Shared photo book from Jenni: Thailand

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Giving Thanks

With the economy and job market the way they are, it is easy for American's to get frustrated or angry or feeling like everything is going downhill. Even country music (which consistently reflects the times) is exhibits this with the new songs "Shuttin' Detroit Down" or on a lighter note "Marry for Money".

The good news? Good things are still happening all over the world. A mission team at our church just returned from Guatemala yesterday after working with Habitat for Humanity and Healing Waters International. You can read more about it here. It's the type of work trip I'd like to go on (if I hadn't just taken a month off to go to Thailand....).

So remember....even when it's tough, you can still do good work, keep a positive attitude and give thanks.

Not as Bad as 2006

This week we had snow. It was predicted. We knew it was coming. They (the experts) said anywhere from 5 inches to 2 feet. Everything is shiny and white, we've had the requisite traffic delays and people who forget their winter driving skills. And now it's sunny with blue skies and a chance of 50 degrees tomorrow. It's tempting to go up to the mountains because you know the conditions will be amazing. The downside is that the skier traffic may also be "amazing".

Bottom line: We needed the snow. It's sunny now. It wasn't as bad as December 2006.

If it's Bob Marley....(part 2)

If it's Bob Marley, and it's not Thailand, then it must be a mid-mountain lodge in Colorado. Innocently skiing down to LaBonte's cabin at Keystone yesterday and wham! there was Bob crankin' out on the sound system.

The weather was beautiful and sunny...a perfect day for Bob Marley in the mountains.

Life Lists

I recently watched The Bucket List. The premise (if not obvious from the title) is the main characters crossing some "musts" of their lists before they die. Morgan Freeman's character says that he was assigned the project in a freshman college class and that the lists were full of serious and weighty things (solving hunger, finding cures, etc). Jack Nicholson's take on it is that it should be fun, like skydiving.

My senior year of college, one of my teachers assigned a similar project, where you needed to make a list of 50 lifetime goals in the following categories: Job/Career, Physical/Health, Family/Relationship, Cultural/Educational, Community/Political, Financial/Material, Spiritual/Humanitarian and then a wild card / fun category. So my list from the spring of 2000 has 53 things on it. I haven't looked at it for a while, but pulled it out.

Here are a few things that I can check off my list:
#1 Work in a national park
#8 Go parasailing
#13 Participate in more winter sports
#22 Go on a trip with my friends once we are out in the real world
#29 Adopt my pets from the Humane Society
#38 Spend time every year doing service for others
#44 Live west of the Mississippi

A year or so, I read a book called The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski. In this book, the main character is trying to complete the life list of a stranger who died. The author's web page has some suggested list categories like ambitious, crazy, fun and self-improving. Something else that I like is that she challenges readers to try a 40 day challenge where you endeavor to do something new every day. In briefly glancing at her blog, not all have to be fun, as one day she threw out her back, which was new, though not fun. I'm intrigued. Maybe this summer I'll try 40 days of fun. What better time?

Facebook

After at least a year of delay from the first time that someone invited me to be their friend (nothing like receiving friendship via evite) on Facebook, I finally succumbed to the madness. I can see how it can become addictive to find out what your friends are thinking at any given moment and to share your own profound activities.

See you there soon!

Stinky Cheese and more

I read an article about the top 11 foods people either love or hate....and I agree that for many of these most people go one way or the other. I used to classify a lot of "unfriendly vegetables," but I like to think I'm more open minded now. Here's what I think about the 11 items on the list. How about you?

White Chocolate- not as good as dark chocolate, sorry
Cilantro- yes, it's the herb of choice for Mexican food
Eggplant- I don't seek it out
Coconut- yes, all the time in any form...even in Thai ice cream with corn
Tomato- I don't like fresh tomato, but souped, sauced or sun-dried, I'm in
Anchovies- in Caesar dressing, sure, pizza-not so much
Black Licorice- ick!
Stinky Cheese- Asiago, which my sister calls "stinky foot cheese" is one my faves
Bell Peppers- I'll push them to the side of my plate, but it won't ruin my entree
Mayo- on a sandwich, or in Europe on fries
Beets-ummm, no

Laziness Pays Off

Last fall I never bothered to change the clock in my guest room /office when it was time to fall back. Imagine my joy when I looked at it this evening and realized that it was right on time!

While under the laziness cloud, I get to catch up on a month's worth of magazines.

Newsweek:
-Create Your Own Bailout Program
-Oscar's Greatest Snubs

National Geographic Traveler:
5 long weekend trips were suggested: Lucerne, Switzerland; Aravaipa Canyon, Arizona; Marietta, Georgia; Nicaragua; Springfield, Illinois. Ironically I've taken weekend trips to Switzerland and Springfield.

Budget Traveler
Comment on Ryannair's thought of charging for use of airline restrooms (really?)
Done something stupid on vacation? You know you have.

Snacklish

There was an article in Wednesday's International Herald Tribune (aka the free English language newspaper I got at the hotel in Taipei) about Snacklish. This is Snickers new advertising campaign which introduces the language of Snacklish. In times of economic hardship when people can't afford a new car, Prada sunglasses, or possibly their daily latte, you focus on what "luxuries" you can afford. And that may be a candy bar. I saw a billboard on Friday in downtown Denver inviting me to "Hike the Snackorondacks." The campaign has begun.

Although here in Colorado, maybe the billboard should read "Ski the Snackies" instead.

Taipei

I only spent 2 days in Taipei and really it was because I could. I could get a stop over with my frequent flier miles that I used for my trip and I could get my hotel room for free. When I left, the immigration agent said, "Why did you only stay for two days? Next time you need to stay longer." And considering it's a semi tropical island with mountains and hot springs, I hope I can stay longer the next time. In the meantime, two fun sightings included the Dim Sum Cow and the skill crane game where your prize was a plastic bun with a smiley face on it.

Which Wat?

Wat is the Thai word for temple. And in Thailand there are a lot of temples. In Chiang Mai, there are over 300 wats. We went to about 5 of them last Saturday. These pictures are from Wat Prah Singh. One of my favorite things at this wat complex, in addition to the man selling dragons made from rope, was this garden of trees that all had proverbs on them. I really enjoyed Chiang Mai. I stayed at a great guest house call The 3 Sis that was within walking or taxi distance of everything. We visited the heavily touristed Wat Doi Suthep and Doi Pui, a Hmong village (where I shopped like a savage).

I took a day-long cooking class at The Thai Farm Cooking School and hope to make fabulous mango sticky rice sometime soon.

We also enjoyed the famous Sunday Night street market. You can meet the artists who make some of the crafts, buy any necessary "I Love Chiang Mai" t-shirts or Trang magnets, eat random pastries, avoid mysterious black vegetable gelatin, and let birds go from a cage for good luck.

Sawadee Ka from Thailand

Today I say "sawadee ka" to Thailand and start heading in the vague direction of the US. Chiang Mai is a great place and will post pictures and comments about my adventures in cooking school, climbing 206 steps, the Sunday night market and setting birds free for good luck. I fly to Bangkok this morning and then to Taipei (via Hong Kong) this afternoon. I'm spending the next 2 days in Taipei and then leave for Denver on Thursday.

Absolutely loved Thailand and hope to return sooner than later.