A Life Extraordinary

Six Months In

2012-01-07T06:48:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe my World Race is more than halfway over....

We leave on a multi day trek to Mozambique on Tuesday. My month in South Africa has flown by. I'm still so amazed.

If you want to read any of my blog posts from the last couple months check out my World Race Blog here http://amandadorough.theworldrace.org

In the meantime, here are some pics from my month in South Africa

Our homes for the month

We did a sports ministry with the kids in the local township

Tug-o-war

The kids are so precious!

Basically we live in paradise, right on the Garden Route in South Africa

Highest bungy bridge in the world. No I didn't do it but my friends did.

I went swimming with the seals.

Getting up close and personal with elephants.

Greetings From the Land of One Week Early

2011-10-31T03:08:00.000-07:00

What have I been up to these last few months????

My World Race adventures began in Ecuador...

Where I straddled the fake Equator

Then found a home in a small farming town called Conocoto

We worked hard 5 days a week building a church

But still found time to enjoy our off days in Quito

We even made new friends in the park.

Our last weekend we journeyed high into the Andes rainforests to hike

And got to spend quality time with good friends from different teams.

Next we were off to Peru

Where we lived in sandy, dusty, Trujillo

Our house came with an awesome view of the city, and the ocean

but the color pallet made everything kind of blend together...

Except for in Trujillo's main square where the colors were bright and happy

We ate a lot, a lot of food. My favorite? Aji de gallina!

And visited a lot of houses for meals where we ate things like chicken foot soup.

Most mornings we worked with the Compassion International program at our church

And on our off day we got to hang out at Huanchaco beach...

and do things like surfing

Our third month we were off to Bolivia with a stop at...

the beautiful Lake Titicaca along the way

where we toured the floating islands

and even got to try on their outfits

Then finally we made it to Cochabamba where we were partnered with

Hospitales de Esperanza aka Hospitals of Hope

an American run Christian hospital on the outskirts of the city

Our first day we even got to dress up in scrubs and take part in the parade

complete with the hospitals ambulance

On our first free day we took the teleferico...

to the top of the mountain where...

we saw the world's largest jesus statue, which is even larger than the one in Rio de Janero and can be seen everywhere in the Cochabamba valley

Over the month we worked hard painting the local school...

Visiting kids in the pediatric unit of Cochabamba's main hospital, Viedma...

teaching english...

and playing with the local kids

who were oh so adorable!

Currently we are living in the capital of Albania, Tirana, and having a fantastic time working for Campus Crusade for Christ

If you would like to read more about the awesome things that happened these past few months you can find the stories at http://amandadorough.theworldrace.org

Hello? Are you still there???

2011-07-13T06:32:00.000-07:00

Knock, knock, knock. Hello is anyone there? Apparently not me since my last post was months ago! Since then I've roadtripped from Denver to NC and back for World Race Training camp in eastern TN and it was amazing. I have a great squad and a great team!

Then, after I got back I quit my job, cleaned, packed and right now I'm sitting in the Miami airport waiting to catch a flight to the first country of my race, Ecuador! And I am so excited!

So I am here to say it might get quiet again for a little while, but that doesn't mean I'm not writing, taking pictures or making videos! Head over to my World Race blog at amandadorough.theworldrace.org to see it all. Thanks for sticking around!

Introducing Team Battle Cry!

Exploring Portland

2011-03-13T11:52:00.000-07:00

Growing up in Seattle, Portland was always our friendly neighbor to the south. I would drive through it on my way to hear, again on my way to there. In fact I've past through Portland at least 2 dozen times, but I never actually stopped in Portland and I thought there was no time like the present for this to be remedied.

See, when I was in Thailand we had endless opportunities to explore, and I grew accustomed to frequent adventures, something that has been lacking since I have been back in the US. I've been.... bored. So I talked to a couple friends and we decided to make a day trip to Portland to go out and explore. So to change it up, I am presenting a (mostly) Photo blog about our little adventure to Portland.

Walking down the street the first interesting item we came upon were tons of "food trucks." So much good food and tons of Thai food!

Then we turned the corner and saw this guy. Have I ever mentioned I'm afraid of crabs?

After lunch at Baja Fresh we made our way to Powells, a bookstore that takes up a full city block. It was overwhelming to say the least.

And of course we had to buy stuff.

From there we walked 10 blocks to Voodoo Doughnuts where we were greeted by this, and the line actually stretches around the corner!

So we hunkered in at the back of the line and prepared for our hour wait.

We had some fun while we waited and took a lot of pictures.

Then I saw this across the street so of course I had to run over and take a picture.

Getting closer! We're almost in the door!

Finally! We made it inside!.....to be greeted by another, shorter, line.

Victory! P.S. If you like meeting people, carry one of these boxes around Portland. Everyone will want to talk to you.

And they were so delicious!

From there we walked up the street just a little bit to take pictures of the awesome Portland sign.

On the way back to the car we stumbled across Chinatown, and after Jennifer and I's trip to Victoria last summer, this picture was a must take.

Our last stop before heading back home was Multnomah Falls. I had heard it was beautiful but still I didn't expect this. Pictures don't do it justice.

So there's a day through Portland. Would I ago again? Definitely! And you should too.

The Boondocks

2011-03-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

Every now and I again I like to go through my photo albums on facebook and reminisce about my adventures over the last 5 years. Today as I was browsing through one of my Egypt albums from Semester at Sea I found this picture

It's a seemingly boring picture. There's no great sites or activities in it, but this was the beginning of my most memorable day in Egypt. In the picture we're standing on the side of the rode in Adibiya, a commercial port on the Red Sea near the mouth of the Suez Canal. The men in the background, yes all of them, are attempting to get a taxi for us to Suez, the nearest town, which wasn't an easy feat considering how desolate our location was. At this point we were wishing we'd just taken one of the taxi's parked right outside of the ship. We'd bypassed them seeking cheaper transportation that we were certain was on the road just outside. As we walked through the port toward the gate we realized that we were the source of entertainment for all the Egyptian men we passed. When we finally reached the gate the guards were all smiles but didn't really know what to do with us. When we finally communicated with them that we wanted a taxi to Suez they told us "No Taxi come." Well, OK can we get one anyway? And then we come to the scene above. We did eventually get a ride into Suez. It was overpriced but at least we got there. Little did I know what this day would lead to. Free lunch given to us by a little Egyptian man who was all smiles, getting picked up by an drug dealer (for the record I didn't like him to start out with) then being rescued by a travel agent who we ended up spending the rest of the day with, getting our hands wet in the Suez Canal , getting free drinks, free rides, free everything, finding ourselves in the middle of a wedding and becoming the center of attention, dancing for Russian sailors, should I go on? It was quite a day, and to think, tourists don't go to Suez, I'm sure it wouldn't have been half as interesting if it were a tourist town but would I go back? Hmmm, probably not. I think I've had enough Suez to last a lifetime.

The Worries and Woes of Fundraising

2011-03-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

To put it simple I HATE fundraising. I would rather climb Mount Everest with bare feet than fundraise. When I committed to doing The World Race I knew that raising the money was going to be the biggest hurdle for me. Over the past six months I've fluctuated between a "wow this is awesome I shouldn't ever worry, it's much easier than I ever thought it would be" feeling to a "why did I ever think I can do this there's no way I'll ever be able to do this" feeling more times than I can count.
   The facts are this. I have to raise $16,000 and right now, between fundraisers and donations I have
$5, 874.59. My first thought when I see this is Wow! I've almost raised $6,000! But then my immediate second thought is one of dread and worry because I still have so much farther to go.
   In case you don't remember what I'm fundraising for, in July I will be leaving on a unique 11 month mission trip visiting 11 countries, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Eastern Europe (x2), South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Most importantly it's NOT a vacation. It will be a year lacking comfort. We'll be living out of backpacks, sleeping in tents, showering in rivers and waking up sometimes before the sun comes up, not because it's what we love to do but because it's what we've been lead to do. We want to initiate change in our world and help those who can't help themselves. I have no idea what exact jobs we'll be doing or what people we'll work with but from what current and past groups have done, I'm pretty excited about the prospects. Whether it's giving food to hungry children in Swaziland, helping construct a pipeline to bring water to a village in Ecuador, or teaching children in Cambodia, it's going to be 11 challenging months but 11 amazing months at the same time.
   Now here's the problem, I can't go and help these people if I don't raise enough money. I need $6,500 in my support account in order leave with my squad in July. That's less than $700 from where I am now! After that I will need $11,000 in my account by Sept. 21 and the full amount in my account by December 21. Although there's 8 months until I need to have it all, the idea of how much farther I have to go still weighs heavily on me. If I end up getting sent home because I can't raise the money I won't be able to feed the kids in Swaziland, or teach the ones in Cambodia, or befriend that 17 year old girl working as a prostitute in Thailand. My heart cries for them and I desperately need to make it there.

   If you feel at all like you want to help fund this journey I would be grateful. If you don't have $25, $50 or $100 to give that's NOT a problem. I really mean it when I say every single $1 makes a difference.

If you want to make a donation you can do so by going here. Don't worry, the site's secure and your donation is tax deductible (as well as life changing!).

If you're at a point where you can't help financially, there's no shame in that. Not long ago I was there myself. But I want to thank you for reading this blog and I would encourage (as well as anyone else) to follow my World Race blog at amandadorough.theworldrace.org. There's a place on the left hand side of the blog where you can sign up to get an email update each time I post. No spam I promise! While I'm on the World Race that is the blog I'll primarily be updating with pictures, videos and stories.

If you want to meet my squad mates and read their blogs you can find them here.

Thanks!

I fell off the face of the earth

2011-02-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

It's true. It has been quite some time since I posted a blog, at least quite some time for me. I have found it quite difficult to write a blog when my life has been well, somewhat boring (as you might observe from the lack of pictures in this post.)

I could have written about the Harry Potter Exhibition. We saw sets and outfits from the movies. The wands were pretty cool, and so were the Quidditch uniforms. My favorite were the brooms, they were pretty awesome, and Dumbledores robes too! Alas, we weren't allowed to take pictures, but that allowed more time to just enjoy the pieces. If you have a chance to see the Harry Potter Exhibit in your city you should take it. Sorry west coast people, it's leaving our neck of the woods for good tomorrow.

I could have written about the day I went skiing with my dad at Crystal Mountain. My boots cut off the circulation in my toes and I learned that having a desk job makes your leg muscles pretty weak. Needless to say it was a pretty terrible experience that I don't prefer to remember.

I could have written about the fact that I was upgraded from my churches Junior High Youth Director to just Youth Director. It's going to be a lot of work, but I'm excited. Then when I leave for the World Race in July my pastors wife Linda is going to take over.

Speaking of the World Race we found out when and where our training camp is going to be. It looks likes I'll be heading to Copperhill, Tennessee at the end of May and there's going to be a pretty epic roadtrip to get there. More on that later. I also have good news! I have just over $5,000 raised, that means only a little over $10,000 to go! I've never raised this much money in my life! Last year one of the goals I set was to do something I fear, this definitely qualifies. It's a scary process but it's going to be rewarding for not just me, but others as well!

So that's my life for now. I'll try not to fall off the face of the earth again AND my humble little blog is going to be taking on some BIG changes soon, like hosted website big! I can't wait to share the news when the time is right.

The End & The Beginning

2011-01-01T13:30:00.000-08:00

This time, last year I was on a plane making my way back to Bangkok after spending Christmas with my family in Seattle. I had no idea what 2010 had in store for me, but I was excited.
Looking around Facebook, Twitter and all other means of social media these past few days I've seen a lot of mixed feelings towards 2010. While some thought it was the best year ever others desperately prayed that 2011 would be better. Looking back now, while I wouldn't say 2010 was the best year ever I would say it was pretty epic, and I've been able to document the entire journey. January 1, 2010 was not only the beginning of a new year for me, it was the beginning of a project, project 365 to be exact. While I knew taking a picture a day for a year was going to be tough, I was excited to try it. With the project over now, I have to admit that once I moved back to America I became far less diligent at taking pictures, sometimes only taking one or two a week yet I'm still amazed at the picture of my year it paints.

So here's looking at back 2010 with a selection of pictures from my project 365 folder

Early in the Morning on January 1 I packed up my bags and boarded a plane back to Bangkok via Tokyo

1/365

Over the year I had the pleasure of being part of a pretty awesome small group

12/365

And I was the teacher to some pretty rad second graders who liked to goof around with me

33/365

I got lots of cheap pedicures... before I lost my toenails again and again

38/365

I applied for the awesome STA World Traveled Internship, was chosen as a finalist, but that's where the road ended.

47/365

Paid one last visit to my favorite Thai island, Ko Samet, and got a pretty wicked sunburn as well

60/365

Ate plenty of Chicken Chile Paste from Sombats (and now I miss it so much!)

64/365

Spent Quality time with good GES friends and co-workers

79/365

And said goodbye to my AMAZING second graders.

84/365

I visited two new countries, Malaysia and Singapore

97/365

99/365

And I got to go ziplining through the jungle for the first time.\

104/365

Then I moved back to America and have gotten to spend a lot of time with this little cutie.

131/365

I got to travel back east to visit a good college friend and we spent loads of time exploring Maryland, DC, and New York City.

134/365

136/365

Had a great summer at home where I...

Got to be a Junior High camp counselor

183/365

Turned 25 by making a visit to Mt. Rainier where yes, there was snow on my birthday.

196/365

And finally made it to Victoria, B.C.

239/365

I got a new job.

280/365

Became at youth leader at my church.

307/365

And rung in 2011 by playing games and making paper monsters with friends.

365/365

So here we go, 2011, I triple dog dare you to be more awesome and more exciting than 2010. You think you can do it?

If you want to see more of my project 365 photos you can find them here

Once Upon a Christmas

2010-12-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, as I stood in my church, holding a candle and singing Silent Night, I had a flashback to Christmas two years ago when I stood singing the same song and holding a very similar candle in a very different part of the world. In Thailand the idea of Christmas is widely accepted but the actual Holiday of Christmas is celebrated by few, that's why you may find it interesting that I consider the Christmas I spent in Thailand the best Christmas of my life.

When I woke up that morning I must admit, I was feeling a little sorry for myself. Christmas had always been a time for fun and family, but that morning there was no tree, no presents, and my family was thousands of miles away. If I had had the opportunity, or moreover the finances, I would have taken that two week break to fly home, but instead there I sat on a stiff hotel bed in Chiang Mai, staring at a white sheet. But my sad little self in a Thai hotel room is not where this story lies. Instead we must journey several miles out of Chiang Mai to a place called Baan Saan Faan, or in English, the House of Dreams. The nearly two dozen children that live there had no concept of the Christmas I longed for, but I daresay, they had a much better plan. Christmas morning was filled with hugs and giggles and a rousing round of Sharks and Minnows. After lunch the games continued. Relay races, food eating contests and water balloon volleyball. The hours quickly passed and the children were overjoyed. It's not everyday that they get a dozen new playmates. But again, this isn't a story about some amazing selfless Americans, we weren't the heros of the story. That night, after dinner we sat in a large circle and after a very unique version of a White Elephant gift exchange (involving tree branches and a bunch of interesting Thai snacks) the kids sat down to open their one Christmas gift, provided by sponsors in America. I had the pleasure of sitting next to a young girl named Faith. This girl had a light that radiated from every pore of her body. As she opened her gift to reveal a new blanket and pajamas, her excitement couldn't be contained, a look visible on the face of every other child in the room as they opened their similar gifts.

I couldn't help but notice the differences between us and I felt so guilty. At that same age I was consumed with counting my Christmas gifts, wanting as many video games or Barbie dolls as I could get. Pajamas or blankets are gifts I would have scowled at but to these children this simple gift was precious beyond measure. These children had nothing, and asked for nothing and yet they were happy. This profound revelation hit me like a ton of bricks. These children had a grasp of humility that is foreign to many others that are far older than me. They knew that Christmas wasn't about stuff. Although they were thankful for the gifts they were given, they knew that Christmas was simply a big birthday party for Jesus. A day set aside for loving others, making memories and celebrating the life we've been given.

Playing Sharks and Minnows

All the kids

Faith and I

Opening their gifts

Sporting his new PJ's!

This year I once again joined my family for Christmas. As I stared at our towering (and funny looking) Christmas tree I found myself fretting over the lack of items for me underneath it and I was finding it hard to get into the Christmas spirit. And then I remembered Faith and her "Brothers and Sisters" at Baan Saan Faan and I once again found the prospective I gained in the orphanage two years ago.

Next year Christmas will once again find me in a different part of the world. Whether it's in South Africa as scheduled or in an entirely different continent, I look forward to the lessons I will learn from those I meet, and not only taking them in, but applying them to my life in the future.

Winter Winter

2010-12-20T18:15:00.000-08:00

I'm a victim of December and it has unfortunately made me a bad blogger. Oh how I long for the days of school vacations, which, aren't to far in my past. Two, three day work weeks are semi making up for the lack of an extended Holiday but, in truth, this season just brings to many things to do and not enough time to do it!

So what's been going on the last 3 week's? Let me show you!

I experienced ,my first black Friday sale EVER. I woke up at the crack of dawn to stand in line at Best Buy (Thank goodness it had stopped snowing!). I made some friends and got what I wanted! So what did I want you might ask? The Barnes and Noble Nook was on sale for $100! A deal I couldn't pass up! I've honestly wanted one for a while and thought it would be perfect to take on the World Race. Even better is it came with some free e-books. Pride and Prejudice, Dracula and Little Women. Score!

Waiting in line at Best Buy

Also fun on Black Friday was the 50% off everything at Goodwill sale. I got this cute little Christmas Elf and stocked up on a ton of vintage sheets. It was wonderful!

My car broke down and I had to shell out $700 to fix it. That stunk.
I think I seriously became addicted to Hot Chocolate. I don't drink coffee, and apple cider is just so so, so what other hot beverage could I drink?
Elaina wants an airplane for Christmas from Santa Clause. When I asked her why she replied "So I can fly all over the world." Thus further establishing that we're totally related.
I helped out with my churches drive-through Christmas story. It was pouring down rain but nearly 600 people still came through on the two nights! The first night I was a greater and the second night I was in the Inn where we had a grand old party and I ate to much! Pardon the picture, it was taken from my car:)

I saw both the new Harry Potter movie (in IMAX, it was awesome) and Tangled, by which I was pleasantly surprised. I especially loved the fire lanterns a-la Thailand. I think I will definitely need to buy it when it comes out in the stores.
My dear friends Shaela and Russell got Married on Dec 19! I wanted to go to the wedding so badly, in fact I was supposed to go, but then the World Race happened and my car broke, so flying to Amarillo was no longer going to be an option. I was sad, but I'm so happy for them!
We celebrated my Dad's birthday by eating pot roast, looking at Christmas lights and playing Bananagrams. It was amazing.

Everything with World Race fundraising is going pretty well! I'm almost 20% of the way there and I'm currently planning a 5k fundraiser in the spring which SCARES ME TO DEATH but also has the potential to bring in a lot of money for both me and my squad mates. Fingers crossed! And THANK YOU to everyone who ordered Christmas Cards. You helped me out so much and I am so grateful!
TV seasons are wrapping up and yes, I am a reality TV junkie. I was super stoked that Nat and Kat won the Amazing Race and I'm so excited for the next season! I also love that Fabio won Survivor. I recently discovered "Ice Road Truckers: Worlds most Extreme Roads" on demand and watched every episode. It was awesome. And finally I'm loving "The Sing Off," those groups have some real talent!

Last Wednesday we had our youth Christmas Party complete with "Christmas Tree" making contest, white elephant gift exchange, "Elf" watching, and cookie decorating. We had a lot of fun but found we didn't have enough time. At least we learned for the next party.

So there it is. Only 4 more days 'til Christmas! I've still got my fingers crossed for a White Christmas although it's looking like a wet Christmas. A girl can dream right?

Thankful

2010-11-26T20:55:00.000-08:00

It's been two years since I last celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. It was so awesome for all of us to be able to come together yesterday even with the snow, and really, it was just a wonderful day overall.

So what am I thankful for?

My family
The amazing time I had in Thailand
My great friends
Being healthy
My dreams
My job
My World Race supporters
For being born in a country where I have so many freedoms

The list could go on and on, but instead I'll share some pictures from my snowy Thanksgiving day.

Stay tuned for my upcoming blog on my first Black Friday experience!

I'm dreaming of a white... Thanksgiving?

2010-11-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

     Alright Seattle, after a 25 year relationship I feel like I don't even know you. Snow before thanksgiving, seriously? And 12 degree weather? What's going on?
     On Sunday morning we woke up to snow. Not much, just one or two inches, but there was a thrill in the fact that it was there. And the funny thing is, once you left my little neighborhood the snow thinned out and eventually vanished. By the time we reached our church in DesMoines it was like any other cold fall day.
As the day progressed it snowed more and more, not sticking much at first, but by the time the sun went down (which is now ridiculously early) a thin layer was forming on the pavement. By 7 o'clock Monday morning that thin layer at expanded to near 2 inches. But the roads didn't seem too bad, and schools weren't even cancelled, so I decided to forge the 20 miles to work in my little, old, Toyota Camry.
     Once you left the little neighborhood streets the roads weren't to bad. It was taking me longer than usual to get to work but I was still making time considering. Then I saw my first accident, not a bad one, just a spin out collision, but it happened right in front of me, on an overpass with no way to get around. I sat there for about 15 minutes before the paramedics flagged me around.
    As the day progressed it began to snow more and more. I sat at my computer at work, but instead of staring at my screen I was staring out my window as white, fluffy masses fell from the sky. I'm not normally so taken by snow (although I do love it), but having spent the last two winters in Thailand, where I doubt it has ever snowed anywhere except inside the snow room at Dream World, I've missed it. To me the snow meant a beautiful iced landscape, to my poor mother it meant worry. She called at 11am pleading for me to come home. I understood. I don't have snow tires on my car OR 4 wheel drive, which in snowy, icy, hilly Western Washington is a recipe for disaster, so I agreed to leave after lunch.
     Apparently everyone else had the same idea I did. The roads were abnormally crowded for that time of day and everyone was driving extra cautiously. I slipped on ice a few times, but I just kept going slow. Cars were being abandoned left and right, hills were closed and there were spin-outs on every corner. But I made it home, and I'm thankful I left work when I did. At noon there was a lull in the storm with only a few flurries here and there. By 4:30, when I normally get off it was like a full fledged blizzard outside. As I watched the news roads were closed and the freeways were literally a sea of taillights, or more over a sea of UNMOVING cars. It took some people more than 6 hours to get home!
    This is where I'm lucky that I have a computer job. It means I can work from home if I have to. I spent the afternoon working on projects but also got to take breaks to play in the snow. I took Elaina down to redbox where we rented "Toy Story 3" and got candy from Walgreens, then later I took her sledding on our hill. I loved the adrenaline rush of flying down the hill on a sled, but I hated the icy arctic wind that blew in my face as I walked back up.

Looking out the window at work around 9am

Walking with Elaina to Redbox. She's a goofball.

Elaina was so excited that she got to be the first person to make "foot tracks"

Building a special type of snowman

Emily and Elaina with their masterpiece

Out my window at night. The snow kept falling and was more than 6 inches by the morning.

It snowed all Monday night and by Tuesday morning the clouds had blown away leaving blue skies, a wintry landscape and frigid temperatures (we're talking 12 degrees folks!). Schools were cancelled both Tuesday and today so I was able to use my mom's SUV to drive to work. I must admit, although it makes my drive easier, and it's safer, it breaks my heart a little to see the snow clear off of the roads. It's almost as if a snow storm forces us to slow down and take in the big picture of our lives, then once it's gone we're busy little bee's once again.
They say it might snow a bit more tomorrow, then it will warm up and the snow will turn to rain. I'm sad to see the snow go, but I know that we're in for more wild winter weather this winter care of La Nina, and I must say, I'm a little excited. So here's to surviving the first storm of winter and to future snow filled memories!

Fundraisers times dos

2010-11-13T14:20:00.000-08:00

Ah fundraisers, they can be scarey but they're also a necessity, espeically since I'm trying to raise $16,000 for my upcoming service trip with the World Race. So here, 8 months before I depart I lay before you the first two, of what I'm sure will be many, fundraisers. So take a look!

Fundraiser #1 : Custom designed photo Christmas cards

So as I sat brainstorming I thought, everyone needs Christmas cards, I know how to design Christmas cards, why don't I use Christmas cards as a fundraiser???
So I sat down and designed twelve different/variations of cards for people to choose from. AND I am also willing to make completely custom cards if requested.

When I am finished putting your card together I will then email you the file and you can print it off at Costco, Walmart, or where ever you like.

Prices

Pre-designed cards (with custom salutation) = $15
Completely custom Christmas card design=$25
(cards are available in 4x6 or 5x7)

To get more details, see ALL the cards or place and order you can go to my information page at the "Christmas Cards!" tab at the top of this page.

Here's a couple examples of cards I designed (for full selection visit info page)

All proceeds go towards my World Race

Fundraiser #2: Threads of Hope

This is a fundraiser many world racers have taken on in the past, and for a good reason, this is one of only a few fundraisers where proceeds go to support two great causes.

These bracelets are made by families in the town of Puerto Galera in the Philippines, a town where what little income they have comes from selling items to tourists on the beach. Because many families can not live off of this little money they end up selling their children into prostitution. Threads of hope aims to change the circumstances of families in Puerto Galera one bracelet at a time.

When you buy a bracelet from me 50% of the proceeds will go to my World Race and the other 50% will go straight back to Puerto Galera where so far many families have been helped, and, instead of being sold into prostitution children are being sent to school!

If you would like to help I am selling two sizes of bracelets.

Small Bracelets= $1

Flat bracelets/flat bracelets with bead=$3

And if you're thinking "but I don't wear bracelets," well chances are you know someone that does. Kids especially love them, and hey, you could always use it as a bookmark!

To read more information (and see pictures) on colors, Threads of Hope, or how to order bracelets from me you can visit my information page under the "Threads of Hope" tab at the top of this page.

All proceeds go towards my World Race and Threads of Hope

An Amazing Race: The Verizon Urban Challenge

2010-10-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

My body hurts. I feel like I was beaten on all sides with a club and I now have three toenails threatening to abandon my feet. This is why yesterday ranks among the top three most physically demanding days of my life (the other two being hiking the Everest Trail to Namche Bazar and climbing to Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier, both of which I also lost toenails because of).

I woke up yesterday morning easily without an alarm. It was like Christmas morning. Excitement and adrenaline were already pumping through my veins. Honestly I had been this excited since Jennifer first asked me if I wanted to do the Verizon Urban Challenge with her on Wednesday. When I saw how it closely resembled my favorite show, the Amazing Race, I just had to do it.

We took the lightrail downtown and then made our way to the Seattle Center, our launch point. We got there fairly early to allow for planning and strategy so we ended up being team 3. After we changed into our race t-shirts and pinned on our number we went to sit in the Seattle Centerhouse to study our clues (which I was surprised they gave us), plan out our route (we could go in any order we wanted), and figure out our phone (the HTC Incredible).

The race was supposed to consist of 50 teams but, because of impending bad weather many didn't show up. In the end I think we had just over 30 teams competing. By 10 am you could feel the excitement in the air. We lined up on the start line, time tracker around my ankle, phone in Jennifers pocket and backpacks carrying everything else we needed. When the horn blew teams flew out in all directions. We immediately made a break for the closest bus stop. We had carefully planned out our route, and even though there was some unavoidable zigzagging involved we figured this was the best way to do it, the only problem would be the four hour time limit.

While strategizing for the challenge (I'm wearing the shirt), my hair didn't look that good later in the day. We had more pictures but forgot to email them before we turned in the phone. Oh well.

I must also mention that as soon as the horn blew it started to rain, and it rained progressively harder through out the day. I was soaked.

First stop was an outdoor store called Feathered Friends close to I-5. There was no challenge there but we had to get our passbook signed and pick up at ticket to Safeco Field which we could need later.

From there we made our way to our second stop, the Armory at south Lake Union. This is were we met our first challenges. First we each had to take one end of a rope with on hand, which couldn't ever let go of the rope. We then had to attempt un-tieing 6 knots in the rope only using one hand each. It seems like it would be easier than it is, but it didn't take us really long. Second we had to ride a tandem bike through an obstacle course. This was difficult. It took us several tries but on our last chance we got it! (they give you 5 minutes to try before you are sent to the back of the line).

Our third "stop" was riding the South Lake Union Trolley from start to finish. By this point our phone battery was dieing so we swapped it out for a new one, only to get on the trolley and find out the new battery was in fact dead. Great. At the beginning of each challenge we had to use the phone to scan a QR code so there's no way we could compete without one. When we reached the end of the trolley line at Westlake Center. We talked to the Verizon guy and he called ahead to get us a new phone (he wanted us to wait there for it and we were like Dude! we're in a race!).

From there we caught the light rail to Safeco field. This is the point when my legs started giving out on me. No good. We had to run all the way around the field to get to the entrance. Here they had several more challenges for us. First, we had to answer who the first Mariner to win the Cy Young award was, Answer: Randy Johnson. Second we had to find the concession stand named after the Mariner Moose, where we just had to get our book signed. Third, we had to throw a baseball at at least 30 MPH, piece of cake! Third, we had to go into the Mariners dugout and play a memory game. Good thing I played memory so much with my students in Thailand. I was done in just over a minute. And 5th, we had to cross the skybridge to the roof of the parking garage. There I had to ride this weird, reclining, bike-like contraption that had no seat, just two skinny bars(so uncomfortable) and levers as steering. I rocked it though and flew through it.

From there we made our way on foot to Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. There we met our hardest challenge of the day, a diamond shaped beam system where you had to get from one side to the other without stepping off AND you had to be touching your partners fingers at all times. Did I mention this thing was like 6ft wide? We had really issues and felt like giving up several times. It took 18 minutes but we finally made it across. The look on our faces when we made it past the half way point in the diamond was classic. It was such an amazing feeling.

From there we ran to a parking lot on Western Ave near the waterfront. Our skills at this challenge made up for our lack thereof at the last challenge. Here we were given a plank of wood and 5 pipes. One partner had the pull on a rope to get us closer to the back of a truck while the other partner was moving the pipes to keep the plank rolling. The end objective was to touch the back of the truck. Neither the plank or person could touch the ground. Jennifer decided to be the rope puller so that left me as the pipe mover. We had a good groove going and even though we were exhausted we made it so quickly. Other teams had big issues or even just gave up. It gave as a little (or big) confidence boost.

From there we ran to pier 57. For this challenge we had to use an app. on our phone to track the mileage and altitude from pier 57 to the Verizon store on 6th Ave AND we could only use 1st ave, pike street and 6th Ave. This took a while because it was all up hill and my legs had tensed up so much I was getting charley horses (it was awful).

From there we made our way to the Crocodile Cafe. We only had half an hour left to compete and 4 more stops. We were in panic mode. So we made it to the cafe and had to wait in line to sing karaoke. I can now say I've sung "Don't stop Believen'" from the stage of the crocodile cafe. Pretty cool.

We now had only 17 minutes left and my body was giving out but we were bound and determined to make it to one more stop at the Sculpture park. No challenge, just needed to get our book signed.

We literally made it across the finish line with seconds to spare.

Then we found out the bad news, we couldn't be considered "completed" because we didn't do the monorail challenge (just riding the monorail from start to finish). Boo! They said it was in our book but I didn't read it. That was a little disappointing, BUT we still had fun, and that's what really mattered.

Although we had ranked within the 8th place to 12 place range all day we ended in the 17th place spot. And let me say, the first three teams that made it definitely deserved to win. They made it back almost an hour before us AND they were the only teams to finish every station. Good job guys!

So now, looking at my experience I definitely have more sympathy for the teams on the Amazing Race. I used to be so judging when they get irritated or in fights. Now I totally understand. These competitions are stressful! Also I know that if I were ever to compete for the Amazing Race I would need to train for months. I can't have my body hating me this much anymore!

At the end of the day NO, we didn't win but we still had a lot of fun, AND I would do it again. Verizon/HTC were also pretty awesome for providing this free event/challenge and giving us t-shirts, backpacks, waterbottles, watches and hand warmers. So a big THANK YOU to them for giving me such a great day!

Autumn in the Northwest

2010-10-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start this out by sharing my World Race blog with ya'll. The posts I make there are completely different from the posts I make here so feel free to check it out. The content now is good, but just think how much better it will get when I actually leave! Also you can click the "Get Updates" link on the left hand side so that each time I update my blog and email will get sent to you (and if your worried about getting promo emails from the WR or any spam, don't, It will ONLY be updates emails from me. I'm trying to get as many followers as possible so please, please,please sign up...and pass it on : ) ) So the link is

http://amandadorough.theworldrace.org/

(I've also updated the World Race tab at the top of this page, so check it out)

Ok, aside from that, fall is in full swing here in Seattle and I'm loving it! I really missed fall while I was in Thailand! Two weekends ago the weather was beautiful so we took Elaina down to the pumpkin patch. I guess everyone else had the same idea we did. To say the place was packed would we an understatement. It was utter chaos. But we still had fun.

I'm still hoping to get out and photograph the trees before all the leave fall off. Hoping the weather starts cooperating sometime soon!

For Every Season there is a Change

2010-10-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

This past week was crazy. The life that I've lived and enjoyed, and, at times stressed in was flipped completely. Why. Well I got a job. It was a long road to this place, and the job is so very different from any job I've had before BUT I know it's the right place for me now and I'm so happy to just have a job!

That said, this past week of work left me utterly exhausted, starting last friday, my first day, where, after putting in 8 hours of work at my new job I was called to fill in as a Hostess at Vinces that night. Start with the fact that traffic was ridiculously bad so it took me more than an hour to get home to change, then another half hour to get to the restaurant. Needless to say I was late. Can I also mention that I haven't hostessed in YEARS. I felt totally useless since I had absolutely no idea how to use their new computer system. But at the end of the night I have to say that everything worked out well AND I got some extra money to put towards my world race. The rest of this last week thankfully wasn't as hectic. I I was thrown right into the mix at CeSI, working on projects where I did everything from designing parking cards to creating Google adds for a car books store to becoming an expert in Microsoft project, a program I had never even hear of before. And the funny thing is, although I sit at a computer all day I come home just as exhausted as when I was teaching. Maybe it's because I'm so out of practice?

This past weekend we also hosted my sisters 21st birthday party. I can't believe she's 21! It ended up being kind of small since most of her friends are away at college and traffic was HORRIBLE because of the Puyallup Fair. But I still think she had a lot of fun. I know I did :)

The Cat meows Happy birthday, needless to say, Elaina was obsessed

This next week I have a lot of side tasks to take care of, most having to do with the World Race. I'm committed now. I put in my first $150 donation so now I'm just waiting for them to set up my world race blog page. I'm kind of anxious for it, there's so much I want to write there! I also just found out that the price of the world race, for my July 2011 race raised from $14,300 to $15,500. When I first saw that I felt really discouraged. I mean the first price was going to be hard enough to raise. But I was gently reminded that someone greater than me has my life in his hands and always provides when needed. So once again I've put myself into fundraising brainstorm mode. I'm also trying to find ways to save as much money as I can. I actually went to Walmart today with a list of things I'm going to need for the trip and priced it all out so I can make a budget. It's not going to be an easy road, but I'm excited for where it will take me!

11 months, 11 countries my World Race itinerary: Take 1

2010-09-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

So, just a day after I made my big announcement they posted the itinerary for my race. Isn't that ironic? Now, the countries can always change, I still have 9 months before I leave and then the 11 months on the race. A lot can happen in that time period. But can I say that for now I am SUPER EXCITED about the itinerary they've come up with???? 11 months, 4 continents, amazing.

Check it out

Peru

The cradle of Inca civilization (think: Macchu Picchu) and one of the "Andean states", Peru is full of epic wonder; yet she is barely acquainted with her Creator. Though many natives still practice traditional religions, God is up to something in this country. The Peruvian church thirsts for truth and authentic spiritual breakthrough. Its political past has been riddled with guerilla violence and corrupt leadership, from which both the indigenous poor and urban affluent alike are recovering. Whether you rough it in the jungle or live in the city; you won't forget Peru.

Bolivia
Bolivia is one of the most beautiful places in the world. It's also one of the most indigenous countries in South America; the current president is the first indigenous people group member in office. And with all of that variety comes a lot of opportunity. Bolivia is in need of orphan ministry, evangelistic outreach, church plants, and more. You might find yourself working in the heart of the rainforest or on the streets of a city market. Regardless, be prepared for a fantastic experience.

Ecuador
Named after the Spanish word for equator, this country is packed full of natural beauty. From the Amazon river to glaciers atop Andes volcanoes, this country is sure to enthrall you, and it's people too. As diverse as it's landscapes, the indigenous and Incan influences give this country a unique culture. Although the country is about 95% Catholic, there are still indigenous shamanistic practices that are integrated in their faith. With more than half of the population sitting at or below the poverty line, Equador is a country waiting for God's Kingdom to come.

Eastern Europe
Much of this region was under some communist regime for much of the latter half of the last century. Some countries are doing better than others in catching up; some of them are also sources, transit points and destinations of human trafficking. You may live life with the Romani (or Roma), commonly referred to as Gypsy, a people group without a land of their own and long shunned by society. Through reaching out to orphans, teaching English, running sports camps, you'll shepherd a generation caught between a Soviet past and the post-modern European present. You'll help this region break out of sterile orthodoxy and bring hope of a better future just by showing up.

South Africa
While it's been several decades since apartheid has formally ended, there is still more healing and reconciliation to take place in South Africa. This country is one of the wealthiest on the continent, and yet, much of the population that lives outside the cities is poor.

Like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, this country struggles with a high rate of AIDS/HIV. Host to the 2010 World Cup, and breathtaking natural attractions, it is also a place full of kingdom potential, waiting to be released - by you.

Mozambique
One of the most beautiful countries in the African continent, Mozambique is a favorite location of World Racers for a variety of reasons: the people, the landscape, incredible ministry partnerships, the miracles that this country has seen, and more. The former Portuguese colony is seeing signs of redemption and economic recovery; because of, or in spite of the extreme poverty gripping the nation, the church grows. You will be teach, preach, practice "true religion" with widows and orphans while you grow in your identity in Christ. One of your most interesting travel "days" may happen here.

Swaziland
The Kingdom of Swaziland is one of the last remaining monarchies in Africa. Home to 1.1 million people and breath-taking scenic views, it's also where the world's highest HIV/AIDS infection rate lives (26.1% in adults and over 50% of adults in their 20s). It's estimated that by 2050, the country of Swaziland will not even exist. Young orphans are scattered throughout this nation that is in desperate need of attention. For years, AIM has been committed to seeing these statistics reversed. Here, you will most likely find yourself involved in a variety of outreaches, including education, orphan care, care point feedings, and more.

Thailand
With nearly two million people estimated to be stuck inside of prostitution in Thailand, it has become one of the most popular places for sex tourism. Change lives in the city and rock worlds in the countryside. Thailand's sure to capture your heart.

Cambodia
28 years ago, Cambodia experienced one of the most gruesome genocides known to man where over one third of the country's population was slaughtered. Still in recovery from their past, the people of Cambodia are thirsty for hope.

Vietnam
After nearly a century of French rule, in the mid-20th century, Vietnam was split into communist (north) and non-communist (south) halves. By 1975, Vietnam was made whole again, but as a communist country. Even with the economic reforms and restoration of diplomatic ties human rights are limited in Vietnam, especially freedom of religion; most of Vietnam is Buddhist, less than 10% is Catholic. Here you'll be fed with pho, delicious beef noodle soup, and in turn feed believers and pray God's light and presence everywhere you go.

I'm so excited at the possibility of going back to Thailand and Cambodia (especially during Songkran). It really is going to be an amazing year :)

Attention Please! I Have an Announcement

2010-09-23T19:58:00.000-07:00

As the Thai school year came to a close in the beginning of April I looked into my near future. It was completely void of any plans, any direction. It was a scary place to be. When I initially decided not to return to GES for a third year it was because of the World Traveler Internship. I put all my eggs in that basket, I had to, and you know how that worked out.

That’s not to say that I havn’t enjoyed myself for the last few months. My summer was pretty incredible and full of adventures. But I always felt unease in the truth that I had absolutely no idea what was next for me. Now, I do.

On July 1, 2011 I will be joining dozens of other young people in the July squad of THE WORLD RACE. So what is this world race? Well, it’s NOT the same as The Amazing Race. In fact, I’m not sure why they call it a race at all. In reality it’s an 11 month, 11 country mission trip. For almost a year I will be traveling with a squad of around 60 young men and women (spilt into teams of 6 or 7). We will be participating in service projects like house building and yard cleaning. We will be working in soup kitchens, playing with orphans, hosting camps, teaching English and befriending women caught up in the sex trade. But most of all it will be an opportunity to share the love I’ve found in Jesus. A time where I can initiate change and be changed. I have to admit, it scares me a bit. For a good portion of the 11 months I will be sleeping in a tent or on the floor in my sleeping bag and partaking in cold bucket showers. All my possessions will be stored in a backpack and my clothes will seldom be washed. It’s definitely not the level of comfort most Americas enjoy.

So where will we be going? Well, I don’t know yet, and I probably wont for a couple months, but to give you an idea here are the routes for the two January races.

Route 1:

India

Nepal

Indonesia

Malaysia

Australia

South Africa

Mozambique

Swaziland

Romania

Ukraine

Ireland

Route 2:

Haiti

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Peru

Bolivia

Cambodia

Indonesia

Thailand

Tanzania

Kenya

Uganda

As with all things however, this trip is not free. AIM (the org that created the world race) expects us racers to fund raise our support. That’s scarier to me than sleeping on any cockroach infested dirt floor (and that’s pretty scary). I chose not to go on trips in the past because fundraising scared my THAT MUCH. For some reason this time though, I feel like I can do it, and that’s particularly amazing considering how much we have to raise. Are you ready for this? We have to raise $14,300. Yikes! That’s a new car! But really the cost makes sense. It includes all transportation once the race begins, food, lodging and some other various costs.

I know you’re all probably thinking “who does she think she is? She’ll never get that much money!” I know it because I’ve thought it before. I thought it when I first heard about the race last October. I thought it when I randomly ran into a World Race team in the Kuala Lumpur airport last April, and I thought it when my friend Erin told me she would be doing the race this January. The fact is, I don’t deserve for people to just give me their money. I know that. But I also know God can do big things. I see this race as an opportunity for many to stir change in the world. This person acting is nothing without the people funding. It’s a vital partnership and it is the only way to stir change.

Over the next 9 months I’m going to be fund raising in several ways. From support letters to the more tangible “traditional” fundraisers, and I would love it if you came on this journey with me.

Soon I will be setting up a new blog through the World Race site. When I have the link I will be posting it both here and on facebook. There you can get all updates concerning my fundraising, our travel route, and anything else to do with my race. I wont be neglecting this blog though, it will still be up and running, just with different content than my race blog.

Whiew! If you made it all the way through this mammoth post, thank you for reading. I’m really excited about this journey I have ahead and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Take a look at this promo video for the race. It only gives a glimpse of the program, but it's enough.

A Funny Thing Happened at the Dinner Table

2010-09-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

You know that game where you write three words of a story then pass it on to the next person from them to add three words and so on and so on? Usually you end up with a pretty entertaining story. Well, on Saturday night as our group made our way home from Whidbey Island in the pouring rain we decided to stop at Red Robin for dinner. To entertain ourselves as we waited for our food to arrive we decided to play said game. Here is the result.

The Tragic Tale of Jimmy

It was a windy afternoon when Jimmy's Grandfather died. Grandma was elated to find that his bloodstained trousers went to sea. The tabby cat had an unfortunate day when she went to clean her whiskers and spy on pugs. Oh my gosh. He's so Hot! But I shot grandpa first. He was drunk, drinking with Jimmy. Who is Jimmy? No one cares. Well, Sandra did... She married him. Poor Aunt Sandra. Murder, incest, cats. Poor Crazy Jimmy. The Lord forgives. The End. Pax.

Give a round of applause to the authors!

I hope you enjoyed our tale!

I heart Vintage

2010-09-21T13:15:00.000-07:00

It's no joke, I love thrift store shopping, garage saleing and checking out antique shops. The thrill of the hunt and the joy of the find gets me everytime. I think that's why I love market shopping while I'm abroad so much as well. It's not like going to Target, where you know you can buy purple sheets or a copy of "Braveheart" on DVD. Each time is different, you never know what you'll find. It's exciting!

Since I returned home in April I've been on the hunt for fun and cute items. Items that are both useful or can be used to decorate the house I one day hope to have. When I hit up thrift stores I do have a list that runs through m head of what I'm looking for. Pyrex, art, colorful vintage sheets, etc. But I also like the little surprises. The items you never knew you were looking for but you're so happy you found.

I had pretty good luck this last summer in this department. There were some pretty awesome finds and I just thought I would share some of them with you. I can't wait until I have a bigger space than my bedroom so I can really go wild with decorating!

Left: I have a thing for vintage suitcases. They're much cuter storage options than plastic bins.
The top green one even has a green and navy plaid on the side.
right: Of love this Owl. It's big eyes got to me. So cute!

Top L: Vintage American Tourister Luggage shoulder bag
Top R: Teacup from an antique store
Bottom L: Vintage Pyrex Bowls. I love the blue color.
Bottom R: Cute little play suitcase from the 1960's

Left: Vintage Candy Tin
Right: antique Frame (you may have seen it in pics from my birthday...)

Top L: Vintage tabletop flower bowl(s)
Top R: I'm starting a Globe collection
Bottom L: Vintage Books (Including Alice in Wonderland!)
Bottom R: My cute little Brownie Camera. It doesn't take pics but it's fun to look at

Have you guys had any great finds? At thrift stores? garage sales? Or even markets around the world? If so I would love to know. I love hearing about other peoples finds almost as much as I love finding items myself!

Yes, I know I've been MIA....

2010-09-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

... and for that I am sorry. Many times over the last three weeks I've thought about writing a post, only to sit at my computer and become less than inspired, so alas, nothing was posted.
   To catch up, these last few weeks have been spent searching for jobs that never came, although as for today I think I have possibilities! Which is good news and a huge relief.
   There's also something HUGE that's come into my life in the last few weeks. Something I can't share yet but I can tell you there will be a mammoth post on soon. All I can say is that I'VE APPLIED! Way to be cryptic, I know, but you'll just have to wait and see.

   For now I leave you with a video. You may remember, a few months back I posted a video declaring my goals for the summer and how I wanted to make the most of it. This video documents all the crazy little pieces of the summer that ensued. Enjoy!

Victoria in Motion

2010-09-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! The good news is that it didn't pour in Seattle today! Bad news is this weekend it probably will. Boo.

Anyway, here' s a short video I threw together of some of our adventures in Victoria this last weekend. Enjoy!

I will freeze anyday to do it again

2010-08-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that if an opportunity for adventure presents it's self I can't say no to it. If I did I would become hopelessly bored with my life and then I would have absolutely nothing to write about.
   Ok, now that I've gotten that out of the way, this last weekend I was able to take part in a great adventure, one that even allowed me to check another item off of my 20+10 in 2010 list.
   On Friday night Jennifer, Suzie and I all piled into our friend Johnny's Ford Explorer, along with a trunk full of camping supplies, and we made our way down to the Edmonds ferry. After a 40 min. wait and the 30 min. crossing we finally made it to the Olympic Peninsula and were well on our way to Port Angelos. Save for a little road construction we made good time, yet we still reached Jen and Suzies co-workers property well after sunset. We set up our tents in their apple orchard by lantern light and then, even though we were exhausted, we managed to play a couple rounds of Nerts before collapsing into our sleeping bags where I'm fairly sure we all had a chilly and restless sleep.
    Saturday was a full day. We woke up at the crack of dawn to catch the ferry from Port Angelus over to Victoria B.C. The sun was out and the day was beautiful. We all kept our fingers crossed that we would see some whales in the Straight of Juan deFuca. In the end we only got to see tricky porpoise's who disguise themselves as whales. Nuts.

    Our day in Victoria could be summed up in one word, WALKING, and my feet turned a nice shade of black in my flip flops to proove it.   No we didn't go to the Buchart Gardens (with a $28 entry fee that will have to wait for a later time), but we sure did walk a lot. Here's some of what we did.
      - Had a photo shoot in front of the Parliament building
      - Went into the famous Empress Hotel and inquired about afternoon tea ($55, yikes!)
      - Walked around Victoria's small Chinatown. I particularly liked the narrow alleyways.
      - got free ice cream from a street fair
      - Watched part of a dreadfully boring game of Cricket at Beacon Hill Park. Where we also played   Pooh Sticks in a pond, fed the ducks, listened to some musicians practice, looked at flowers and walked on the beach where we could stare across the straight back at our homeland.
      - Had afternoon tea at a small tea house (or at least Jen and Suzie did, I had Chicken Pot Pie and Johnny had Quiche). Nearly every inch of the walls in the tea house were covered with pictures of the British Royal Family. It was amazing. AND on a side note, right after we were done paying Johnny looked out the window and saw a man whose wheel chair had fallen over and he was laying in a parking lot across the street. So we all ran out to help. As soon as we got there he started swearing at us and then when I asked if we could help he told me I couldn't but a strong man could. Enter Johnny and two other guys who had come over as well. Then they guy had a change of heart and thanked us profusely.
      - We walked along Fishermans wharf and the inner harbor

Parliament Building

Totems

Beacon Hill Park

Chinatown

It's amazing how quickly time can pass by during the day. There was so much more to see while we were in Victoria but we had to be back at the dock to catch our ferry by 6 so I guess the rest will have to wait for another time.

That night, after walking around Victoria all day we went back to her co-workers property (where there was also a house) for a party. Thankfully it wasn't a wild party, more like a chill backyard BBQ around a giant campfire with loud pumping music (the co-workers husband is a sound/light guy for Benaroya Hall so he has some awesome equipment).
Unkowingly that night allowed me to cross another item off of my 20+10 in 2010 list, "Do something I fear." See, they had a zipline going from their house to a small island in the middle of the pond in their backyard. I saw it and instantly knew I had to try it. Now, to get to said zipline you had to climb 20 feet into the air on a very wobbly ladder. Enter my shaky legs and sweaty palms and it made me even more nervous. Now, I must interject here, I am NOT afraid of heights, but I AM afraid of falling. Interpret that as you may. Once you reach the top of the ladder you then have to turn around and grab a strap which you then have to put around your body and then sit in. It sounds easier than it is. Add in the pitch blackness of the night and it made for a pretty nerve wracking event. But that was all the hard part. Once I let go and went soaring on the zipline it was amazing.

Sunday our plan had been to see Lake Crescent and then to go into the Rainforest because Jen had never been there. When the family heard we were going to Lake Crescent they knew exactly what spot we should go to and even decided to go with us.
A one mile hike along the lakeshore brought us to the Punch Bowl. A place where a lagoon had been carved out from the rock wall and a bridge went across it. The water of Lake Crescent is a crystal blue and almost tropical, deceptivaly so because when you actually touch the water it's FREEZING. I decided to get in by jumping off a twelve foot rock. That's the only way to do it if you ask me. Afterwards we swam over to the punch bowl and took turns jumping in off the bridge. It was so much fun and is definitely a place I'll be getting back to.

Afterwards we drove over to the Rainforest to spend about half an hour before we needed to turn around and head back to Seattle.

Our original plan had been to make the 4:40 ferry. When that didn't work out our goal was the 5:45 and then the 6:10. In the end we weren't able to get a ticket for anything sooner than the 7:45 crossing. Bad luck with having to wait as they opened and closed the Hood Canal bridge contributed to this and then, literally as we pulled up to the ticket kiosk they changed the selling time from 7:00 to 7:45, our luck. At least that meant that we could park our car and go off to have a nice dinner as we waited.

Overall I had an amazing time this weekend. I can only hope that I have more weekends like that in my future. Thanks friends for being such awesome travel buddies!

Wasington's Stunning Olympic Coast

2010-08-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

While Twilight has succeeded in causing the tourist industry of the Olympic Peninsula to boom, the fact remains that all of those tourist sites are artificial and temporary. For many locals and backpackers it's the stunning show by nature that takes center stage. A glorious panorama that was there long before Stephanie Meyer dreamed up "Twilight," and that will remain long after it fades into oblivion.

Growing up in Washington I visited the coast for camping trips yearly, that is, the central Washington coast, where rolling sand dunes and mile wide beaches open up to form a national highway. The beaches of the Olympic Peninsula in contrast are very different, and I dare say more beautiful. There, thick rainforests skirt the pebble strewn shorelines and rocky tree covered mini-islands scatter along the coastline.

It's also a haven for wildlife. In my few days along the coast I saw three Bald Eagles as well as countless deer, puffins, and tidepool life that astounds. I even witnessed acouple sea lions, although, unfortunately they were no longer living.... oh well, as the Lion King would say "it's the circle of life," and the seagulls sure seemed to be enjoying themselves....

The first beach I visited was near the Ozette Indian Reservation. After a three mile (and rather monotonous) hike on a boardwalk though the forest we came to Sandy Beach. The feeling of solitude was immense. The only other sign of humankind were a few backpackers tents hidden back in the trees. The inhabitants of which must have been off exploring.

The beach itself was covered in seaweed, which were in turn home to literally millions of sand flies. So, needless to say it's probably not a swimming beach, but if you wanted to just take a good book or a journal and get absorbed by nature, it perfect.
At the end of the crescent moon shaped beach is a large rocky mound resembling several of the islands hundreds of yards off shore. Years of backpackers and visitors have worn a path up the side so you can easily scramble to the top and once you arrive you attain a view for miles in all directions. I could have sat up there all day, honestly.

(From on top of the rocky mound)

Farther down the coast is the area of LaPush, where the islands get closer and the hikes get shorter. Nearly all visitors to the area will take a stroll on first beach. It requires no hike yet still retains the beauty of the area.

My favorite beach is Second Beach. The hike is less than a mile (although downhill on the way there and uphill on the way back), and once you reach the sand, it feels like a different world.
On the day I visited clouds hung low around the islands creating and eerie overcast feeling oddly appropriate for the area. This beauty also draws in many artists. Painters sat with canvases, ensconced by mounds of driftwood, while photographers (not tourists, there's a difference) strolled the beach with their cameras and tripods.

For sunset the view from Rialto Beach can't be beat, and it seems that everyone knew that, the parking lot was packed. Bright citrus colors sparkled off the water as if I were in Hawaii, and then finally as the sun sank below the horizon line, a fine mist rolled in off the water, grasping onto the eerie skeleton-like sun bleached trees that line the shoreline.

Beyond these beaches, accessed only by backpackers and the daring are fabulous other beaches and sites, like Hole in the Wall, that I hope one day to experience. I'll just need a hiking buddy. Any takers?

The Hilarity of Visiting the Twilight Zone

2010-08-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

I can’t deny it. I’ve read all the Twilight books, I’ve seen all the movies, and I enjoyed them. Now that you’re probably judging me or highly intrigued I must admit that this is where my fanship ends. I’m not one of those fans that lines up hours ahead of time to see the midnight showing of the newest movie. I don’t have posters covering my walls, there are no t-shirts in my closet and I most definitely haven’t chosen a “team.” But when my family decided to take a week long camping trip to the Olympic Peninsula I knew the land of Twilight had to be a stop. How often do you get to see places immortalized in the stories you read? I mean, I would visit Hogwarts if I knew it was real. Honestly though, I wasn’t prepared for what I found upon entering “The Twilight Zone.”

Forks it ‘self is barely a blip along highway 101, surrounded by clearcuts from it’s days as the “logging capital.” Unfortunately these clear cuts take away from the natural beauty of the area and make it not such an exciting place to spend the night, so we drove our pick-up truck down the highway to the Quileute Indian Reservation at La Push. Deciding to forgo camping on the beach we instead chose a campground nestled back in the trees. Little did we know WHERE we had chosen to stay. As we wrestled with our brightly colored tents I saw a small tour bus drive by emblazoned with the logo “Dazzled by Twilight” on the side. Instead of continuing on, the bus pulled over at our campground office and then I saw it… Really I don’t know how I could have missed it. A big sign, only 30 or so feet down the road from out tents announcing “Treaty Line, No Vampires Beyond This Point.” Being well versed in Twilightology I knew exactly what the sign was for, my parents on the other hand were thoroughly confused. All I could think was “seriously?” They are literally milking Twilight for all it’s worth. As the day wore on more tour buses made the stop, including another company who came equipped with cardboard cutouts of Jacob and Edward who they strategically placed on each side of the line for their patrons to take pictures with. These people weren’t annoying though, I actually found it quite hilarious to watch the groups which were surprisingly full of older women and men as well as the expected teenage girls. However, the cars that insisted on honking each time the passed the line I had a little bit of an issue with, like come on really? It’s totally unnecessary.

In La Push, it only takes a quick look at their stores and businesses to see the tribe has fully embraced Twilight. On my right we passed “Jacob Blacks Vacation Rentals,” then there was “Blacks Fireworks” and “Jacobs Java.” At the convenience store on the reservation you can find “Bellas Board,” a place where the devoted can leave messages so that everyone can know their obsession. Turn around and staring out at you from the glass door is a poster of Taylor Lautner aka “Jacob Black.” It was while I was observing these decorations that I was approached by a Quileute guy about my age. WE chatted for a bit and then I asked him how crazy Twilight fans were around there. He told me that a week before a girl had walked up to him and asked him if he was a “Real Quileute,” then she asked if she could take a picture with him. He seemed pretty flattered, but then I began to wonder if that was the type of reaction he was hoping to get from me? Is the resounding love of “Quileute Boys” from the movie starting to go to their heads? Hmmm.

The immortal First Beach in La Push, where Bella first talks to Jacob and learns about “The cold ones,” is beautiful, although not as much as neighboring Second Beach (so creative with names right?) Sun bleached driftwood lays at least 20 feet deep on the beach. Fans have taken to using charcoal leftover from years of bonfires to write messages, many of which are Twilight related on the white surface of the giant logs.

Back in Forks Twilight is literally everywhere. Go to any restaurant, be it a diner, Chinese or Italian, and you’ll find a Twilight menu. Ed Bread, Swan Salad, Vampire Shakes, mundane food names have suddenly been revamped and have become remarkably more desirable. At Forks Outfitters you can find Twilight rain boots, slippers, magnets and so much more. There are team Edward, Team Jacob and even Team Bella sweatshirts, tshirts, sweatpants, and tank tops. You can even purchase a Cullen Baseball Team shirt with everyone’s names on the back. Getting lonely without seeing the face of your favorite character? Don’t worry, as you walk through the clothing section you’ll be greeted by life-size cutouts of Edward, Bella and the gang. But be careful, they move everyday, so if you go back they might just “jump out” and scare you.

While the outfitters does have an impressive stock of Twilight gear, it’s really “Dazzled by Twilight” that is the mecca for all things Twilight. Originally I wasn’t going to go inside but it was just so intriguing, I had to, and oh boy, It was like a fairytale inside. Fake trees seemed to grow up to and along the roof where twinkling lights added to the atmosphere. Racks of shirts filled the room while items such as magnets, bookmarks and “Twilight Scene It” lined the walls. For all those girls that ever dreamed of being in Bella one of the life size cutouts had had her face cut out so you too can momentarily live the dream, and what would the picture be without Jacob and Edward? Of course they’re there too.

What would a visit to Forks be without visiting all the important sites from the book? Apparently locals went throughout their town and decided which houses would suit Bellas and the Cullens descriptions best. Then of course there’s Forks Highschool, which, unfortunately no longer fits it’s romantic description. At the current moment the entire grounds are fenced off where the historic brick building has been demolished and a beautiful new building has been put in it’s place. Not all traces of the old building are gone though. They left the 15 by 20ft façade that was once the entryway to the old school. Lastly there’s Forks Hospital where a parking space had been set aside especially for Dr. Cullen. Be warned though, don’t go inside the hospital unless you are actually in need, they’re a busy place and No, you wont REALLY find Dr. Cullen there.

So now I wonder, how long will this last? One year? Two? Five? Ten? If I go back one day with my kids will the outfitters still have a special Twilight section? Will Bellas red truck still sit outside the visitors center? Will Dazzled by Twilight still be going strong? I doubt it but I guess we’ll see. For now it’s a lot of fun to just observe this crazy phenomenon at the source and the be a part of pop culture history.

Forward Motion

2010-08-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

Oh my life right now. I just ended a more than 3 week Marathon of trips and activities and I'm finding it hard to get into the groove of being at home again. But I'm working on it. Yesterday I took the first step and cleaned my room, something that desperately needed to happen or small woodland creatures would start looking for homes there. I also have about 3 blogs in the works right now but something keeps interrupting me (I'll give you a hint, it's about 3 feet tall, has brown hair and love to wear dresses). I always get this uneasy feeling when I get backed on up on my blog because I desperately want to talk and share stories, they're just not coming out. Hopefully that funk is over. I have my next post almost finished now I just need to sort out the pictures.

Ok, so until then here are some facts about my life right now:
     -I last week camping on the Olympic Peninsula. It was freezing cold everyday but the last which was gorgeous and I was tempted to brave the freezing water on First Beach to take a swim. I'm still pulling pine needles out of my possessions.
     - My sister has pneumonia right now, which sucks for her and also sucks for the rest of the family because, since she's contagious she can't watch Elaina and that means many hours of tea parties and Dora the Explorer for me.
     - I applied for a paraeducator job at a middle school. Really hoping I get it. I NEED a job badly.
     - I just uploaded a ton of pics to FLICKR but I'm still super behind.
     - I saw Chris August perform at Bonney Lake Days tonight (which was amazing) and then went out to dinner afterwards and he was there so we chatted a bit. He's a super cool dude. You should check out his music.
     - I just watched "Into the Wild" for the first time. Chris McCandles was a pretty awesome guy. I didn't like that he cut his family out though.
     - Speaking of movies I went to the Drive-In last night for the first time in YEARS along with my friend Jennifer. It was so much fun I love the atmosphere. I did learn though never park by the bathrooms. It may be convienient but it also means you'll here the crunch, crunch, crunch of gravel ALL NIGHT LONG as showdy figures obstruct your view while the pass buy. And what movies did we see? First was "The Other Guys." It had it's funny moments but I thought it was just ok. Then there was "Salt," which I thought was pretty good, I was actually able to stay awake for it.
     - The STA World Traveler Interns are wrapping up their amazing world trip (which I am still jealous over) and they just poster videos and pictures from their time in Thailand. It made me a little nostalgic.
     - The plan is to go camping in Port Angelous next weekend and then head up to Victoria, B.C. Hoping everything works out!

So keep an eye out the next day or so and I should at least have one semi lengthy but fun post to share. For the next few weeks I'm going to be working on wrapping summer up the right way.

MOVE

2010-08-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

As I’ve mentioned before, growing up camp was a staple of my summer schedule, something I always looked forward to. When I reached high school new options for summertime adventures presented themselves. One of these was CIY. This was like camp, but so much better. The adventure started out with a two part road trip taking us from Seattle to Northwest Nazarene university just outside of Boise. It was a long haul but we would listen to our portable CD players and take turns napping on the floor of our 15 passenger van (so dangerous). Over the week we got to be like college students. We slept in dorms and ate in the dining hall. We even got to swim in the university pool. Of course, these things were fun but the week was about so much more. We were there to learn. To learn about God, how to live, and how to share. Each time I went to the conference I felt refreshed and changed. It was amazing. So this year, when my empty schedule allowed me to go with our youth group as a youth leader to the summer conference I jumped at the chance.

A lot has changed since my last CIY in 2003. First, it was rechristened MOVE, a much more exciting title than CIY summer conference. Second, with conference attendance growing it had to move to a larger school, so, the 11 hour drive to Northwest Nazarene was replaced with a 4 hour drive to Oregon State University, much better. The rest of the changes are all minute, fitting in the details. But change is good and I like what they’ve done with the conference.

I must admit, I really liked going as a youth leader, but, at the same time I REALLY wish I looked my age. On more than one occasion I was confused as a highschooler. I mean come on, I don’t really look like I’m 17 do I? And I know I don’t act like I’m 17. Oh well, I guess looking 17 right now is better than looking 40. Yikes!

Overall I think the week at the conference went well. Our group was pretty small, 6 youth in all, but I think that made the group time more intimate, and I was able to see some of the more quiet youth open up. It was pretty great.

(* on a sidenote, I didn't take a lot of pictures this week because I decided to work primarily on makeing a video instead, well, that and we were inside a lot of the time and I detest using flash. So keep and eye out for the video!)
Here are some links to several people and causes that made the week awesome:

Jordan Howerton Band: This was our worship band, and let me tell you, anyone who sings DC Talks Jesus Freak is awesome in my book.

Christ in Youth : The event that made it all possible

Zambia Song : A short documentary CIY produced about the water crisis in Zambia. It's pretty moving.

Active Water : An organization CIY partnered with to bring clean drinking water to those around the world that desperately need it. In Zambia, it costs $75 to buy a sand filter for a family and around $4500 to install a well for the entire community. Here in America we don't even think about drinking water, it's just readily available, can you help make a difference for those that don't have what we do?

Visiting my other half

2010-08-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

One things for certain, in the scenery department Washington doesn't disappoint. As you drive from east to west you'll encounter first the coastal region (obviously) then temperate rain forests, followed by the island speckled area of Puget Sound, after that you don't have far to go to reach snow capped mountains covered in fir forests but the farther east you go those forests suddenly become a little more sparse and filled with Pine trees. Suddenly the trees disappear and you wonder who threw a desert smack in the middle of Washington? The deserty area soon gives way to the endlessly flat Colombia River Plateau and it's not until you near the Idaho border again.

So why these sudden observations about Washington Topography? Well... in a 6 hour drive across the state there isn't much else to think about (except who named the town of George, Washington, I wish I was from George).

A born a bred Western Washingtonian we didn't make many ventures into the much hotter and drier half of our state while I was growing up, so when my dad suggested going on a camping trip to a lake near Spokane I was all for exploring a new region.

Waitts Lake was wonderful. The water was clean and even more important the air was clean (after living in polluted Bangkok for two years I have come to value clean air). The only thing I didn't like was the prevalence of dreaded millfoil in the water. Lucky for us the campground we were staying at had rid their swimming area of the water weed so I didn't have to constantly worry about it brushing against me as I swim (yes, things touching me in the water is a phobia of mine).

She caught her first fish

In all honesty a week at the lake was probably a bit much but I enjoyed it. We went swimming everyday and I read...alot, 4 books in all. A very productive week. I also got a lot of thinking and writing done as I sat on the dock at twilight. Wonderful.

One of the best parts of the lake were the sunsets, and especially the last day. It was like the world was on fire. (these pictures are unedited)

This coming week I head down to Oregon State University in Corvallis for the CIY youth conference. I haven't been since I was in highschool and I'm super excited to be going as a leader. I have my fingers crossed for free Wifi.

Framed

2010-07-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I got a chance to celebrate my birthday with my family and friends at Lake Tapps. Although the day started out cold and overcast I kept my fingers crossed for sunny weather and by mid-afternoon the sky was cloudless. Beautiful.

So, since the people I love had all come together I decided to try out a photoshoot idea with an antique frame I got at a recent garage sale. And here's the result

Some were a little better at keeping the frame straight than others...lol. I think I'll have to use this idea again sometime.

So do you have an fun photo ideas? I would love to hear about them!

Entering the Blast Zone: A visit to Mount St. Helens

2010-07-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

I am a Washingtonian through and through. I was born in Seattle, and spent the first 18 years of my life, plus the summers since, romping through every corner of this great state, save for one, Mount St. Helens.

The mountain itself is hard to miss. Each time I drove south I could see it's massive, headless bulk on the horizon, but that's as close as I ever got. When my friends were going on field trips with their classes in middle school I sat jealous because somehow, I was never in the class that went. We learned about it in Washington State History Class and watched a movie of the eruption every year on it's anniversary. I knew everything about Mt. St. Helens, I just never got to experience it.

So you can imagine my excitement yesterday as my family loaded up our pick-up truck, set to finally visit the volcano. After a week of many adventures my family was a bit hesitant to take this long day trip, but in the end I was able to convince them. Victory.

As we drove south on I-5, we sat for what felt like hours in traffic as fighter jets flew overhead, part of an air show at joint base Lewis-McChord. The wait paid off in our favor. As we finally broke free of the gridlock the low laying gray cloud cover burned off to reveal a cloudless blue sky.
Now we had to decide where we wanted to go. Mount St. Helens can be approached from three different sides, each miles apart and with very different vantage points. For this first trip we decided to visit the Johnson Ridge Observatory, which offers one of the best views of the crater and path of destruction.

As we drove closer and closer to the mountain we could see that slowly the trees became shorter. Then to our right the forest opened up into the giant flood plane of the Toutle River. By the time we reached the observatory the terrain was sparse and treeless, but far from dead. Purple and red wildflowers painted the hills in vibrant colors.

At the observatory you can read about the history of the eruption, watch a movie, follow a guide or just take in the mountain from some awesome vantage points. I could have stood and watched the mountain for hours, just pondering it. I've never seen destruction so incredible. Even now, 30 years after the eruption, trees lay flat upon distant mountains, a result of the lateral blast. Far below canyons carved by the mudflow stream out of the mountains crater. The resulting appearance looks more like it belongs in the southwest than in western Washington. But, as desolate as the area looks change is happening. Tree's are growing once again in the far reaches of the blast. Snow once again settles on top of the mountain, fish have been found in spirit lake, and in the center of the crater you can see a lava dome forming, growing more and more each year.

my little 'ode to Thailand

tree's were blown down on the mountains

Now I have a goal to get back to the Mountain, but from different sides. If you approach from the east you can visit Spirit Lake and see the greatest reaches of the blown down forest. If you approach from the south you can crawl through ancient lava tubes called the Ape Caves. I also think it would be amazing the climb up to the rim of the crater one day. You know me and mountains, their hard to climb but I just can't stay away.

The day I became a full-fledged-adult

2010-07-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

The way I see it adulthood comes in three stages 1. your 18th birthday, the first point where your considered an adult and begin to take on adult responsibilities, aka achieving debt and paying bills, yippee. 2. your 21st birthday, when you can finally, legally drink alcohol. And finally 3. Your 25th birthday, now you have been placed in a new "mature" age bracket and you can rent a car without selling the rights to your first born child. So, 25 year old, congrats, you are now a "full, fledged, adult."

My 25th birthday was nice, which is a big deal because many July 15th's of my younger years were spent among drizzle. The weather was beautiful, and for the first time in two years I wasn't teaching on my birthday (which, at the moment I would have traded teaching on my birthday for the ability to be back in Thailand for just a little bit. I'm so jealous of the STA World Traveler Interns). I slept in, then around noon we rolled out to visit one of my favorite places, Mt. Rainier. Everyday I look out my bedroom window and see the mountain glowing in all it's glory, taunting me. The funny thing is I used to hate visiting Mt. Rainier, not because I didn't think it was beautiful, maybe it was because my parents insisted on dragging my sister and I up there every-year the day my tired butt finished summer camp. After a week of romping through the forest with my friends I wasn't exactly ecstatic to hike to a glacier. Now, after years of living away from Washington, I would do anything to get up on the mountain, which in my case meant begging and pleading until my parents finally gave in (see, they have an annual pass to the park and I'm poor, so I take advantage of these things when I can).

As we drove through Enumclaw on our way to Sunrise I looked at the mountain and couldn't help but think that the day couldn't be more perfect. Not a cloud in sight.

When we finally reached the lodge I think we were all surprised to find snow... all over the place. It definitely wasn't expected. Elaina and I had a small snowball fight but aside from that the rest of my family decided to park themselves in a scenic, snow-less area while I took off upon the trails in pursuit of the perfect vantage point of the mountain. It wasn't hard to find considering Sunrise Lodge is perched at the apex of the tree line. If I'd had some more "adventure friendly" companions along with me I would have hiked much farther but I knew that with my family, accompanied by a fussy three year old, I would never hear the end of it if I didn't get back to them. Too bad. It just means I'll have to get back again soon, which you know I'm not opposed to.

My more portable version of Birthday Cake :)

After our day of adventure I decided to forgo the loud and boisterous birthday dinner locations of Red Robin and Azteca, and instead headed to my favorite restaurant, BJ's. The great thing was they didn't make me wear a sombrero or silly glasses and I still got a free birthday pazookie (fresh baked chocolate chip cookie with ice cream on top), it was delicious! I must admit though, I did start to feel a little nostalgic for the sombrero. Maybe next year. Nothing like wearing a sombrero to cap off the most awesome year of my life, which I've decided this year is going to be.

So here's to the year of awesome and making it possible! Cheers!

My sad, little, house of cards

2010-07-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

While my last few days have been super busy and on-the-go, today was a more home-bound day, so I decided to take a look at my summer bucket list to see what i could tackle. I settled on #24 Build a House of Cards. Easy enough I thought. Boy was I wrong. So how did it go? Well let me just say I won't be entering any card house building contests anytime soon.
My original ideas were really quite lofty. I reached for my pack of Skip-Bo cards (since there are way more than a typical deck of cards) and set to work on my "Mansion" of cards.

I was doing pretty good. There were a few tumbles but I felt like I was getting the hang of it. Then, after an hour and a half of work (with Max and Ruby cartoons on repeat in the background care of my 3 year old neice) it went down, down, down...

By that point building the house of cards was getting kind of old to me so, instead of starting off at the "mansion" of cards square one, I opted for a humbler, simpler, but no less lofty abode and after another 30 minutes, voila!

My pyramid of cards stood!...for about a minute. Good thing I snapped the picture when I did!

So that's one thing crossed off my list, now I'm working on going through and editing pics from the last two days. Post to come later!

Snapshots of my weekend

2010-07-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing here, and, although today was a bit on the chilly side, the last week had me dreaming of swimming pools and Popsicles. I love it. And to go along with the wonderful weather I had a pretty busy weekend.
Every year, to help raise money to send the youth to camp and youth conferences the youth group of my church puts on a yard sale and this year I was actually around to help out with it. Friday was unbearably hot but I think the sale went pretty well. We had enough items to open our own goodwill, so it got a little overwhelming for some. Then with whatevers left, plus boxes of stuff we didn't even put out this time, we're going to have another sale in August, date TBD, so if you're around the DesMoines, WA area you should keep your eyes out.

On Saturday I met up with my friend Jennifer and some of her friends to go on a hike. We started off with a pancake breakfast and then drove just north of Granite Falls to Heather Lake. The hike itself wasn't hard, but it was the most difficult one I've been on since Nepal 2 years ago. I definitely need to train a little more. We also added to the difficulty by deciding to climb up a boulder field to a waterfall halfway up Mt. Pilchuck but it was totally worth it for he view alone.

Then on Sunday was my cousins daughter Samantha's 3rd birthday. Friends and family all came together at Sammy's grandparents house in Northbend to celebrate. They just happen to live right on the river so the setting for the party couldn't have been more beautiful or perfect.

This week is going to be filled with even more adventures, but more will come about that when the adventures draw to a close. I hope you're all enjoying your summer so far!

I'll Make a List

2010-07-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

My summer hasn't been that boring, and with 4 weeks of traveling and activities coming up I'd say it will stay at quite an exciting pace. But my goal for the summer was to live life to the fullest and not waste a single moment. Last night I decided to search online for some ideas to fill my home time, to make those moments a little more exciting, and through my research I decided to form a kind of summer bucket list. While many of the items I would have put on my list I have already accomplished (have a water balloon fight, take a walk in the rain, etc.), I found more than enough inspiration to fill my summer hours, and this list is simply a short term add on to my 20+10 in 2010 list. So here it goes, 30 things I want to do this summer:

1. Go garage saleing

2. go on a picnic

3. bake cupcakes

4. play board/card games with the fam

5. Go to the drive-in

6. create the "soundtrack to my life"

7. Take a bubble bath

8. Read a good book while lounging in a plastic kiddy pool

9. go to a museum

10. make Popsicles

11. sew something

12. take Gidget on a walk

13. build a sand castle

14. have a water fight

15. make a message in a bottle and throw it out to sea

16. take a hike

17. go to a fair/festival

18. fly a kite

19. stargaze

20. take a nap under a tree

21. paint my toenails (it's not cheap like Thailand anymore)

22. develop a good habit
23. DANCE
24. Build a House of Cards
25. go to a concert
26. visit a National Park
27. play on a slip and slide
28. Watch all 3 Lord of the Rings movies, in a row
29. Read at least 5 books on my bookshelf
30. Read all the books in the Bible written by Paul

So there you go. My 30 things to do this summer. Most are just silly and some I'm really excited for. Time to get crackin!

Pointless

2010-07-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

If I could sum up how I feel right now in one word it would be Tired, but as tired as I feel I loved every moment that led up to this point. Camp was amazing to say the least,  although I did struggle a bit through the week with the feeling of being separate. I was both the oldest counselor (with my elderly 24 years) and the only counselor from Normandy. Sometimes I felt like everyone else knew what was going on but me, but when it came down to it I had to just keep reminding myself that this disconnect didn't really matter, I was there to form relationships with the kids and to help them having an amazing week at camp. In that I believe I succeeded. I was also blessed to be placed with a co-counselor for the week. Although Erika is only in high school I was impressed by her maturity level. Over the week we had a lot of great conversations about our lives and I was able to talk to her a lot about going to a Christian College and teaching overseas. It's a relationship I see definitely continuing in the future.
     The camp this year was a little small, with just under 70 campers (from 4 churches, although most were from Rainier View CC). Instead of mixing all of the kids up to make small groups they left our cabins as our groups, so I got a chance to become very close with 7 girls and watch them grow over the week. It was an incredible transformation really. The first day getting the girls to talk was like pulling teeth. Erika and I found ourselves prompting a lot of answers. But by the end of the week we couldn't get the girls to be quiet. They all had answers to every question, and even more, volunteered to pray out loud, something I was terrified to do at their age.
   Aside from digging deep into the Word, there were also many chances to just have fun with each other. The theme for the camp was "Pointless," so each time we gathered in the A-frame they would play pointless videos like this awesome Jelly Fish video or, to go along with our camp mascot, which was a pointless unicorn named Charlie, a video of The Unicorn Song, which, if I never heard again I wouldn't shed a tear for (and was also apparently one of my grandmothers favorite songs, when I mentioned it to my dad he, not surprisingly, knew all the words, it's catchy). We also took part in many fun outdoor games, in the sunshine and in the rain. I, being the accident prone person I am, continued to injure myself throughout the week, beginning with twisting my ankle on the first day while playing leap frog, that's right, it is possible.
     One of my favorite games of the week was kickball, BUT, the bases were actually rafts filled with water, we all got soaked, which led to many happy campers because it was actually sunny and relatively warm that day. However, I can't discount the traditional nightime counselor hunt. Maddi, Erika and I hid behind the nurses trailer and were found by only one camper (who also happens to live at the camp and had a slight advantage). We got a little bored as we waited back there for campers that never came, so we had a lot of fun with each other, mostly eating taffy (which was supposed to be the prize for campers that found us), and at one point I reached out to grab a fern, and, being the accident prone person I am, got a fist full of stinging nettles instead, that was fun...
    As the end of the week rolled around I was really sad to see the camp come to a close. I really loved my girls and even more I really love spending time with the youth, and, to be honest, didn't miss technology at all. If any of you know of any jobs a long the same lines as "camp"let me know. And I don't mean summer day camp, been there, done that. Working with youth is something I've found I just really enjoy doing.

Ok, now picture time... :)

The camps theme was "Pointless," and was a study of the book of Ecclesiastes

This was Charlie, the camp mascot. One night Cabins A and C (well mostly A) decided to play an INNOCENT prank and kidnap Charlie and hold him for ransom, so this is Me, Maddi and Erika getting him. I can now honestly say I ran through a field with a Unicorn.

The next night Charlie, who was a representation of pointless things, was burned in the campfire.

Looking down towards the camp from where they have a cross on the mountain.

Our cabin C group

Worship in the A-frame

With my co-counselor Erica

the B-I-B-L-E

A lesson on trust

My girls, Megan, Enrica, Tiffany, Kristen, Natalya, Jennalee and Andrea

C-A-M-P

2010-06-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I will be saying sionara to my technology filled world and saying hello to the wondrous great outdoors. That's right boys and girls, I'm going to camp! Alas I will not be going as a camper (I must cling to the ten years of camp I had in my childhood), instead I will be going as the responsible (he he) middle school camp counselor, and I'm pretty excited. Camp counseling isn't new to to me, after working for 3 years as a YMCA summer day camp counselor and even as a counselor the summer after high school at this same camp, Pleasant Valley CC, I've got some experience behind me. What makes this week so exciting is that this is the camp I grew up going to. I spent some of the best weeks of my life there and I'm so happy to be a part of it again.

This is a picture of my 2/3 grade girls way back in 2003, the first time I was a counselor at Pleasant Valley. This time I'll be trading in all my elementary school experience for a week with moody, drama filled, enthusiastic middle schoolers. It should be quite an adventure, and you know what the funny thing is? These same girls in the picture will be in middle school now. I wonder if any of them will be there?

Summer

2010-06-24T15:07:00.000-07:00

The other day I was thinking about this summer and how much I need variety, excitement, adventure etc. in my life. So I decided to come up with some goals and through that I made this video. So now, I have a challenge for you. What will you do with your summer?

Sometimes I love playing tourist

2010-06-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

The fact is, when you live in a place you don't take advantage of all the fun and interesting things your town has to offer because, well, you can always do it later. That's why I love when I have friends from out of town visit. It forces me to stop procrastinating and get out there and have some fun. So, last Sunday my friend Tiffany had a 6 hour layover in Seattle on her way back to the mainland from Maui. I picked her up from the airport and we headed downtown to try to catch Pike Place Market before it closed. We barely made it, most stalls were already packing up but there was enough life left in it to be inspiring. Afterwards we walked down the street to the newish Sculpture Park, in which I was totally disappointed. They got rid of the trolleys for this? Seriously? Oh well, can't win them all. It was amazing how quickly the few hours flew by but we had so much fun and I was so thankful for the good weather.

some of the delicious offerings at Peroshky Peroshky

The Market has some of the most beautiful fresh flowers

The infamous gum wall. Nasty.

Anytime any of you want to come play in Seattle with me I'm game. There's tons of adventures to be had :)

Travel Inspirations

2010-06-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

I am a world traveler, without a doubt and it will always be a part of my identity. Being stuck in one place for long periods of time makes me stir crazy. I want to get out, I want to do something. But when the funds don’t allow me to get out an explore I head to my library instead and check out all the travel books I can find. Lately, I’ve been getting so many ideas and have been so inspired so I thought I’d share a few of my finds and inspirations with you.

Here are some of my favorites from three of the books I have in my possession right now:

Unforgettable Places by Steve Davey, Marc Schlossman, Steve Watkins and Clare Jones

-Trekking the Milford track, Fiordland, New Zealand

This has been called “the worlds greatest walk.” This 4 day, 53 Km trek takes you along the sound, past waterfalls, though forest and wetlands. In contrast it also takes you past mountain peaks and though snowfields.

-Trekking Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

With iconic mountain pinnacles (torres) jutting into the horizon and enormous glaciers gliding toward the ocean, the landscape of this UNESCO Biosphere reserve is hard to match. Trekking the park isn’t an easy feet however, the 6-8 day Paine Circuit covers 100km and has many points of steep assent and descent, but the views are worth it.

-Amalfi Coast, Italy

A 70km stretch of coastline from Sorrento to Salerno where the villages have been built precariously along sea cliffs. An ancient network of paths and staircases connect the villages whose charms are wrapped around their colorful architecture, ornate churches and entertaining squares with the aqua Mediterranean glittering below. You can also hike up into the mountains, through forests and past waterfalls to get amazing views of the coastline.

World Heritage Sites: A complete Guide to 878 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

-Wieliczka Salt Mine, Poland

Located near Krakow, the Wieliczka Salt Mine has been a working rock salt mine since the mid 19th century. Spread out over 9 levels, there are 300km of galleries connecting 2,000 excavation chambers where workers have taken to carving statues and other objects such as churches, alters and bas reliefs out of the rock salt.

-Iguazu National Park, Argentina

One of the worlds most amazing waterfalls, Iguazu Falls is located in the heart of this park which stretches between Argentina and Brazil (where it is called Iguacu). The falls themselves are actually a series of waterfalls and if you’re feeling daring you can take a boat ride along the river, getting you close enough to get a good soaking.

- Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, Turkey

The incredible rocky landscape of Goreme and Cappadocia was created completely by wind erosion and looks more like something out of a fairytale than something you could find on earth. Here, for centuries the inhabitants of the area carved churches and created complete underground cities out of the rocks.

Journey’s of a Lifetime: 500 of the Worlds Greatest Trips by National Geographic

- The Chiva Express, Ecuador

This train is seriously cool. After the floods of the late 1980’s destroyed parts of the track, the original train was replaced with this truly unique train, which is actually a specially adapted bus painted in bright colors. You can sit inside of the bus during the 8 hour trip from Riobamba to Guayaquil, but why do that when you can sit in a seat on the roof, watching the scenery go by from an incredible vantage point. Another unique element of this train ride is that it travels through several different climate zones, starting in the cool Andes and ending in the tropical lowlands, so wear layers.

-Everest Base Camp Trek, Nepal

Having done this trek myself (save for the last few days from Dingboche to Base Camp), I could not speak higher of it. Flying into Lukla you get your first distant taste of the high snowy Himalayan peaks. Walking along the trail you pass countless waterfalls and through many small villages where Tibetan prayer flags flutter endlessly in the wind, strung from countless stupas. The second days assent into the hillside village of Namche Bazar is long and exhausting but a necessary step to reach even more spectacular scenery. The farther you climb the thinner the trees get until the land is vast and empty giving you totally unobstructed views of Everest and it’s neighbors Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam.

-The Jungfraujoch Railway, Switzerland

Europe's Highest railway travels across glaciers and next to the mountain peaks of the Bernese Oberland. The train then makes it’s way through a 6 miles tunnel with stops at huge observation windows so you can take in the view. The train ends at the Junfraujoch Plateau (10,700ft) where you can take in the view, explore the “Ice Palace,” or in the summer take a dog sled ride across the Glacier.

So are you feelin inspired now? Each of these books contain hundreds of different trips, locations, and just plain awesome places, so go check ‘em out, or better yet buy them. The inspiration is endless.

Visiting the Big Apple

2010-06-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

A month has passed now since my trip back east and I’m finally putting up my last post from that trip. New York City. A land of iron giants, business suits and endless lights, where dreams can come true or be crushed. There’s something exciting to see around every corner and that’s why I LOVE IT. I would move there in a heartbeat if I had an opportunity.
Although having at least a weekend to explore the city is ideal (I went twice during college), on the tight schedule of my east coast adventure a day trip to the big city was all we could manage. We looked into a couple bus options going from either DC or Baltimore but the hours were just not ideal for us with them either leaving DC to early or NYC to late. In the end Monica was such a trooper, volunteering to drive all the way to Princeton, NJ (where we caught the train) because of my inability to drive stick.

* On a side note, a funny thing happened at the train station. Monica went to pay for parking and gave me her $20 to pay for her ticket. So I walked to the ticket vending kiosk, chose our destination and then put in the $20 bill to pay for the $14.75 ticket. Then the change began to rain down into the return slot, and it kept coming, and coming and coming. Instead of seeing how much change had come down I just shoved the handfuls of coins into my coat pockets to count later, and used my card to buy my ticket. When Monica and I got to the train platform I pulled out all the change to count it as we waited for the train to arrive. Expecting tons of quarters I was surprised to find golden dollar coins in a quantity that equaled much more than $5.25, which was the change she should have gotten. After all was counted I had $42 in coins sitting on my lap. Who knew a ticket machine could double as a slot machine? Only in Jersey. After talking we decided to turn the extra money back in. We waited patiently in line and when we reached the front I dumped the pile of coins into the pay slot under the Plexiglas window. The man looked totally shocked that we turned it in but even more he desperately wanted to know what machine was spewing out the extra cash. “Um… on the other side of the tracks take a right and it’s the one on the right….” There were a few misunderstandings as to which right was right but I think he figured it out. Good deed for the day done and a good story to go along with it.*

So what do you do in New York City in 7 hours? We headed out from Penn Station, through Times Square and on to Central park, one of my favorite places in the city. It was a bit crowded from the AIDS walk that had happened that morning but we still enjoyed ourselves.

After that we went in search of Monicas great Aunt Gerties old apartment on the east side. Once we found it we went in search of New York Pizza followed by a visit to Dylans Candy Bar.

After stuffing ourselves with Pizza we jumped on the subway and made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge where we got amazing ice cream cones and I learned Monica is afraid of heights. She was a real trooper though and made it all the way out to the first tower.

Then we walked across the island, past ground zero and along Battery Park.

After our little walk we still had an hour before we had to catch our train back to NJ so walked back into the city to Wall St. We didn’t manage our time very well though, we made it back to Penn Station with seconds to spare to make the train.

It was a fun day in New York. I’m surprised how much we got to see and was so impressed by the weather, sunny and warm (I’ve always gone in fall before). I definitely have a list of things I want to see when I get back again, hopefully sometime soon.

Finished

2010-06-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

It took me almost 2 months but I finally finished my blog books. Two years worth of my Thailand blogging adventures have been pasted into physical form and it feels Oh so good to be done! And guess what? I had exactly one page leftover in each book. Is that luck or what?

So when I was putting them together I knew I wanted to use only pictures from the blog (except for the single pictures of each student, can you imagine how big that blog post would have been if I had put them all in there?), but I also wanted to separate them from the writing and this is how it turned out. Take a little peek...

Now I'm off to tackle another item on my twenty + ten in 2010 list, finishing my SAS scrapbook. Yikes!

Photos from my weekend

2010-06-07T16:12:00.002-07:00

After what felt like weeks of rain the sun finally decided to come out and play for awhile on Saturday so Emily and I took Elaina down to a little fair they were having at the Supermall. Ticket prices were ridiculous so she only got to go on a couple rides, but she still had a lot of fun, and I did too. One operator let me ride on the tilt-o-whirl with her for free. I have so many memories riding it when I was little, Elaina hated it. Oh well, we know for next time.

This past weekend was also quite productive for me (mostly because it's rained everyday for the past week but Saturday). Since I've been back in the states I've been trying to put together some "blog books" of my time in Thailand. Now instead of doing it the easy way and making it all on my computer I decided to make them scrapbook style using two books covered in Thai fabric that I had bought (one for each year there). It would have been a lot easier if the pages were all plain white but each page had a ugly orange design on it that I HAD to cover up. So, after working off and on on them over the past couple months and hardcore over the last week I am nearly done and it feels SOOOO good. My next project is tackling the rest of my Semester at Sea scrapbook. I've made it two pages into Egypt so far which means I jsut need to finish Egypt then do Turkey, Croatia, Spain and Shiplife (I've already finished Japan, China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Burma and India). That's more than halfway done, and when I finish my SAS scrapbook I can cross another thing off of my 20+10 in 2010 list. Hallelujah!

Hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods :)

Under Construction

2010-06-04T14:39:00.000-07:00

So, I've been trying to change the layout of my blog for years. Blogger just didn't have any options and I had no idea how to navigate that territory on my own. Imagine my excitement when I found out those honchos in charge of blogger felt our plight and decided to give us new and mroe awesome options for our blog look.

So, right now I'm working on changing up this good 'ole blog. Some of the titles are a little to big and a few other details are a little off for my taste so over the next week or so, as I bounce between my laptop and my families computer I hope to get it all worked out.

I'm also working on a new header for my post Thailand life. Look for that hopefully in the next few weeks as well :)

At least The Amazing Race would be one option

2010-05-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

With the departure of the STA World Traveler Interns on their Round the World extravaganza tomorrow, I'm having an extreme case of jealousy. Without a doubt Casey and Natalie are awesome and totally deserve the position... I just wish it could be me. I consider it an extreme honor to have made the top 50, and as of now I fully intend to apply once again for the internship next summer. My last chance.

So, if you've got a case of the travel bug follow the interns around the world, they'll be visiting some drool worthy destinations.

Another person worth a follow is one of last summer's interns and fellow SAS alum Lindsay Clark who maintains a travel website/blog called nommaderwhere.com. This girl is seriously cool. I've been following her for about a year now and not only is she seemingly fearless but she also has an incredible heart, starting The Nakavika Project to help a village in Fiji (which she first visited on the internship). Up next she'll be jetting off to Mexico with Project Explorer. You can bet I'll keep watching.

So, in my poor, jobless, no travel plans in site, pity party I was throwing for myself today I found myself diving into the travel world online and found some pretty cool things, like a free trip to South Africa. Yes Please! National Geographic and South African Tourism are looking for 1 representative each from seven countries including America to be an Adventure Ambassador. The winners are flown to South Africa for a week long trip accompanied by National Geographic videographers, Photographers and writers. So what do you have to do to win this amazing trip? Upload a picture to their website and write, in 250 words or less why they should choose YOU for this opportunity. Sounds easy, but in a pool where there is likely to be hundreds if not thousands of applicants you have to make sure that you stand out, being both exciting and engaging. You can bet I'll be applying.

Another utterly awesome opportunity I stumbled upon was The Global Scavenger Hunt. For 23 days teams of two journey around the world, participating in activities and receiving points for each one completed. In the end the team with the most points wins. Of course something so good couldn't be free. This little adventure runs $9,900 per person but, if you're the winning team you will be given $20,000, which would make the adventure, well, free. So, if you think this sounds pretty cool and you have the money to participate make sure you register for the 2011 race (April 15-May 7) ASAP, space is limited. And if you do sign up please let me know because my poor self wants to live vicariously through you.

Of course even though I can't afford to pay for a round the world race there's always a free option, you know CBS's "The Amazing Race?" I think I have the mad skills to do it, I just need to find a partner, any takers????

DC without all the DCness... and a little more

2010-05-28T11:30:00.000-07:00

I went to Washington DC 3 times during college. Each time I was on a mission to see the cliche DC. You know, the capital building, the White House, the Monuments, the Smithsonian, etc, and I honestly enjoyed it everytime. So this time, going back to the DC area I didn't necessarily feel like I needed to focus on that area and instead I looked for other fun things to see and do, and let me tell you, there is PLENTY!

First up was Bens Chile Bowl. This was a recent find. I saw it briefly on the travel channel and thought if we were ever in the area that we should check it out. In reality it became more of a mission to find. We got off at the Howard University Metro Stop and walked several blocks through a slightly shady area only to find out there was another Metro stop right across the street from the Restaurant. The restaurant itself really sticks out in the neighborhood. In contrast to the Lincoln Theater next door the bright red, white and yellow exterior seemed to glow. When you walk in the place has a real diner/greasy spoon feel. Everyone behind the counter seems like family, continuously laughing and joking with smiles always on their faces. We could choose to sit in a booth or along the counter, either way we were able to soak up the culture and history of this historic restaurant that even President Obama visits. Be careful though, the chili is a tad bit spicy but the upside? The Milkshakes are awesome.

Next was the National Zoo. Go figure that I wanted to get there for years to see the Pandas, and I finally make it there only a month after I saw the Pandas in Thailand, making it significantly less special, but only the panda part. The zoo it's self was awesome and I very much loved that it was free. The only downside was that the elephant area was under renovation, so we saw the pachyderms from a distance but not up close. My favorite area in the zoo was probably the rainforest, the fish were huge!

A little bit outside of the city (and our metro stop) is Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The streets are so charming. Although most commercial businesses (like Ross and Gap Outlet) are in newer, colonial imitation buildings, historical buildings are just around the corner. Walking down Captains Row, the historic cobblestone street adds to the charm given by each row house decorated with brightly painted doors and shutters, each one of course displaying an American Flag. Not far from there is the harbor, with it's cute shops and of course, boats. While we were visiting a tall ship was ported in the Marina offering free tours. Deceptively new, the historic looking boat was actually built in 1989, meaning it's younger than me! Today it is maintained and sailed by a group called the Twelve Tribes who later, through their informational sheet we found out is a religious cult. It was....interesting.

Finally, not really close to DC but only 1 hour away, which is closer than say, Seattle, was Annapolis, famous for it's Navy Academy. We parked along the harbor and after getting some delicious gelato we went to take a look around the Naval Academy. I tell you, if I had grown up in Annapolis I probably would have wanted to go there. I mean, the white uniforms just looked so sharp, and of course the campus is beautiful. The inside of the chapel alone was inspiring. Outside of the Academy the old town area is very charming. The shops are all very colorful and historical. They had a sort of New England feel. At the top of a hill, in the middle of town was the statehouse, which, unknown to me was actually the countries capital for a few months way back when. George Washington was there!

Just outside of the town was Quite Springs State Park, where, for an hour we rented a canoe and paddled around a little inlet of the river. We saw birds and some pretty amazing houses.

Then. On the way back from Annapolis we hit a storm literally miles from Monicas house. I mean, there were legitimate tornado warning's. At first it was just heavy rain and we pressed on but finally it was the golfball sized hail that forced us to pullover and left a shower of dents in Monicas car.

So, it is possible to have a blast in DC without even hitting the National Mall. Although, I must say it was in our plans to see the monuments at night. Alas, we got rained out. Go figure.

My First Airshow

2010-05-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

I left on my recent trip to Washington DC without any plans for the week. The first night I was there Monica and I sat down to make a list of what we wanted to do. When she asked if I wanted to go to an Airshow at Andrews Airforce Base that Saturday I was originally a little wary. I didn't dislike airplanes but I never had a real interest in them either. As I sat there considering a little voice popped into the back of my head reminding me to take every opportunity. No regrets. So I said yes.

After lathering on sunscreen we left her family's house in Waldorf and headed for the base. Monicas Mom is a nurse in the Airforce and had volunteered to work the first aid station that day, so we easily found a parking space near the hospital and took the military family shuttle down to the flightline.

Honestly, we couldn't have asked for a better day for the airshow. The sun was shining, the sky was bright blue, and a breeze kept the temperature just right. Dozens of planes, helicopters and even a boat (belonging to homeland security) dotted the tarmac. Some were military planes while others were privately owned. There were impressive jets whose wings folded up and other historic planes with interesting names to match their interesting history's. Without a doubt the dominating plane on the Tarmac was a C17 from McChord that sat in the corner. I wanted to go inside of it but when we got around to the enormous mouth at the back of the plane, the mass of people pouring out of it led us to decide to just stay outside. In fact you could go inside of most of the planes and helicopters at the show but usually the lines acted as a deterrent to us.

While viewing the stationary planes on the tarmac was one part of the show, all throughout the day different planes and groups were doing aerial performances as well. When we first arrived a group of military helicopters were performing some impressive stunts, and they were followed by some awesome aerial aerobatics done by the army parachute team the Golden Knights. We saw monoplanes, biplanes, fighter planes and even some aeriel stunts by a C17 (the biggest airplane) if you can believe that. Then there were the Geico Skytypers. Unlike their name this team of airplanes doesn't actually type per say in the sky but they did do some pretty cool designs. At the very end of the show was the crowning jewel, a performance by the Blue Angels. The massive "Fat Albert" started things off and soon all 6 fighter planes were in the air. There was lots flipping, diving, swirling and fast flybys. They had the tendency of surprising you, coming from a direction you didn't expect, usually behind our backs. It was awesome.

I really enjoyed the airshow and I'm very glad I went. That night I actually found myself researching other airshows I could go to, although none seemed to have as many "cool" things as this airshow had had. I'm definitely going to try to get out at Seafair this summer to see the Blue Angels. Their performance would knock my socks off again and again and again.

So now that I've been to an airshow what are some necessities to have/bring for a day on the field?

1. Sunscreen! The only shade you can find are under the planes and that's usually an awkward spot, so be prepared to be in the sun ALL day.

2. Cash. Everything has to be bought with cash so make sure you have plenty, especially smaller bills because some of the private planes want donations if you go in them, and while at least at the airshow I went to there were ATM's there, the line was far to long to make it worth the wait.

3. A folding chair or picnic blanket. It can really start to hurt your body to stand up all day long on the pavement, so if you plan on staying to the end you should bring something to sit on.

4. A camera with good zoom. I brought my DSLR and found myself switching between my wide angle and telephoto lenses all day long so I could get the perfect shot, although most of my aerial shots were taken with my telephoto (zoom) lens. Pictures are so much more impressive when you can get close up to the airplane.

5. A kid. While yes we adults can have fun at airshows (I am a testament to this) kids have a sense of wonder and excitement that can make it so much more exciting for you.

Visiting Arlington

2010-05-24T14:40:00.000-07:00

Nearly everyone has someone famous in their family tree that they will claim in opportune moments. In my family that person is Robert E. Lee ( you thought I was going to say Howie Dorough from the Backstreet Boys didn't you? :) ) Granted he's like my great, great, great, great Uncle, but still, it's pretty cool. Now, apparently my degree in History failed me because it was only recently that I learned Arlington National Cemetary was established on Robert E. Lee's former plantation. So, one my recent trip to Washington DC I made it a point to visit the cemetery.

The day we went was cloudy, the threat of rain always on the horizon, so we carried umbrellas with us. The area was suprisingly crowded. Lines of highschool students shuffeled up the walkways while tourists piled onto trams, forgoing to element of exercise that comes from walking the hills of the area. We walked along, stopping to take photos of the picturesque white headstones lining their way up the hills. As I read the names and dates on the headstones I began to imagine their lives. Some where long, some were short. Some died as far back as the civil war, others much more recently. Some were even joined by their wives. The farther up the hill you walked the headstones changed from simple, white to the larger, heavier, and more elaborate headstones of higher officers.

At the base of a grassy hill sat the presidential memorial for John F. Kennedy. Buried with his wife, baby daughter and baby son, an eternal flame marked their memory. A little to the left, stood a solitary white cross, a marker in the memory of Robert Kennedy, and at the far end of the lawn another, much newer white cross commemerated Ted Kennedy.

We walked farther up the hill and came to a path that would take us to the towering Arlington Mansion. As I looked on the enormous beige colomns I couldn't help but be amazed. It was huge! It was a size of house I would expect much more today, not 150 years ago. You were allowed to go inside and tour the mansion, but a large tour group encraching upon the door led us to forgo that option. Instead we turned around and took in the view. Beyond the grave of Pierre Charles L'Enfant the city of Washington DC, which he designed, and the monuments of the National Mall stood out in the distance. It's a truely beautiful view. I could stare at it for hours.

Down the hill and up another we came to the infamous Tomb of the Unknown soldier. A huge crowd had gathered for what we thought was the changing of the guard. As we approached a soldier began to shout "the ceremony you are about to see has been in place for more than 200 years." Oooooh, this could be interesting. With percise steps and heel clicking reminicent of Dorthy in "The Wizard of Oz," he walked to the side of the carpet, picked up a flower wreath and placed it in front of the center of the tomb. Then four others, in formation walked out and stood in front of the wreath. We were then instructed to place our hand over our hearts as another soldier played Tapps. With more precise steps and heel clicking they all exited, only to return a few moments later with a new wreath. I turned to my friend Monica, a DC native who had been to Arlington several times before, to ask if that was the changing of the guard, because it sure didn't seem like it to me. She got a suprised look on her face and informed me she had never seen this ceremony before. It was as new to her as it was to me. After the second flower wreath ceremony things seemed to be over. A different guard took his place on the carpet, and with great detail marched from one side to to other, switching his gun from shoulder to shoulder on precise counts. At one point a woman must have tried to step over the rail to get a better picture because the guard stepped out of his postition and shouted "Mam! Please stay on the other side of the guard rail," and he stayed there until she was back in her place. If I had been that woman I would have peed my pants. I was startled enough and I was totally in the clear.

After the guard had been doing his duty for around 8 minutes the real changing of the guard began. There was a lot of shouting, gun inspecting and marching. Several minutes later a new guard had taken his place on the carpet and we decided to make our exit.

Arlington doesn't offer the thrills of an amusement park, the excitement of a live show, or even the satisfaction of a good restaurant. Instead from a visit to Arlington you are able to gain an understanding of where our country has come from and of some of the people who helped us get here. You are also able to play a part in celebrating the memories of these men and women, whether they were a President or a Private, each headstone has hopes, dreams, and a story attached to it, in turn offering so much for us to learn.

The City Sees Red

2010-05-24T14:19:00.001-07:00

It started in mid March. A group labeled the "Red Shirts" descended upon Bangkok intent on making their voices heard. It started quitely but still, to be cautious, we cancelled school during the first day(s) of the protest. If you drove downtown, near the government houses, police clad in riot gear lined the streets. Still, the protests continued peacfully. For weeks they continued to protest, trying tactic after tactic, until finally, the violence began.

It was April 10th. I had one week left in Thailand and there were stlll a couple things left on my to do list, one being go to the top of the Baiyok Tower to get an ariel perspective of Bangkok. As our taxi drove through downtown we could see truckfulls of Redshirts passing us by, headed in the direction of Central World. We continued onto the tower and up to it's observation deck, where, we could see the never ending city stretch on for miles and miles, but it was the action directly below that seemed to catch our eye. By the time we had once again reached the ground the street we had traveled on earlier had been closed. Cars decked in red flags sat parked on the city streets. In the middle of a usually busy intersection sat 5 parked taxi's, a man standing on the top shouting to the continually growing crowed of red shirts. Instead of running away, I ran toward to demonstration, not hoping to join in, but hopeing to capture a fantastic picture. I probably would have ventured right into the middle of everything if my friends mother hadn't been there, asking us to just head back to the school. That night, in another protest a few miles away near Khao San Road, a group dressed in black entered the protests and shots rang out. In the end of it all 25 people where dead and countless more were injured.

During the Songkran Celebrations over the following week things would settle down a bit (although many participants in Chiang Mai, where I celebrated the holiday, waved red flags and sported red shirts and bandanas) but then the protests got stronger and stronger. By this time I had left Thailand so everything I was hearing was secondhand. My friends continually wrote on their facebook statuses to "Pray for Thailand." In America the events in Thailand were lucky to get an inch of space buried in a newspaper so I began to beleive things could be getting better. So, when last Thursday the Bangkok protests took up the entire front page of the Seattle Times, I took notice. The clashes had come to a head, and through that the red shirts had burned many buildings in Bangkok and other cities, including Central World Mall, where we had seen the protesters gathered all those many weeks ago. Out of all the buildings burned Central World was the only one which I had visited on several occasions, so when I saw the pictures of the burned out hull of the Zen Department store and the completely collapsed center section, I teared up. I mean gosh, I was just there a month ago! Taking pictures at Toys R Us and watching a movie..... So many memories, so much money lost, such an institution....

(Photo Cred: The Bangkok Post. It's a little blurry but the best I could find I was allowed to use)

Some now beleive that the red shirts protest is nearing it's end, although curfews remain in effect around Bangkok. The leaders have surrenedered and the others have dispersed, but will it really be over? I doubt it. Obviously the red shirts felt strong enough about the current government to go all out this time, I'm sure they will again, and for their sake rightly so, but what would happen if they did get their way? That's the real issue. Journey back to late 2008 when instead of the red shirts it was the yellow shirts (or PAD) protesting for control, and in hopes to gain it they staged an Airport takeover, lasting a week and causing great detriment to the tourist industry. In the end they got their way, motivating a red shirt protest in return. So if the red shirts got their way wouldn't the yellow shirts only once again protest? Causing an endless cycle? I guess we'll see, but for the sake of my beloved Thailand I hope it gets worked out soon.

Then, Now, Next

2010-05-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

I've now been back in the States for 3 weeks. One things for sure, my life here isn't nearly as exciting as my life in Thailand was. I'm not planning on keeping in that way for long though, even if I have to move half way around the world again.

So what have I been up to since I've been home? Well... I've met up with some friends, gone treasure hunting at Goodwill, many times, taken Elaina to the park, many times, and made several little strolls down to the Redbox. I finished 2 Seasons of ER while I put together my Blog Book for the first year I was in Thailand (second year is still in progress). Watching to much TV is a sickness.
The most substantial thing I've done in my three week break so far is make future plans, beginning with this summer. While those plans sadly don't include any international travel (except for maybe Victoria or Vancouver), it looks like my summer will be pretty good. Being a camp counselor, working with the church youthgroup, traipsing through Twilight territory (aka the Olympic Peninsula) with my family and who knows what else might come up?
The other plan I've been trying to make is what I will do with myself. I don't want to teach grade school, that much is certain, but I need something..... So, after researching and assessing my desires I've decided to enroll in an EMT Basic program. After working for a year as an EMT you can then take the Paramedic class. Now, you may be thinking, WHOA! that was out of the blue, especially those of you who have come to know me in the recent years, BUT I did start out college as a Pre-Med Major, only switching because I detested spending hours upon hours in the science lab. Now, I'd like to do the program in the fall, but acceptance is on a first come first served basis, so we'll see. And if I were able to find an amazing travel job in the meantime....well, I could be persuaded to change directions :)

What am I doing now? A couple weeks ago a woman from my church called me up and asked if I would like to share my travel experiences with the Senior group at the church. So tomorrow, I will be attempting to fit 4 years and 21 countries worth of experiences into a presentation. I don't exactly know how it will go yet, or what I will spend the most of my time on. I've made a video slide show to play in the background and I'm hoping to just go from there without losing myself in my thoughts.

And what's next? Awhile ago I posted my 20+10 in 2010 list of things I wanted to do this year. With the assistance of Delta Airlines (who was having an AWESOME sale), I will be tackling #9: Visit at least one college friend. Tomorrow night I will be heading to DC on the redeye. While this isn't my first trip to the nations capital, it is my first time back since I graduated 3 years ago so I'm super excited. The week promises to be filled with exciting adventures. Expect a full report here when I get back.

How I became a "box luggage" believer

2010-05-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Until about a year ago I staunchly refused to invest in or use bulky, boxy suitcases. Aside from their obvious size and heft, it was more what they represented that turned me off. I pictured businessmen and well off women walking down an airport hallway with their carry-on trailing behind them, and families fresh off the plane stacking boxy black suitcases identical to every other suitcase on the carousel, onto a luggage cart. This jet-setting, family vacation aura went completely against the adventure-traveler, living out of a backpack persona I was trying to cultivate for myself. So what happened to change my mind? After 4 straight years of traveling, and even more than that, moving around the world, I got smarter. I learned the techniques of maximizing space and traveling comfortably, no matter what luggage I use, one of those now being a boxy, rolling, carry on. Now, I don't want to give the impression that I ran out to Macy's and bought some fantastic 5 piece, Navy Blue luggage set that I got an incredible deal on. The change isn't as severe as that. One step at a time right? My motivation to buy a rolling carry on suitcase really came from the fact that I had a lot of heavy, and breakable items that I wanted to bring home from Thailand with me last summer. I couldn't just throw them into my checked baggage. So I went on the search for some luggage, Thailand being a luggage capital, or at least it seems like it. I checked around at the Night Bazaar and Khao Saan Road, but the prices they were asking I felt were far to steep for something that would probably break in the airport as I ran to catch my connecting flight. Before I knew it I was hours away from flying home and still without a suitcase, so I walked down to our neighborhood Big C (like Walmart) and picked one up for $15. Chances were that it would break in the airport, but at least it was cheap and it would get me home like I needed. And it did make it home as well as back and forth to Thailand over the next year. But the real victory wasn't in that it survived, it was in what I was able to fit into it. When I returned to Bangkok for the new school year last June my carry on weighed 45 lbs! I forced construction paper and other heavy school supplies into it, weight restrictions being my biggest nemeses in the travel industry. Then, when I traveled home for Christmas I was able to pack the bag full of breakable gifts, and just this last month, as I prepared to move home I was able to load it with my heavy DVD case, which would have surly sent my checked luggage over the edge.
    So, now that I've moved home and I no longer find myself having to haul large amounts of heavy items from one country to another does my faith in box luggage stand? Absolutely, in fact I just decommissioned my trusty silver and black Thailand rolling carry on and invested in a slightly larger, and much cooler looking rolling carry on from Target. In these days of ridiculous checked bag fees, as I fly domestically I will rely more and more heavily on my carry on, and if I don't have to carry that said carry on on my back or shoulder I know my body will be thanking me in 30 years.
    So what happened to my rolling duffels, my backpacks, my shoulder bags? They're still here. Like I said babysteps right? I have not yet dived in and purchased a "giant" box suitcase. My rolling duffels weigh much lighter and since so much of my "checked bag" traveling relies on bags weighing less than 50lbs, I think I'll have my rolling duffels for awhile.
     My backpack collection is still going strong. Although I had to abandon my wonderful, but not practical 100 liter Deutor bag in Thailand, my 45 liter REI backpack is just waiting for the next adventure. Afterall, can you really use rolling luggage on the Inca Trail right?

So that's my story. I don't see myself as an less of an adventure seeking, backpacking traveler for finding great use in box luggage, just a smarter one.

My New Favorite Holiday

2010-05-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

Imagine, you're on vacation in a foreign country and are excited to get out and start exploring the historic town you're staying in. As you walk down a wet street in search of a place to eat lunch you notice a man standing near the entrance of a bar with a beer in one hand and a menacing look on his face. You decide to be careful and give the man a wide berth. As you mentally begin to celebrate for being able to avoid such "danger" you suddenly feel the deathly chill of a bucket of ice water being poured down your back. Immediately you recoil but you can't get angry. It's the Songkran Holiday and being soaking wet from 8am to 6pm comes with the territory.

Songkran is a celebration of the Thai new year. It has been celebrated in North Thailand for hundreds of years and is now celebrated around the country. Originally Thai's would mark this occasion by pouring a small cup full of water on their friends and neighbors as a blessing for the new year, today the celebration has morphed into a 4 day, all out, nationwide waterfight.
   Because Songkran coincided so closely with the end of our school year at GES, I vowed that the year I left Thailand I would stay to celebrate Songkran. Since my departure came at the end of this last school year, along with several other of my teacher friends we began planning a trip to Chiang Mai, which was rumoured to have the best celebration in all of Thailand (being that Chiang Mai is the largest city in Northern Thailand, that makes total sense).

When we first began planning the trip to Chaing Mai we had wanted to take the 14 hour sleeper train ride there from Bangkok. It would give us space to stretch out, unlike a bus, and we had heard it was a "must do" experience. While I'd been in a sleeper train before in India (and let me say, that WAS an experience), I wanted to give the fabled Thai sleeper train a chance.
   We waited and waited until a month before Songkran when we could finally book the tickets. We had Kru Nee in the GES office call the station. She reported back to us that the berths we wanted were no longer available. Well Crap! This was the second time in a year where I had tried to take a train and been "rejected." So the bus it was!
   Our bus to Chiang Mai actually wasn't that bad, maybe even the nicest bus ride I've had. The seats were only three across, which meant extra arm room, and Kelly and I sat in the back/exit row, which meant we could recline as far as we wanted and we had tons of foot space.

   Our trip to Chiang Mai was for a total of 4 days. One day I knew I wanted to do the "Flight of the Gibbons," a zipline adventure through the tall rainforest, but the rest of our days were free to play in the water.

   The first day we didn't know what to expect. We bought water guns and dressed to get wet, but we didn't really know how it would all work. We didn't have to wait long to find out. As soon as we reached the main street people were already viewing our dry clothes as something that must be eliminated ASAP. The closer we got to the Taepae Gate the more chaotic things got. Traffic crawled along, barely. Pick-up trucks and topless tuk tuks were loaded with people and endless buckets of ice water. Dance music pumped from the Coca Cola stage. It was like one big, wet, party.
   Never before have I wanted a waterproof camera so badly! Some of the pictures would have been amazing! Early on on Wednesday, after a quick and very wet trip to the hospital to make sure Shaela hadn't broken her elbow we walked around in the waterfight for a bit but then decided to rent a tuk tuk and take advantage of the large bucket of water, ice water, that came along with it. Sarah and I planted ourselves on the seat back while our two gimps, Kelly and Shaela, sat on the seat. Our driver took us around the inside of the city moat (where all the songkran water was coming from, I don't even want to know what was in it) and we had a grand old time throwing water at people and surprising them with the ice water.
   We had so much fun riding around on the tuk tuk on Wednesday that we decided to do it again before we left on Thursday. That time, looking back, it was a bit more of a mistake. We got a much later start and found ourselves absolutely freezing. We were so cold that we actually dreamed of jumping into the klong (moat), dirty water and all.

This is me fighting with a little kid in a truck, I think he won

Staying to celebrate Songkran was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Any country that will have a national waterfight is all right in my book. I hope I can get back to celebrate it in Chiang Mai again one day, hopefully armed with a waterproof camera :)