Of Broken Doors And Mexican Food.

The day started off innocently enough - at breakfast someone mentioned the words, "it's Tuesday!" and that set off a mixed response of excited laughter and blank stares. The excited laughter came from Pookie and I and the blank stares came from all the guys who have since been enlightened. Let me clarify something for all of you in bloggy land (except for Rachel!) who probably don't understand the implication behind those two words. For us, "It's Tuesday!" means that the Cajun Restaurant in Bangkok serves a buffet filled to the brim with Mexican food! And it also means we. are. there. pronto! I'm not kidding either... at 9:30 AM Pookie asked what time we were leaving for the restaurant:).

Our group braved the Bangkok traffic and that's no small feat, I assure you! Several times Pookie looked up and gasped as some driver suddenly slammed on their brakes or just didn't move (which is really helpful when you're on a road with cars!). We finally pulled in to the place and we were not disappointed by the fajitas, enchiladas, nachos with cheese, and french vanilla ice cream!

I suppose it was the ice cream that had us all just sitting around chatting. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact we hadn't received the bill yet:). Either way, there we sat talking. Alex, one of the newer team members, was talking about his brother Andrew's upcoming wedding in June when I asked for the colors of the wedding party.

And that's when it got interesting!

Alex managed to confuse us all by stating the men would be wearing khaki tuxes with purple shirts. None of us had ever heard of such a thing so poor Alex spent quite some time trying to describe it to us. Let's just say his explanation made it sound worse! Sometime during the "tux talk" Pookie got up and left. We assumed she went to the restroom although Bro. Tom did joke that we were sitting there so long that she probably went back through the buffet line!

Just about the time we all started looking around for the server, this lady walked up to our table and said, "Um, do you have someone in the bathroom? She needs help!" Krinny and I got up right away to go check out the situation. Our first thought was Pookie was sick (logical) since the lady said she needed "help."

HA! HA! Were we wrong!

We enter into the restroom and said, "Pookie? What's wrong?" This timid little voice from the third stall answered, "Um, hello. I can't get out."

Being the kind, compassionate friend that I am, I started laughing. Pookie has a way of getting into these scrapes, and even managed to lock our own bathroom door for about three weeks:). So Krinny and I walk over to the stall and sure enough, the handle wouldn't produce the desired effect of opening up that door. Krinny then asked the obvious: "Did you unlock the door?" After Pookie said she didn't even lock it, Krinny began to go through the options. I, on the other hand, was still laughing because the situation presented itself as quite funny!

I'm not quite sure what made me do it, but I used the handy-dandy hip that just so happened to be resting on the right side of my body and I aimed for the door. Two seconds later the door bounced off the wall and a two-inch piece of plastic fell from the door latch and rested innocently on the floor... as if it had nothing to do with poor Pookie stuck in the bathroom!

Krinny just stared at me as Pookie came out of the bathroom, very relieved to be freed from her hot prison. The story provided some wonderful comic relief as the guys joined in on the laughter. I was still chuckling to myself a few hours later!

I think it's going to be a loooong time before Pookie locks a bathroom door again! But in the mean time, it will be one of those stories that will get told again and again down the road and it'll probably start off with, "Do you remember the time we went to the Cajun Restaurant....?"

Oh, and the khaki tuxes? They didn't look too bad after all:).

Video Clips.

So you wanna know what we do for fun on Monday nights? Nat got out the video camera and took a couple of shots of us playing games... you can go here to see it! About half-way through the video, you'll hear Pookie call the tall guy with glasses "Albert" - he's actually "Alex" but Bro. Tom has a hard time remembering his name:). Also, take note that we are using paper balls (which are color-coded and the rubber bands are included for identification purpose) for our Italian-turned-Thai bocce game. And finally, I just love the fact Gracie is sitting in the middle of the room completely unfazed by the fact we are playing volleyball right over her head. Hey, when a girl's tired, she's tired!!!

Here's a clip of Alex using (are you ready for this???) a nail polish brush to do some touch-up work in Pookie's and my house! Y'all have got to go check it out... we're slave drivers over here;o).


No, I tease!


I'm just glad Nat didn't capture Pookie standing nearby with a whip in her hand.


Kidding!


Sorta:).

Why Yes, I Work In The Dairy Aisle!

I never knew the dairy aisle at Food Land could be so interesting, but I was totally proven wrong today! As I debated over shredded mozzarella cheese and block cheese (you must know it really was a debate... and the price difference was about 100 baht = $3.00), this little Thai lady bumped right into me and as I turned around her eyes lit up. At first I thought that was a little strange (can you say "awk-ward!") but then I realized she needed some, ahem, help, and was so excited over finding an English-speaking person.

Here she was looking for cottage cheese, which I finally figured out after naming all sorts of cheese ("cream??? shredded??? cheddar??? Ohh! Cottage cheese!"). Once we got that squared away, she wanted to know what you do with it. I'll admit my first instinct was to laugh and say "EAT it!" but I didn't. Instead I tried to think of ways to eat cottage cheese and the only thing I could think of was eating it with apple butter or putting it in casseroles. Not very exciting, but apparently this lady was satisfied with my answer and wanted some.

I started scanning the shelves desperately looking for "large curd" or even "small curd", which would have worked in a pinch. But alas, no cottage cheese. She went to go find someone who, you know, worked there, and they couldn't find any cottage cheese so we ladies parted ways and I went back to my debate.

I kid you not, five seconds later a Thai guy smiled broadly at me and said he needed help with buying some cheese for his friend who is from England and wants some red cheese and he didn't know what to get and could I please help him, pleaszy please?? (The pleazy part he didn't actually say but I know he was thinkin' it!) The only thing I could think of with red on it is the red wax that surrounds some cheese but he didn't like that option, so he actually called his friend and I talked to a complete stranger about cheese. Once the man on the other end said mild cheddar was fine (whew, I could handle that!), I passed the phone back and grabbed the cheddar. The Thai man looked at it with a quizzical look, but I assured him that it was what his friend wanted. He thanked me and walked away while I went back to my cheese... and ended up buying something else.

As I walked out of the dairy aisle, I noticed the Thai man in another aisle looking at some sauces.... and on the phone again. With a smile on my lips, I quickly skirted by and went to the checkout. The dairy aisle was enough for me to handle for one day!

Facing The Giants.

I'm sure some of you have heard about the movie Facing the Giants (see the preview here). I've watched it twice since coming to Thailand, the second time being Friday night (as my friend Melissa can attest to since she chatted me on IM both before and after it!). I won't ruin the storyline for those who haven't seen it, but one resounding theme is from Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27, and Luke 1:37 - Nothing is impossible with God! NOTHING!!!!

As I watched the movie last night, I really let that thought sink in. Why do I walk around defeated at times??? With my God, there is nothing that will stump Him. There is nothing that presents itself as a challenge. There is nothing too big for my God!

This morning for my devotions I read about Jesus' crucifixion in Mark 15. I was struck with verse 5: "But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled." Jesus could have said something but instead chose to answer nothing. One may ask why and the answer is clear - in order to redeem all mankind, Jesus had to go to the cross. If He would have said something in His defense, Pilate might have "pardoned" Him, so to speak. But instead Jesus endured awful punishment for me, and then on top of that, promises that NOTHING will be impossible for God!!!!

Wow, that's good!

So Christian, think about that the next time you see a giant mountain staring you in the face. Before you cower in fear before the "giants," just remember that you have a sure promise from God - NOTHING is impossible with HIM!!!!

Sure Was Good!

It's been a crazy, but fun, week! The group from my church left last night (and they should arrive home in about 3 hours) but it was so enjoyable spending what time we could with them! In light of that, I figured I would share some pictures - it's been a while since I've done that:).

Pookie and Lena - a new Thai co-worker

Gracie-girl! She loves putting on shoes that belong to her brother and mom:).

The view behind my house... looks so peaceful and serene, right? I wish I had a picture of the 10-lane highway that's nearby:).

Nat, Berm, John, and Ben... John and Ben were a part of the group that left but Nat is staying another week.

Alex - another new co-worker. He'll be here until January 10th.

So I have to rat on the guys:). They came to Thailand and all ordered nice suits/shirts that were tailor-made for them... apparently it is *much* cheaper here than in the States, although I really have no idea how much a suit costs there!

Lotus flowers, incense, idolatry, emptiness - need I say more?

Don't they all look so serious??? They were coming up with a plan of attack and just about to execute it - tract distributing!

Ben, John Sr. and John Jr. at a souvenir stand.

Gracie-girl and me! I knew the picture was going to be taken but someone was making me laugh, hence the wide-eyed look!

And, of course, our nightly Dutch Blitz game:).

I really, really, really had a great time with the group being here... we all did! From the singing time during our services to the hours of laughter, we have some great memories stored! These men were able to distribute over 13,000 tracts in Chiang Mai, Bangkok and a couple more cities around Thailand and some responses have come in already!

Even though the group is gone, it will be far from boring around here! There are two people coming in next week and then a group of 20 people are coming from North Dakota in a couple of weeks.

Round two, here we come!!!

Works For Me Wednesday.

One little tip I found that works for me is this: when I receive a gift with a pretty ribbon tied around it, I'll throw away the wrapping (if it's ripped! Otherwise I'll keep it) but keep the ribbon. I have found ribbons make for a quick and easy hair accessory and each ribbon I have is unique! Nothing earth-shattering here girls, but at least I don't have to go buy hair clips and such and the ribbon-turned-hair-accessory adds a nice touch to an outfit!

Taking The Road Of Prayer.

Bylines seen on Instant Messenger today:

(First one): Obama and McCain are both retards.

(Second one): McCain is MUUUCH less of a retard.

(First one): No, they are both the same retardedness.

All the way at the bottom was a third one: We were blessed to hand deliver Dillon's Tract to Cindy McCain. Pray that God would bring forth the increase!

And then we sit back, shake our heads, and wonder what's wrong with the world! Let's pray for the election instead of name call. As God's people, it's our responsibility, not the world's. Why are we expecting our change to come from Washington when we haven't even prayed?

2 Chronicles 7:14 ~ "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heave, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Cultural Experience 101.

Yesterday Pookie and I were coming back from the market in a taxi when we passed a pickup truck on the highway. While not very noteworthy, I thought the fact that two men were trying to get comfortable in the cab was interesting! Friday afternoon I saw a hammock strung in the back of another truck with a man lazily swinging back and forth on it. This is a pretty common occurrence, making it a cultural experience. Can you read fine and citation if that happened in the States?!?

If you've ever been to New York City, you'll know that there is quite literally a Starbucks on every corner. (And if you've never been to NYC, you now know that!) The equivalent for Thailand is 7-Eleven. To quote Wikipedia, "Its stores are located in eighteen countries, with its largest markets being Japan, the United States, Taiwan, and Thailand." Definitely true! I've seen 7-Eleven stores right across the street from each other:o). Cultural Experience.

As Rachel mentioned in a comment below, Thai people take their shoes off whenever they enter someones house. I was asking Pookie about it this morning as to why they do it and she said it's because the house is dirty. So I'm taking that to mean they don't want to track more dirt into the house. We all take our shoes off (although I take mine off and stick them just inside the door of my house, the office, or church) so as not to offend. One time I was confused by this practice though. Each Sunday for church we take our shoes off... that's fine. But one Saturday we went to a wedding at the same church and everyone left their shoes on. Huh??? I must admit, it didn't make any sense! But that's just a cultural experience for you!

I do have to add this funny story in about shoes: we had two men here from North Carolina who took their shoes off like everyone else, but the one guy left his outside the office (technically that's what you're supposed to do, but anyway). Everyone was quietly working when Bro. Tom looked up and saw a dog with a shoe in its mouth! It was funny watching the poor guy run after the dog to get his shoe back!!! Shoes and dogs - some more cultural experiences!

Life in Thailand... leave your American mentality at home!!!

There's No Use Crying....

I spent the day buying "uniquely Thai" items for people back home (ha! Everything I looked at here I kept turning over looking for the "made in China" label!) and then spent the evening sorting out the things that are going back home with the group from my church.

Incidentally, this is all the stuff the guys brought over...

... so I would hate for them to go home empty-handed:). And yes, there are 12 bags of chocolate chips. Count 'em!

So anyway, while I was sorting everything out, like a 110-watt hair dryer and the like, I popped a DVD in. Soon I finished the sorting (and I'm very happy to report the guys are going home with 2 medium-sized bags and 1 small bag!) and poured myself some chocolate milk.

Now I have a confession to make. Chocolate milk is a weakness of mine. Whew! I feel better sharing that! Anyway, with the DVD playing and a tall cup of chocolate milk nearby, I was pretty happy. Just as the movie climaxed, I took a sip of milk and then put it back on the end table, right on the coaster, mind you! Wouldn't want to leave a ring on the table!

The only problem is, I placed the cup on an angle (no, not on purpose!) and my nearly full cup of milk went spilling over the coaster, end table, a "uniquely Thai" decoration, onto the wall and all over the floor. I have this really bad tendency to laugh at other people when milk spills on them and in this case you really should have seen me.

The movie climaxed, the milk spilled, the laptop dropped... and I didn't know which one to take care of first, so being the rational, sensible girl that I am - I paused the movie:). Next I grabbed a handful of napkins and started sopping the chocolate lake up. Of course the whole time I was laughing hysterically because, as the little saying goes, there's no use crying over spilled milk!

And just tonight at dinner, I told Pookie that I always make a mess whenever I eat. I now have to add making a mess while drinking something to my resume. Because it really is a hidden talent of mine!

Another Giveaway!

Tori is the gal who finds the best giveaways!!! So I went over and checked out Portugal Bound where Nina is a missionary's wife. Go check out her giveaway!!!

Another Update.

Just got this e-mail from my uncle... Laura seems to be doing better! Oh, and "Little Bit" is the baby's nickname... Chad and Laura still haven't narrowed down the 27 names to 1 yet:). Hey, the original list was over 100 names:).

All: Just wanted you to know that Laura was moved down to a step-down unit last night, still in ICU but a more progressive unit. They brought “Little Bit” up to the room and Laura was able for the first time to see her daughter and boy was she ever thrilled. Chad and Laura’s parents said she was overwhelmed. She was not allowed to hold her but spent 15 minutes with her. I saw Laura this morning and she looks better each day. Her voice is getting stronger as well as her color. The nursing staff had her sitting up in a chair position and they helped her out of bed and took 10 steps. She is also now getting some liquid foods along with her IV. Laura is on the road to recovery and your thoughts and prayers really helped her. I will keep you posted. Bob

Oh Sing Unto The Lord...

It sure was great to have 6 men join our team... for a little bit of time anyway! We had our mid-week service tonight instead of tomorrow night since the group is heading up country tomorrow. I took this video clip during the singing, but was trying not to be *too* obvious about it... hence the lovely view of the black leather couch!

The singing was a big blessing to me since it's been a while I've heard singing in English - good and strong! What a blessing to lift our voices in song to the Lord tonight! This might not be a blessing to anyone else besides me, but I figured I would share it anyway. It's easy to "forget" what it's like back home... these guys brought a little bit of LVBC with them!!!!

Communication Bloopers.

Tonight as we ate dinner, we were talking about a visit David, Deborah, and Bro. Tom made to Ayutthaya on Monday afternoon. They had gone to an elephant camp and as they talked about it, I asked, "Is that the nursing home for elephants?"

Um, yeah. Let's all go sing some songs and encourage those dear old elephants.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soon the conversation led to Christmas. Krinny was talking about Christmas in Australia when she said, "You see, their winter is in the middle of summer."

Right-0. How does that work again?!?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Sunday evening, David, Deborah, and I walked into B2S (an office supply store) looking for balloons. I called Pookie and asked her how to say balloon in Thai. I very distinctly heard her say, "Puktsong" and so I confidently walked up to a sales lady and said, "Sawadeka... puktsong?" She smiled at me and said, "just a moment" before walking over to a computer to check it out. After a consultation with two co-workers, they led us in the direction of the magazine rack and began looking very intently for something. We realized something got lost in translation, so I called Pookie up and had her talk to the sales lady. While the lady was on the phone with Pookie, she began to smile and laugh some before hanging up and leading us in the opposite direction. She did find the balloons for us and we all had a good laugh, even though we didn't know what I had said. So when we met up with Pookie, we asked her what "puktsong" is. Before she told us that, she said the word for balloon is "pukpome" and what I had said to the saleslady was: "Hello... bullet?"

I'm surprised they didn't call security!

Update.

I just got this e-mail about my cousin's wife Laura...

Well, overall life is much different today than yesterday! Laura has greatly improved! The doctors are extremely pleased with her progress. She is still in the ICU but she is alert and is communicating with us regularly. Yes she is on a respirator, but that is not because she cannot breathe on her own. Rather, due to the trauma she endured, her body swelled, including her lungs, from the massive amounts of fluid pumped through her body, so the doctors have her on a respirator until the swelling goes down. We and the doctors are not discussing dates or time frames right now because those are not important right now. What are important are the goals the doctors set for her recovery and they are very pleased thus far. There is of course still risk with her situation, but I am elated with the progress she has made!

I have told her of the response I have received from all of you and she is very thankful! She is moved by your outpouring of love and prayers! Now to my daughter. Aside from her being born 7 weeks early and her size, there is not much difference from her versus a full-term baby. She is active, yes she cries but she does stop when she hears daddy's voice (that's me!), she is feeding from a bottle that has mama's milk and formula, she likes to kick her legs out straight like a long jumper, and she
likes to be in daddy's arms (I like it too!). In short, she is adorable!

Chad's routine, or something like a routine:

wake up, eat, and drink coffee
see Laura
see and feed baby
see Laura
see baby
eat and drink coffee
see Laura
see and feed baby
see Laura
see baby
eat
see Laura
see baby
see Laura
see and feed baby
go home, shower, send e-mail
return to hospital
sleep

Somewhere in there I read/respond to your text messages, listen to voicemail, and take time to make some calls. I hear all of your voice mails and I read all of your text messages! You are helping us all by me receiving alerts of new text messages, missed calls, and voice mails. Thank you!!!

Chad, Laura, and baby

Thanks for praying...

A Box, Y'all! A Box!

It's a box.

A Priority Box.

A from-the-USA- BOX!

And I was the recipient!!!!!

I think I have the sweetest friends and co-workers. They called it fall in a box (with the exception of the cool air and beautiful scenery!) and it was so completely unexpected!!! When Pookie called me to say a box was delivered, Deborah and I were in the midst of a rather trying project - trying to get margins for a tract perfectly lined up. As soon as I hung up the phone with Pookie, I took off running down the street to the office, with Deborah close behind:). It was SO. MUCH. FUN. opening up the box and looking at all the goodies:).

Thanks girls!!!

Prayer Request.

Would you please pray for my cousin's wife? She just gave birth to a 3 1/2 pound baby girl on Friday evening. She wasn't due until November 26th, so the baby is early but is doing ok. But my cousin's wife, Laura, is having some problems. I don't know what, but please pray for her! She and my cousin are both saved, which is a blessing.


Updated: I just found out the situation on Laura. What she has is something called HELLP - Hemolytic anemia Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelet count. Laura is in very critical condition. Please lift their entire family up to the Lord in prayer, especially Chad and Laura.

Tag, You're It! Take Two:).

Since I'm in the mood for tags, I'm going to share another one with you! Rachel tagged me for sharing 6 random things about myself. I've already shared about my ability of having goofy pictures taken so the rest of what I share will be less random:o).

Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you. Check
2. Post the rules on your blog. Check
3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have. Getting there!
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them. I'm thinking of them right now
5. Leave a comment on each taggee's blog to let them know they've been tagged. Hold on! Hold on! Gotta think of the bloggers first!!

Unspectacular Quirk #1: I love, love, love to organize!!! Give me a messy room and I will be formulating a plan in my mind as to how I should go about conquering the mess! That got me in trouble one time though. Years ago Tiffany came over to my house and we started organizing a huge room on our second floor. My parents came home and my dad wasn't too happy about me cleaning everything so we had to put it. all. back. No fun.

Unspectacular Quirk #2: I like to cook by myself. I don't like other people helping me out. I guess it's kinda like that phrase, "too many cooks in the kitchen." I'm learning to be gracious though!

Unspectacular Quirk #3: I prefer to work with junior/senior high teens rather than elementary kids. In fact, elementary kids (*hushed whisper*) scare me! I love babies and junior church kids but after five, it's all down hill for me until about 12:o).

Unspectacular Quirk #4: To go along with my love of organization, everything absolutely has to be in the right place! I don't like to leave the pillows on our sofa and chairs askew when we leave the house. Shoes must be side by side. Computer put away. Dishes cleared from the table. Curtains drawn. I could go on and on:o).

Unspectacular Quirk #5: I have a fetish (an abnormally obsessive preoccupation or attachment; a fixation) with conserving electricity. I will go out of my way to turn off a light in a room that no one is in, or to turn off fans and air cons. I can't stand the thought that electricity is being wasted, although electricity is much cheaper here in Thailand (to the tune of $40.00).

Unspectacular Quirk #6: I have been told several times that I walk very fast. And it's true - I do! When I was a senior in high school, my Principal and his wife took the juniors and seniors on a Civics trip to Washington D.C. My Principal's wife was 7 1/2 months pregnant on that trip and as we charged up a hill in Arlington National Cemetery, she had to stop half-way up to rest. Of course the three of us in the front didn't realize that because we were so far ahead of the group:o).

I'm going to tag... oh let's see! Hmm, decisions, decisions!!! This is like trying to choose teams to play volleyball. Who do I pick??? Oh right, back to deciding:o). I tag:

Ashley

Tori

Rachel with the cute niece Raine:o)

Tiffany (do you remember organizing the upstairs at my house?!?)

Sara Nicole

Rebecca

No Vacancy!

Dear Mosquitoes Inhabiting the Land of Thighs (I mean Thais),

I realize that my skin is a lot more fair than those native to Thailand. Pookie and I often do a skin comparison, and last time I checked, I'm still whiter. Please do not assume that this means I am looking forward to red marks all over my heels. Quite the contrary. In fact, it was with great pleasure I killed a bunch of your fellow pals and cohorts last Saturday. The response you gave was quite unnecessary. 11 red marks are a bit much, if you ask me (which you didn't... but that's besides the point). Add to that 6 blisters and my little tootsie-wootsies are not happy campers. They are basking in Aloe Vera now... no thanks to your vicious attacks that must occur at night or something. Kindly refrain from taking a part of me and we shall remain friends from a distance.

~Anne~

P.S. ~ I've called in reinforcements from PA... they'll be here at midnight on Tuesday. Have at them all you want!!!

Keeping It *Very* Real.

Abbi tagged me for this "keeping it real" post... you're supposed to go take pictures of these things around your house without altering or moving anything. So, here goes!

1. My fridge - This is what it looks like when we're in desperate need of some grocery shopping! And the two pots were thrown in there after Thursday night Bible study - when we also have a time of food and fellowship. This week there were two extra guys, so that meant more food to make:).


2. A closet - There are no actual "closets" in Thailand. Everyone has a wardrobe, just like this one. Some are bigger and most are this color. I've only ever seen one that is not brownish in nature. And yes, those are my suitcases on top of my wardrobe:).


3. My kitchen sink - I'm doing this post in the morning; hence the lack of any dishes in the sink! My kitchen is an "outdoor" kitchen and it's separated from the rest of the downstairs with a wall and a screen door.

4. A toilet - Hey, at least it's not a squat toilet! When I was in the Kuala Lumpur airport, I went to use the restroom and found stall after stall of squat toilets. Welcome to Asia!!!

5. My favorite shoes - Since this is Asia, flip flops are the footwear of choice for most people. I did bring a few other pairs of shoes with me (sneakers, white slip-ons, and brown sandals), but most days I'm wearing these.

6. A favorite room - Most of my time at home (waking hours!) is spent in the living room. Reading, blogging, watching DVDs, e-mailing, etc. all takes place here. Oh, the reason why the bulletin board is half-sided is because Pookie hasn't put any of her pictures up yet:).

7. What my kids are doing right now - no kids for me and I didn't think Pookie would appreciate me taking a picture of her getting ready for the day:).

8. The laundry pile - The reason the wardrobe was kinda empty is because I have to do laundry tomorrow:).

9. A self-portrait - :).

10. My dream vacation - Hmm, can't really say I have one. Oh, wait I do! But since I haven't been there yet, I have no pictures:).

I'm tagging Jendi and Kristi since Abbi near about tagged everyone else :).

Thank You News Media (Specifically Yahoo!)

In reading the news this fine Thursday morning, I smiled when I read this sentence:

"Mates said the rocks fell across an area that used to be traversed by a trail no longer maintained because of heavy rock falls."

Hmm, I wonder why they don't use that trail anymore?!?! I'm sure the next step they're going to take is to put up a sign saying, "Falling Rock."

:)

One Of The Few Times I'll Do This.

There's been an interesting discussion on Facebook regarding the upcoming election. I'm not going to get into all the nitty-gritty details, but I will say this: if you are an American and a Christian, you should vote! I don't think anything more needs to be said about that:).

In light of the Facebook discussion, I decided out of curiosity to see who is running (not just the two main-party nominees). I was surprised to see that there are 6 major candidates. Even if you already know who you are going to vote for, I think that Project Vote Smart - The Voter's Self Defense System is a worthy site to check out. I was rather disappointed at some of the information I found out about the various candidates. If you click on the candidate's name, there will be a link on the right that says "Issue Position" (Political Courage Test). I challenge you to read over the list of your candidate.

There.. I feel better sharing that information with you!

This blog will now return to it's normal stress-free environment:).

They Just Keep Dying!

I have a history and reputation of being a plant killer. Many a blossoming leafy plant has met an early demise at my hands, so it's no surprise that I tend to stay away from anything that bears my being responsible for something to stay alive.

So guess where I found myself last evening?

Pookie, Theresa Lange, her kids, and I went to a market to go buy some fish and some turtles. Not to eat mind you! The reason why we were fish shopping is because all of our fish mysteriously died the day we came home from our trip. So we cleaned out the huge fish bowl and that's when Pookie decided to get some turtles.

So we got the fish. And the marbles. And the plant. And the turtle. And the food. Theresa also got an aquarium for Jon's turtle and fish. We all came home and went right to work at making our new friends feel at home. (By the way, Jon named his fish: Josh, Jonathan, Joshua, and Flight Simulator, who we fully expect to go flying through the air:D.)

This morning I woke up and decided to take a quick peek at the fish bowl.

Two fish were laying on their side, and I'm pretty sure they weren't sleeping.

So after my morning walk with Theresa I came back in and looked again. One fish decided swimming on the side was so much better than being upright.

I came home from work - three more had gone to fishy heaven. I'm almost afraid to look in the bowl again. I think pretty soon our fishbowl is going to wind up being a fancy holder for a plant.

We still have three left, but I'm not holding my breath on their survival abilities! The turtles *whispering cautiously* are still alive... no thanks to me.

So now I'm a plant and fish killer. My resume keeps getting bigger!

But if it's any consolation, Theresa had two fish die on her too. Apparently I'm rubbing off on her:o).

Give Away! Give Away!

Not here gals... over there at Chryll's Corner!

Hurry up and enter... it closes out today at 11:30 AM.

:)

The Ladies On The Mission Field.

This past week has been very interesting, to say the least. Between a broken air conditioner -(which really isn't funny since it is in the 90s!) - to printing problems, the devil has definitely been fighting us! So in light of that, this week I'm going to share a couple of missionary blogs that I read and hope that this will serve as a small reminder to pray for missionaries around the world. And as a side note, I'm going to stick this in: when God wakes you up in the middle of the night, He usually is doing that so you can start interceding for some missionaries. If He brings one to mind, PRAY for them! This past week I woke up a couple of times around 6 AM and started praying for my church. Why? Because this week was a special week of meetings every night. 6 AM my time is 7 PM their time, which also happens to be the start of the nightly service. Now isn't that a "coincidence"?!? :)

Here are a couple of missionary blogs I read, and if you have any links to share, I would love to read other missionary blogs!

• A Bunch of Burts
• A Home Away From Home
• Thoughts of a Mad Missionary

Enjoy!

Only In Thailand.

After English service tonight, Steve was playing planes with the Langes' son Jon when Steve noticed written on the one wing of the plane was the word "flrme". On the other side was the word "flame." I'll let you take a wild stab as to which one is correct:).

That reminded me of a shirt I saw last year in Big C (kind of an all-in-one store). I wish I had my camera with me, but I didn't. The shirt had an outline of Florida on it and across the top was the word -

MONTANA.

You know, it's all within the same country. Close enough, right?

:o)