What A Year!

2011 has truly been a year to remember.  In all honestly, I feel like I was just sitting here recapping 2010!  This year has flown by, but has not been without event.  I have to say that it has been one of the most growing years for me spiritually.  God has grown me through the valleys as well as on top of the many mountains of 2011.  Looking back, I had no idea that this year would hold so much for me.  We never do predict these things well. :-) 

~Major Events of 2011~

**Started school at Skagit Valley College.  Big change for me after taking several years off after highschool.  I am thoroughly enjoying the challenge musically and academically. 

**Began new ministries, primarily that of working in our church print shop.  I absolutely LOVE this ministry! 

**Embarked on my first missions trip.  Staying in Thailand for three months was an experience I'll never forget.  I learned so much in that little amount of time. God opened my eyes to so many needs!  It didn't take long after being there for me to fall in love with the people and the culture.

**Saw a dear friend married and another close friend join the military.  Miss you guys!!! :-)  Meanwhile, God has provided given me new friends throughout the year and I'm so grateful for them. God is so good to me.

This really just scratches the surface.  Knowing what I do now about this past year makes me so curious about 2012.  What changes will ensue?  I know that whatever happens, God's plan is perfect. 

May your 2012 be filled with God's blessings!

Tigers!

Yesterday the adventure continued with an outing to Tiger Kingdom.  I've been looking forward to this for a while now, so it was quite exciting.  You are given four options of sizes to visit: Smallest, Small, Medium, Large.  You can choose which to be in the cage with, then they allow you to walk around to see the others.  From the outside of course. :-)

Pookie and I chose the smallest tigers.  Adorable little babies!! They ranged from 2-3 months old and were just so cute! They were so fun to cuddle with.  Of course, they had their little tempers, but they're in training stage. 

David Martin is here visiting for two weeks and he came with us.  He decided to visit the small tigers, which happened to not be so small!  At 11 months old, they were over six feet when standing on their hind legs!

I've spent today preparing to leave, and that's been very hard yet exciting at the same time.  I'm very happy to see my family and church again, but a piece of my heart is here now and I find it difficult to leave.  Lord willing I'll be back. 

Pookie was disappointed that I would be missing Songkran Festival, which takes place earlier in the year.  Songkran Festival is the water festival where the entire country douses each other in water for several days.  Ahhh!!  Talk about a water fight!! Well, I was coming out of my room earlier only to be greeted with a very large cup of water being thrown on me! A few minutes later, again as I was coming into the house. Should have been prepared that time! So, I guess you could say that we had our own mini-Songkran Festival here in the house. :-D

Tonight consists of dinner out and then my last Thai massage.  Perfect before a looooong time of traveling.  So, my readers, this is my last blogpost from Thailand.  I hope you've enjoyed reading about my adventures and I can assure you, they're not over yet!

Wat Chet Yot

Today I had the opportunity to see one of the ruined temples here in Chiang Mai, Wat Chet Yot.  It's still an active temple despite its age and condition.  It was built in 1453 during the reign of King Tilokkarat.  Bro. Tom made a great tour guide and explained many things to me about Buddhism and their beliefs. 

Aside from the religious aspect of the building, the architecture was very beautiful.  The artistry of the engravings must have been magnificent centuries ago!

Click to enlarge for more details.

Apple PIE?!

Yes.....that is Apple Pie.  Isn't it huge?!  A favorite restaurant of ours here in Chiang Mai is the Dukes.  They serve many delicious desserts but the one that caught my eye was this amazingly thick Apple Pie.  So, I ordered it.  It tastes as good as it looks!  You bet your bananas I'll be making (attempting?) this when I get home!

I wish you could see it more to scale.  It's larger than it looks in this picture. And yeah, those are giant cookies underneath!

Please leave comments! I love to know who is reading my blog and I have to say I've seen a lot of hits from Australia and the Netherlands. Hmm.....the mystery....



Let it begin!

And so....let the printing begin! :-)

Cafe Amazon.....always a nice addition to any job. :-)

Does this picture really need a subtitle??? :-p

Fruits

Ok.....so an interesting experience since I have been here is the fruits not available in the states.  Here are some that I've tried (Except Durian).

1. Durian.  Ick Ick Ick.  I am not brave enough to try it, but you can smell it a mile away.  It's a favorite of the locals (NOT by farang). 

2. Jackfruit.  Delicious!! The fruit is actually very large and looks like Durian on the outside.  The inside is quite different. :-)

3. Kong Thai

4. Lamyai.  This grows everywhere here in Chiang Mai!

4. Mangosteen.  YUM!!!  Soooo juicy!

5. Papaya.  A very popular dish here is Som Tum (Papaya Salad). It's more savory than it is sweet. I recommend ordering it with NO peppers....

6. Passionfruit

7. Rambutan.  Looks like it would be spiky but it's not.  Quite a unique and delicious fruit!

8. Pomelo

9. Rose Apple.  Tastes similar to an apple but not sweet.

10.  Ok....I don't know if this counts really but....the fried bananas here are just so good!!! :-D

11.  And I forgot to add Dragonfruit.  An interesting flavor and definitely an interesting look! The purple one is more sweet than the white.

Of course, there are many fruits I haven't tried yet and maybe I'll get the chance before I leave. (I hope!)

Van drives uphill with no engine!

This was a fun experience on our recent trip!

Nearing The End

My time here in Thailand is drawing to a close. I have nine full days left and I know they will zap so quickly, before I know it I'll be on the long flight back. First, let me show you what we were able to do last week. I went with a few of the coworkers to a waterfall and it was so much fun! From the bottom it looked pretty piddly. But as we climbed higher....and higher..*gasp!* It was really beautiful. At one point, I got rather scared about jumping over rushing water from one slippery rock to another. But with the help of my trusty coworkers I made it across with no trouble and was rewarded by the beautiful view from the top.

Starting out at the bottom of the waterfall.

I don't know if you can see.....but Kaw is up high and Bro. A is down low. (Click to enlarge)

Climbing UP the waterfall!

Ok this is the part that I got scared....

Looking dooooowwn.....

Yes.....I can do this..I think...

Aaahhh!!!

Totally worth it to climb to the top!

If you enlarge you will see that Bro. Jeng Lang has lost his shoe. Hahaha!  He climbed down and surprisingly found it!

Kaw.....he was officially dubbed the Monkey. :-)

The Guys

So now....my time left is short, but it's not over yet. Much is planned and I hope to make the most of the time I have left.  It has been so nice to have the Gaudets back.  It's a blessing to be able to spend time with missionaries who have been on the field for over 30 years and to see a little what their lives are like.  If I've learned anything since I've been here it's how effective prayer is. We've seen Satan so obviously fighting in so many areas.  Prayer is such a powerful thing and through it we've seen the Lord do mighty things.  I can't WAIT to see what He has in store for the future.