tkm 10 years

we did it! 10 years yesterday of the tom mullin memorial tournament...it was a great day...alot of work...i'm glad karen works with me on this...luckily, no big snafus...which is what i always worry about...we had a bit of a smaller turnout due to the great economy...but, it was a wonderful day...alot of fun to see great friends...lots of fun memories...i had all my family there...that in itself, is the greatest...the kids came out for the morning...then, we let the mom's have a break and they went home with ashley...the boy's all played golf...then, we had the dinner, auction, prizes etc...turned out fantastic...thanks for all the support!

after the calm...craziness!

i'm not this women....yet, give me a few days

after blogging everyday for a month, i thought i'd give you a break..actually not much happening...just trying to get back in 'the swing of things'...unpacking, cleaning up, putting things away..trying to get organized before the next big thing happens...actually i've been running around crazy...our golf tournament is in 10 days..and since i've been gone, karen has been doing all the work..so it's time for me to help out...plus, kelly and willie are coming next week...kelly is due with her baby any day now..it's amazing how you can go from not having a thing to do, to having so much to do you can't think...and all i want to do is nothing...guess that was last month...gotta get back into life...no more vaca! so onward and upward!!!

home sweet home

we got home today from a fantastic, wonderful trip...it was truly a once in a lifetime experience..i've never been gone so long, been so far away from my home, never flown around the world...there is so much we saw and did in one short month...it really went by fast..plus, it was alot of fun! dubai was modern, clean, new, and basically unreal...they have built so much in such a short time..a very easy place to visit..india on the other hand wasn't so clean, new or modern..but it was unreal! from the bobble heads to the nodding heads of those people wanting to help you..the crazy, and i mean crazy traffic to the peace of the taj mahal...the crowds that are everywhere, the streets, the countryside, the markets...basically everywhere there are alot of people...it's just an amazing place..and then there is thailand...it's so different from india...alot of people, but well kept, beautiful green everywhere..the blues of the ocean and sky, the flowers and plants..the markets are fun, the temples are amazing..it has so much to offer....so, we saw different cultures, different ways of life..a fantastic time and you come home really appreciating the country we live in...

rainy bangkok

today we went on a tour of bangkok..when we set it up they asked us what time we wanted to go...we said 10 am...so that's when we left..it was cloudy but ok at first...we went on a boat taxi...it was fun, we went up the canals and saw how the people live here...they call bangkok, the venice of the east...it's amazing...then we went to a huge pagoda temple..it is really beautiful...it was decorated in mosaics using broken pottery and china...just like we do at home, but this is 500 years old..the stairs on this temple were STEEP, like climbing a ladder! but a beautiful view.it was interesting because the temple and palace are holy, we needed to wear long pants, skirt and no sandals...of course everyone we saw was wearing sandals and shorts....when it started raining, my shoes were drenched! ..we then went over to the grand palace.this is where 'the king and i' took place....this is an amazing area..it has the palace, a temple, which is there big temple..she said it's like westminster abbey...alot of really beautiful buildings...our only problem, it started raining...a bit at first, then wow, a downpour...we were dripping...our guide said, why did you wait until 10? we should have gone at 8:30...oh well....but we saw the emerald budda...the temple...the palace...it was really beautiful...then we ran to the car...we drove to another temple and saw the reclining budda...i guess this is when budda was dying...anyway...it's huge! giant size...we then drove through the city..it's beautiful..but, when it rains! the streets were pretty flooded...we saw the budda village where they make alot of the buddas that they sell..one thing you see around town are transvestites... guess alot of them are guys, brought up as girls..it's sometimes hard to tell...tonight is our last night on our trip...we went across the river to a thai restaurant..they had thai food of course and then a show of the dances of thailand...very graceful people..their fingers bend like crazy...it was fun...it's like in the 'king and i' when they do their dancing...they did a bit of thai kick boxing..that's pretty crazy... this has been an amazing trip...we will have circled the globe when we get home...we've seen amazing scenery, people, places...it's been pretty unreal..i'm really lucky to have been able to do this...russ has been a great travel partner...he's easy going, just goes along with whatever...maybe except when there is too much shopping...he has been a great protector..saved me a couple of times from fast taxis, buses, whatever...it's been fun to have him...we had fun with kathy and steve...they are easy also...fun to be with...all in all it's been an amazing trip...

back to the trip...it's almost over

today i woke up early..about 5 am....the cicadas was buzzing...we have learned they buzz and i do mean BUZZ loudly when it's going to rain...so, i thought..let's not spend another day here in the rain..so, we changed our flight and flew to bangkok a day early...it's also my birthday...so, it was a fun way to spend it (once we got here)...it is overcast, but really, really hot...so we checked into our gorgeous room..it has a beautiful view of the river...and the river is fascinating to watch..it's a real working river with all sorts of things going up and down it...we then went shopping..one fun thing is the hot pink taxis that they have...we went to this huge beautiful mall..they have car dealerships inside the mall! everything a girl or guy could want...but, what we really wanted was the night markets...so we took the sky train, then the subway over to one of them..those trains are really nice...what's with LA that they can't do something like that? anyway..the nightmarket wasn't quite up and running so we had our daily massage...a foot massage...then, we started walking...it was fun..they will deal with you on prices..russ is good at it..but, we had a fun time...when we got home to our room..i found a beautiful flower arrangement sent for my b.d. and i guess the city heard also, cause there were fireworks tonight! aren't they sweet?

another break in my trip diary

(after marty and polly were married)

yesterday on april 9th was 10 years since my dad died...he was a great man with great big ideas...he was able to see most of them through during his life...he grew up really poor during he depression...he didn't have much..i think that made him the generous man he was..he loved to give things to people...to help others out...he was so much fun...loved games, sports, mind games, number games..anything that made him think...and he was good at them...he would tease you by thinking you were going to win...then, he'd slam the pool ball in the hole! and you lost the $100 that he was going to give you...he taught me many things...he taught me to love sports, to work hard, to have fun, to love music, to love my mom...he loved her so much...they were a great couple....i could go on and on...but, i won't do that...but, just know that i was the luckiest girl ever because he was a fantastic dad!

lazy day

today was relaxing...not that we've been working hard or anything...but, our snorkeling trip was canceled this morning, so we just hung out at the beach...good thing we did...it started pouring rain at about 2 pm...the boat would have been awful about then! the beach is really nice and the water is unreal...it's not too often that i can just walk right into the water..but this water you could...crystal clear...warm..it's was fantastic...russ and i swam out to the deck they have out in the water..it was fun..they had a bag of bread to feed fish..you throw one piece in and 100's of fish appear...it was fun to watch...met a nice surfer guy from hawaii..he's going to bali..made russ jealous...then we swam back..it started raining..we stayed for awhile..then when it poured, we headed for the restaurant for a long lunch...afterwards we just have been hanging out...i had a massage, russ has one later on...not sure how we'll handle it when we aren't having a massage everyday..

phang nga islands

today turned out gorgeous! the rain was gone and the sky was blue...perfect! we went on a cruise with 2 other couples..one, a french couple living in london and the other a spanish couple from barcelona...they were both very nice...so, we just cruised for awhile until we came to the islands..there are 42 islands in this area...they are amazing..only one of these islands has anyone living on it...they are most just like big huge rocks coming out of the ocean, with alot of trees etc. on them...we went into some caves on one of them...they all seem to have hidden grottos...a great place to be cast away! then, we went on to 'james bond island', it's where they filmed the 'man with the golden gun'....it's very pretty...you can get off and walk around it..among the tourist were some monks..i don't know why i was surprised that they had cell phones! we then went to a tiny beach..russ was the only one to get into the water..didn't look that clean...had lunch and sailed for home...it didn't start raining until about 8 pm tonight...we first had quite a lightening show before dinner...then did it pour! amazing how much water came down...hope it's blue again tomorrow!

phuket

we flew into phuket today...it's in the southern part of thailand..an island on the western side...in the airport we saw some girls that russ thought looked familiar...i struck up a conversation and they were mormons from orange county...didn't know russ but, he's wondering where he met them.they both went to byu...small world...the flight was fine except we hit some storm and were bouncing around for about 7 min...pretty scary when the plane is making all sorts of groaning sounds...but, we landed..took about half and hour to get to our hotel...and then a downpour! i mean it rained and rained hard! lightening and thunder...it's been about 3 hours..still raining..hope it stops..the lights keep flickering off and on..this might be an adventure...this is supposed to be our beach time...well, we always have massages! marty commented on all our massages...well, the thing is...india and thailand are famous for them..so you have to try them...in chaing mai they had places up and down the streets..when we arrived at the hotel they gave me this beautiful flower wristlet..it is so pretty...they have beautiful flower arrangements here..everywhere you go...also, you might wonder if i have a fetish for toilets...i took a picture earlier, but, the one in our hotel has a heated seat! and i guess they like to rinse themselves off instead of toilet paper, so the new modern version is to have an electronic thing that does it for you...pretty funny!

doi suthep

today we went to the doi suthep temple..it's up the mountain and out of the city of chaing mai..it's very famous here..there are 300 stairs that you can climb to reach it (or not)...we didn't...the temple is in gold and has bells all around it that you ring for good luck...the people that come to worship buy insense and a lotus flower and then they walk around the temple 3 times, praying...afterwards we went to sankhampaeng..this is a street that they have different factories of the handmade items of this area..so we went to the umbrella factory..interesting to see how they make the paper to make the paper umbrellas...then we went to the celedon factory which is the green or blue pottery they sell here...very beautiful....so russ wasn't feeling well, so after that we came back to the hotel and later on he had a thai massage..they stretch you alot...i had a thai massage that was a regular massage..so, now we're all relaxed..tomorrow we fly to the south of thailand to phuket..

chaing mai

we had a pretty busy day today...we woke up early, had a lovely breakfast and met our tour guide for our tour to the elephant camp...we drove for about 40 minutes and got to the camp...the thai's used to use the elephants for alot of logging of teak and mahogany but, now they can't cut down as much...so they have these camps..we walked across the river on a swinging bamboo bridge..we first went and fed the elephants..a mama and her baby...so cute..the mom can eat 5 whole bananas at once..not peeled..or a big stick of sugar cane...the baby isn't quite 2 so he couldn't eat like that..you had to peel the banana for him and he was really uncoordinated picking them up...we then walked to watch the elephants have their baths in the river..they have 3 baths a day..to help protect them from a fly that can get into their skin...they were fun to watch in the river..they lay down and their trainer..called a mufta...scrubs him...then they suck up water in their trunk and squirt it all over themselves..we then saw a little show of how they can pull logs, push, pick up logs with their trunks..then one painted a picture! amazing...we then went on an elephant ride..we rode in a howda..a chair on the back..it was pretty rolling and slow..we were behind an elephant who didn't want to move at all...we got to the hills and saw a hill tribe and where they lived..then rode back..along the way we saw this tree that looked furry..it was actually 1000's of daddy long leg type spiders..really gross! we went in the river on the elephant also..it was really a fun experience...we came home..went to the pool for a bit.then i dropped russ' camera and broke it (uh oh)...then tonight we went to the 'sunday market'...that's a different market from the 'night market' and the 'day market'..it was packed..and goes on and on and on...we only went down one really long street in about 3 hours.did i mention how hot it was today? i think i was drenched all day...pretty lovely....at 6 pm everyone stops and they pay respect to the king and sing the national anthem..i mean no one moves for about 10 minutes..amazing...we saw alot of fun stuff, weird stuff, weird foods, we saw missionaries and stopped and talked to them..that was fun...we stopped and had a foot massage for 1/2 hour...why don't our markets have massages? it was great..then we grabbed a tut tut ride back to meet our shuttle..these tut tut's are like they have in india, but, nicer and a bit bigger..so that was our adventure today...

thailand

last night we left the craziness of mumbai behind...but we first had a southern indian type dinner where you were supposed to just eat with your hands..one hand at that..it was very good...then we went to the airport for our redeye flight to bangkok...it wasn't a really long flight, so we didn't get alot of sleeping time..we added and 1 and 1/2..so we're about 10 hours ahead now...from bangkok we changed planes and flew to the north to chaing mai...it's very green here...alot of rice paddies..alot of water...our hotel is lovely..set among the rice paddies..tonight we're having a chef's dinner where he shows us how to cook things...well, more later..

last days in mumbai

we are coming to the end of our trip, here in india...we're in mumbai again...today was a relaxing day....i went to the beauty shop to get my nails done, they didn't have an appointment..but, they did have time for a head massage and foot massage...so i got those...wow! the guy doing my head first put oil (i've had more oil on my head) on it and then started massaging..he did that for about 20 min...then went to my neck, shoulders, arms and hands...it was fantastic...the foot guy was a great foot massage...then they washed my hair, more massage, then blew it out..how relaxing...we then went shopping...ok, it was sooooooo hot...and muggy...and the 'cool cab'? wasn't so cool...the air doesn't work if the cab isn't moving...so it was steaming inside...we were dying...so, he dropped us off and we went down the streets looking for stuff...kathy got attacked by a zillion guys selling placemats...russ was hit with the sunglasses guys..it's crazy...crossing the street is taking your life in your hands..but, we're old pros now...we were so hot...i mean, literally dripping..so we went back to the hotel to the pool...tonight steve wanted to take us to a fish restaurant that he has been to...it was down this little crummy street...the restuarant was great though..the pictures are amazing of what we had..after steve ordered, they brought the live crabs out, the shrimp, so we could see that they were fresh....we had this kingfish to start...delicious..then, they brought these huge, and i mean huge shrimp...with the tails and heads on of course...it was like eating a huge steak..then, we had crab...they put bibs on us..then, when i wasn't getting enough meat out...the guy did it for me...they sort of hovered making sure we were ok and eating it all...it was delicious...it was a fun place to go...so tomorrow is our last day here..the fryers might be here another 2 weeks...and we're off to thailand...