Month: June 2018
Catching up…
I have been feeling a bit off for a while, but seem to be pulling through and am eager to write once again. I have some catching up to do…
Having Aundrea here with us has been so much fun. She is such a beautiful soul, full of light and goodness.
The waves have picked up slightly since it’s the rainy season, which provides a fantastic playground.
One can not get too much beach time in…
Fun times!
The creatures finally said farewell to friends and family in Hawaii, and returned to us, while Jude continued on to Alaska for the fishing season. Emma returned with a spiffy new hair cut, which is gorgeous on her!
One of the wonderful things about living in Thailand, is the constant supply of cheap, fresh fruit.
I have never seen lychee this big before!
We buy them in big big beautiful bunches, and the fruit is so plump and juicy!
Mycah and I took a Thai cooking class together from the same place I took my last one – The Brass Wok.
This time we learned how to make some delicious soups and Pad Thai.
I absolutely love learning about cooking and then coming home and preparing delicious meals for my family. There has been a steady, open ended request for mango sticky rice, which I have now perfected, and love making.
Mango season is at its peak right now, so I periodically go to the fruit market and return with 10 kilo’s of mangoes at a a time so I can cube them and freeze some for when mangoes are out of season. I made a huge bowl of mango salsa the other day, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. Also some lychee freezer jam which is now neatly stacked in containers in the freezer. Mango jam is next…
While Aundrea is here we thought we’d take advantage of inexpensive dental care and get het wisdom teeth out in preparation for her mission. She had 3 wisdom teeth – one of which was impacted and the total cost was $360. I have kept her in good supply of jello and popsicles, which she has gladly devoured, and has healed up well.
Aidan had braces installed and for his braces and adjustments for the year, it is a total of under $800. The dental work is first class, as well as the facility.
We stopped by a market where baskets are made and sold, as well as dried fruits, vegetables, nuts etc. The little Thai grandma there, who we call, Mama, fell in love with Aundrea and asked if she could keep her. We truly love these beautiful people.
When Aundrea arrived I asked her what she’d really like to do here, and she mentioned that she’d like to get a fish pedicure. We fulfilled that desire and she loved it.
We have gone on some fantastic adventures, which I will write about in upcoming blogs, and in our down time we have enjoyed the pool (Aundrea has spent hours in it),
eaten at fantastic places,
watched Danny and Aidan get some intense body boarding in,
and spent lots of time at the gym. Our ‘pet’ otter has shown his face a few times,
and so have the wild pigs.
As for Jude, she has been working on a gill netting boat and absolutely loves it. In the last two weeks they have caught 30 000lbs of salmon, one octopus which she was able to set free, and she’s had jelly fish in the eye once, which she said, ‘stung like a mother,’ and she’s been slapped in the face by salmon more times than she can count. In about 3 weeks, she will begin working on a Seiner fishing boat. We hope to see her this fall, and miss her terribly.
As for the rest of the creatures, Ashley and Mike are so sweet and madly involve as newly weds, and are moving to Florida soon. Jake and Jordan are in Florida with their beautiful momma, Stephanie, and doing wonderfully. Kjira has become the queen at long boarding and can be found either working, long boarding around Idaho Falls or home bandaging her road rash! Hunter and Nonna continue to be amazing parents to the most beautiful grand baby in the world! Our precious Zailyn…
Jonathan continues to work for Tesla, building batteries and loving it, Mycah and the twins are working hard at school and loving Thailand, and Aundrea heads back to the US in 2 days, where she will work till Fall then go to BYUI until she goes on a mission for our church in about April of 2019.
We continue to try save up for a catamaran so we can return to the ocean, and until then, Danny flies periodically and we are loving Thailand. I will write soon about some of our recent adventures…
Trip to the US
This past month has been action packed and finally, I sit to write all about it…
Our trip was divided into 3 segments which took place in California, Utah and Nebraska. Danny had run out of pages in his passport, so we first flew to LA where he could take care of the passport issue. It felt great to be back in California where we could spend time with Mom and Dad. They are such beautiful people, filled with warmth and love, and being with them is such a great treat. The temperature was about 20 degrees cooler than Thailand, and far less humid, so we felt chilled much of the time. I wanted to walk the beach one evening, and it was so freezing!
The evening light was beautiful though, and we lasted about ten minutes before heading in for hot chocolate and a warm meal.
On our drive to and fro LAX, I sat back and admired the gorgeous rich color of the hillsides. Beautiful blue skies, rich green trees and shrubs, and golden rolling hills. This is truly a beautiful place where one could easily become lost in the beauty that surrounds.
The initial primary reason for our trip was for Aundrea HS graduation. It’s so hard to believe that our sweet Aundrea has graduated!
Aundrea is an amazing example of all that is good and pure in the world. She has a sweetness about her that is unmatched, and a sense of humor and spunk that keeps us laughing. She may be small in stature, but her huge heart, smarts and integrity makes her a giant in the world of goodness and beautiful people.
Ashley and Mike joined us for a couple dinners and for graduation, and as always, it was wonderful spending time with them too.
Aundrea has returned to Phuket with us for a month, then she’ll be returning and working till college starts in the Fall. Her plan is to study Physical Therapy. We are so proud of you and love you so much, Aundrea.
Kjira and my mom also met up with us in Utah, as we stayed at our beautiful sister and brother in laws home. It was so good to hold Kjira in my arms. Though she is my first born and the same height as me at this point, she will always be my baby and have a place in my arms.
Aidan is so proud of Kjira, because she has also taken up long boarding. She showed us her skills, and she is quite impressive. Even with a sprained wrist and ankle, she carved up and down the streets at impressive speeds. It definitely made me feel like I am missing something in my life…maybe long boarding is in my future?
Our third and final leg of the trip took us to Denver, where we rented a car and drove to see our baby(…and her parents). The last time Danny saw Zailyn, was when she was a week old, and due to video’s on the Marco Polo app and FaceTime, she recognized him and kept going to him for hugs and kisses. She LOVES her Oupa!
We played at the park,
Picked flowers,
Our favorite time was picnicking
and running through the sprinkler park.
Even though her lips turned blue and she was shivering, she kept wanting to go back for more.
She cuddled up with Oupa afterward and warmed up enough go see a beautiful train.
Our next adventure was so go for ice cream, and Zailyn loved it!
Every time she fell asleep in my arms I fought back tears and kissed her sweet face over and over again. She is such an Angel,
and Hunter and Nonna are amazing parents.
Saying ‘see you soon’ to our baby, and Hunter and Nonna, was painful! We sat outside on the grass and played as long as we could.
We love you with out whole hearts, Baby Z. Forever and ever!
Adventures of a Tribe 