time I was running at 8:00 am the rain had stopped but I was hopping through some large puddles - I love doing that it reminds me of being a kid again.  The SUN was shining brightly while I rode the 10.5 miles and I was feeling the warmth spread through out my body.  Being active makes me feel alive, and as a cancer survivor being alive is a GOOD thing!!  I am grateful for every breath of air I breathe and for a body that can move with relative ease - I know that as I grow older that will not always be the case.  So I am trying to enjoy all that life has to offer. 

This last year I have stood at many a fork in the road and I feel like I  have taken the one less traveled.  My experience this year have caused me to grow in ways that I would never imagine.  My heart has expanded at the same time feelings and impressions have been etched upon my soul.  Age does marvelous things to people, it helps them gain perspective of what is truly important...LOVE in all its many different forms. 

I acknowledge the accomplishments and the failures of the last fifty years.  For all experiences happy and sad, good or bad, easy or hard have been for my benefit and grow.  I see who I have become in 50 years and I look forward to the next fifty.