tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33135966114920647832024-03-13T04:54:49.692-07:00Amazing Adventures with Three Boys!ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-33111654266528463592014-09-29T23:32:00.002-07:002014-09-29T23:32:43.329-07:00Rainbows in Thailand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Just thought I would share with you a few rainbow sunset photos from a few months ago. Very beautiful.</div>
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<br />ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-59284890737792282812014-09-28T23:11:00.000-07:002014-09-28T23:11:57.139-07:00Singapore, May 2014<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Singapore - 2014</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> After our adventures in Malaysia we headed south over the bridge into Singapore. We spent a day at Universal Studios and then some time just wandering around the town. I'm not going to narrate to many of these photos since most of them speak for themselves. I hope that you enjoy them, we had a great time in Singapore. It was pretty and clean and way less chaotic then Bangkok is. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please notice the two children in the background. They are so fun sometimes. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skytrain / Gondola thing overlooking Singapore</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view outside of our hotel room. These were giant artificial tree's that light up at night.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The structure in the back is our hotel. Marina Bay Sands hotel. On the top is an infinity pool that goes almost the whole length of the "boat" structure. The hotel was pretty amazing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cute family in front of the Merlion.</td></tr>
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The hotel again.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice was in Singapore for work. The randoms in the photo are a few of the Marines that work at the Singapore Embassy. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fire Breather at the night safari we went to. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from hotel room. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was on the top floor of the hotel, with the pool in the background. </td></tr>
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SO... that's Singapore. We were only there for 2 days so didn't see much but at least I can say we've been there!</div>
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Coming up...</div>
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Cambodia, Pattaya, Krabi, Hua Hin, Kanchanaburi, and a few randoms.</div>
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-JP</div>
<br />ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-56068440299112876902014-09-28T22:18:00.000-07:002014-09-28T22:21:08.617-07:00LEGOLAND MALAYSIA!!! May 9th & 10th, 2014 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> So I am still a few trips behind on this whole blog thing. I figured that now would be a good time for an update. In May we took a trip to Malaysia and Singapore. The only thing we did in Malaysia was Legoland. Legoland, according to my children is better than Disneyland. We have visited the one in Carlsbad, California several times while we lived in Arizona and we always have a great time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> The children had no idea we were going to Legoland. They asked a few times and I told them no, we wouldn't have time, it was to expensive, etc. etc. When we left our hotel room in the morning we drove towards Legoland. The kids could see it off in a distance. They asked a few times if we were going, I told them no again. They were not being friendly kids that morning. They did not want to leave the hotel. They were impressed with the waterslide and wanted to just stay and swim at the hotel and play video games. So I tortured them a bit longer. We got out of the cab and was walking around right outside the entrance and told them we were just getting breakfast there and "touring" the area. When we decided enough was enough I gave them the tickets and told them to read it. I was not impressed by their reaction. It was excitement and joy like I was hoping but it was more like, "why did you lie to us? that's not nice." Seriously....we just flew our kids to Legoland, Malaysia and surprised them with a trip to <b>their</b> happiest place on earth on they are upset. I was looking for more of a jumping up and down, "You're the best parents on earth!!" type of reaction. Either way, we had a great time. We spent one day in Legoland riding rides. The weather was cloudy and drizzly, just enough to keep us cool and keep the crowds away. The second day we went to the waterpark and had even more fun. I don't have any photos of the waterpark since we didn't bring the camera. Sorry...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here are the three children outside <b>their</b> happiest place on earth. The camera lens was a bit cloudy, it didn't really look like that outside.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8UYysPN9p14/VCjQgfj-hNI/AAAAAAAABcg/Qf4eViEJKdM/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8UYysPN9p14/VCjQgfj-hNI/AAAAAAAABcg/Qf4eViEJKdM/s1600/IMG_1698.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mini Land- We all love to look at all the Lego structures.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Brosnan and Arcadian in a bubble.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">View from above in the Legoland tower. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Arcadian & Justice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the funnest rides. Me, Brosnan, and Arcadian about to get splashed!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All smiles here even though we are now soaking wet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Justice, Brosnan, and Justice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The kids' favorite ride. Well, Justice and Brosnan loved it. Arcadian hasn't been fond of roller coasters since we took him on Thunder Mountain at Disneyland in California a few years ago :-(</span></div>
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Next post will be of our time in Singapore!!<br />
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-JPifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-70155943752134588562014-07-12T03:45:00.000-07:002014-07-12T03:45:01.699-07:00Beijing, China - April 19-22, 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Beijing, China -</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> After our week in Seoul, Korea we boarded a plane and headed to Beijing, China. 18 months ago, I never would have imagined that I would be in China, but there I was. Our 2 hour flight was uneventful. After gathering our luggage we headed to the hotel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I must admit that in my mind China would be dirty and very polluted. I have seen photos of what China does look like on many days and heard stories from friends who visited who said that they were covered in dirt and pollution by the end of their sight-seeing days. I imagined the city would be similar to Bangkok where everything is ancient looking and everything is littered with trash and roads that are desperate need of repair. I imagined tons of motorcycles like in Bangkok and crazy traffic. What I found when we got to Beijing (and I have heard this is NOT the norm), was blue skies. It was clean and pretty, there was traffic but nothing to crazy, at least where we were. There were motorcycles but not anything like Bangkok. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So my husband was in Beijing for work a few weeks before we were there and he got a recommendation for a hotel. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. We checked in and headed to our room. When we walked in the room was tiny with one full size bed. It was a cute room though but no way all 5 of us would be able to sleep in the room. My husband was able to speak with the front desk who very kindly provided us with a different room with two beds. PHEW- now we will all be able to sleep soundly and comfortably..... We head to our new room, open the door and there are two beds, but they are TWIN size beds. So now we have 2 twin size beds in the exact same size tiny room and 5 people to sleep. Ugh... called downstairs again, this is the only two bed option. Oh well, we will manage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> By the time we get settled into our room it was past dinner time and everyone was hungry. We decided to go walk around the neighborhood to find food. This did not turn out to be a very fun time. Arcadian was not feeling well and it was COLD outside. He was crying uncontrollably for part of the walk complaining that his nose was hurting. When I was about to give up on finding food, we found a McDonald's. The kids ate there and everyone ended up happy. We walked back to the hotel, I left the boys and went to find some food for the husband and I. I was really hoping to eat some delicious Chinese food but didn't see anything in the area that looked appealing. I ended up getting a pizza from a Pizza Hut. Oh well....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> When I got back to the hotel with the pizza I met a worker at my room door who handed me two small magnifying glasses. OK... Walk inside and give them to the husband. He said he called down to the front desk to get an extra blanket so that he could make a bed on the floor. A bit of a problem with translation I think.... Sleeping arrangements the first night was me and fever ridden Arcadian in one bed, Justice and Brosnan in the other, and Justice (dad) on the floor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>DAY 2: Great Wall of China & Summer Palace</b></u></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, not only could I never imagine myself being in China, I never imagined myself at the Great Wall of China. We drove about 90 minutes outside of Beijing to the wall. Nothing to exciting about the drive. When we got there it was immediate chaos with all of the people and trying to figure out what we needed. Unfortunately I can't remember the exact name of the location of the wall that we went to but there were several options for getting to the wall and coming down. We choose to take a Cable Car to the top and Toboggan down. We did not know that this option would also entail a LONG walk along the wall which was awesome but very tiring. They just didn't make stairs the same as they do now :)</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was the area where you bought tickets and souvenirs from.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture of my boys before getting on the Cable Car to go up to the wall. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Cable Cars we rode on to the Wall. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Circle of Life- We watched this caterpillar and centipede for a bit. It was a bit hard to tell who was winning.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arcadian looking amazed! (Justice in the background)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2iihptCbyE/U5fYckEi8UI/AAAAAAAABN8/-ohePHWHcj8/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2iihptCbyE/U5fYckEi8UI/AAAAAAAABN8/-ohePHWHcj8/s1600/IMG_1406.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There it is! The Great Wall of China. Amazing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qxmL656zNiE/U5fYira_IzI/AAAAAAAABOE/5vYfPfbJP-M/s1600/IMG_1408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qxmL656zNiE/U5fYira_IzI/AAAAAAAABOE/5vYfPfbJP-M/s1600/IMG_1408.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice gazing at the wall. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1MByOJdZdPs/U5fYkNmZnfI/AAAAAAAABOM/02Csa4w877s/s1600/IMG_1411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1MByOJdZdPs/U5fYkNmZnfI/AAAAAAAABOM/02Csa4w877s/s1600/IMG_1411.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The logistics/time/energy that went into building this wall is absolutely incredible. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arcadian, Brosnan, and Justice</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 4 boys.</td></tr>
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After we left the Great Wall, we headed to Summer Palace. It is a place filled with beautiful buildings and gorgeous landscape. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A0aenLMriGo/U5fY3yVkTRI/AAAAAAAABO0/0JnjbHMk4xM/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A0aenLMriGo/U5fY3yVkTRI/AAAAAAAABO0/0JnjbHMk4xM/s1600/IMG_1447.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This photo is a picture at the entrance to the Summer Palace. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Our boys were superstars in China. By the end of the day we were literally turning away requests from Chinese people to have their photo taken with the kids. China imposes (or did in recent history), hefty fines for those families that have more then one child. If their first child is a girl then they could apply for the right to a second child. Because of this law having boys is a very good thing. My husband got many thumbs up from passerby when they would see our 3 boys walking along. Our children were not as thrilled with their paparazzi. <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpZlMhy0Ivg/U5fZCdeaDjI/AAAAAAAABPE/EJFIEO5pdfs/s1600/IMG_1460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZpZlMhy0Ivg/U5fZCdeaDjI/AAAAAAAABPE/EJFIEO5pdfs/s1600/IMG_1460.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A mini village at Summer Palace. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture of the craftsmanship on the stairways. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake at Summer Palace</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bLfSlrx45Aw/U5fZgqKHJTI/AAAAAAAABP8/w1hdJlASqI0/s1600/IMG_1477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bLfSlrx45Aw/U5fZgqKHJTI/AAAAAAAABP8/w1hdJlASqI0/s1600/IMG_1477.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This building was covered in little figures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mcxo9MV9mhE/U5fZWEccU7I/AAAAAAAABPs/RsGQwTWHQjA/s1600/IMG_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mcxo9MV9mhE/U5fZWEccU7I/AAAAAAAABPs/RsGQwTWHQjA/s1600/IMG_1473.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A closer picture of the figures</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zKwhIuN6Sv4/U5fZZvYhj6I/AAAAAAAABP0/dUw24zMPvpg/s1600/IMG_1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zKwhIuN6Sv4/U5fZZvYhj6I/AAAAAAAABP0/dUw24zMPvpg/s1600/IMG_1476.JPG" height="200" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An even closer look. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDNw7Q9BHrw/U5fZhgi-M9I/AAAAAAAABQE/pmReFbP_ZE0/s1600/IMG_1482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qDNw7Q9BHrw/U5fZhgi-M9I/AAAAAAAABQE/pmReFbP_ZE0/s1600/IMG_1482.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I enjoyed taking photos of all the details on the buildings and walkways. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dgnaCFiL6b8/U5fZn-9HG2I/AAAAAAAABQM/rtCxxNYkSYs/s1600/IMG_1491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dgnaCFiL6b8/U5fZn-9HG2I/AAAAAAAABQM/rtCxxNYkSYs/s1600/IMG_1491.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 3 cuties...</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g3cINm31LwQ/U5fZrbwJnVI/AAAAAAAABQU/ewBGl3iVjE8/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g3cINm31LwQ/U5fZrbwJnVI/AAAAAAAABQU/ewBGl3iVjE8/s1600/IMG_1496.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a> I have heard (and seen photos) of the HORRIBLE smog that usually encompasses Beijing. We were very fortunate that all of the days that we were there there were blue skies and not much smog. The weather was also beautiful. It was a great escape from the hot and humid weather here in Thailand. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2t0Rak4Jy3U/U5fZsvsKZQI/AAAAAAAABQc/xMbBx2vRrgw/s1600/IMG_1497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2t0Rak4Jy3U/U5fZsvsKZQI/AAAAAAAABQc/xMbBx2vRrgw/s1600/IMG_1497.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The colors and designs are excellent. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_-cuFLTyKXE/U5fZzRVcBGI/AAAAAAAABQk/mop8axbbP30/s1600/IMG_1501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_-cuFLTyKXE/U5fZzRVcBGI/AAAAAAAABQk/mop8axbbP30/s1600/IMG_1501.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not sure what this is, but it was inside a boarded up room in a pagoda sitting by itself. There were lots of different buildings like this that I am sure served some purpose in history. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SXxP6G-I-gA/U5faQjtfPrI/AAAAAAAABRY/Lejm4FDobLg/s1600/IMG_1526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SXxP6G-I-gA/U5faQjtfPrI/AAAAAAAABRY/Lejm4FDobLg/s1600/IMG_1526.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Summer Palace.<br /></td></tr>
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After we got back to our hotel we tried a second attempt at getting an extra blanket. We called the front desk and a few minutes later we had a knock on our door with an extra plate. Nope, not needing a plate. I brought the delivery person into the room, showed her a blanket and about 15 minutes later we had another knock on our door with an actual blanket. This made the person who was sleeping on the floor that night just a bit more comfortable.<div>
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<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Day 3 : Temple of Heaven & Tienanmen Square</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
The next day we ventured out to Temple of Heaven. Built in 1406-1420 for religious ceremonies to pray to the heavens for good harvest, or at least that is what the Internet tells me :)<br />
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This is a photo of the Long Corridor. It is really long and beautifully painted. I should do a bit more research on what all this stuff means, but what I just learned on Wikipedia is that there are 4 "Long Corridor's" each representing a season (Spring, Summer, Winter, & Fall)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys in front of a giant door.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The family getting dressed for a "royal" photo shoot. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yRFmnCv1li4/U5fa9TtIjXI/AAAAAAAABSs/eZQP_xJ5TZQ/s1600/IMG_1589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yRFmnCv1li4/U5fa9TtIjXI/AAAAAAAABSs/eZQP_xJ5TZQ/s1600/IMG_1589.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was hard to see inside some of the buildings but the best that I could tell on this, there were statues of pigs or cows or something that were each facing their own alters of sort. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the Circular Mound Altar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hl5iTIxssiw/U5fbFHxQQQI/AAAAAAAABS0/4Rxw-1snZT8/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hl5iTIxssiw/U5fbFHxQQQI/AAAAAAAABS0/4Rxw-1snZT8/s1600/IMG_1601.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Center of the Circular mound altar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZYzN8EJY2I/U5fbHLnxgQI/AAAAAAAABS8/bOVUX2YFLr4/s1600/IMG_1614.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VZYzN8EJY2I/U5fbHLnxgQI/AAAAAAAABS8/bOVUX2YFLr4/s1600/IMG_1614.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Sad faces because Forbidden City was closed on Mondays, so we didn't get to go inside. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dlgN9SYoqVA/U5fbRkoy-wI/AAAAAAAABTE/o9gUM8kCQmo/s1600/IMG_1620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dlgN9SYoqVA/U5fbRkoy-wI/AAAAAAAABTE/o9gUM8kCQmo/s1600/IMG_1620.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instead of going into Forbidden City, we went to a park behind that I believe was called Prospect Hill. It is a man-made hill from the dirt that was removed while building Forbidden City moats.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Forbidden City from the hill</td></tr>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn52sNyN-74/U5fbjrV9fMI/AAAAAAAABTo/tCJodCZHLBA/s1600/IMG_1627.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn52sNyN-74/U5fbjrV9fMI/AAAAAAAABTo/tCJodCZHLBA/s1600/IMG_1627.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the people taking photos of Forbidden City</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moat around Forbidden City</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tienanmen Square</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last evening in Beijing we saw the changing of the guards at Tienanmen Square. It was super very crowded and hard to see what was going on, but still a good experience.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Day 4: Headed back to Bangkok</u></b></span><br />
We checked out of our hotel room and headed to the airport for a few hours of uneventful flying. Our trip to S. Korea and Beijing was fun but it was great to be home. All three of the kids were fighting fevers and stomach aches at some point during our time in China. There were a few moments where I felt bad about dragging them out of the hotel but since there were no rapid exiting of bodily fluids we forced them on our outings. I kept telling them and myself that it was highly possible that we never come back to this country and do these things again so we had to all suck it up and get it done! The kids were loaded on Tylenol most of the time and they made it through with minimal complaining for the most part. <br />
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It is now 3 months after our trip to China and I know that at least it left an impression on Arcadian. He talks about being at the Great Wall more then the other two. I can only hope that some of what they get to experience during our 3 years in Asia will stick with them forever. <br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-79487627219101187462014-06-04T05:23:00.001-07:002014-06-04T05:23:22.888-07:00South Korea April 2014 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>SEOUL, KOREA</u></b></span></div>
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We took our first International trip in April. My husbands office was having a Regional Training Event at Dragon Hill Lodge in Seoul, Korea and the boys and I decided to join. First impressions of Korea was clean and comfortable. The weather was amazing, not hot and sweaty like it is here in Bangkok. We happily put on our sweaters to go on our sight-seeing adventures. While the husbands were doing their work stuff, the spouses and children got to go out and explore Seoul.</div>
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<b><u>DAY 1: Lotte World</u></b></div>
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Lotte World is an indoor/outdoor amusement park. The kids had a wonderful time and there was hardly any wait for any of the attractions. In addition to typical roller coaster and kid rides, there was also a full-size ice skating rink and a section that had various animals (insects, some fish, bunnies, etc.).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice - Down below is the ice skating rink. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is part of the group that we went to Lotte World with. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ouuPV4SfDYw/U47_UDibBnI/AAAAAAAABGA/U8JloUpf2qs/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ouuPV4SfDYw/U47_UDibBnI/AAAAAAAABGA/U8JloUpf2qs/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arcadian and crazy faced Brosnan waiting in line for a ride.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EyFHr4pcYSY/U47_lNPDpyI/AAAAAAAABGY/z4VIUZIHz_U/s1600/IMG_1036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EyFHr4pcYSY/U47_lNPDpyI/AAAAAAAABGY/z4VIUZIHz_U/s1600/IMG_1036.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look MA, we found a bunny!!! Perfect timing since Easter was just a few days away. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MEujTOIAKjI/U47_lJpvCPI/AAAAAAAABGc/OKW__dECVWw/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MEujTOIAKjI/U47_lJpvCPI/AAAAAAAABGc/OKW__dECVWw/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brosnan as a turtle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8r517FNpO6Q/U47_n8dgvTI/AAAAAAAABGo/9DVR5Msm_cg/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8r517FNpO6Q/U47_n8dgvTI/AAAAAAAABGo/9DVR5Msm_cg/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arcadian as a turtle... Their older brother Justice didn't want to participate in the Turtle photos.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aujrj7zmj3w/U47_2cS2zUI/AAAAAAAABG4/YtuyUlrq_I8/s1600/IMG_1040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Aujrj7zmj3w/U47_2cS2zUI/AAAAAAAABG4/YtuyUlrq_I8/s1600/IMG_1040.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crabs</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ae0bpenyG8/U47_4qydfzI/AAAAAAAABHA/iEf6RBWSShk/s1600/IMG_1047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ae0bpenyG8/U47_4qydfzI/AAAAAAAABHA/iEf6RBWSShk/s1600/IMG_1047.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys hanging out in a play area. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wrqmhaFGwV4/U47_yEs6qdI/AAAAAAAABGw/wmTq237ca_g/s1600/IMG_1054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wrqmhaFGwV4/U47_yEs6qdI/AAAAAAAABGw/wmTq237ca_g/s1600/IMG_1054.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 3 cuties leaving the indoor part and heading towards the outside section. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYNWU_3Eyjw/U47__4k01UI/AAAAAAAABHI/x28yKFX_BdY/s1600/IMG_1058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYNWU_3Eyjw/U47__4k01UI/AAAAAAAABHI/x28yKFX_BdY/s1600/IMG_1058.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hmmmm</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEhwYi5ZmOk/U48AA8WwPNI/AAAAAAAABHQ/TFYih3wG7jI/s1600/IMG_1059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEhwYi5ZmOk/U48AA8WwPNI/AAAAAAAABHQ/TFYih3wG7jI/s1600/IMG_1059.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brosnan about to drive a car... not a real one...obviously</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cg6GvULVfeg/U48AESXn9XI/AAAAAAAABHY/8bkIlejOeYM/s1600/IMG_1065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cg6GvULVfeg/U48AESXn9XI/AAAAAAAABHY/8bkIlejOeYM/s1600/IMG_1065.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supposedly this building will be the tallest in Korea once finished. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WDLXf23BoiE/U48AMTG4_bI/AAAAAAAABHg/cTjE4OwuJWs/s1600/IMG_1067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WDLXf23BoiE/U48AMTG4_bI/AAAAAAAABHg/cTjE4OwuJWs/s1600/IMG_1067.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am pretty sure this is the longest escalator EVER. It went underground to a ride that reminded me of "It's a small world" in Disney.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ELiELQGnzA8/U48AM-vsTaI/AAAAAAAABHk/BrmjKiu3m9c/s1600/IMG_1068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ELiELQGnzA8/U48AM-vsTaI/AAAAAAAABHk/BrmjKiu3m9c/s1600/IMG_1068.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the ride the escalator went down to. Justice was freaked out for some weird reason. He said the ride was "creepy"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CM0dNA4i4vQ/U48AP-qcfiI/AAAAAAAABHw/BjVLYf4u0qY/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CM0dNA4i4vQ/U48AP-qcfiI/AAAAAAAABHw/BjVLYf4u0qY/s1600/IMG_1090.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with 3 of the cutest kids ever. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-derIgXKHTLA/U48Aa0BzfZI/AAAAAAAABIA/ny8F08owjaI/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-derIgXKHTLA/U48Aa0BzfZI/AAAAAAAABIA/ny8F08owjaI/s1600/IMG_1091.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Lotte World</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The next few pictures I took out a bus window. Just some glimpses of the city.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gentle Lady Cupcake???</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brosnan and Jack, my friends kid, on the bus to one of our adventures.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean Street</td></tr>
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<b><u>DAY 3: Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Tour </u></b><br />
For those of you who are unfamiliar with S. Korea, as I was before I found out I was going there... There is an area between the North and South called the DMZ. We took a tour that brought us to the edge of the DMZ and went down some tunnels that S. Korea found. The tunnels were built by the North Koreans so that they could invade S. Korea. It was a very interesting drive to the DMZ. <br />
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There are MANY of these buildings along the side of the road, several running along the river. They all have armed military, protecting the border between the North and South. <br />
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The first stop on our DMZ tour was to where the Freedom Train now rests. <br />
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The ribbons signify visitors (I believe). You can purchase a ribbon to hang on the fence.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The train</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Map of DMZ separating N & S. Korea. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and cutie Arcadian</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDJDEy9D9eU/U48BSebCHzI/AAAAAAAABJ4/QUSEhTV_dM0/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iDJDEy9D9eU/U48BSebCHzI/AAAAAAAABJ4/QUSEhTV_dM0/s1600/IMG_1267.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second stop on the tour was the DMZ tunnels. Before going into the tunnels we went into a museum. Arcadian liked their plastic guns. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QaYC90RGk6w/U48BYUosAII/AAAAAAAABKA/dxixvCbSwzA/s1600/IMG_1273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QaYC90RGk6w/U48BYUosAII/AAAAAAAABKA/dxixvCbSwzA/s1600/IMG_1273.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look behind the 4 of us you will see a yellow line on the ground. If you take a photo while standing behind that line the S. Korean military will take your camera from you. Not exactly sure what they don't want you taking photos of, all we could see was fields of nothing. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BEIIGSMr3LU/U48BhSC2VqI/AAAAAAAABKQ/X1JlmaHWTCc/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BEIIGSMr3LU/U48BhSC2VqI/AAAAAAAABKQ/X1JlmaHWTCc/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like it when they participate for photos.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bvboWlAVeis/U48BdHIYzKI/AAAAAAAABKI/QoS_o9Miljo/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bvboWlAVeis/U48BdHIYzKI/AAAAAAAABKI/QoS_o9Miljo/s1600/IMG_1290.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last stop on our DMZ tour was at a train station. It is the only train station that links the North and the South, however, there are no trains that head north. This is a multi-million dollar train station that was built for "when" reunification occurs. We heard a lot about reunification which was confusing because I don't believe that reunification is going to be happening any time soon.....</td></tr>
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No photos were allowed in the tunnels. The kids thought that the tunnels were the funnest part. I thought that they were dark, damp, and creepy. We had to wear hard hats so that we didn't bump our head. Which I was thankful for since I did end up bumping my head. I was a bit nervous going down after reading the signs that listed all of the types of medical issues that people were prohibited from entering the tunnels if they had. Diabetes was one of those. I figured no big deal, no-one will know if we cover up Brosnan's pump. Then as I was looking around I realized that we had to go through a metal detector...hmmm... but it was buzzing for pretty much all the people so we went anyways. The walk down was very steep and very long. So the whole time I kept thinking to myself why don't they want a diabetic going down here....hmmmm.... if something happens, there is only 1 way out. However we made it with no problems. </div>
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There is an extended tour that we were not able to go on because all kids needed to be 11 or older. Apparently it goes to the actual border between the north and south. You get to go in a conference room where you can literally stand in North Korea and South Korea at the same time. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCX_3CMTBC0/U48BnCz-8RI/AAAAAAAABKg/qABLed_7skQ/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HCX_3CMTBC0/U48BnCz-8RI/AAAAAAAABKg/qABLed_7skQ/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just some photos of the city. I thought this was interesting. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE3xljUbMo4/U48BtWNV9dI/AAAAAAAABKs/wZ13O1FwerE/s1600/IMG_1315.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZE3xljUbMo4/U48BtWNV9dI/AAAAAAAABKs/wZ13O1FwerE/s1600/IMG_1315.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Korean War museum (I believe)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qJn5QWCRYrg/U48BsqQMuiI/AAAAAAAABKo/qWdeu8cSrQA/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qJn5QWCRYrg/U48BsqQMuiI/AAAAAAAABKo/qWdeu8cSrQA/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to dinner with some friends who know a guy who had a restaurant in Seoul...We went there for dinner one night it was a bar/restaurant. This photo is probably funnier to those of us that were there, but Brosnan joined a couple other people that were playing darts. They guys were very patient with him and it was quite amusing to watch him playing darts at a bar. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other kids were playing Foosball </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Dragon Hill Lodge, headed to airport and then onto Beijing, China</td></tr>
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<br />What else about Korea??? We stayed at Dragon Hill Lodge at Yongsan Military base. It was NICE to be surrounded by so many Americans. I wish I had more time to shop at the Commissary and PX. We also went to a Korean baseball game. It was pretty fun. I think I didn't bring our DSLR camera that night so those photos aren't included here. Oh yea, the boys and I also went to a traditional folk village. Probably would have been a lot funner if my kids weren't acting like kids so much. I honestly don't remember to much about that day other than by the time my friend and I returned to the hotel I was finished being a parent for the day. I turned over parenting duties to their dad. <div>
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All-in-All a good first few days to our first international vacation!<br /><br /></div>
ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-45980580769947990422014-05-29T21:12:00.000-07:002014-05-29T21:12:17.126-07:00D-Day<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">365 days x 7 per day = 2,555</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5 months x 30 days x 5 per day = 750</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(7 months x 30 days)/3.5 days = 60</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That's 2,555 finger pokes and blood tests, 750 syringe shots, and 60 pump site changes. Those are all averages and don't include when things aren't going perfect. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's not forget the doctor's visits (weekly for the first month, monthly for a couple months, now every 3 months), 2 hospitalizations (1 when diagnosed, 1 due to a common virus). Many phone calls from the nurse at school for various reasons. Many, many sleepless nights, and even more interrupted nights of sleep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, however, we celebrate. We celebrate the struggles that we have overcome, we celebrate the time and energy devoted to this disease, we celebrate US being in control. Mostly, we celebrate life. My son's life depends on all of those finger pokes. His life depends on me having broken sleep because of 1 or 2 am blood sugar checks. His life depends on the extra time and effort I put into packing his lunch everyday, weighing his food, and making sure he has his supplies for the day. His life depends on an electronic device attached to him 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Let's not forget though, that he has life. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To outsiders he is just like any other 7 year old boy. He goes to friends houses, he swims, he eats cake, candy, pasta, and all the other foods that a 7 year old would eat. He rides his bike, plays video games, and occasionally annoys his brothers. He gives us hugs and kisses and many smiles. He makes me laugh and he makes me smile. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not once has he complained about having diabetes. Not once has he complained about the constant pricking or having to carry around his "kit." He complains about having to take showers and about not being able to sleep in mom & dad's bed. He complains about not being able to play video games during the week and about having to clean up after himself. He complains about stuff that a 7 year old complains about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So today, in celebration of D-Day (diagnosis day), it's all about him. He is going to eat ice cream and candy and have chocolate cereal for lunch. We are ordering pancakes and milkshakes for dinner. He will receive insulin to cover the carbs and we will control his blood sugars. Today, he will enjoy being a kid and celebrating everything that he as accomplished. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other than right now, I will try not to think about what I was going through 1 year ago today. I will try not to shed tears. I will try not to remember standing in the shower praying to a God that I don't talk with often, praying that my fears are not true. The doctor will not confirm diabetes, but something else random, something that can be fixed. I will try not to remember the look on my son's face as we tell him he needs to go to the hospital right now and that he will be there for a few days. I will try not to remember the hurt that my heart felt for him on this day 1 year ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brosnan Pelton May 30, 2014</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The strongest kid I know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope that one day there will be a cure for diabetes, but until that day, we will control it, it does not control us.</span></div>
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<br />ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-54465090719713123722014-03-27T03:22:00.000-07:002014-03-27T03:22:44.247-07:00Random photos from the last few monthsApparently a few friends & family members enjoy reading my blog posts and have been wondering what we've been up to. So I decided it was time to do an update. Not a lot of narrative on this one, just pictures this time.<br />
Here's what we've been up to. Please forgive the randomness of all of this. We recently upgraded from PC's to a Mac and I admit I have no idea how to use it. This is my first attempt to do anything besides watch a movie or TV on this computer. Sometimes I feel old when I have to ask my 9 year old how to do things on it. He is a self-proclaimed pro because he "uses them all the time at school."<br />
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Hope you enjoy our Life in Thailand, photo style!<br />
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Arcadian just finished his first season of T-ball. I can't tell if he liked it or not. He didn't complain, but he seemed pretty bored any time he wasn't up to bat.<br />
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My husband has decided that collecting dead tree's is a fun thing to do. We have a few now from different countries/places. This one I happen to like and allow it to be in every day view. I was testing out my new DSLR camera on this tree. (again, there are probably much better pictures, but I can't figure out how to make the thumbnails bigger while trying to select them for this blog, so you get what you get :-) <br />
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We spend a fair deal of time relaxing at the house. Here's Justice (my 9 year old), looking handsome and not annoyed that his mom is trying to take his picture.<br />
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And Brosnan (7) it is very hard to get a picture of him looking "normal"<br />
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See what I mean.... This is after saying "just smile normal please."<br />
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Oh wait... got one! Each of the kids had a PE showcase day. All of them seemed to have a lot of fun!<br />
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Here's Justice at his catching balls in buckets.<br />
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An after PE showcase photo. So hot & sweaty thanks to Thailand humidity which my family is obviously not adjusting to.<br />
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Such a pretty Pineapple. We went on a trip somewhere and I purchased 5 delicious pineapples for 50baht ($1.65 USD) from a vendor on the side of the freeway. Mmmmmm SO GOOD!!<br />
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Cub Scouts. Brosnan and Justice are both in scouts but all 3 were able to make cars and compete (left to right, Justice's, Brosnans, and Arcadian's) Anyone who has kids and been through making these things knows it is not an easy task. Especially not easy when you lack the proper tools. <br />
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Derby Night!!<br />
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A gorgeous sunset I captured out of one of our windows upstairs. Although beautiful in these pictures it was even more amazing in person. One day I hope to find a place way up high in this country to watch the sunset. Absolutely Amazing.<br />
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Field Trip!!!! Brosnan's 1st grade class when on a trip to a local island called Koh Kret. The island is famous for clay pottery. It was a wonderful day. I accompanied the trip to help keep the kids in order.<br />
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On the boat to the island.<br />
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Crossing the Chao Phraya River in Thailand. In the distance is a giant golden Buddha. <br />
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On the island....<br />
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B making his very own clay pot. <br />
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So here is Brosnan's class....<br />
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and here is the parental paparazzi<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eGyWaSCInl8/UzPyLPOOx4I/AAAAAAAAA_U/TfPykqHfpOY/s3200/IMG_3520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eGyWaSCInl8/UzPyLPOOx4I/AAAAAAAAA_U/TfPykqHfpOY/s3200/IMG_3520.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thanksgiving at our friend the Murray's house. It was all delicious!<br />
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Date Night- Justice and I went out to dinner at River Treehouse. This was the walk down the alley to the restaurant.<br />
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Sunset on the river at the restaurant.<br />
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Birthday cupcakes for Justice's 9th B-day party. <br />
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And the b-day boy at his swim party.<br />
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Samphran Elephant Ground and Zoo just outside of Bangkok.<br />
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Brosnan became part of the magic show trying to get those metal rings apart.<br />
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Playing with alligators.<br />
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Riding around in dilapidated paddle boats. It's amazing we didn't sink.<br />
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Tigers :-)<br />
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This was at Central Chaengwattana the local mall. They had animals. Arcadian got lucky and was able to hold the snake.<br />
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HAIR CUT!!<br />
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Cooking- Making Som Tom (Papaya salad) one of my favorite Thai dishes.<br />
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We even celebrated Christmas in Thailand. First time in my life of having a fake tree. But it worked and will work for the next 3 years.<br />
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Me and my cutie Arcadian. We both got haircuts.<br />
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Arcadians Music showcase.<br />
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Christmas party... Playing weird minute-to-win-it games. <br />
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Marine Corps Ball. November 2013<br />
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The US Ambassador at the ball.<br />
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More cooking... I made Pad Thai (my other favorite dish) and it was also pretty good.<br />
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CubScout Camping. Scary pictures...<br />
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My Tiger Den (Eli, Parker, Logan, and Brosnan) 1st graders.<br />
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Tent building<br />
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Nature Hike<br />
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And my 3rd favorite dish. I did not make this one but it is a delicious soup with a little bit of everything. <br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-269031866967387892013-11-19T06:43:00.001-07:002013-11-19T06:43:32.966-07:00Why International School Bangkok (ISB) is an Awesome School<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjoSEIpfQqw/UotoyeHJNWI/AAAAAAAAA5I/9exIXuw_TXA/s1600/IMG_3406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tjoSEIpfQqw/UotoyeHJNWI/AAAAAAAAA5I/9exIXuw_TXA/s200/IMG_3406.JPG" width="200" /></a>Look at me go, two posts in one day... Well all the kids are in bed and the husband went to sleep early too. I still have some residual coffee caffeine floating in my veins so here I am. On Monday, the 18th of November, 2013 I was able to chaperon a field trip of 8 kindergartners. They are beginning a unit in science on wood, or something like that, so they decided to take a field trip to a local lumber yard. At 9 am, 8 kids, 4 parents and 1 teacher got in a 15 passenger van and headed out of Nichada to Samakee Road. Samakee Road is where we go to get gas for the golf cart, go to the bicycle shop, and get photos custom framed. I am sure there is plenty of other stuff on Samakee Road but I have yet to look or to follow it to the other end. Once we got to the Lumber Yard there were two Thai's that worked there ready to meet us. They walked us around and explained the difference between hard and soft wood, showed us bamboo, wood from papaya trees, eucalyptus wood, teak (and an actual teak tree), particle board, and several other types of wood. <br />
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In addition to showing us the different types of wood, they also showed the kids different methods of cutting (chainsaw, handsaw, and a bamboo splitter). They demonstrated what happens to young leaves from a teak tree when you squish them, they turn red, and are used to make a dye, and also explained that the cutting of teak tree's is now government regulated. We were at the lumber yard for about an hour. Right before we got back on the bus each kid was given a digital camera to use to take photos around the yard. Then, one of the hosts (I believe his name was Kuhn M) gave each kid two pieces of bamboo. One is to be used as a piggy bank, the other can be used for a pencil holder. Then, we got back on the bus and headed back to ISB.<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q6spCdkTTEw/Uoto0MiDCjI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/tMyliNqQNCY/s1600/IMG_3409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q6spCdkTTEw/Uoto0MiDCjI/AAAAAAAAA5Y/tMyliNqQNCY/s320/IMG_3409.JPG" width="320" /></a> So, why do I think ISB is an Awesome school? Because they take the possibilities and turn them into reality. Maybe it's a Thailand thing, maybe it's a private school thing, I'm not sure because this is the first time I have experienced either, but I just don't see a short field trip this this happening at a public school in the states. I was also shocked by the idea of handing a 5 or 6 year old a digital camera and saying go, take pictures of whatever you want. The kids all knew how to use them and were pretty comfortable with them so it seems like it was not their first time. Their teacher said that in addition to the field trip, they will be making particle board later on as part of their science unit. I have heard of other schools saying that they take a hands on approach to science and learning but ISB follows through with it. <br />
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Apparently field trips are a pretty common thing at ISB. Next week I am accompanying 1st graders to Ko Kret, a local island for them to get hands on with their rocks and silt unit and I believe Justice's teacher said that they will be going to the snake farm in downtown Bangkok at some point. Other elementary school grades have done overnight trips...and it's only November. <br />
On November 8th, ISB had their first "Passion Day". Basically someone said what if we asked all the kids "if they could do or learn anything what would it be?" Then all the teachers and staff got together to come up with ways to make those passions become realities for a day. This must have been a HUGE undertaking for the school as there were many activities that the kids went to that were off campus, like wakeboarding and scuba diving. It was a bit more controlled for the younger kids but still very elaborate. Arcadian, my kindergartner, went to learn about Marine life. The teacher contacted a fish store that was able to bring in aquariums with baby sharks and misc. touchable creatures. The children were able to put on goggles and snorkels and stick their heads in the water to watch the animals. Brosnan attended a cooking class where they made chocolate chip cookies from start to finish, and Justice went to a computer gaming class. ISB teamed up with places all around Bangkok including local colleges where some students were able to go to learn about things like fashion design. The kids came home happy and excited! <br />
Its the big things coupled with all the small touches of ISB that I know makes the kids enjoy school and makes me happy that they have this opportunity of a lifetime.<br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-7192730953910609262013-11-18T23:21:00.000-07:002013-11-18T23:21:44.733-07:00What We do in Thailand The weeks are very busy for all of us and although we would like to sit at home and relax, I fear that in 3 years when we return to the states and people ask what we did, I won't have anything to tell them. Or, the last 3 months of our time in Thailand will be spent running around like crazy people exhausting ourselves trying to do all the sightseeing we should have done over the last 3 years. So, we do try and do things when we can and we force ourselves to leave the house at 5pm on Sunday to experience a Thai festival, or we brave the heat and humidity to see what a Thai Safari park looks like, or go to a snake farm to see what the local snakes look like (eww). So, I am going to spend some time working backwards to show you some of those things that we have done.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Loy Krathong</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justice and Arcadian and their Loy Krathongs made at school. </td></tr>
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According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loi_Krathong" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>, Loi or Loy Krathong (Loy means to float, while Krathong is the name of the thing being floated) is a Thai holiday in which people make (or buy) decorative floats to put in the rivers. The floats are usually made out of banana tree, banana leaves, flowers, and have incense and candles placed on them. The Krathong, "candle venerates the Buddha with light, while the krathong's floating symbolizes letting go of all of one's hatred, anger, and defilements." </div>
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span>The date of the festival changes every year as it coincides with the evening of the full moon in the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar, generally November for us Westerners. This year it was on the 17th of November. There was a live band, Western and Thai food, games, and a traditional Thai costume contest. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loy Krathongs in Nichada Lake, the boys' are in there somewhere</td></tr>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PD3UnWTOE2Y/UosAYsIwaWI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/SKbYhOx20aI/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PD3UnWTOE2Y/UosAYsIwaWI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/SKbYhOx20aI/s320/IMG_3367.JPG" width="320" /></a> In addition to the Krathongs, there were also Lanterns for sale. Also according to Wikipedia Loy Krathong coincides with Yi Peng where Sky Lanterns are lit and sent off in the sky like hot air balloons. While I was taking photos the boys lit the lantern until it was full of hot air and let it sail off into the sky. Seems a big dangerous to me, especially when a few burnt about halfway up and begin falling to the ground in a flame of fire. The news reports I get through my email confirmed the dangers of this tradition as there were several fires throughout the country that burned homes to the ground due to these beautiful lanterns. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lLTcJFyi_b0/UosAYbkqVYI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/pLn6DBEk8Lk/s1600/IMG_3364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lLTcJFyi_b0/UosAYbkqVYI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/pLn6DBEk8Lk/s200/IMG_3364.JPG" width="200" /></a>Despite the heat and humidity and large crowd, it was a good night. Maybe next year we will venture out of Nichada for the festival and go to the actual river with the locals. ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-19260725704886305962013-10-31T21:24:00.001-07:002013-10-31T21:24:46.217-07:00It's November At LAST!!!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
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Why is this important? Let's just say that in my next life I will plan out my children's birthdays a little better so that I don't have two of them in the same month, oh and so none of them are the day prior to a holiday that takes prior planning, like Halloween. I'm not out of the clear yet, October was such a busy month that Justice's birthday party has been postponed until sometime this month. I am confident that it will be much easier to plan and prepare now that I have a car which makes my options for food/drinks etc. much easier to obtain. </div>
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Not only are we finished with busy birthday month, (did I mention that my mother-in-law, and sister-in-laws birthdays are also in October, they often receive their gifts a month or so late due to the craziness of October) but we are also COMPLETELY MOVED IN. That's right, our final shipment arrived October 15th and our car on the 16th. This past Tuesday the Embassy housing people came and picked up our "welcome kit" signifying our independence. All the boxes are unpacked and the only thing left to do is figure out where to put some odds and ends and purchase a few items that will make our house function properly. </div>
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The kids... the kids are all doing well. Their last soccer game is this weekend. The older two have decided against playing baseball and will be taking Tennis lessons. Arcadian will play T-ball for the first time. Justice is participating in National Novel Writing Month and as of today will begin writing a 3,000 page novel. The past few weeks he has been working on brainstorming. Brosnan and Arcadian are participating in Clayworks where they make different foam clay shaped things. It is put on through the school and they seem to like it. Brosnan continues to grow as a reader. His teacher said he is about a year ahead of where he should be. Arcadian, he is beginning to read as well. I am quite surprised when I listen to him read by how much progress he is making. He can read many Dr. Suess type books pretty easily.</div>
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As for Justice and I... He is busy with work. It has been awhile since he has traveled but that starts again on Sunday when he takes a short trip to Laos. Tomorrow is the Marine Corps Ball here in Bangkok so we have been preparing for that as well. I still feel like I am busy all the time. Between the children's activities and various meetings, appointments, classes, and other things to keep the house running, it is not uncommon for me to come and go from the house 3-4 times a day with barely enough time in between to switch gears. I often hear, Abhie, our maid say, "You're leaving again? You just got home!" I can't imagine life here in Thailand if I had to actually clean the house or take all 3 kids with me everywhere I went. </div>
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Although November is a little calmer then October, there is still lots going on. Tennis and T-ball are starting. The two older children are in Cubscouts on two different days. This weekend is the USMC Ball, next weekend we are going on a camping trip with the Cubscout Pack. Justice will be traveling, my Thai class continues, Thanksgiving, Justices b-day party, etc. etc. The list goes on and on. In between the chaos, we want to get out and do things around Thailand. </div>
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My next post will highlight some of the things that we have done in the last month or two. It will include a trip to Safari World and our first beach trip to Hua Hin where we rode on elephants, banana boats, and horses! </div>
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-54351661790188036832013-09-20T04:05:00.000-07:002013-09-20T04:05:50.750-07:00Someday Life in Thailand will Calm down. Right??? <br />
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I know, I know... It has been awhile since I posted. Sorry. It has been an exciting and exhausting month. All three of my kids are now in school full time. I thought this would mean extra sleep and relaxation time. I was WAY wrong at least so far. The first week was a staggered start for the kids. On Justices first day, Brosnan had a meet and greet in his class, the second day Brosnan started and Arcadian and a meet and great. By Thursday they were all in school from 7am - 2pm! Celebration time right? Wrong. I felt like I was in school those first 2-3 weeks. There were meetings galore, PTO, new parent orientation, medical, and of course several trips to Nurse's office with Brosnan during testing time, helping monitor lunch, and then helping with Insulin calculations and doses after lunch. I needed to make sure that Everyone involved was comfortable, competent and knowledgeable regarding his daily care. The nursing staff and teachers have all been wonderful and after a week I slowly started to wean myself out of he picture and hand over full control to the staff. There have been several learning situations for all of us but we are now a month into it and everyone seems to be on the same page and getting into a routine. Enough about that.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rkq4L4BK6wY/UjwcsuN1YEI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/hQq4ezCKX88/s1600/IMG_2367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rkq4L4BK6wY/UjwcsuN1YEI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/hQq4ezCKX88/s200/IMG_2367.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z31sl5fG7a0/Ujwcs-ECvtI/AAAAAAAAA1c/sapJgpOwZpw/s1600/IMG_2366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z31sl5fG7a0/Ujwcs-ECvtI/AAAAAAAAA1c/sapJgpOwZpw/s320/IMG_2366.JPG" width="320" /></a> Soccer started the second to last week of August and Cub scouts has started as well. Soccer is currently M, Wed, Thurs, and Saturday. 3 kids, 3 different teams. Each and everyone is miserably hot and sweaty. I feel bad for the kids. Heck, I feel bad for myself when I am sitting watching them play. Sports is good for kids right? Even if they complain about it? Justice (the husband) says that they complain about it because they play to many video games. He is probably right. It's okay though another month of soccer and it will be over...wait...then Baseball starts. It is never ending.<br />
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WE FINALLY got our UAB (unaccompanied baggage shipment). The one that was supposed to be here within 30 days of our arrival. It was a little late, showed up just shy of 3 months after our arrival. The kids were in heaven for about an hour as they played with their toys, then went back to video games... I am not exactly sure what we were thinking when we packed. My most useful items in the shipment was my desktop monitor, keyboard, and misc. desk items, and of course my Keurig Coffee maker. Even with the odd items that we put in the 30 day shipment, it is very nice to see more of 'home' around the house. Our 90 day shipment should be delivered within the next week or two and our car should follow shortly thereafter. <br />
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<b>SNAKE FARM</b></div>
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The snake handler's brought out various snakes to show the audience. This snake was NOT in a cage, but on the floor in front of the crowd. It is a big snake that looked very vicious. I hope that this snake never crosses our path!<br />
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<b>COFFEE In Thailand</b><br />
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Thankfully the Thai's enjoy a cup of java as much as I do. Especially, a nice iced coffee in this hot humid weather. A friend of mine introduced me to this man. He is a mobile coffee man. For 18 baht (a mere $0.60) this guy will make a fresh cup of really bad for you coffee. Some whole milk, sweetened condensed milk, fresh brewed hot coffee, and a touch of Thai happiness, poured over ice into a cup (or small plastic bag). It was sweet, ice cold, and delicious. He travels around the local streets outside of Nichada. I have seen him a few times, always in a different spot. I am happy I was introduced to him early on in my Thailand adventure and hope to see him many times! <br />
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I will leave you all with a beautiful sunset I caught out one of the bedroom windows. The photo on my iPhone does not do the colors justice. It was absolutely breath taking and I have not seen one quite this lovely since this night. <br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-20485028976711930522013-07-29T10:24:00.000-07:002013-07-29T10:24:32.831-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Things <i>You</i> Don't See Everyday...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">but <i>we</i> do!</span></div>
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After my last post, I figured it would probably be a good idea to lighten it up a bit so enjoy!</div>
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Coconuts anyone?? </div>
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What's inside the giant purple pod?</div>
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Bananas! There are banana tree's all over here in Nichada. I can see some out our windows and it makes me want to pick and eat them. </div>
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We saw this guy headed somewhere in a hurry. It reminded me of the movie Turbo that we recently watched. These snails are huge, the picture does not show its size very well.<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
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Look closely...What do you see? I see two toads going for a piggy back ride. The kids thought this was the funniest thing ever. They are not 'humping' as Justice originally thought...I know...where did he hear 'humping,' that's not the point. We saw several pairs of these on an evening walk. It was quite hilarious to watch the poor toad on the bottom trying to jump with a fat toad on top of him.<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div>
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Science lesson of the day. Don't pick a lizard up by its tail. If you do, the tail will detach from lizards body and continue to wiggle for several minutes like a disgusting worm. The boys had very mixed feelings on this one. They wanted to laugh, but they were also concerned, and disgusted.<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span><br />
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The Thai's were so excited about 'western' food that they took two of America's favorites and combined them into one. The Hotdog Pizza. I had to try it. Pizza part good, hotdog definitely wasn't an Oscar Mayer. Glad I tried it but will leave that one for the locals.</div>
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Lastly, one more thing that <i>you</i> don't get to see everyday, but I do, my three beautiful boys, Arcadian, Justice, and Brosnan. </div>
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Hope you enjoyed!</div>
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-JP</div>
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-48700288425186703742013-07-27T11:36:00.000-07:002013-07-27T11:36:14.179-07:00The Day our Somewhat Simple Life got Complicated. A few months ago, I remember thinking to myself how lucky my husband and I have been to have such happy and healthy kids. At 4, 6, and 8, we had managed to escape any major illnesses, no broken bones, no physical or mental issues with our kids. Other than a few ear infections, common cold, strep throat, and general viruses that all kids get, our kids were healthy. On Thursday, May 30, 2013 that all changed. My six year old son, Brosnan, was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic. <br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k62TfObmdSs/UfQFfH-VD_I/AAAAAAAAAx0/QjkLfyjMv4U/s1600/IMG_0895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a> <span style="text-align: center;">Let's rewind a few months so that you can understand where I think this all started. Brosnan has always been a 'sensitive' child. He has a very sweet demeanor, his feelings get hurt easily, he is always moving a bit slower then our other two, but he is as loving as loving can be. He is my brown eyed baby boy. It hurts my heart writing this... knowing where it ends up. Anyways, I guess you can say he has always been a bit less energetic then my other two kids. He knows that his puppy dog eyes will get him what he wants and he uses them on a regular basis. Brosnan, Little Justice, and I, went on a trip to Washington state to visit with my family at the beginning of March. We drove from Yuma, Arizona to San Diego, California where we got on the plane. Nothing out of the ordinary, we had a great trip visiting family for the final time before our departure to Thailand. On the drive back from San Diego to Yuma we stopped probably 3 times for bathroom breaks for Brosnan, during a 3 hour car ride Didn't think any thing of it. Attributed it to his drinking lots of water which is always encouraged in our household. Maybe this unrelated to his diabetes, maybe it was the beginning. </span><br />
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Fast forward another month to the beginning of May. We met my father and his girlfriend, Cindi, in San Diego for a long weekend. We spent a day at SeaWorld, and two days in LegoLand. We all had a great time, but it seemed like we were stopping for Brosnan to go to the bathroom constantly. Again, I just figured it was him drinking water and us just noticing his frequent urination more since we were forced to take him to the restroom (vs. him just going whenever at home). That was May 3-6th. </div>
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A week later May 15th, I volunteered to chaperon his kindergarten class as they walked to the fire station and then to Round-Table Pizza for lunch. Brosnan was crying and whining the entire time. All he seemed to focus on was food. He refused to take pictures with the class when they were in front of the fire truck and he refused to basically do anything that the rest of the kids were enjoying. I just figured this was Brosnan being sensitive like usual. One of the fire fighters ended up taking him back inside the station to go get some tissues and get him calmed down. I was kind of ignoring the poor kid. I was frustrated with his behavior. WHY couldn't he just enjoy the things that the rest of the kids were doing? I know he likes pizza and was excited to have some but he was so hyper-focused on when he was going to get food it was driving me crazy, and not to mention a bit embarrassing. When he realized that we had to walk from the fire station to the pizza place it got even worse. You would seriously think that I never feed the child, he was acting as though he was starving. We finally arrive at the pizza place, he scarfs down his two pieces of cheese pizza and is complaining he is still hungry. I kept telling him that I was not going to buy any more because I knew he would not eat it all. His eyes are bigger than his stomach most of the time. After a few more minutes of his whining, and his cute brown puppy dog eyes, I bought him a personal cheese pizza. He scarfed it up like no tomorrow. I began to feel bad, my goodness the kid really was hungry! Then the walk back to school, he was the last kid, as usual, walking slowwwww, nothing new there though.... <br />
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It is hard to pinpoint any 'symptoms' of the following week. I do recall him drinking more, although it is important to point out that we lived in Yuma, Arizona in the middle of the desert and by May it is at least in the 90's consistently, if not in the 100's. My kids drink water all the time. They have access to water 24/7. They go to sleep with a cup of water. Brosnan was drinking his and we kept telling him we weren't going to give him any more because we didn't want him to pee the bed. I remember him getting upset if we told him no, then he would just try and sneak out of his bed to fill his cup on his own. Brosnan, being our 'slow' child would normally go without water rather than have to get up and do it himself. So with drinking more water came more bathroom visits. Over the next couple of weeks we were noticing that he was going to the bathroom at least once or twice before my husband and I went to sleep, usually around 11pm. Of course he is going to the bathroom, he's drinking lots of water. I also remember him being more 'excited' about eating. He would get snacks on his own more frequently and would eat a lot more at breakfast time.<br />
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Sometime between the 15th and 24th (ish) of May his urination became more frequent and more concerning. I knew that frequent urination was a symptom of diabetes, I honestly can not say how I knew that, but I almost think it was from a Lifetime Movie or something! So I started doing research on the internet. I was searching and searching for SOMETHING that it could be other than diabetes, but all signs pointed to only one thing. I remember mentioning to Justice that it is a symptom of diabetes and that could be a possibility, he made a joke about it. I told him probably not a good idea to joke about it, in case it is actually true. I am pretty sure he told me to call the Dr. and get him checked out if I thought it was a possibility. That had to be at least a week before he was diagnosed. I did not call at that time to make an appointment because I kept telling myself I was wrong and I was over-reacting. He is peeing more because it is hot outside and he is drinking more water. Period. There is no way my son could have diabetes.<br />
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I think the final sign that told me I had to do something was one day when he took his shirt off. It seemed like overnight he had gone from skinny, to skin and bones. I continued my research trying to find something that would tell me my intuition was wrong. I came across an article that said you can buy 'Ketone' test strips over the counter at local pharmacies. Ketones are produced when your body has to much sugar in its system and it tries to flush it out in the urine. While Justice was at cubscouts I went to CVS and bought some. I figured this was a good way to prove myself wrong. <br />
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<a 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" /></a> This is where I try not to feel guilt in retrospect. That night, on Tuesday, 3 days before I took him to the doctors, I tested his urine and it indicated 'large' amounts of ketones. I read the package and it said, "if you are diabetic and results are 'moderate' call your medical team for guidance, if results are large, seek medical help immediately." I didn't do anything.... It told me to seek medical help immediately, and I did nothing. He wasn't diabetic, he had been <i>okay</i> the last few days, he just pee's a lot. I will call the doctors in the morning. I put him to sleep and I remember waking up the next morning, saying to myself that I hope he is awake... I sent Brosnan to school and called the Doctors as soon as they opened. I spoke with the nurse and told him his symptoms and what my concerns were. I did not tell her that I tested him for ketones. I don't even remember if I told Justice. They had no appointments for that day so they made an appointment for first thing the next morning. <br />
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That day was a hard day for me. I knew he had diabetes, I knew he had it for at least a week but I knew that once I took him to the doctors that it would be official and my baby boy's life would be forever changed. I prayed and I am not a 'religious' person per say, but I asked God to please not let me be right. Please don't allow my precious, kind loving, and gentle 6 year old boy to have an incurable disease that will alter his life. After I made the appointment I sent a text message to my husband asking if he could go to the appointment with me, I knew that if my fears were confirmed we would be going straight to the hospital. I knew I couldn't go to that appointment alone. I remember calling my mom and crying on the phone because I was scared of the truth and being right.<br />
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I tucked him into bed on May 29th, keeping my fingers crossed that he would wake up the next morning. Telling myself that he is still acting okay, he can make it one more day. He did thankfully. After dropping off Justice and Arcadian at school we went to the appointment. When we met with the provider, Maureen, the nurse practitioner, I told her his symptoms and my thoughts. She got the nurse and a blood glucose monitor, poked his finger, got the blood onto the test strip, waited a few seconds and nothing... I remember the look on the nurse that was holding the monitor as she looked at Maureen. It was the complete opposite of everything is okay. They scrambled around for a few minutes. As Maureen said that she wanted him to pee in a cup, I asked what the monitor said, and she said it was to high for the monitor to read. We took B to pee in the cup and headed back to the room. I remember my heart pounding, knowing that the answer I did not want was just minutes away. Justice sat quietly. At this point I do not think that he really understood what it would mean for Brosnan to have diabetes. Many minutes later Maureen came back in and said that I was right. <br />
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I don't remember much specifically after that. I remember crying and I remember being given the choice to take him to the hospital in Yuma or we could have drove 3 hours to the Phoenix children's hospital. We choose Yuma since it would be easier to take care of our other two kids. I semi-composed myself so that we could leave, got in the car and the waterworks started again. By this point Brosnan was crying to because he didn't want to have to stay at the hospital and he had no idea what was wrong.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6fA4tt8n3s8/UfQGwka13qI/AAAAAAAAAyg/Ih3CIk7uMjQ/s1600/IMG_1375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6fA4tt8n3s8/UfQGwka13qI/AAAAAAAAAyg/Ih3CIk7uMjQ/s200/IMG_1375.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is after we got to hospital.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xuTiE-kyQE4/UfQGxjyiBzI/AAAAAAAAAys/56K5bgq63vw/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xuTiE-kyQE4/UfQGxjyiBzI/AAAAAAAAAys/56K5bgq63vw/s200/IMG_1385.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Practicing his shots on 'Rufus' the diabetic teddy bear.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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And that was that. Thursday, May 30th, 2013. The day our lives were changed. There is so much more to tell, about the hospital stay, first days home, dealing with an overseas move, adjustments, etc. but I can't emotionally write about it any more tonight. I will say though that there are many worse diseases that he could have. Yes, there is no cure... but there is hope for a cure. It is controllable. He can go on to do almost anything, just with a few adjustments and preparations. My life has become much more complicated, but I manage day-by-day. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-noZPDpyPmzc/UfQG0Vsb8cI/AAAAAAAAAzE/HeaAToqVIzA/s1600/IMG_1507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-noZPDpyPmzc/UfQG0Vsb8cI/AAAAAAAAAzE/HeaAToqVIzA/s320/IMG_1507.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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At his Kindergarten graduation his teacher gave me a folder with his school stuff in it. There were two photos of him, one from the beginning of the year, I'm thinking maybe November, and the other photo was from April or May when he received student of the month. It makes me sick to my stomach to see him. How could we not have noticed??? How was that possible? <br />
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Thankfully, that is in the past. He is happier and healthier now then he has been in months and he is doing all the things that other 6 year-olds do. Including losing teeth! This is just a curve in the road, a left turn we didn't intend to take, but we took it, and we managed to find our way back. Brosnan is an amazing child. His strength, patience, and courage through all of this continues to amaze me.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pxxk9RgoMwE/UfQMr9Z7bBI/AAAAAAAAAzU/MYWXCa1fs4w/s1600/IMG_1874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pxxk9RgoMwE/UfQMr9Z7bBI/AAAAAAAAAzU/MYWXCa1fs4w/s320/IMG_1874.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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For anyone curious, a full list of symptoms of diabetes can be found at this link, <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/DS01121/DSECTION=symptoms">http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/DS01121/DSECTION=symptoms</a></div>
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I thank all of you who have read this and promise I'll get back to our life in Thailand posts soon! Although I will continue to elaborate on the Brosnan story as well. </div>
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-JP</div>
ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-7347084791459056392013-07-24T07:45:00.000-07:002013-07-24T07:45:42.064-07:00One Month Down! We have been living in Bangkok for 1 month now and things are going quite well. Justice has been in Quantico, Virginia for almost two weeks now for training on how to do his new job. The boys and I have been hanging out at the house, swimming, and spending time with new friends. Our express shipment (supposed to arrive within 30 days) has finally arrived in Bangkok, but has about another 3 weeks supposedly before it clears customs and will end up at our house. Our household goods shipment (HHG) is ...well somewhere between here and Yuma, Arizona. We have only the items that we packed in our luggage and brought on the plane with us. Thankfully we brought a television and the Xbox. The kids have been playing WAY to many video games, but they have read most of the books we brought and their workbooks only hold their attention for so long. They will be going into withdrawals in a few weeks when school starts! I have been reading some books, surfing the web, and playing the horribly addictive game CandyCrush. I love to hate that stupid game. I am getting bored, but not really motivated enough to go downtown with the kids and do any sightseeing. I need to do more research to find things that would really interest them. I wish we had either of our shipments so at least I could be unpacking or something!<br />
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We did go downtown last Sunday and went to see the kids movie "Turbo" and then out to dinner. We went with two of my husbands co-workers wives and their kids. There were 8 kids in all. We looked more like a daycare walking the streets then some friends out for an evening. We saw some more Thailand wildlife as we passed two GIANT RATS wandering the streets of Bangkok. This was the second outing with these new friends and it felt very good to have some adult conversations with some friendly, down to earth women. I am looking forward to future adventures with them! <br />
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My goal lately has been trying to find domestic help. Apparently everyone has a Nanny and/or maid. It is ridiculously cheap (12,000-15,000 baht = $400-$500 USD) to have full-time help either live at your house or live-out and work 6 days / week. I read today that Thailand's minimum wage is like 300 baht / day which is roughly $10. USD. So apparently a maid in our area is doing pretty well for themselves. I have interviewed around 8 prospective workers now. We have been going back and forth on whether we want full-time/ part-time, live in- or live out. All have their positive and negatives. I have interviewed Thais, Burmese, and Filipinos. There are a few possibilities but I am just so undecided on exactly what I want. I was thinking a live out would be sufficient, but then I started looking at the children's extra-curricular activities (3 kids, 3 different soccer teams, 3 different practice days/times, cub scouts and anything else they decide to get involved with), and then I started thinking about doing all of that alone because Justice is traveling or not home from work yet.... I started getting tired just thinking about it. I went back to the idea that a live-in that has more flexibility and ability to help with making sure all the kids are where they need to be and have someone there to watch them. So I don't know.... Still contemplating all of that I guess. It is kind of crazy though, people just call or ring my doorbell saying they heard I was looking for help.<br />
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Other dilemma's relating to hired help is making sure that someone understands Brosnan and his diabetes. I want/need someone that I can trust with him so that Justice and I can go out and enjoy some of Thailand's night life without worrying about the lives of the kids we left at home. Thankfully, the Embassy's medical clinic has said that they will 'train' our help and explain to them what to watch for and how to care for him. I want to find one reliable person to watch the kids whenever we need them to, so that I don't have to have multiple people responsible for controlling his diabetes.<br />
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And then there is the culture aspect. There is a Burmese girl (actually from Nepal), that I like and she was excited about there being smaller kids in the house, but she doesn't speak much Thai. The way I view it is if we are going to have someone in our house all day long and caring for our children, I would like to also be able to get the cultural aspect from it. I want someone that can cook us Thai food, help us understand Thai, and be able to communicate with other Thais when necessary. Then there is still the part of me that thinks about how long I went with doing everything by myself. I don't need help. I would much rather take the money and put it towards paying off bills...but when in Rome.... As my husband pointed out, I likely won't have the option to have help like this again. And I don't like to clean and this house is big.... and the idea of not having to cook if I don't want to....<br />
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Anyways, that is what is going on right now. I am to lazy to post any new pictures so next time I promise I will!<br />
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Hope everyone has a wonderful day!<br />
-JP<br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-88059888131956265182013-07-08T00:50:00.002-07:002013-07-08T00:50:46.736-07:002 weeks here... A few things we've encountered<span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large; line-height: 38px;"><br /></span>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 38px;">According to google translate that is "Hello"</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 38px;"> We have made it through our first two weeks in Thailand and so far we are adjusting well. Our first few days were spent waking up super early (3-4am) and going to bed super early (6pm) thanks to jet lag. We are now on our usual sleeping schedule and spend our days hanging out at the house, at one of the pools, or at a mall.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 38px;"> So, what are some of the things that we have encountered that we have found odd or different in our new country??</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 38px;"> How about cereal- Fruit Loops- The outside of the box looks the same as it did in the US, but when we opened it and poured the first bowl this is what we found. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit loops- Not the same color and looks like bugs have been in the bag eating holes through all the pieces. Thankfully it tastes the same (or close enough) to what the kids are used to.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> The embassy provides a "hospitality or survival" kit that contained basic household items, linens, dishes, pots & pans, and some basic cleaning tools. This is the broom that was provided. I have never seen a broom so shiny and pretty. Also never heard of a company that makes cleaning supplies called, "The Black Man." Not really sure if that would go over as being politically correct in the states. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aQRxReMcE-Y/UdpmacA9xNI/AAAAAAAAAv8/AMTZ0R2teQQ/s1600/IMG_1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aQRxReMcE-Y/UdpmacA9xNI/AAAAAAAAAv8/AMTZ0R2teQQ/s320/IMG_1546.JPG" width="288" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-obix2KujZZo/UdpmaP2FwfI/AAAAAAAAAv0/SBcZP_xnFC4/s1600/IMG_1545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-obix2KujZZo/UdpmaP2FwfI/AAAAAAAAAv0/SBcZP_xnFC4/s320/IMG_1545.JPG" width="288" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">While we are the subject of politically correct, I found this restaurant that delivers Mexican, American, Italian, and Thai food. We have ordered from there a few times and the food is decent. When looking at the menu, I noticed the logo, "support your local wetback." Not sure if you would see an advertisement in the states with that specific wording.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4XFqtMGqVVA/Udpmfbw4L_I/AAAAAAAAAwo/suhU-hf2pNE/s1600/IMG_1656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4XFqtMGqVVA/Udpmfbw4L_I/AAAAAAAAAwo/suhU-hf2pNE/s320/IMG_1656.JPG" width="288" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> This picture was taken on the window of a Taxi Cab. Interpret how you wish. It could represent a number of things. I have not spent much time in cabs, probably rode in more in the last two weeks then I have in my entire life, but I don't recall seeing this photo. No wrestling, no fighting, no??? It is Bangkok after all :-) </span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jcg-1mx8Eh0/UdpmbiUsn5I/AAAAAAAAAwU/HGkXo0dQliU/s1600/IMG_1617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Jcg-1mx8Eh0/UdpmbiUsn5I/AAAAAAAAAwU/HGkXo0dQliU/s1600/IMG_1617.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> This is our new "car." This is how most residents in Nichada Thani get around. There is even special "golf cart" parking reserved for us at the near by mall, Central Plaza (Chaengwattana). </span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6hPahKd0bc/UdpmbYSWauI/AAAAAAAAAwM/djhrSTjJNag/s1600/IMG_1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6hPahKd0bc/UdpmbYSWauI/AAAAAAAAAwM/djhrSTjJNag/s320/IMG_1608.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> This is our new favorite past time. Driving remote control monster truck over 5 year old being held down by his older brother and dad. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9l1hwuxYo54/Udpmfvk_hTI/AAAAAAAAAws/9FHtblPq5YA/s1600/IMG_1729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9l1hwuxYo54/Udpmfvk_hTI/AAAAAAAAAws/9FHtblPq5YA/s320/IMG_1729.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><b>Wild Life-</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> When driving above golf-cart home from the store, Justice X (the young one) and I saw one of these run across the road. It was at least 12-18 inches from head to toe. I would have stopped to take a photo but did not want to get hit by the drivers behind us.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b0SSGutkpuk/Udpmbc1xibI/AAAAAAAAAwI/vn8hHa9V9PA/s1600/IMG_1618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b0SSGutkpuk/Udpmbc1xibI/AAAAAAAAAwI/vn8hHa9V9PA/s1600/IMG_1618.JPG" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Those things moving around in the water are fish. Some are huge. The kids like to feed them. I am pretty sure they would eat a person if a person decide to swim in that particular lake. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PzRnseP3800/UdpmeQ_3z9I/AAAAAAAAAxM/gOuO960M9rI/s1600/IMG_1629.MOV" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PzRnseP3800/UdpmeQ_3z9I/AAAAAAAAAxM/gOuO960M9rI/s200/IMG_1629.MOV" width="180" /></a></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lake in Nichada where the fish from above live. </td></tr>
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<span style="color: #212121; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> That's enough for now. I will have to kidnap Justice's (the big one's) phone to get some other strange photos off it. Apparently there is a big Komodo dragon / water monitor (lizard) that hangs out at the Embassy complex. He took some pictures of it. </span><br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-56120388213323019432013-06-27T23:11:00.001-07:002013-06-27T23:11:15.004-07:00Our First Overseas PCS (permanent change of station)<br />
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<i><span style="color: blue;">****This was written a couple weeks ago and I tried to post, but only this part of it saved. There was a lot more that I had written detailing the week before our move. I refuse to go back and add any more info to it... Moving forward, not backwards, but I wanted to at least get this out there***</span></i><br />
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When I last posted, we had just found out that we were moving to Bangkok, Thailand. Now, 5 months later we are days away from boarding a plane and heading to our new home. The last few weeks have probably...no, they HAVE been, the most stressful weeks of my life. Short version for now, but on May 30, my middle son Brosnan (6) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He was immediately admitted to Yuma Regional Medical Center. Three days later after we were released from the hospital we went home to begin our new life of needles, insulin, glucose monitors, and finger pricks. I will elaborate on that whole story later. Right now lets focus on the move...<br />
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Our original scheduled departure date was June 15th, 17 days after B was diagnosed. There are several factors that go into allowing a service member and their family to move overseas. One major factor is the families health (physical, educational, mental, etc.). Every member of the family is screened through the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) to determine if there are any concerns that can not be adequately treated at the next duty station. We were approved a few months ago but with Brosnans new diagnosis we had to start over with him. The original response we received was basically, "sorry, you can't move to Thailand." Thankfully, my husband is not one to take no for an answer so we began doing our own research, making sure that there are pediatric endocrinologists and medicine available. After lots of emails and phone calls my husband had finally received a verbal yes from all the necessary parties, next step was to get all those parties to say yes to each other. So we proceeded as planned with the movers, keeping our fingers crossed that everything would come together.<br />
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Which brings us to Friday, June 7th. <br />
Last day of school for Justice, my mom was visiting from Washington state and we were preparing for a garage sale. Saturday morning we woke early and started selling. <br />
Two days and a few hundred dollars later the garage sale was over. We loaded the car with remaining items and donated to the family readiness officer (FRO) to give to young Marines and their families. Sunday night was a mad dash to figure out and separate any and all items that we wanted the movers to take the next day in our express shipment. <br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-36458575676310883772013-06-27T23:06:00.000-07:002013-06-27T23:06:29.317-07:00We made it to Thailand!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">We made it to Bangkok!</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPRqrdEgXCk/Uc0ebWl5nJI/AAAAAAAAArk/PdoRW0-MiDg/s1600/IMG_1529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPRqrdEgXCk/Uc0ebWl5nJI/AAAAAAAAArk/PdoRW0-MiDg/s320/IMG_1529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok, Thailand</td></tr>
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<br />My husband pretty much summed up the last few weeks via a facebook post during our travels.: <div>
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"<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">5 people, 15 checked bags, 11 carry ons, 5 medical and dental clearances and one re-cleared, 1 top secret clearance, 5 diplomatic passports, 5 regular passports, 5 diplomatic visas, 1 vehicle totaled, 1 vehicle traded in, 1 vehicle shipped overseas, 10 weeks with a rental car, 8 days in a hotel, 3 kids enrolled in the international school, 1 shipment of household goods to arrive in 30 days, 1 shipment of household goods to arrive in 90 days, 1 shipment of storage for the next 3 years, and 1 house in Thailand waiting for us. Just a 20 hour flight to go."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>We are finally here. The stress of all of the above is behind us and we are now living a more relaxed life. Still some stress exists of trying to find our place in a brand new culture but it is fun and exciting. Now we wait for our Express Shipment, Household goods, and our car to arrive. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"> The above picture was taken at about 11:30 pm Bangkok time which was 9:30 am, Yuma, Arizona time. That equates to almost 30 hours after we left our hotel at MCAS Yuma. We are all pretty tired. The excitement wore off pretty quick during the airplane rides. Our flight from Yuma to LAX was about an hour long. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yuma International Airport, 6ish am June 22, 2013<br /></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;"><br /></span></span>When we boarded the plan everyone was happy and energetic!<br />
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Shortly after we boarded the plane from Tokyo, Japan to Bangkok all of the boys (including the husband) were passed out. Luckily it was not a full flight so they all had a little bit of room to stretch out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Arcadian</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Justice</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gIA8pnM40Y/Uc0hPZcgGTI/AAAAAAAAAsA/htOWxW8_pxE/s1600/IMG_1522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3gIA8pnM40Y/Uc0hPZcgGTI/AAAAAAAAAsA/htOWxW8_pxE/s200/IMG_1522.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brosnan</span></td></tr>
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All-in-all, traveling went smooth. The kids behaved themselves as much as expected considering the length of the flights, we arrived safely, no delays, and with all of our luggage waiting for us! Our Sponsor, and Justice's co-worker, Captain Green, met us at the airport and helped coordinate a van to take us to our new home.<br />
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Our house is in a community called Nichada Thani, rumored to be the nicest housing area in all of Thailand. It is a gated community with several sub-divisions each with their own security guard. I feel very comfortable living here as far as security is concerned. Our house is the first on our street in Premier Place 2. We live right next to the community pool (each sub-division has one, and there is also an olympic sized pool at the clubhouse about a mile away). There is a small playground directly behind our house. <br />
The house itself is pretty big. There are 3 living areas, 4 bedrooms, and 5 bathrooms. The kids are all pretty excited to have their very own bathrooms! There is not much of a yard, but there is a small patch of grass in the front. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Front Yard</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Family Room (kids TV room)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Downstairs bathroom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dining Room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1hD47beDd9o/Uc0lMEPNDQI/AAAAAAAAAt8/pZcavtuwSZg/s1600/IMG_1560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1hD47beDd9o/Uc0lMEPNDQI/AAAAAAAAAt8/pZcavtuwSZg/s320/IMG_1560.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Living room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Den Area</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ceiling in Living room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KfR4UHLeJQA/Uc0lJsPudhI/AAAAAAAAAts/HmkTNi6JE9E/s1600/IMG_1567.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KfR4UHLeJQA/Uc0lJsPudhI/AAAAAAAAAts/HmkTNi6JE9E/s320/IMG_1567.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looking down the stairs into living room</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lunLnYsmlTY/Uc0lHgzZWjI/AAAAAAAAAtk/2fJKTeoQmqI/s1600/IMG_1568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lunLnYsmlTY/Uc0lHgzZWjI/AAAAAAAAAtk/2fJKTeoQmqI/s320/IMG_1568.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Justice's bedroom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YiWg7r0I1qU/Uc0lMJ15MNI/AAAAAAAAAuA/b-ATTSol8vs/s1600/IMG_1571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YiWg7r0I1qU/Uc0lMJ15MNI/AAAAAAAAAuA/b-ATTSol8vs/s320/IMG_1571.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Green outside Justice's window</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pH2jbLMikbA/Uc0lKntubTI/AAAAAAAAAt0/mumaw1wxCMU/s1600/IMG_1580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pH2jbLMikbA/Uc0lKntubTI/AAAAAAAAAt0/mumaw1wxCMU/s320/IMG_1580.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brosnan's Bathroom</span></td></tr>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQHlZ1Ikgdw/Uc0lWUaz0-I/AAAAAAAAAuQ/P1KePcNxd3k/s1600/IMG_1566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KQHlZ1Ikgdw/Uc0lWUaz0-I/AAAAAAAAAuQ/P1KePcNxd3k/s320/IMG_1566.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--1PKs32l9cg/Uc0lfYzSkDI/AAAAAAAAAu8/gCVteFNxMvY/s1600/IMG_1582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--1PKs32l9cg/Uc0lfYzSkDI/AAAAAAAAAu8/gCVteFNxMvY/s320/IMG_1582.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Master bedroom</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BER7WCw2xe8/Uc0lYCVEKJI/AAAAAAAAAuc/G9S2ujlEwjI/s1600/IMG_1585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BER7WCw2xe8/Uc0lYCVEKJI/AAAAAAAAAuc/G9S2ujlEwjI/s320/IMG_1585.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Master Closet</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Master Bath</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-thMgahllgqs/Uc0lj9cFIrI/AAAAAAAAAvM/VWc5OJP_sMo/s1600/IMG_1587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-thMgahllgqs/Uc0lj9cFIrI/AAAAAAAAAvM/VWc5OJP_sMo/s320/IMG_1587.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Master Bath</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r-0Z7YAqWcE/Uc0lcGN1BMI/AAAAAAAAAus/VBXvp9rArUg/s1600/IMG_1590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-r-0Z7YAqWcE/Uc0lcGN1BMI/AAAAAAAAAus/VBXvp9rArUg/s320/IMG_1590.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Looking down the street</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Other direction / Security guard station</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Front of House</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Main Living room</span></td></tr>
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I think that is enough for now. I will write again soon with how life has been since we arrived.<br /><br /></div>
ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-67358129107713451362013-02-10T08:03:00.000-07:002013-02-10T08:51:56.658-07:00Big Changes are Coming!Last week my husband sent me a text message that was by far the biggest news we have received since I found out I was pregnant with Justice almost 9 years ago. With it, came just as much uncertainty, worry, excitement, fear, and surprise. My husband received orders for his next Permanent Change of Station (PCS) to Bangkok, Thailand. Sometime in June we will be boarding a plane to go to our new home for the next 3 years. <br />
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The day I found out I was home from work with Little Justice as he was sick with a stomach bug. I called my mom, who I think was in just as much shock, called my older brother, then spent the majority of the day searching the Internet for any and all information I could find. It was probably pointless research as we knew nothing about anything, other than we were going to Bangkok and justice would be working at the US Embassy. There is no Military base so there is no specific information to search for. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, looking for something, anything, but having no idea what it was. Since that day bits of pieces of information have been trickling in and with every piece we find out, some questions are answered and others are formed. My wonderful husband tracked down his future co-workers and now I have been emailing one of their wives. I believe she will be my sanity saver now and when we arrive in June, and she has a kid that is the same age as Arcadian! <br />
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So, what do I know? I know that we leave in June. I know that we will more than likely be living in a gated community known as Nichada. The boys will go to an international school called International School of Bangkok that is located within the community. Also within that community is a Starbucks :) I know that we have a lot of preparing to do. We are limited in what we can bring with us. Lots of organizing the house into sell, storage, ship, and trash piles! I know we have a lot of paperwork to complete (medical, dental, school, passports, etc). I also know that this is going to be an amazing experience for my family.<br />
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-JP<br />
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ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-79367037804922642682013-01-21T10:48:00.000-07:002013-01-21T10:48:04.174-07:00Feeling good about what I HAVE accomplished<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> As a therapist it is often my job to help clients make changes in their lives. Sometimes what needs to be changed is obvious, sometimes it takes a while to discover exactly what the difficulties are. Sometimes I feel like a hypocrite, I know what changes I strive for in my life, yet I cannot seem to take the leap and make the commitment to change. I can plan all day long how to make the change but when it comes to execution of those plans I always seem to fall short, lose motivation, get side tracked, and eventually give up. Thankfully, I seem to get back on track at some point which is better than giving up for ever. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Relapse is a part of recovery. We don't look down upon an addict that has a relapse, we use it as a learning experience. What happen, what went wrong, what can we better prepare for next time, what did you learn? As a therapist, we hope that the tools that we teach our client's make those relapses less frequent and last for a shorter duration each time. I am not an addict, but I can equate some of the things I teach my client's to everyday life. When you have a plan and then you get thrown off course, think about what pushed you off of your path. Is it something you had control over? What change can you make to prevent it from happening again? Have a big picture in mind, but break into little pieces that are manageable. Celebrate the small steps. Feel good about what you have accomplished, instead of feeling bad about what you didn't do.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Organization is big on my list for the year and with a 3 day weekend I felt as though I should have accomplished much more than I did. I did a little cleaning of my desk yesterday, listed a few things on ebay & craigslist, and talked the husband into going through 3 years worth of children's school work with me, but I still don't feel like I accomplished anything great. Actually, I am pretty sure I made a bigger mess then before I did anything! Right now, at 10:30 am on the last day of the weekend, I know that I still have time to do more. So that's what I am going to do. I am making a commitment continue with the small steps. Tonight when I go to sleep I will not think about what I didn't do, but I will feel good about what I did do. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a sidenote, here is a picture of my number 1 priority(s), my family. Everything that I strive to do better I do for myself and them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-JP</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span>ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-47357695990479738312013-01-06T22:03:00.000-07:002013-01-06T22:03:08.716-07:00Winter Break is finally OVER! The school district that our children are in provide them with one very long three week winter vacation. For my children that started early with each of them spending some time with the Flu. Tomorrow, they all go back to school. I have enjoyed spending extra time with the kids and they have been pretty good but it is time for them to go spend some time with their teacher and friends. This will also be the first full work week for Justice in 3 weeks and extra hours for me counseling. The end of the holiday season is finally here. <br />
My main New Years Resolution is to become more organized (I am pretty sure I have had this resolution for several years in a row) and to continue to get in shape (pretty sure this has been on the list for awhile too)! Justice and I are trying to get on the same page with organizing the house. I fear it may be difficult at times as he is much more into having "things" then I am. When I picture calm, I think of a house with next to nothing in it, and/or everything in its place, in its proper room, no piles of anything, no toys that no-one plays with, just the basics.<br />
For those that have seen my house, you will know that it is quite the opposite. I know that with three kids and a husband my "dream" home is probably just a dream, but I know that it can be more calm and relaxing then what it is. With the everyday craziness that we experience (mornings, afterschool, sporting activities for 3 kids, cub scouts, dinner, kids homework, my work, grocery shopping, Justice working, etc.) I want me and my family to feel relaxed in our home. I want to be able to play with my kids and not be thinking about all the other stuff that I need to get done. I want to sit down at the end of the day and just relax without seeing a table filled with clutter, paper, and toys. I know that with some hard work, lots of time, and a Garage sale life can be a little less complicated. <br />
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What's your New Years Resolution!?!ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-83328277084846968002013-01-01T19:19:00.001-07:002013-01-01T19:19:35.895-07:00Welcome to 2013 <span style="color: purple;">Everyone knows that January is all about resolutions, making changes, getting organized, and setting goals. I plan on being just like everyone else this year with setting goals. Not sure exactly what those are yet but I plan to have a good idea in the next few days. I know that getting organized and updating this blog is on my list! </span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"> Most that read this will have received Christmas cards with a brief synopsis of what happen in 2012 so no need to rehash that here. Today is about moving forward and making 2013 the best it can be! HAPPY NEW YEAR!</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">-JP</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;"> </span>ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-91936192832166693212011-06-26T19:42:00.000-07:002011-06-26T19:42:04.841-07:00Summer is here!Whoops, apparently it has been a while since I last wrote anything. This is going to be short and sweet but I've felt very productive today so I figured I'd cross something off of my To-Do list. Life is good here in Sunny Yuma, AZ. The weather has quickly hit the triple digits and our pool is nearing 90 degrees. Perfect! <br />
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Justice has completed his first year of elementary school. He was sad to say goodbye to kindergarten but he is looking forward to the first grade. He is still an excellent and avid reader, that is when he is not playing video games... He torments his brothers on a regular basis, but likes playing with them the rest of the time.<br />
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Brosnan is still Brosnan. He wants everything done for him. I'm surprised he finds the energy to feed himself sometimes. He is not as interested in academic subjects, he'd rather play with his legos. All in all, he's a pretty good kid.<br />
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Arcadian, is 1 week shy of his 3rd birthday. Time has flew by. He has become very opinionated and demanding in his young age. It is amazing how all 3 kids can have completely different personalities. He has recently discovered how to work the video games and enjoys the fact that he can now play games just like his big brothers.<br />
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Our kids are starting to get to the age where they are not quite so physically demanding and exhausting. I like that. I am looking forward to being able to enjoy them more and more as they grow and become more independent. <br />
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Justice and I are just trying to keep our sanity and enjoy all the fun things life brings our way. We are enjoying that the sport seasons are over for the summer. Between Justice and Brosnan we were at practices and/or games 6 days a week. It has been nice to have our evenings back. I finally found a place to complete my internship so I can complete my Masters degree. I start July 11th and if all goes as planned I will be graduating in March of 2012. I am so glad that there is finally an end in sight.<br />
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Well that is all for now, my small window of quietness before the bedtime madness has passed. Perhaps I will get another high productivity day and post some pictures :)<br />
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JPifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-28224677412564638262010-09-30T00:35:00.000-07:002010-09-30T00:35:00.472-07:00Growing Up..A week or so ago I received the parts to convert the crib to a full size bed. After a few days of the ginormous box being used as a balance beam, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and make the switch. After Arcadian's nap on Saturday I took apart the crib and put it in Justice's room as a full size bed. He no longer sleeps on mattresses on the floor. The boys have been mistaking it for a trampoline but at least they like it.<br />
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Arcadian is now in a 'big boy' bed. The tried and true race car bed is taking its last laps in the Pelton household. Although it is sad to know my babies are no longer babies, I am thrilled by the idea of moving onwards. I look forward to my boys growing up. Yes, babies and toddler's are cute and cuddly but they are so much work. For the last 6 years I have been changing diapers and listening to crying, and whining because of a child that is disabled by the physical and cognitive limitations imposed on them due to nothing else but their age. I am tired of a child that throws themselves on the floor because you accidentally gave them chocolate milk in the morning instead of orange juice and they don't understand that it was a simple accident. I'm tired of kids that do not understand basic action and consequences. I'm tired of chasing after children that do not understand why I am chasing after them. I'm tired of being kicked every time I change a diaper. I'm tired of changing diapers. I'm tired of cleaning up food off the table, chairs, floors, face, clothes, hair, hands, and ears after EVERY meal. I'm tired of baby gates and child proofing. I'm tired of having to restrict activities of the two older boys because the youngest is to little to play. I'm just tired. With that said, there are things that I will miss about babies, such as their completely innocent smiles, their giggly laughs, and the excitement they experience as they learn new things. All those things will continue as they grow but it evolves into something a bit different.<br />
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When Brosnan was about 13 months old, I found out I was pregnant with Arcadian...and I cried. I was happy with having my two boys and I was then excited to move on in life. I had just started my Master's program and I was living back in Washington and looking forward to spending time with friends, family & enjoying life. Well I was able to do all of that but not how I had hoped it would be. My life with my three boys is hectic and taking them anywhere was never relaxing. Going over to a friends house always meant that I would be constantly running behind them making sure they were not getting into everything. Sitting down and just visiting was next to impossible. It was exhausting to leave the house. Don't get me wrong. I love all my boys and enjoy them immensely. I'm just looking forward to life getting easier. Arcadian is living up to the 'terrible two' stereotype. Justice has his moments, but he can be reasoned with and understands. Poor Brosnan is stuck in the middle. Justice understands why we can't do certain things at certain times, Brosnan kind of gets it but doesn't agree with it. The older two like to color. Arcadian likes to color as an appetizer and finishes off with eating the crayons and chewing the tips of markers. The older two are often not finished coloring by the time Arcadian is but when Arcadian is done it has to stop. If not he is climbing on the table, throwing markers/crayons, eating them or grabbing one and running around the house. Anyways, my point is, things like having a crib free house means more to me then just not having a crib in the house. It is the beginning of what I am hoping is a more enjoyable time in our lives. Both the kids and myself are slowly gaining a bit of Independence that has restricted us because of the demands of small children. I think by this time next year there will be so much stress relieved from nothing other than the developmental progression of age.<br />
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I was going to go to bed early tonight and it is 12:30am....so much for that.<br />
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Good Night-<br />
JPifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-238219934023830022010-09-19T23:22:00.000-07:002010-09-19T23:22:47.014-07:001 Month Down, 3 to goToday marks four weeks of Justice being gone, which means we only have 3 more months left! The first month has gone by pretty quick so hopefully the rest will to. If all goes as planned then we will be seeing Justice for a few days in October then my mother is coming for a visit the beginning of November so at least we have things to look forward to.<br />
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Brosnan has been in a better mood the last couple of days so that has been nice. He's had his moments, well they've all had their moments but they are kids so I guess that's normal. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJbzvskEqPI/AAAAAAAAAmM/sbbIl-zNGFQ/s1600/IMAG0712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJbzvskEqPI/AAAAAAAAAmM/sbbIl-zNGFQ/s320/IMAG0712.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Toothless Smile :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div align="center"><u>Justice Loses a Tooth</u></div>As you can see, Justice lost his first tooth yesterday. It had been wiggling for a week or two. I did not know that he had been wiggling it at all. I figured he was going to be one of those kids where the tooth is hanging on by a thread and still refuses to give it that final yank. I was SO wrong. Him and Brosnan were watching a movie in Justice's bedroom and Justice comes out with a bloody mouth and a tooth in his hand! I was shocked and surprised! The tooth fairy came last night and gave him some money and a note that told him to tell his mom to take him to the store so he can buy something cool. We went to the store today and he picked out some lego's. <br />
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<div align="center"><u>House Cleaning</u></div>Oh, Yesterday I finally got tired of the HUGE mess that the boys bedrooms were constantly in and I decided it was time to do some cleaning and emptying. I had been noticing that the boys would actually play with their toys the most after the rooms were cleaned and organized. Then by the end of the day when they had messed it all up, they really wouldn't go back in until it was clean again. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb1TAcyUzI/AAAAAAAAAmU/GflXbdorsWc/s1600/IMAG0702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb1TAcyUzI/AAAAAAAAAmU/GflXbdorsWc/s320/IMAG0702.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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This is Justice's room as I was cleaning. Please be aware that I had already taken out a bunch of stuff and picked a lot of stuff up before deciding I should take pictures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb1WGFKvrI/AAAAAAAAAmc/QURbMePSLjc/s1600/IMAG0716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" qx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb1WGFKvrI/AAAAAAAAAmc/QURbMePSLjc/s320/IMAG0716.jpg" width="320" /></a>This is his room after I was done. He got to choose 2 things to keep and the rest got sent to the garage. He choose his guys and monster trucks. The books and computer of course stayed. He had absolutely no problems with what I did and actually did a good job helping me.</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb2dPsTcWI/AAAAAAAAAmk/NtOUmilqPzY/s1600/IMAG0705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb2dPsTcWI/AAAAAAAAAmk/NtOUmilqPzY/s320/IMAG0705.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brosnan's Room Before</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brosnan's room After</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, I even did Arcadian's room!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb3G9nVkFI/AAAAAAAAAm8/A28WdczuDxw/s1600/IMAG0713.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" qx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sWHLWPmSo1o/TJb3G9nVkFI/AAAAAAAAAm8/A28WdczuDxw/s320/IMAG0713.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arcadian's room after</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A little over 24 hours later and the rooms are still pretty clean. I have picked them up a little but it only takes me a few minutes compared to what it used to. They have all spent more time in their rooms playing and I am hoping that continues. They have been told that if they ever want to play with anything else all they have to do is make a trade. Give me something they have now and I'll give them what they want.<br />
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<div align="center"><u>Speaking of Houses</u></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left">For all those curious how our house selling is going...our WA house has been on the market for almost three months. Showings have been nearly non-existent so we have dropped the price to a ridiculous amount in hopes to at least get people looking at it so we can get a short-sale approved and be done with it (anyone want to buy a house??). Who wants to bother with the short-sale process for a house that is 30 years old when they can buy a brand new one for the same price?!? The houses provide me with daily headaches and debt. I never would have thought that buying a house for our family to live in would have ended up as a financial nightmare. A house that appraised for a decent amount over what we paid for it has dropped in value nearly $70,000 in 3 years. Something is incredibly wrong with that picture. The same thing with the VA house. It is literally worth less then half of what we paid for it. Of course we paid the highest price, about a month later is when the housing bubble burst and it was a down hill slide from there. Renting a house out for a couple hundred dollars less then your monthly mortgage is not ideal. What ever happens I am ready to just deal with it and move on. No more house buying for us for awhile. I am enjoying renting for now.</div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">Tomorrow.... Tomorrow is a busy day. We are supposed to go to a "meet & greet" for the Mom's Club in the morning, then in the evening the Officer's wives are having a get together. They are picking me up here at the house (and bringing a babysitter) so I have to make sure the house is clean. Fun! Actually I am looking forward to some adult conversation without kids! </div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left">JP</div>ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313596611492064783.post-56302887844157270752010-09-15T22:29:00.000-07:002010-09-15T22:29:37.872-07:00Stressful at times<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Most days are good, but some wear me down real fast. The last couple of days Brosnan has been testing my patience and threatening my sanity. I can't quite figure out what the problem is. The kid has attitude, whines, and lies. </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me: "Did you clean up the mess?" </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brosnan (with a HUGE grin, wide eyes, and excessive head nodding): "Yes! I did"</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Me: Are you sure?</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brosnan: Yes, it's clean. Just don't go look at it though.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another example:</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brosnan is lying on the living room floor on one of the couch cushions he pulled off. I asked him to get up and put everything back, he tells me he can't because his head is so heavy and he is so tired.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The things he says is extremely funny, yet he is SO persistent. Eventually he will be crying and waiting for me to breakdown. When he realizes that I am ignoring him he will either wander around the house looking for more attention or go start making messes.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've spent a lot of energy ignoring his behavior. I almost feel bad when 10 minutes has gone by and he is still lying on the floor insisting that I pick him up..."You just do it. I can't do it Mom, I'm just so tired" I'm hoping that my persistence will pay off and he will realize that his crazy behavior will not get the response that he wants.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The hardest part is that he does it for EVERYTHING. In most cases I can hold my ground, but there are other times when it is so much easier to give in and do it for him, such as getting dressed or putting shoes on when it is time to leave. I have realized that he is fully capable of getting dressed AND putting his shoes on by himself, although 9 times out of 10 everything is on backwards, when I mention this to him he states, "I know, that's how I like it" It takes me a minute to get him dressed, waiting for him can take hours. With that said, he gets excited every time he does it for himself and on the rare occasions when he did not stall or put up a fight, I get a little break by only having Arcadian to get ready. </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">I am hoping that with my perseverance and patience Brosnan will get the idea and start to do things on his own without crying about it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">The other two boys are doing good. Justice is enjoying kindergarten and Arcadian is acting like a 2 year old. We are all missing daddy but so far we are managing well with him gone. It's almost been a month which means only 3 more to go!!!</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">JP</span>ifferjennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17436221241926507328noreply@blogger.com0