Our Life in Graphs

True Story

2012-02-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

I think I was only stuck for about 10 minutes, but it sure felt like longer. Andrew had to come rescue me!

New Year's Eve Movie

You've Got Mail Elevator Scene (I can't seem to embed this video, but it's my favorite, so watch it)

Grey's Anatomy Elevator Scene

Giraffe Graph

2012-02-07T13:29:00.005-07:00

Seriously, this is my first post about giraffes?

This is exaggeratedly true data.

Crafternoon: Mini Quilt

2012-02-03T12:07:00.000-07:00

New section on the blog: Crafternoon. My roommates and I used to have crafternoon every week back in the day. One time we just put on a lot of temporary tattoos. Usually, though, our crafts involved paper and glitter and adding things to our walls. It was a lot of fun.

Crafternoon isn't as regular or well-attended these days, but sometimes Ric still comes over and Asia used to, before she moved. Anyway, I've switched to sewing and I really enjoy it. At this point in my life, I am more of a learn-as-you-go sew-er (not sewer! ew!), so it either takes me forever to make something or it is a little haphazard.

When Mae Nontakorn was here the last two weeks, I wanted to make her something to remember her trip to America. And I needed to thank her in a way she could understand for being such a great lady and taking care of Andrew on his mission, us while we were in Thailand, and even us in our apartment here in America! So, I made up a mini quilt based off of this tutorial from the Purl Bee (they have a great mini quilt series!).

It's the Salt Lake Temple in Utah. Unfortunately during Mae's visit, that temple was closed for cleaning. We were able to visit the Mt. Timpanogos temple together, though, and it was a wonderful experience.

The purple fabric is from Thailand, and the blue and green was a gift from Natalie for my birthday (thanks again!).

My biggest problems arose when piecing the triangles (my method is not the best, I'll have to find a new one :)) and when quilting. I don't have a walking foot, so I had to be careful. I think I only ended up with two puckers--my best work yet! haha. And I also need to work on sewing in a straight line :)

I added slanted pockets to hang the quilt up with a dowel, but Mae said she's going to frame it. That's a cheap process in Thailand!

Size: about 20x20
Total time to completion: 1 week

My other blogs . . .

2012-01-27T13:01:00.000-07:00

. . . have more words than this one. Most blogs do, I think.

But this blog is funnier. To me.

(I wanted to be fancy and add links in the actual graph--more subtle--but I'm too proud to ask the programmers I work with to help me.)
FamilyHistorynotebook
BillionGraves
Power.ME

Can you be sick of this song?

2012-01-25T13:29:00.001-07:00

So I'm an avid Pandora listener now, and I rotate through channels all day long while I write posts for other blogs. Of course, most Pandora channels get a little stale after an hour, but MAN did they have this song on every single Disney album in the whole collection. I could not escape it.

It lead me to wonder, are you even allowed to get sick of this song? Regardless of the happy images of toys getting along that it inspires, the message is just too nice to get annoyed at. Yeah, I got a friend! And even though my friend isn't as smart as some other folks, he sure loves me a lot. There isn't anything he wouldn't do.

I'm still giving myself a few days before I switch to that channel again, though.

Image via Pixar

Great News

2012-01-19T10:51:00.001-07:00

We have been so fortunate this year. Andrew has gotten into his first and second choices for law school next year! (and his LAST choice, too!) He worked so hard, and both the schools and I know he will keep working hard next year. But now we may be faced with a dilemma.

Thanks, Chrissy, for the inspiration.

We'll keep you posted about any further acceptances and our decision concerning next year.

Andrewism #20

2012-01-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

This one isn't the traditional Andrewism, but it left me in stitches (and I haven't posted in a while).

Me: "Why did you throw those napkins on the floor?"
Andrew: "Because they got munched."
Translation: Bunched.
Best Part: Through my tears, I asked who munched them, then tried to explain what munched meant, and he kept insisting that MUNCHED is EXACTLY what he meant.

Andrewism #19

2011-11-28T12:22:00.001-07:00

Warning: This one is PG.

"I just took a crap in the dark."
Translation: Shot in the dark. Crap Shoot.
Best Part: Said in front of my dad during a game of Ticket to Ride.

It's over

2011-11-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

The wait is. Both Andrew's LSAT score and my new job have arrived in our lives!

We have TONS to be grateful for this November!

Flashback: Engagements

2011-11-07T09:41:00.001-07:00

*Or, in other words, now that the Tabernacle has been announced as a new temple site!

We took our engagement photos at the Tabernacle. It was so beautiful! I am so glad they are making it a temple and restoring what is left of the building.

Also,

Natalie,

We have all the same engagement pictures. Here are some counter examples to the ones you posted:

And even though you didn't post any from here in your give thanks post, I already know you have some:

Waiting for Superman

2011-10-24T08:29:00.001-06:00

I think you can see why we've had a nerve-wracking transition back to America. Andrew did a great job studying, and now we're just waiting for his LSAT score. We also went and talked to representatives from our top ten law schools last week, and I feel really good about our options! I'm excited to start planning for where we will be next year.

Money Money Money MONEY

2011-10-21T21:57:00.002-06:00

Oh man. I need a job. And one with health insurance.

Also, how is it October already?

Home Again

2011-09-12T10:28:00.000-06:00

I swear I wake up in a new city every morning. Here's a map of our travels:

I'm not complaining though, really. Now I am REALLY excited to do housework and chill. So nice to be home!

(Also, it's freezing. 68 degrees last night!)

I lied a little.

2011-09-05T19:12:00.000-06:00

This is the last Thailand post. We just wanted to share a few last photos of the people we will miss the most:

1. Prawech and his wife. They have been involved with the BYU program for years, and they made us feel so at home when we first got to Thailand. We had a great goodbye dinner with them a few weeks ago.

2. Mae Nontakorn: Andrew's mission "mom" treated us SO well when we went to Bangkok. We love her so much.

3. Manop and Anna: My bosses at work. They are such great examples of hard work and humility. Anna fed me every day and taught me so much during the summer.

4. Tee and Ian! Our travel agents all summer. Also our best friends. Also our favorite cooks. We couldn't have done this summer without them.

Ok, that's it. It's really over. 2nd week of school for Andrew, and last week of second vacation for me! Life goes on, but we are so much better after this summer in Thailand, and I'm so grateful for that!

Whirlwind Tour

2011-09-05T19:01:00.002-06:00

Andrew's mom, Jody, and her husband Bill came to Thailand to help ease the pain of saying goodbye. We embarked on quite the vacation together!

Our adventures started in Chiang Mai. We finally went to the elephant camp I've been wanting to go to all summer. It was fabulous. Those elephants are just SO smart.

We did another cooking class, zipped around town in songtaews, tuk-tuks, and motorcys, flew through the jungle on ziplines, and played with snakes (AGAIN).

And we had a GREAT time! The picture of Andrew pointing at the blue board shows a picture of him at the same snake farm earlier this summer! He asked if he could get in for free since they were using his photo for advertising, and they said next time. Really?

Next we headed to Luang Prabang, a French-influenced Laotian city. It was like stepping back in time 100 years. We had such a great time relaxing and wandering around the city.

And then we went back to my favorite spot: Phi Phi Island. We took far fewer photos this time so we could enjoy the moment.

We are so glad Jody and Bill were able to come and see this place we love so much! We had a great time with them, and we were able to say goodbye to ALL of Thailand!

Chiang Rai

2011-09-05T18:30:00.000-06:00

Only 2 more Thailand posts!

Our last trip with the students involved renewing our visas in Myanmar. We turned it into a weekend trip and stopped at some sights along the way.

First was the White Temple:

Andrew thought that was the best no-smoking sign he had ever seen. The White Temple is relatively new. It has a large mural inside depicting Heaven and Hell. The mural features some familiar characters: you'll see Spiderman, Kung Fu Panda, Star Trek characters, Transformers, etc. We aren't too sure why they are there--surely enjoying Kung Fu Panda can't mean you're going to hell. Right?!

We also visited a geyser in the middle of a parking lot.

...Where we find this giant. (Becca stepped on it accidentally a few moments later. I thought for sure it was big enough to see, but I guess not!)

So we did.

After a brief shopping stint in Myanmar, we enjoyed a nice, expensive, unsatisfying breakfast on the river. But at least we got a cool group shot.

Then we floated along the Golden Triangle to a little island in Laos.

The Golden Triangle is at the intersection of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, at the most northern point of Thailand.

Rambo, from our trek. He liked our students. I mean, who wouldn't?

This helps you understand. I was a little disappointed we didn't get to stand in ALL THREE at once. No one told me the actual triangle was in the middle of the river.

At the top of another temple in northern Thailand.

I loved doing that.

Such beautiful vistas in Thailand.

We're coming to America

2011-08-24T11:13:00.000-06:00

TODAY!

My country tis of thee!

TODAY!

Sweet land of liberty!

TODAY!

Of thee I siiing,

TODAY!

Of thee I siiiiiiiiiing!

So, it's kind of today...but first we fly back to CM, then to Korea, then to Japan, then America, then home. Maybe in two days we'll be home? Or three? But we've definitely started our journey home already. We've had a great time with Andrew's mom, and now our bags are packed and we're ready to go. I have a few more weekend trips and adventures to blog about, but we've had tricky internet situations the last week, so I haven't even attempted to get caught up.

Anyway, goodbye Thailand! See everyone soon!

Andrewism #18

2011-08-15T13:01:00.000-06:00

"If you give a mouse a crumb, uh, he will beat you up in an alley."
Translation: If you give a mouse a cookie...
Best Part: The mice (or rats) here are really big enough that they COULD beat you up in an alley. Andrew's mom saw one today!

I whip my hair back and forth

2011-08-11T22:51:00.000-06:00

I can't wait to let my hair go free when we get home. It's getting pretty crazy. Also, the new conditioner I bought here is sticky, so that can't be helping matters.

Our second to last weekend together was spent at a boat house on a lake. In Thai, it turns out "boat house" just means "floating house." Thailand always surprises me. Like, when we visited this waterfall:

Nang (remember him from the trek?) told me I could climb the waterfall. Yeah, right, that thing's wet. I was wrong! You can climb up the waterfall. The rocks were almost sticky even! I loved it.

We only got mostly wet. Our camera survived, which was good.

This is us looking down from the top of the waterfall. Such a beautiful spot!

We needed more group photos, so we took a few.

This is us playing "never have I ever" in the lake at night. We look like we just floated the whole time, but actually, we played tons of fun games. The best was nighttime spoons. We put glowsticks in water bottles and threw them in the lake. Then the first person to get four of a kind in cards grabbed the bottle in the middle, and the rest of us had to jump in the lake and grab a bottle. The last person didn't get a bottle, so they were out. It was all fun and games. Also, someone got hurt. But she's ok now.

This is the view from our little inlet. It was a gorgeous lake. All of those houses are like the one we stayed in.

It was another successful weekend with some really awesome people. We got to relax a bit and catch up on our reading for school :)

RIP, Neck Pillows

2011-08-09T22:27:00.000-06:00

*For Andrew and Laura combined; when colors disappear from chart, that means that pillow died along the way. As in, we lost it.

That one was a little complicated. In sum, we have no more neck pillows, and plenty of traveling left.

We had to renew our visas a few weeks ago, so we set up a trip to Laos via Udon, a city where one of Andrew's best mission buddies lives. Wongsagorn and his wife tagged along with us to the Laotian capital, and we had a blast together. I was so glad to finally meet this mission friend Andrew loves so much. He is the branch president of the little LDS congregation on the border, a tough job that he performs very well! It was great to spend time with them, and we are already planning their trip to visit us in America!

We went to a beautiful statue garden. Each statue represented a story from Buddhism teachings. I was so impressed--"How old is this place?!" I asked. Wongsagorn said it was nearly 25 years old. Oh. Cool, I guess.

We got to eat at an Indian restaurant Andrew frequented on his mission. Ali, the owner, moved his restaurant to Udon recently. Andrew: "Do you remember me?" Ali: "Sure, why not?" He was a funny guy, and his food was delicious.

Andrew and Wongsagorn on an abandoned ship. They had fun playing together on the trip.

Walking on the friendship bridge between Thailand and Laos. We could only walk halfway, but we drove across the next day.

We went out for Vietnamese food on the border. Really good. These two are besties.

Dinner was right on the river, and we got to watch the sunset. Of course pictures don't do it justice, but I wanted to remember that we got to see it in real life!

A temple in Vientiane. It was really really hot in Vientiane. We rode bikes around the city, which made transportation easier and comfort nil.

There were some kittens inside one temple, and Wongsagorn started meowing. He was really good at it. All the kittens ran to him, more came out from behind chairs and pillars, and they followed him around everywhere! So funny!

Of course we had to get Swensen's ice cream together.

Here's all four of us. Wongsagorn's wife was really nice, and I could tell we would be friends if either of us spoke the other's language.

We also got to visit the LDS church in Vientiane! It's a converted French house in the city. Beautiful. The church isn't officially recognized in Laos, and the government doesn't allow the name of the church to be on the building, so it is called Deseret International Charities. We got to speak to the branch president there, and he showed us around the whole building. I loved this part of our trip!

This is us and Tippetok, our guide (also a mission buddy of Andrew's), on the lawn of the church.

View from Victory Monument, a mediocre replica of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It is unfinished and made of concrete.

Laotian Pepsi.

All four of us in front of Victory Monument.

Saying goodbye at the bus station! We had such a great trip. And we got our visas and got back across the border safely!

You'll find a god in every golden cloister

2011-08-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

We loved our sightseeing in Bangkok. There are some truly beautiful temples there! I don't want to overwhelm you with pictures (we took billions, and those are lost, but luckily we got trillions of pictures from other peoples' cameras), so this post is just collages (I am really in love with those right now).

From far away, the temples were impressive and old, but up close, they were overwhemingly detailed. They used plates and tea cups to decorate parts of the walls, and it made me think of the Kirtland temple!

We also visited the Teak Palace, where Rama V and his family lived for a brief time. It was such a beautiful home, built completely of teak wood! Each section of the house was color-coded so you wouldn't get lost. The center picture in the above collage is the teak palace, and that rounded section was the king's apartment. We all wanted to live there!

Bangkok was a great trip. This is my last post about it, I promise. Today is my last day of work, so our time here in Thailand is coming to a close! It's been an incredible adventure, and I better get the rest of our adventures documented before I get home, because I know I will just get melancholy thinking about Thailand and I won't want to post anymore.

And the tough guys tumble...

2011-08-03T19:58:00.000-06:00

Can't be too careful with your company!

All these photos are real, I'm not even kidding. Mostly I was only terrified of the croc and the man-eating tiger. The cub only wanted milk, not meat, so he was cool.

This zoo was incredible. I've never been so close to so many animals. We got to play with a chimp riding a bike (with training wheels, don't worry), watch lions tumble and fight together, feed crocodiles fish heads, and more. Unbelievable experience.

Andrew feeding crazy bird some cereal. He only liked the fruit loops, definitely not the fruity pebbles.

Notice how cautiously I'm holding this pole. 20 baht (less than $1) to feed a croc a fish head.

So we all did it. I had to have Hayley help me hold the pole...I was afraid I would just let go of it!

The farm has 30000 crocs. The reason why those guys aren't in danger of going extinct.

This chimp made me laugh so hard. It was like playing with a little kid. We all enjoyed his company while he was biking to work.

And then there's this little cub. He was ready to get away from his siblings. The photo lady caught him just in time.

The world's your oyster

2011-08-02T21:04:00.000-06:00

One night, in Bangkok, we went to this delicious restaurant on a pier and ate oysters. I don't even like oysters, but this place was amazing. Check out our starfish dish:

Bangkok's version of Central Park was amazing. They had free aerobics classes going on everywhere, beautiful ponds, and rollerbladers everywhere. I loved it.

Andrew got a suit cut here. I got a dress made and a skirt made. This was a very sweaty shop.

My Thailand staple: cold ovaltine! Hayley and I get it every chance we get.

We also need ice cream a lot here since it's so hot. Becca is rockin' the fray bans.

Thanks to Andrew's extensive knowledge of Bangkok's public transportation systems, we ended up on this little number: the Klong Monster. Think Amsterdam minus clean water plus dead dogs and fast moving taxi-boats.

Hayley's artistic Bangkok photo, touched up slightly courtesy of Picasa. Did I mention we lost our camera in Bangkok? Big thanks to Hayley and Jessica for sharing their photos.

Oh boy was the traffic crazy here. Layers and layers of roads, just like Gotham City.

We had a great time exploring Bangkok. I have a few more posts coming with more and more pics!

Mi Panda, Mi Panda

2011-07-28T22:09:00.003-06:00

We had a quiet weekend before our big Bangkok trip, so we stopped by the Chiang Mai Zoo for the morning. On the way we saw this parade:

And then, of course, we immediately went to visit my favorite animal at the zoo:

We couldn't stay too long with the giraffes, as they had some business to attend to.

I'm still trying to decide whether to bring a Thai Baby or a Thai Baby Elephant home with me.

I really hope I don't bring one of THESE home:

Opposition in all things.

Thailand is awesome, because they always let you venture into the animals' cages. Here is Andrew feeding some hungry hungry penguins:

Please note his white go-go boots. The penguins were really cute, and Mr. Popper made sure each one got a fish.

This zoo also has three pandas; one was born just before Andrew finished his mission in 2009. Pandas really are so cute.

We stopped at the aquarium which has the longest tunnels of any aquarium. I also thought they had a dolphin show, but they didn't, which I found out as we were exiting. Good thing I'm not 5 or I would've thrown a tantrum.

Then at night we went back to the cultural center where we went on our first anniversary, but this time we brought the kids.

This time, it wasn't raining afterward, so we got to stay and watch the hill tribe dances as well. One group did tinikling! Made me think of those Greenland Pines nieces and nephews. Also, these kids were kind of bored with the whole business, so they weren't very diligent about avoiding the crunching of the dancer's ankles. We heard a lot of "OW"s and "OI!"s during this number. Super funny.

It was nice to have a quiet weekend. There won't be any of those left the entire trip!

Andrewism #17

2011-07-24T05:02:00.000-06:00

"BA BING!"
Translation: Cha ching.
Best Part: This could mean "to patch a grilled hole" in Thai. Also not real.

Action, 2 Words, 1st Word...

2011-07-22T10:12:00.001-06:00

Arm motion down, index finger pointed: sit down here
Lips puckered, then shoved head-nod style toward object: it's over there
Legs in a squat, right hand posed ready for action: don't move, I'm going to get the lizard off your shirt and then carefully take it outside so it can still live, because if you try to get it, you will kill it and it will be gross

I'm getting so good at this game.

Lora the Explorer

2011-07-20T01:01:00.001-06:00

We just got back from Bangkok, and we had such fun adventures there. A little mishap with our camera means I am currently picture-less for that trip, so I am going to catch up a bit on our past adventures while I gather photos from the students who went with us.

I haven't talked at all about my job here, really. Now that I have an adventure to associate with my job, I am ready to write about it. If you want a recap of why we are here in Thailand, read this post. Even though I've graduated, BYU gave me the opportunity to be a student for the summer and have my own internship. I work for an NGO here that supports and initiates projects with various hill tribes in Northern Thailand. The projects themselves are varied and depend on the needs of each community the organization works with. One of their big focuses is an organic farm. The NGO set up the farm as an example to villagers of how to farm organically.

Hayley and I had the opportunity to go up to the farm and prepare it for a group of volunteers who came to help with some projects (such as building a multi-purpose building and a water retention pond). We went with our two bosses and spent 2 nights there. The farm is about a 10 minute walk from a road, so we had to unload the truck and carry armloads of food, blankets, etc. down the trail, through a cornfield, and across the river up to the farm.

Sound like one of your favorite kids' shows?

Hill, Cornfield, Bamboo Bridge!
We did it, we did it, we did it, YEAH!

Here is a picture of Manop, my boss, and Anna, my other boss, and the gardener trying to fix the water system at the farm. We couldn't help much with this project.

Hayley and I watched from the bamboo hut Manop built the week before. Mostly no one spoke English to us, so it was sometimes difficult to find things to do.

Me or Hayley: What can we help with now?
Manop or Anna: Umm...just rest.

or

Hayley: Do we need to clean out this hut too?
Manop: Yes.
Me: Ok, Hayley and I can go do that.
Manop: Oh, it's ok. We can do it.

The farm is beautiful. Everything is green. They have 35 different fruit trees, so we had papaya, pineapple, and some new fruits as refreshment while we worked. It was a great trip, and I loved being more involved with what this organization actually does, which was nice after being so involved with the business end this summer.

We made a lot of tiny friends on the trip, though. Here is a fly that followed me for an hour. Also, there is no picture, but I had a lizard in my shirt for four hours. Four hours. Had no idea.

We went on a 3km walk to see all of the tribal communities in the area one night. We stopped at the Karen village. It was beautiful! The Karen people are really good at living with the land, not changing it. So each house was built into the forest, there were very few open spaces without trees, and hardly any "developed" areas. Manop explained that they take care of the land very well. They help preserve the forest from deforestation.

To "rest" when we got back, we did a day-long adventure to Doi Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand. It was actually COLD at the summit! Amazing. We stopped at three beautiful waterfalls on the way back. To see photos of that adventure, check out Hayley's blog. I wasn't smart enough to bring my camera.

Andrewism #16

2011-07-16T01:39:00.000-06:00

"Man, this place is POPPIN'!"
Translation: Hopping
Best Part: It stuck.

Is there a Fourth in Thailand?

2011-07-12T21:44:00.001-06:00

Yes!

The American Consulate held a huge bash for anyone who loves America last Monday. We love America, so we went. Andrew sported his BYU football shirt, and I wore a blue skirt (red is hard to come by in our family; go BYU!).

They had delicious American food for us: burgers, hot dogs, pizza, APPLE PIE, lemonade, burritos, steak. We loved it:

They had carnival games, bouncy houses, and even video games for the kids. This little one couldn't get enough:

All our students ride bikes to get around town. After riding one across town for the first time yesterday, I have a new found appreciation for their skills! Here is me trying to be both artistic and skilled at editing (Thank you Picasa, for giving me such quick options to make my photos look so different from their originals. One day I'll make you show me how to make them look better.):

We leave for Bangkok tomorrow! Aboard the Hogwarts express!

Vacation from Our Problems

2011-07-10T21:35:00.004-06:00

We had such a great trip to the beach. We flew down to Phuket, but we heard that we'd have a better time on Phi Phi Island or Krabi, so we took a ferry off Phuket as soon as possible (Phuket caters to a younger, looser crowd, and transportation is expensive too). We stopped on Phi Phi for 1.5 days, then continued by boat to Ao Nang beach near Krabi for the rest of our stay. We got to Phi Phi Island twenty minutes before the day-long boat trip left, so we changed to our swimsuits and jumped on the boat! This is what our day was like:

Snorkeling x 4
Island hopping x 5
Beach lounging x 2
Swimming x 3
Lunch x 1

We had the absolute best time. I think I could have just done the boat trip and been satisfied. The water was just as I pictured it, and there were islands popping up everywhere!

We got slightly sunburned, though, so the rest of our trip was pretty low-key. We loved our hotel at Ao Nang, ate delicious Indian food up the street, and nursed our wounds a bit. On our last afternoon, we took a long boat to Railay beach. We ate lunch at a cafe right on the beach. Beautiful. We went on a short hike and found Phranang beach, which was one of the best swimming beaches I'd ever seen. Passed some monkeys on the way there, and then caught another long boat from that beach back to our hotel.

It was great to have this vacation together. I felt so spoiled being able to go on such an amazing adventure with my husband in such a beautiful place!

I finally learned how to make collages, so this will be a better way to see some of the 500 pictures we took on this trip! Here's Andrew:

And me:

On our boat trip. Andrew rockin' his Ray Bans.

Swimming in a bay.

Phi Phi Island is amazing. There are no cars or motorcycles. You just walk everywhere, and it's so small that walking is easiest anyway!

This is a view of Phi Phi Island after a hike up to a viewpoint. You can see how it's easy to walk everywhere.

Andrew was so mad at that girl for wrecking our picture. I'll have to photoshop her out of it.

A resort on Ao Nang; view from the ferry.

Our nice hotel on Ao Nang. Elephant towels! We took pictures as we unfolded them so I can fold towels like this when we have guests in Provo :) Also, this is the typical Thai bed as spoken of in this post. This one wasn't too bad, but man, I'm excited for our bed back in Provo!

Eating lunch on the beach in Railay. Love the flowers in the smoothies.

Caves on the way to Phranang beach on Railay. Me sporting my aladdin pants!

Monkeys walking along the bamboo fence. We still aren't sure where they were going.

Catching their breath...?

Phranang Beach.

Andrewism #15

2011-07-07T18:38:00.000-06:00

"If nothing happens today, we'll be out of the blue."
Translation: Out of the woods
Best Part: I think this came from the idea that something happens out of the blue. But this Andrewism is really a beautiful combination of several idioms, many of which I still can't pinpoint. (e.g. "in the red," "in the clear," etc.)

Thai Beds

2011-07-03T21:07:00.001-06:00

I was going to make "Thai beds" the hardest on the scale, but I didn't want to exaggerate.

I only complain on days when I get home from a day full of hard work and sweat like this one:

At the deaf orphanage where two of our students work, we were assigned to move the "lids" for the water collectors.

I never would have called them "lids."

Then we built a ditch to collect water.

Andrew is a great taskmaster.

Becca is doing a pretty cool move in this pic. Probably shaking off some mosquitoes.

Then we sandbagged/mudbagged a dam because the pond was going to overflow all too soon.

Luckily, when we were done, we went for a refreshing dip in this:

By the way, we're bringing her home with us.

We learned how to cook

2011-06-30T22:18:00.001-06:00

One of our cultural excursions led us to a cooking school here in CM. We each got to choose 4 dishes we wanted to learn to make. Our chef then took us to the market where we picked out our fresh ingredients and learned about fruits and veggies I may never see again in my lifetime. Then we got to work!

Our first dishes were all curry based, so we each made our own curry paste. Hard work! Andrew and I will stick to buying the paste already made I think.

Everyone working hard frying up their curry dishes. The set up at the school was perfect -- plenty of room to cook, but you could still peek at your neighbor if you got lost!

Andrew really loves cooking, so this activity was perfect for him. He took mental notes the whole time about how to make these dishes exactly the same once we get home.

Between Andrew and I, we made panaeng curry, massaman curry, pad priawan (sweet and sour, but not with the thick ketchup-y sauce), pad thai, kao soy (traditional Northern noodle dish), pad gra pow (basil and pork and lots of peppers), som tum (papaya salad with lots of peppers), and boh bia (spring rolls). So many delicious foods! Once we finished cooking, we sat down to eat it ALL:

Four dishes each was a LOT of food, but we managed.

BTW that list up there is a menu for all you friends and family that want to visit us in the fall. We're hoping our weekends will always be full of dinner parties!

Let's go to the Movies

2011-06-30T21:53:00.001-06:00

So good. I feel like I grew up watching it.

We have seen 5 movies in the theater here . . . that is more theater movies than I've seen since I started college! It's so cheap to see a movie here. I hope we can adjust when we get back to UT.

Also, only 14 days till HP7P2!

World's Best Dad

2011-06-19T10:22:00.000-06:00

Happy Father's Day! (This graph applies to both my dad and Andrew's dad, try to work out THAT data.) We love you both so much. Thanks for all the support. And happy father's day to our many wonderful brothers as well!

AH, get it off me!

2011-06-17T09:48:00.000-06:00

I don't like scorpions.

2011-06-12T21:41:00.003-06:00

These pictures are pretty self-explanatory. We had a pretty interesting cultural excursion the weekend before last.

Lest you think I was enjoying this experience . . .

Ok, this guy was pretty cute.

I was still a little nervous.

Python. Andrew could feel it constricting around his neck.

Cobras.

Say cheese.

Pucker up, buckaroo!

Yep, that's a snake head in his mouth.

Age 6.

I felt more comfortable here. 2 month old baby ellie.

Andrew riding his water buffalo.

When we were leaving, the baby ellie had gone to sleep. So cute.

Andrew is getting really good with our new camera.

Stopped by a beautiful lake on the way home. Little huts line the banks, and you can rent mats to sit on and tables to put your food on. Also you can buy food.

Very fun excursion. I liked the lake and butterflies and orchids best. Andrew liked the scorpions and snakes and buffaloes best. Combined, it was a perfect day for us!

Rice Rice Kill a Man Twice

2011-06-08T22:01:00.001-06:00

Last weekend we went to a water buffalo farm where we learned how to plant, harvest, cook, and eat rice. All in about two hours. I don't know why everyone says growing rice is so hard. This is all you do:

1. Throw rice into a wet field. Wait for it to grow a little bit, then pull it up (roots and all). Be careful of snails in the mud.

2. Plow a new wet field using a water buffalo and an old school plow.

3. I guess it's important to go in a circle, but whatever.

4. Take the rice you pulled up and plant it again, this time in nice, neat rows.

5. Now take a sickle and whack off bundles of rice grains. You don't need the roots this time because the rice is at the top of the . . . grass. Grain. Green part.

6. Pose for a picture because this part is actually really fun and you don't get muddy. Be careful of slicing off your fingers, though. Andrew did that once, in 2008. He's much better at this step now, though.

7. Put the grains into bundles and tie them up. Then carry them over to the processing plant like this.

8. Using a different water buffalo, squeeze all the juice out of the sugar cane. Wait, this is not about rice. But sometimes sugar cane cubes are delicious when paired with sticky rice, so go ahead and do this step. You can use a mule instead if you can't find another water buffalo. (That's how they do it in Tallahassee.)

9. Boil and stir the sugar cane for a while. It might turn into cubes, but maybe you need a nice Thai lady to come finish the process for you.

10. Wash off your feet. That mud is gross, man.

11. Now put all the bundles of rice in a giant bowl. Take nun-chucks and grab a bundle of rice, then slam it against the bottom of the bowl. All of the rice grains will fly out and rest at the bottom of the bowl. Discard the rest of the plant. You can feed it to your water buffaloes.

12. There are a few more steps, but they are pretty easy. Like, blow on the rice in the bowl so the empty grains fly away. And pound the rice a lot. And sift the rice from the shells. Like I said, easy.

13. EAT UP! After you cook some rice, eat it with the sugar cane, or maybe with fruit like mangoes or bananas. Anything is good.

Done. One day. Not even hard.

We are Turtles

2011-06-07T22:30:00.002-06:00

"Slow and steady wins the race," that's how our guide helped me down the mountain on our trek. He kept saying we were turtles. The trek was so amazing; adventure after adventure. I already put a lot of these photos on facebook, but I still wanted to document them here.

The trek was 2 days and 1 night. Hike up a mountain with some fun pit stops, sleep in a hill tribe village, hike down the mountain with more fun pit stops. Here are some highlights:

We got a new camera, and Andrew is SO happy with it. He loves taking photos now, and so I'm sure we'll have a million picture blog posts from now on.

Super precious.
Riding elephants was super fun. Really bumpy, but really fun. And Andrew is the best riding partner.

Our elephant trainer was really into talking pictures for us. He took a bunch of the grass and trees behind us, too. Haha. We'll just showcase the best ones.

Elephants and their trainers grow up together, and they have their own language for communicating. "Hua hua" means go. That's all I remember. Anyway, when our trainer was about to take this photo, he gave a command which I guess meant "smile," and the elephant posed for the picture. Precious.

Andrew being candid and thoughtful by the river.

This is a sample of what our trail looked like. It was so beautiful, so hot, and so steep. We welcomed the three rainstorms that hit us on the first day. We got soaked, but it was so much better than being soaked from sweat. Those little dots in the above picture are hikers; another group was hiking just in front of us.

Our wonderful group! They were such troopers; I think I am the wimpiest person here. But all these wonderful students are so cheerful and helpful that I don't feel too bad about it ;)

This one is blurry for some reason, but this is the hut we stayed in for the night. We laid out our wet clothes to dry in the sun, but alas the next morning, everything was just as wet as it was when we set it out. The whole structure was made of bamboo, and even the flooring was mats made of bamboo poles. It didn't feel too secure, but it withstood our weight just fine in the end.

No picture of this part of the adventure, but once we had relaxed, changed, and cooled down, a hoard of village women came and gave us all amateur Thai massages. It was a really crazy experience that I still don't know how to put into words. It was the worst massage I've ever had, and it lasted thirty minutes. Some of the students had two women attacking their muscles. One student had never had a massage before and really didn't want to have one. "So, is this a pretty good massage?" she asked me, poor girl. I told her that now she HAD to try a real Thai massage, they are pretty great. Especially in comparison to the one we had.

This is one of my favorites. The hill tribe children came to sing to us before we went to bed. Hill tribes have their own languages. Most of the children also speak Thai and a very little bit of English. Andrew talked to them in Thai, and they all flocked to him since they could understand him best. It was so fun to see him with all the babies.

What life looks like through a mosquito net.

Our group at our mountaintop resort. The man on the left is the one who called me a turtle.

The underside of our resort. Thais really have indoor-outdoor living figured out.

On the way down we played in a huge waterfall. I lost my flipflops but Rambo, one of our guides, ran monkey style down the river and got it back! The current was pretty strong.

First pit stop after we made it mostly down the mountain. We whitewater rafted down the chocolate brown river. It wasn't nearly as fun as our rafting adventure with David and Natalie Bean.

Our team worked together and we made it safely down the river to our next pit stop:

Bamboo rafting. Weird and mostly ineffective. I love this photo though.

We had a great time, spent quality time with great people, and made it home safely! Can't ask for much more.

Andrewism #14

2011-06-07T09:07:00.002-06:00

"Well aren't you just a helpless romantic."
Translation: Hopeless romantic
Best Part: When corrected, he responded, "one cup of carrots, two cup of carrots."

Honk if you love helmets

2011-05-25T02:51:00.000-06:00

Notice that there are no crashes. That is significant. Order out of chaos.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

2011-05-18T08:24:00.001-06:00

This whole post is her fault.

On Saturday we gathered together with the students and jumped in a van at 7 am. We drove and drove to the middle of the jungle, and then we donned harnesses and helmets and bug spray. 20 ziplines later, we were back on land.

This is Andrew carrying me. We are both attached to the zipline, don't worry.

At each platform, they would attach us to a line that went around the tree so we couldn't fall off the tiny platforms.

This is our group on one of those scary bridges you see in the movies.

Halfway through, we got some water and took a break.

Everyone really enjoyed the adventure! I think I was the most nervous. But it was a great bonding experience, and man, was that jungle beautiful!

They fed us lunch after since we worked so hard flying through the jungle. And we got free t-shirts!

Losing Weight

2011-05-17T10:10:00.001-06:00

No more sickness, phew. Now we just need to limit our intake of mango sticky rice and find a regular exercise routine!

In Thailand they do aerobics for free in big parking lots. I'm sure we'll have pictures of that adventure soon, because who would pass that up?

For Cassy

2011-05-16T23:00:00.001-06:00

~~NIMBY~~ NOMBL (Not on My Bucket List!)

They were so very brave.

Andrew said he's already eaten some, so he didn't need to do it again.

Routine

2011-05-15T09:59:00.000-06:00

Well, we are almost not sick anymore, and the students got here, so things are looking up! I started work today, and I am really excited about the projects we are working on. Andrew has been busy busy getting everything situated for the students with their host families, cell phones, weekend trips, etc. He won't start work until the middle of next week, but I'm glad he may have some down time before then--he needs a rest!

Here are a few more pictures to keep us up to date on our experiences here:

This is my pile of laundry, fresh from the nice lady down the street who washed, air-dried, and ironed my clothes! I couldn't believe how flat and nice my clothes looked all piled together.

Big adventure night: Moo Getat. Totally guessed on the spelling, but the romanized spelling is made up anyway, and this is how I would spell it.This is a giant open-air warehouse with the longest buffet table you've ever seen. Rows and rows of tables surround the buffet line, and each table gets a kettle with hot coals underneath to cook the meat, veggies, and noodles from the buffet. Andrew was pretty good at it. I was overwhelmed and mostly watched at first. But then I got into it, and the whole experience was a good one!

The desserts we enjoyed: (including some fruit)

Then, last Wednesday, we got to attend the BYU Ballroom Dancers' performance here in Chiang Mai. They were amazing, and we were glad for a fun and cheap date night. The Thais loved it too--the Governor of Chiang Mai was there as well as the President of Chiang Mai University.

Andrew played with the panoramic setting on the camera for this spot, and it was worth the long awkward smile on my part! This is halfway up Doi Suthep, the mountain near our house. We really enjoyed the view overlooking the city. And the air was so much cooler up there, too!

At the top of the mountain, there is a Palace. It is called the Phuphing Palace (stop laughing, Tyson!). It is one of the queen's palaces, and it is surrounded by beautiful gardens and luscious jungle. We loved visiting this spot.

A rose for my mama! You would love to see the flora in the place.

This old tree was pretty amazing.

Andrew, hiding in the jungle. We had to rent his pants and my wrap around skirt to walk on the grounds. They want everyone to be modest. Pretty cool! (We were wearing shorts underneath)

There is a few of these tree trunks on the palace grounds. They have amazing carvings in them!

This is some giant bamboo. I am actually standing on a road, and behind me the bamboo continues on to the ground another 20 feet or so. It was enormous!

On Monday, we got to drop off two of the students at the Children's Shelter where they will work this summer. The shelter is home to orphaned children from the hill tribes in Northern Thailand. Many of the children are deaf, so everyone communicates in sign language. You can read more about the shelter here. It was such a beautiful place up in the mountains. When we got there, a few little girls had made us these beautiful flower crowns to wear! It was such a sweet gift, and they had such skill in making them.

That's all the photos for now. We'll try to take more this weekend.

I love it here, but the malaria stinks.

2011-05-07T22:30:00.000-06:00

I'm at 9 bug bites, which I guess isn't too bad. They itch more the second and third day, though, and each bug bite was received at a different time. So I'm planning on itching forever.

Also, I'm pretty sure the ratios on this graph will change depending on the day. I'll probably repost this graph every week showing how I feel.

Andrew and I have been sick this weekend, which has been a bummer. But I think we're almost back to 100% yay! And our students come tonight, so that will be a nice pick-me-up.

Happy Mother's day! We love you!

Proof we are here

2011-05-03T10:24:00.002-06:00

Why I am blogging so much: I'm in the mood. I should probably save posts and publish them one day at a time, but I am too impatient for that. I want to publish all the posts at once. Also, as soon as I am not in the mood, I'll stop posting, so I want to record as much as I can while Thailand is still new to me!

This is the view from our roof garden. Doi Suthep is in the background--it is a mountain with a temple at the top. We will definitely go there sometime soon.

Wat Chedi Luang. The Emerald Buddha used to be kept in this Wat, but now it is in Bangkok.

I love all the English signs here. I should post one a week or something.

Inside a wat.

Our anniversary dinner! We had so much fun going to the cultural center. We ate on the floor in a huge room with a unique buffet-style Northern Thai meal. They brought the buffet to you though, which was nice. Then there were performances. So neat to watch! We were pretty jet-lagged and sleepy, but it was fun.

Northern food is mostly fried, I learned.

The musicians.

The dancers. For the last dance, they called members of the audience up to dance on stage with them. Of course I went up! (After ducking my head and hiding behind Andrew hoping the nice Thai lady wouldn't ask me to go dance.)

For Family Home Evening on Monday, Andrew and I went to the movies to see Thor. We liked it a lot, and at the beginning of the movie, they played a song and movie about all the wonderful things the King of Thailand has done. Everyone stood up without prompting and sat down when it was through. So amazing! I have never seen anything like it.

Here I am outside of the movie theater with Ronald McDonald who is wai-ing. To wai is to greet someone with your hands in Ron's pose. In America he just waves, so it was cool to see him in another light. Also this McDonalds only sold ice cream and broccoli pies.

Andrew by the Mae Ping River here in Chiang Mai. I don't know why these stairs are here, because the water does not look inviting.

Yeah, staying out of that water for sure! Andrew says it's so brown because of the rainy season.

My turn for a picture.

Outside the American consulate. The outside wall is covered with murals painted by different school groups. My favorites said, "Freedom is...Freedom," "Free. Dom." "Freedom = Friends."

Thanks, Andrew

2011-05-03T04:19:00.001-06:00

Having Andrew here has been invaluable. Is that how I mean to say it? Not really. I could not be here without him. Yes. I think other people could, but I have been so overwhelmed by everything that I can't even speak ENGLISH to anyone. I'll learn how to speak up soon, though.

Today at lunch:
Nice Thai lady (Translated through Andrew): You need to add the fruit and other toppings to your coconut rice.
Me: OK.
Nice Thai lady: (Puts pineapple on my rice. Puts something else--nuts?--on my rice. Puts something else--no idea--on my rice.) You like garlic?
Me (To myself): I think that's really spicy peppers. So no, not on my coconut rice.
Me (To nice Thai lady): No, thank you.
Nice Thai lady: Hmm?
Me: No. Thanks.
Nice Thai lady: Blank stare.
Me: Um, Just a little.
Nice Thai lady: OK, a little.

There, communication. I think I'll be OK here.

Food glorious food

2011-05-02T19:18:00.001-06:00

The best food places so far have been back in an alley, no doors on the store front, plastic sun-worn tablecloths and plastic stools, and super fresh food. I think food has been the trickiest thing for me to adjust to for a few reasons:

I came with expectations (bad idea). I thought I knew what Thai food tasted like! But nope. Close, but nope.
I like sweet things for breakfast. Thais like fried rice and regular lunch and dinner stuff.
I like air conditioning while I eat. But fans are good, too, I guess.

Overall the food is delicious and I found a way to satisfy my sweet tooth: Milo. Haven't had that stuff in years! We bought little box drinks of it and put them in our mini fridge.

In case you missed it on FB, here's where we live:

Except our bed is white now. They came and cleaned and took away the purple. I wonder what we'll get next week!

Hypochondria

2011-04-15T13:25:00.000-06:00

Last summer
Me: Why am I so sick?
Doctor: Scarlett Fever?

Me: Why am I so sick?
Husband: Hmm...what? I'll get you some water.

Very similar situation this week when I saw the doc again for a check-up before we move. Maybe I need a doctor that doesn't support my personal feelings that I have every illness I've ever heard of.

Formula

2011-04-12T09:58:00.000-06:00

You know it's true. Just take a look at the list of blogs you follow.

Last week of work. I am pretty excited (understatement). Two weeks + 1 day until we leave.

We'll be living in this Boutique Hotel for the next four months. It's so much nicer than I expected! I'm relieved to have a place to come home to that is clean, air conditioned, and clean. And clean. In the midst of everything I don't know about, it's nice to know about where we'll be living! It's amazing how even my basic expectations of how life is lived have been thrown out the window because I don't have ANY IDEA what to expect! I hear "road" and I think dirt path. I hear "city" and I think ten huts and a shop. I hear "jungle" and I think jungle. We'll just have to see what life is actually like.

15 days!

Things that go BUMP in the night

2011-04-07T09:56:00.001-06:00

"JAMIE! JAMIE! We're only supposed to be OVER HERE!" [Andrew yanks on our duvet and suddenly I only have access to the sheet to stay warm.]

Oh boy, so loud. And scary. (Jamie is Andrew's sister, btw.) I had to walk around the house to calm down! This morning he remembered yanking the covers and apologized, but he didn't remember yelling at Jamie.

This is only the second sleep-talking incident that involved yelling, so I've been fortunate. (The first one he yelled at ME!)

21 days to go!

April Fool's

2011-04-01T13:59:00.001-06:00

Here's what's on my mind today:

1. We're moving REALLY soon. I wonder what I'll graph about from Thailand. Probably how cheap stuff is, how warm stuff is, how pretty stuff is, etc. No stress.
2. We're moving REALLY REALLY soon. I hope I can get everything done that I want to before I go. I got a lot done a few weeks ago, but my motivation has gone down as my nervousness/stress has gone up. High stress.
3. I wonder if I will ever like skiing. No stress.
4. LeAnn is home AND she's in Provo! Lunch today was great--Ric fed us and we all got to catch up. Negative stress.
5. Au Naturale closed for good. This restaurant has become a nationwide sensation, and they are closing because of bad business?!? (Ok ok, just all the Warner girls across the nation salivate over yam and black bean wraps and healthy sweet potato fries.) High stress.

Overall, I have some stressful thoughts, but life ain't so bad. Andrew is skiing today with his dad, and tonight we have a mission reunion. So today ain't so bad for him either!

27 days and counting . . .

Andrewism #13

2011-03-23T10:49:00.000-06:00

"Go ahead and run it through me again."
Translation: Run me through it.
Best Part: We were both ready to run it through each other by that point in our discussion!

Andrewism #12

2011-03-23T10:40:00.000-06:00

"We're flying on the seat of our pants."
Translation: Flying by the seat of our pants.
Best Part: Technically, you do usually fly ON the seat of your pants, so he is right.

Donations

2011-02-24T12:45:00.001-07:00

Seriously, three of my nieces want me to sponsor their school fundraiser race. I believe that the funds will technically be for a charity as well, but c'mon, I'm donating because they asked me, not because of the charity. They are just too cute to say no to!

Here is some proof of how cute they are:

Um, yes, you can have all my money.

Trip to Rexburg

2011-02-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

We got to spend the weekend in Rexburg with Jamie and Tyler and Avery. We had such a good time the whole weekend! Jamie fed us so well the whole time. We had a delicious fancy breakfast every morning and great dinners every night. We got to go to Famous Dave's in Idaho Falls where we ordered this:

This is what it looked like AFTER everyone loaded their plates! And here is me and Andrew at dinner:

Tyler has a picture of everyone on his phone, but I don't have it. Also I seem to have no pictures of Tyler. Whoops. It's because of her:

This is Andrew and Avery playing together in the morning. Avery lets everyone sleep so late; she is super nice. And she is SO cheerful in the mornings!

See?!

This is Jamie making the famous Grandma Bean crepes with strawberries and whipped cream. We love them.

Andrew mashed the strawberries.

And he fed the baby. He did a great job!

Avery is getting better at eating Cheerios, too.

Fashion show before church. This dress fit her perfectly and matched her eyes! She is so pretty.

So, we had a great weekend, and I think Avery misses us as much as we miss her.

Things I don't have pictures of: cousins dinner with 11ish people, Tyler and Andrew playing playstation, and the snow. Thanks to Jamie and Tyler for hosting such a fun weekend!

Andrewism #11

2011-02-22T09:38:00.002-07:00

"Look at Avery, she's doing a Hulu dance!"
Translation: Hula dance
Best Part: Baby Avery really was doing a hula dance!

Winter Entertainment

2011-02-16T09:47:00.004-07:00

February is the WORST. How am I supposed to be entertained? At least it is warming up.

AND we had a GREAT Valentine's day.
Our Sunday conversation:
Andrew: Can I have the car tomorrow? I need to run a few errands.
Laura: Oh, actually I need to run a few errands.
Andrew: I guess we can both run errands after our Thailand prep class...

SO, we planned to buy our Valentine's presents for each other together. Oh boy, "adjustments in marriage" as Chrissy would say!

BUT (curve ball) I snuck on campus and got Andrew's present at the BYU bookstore. I then told him that I couldn't get the present for him because they were out of stock. Then I gave it to him after he gave me my beautiful new necklace. And I yelled,

"I WIN VALENTINE'S DAY!" (in Gloria's accent of course)

The story is ALMOST over. We got home and Andrew tried on his gift:

DOH. Of course as an editor, I noticed right away. Too bad I didn't notice at the store. He swapped it out the next day.

I guess February could be worse...

Andrewism #10

2011-01-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

Friend: "I can't get my hair cut, last time I did that, BYU lost!"
Andrew: "Dude, you're their Samsonite."
Translation: Kryptonite and/or some sort of reference to Samson from the Bible.
Best Part: He only made the connection to luggage and then we started talking about that.

Jimmer'd

2011-01-27T15:40:00.005-07:00

BYU beat SDSU last night, and boy was it a great game! (I'm so relieved since Andrew put in tons of hours waiting in lines so he could actually get IN to the Marriott Center. I like a happy husband.) I was looking at Andrew's facebook today, and this is what I discovered:

And if we break down the largest category, we discover we can be more specific:

My husband is SO Jimmer'd.

Andrewism #9

2011-01-27T09:33:00.003-07:00

"Tomorrow, I'm going to get everything underneath me."
Translation: Get on top of things.
Best Part: We can see from this Andrewism that Andrew views obstacles in his path as movable and conquerable; he does not feel the need to climb mountains to overcome obstacles.

Am I wrong or am I wrong?

2011-01-12T08:45:00.002-07:00

"Slap out of it!"
-Cougar Town

Andrew can't decide if he's famous or being made fun of. I told him he is super famous and everyone wants to be like him, because it's true.

Out of Candy Cane Joe-Joes

2011-01-11T13:19:00.002-07:00

My seasonal treats are the reason my diets don't really start until mid-January. But, today I ate the last Joe-Joe, and so I'm back to carrot sticks and pretzels for my snacks.

Other seasonal treats I love:

Stollen (mom's homemade and truly delicious bread)
Candy canes (we have some leftover, but I am SO OVer those things; definitely only seasonally delicious)
Advent calendar chocolates (only delicious because you can only have one at a time)
Chocolate oranges (probably seasonally delicious, but I only have one per year so I can't tell)
Cookies (all those crazy Christmas cookies you get from everyone; mostly delicious)

Just 11 more months until I get more Joe-Joes! (Right, Emily and Matt?)

Official Announcement

2011-01-06T08:40:00.001-07:00

So, everyone already knows, but I thought I would make an official announcement about our summer plans: we're moving to THAILAND.

I've been in denial, but we have the plane tickets now, so it's probably real.

Andrew got a job as a program facilitator for the BYU interns that go to Thailand. It's a small program so that it will be manageable, as Andrew will really be the only one responsible for the group of interns. I will also be doing an internship, which is great. I think. We'll be living in Chaing Mai. When Andrew first told me where we'd be living, he said it was a pretty big town. With my skewed perception of Thailand, I pictured this:

When Andrew figured out what I was expecting, he quickly pulled up an actual picture of Chaing Mai:

Much more better. PHEW. We will still have about 800 more adventures than we would have if we stayed here for the summer, though.

AND, I've made this point already, but I thought I'd emphasize it again just to preempt any questions anyone else may have:

PS Anyone is welcome to visit us at any time, except during the month before Andrew takes the LSAT. No, I'm not kidding, he's taking the LSAT in Thailand.

Andrewism #8

2011-01-05T08:45:00.000-07:00

"We should have a party and have everyone bring minority dishes."
Translation: Ethnic dishes.
Best Part: Said to a large group of people at a dinner party.

Why we should've stayed in Florida

2011-01-04T13:58:00.002-07:00

Flying through Baltimore is always an unanticipated adventure. We should probably anticipate delays by now, but hey, shouldn't the airlines anticipate the annual snow storms that strand hundreds of travelers? (Can you say "strand" or is it always "stranded"?)

We ended up making it back a mere seven hours later than anticipated. And we got to bed only a few hours after that.

The biggest tragedy of this adventure was that I fell asleep at 10:30 on New Year's Eve. During a party. That we were hosting. Sorry guys, and thanks for coming.

Merry Christmas, Mom

2010-12-16T10:25:00.004-07:00

Two more days before we go home! We can't wait. And as a bonus, Jamie and Tyler came and brought baby Avery! She is so cute and great. Glad we got to see them before Christmas.

Here is the advent calendar I made for our first Christmas together:

Andrew gets mad when I eat the chocolate each day before he remembers to.

And here is the wreath I made for our door. I found tiny clothespins in our apartment (thanks mom) and glued felt shapes to them for the ornaments. I think in total the wreath cost me $5. Pretty great.

Happy Bday Hubster

2010-12-14T15:23:00.004-07:00

Total: 76. Not bad. I guess I could've waited for him to get home to ask him to help me categorize the 18 people I didn't know, but with finals this week, he's pretty busy.

We had a great day yesterday: Andrew took a final at 7 am (as a birthday gift, I drove him to school that early), then studied all day. Sounds pretty bad, but he got way above average on his final and has ended up with an A in the class! What a smarty pants. Then we had a group of 15 people celebrate Andrew's birthday at Pizza Pie Cafe. Such good food and even better company! I forgot to take pictures, which is really too bad because I got Andrew a really stunning shirt/sweater combo. Good thing he'll probably wear it again real soon.

Andrewism #7

2010-12-07T13:43:00.002-07:00

Andrewism: (pulls my nose and tucks his thumb up between his pointer and middle fingers) "Got your thumb!"
Translation: Got your nose.
Best Part: The fact that he pulled that trick in the first place. How old are we, 5?

Place Cards

2010-11-30T18:34:00.002-07:00

Found a picture of the place cards from Thanksgiving dinner. I got the idea from several sites, including Being Crafty.

Not me

2010-11-30T18:00:00.004-07:00

There's a cute story about getting frustrated over little things like toothpaste splatters in a marriage. In the story, it turns out that both the wife and the husband were at fault for the mess. It's called "Toothpaste on the Mirror."

BUT, I just cleaned the mirror last week, and I'm not exaggerating about the placement of the splatters. I cornered Andrew on the elevator this morning, and he had noticed it too. He has no defense.

Thanks.

2010-11-29T19:45:00.003-07:00

Thanks to Chocolate Editions for today's graph. MMmm dark chocolate.

We had a great Thanksgiving with LOTs and lots of family. Tuesday was the "biggest storm in decades" according to the news and a normal Blizzard to the rest of us. Also, Provo ended up not getting ANY snow at all. And after picking up Jody, we had a delicious Bean Thanksgiving dinner prepared by Jamie and Tyler. Then Wednesday we spent the night in Bountiful to prepare for our 5K! Oh wow, was I bad at that. But we finished, and I am finally no longer sore 4 days later. After our run in 6 degree weather on Thanksgiving morning, we rested, showered, played with the babies, and then ate dinner with my mom's side of the family. 33 people! (ish) I made the name cards (with Jamie's help), and someday I will find a picture of them to put on here.

Friday was shopping with my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law, and I think I finally solved the mystery of how to get enough presents for Andrew's birthday AND Christmas. (I probably have too many, but he deserves it.) Everyone else went skiing, had a great time, and came home in one piece. Andrew swears he broke his leg, but he didn't.

Saturday and Sunday were a blur, and I started to get congested from the weather change and the people and the INTERACTION with others! (HELLO, I work alone and only see my husband, my poor immune system is the size of baby Avery's.) Sunday afternoon, we bid adieu to the Bean clan, came home, and took a much needed nap. Today we're back to the routine, and we're already missing everyone. Luckily, Chrissy and the babies came by to entertain us one more time before they head back east.

So, our first Thanksgiving together was great and wonderful and exhausting. Glad I felt like documenting it. That doesn't usually happen.

Now the countdown to Christmas begins! And don't worry, I already decorated. A teeny bit early, so Andrew just watched and laughed.

Happy Birthday Data

2010-11-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to hear from everyone on facebook for my birthday! It was also fun to have actual data for this graph. My birthday was so fun. Andrew made me breakfast and gave me my presents in the morning since I couldn't wait any longer to see what he got me! (ROSES, hot chocolate, sewing basket! Best gifts.) At night we tried this new restaurant called Malawi's Pizza. I loved it there! The food was great and the atmosphere was perfect. We had so many friends come, which made the dinner super great.

Erica, Tierre, and Brittany!

Andrew and I

The other Beans! Natalie and David

Tierre, Brittany, Matt and Asia

Cousin Brittney and Andrew! Jake had to work, too bad. I hear he got pizza anyway haha!

For Donny

2010-11-14T22:11:00.004-07:00

When I moved to Australia, I met Irra. She became one of my closest friends, and she and her family really helped me through the difficult transition of moving across the world. I spent so many wonderful occasions with Irra's family: her 18th birthday, my "surprise" 18th birthday, dances, weddings, etc. It's hard to believe that it's been over 3 years since I've seen her. I don't think I've ever adequately thanked her for all she's done for me, and I wish I could at least spend time with her again. Especially now. On November 3, her brother passed away unexpectedly. Being thousands of miles away, I had to piece together the information from what I could gather on facebook. I read the hundreds of notes from family and friends, all reeling from the shock, but all full of love for Donny and for the life he led.

I am remembering one night with Donny, over on the east side of Melbourne at a dance with Irra and Caroline and Sanna and Jackson, and I remember his huge smile and his kind actions. I don't think I can remember knowing anyone more cheerful and loving. I don't remember much of what happened, but I do remember the feeling of friendship and acceptance.

Donny and Sanna

Me and Irra

I wanted to post this because here in Utah, I don't have friends that know Donny or Irra, or their beautiful family. I feel the need to remember Donny myself, and I don't know how else to do that. I want to talk with them, mourn their loss, rejoice in the knowledge that they WILL see Donny again someday. I want to thank all of them for the love and friendship they offered me when I needed it most. And most of all, I want to thank them for their example as they said goodbye to their beloved brother: I read only positive words of remembrance, love, gratefulness, and appreciation from Irra and her sisters. Love for their brother, love for their God. Faith that there is more than this life.

So this is for Donny, and for Irra, and for their family.

God be with you till we meet again.

Andrewism #6

2010-11-09T12:45:00.003-07:00

"Well, then he should just take it and leave it!"
Translation: Take it or leave it
Best Part: In Andrew's world, you can definitely HAVE your cake and EAT IT too!

I thought emails were easier

2010-10-28T10:41:00.003-06:00

I hate talking on the phone to strangers. My job is mostly self-contained, but I occasionally have to email a manufacturer with a question about something minor. And usually when I have to do that, there are actually a few questions I need answered. For some reason, there is always at LEAST one question that is not even addressed in their response to me. What am I supposed to do? Should I just reply and ask the same questions? Hit "contact us" again on their website and hope I get a different representative answering my question? Just make up the answer? I dunno. It's dumb. Everyone, read the WHOLE email. Twice. THEN start replying. That way I can keep avoiding the phone.

Andrewism #5

2010-10-23T01:25:00.002-06:00

"Am I wrong or am I wrong?"
Translation: Am I right or am I right?
Best Part: He was wrong.

New Material - Andrewisms

2010-10-19T18:12:00.003-06:00

We have a new section to add to this blog: Andrewisms.

Last night Andrew discovered he has learned every idiom incorrectly. I am going to keep track of his new versions of classic idioms here.

Andrewism #1:
"Pucker up, Buckeroo!"
Translation: Buck up
Best part: said to my old roommate, Erica

Andrewism #2:
"One cup of carrots, two cup of carrots"
Translation: Six of one, half a dozen of the other
Best part: How on earth did he jump to carrots?!

Andrewism #3:
"Shimmer down"
Translation: Simmer down
Best part: I was stressed, and suddenly I wasn't. Thanks for making me laugh hysterically, babe.

Andrewism #4:
"This time tomorrow, I'll be scotch free!"
Translation: Scot free
Best part: Now my husband has neither obligations nor alcoholism.

Patience

2010-10-15T18:22:00.004-06:00

My poor husband. He is wonderful! He is getting SO GOOD at knowing when to push it and when to let it go (and go get himself some cereal and leave me alone). I love him.

Tennis practice

2010-10-12T14:41:00.002-06:00

We had so much fun on Sunday. Andrew and I, Brittney and Jake, Natalie and David, and Kinsey and Clint played soccer and tennis at the park! It ended up being pretty painful for me--two tennis balls hit me, one in the face and one in the chest. I should probably work on my back hand.

Also, I think I'm done playing with the background and layout of our blog. I can't help trying out new looks, but I think I like this one enough to keep it for at least a few weeks.

I'm thinking of starting a new blog about how I copy other people's blogs. I've made 6 projects based on blog tutorials I've found. I'll make a post soon with pictures and references to the tutorials, just so those bloggers get their just desserts for their awesome work.

42 more days until Matt and Chrissy come! I just know Ramsey and I will have the best time together. And we'll teach Beck how to walk. Jody is coming too, and I think Jamie and Tyler and baby Avery. Needless to say, I'm workin' for T-giving break! Very excited for all the family to be here.

What should Andrew and I be for Halloween?

Laura Bean says...

2010-10-07T09:53:00.003-06:00

MY status right now is about Iris, who called Andrew this morning and cheered our hearts before what is going to be a LOONG day. Speaking of our Iris morning:

Although we are pretty sure she wasn't showing aunt-uncle favoritism (yeah right, we KNOW she was), we loved hearing her say "HEYO!!" over and over. And also we think we got her to say yellow and nemo, but they all rhyme, so she was probably just saying hello a bunch.

Intramurals

2010-10-01T09:21:00.003-06:00

Andrew's flag football game last night resulted in a forfeit because the other team didn't have enough players. They started scrimmaging, and right away a kid on the other team got his shorts ripped while someone tried to grab his flag. After stomping around and yelling like a little girl, he left the game and came to the sidelines where all the wives were sitting. The kid made a phone call, and then his dad (and all of us) got the full recap. $50 shorts. Our team wouldn't buy him new ones. We did it on purpose. No, his dad didn't need to come watch him play anymore.

Lots of laughing for us. Hopefully today is a better day for the kid.

If you are able, come to the table

2010-09-29T19:33:00.002-06:00

Andrew is only home between 5 pm and 6 pm on weeknights. I work until 5. I'm realizing I'm headed back to simpler meals so that I can start cooking while I work and have dinner ready when Andrew gets home. That way we can have time to chat about our days for a few minutes before he has to change and leave for work! Luckily I watch HGTV (I'm sure there will be an HGTV graph soon), and I am becoming domestic in other areas (such as interior decorating and renovating). These are equally as useful in the scheme of things, right?

We Are BYU Football

2010-09-04T12:33:00.003-06:00

Game starts in 5.5 hours. We will be in the stadium in 4.5 hours. We are already in our spirit clothing, and I worry that Andrew will add his war paint soon. Go COUGS!

There IS room at the inn....

2010-09-04T12:13:00.001-06:00

We have had a BUSY summer! We love our home, and we love that we have room to take people in. We might even be a little pushy about making people stay here when they're in town!

Right now we have Avery, Jamie, and Tyler in town. SO FUN. Avery is so cute, we love getting to know her.

We're goin' to Jackson

2010-08-24T14:05:00.011-06:00

We went to Jackson Hole this weekend as a final hurrah for our first summer together. School starts in a week, and we needed an escape before we settled in to our Fall routine. We joined forces with our friends David and Natalie Bean (no relation!) and road-tripped to WY for a camping / whitewater rafting trip.

Our campground was lovely, in the middle of the Elk Preserve (no Elk in sight), and I was grateful for the bathroom option -- an outhouse with a hole in the ground. I drank as little as possible without getting dehydrated, and only used that wonderful option twice during our 2 night stay.

I usually never pack enough shirts for camping, so I was generous this trip. Not even necessary. Why is that?

This is the four of us plus Andrew's cousin Jason who was our guide on the river. We are currently "surfing lunch counter." Basically, we purposely got stuck on a big rapid and rode it for about 5 minutes! We have some great photos thanks to the guys taking photos from a rock above us.

Just outside our campsite -- what a beautiful view of the Tetons!

David and Natalie with the elk antler archway in the town.

We had such a great trip! And we all came home healthy, mom!

Rise and Shout

2010-08-23T20:23:00.002-06:00

...and pull your iPods out...

Andrew has been GLUED to his iPhone, trying to gain any information he can about plans for BYU's athletic program in the 2011 school year. The number of articles I have read only increases according to how many articles Andrew chooses to READ OUT LOUD to me. I've become as well versed in conference negotiation lingo as I want to be -- and I'll stick to my craft blogs while I'm online, thank you very much.

All my friends have blogs with a list of their friends' blogs along the side of the page. I've started one of those lists, and I'm realizing we have not integrated ourselves into the married blogging world yet! We need more blogs / friends for our list. The first step is awareness, right? Then ... something like action? We'll keep trying to make blogger friends so we fit in here in UT valley.

Netflix

2010-07-06T22:45:00.002-06:00

So I felt guilty for getting "When in Rome" the other day, so I watched it in the morning and ran down to put it in the mailbox before the mailman came that day. I knew "The Bourne Identity" would be coming next, so I thought we were even steven--one movie for me, one movie for Andrew. But SURPRISE! The next movie was actually "Stardust," which we have yet to watch because Andrew is still so disappointed. Looks like I lost my job running the Netflix queue. I'll just stick to the Instant Queue. It's already full of seasons of Lost and 24, so Andrew won't notice if I throw in some Reese Witherspoon and Katherine Heigl, right?

Home Grown Beans

2010-06-30T20:47:00.004-06:00

Less than a month into our marriage, we had a great opportunity to baby-sit Andrew's three younger cousins, ages 8, 5, and 2. Beautiful and fun children. We learned a lot of stuff. A lot. And mostly what we learned is that we don't know ANYTHING about raising children!

2010-06-30T20:45:00.002-06:00

BYU student married wards are pretty interesting. We were a little surprised when we walked in to church and saw everyone sitting in pairs!

Honeymoon in Disney World

2010-06-30T20:42:00.003-06:00

When we checked into our hotel in Disney World, they gave us "Just Married" buttons to wear. We cheerfully put them on, and like magic, everyone was rejoicing in our recent union as much as we were!

We think we saw the same 2 newlywed couples throughout the whole week at the park. Presh.

Married May 1, 2010

2010-06-30T20:38:00.003-06:00

We loved all our wedding gifts! Especially the old fashioned egg beater and the pig-shaped fry pan. Unfortunately, we planned to live in a place located thousands of miles from each of our reception locations. We spent a lot of post-wedding wrap-up returning gifts to local stores and making lists of what to buy again once we got back to Utah. The only casualty was a beautiful serving platter we returned to JC Penney and then couldn't buy back because they no longer had it in stock!

Well, it's super windy.

2009-11-13T10:27:00.003-07:00

One day I'll learn to wear those shorts you always had to wear under your skirts in 2nd grade.

Paper Towels

2009-11-13T10:14:00.003-07:00

Seriously, though. Why on earth would you put puppies and their dirty paw prints on something you use to clean things?

I'm older now

2009-11-13T10:06:00.003-07:00

This is all true data, even.

I'm no longer half Ben's age!

What I plan my week around

2009-11-02T13:48:00.003-07:00

I just wish that I had more to look forward to earlier in the week. Know what I mean? What happened to Tuesday prime time? I need something there.

Back

2009-11-02T08:51:00.004-07:00

So Matt is right, it's time to resume my blog. This is the only way people know what's going on in my life. (Really, I'm just hilarious and that is why people miss these graphs.)

Goin to the beach, beach, beach

2009-06-25T11:26:00.002-06:00

Still so small. Sorry about that.

Also, I am burnt. But I still love the beach!

Lunch, anyone?

2009-06-18T09:41:00.004-06:00

I think it's comforting that we will always have jello at our house.