Le Monde D'Avril

Possibly Moved....

2010-08-21T23:22:00.002-04:00

I haven't taken the time to update this blog since last fall. I used to be so faithful in my daily ramblings, but somehow have become sidetracked. I will soon return (as I am unemployed at the moment and have more time), but until then please check out my photography blog... Thanks! :-)
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Http://aprilhandley.wordpress.com

My POSSIBLE New House

2009-10-10T19:23:00.007-04:00

This house has been COMPLETELY remodeled.
New Roof. New flooring (wood/tile/carpet). New kitchen (appliances still have tags on them, new countertops, lighting, new all). New remodeled bathrooms (sinks, cabinets, tubs, lighting). To say the least... everything is new.
A good size lawn in the back with a storage building.
New paint on all the walls.
Circular driveway.

Super quiet neighborhood (Archdale Landing).

In a cul de sac.

Wired for burglar alarm.

Ceiling fans in every room.

Fireplace I'm not fond of. Any suggestions are very welcome!

This house is fairly small (1,400 sq ft), but just adorable inside.

Pictures

2009-07-24T22:57:00.002-04:00

The Longest Day EVER...

2009-07-08T19:11:00.002-04:00

Monday we flew home... losing a day... We left Bangkok Monday morning at 5:35 a.m. Flew to Tokyo and from Tokyo to Atlanta and Atlanta to Charleston. We arrived in Charleston on Monday night at 6:30 p.m. yet we had been flying for like 25 hours... Bangkok is 13 hours ahead of Charleston. The flight wasn't too bad on the way back. It was a terrific vacation. Now I am working on the 1,500 pictures I have taken to get some of them ready to put up for all to see. Check back soon! :-)

Sunday... Shopping at the MBK mall!!!!

2009-07-08T18:59:00.002-04:00

Sunday morning we woke up early. I was still feeling pretty weak, but so much better. We ate breakfast at the hotel (wasn't great) and headed to find a cab to head to the MBK mall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBK_Center) in Bangkok. It is 8 stories tall with 2,500 shops!!!

The cab driver we got was creepy! I was actually a little nervous about the ride, but we made it safely. We got there about an hour early so we walked around and finally sat down and just talked.

When the mall opened we walked in and were TOTALLY overwhelmed. This place was ridiculously big! We started from the 1st floor and worked our way up to the top. The mall opened at 10 a.m. and we left there at 8 p.m.! I did get more artwork on my back (a royal Thai elephant) so that took up the last two hours, but we literally walked all day long!!! Pretty neat we got a massage (Matthew), a pedicure (me) and a tattoo (me) all in the mall.

Oh boy... the cab driver we got to take us back to our hotel was clearly hopped up on something.... everytime he would laugh he would sniff and snort and he had this nervous laugh. It was crazy. Instead of a 30 minute drive back the driver got lost and it took 1.5 hours to get back!!!! It was so dumb. I was almost hostile in the backseat! LOL... Matthew even used the guys cell phone to call our hotel... we found another cabbie and got directions from him.

When we finally got back to the hotel it was 10 something and we packed our clothes and both of us went and got massages from the hotel spa. Mine was a foot massage yet somehow it ended with me getting popped in the forehead repeatedly... I am dumbfounded by Thai massages! LOL How are you all the way up to my pelvis and then up to my head when you are supposed to be massaging my feet!?!?!

We got to bed after midnight and woke up at 2:15 a.m. to get ready for the airport.

Saturday... Leaving Phuket...

2009-07-08T18:49:00.001-04:00

Saturday morning we woke up super early after going to bed really early on Friday night (exhuasted from heat, traveling and all the activities). We at breakfast at Baan Yin Dee and waited on our taxi driver to come take us to the airport. I called the taxi driver who brought us from the airport to Patong Beach (the one who got upset with us). :-)

Our flight was pretty uneventful. I was not feeling well all morning and by the time we got to Bangkok I was pretty sick. The hotel we stayed at in Bangkok had a shuttle service come get us and by the time we settled in I was horribly ill. I was nauseous, had a fever, weak, shaking inside, freezing... you name it. I was really scared, although I didn't dare say that to Matthew. I ended up calming down and falling asleep while Matthw went out in search for food and also a massage. I stayed in bed all evening. It was not a good day.

Hey... out of 12 days of vacation.... One bad day isn't too bad and I recovered by the next morning.

Friday... Kayak Day...

2009-07-08T13:55:00.003-04:00

Friday in Phuket started off.... aggravatingly hot! Matthew and I woke up pretty early in the morning and had the hotel take us down to Patong Beach to get money and breakfast (around 7 a.m.)

Our shuttle guy couldn't speak English very well and dropped us off at the most random spot. We kept asking be dropped off at McDonalds, but he surely passed 3 of them up. It was stifling hot that morning. We walked a few blocks from the ATM to a McDonalds (whilst passing many ladyboy streetwalkers... seriously a ridiculous sight that early in the morning). Upon arrival I was already hot from walking in the heat, but when we walked in it felt like a sauna!!! This is a 24 hour McDonalds and everyone was working like no big deal. There was a shirtless man eating breakfast in an otherwise empty restaurant. With the heat inside that restaurant... I see why he was shirtless!!!

After ordering our food (which was bizarre... Matthew ordered the big breakfast which included some pretty shady eggs, a hamburger bun with jelly and some kind of meat... yikes!!)... we sat down and just continued sweating. Finally I took my shirt off.... LOL... I had a tank top on underneath and just sat there angry. I couldn't even eat my pitiful egg sandwich because I was so hot and angry.

At the end of our meal two 'ladies' of the night walked in all cracked out. One of them proceeded to come and touch my braids and in broken English tell me how great my hair was going to look when I took my hair out of braids and it was really big. LOL... Why oh why does everyone have to touch my hair!??!?! LOL

We caught a very expensive tuk tuk back up to Baan Yin Dee and waited for our shuttle at 9 a.m. to take us to our canoe trip. The shuttle was very nice and the driver drove like we were in Bangkok in the morning traffic.

We got to our cruise right at 10 a.m. and boarded the ship and headed out to sea. It was a great experience. It felt like a family due to it being such a small group.

Our boat guide's name was Woody and he spoke English very well. There were 10 other crew members who were paddlers for the canoes. We were taken about an hour or more out to sea where we arrived at the first cave. They parked the boat about 1/8 mile out and we each got in our canoe thingy's (they looked like hollowed out kayaks) and were off to fight the sea's strong waves. I just kept praying that we wouldn't be dashed against the side of the cave. Our canoe guide's name was Ton. He weighed maybe 95 lbs and was barely 5 ft tall and he had to paddle Matthew and I in the ocean!!! LOL.... He was huffing and puffing in some areas! LOL I had to lay down because he couldn't even see over me to guide us!

Anyway, the first cave was neat. It was a bat filled cave and our guide kept making bat noises which freaked me out. I had the flashlight so we could see in there. We had to be quiet as we went through the cave. It was kinda creepy, but pretty cool. We ended up in a lagoon... it was sooo hot!!! Then our poor little Ton mustered up the strength to paddle us back through the cave and out into the open ocean. We paddled about 1/4 of a mile to the next cave (Oyster cave) and went through it. Afterwards we paddled back out to sea to get back on the boat. Matthew had to lay down on this cave as to not get scratched from the oyster shells and stalagtites.

We rode for another 15 mintues or so until we reached the Hong Island cave which was our final cave. My stupid camera died here, but it was really amazing. The tide was going down and everyone was getting stuck in there. Our guide had to actually get out of the boat and push us at one point. We got out of there pretty quickly and headed back out to open sea to get back on the boat.

Once on the boat we headed to Lawa beach and ate a buffet lunch onboard. The food was good, but hanging out and talking to everyone was even better. We had a family from South Africa, a couple from Northern Thailand, a family from Belgium, a couple from Australia and a couple from San Francisco, Cali. It was a great experience and I exchanged emails with people.

Once we stopped at the beach some people took the canoes to the shore, some swam... Matthew and I took multiple trips up to the top of the boat (about 2 stories up) and kept jumping off the top into the ocean. It was awesome. We stayed there for about an hour or so and then everyone boarded and we headed back to Phuket.

The ride back was so great!! It was like 1.5 hour ride and everyone chilled out together. Matthew and I hung out in front of the boat with our legs dangling off of the bow hanging out with the crew. They were so cool. One of the crew was a Muay Thai boxer. It was really interesting. We drank cold coconut milk from the coconuts and some of the crew sang island music with bongo's and acoustic guitar. Throughout the trip I kept asking Matthew... 'can life get any better?' I have to say... that day... probably not. It was awesome.

Thursday... Phi Phi Islands

2009-07-03T19:13:00.005-04:00

Wednesday night after my last post we went to an Indian restaurant and had the best food we have had in Phuket so far. Our waiter was from Mumbai (Bombay) and he was beautiful! Hazel eyes!! LOL... Anyway, I won't get sidetracked on that... So the food was great, but the massage parlours and bars we had to pass to get there were .... an adventure... ladyboys (if you wish you can see what this is.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladyboy) and prostitutes are quite common here in Phuket and can be unnerving as they openly solicit. After eating we went back to Hotel Ibis and went to bed.

Thursday, July 2nd was Matthew's birthday. He said it was an awesome one. We caught a taxi about 40 minutes away to a pier and caught a yacht, yes... a yacht, to the Phi Phi Islands. It was unreal!!! This boat was beautiful. Full of leather seats in air con room with flat screen t.v.'s (all they played was Diva's Tour from 90's and get this.... a Titanic movie! LOL).... it was great. We rode out about 1.5 hours to the islands and got to see this big chain of islands that I've only seen in National Geographic magazines... it was truly unreal. Finally we stopped and if you wanted to kayak to shore you could to see monkey's (Monkey Beach) or you could jump off the back of the boat and swim which is what Matthew and I did. We rented snorkeling equipment and jumped of the back of the boat and snorkeled in the coral reef. It was breathtaking. The fish were vibrant colors and the coral was really cool. I saw sea urchins and a ton of stuff I couldn't identify. We dodged all the longtail boats, speedboats and tour groups and swam to shore where we were greeted by a beach full of monkeys. One of them bit a lady!!! They were neat, but I was ready to get back to snorkeling.

We snorkeled for another hour or so and I almost got ran over by a couple of boats... All I could hear was 'MISS!!! MISS!!!' over and over and I looked up and hey... there was a massive boat! LOL... After snorkeling our boat took us to Phi Phi Don Island and we ate a buffet lunch and shopped along the pier. Matthew went swimming again. Then we headed back to Phuket. We were absolutely exhausted afterwards, but we still had to move our stuff from Ibis hotel to Baan Yin Dee resort.

Baan Yin Dee Resort... my oh my... Astounding. Upon arrival the bellhop carried all of our heavy luggage up to the 3rd floor... by himself. No elevators here as everything is outside... our '3rd floor' room is winding around the building and is only really 2 floors up. Leading into the resort is a fish pond with stone steps you cross over into an open air teakwood reception. They greeted us with cold mimosa's and escorted us to our HUGE room and explained everything to us. This place is phenomenal. Teakwood and marble walls and floors. A bathtub that could seat 2 whole Thai families. You name it. L.U.X.U.R.Y!!!! And less than $60 USD a night!!!!! Infinity pools cascading down the hill... I think I counted 4 of them. Needless to say we stayed in that evening. We ate at the outside restaurant... very fancy... possibly too fancy for the likes of Matthew and I! ha ha... Baan Yin Dee overlooks Patong Beach because we are up in the mountains. It is literally jungle up here. Everything is so lush and green.

Ting Tong.... You Like? A day on the beach....

2009-07-01T07:41:00.004-04:00

We chose to eat the 'American breakfast' at our hotel... that was the worst conglomeration of food I have EVER seen.... pasta... rice.... things I couldn't identify... oh my... then in comes a hooker with a man with a shirt that said, 'hawaii' on it... I was done...

Today we decided we were going to hunt down a longtail boat and go out to the islands... however due to limited time on here I won't elaborate... but that DID NOT happen! LOL... We found a blasted tuk tuk (much safer driving here in Phuket) and ended up going elephant trekking. My dear Jesus in heaven.... what can I say... terrifying!!! LOL

Getting on that huge beast was an adventure in itself... My elephant was HUGE!!! I had to climb up from a platform on it and step just so and immediately sit down. I wanted to die instantly. I got loaded and then we waited on Matthew to get on his and we were off. First of all we had to cross traffic on this mountain on our elephants. I was seriously scared and wanted off immediately... but I held on and closed my eyes and tried to get acclimated to being about 12+ feet up in the air on a wild beast.

Then we start up this mountain into the jungle or something and the incline was like 30 degree incline (according to Matthew)... it was pretty straight up anyway... I was sooo scared and wouldn't you know I got the elephant that doesn't mind his mahout!!! The mahout would tell him to go one way and the elephant was rebellious and would go wherever he wanted too. My elephant was a boy named 'Sum yee' or something? LOL He is 14 years old... outside of that my mahout (guy that rides on the elephant neck and guides it) didn't speak much more English.

So we are heading up this mountain and my elephant INSISTS on going into the bushes and wacking me in the head with tree branches and I am still paralyzed with fear... about 15 minutes into it I was feeling a little better about the situation. We continue up this super steep include through the mountain/jungle and finally up at the top my mahout jumps off the elephant and asks me for my camera to take our pictures (which was very nice of him). He also stopped and showed me a rubber tree and proceeded to rub the gooey rubber all over my hand to show me how incredibly awesome it is! LOL

Back to the mahout jumping off the beast and leaving me alone... While he is having camera time with matthew about 35 feet away my elephant decides it's time to teeter on the side of the flippin mountain and eat some food. I was like... ooooohhhhhh!!!! hey... hey!!! The mahout laughed at me!!! He said, 'miss miss... ok!' It clearly was not ok. The elephant stopped and when the mahout came back he got the beast to turn around and I swear to God in heaven I thought we were about to back over the mountain... we had to be within inches! Matthew was watching the whole time like oh boy... it's over! The guy is yelling in Thai to the elephant but clearly the elephant was like... umm yeah... I'm gonna do what I want... So we get turned around and the mahout doesn't get back on and Matthew's mahout is off as well and they talk him into sitting on the elephants neck!!! Of course 007 immediately jumps on that opportunity. Anyway... so while my mahout is chit chatting away with his pal my elephant is weaving all over the road and stopping where it wanted too and teetering on the edge of the mountain. I was a nervous wreck.

My mahout saw my face and was like....'hee hee hee.... byyyyeeee byyeeee!' I swear I wanted to punch him in the face. Now I laugh about it, but when that beast was going whereever it wanted too and no one was on there to guide me and the mahout was behind it... not so funny. The mahout thought it was hilarious that I was hot and scared. Matthew and I are fried from the sun today. You know what is worse than going up a steep incline on an elephant? Yeah, you guessed it... Going down one! Thinking and feeling like any moment it was going to go into a full gallop.

Anyway, we finally made it to the street where traffic was ZOOMING by and I kept thinking... what would happen if one of these little cars would hit this elephant... better yet what would happen to me!?! Getting off the elephant was just as exciting as getting on. My oh my. So would I go elephant trekking through the mountains/jungle again? Nope. Short and sweet. Am I glad I did it? Yes.

Onto the next adventure... our tuk tuk driver took us back to the beach and dropped us off and we rented chairs (2 for 100 baht!) with several umbrella's to shield us from the sun. The guy that rented us the chairs waited on us hand and foot. He was awesome. We made friends with him (his name is Tony?). They brought us water, coke, ice cream... he even went across the street for me and got me some fried rice... moved the umbrella's anytime the sun would hit our feet... all for 150 baht (including the chairs!!) which is about $4.25 for about 6 hours. Matthew and I both tipped him 100 baht a piece at the end of the day.

The bad thing about Patong beach is there are so many 'cheap cheaps'.... literally you get about 3-5 every fifteen minutes or so. No exageration. If you keep your eyes closed they usually pass you by. This one guy.. Mr. Ting Tong... was hilarious! He was hocking bootleg designer sunglasses and to prove how good they are he pulled them apart real wide and kept saying... 'see! ting tong, ting tong, ting tong!' LOL LOL LOL... I kept laughing at him and we kept telling him no! Finally he left, but every time he passed us... he would look at me and wave and say, 'ting tong, ting tong, ting tong!' LOL

Then I decided that because it was so flipping hot I would patronize the lady behind us that was doing massages or hair braiding. She was nice to me earlier in the day and gave me some fruit to eat. She kept being nice to me so I decided to be Serena Williams and get my hair braided with the multi-colored beads and all! LOL... While I was getting braided all these people kept taking my picture and this guy came up and touched my hair... apparently blond hair isn't very common here.... or if it is maybe they just felt comfortable with me b/c I kept smiling and trying to talk to them. These women, all Thai, kept taking pics of me and then asked if they could take pics with me!!! LOL... I was like ok... my hair braiding lady told me to charge 10 baht per pic! LOL So I smiled for some more pictures and then my lady and I kept trying to communicate... she kept saying....'ooooohhhh sexy lady' I was quite embarrassed and only for self depriciating jokes am I even sharing it now... LOL... then she pointed at a pigeon and said....'mmmm.... (fill in Thai word for pigeon)..... soooo good... want to barbeque and mmmmm (fill in eating sound)... I said... we call that bird pigeon in America, but we don't eat them... She said, 'oh no!!! barbeque and mmmmmmm.' I just left it alone. She then pointed at me and then her and said we eat!!! mmmmmmm.

Um. No.

So after I got my own ting tong's rocking in my hair (for 500 baht) I went and sat with Matthew again who was cowering from the sun. He read his book and I silently cursed every 'cheap cheap' in my head that bothered us. Oh and apparently no one told the Europeans that this is not a topless beach and no men should wear speedo's because clearly every man had one on... and I have felt like we were at a topless bar the last two days! Old and young alike... ick!! LOL...

I finally decided to venture out into the water, but I was warned not to go under b/c of my new Serena Williams look... so I am chilling in the water when some more Asians thought it was time I be there friend. They kept saying my name over and over and mispronouncing it every time. It was cute. Then they waved their friends down on the shore to have them take pictures of us!!! One of the friends put her arms out like she was an airplane and flapped them while running into the water to get in the pic!! LOL Then the other woman was making me stay beside her by putting her arm around me and resting her hand on my butt and then patting it!!! LOL What in the world!?!?!? Have they not seen anyone above the size 0 with blond hair and white skin before? LOL So I waved Matthew down and had him take our picture! LOL... When he was done and gave us the thumbs up sign they all, in unison, said....'!!awwwwww!!!' I have no idea. They like him taking their pic though. They kept wanting to come 'fartha' 'fartha' with them! I was like I can't my hair... they would laugh and splash me! What!?!? Everything I said they thought was funny. After that chaos I didn't get up from my chair again! LOL

We walked back to the hotel and showered/changed and cried about our sunburns and ended up walking here to the internet cafe. We are heading to get something to eat and to the night market. Who knows what will happen next! LOL... Ciao!

Bangkok to Phuket

2009-06-30T09:29:00.002-04:00

After my last post on Monday we decided to go to Massage in the Garden again for another massage... however NOT a traditional Thai massage as we were still suffering from the night before! :-) We opted for a 'foot reflexology' massage... now one would think that we were getting a foot massage and maybe up to the knee.... nope! Those sneaky foxes turned it into another torture session and added in a few massages to 'no fly zones' on both Matthew and I... man oh man! Massage and stretched from head to toe sounds great in theory... minus the attempted happy endings... or should I say happy in betweens... but when you have beastmaster (yes, I got the hefty one again... I suppose they match you with someone who can take you! LOL) squeezing and pressing on things with the intensity of ... dear God I don't even know... making sheet metal maybe... it is quite a shock to the body. It rained again last night so it was quite peaceful between the 'foot massage.' :-) Needless to say I think we are both done with massages for now.

It was kinda sad packing up and leaving Bangkok. We both fell in love with it. The culture, the smells, the chaos, the street food, the millions of backpackers roaming the streets with backpacks that could clearly hold small families... you name it and we miss it. Thankfully we will have 1.5 days at the end of our trip to be back there.

Matthew was in charge of setting his alarm for today since my phone finally croaked... and we had to plug in since Thai's apparently have an aversion for electrical sockets (and trash cans on a side note)... my dear Matthew neglected to turn off his ringer and since he doesn't have a bootleg company like me (***cough*** T-Mobile***) he was able to get a signal and he got phone calls around 2:30 a.m. our time... I was too hot about that... Once I am awake... I am awake. So instead of my 4:30 a.m. wake up... it was 2 hours sooner. So I laid awake thinking and finally around 4 I couldn't take it anymore and woke Matthew up. Our flight was to take off at 7:50, boarding at 7:10, plus check-in for the flight, plus the drive there plus check out of our hotel... i was estimating leaving our room by 5:30... well if it weren't for the middle of the night call that was the plan... However, we were out the door by 4:30 or so.

Of course we were bombarded by taxi drivers as soon as we stepped foot out the door... I swear if I hear 'cheap, cheap!' one more time I may lose it and tell the Thai's they sound like baby chickens!!!! Everything is... 'taxi, cheap-cheap!' 'massage, cheap-cheap!' 'food, cheap-cheap!' 'fill in the multitudes of crap one can sell and add a cheap-cheap'.... I am sick of cheap-cheap!

So anyway, we took the taxi driver up on his cheap-cheap offer of 400 baht... oh yeah... usually accompanying 'cheap-cheap' is ... 'special for you! Just today... cheap-cheap!' Arrrrggghhhh!!!

So we begin our before dawn death defying journey. Matthew has been loving the Fast & the Furious remakes we've been on... until today... he was even afraid today.... dear God in heaven I knew we were done for today.... Our awesome taxi driver thought it wise to go 140 km (almost 90 mph) while it was raining... in morning traffic... and keep in mind morning traffic isn't your usual cars/suv's/trucks and a bus here and there... morning traffic here is .... thousands of cars driving erratically and add twice as many cabs and then add tuk tuks throw in some backpackers/street walkers/random people walking in and out of traffic (dumb!!) and motorcyles everywhere (motorcycles here are for the whole family... including children under the age of five squeezed between parents... some of which are riding side saddle) and finally anything that could be used as an automobile in any form (including bikes with huge roof covered sidecars, street vendors pushing their wares/food... you name it.... we were taking 90 degree angles at ridiculous speeds... also the road could show two lanes... well along with the posted speed limits.. that is just a suggestion! Usually if it is two lanes you have minimum of 3 lanes of cars (some going into oncoming traffic) then put in the motorcycles and tuk tuks weaving in and out and you have chaos...

The posted limit was 60 kph.. we did 140 kph in the rain... seems rational... right? Anyway, instead of the 45-60 min ride to the airport we made it in about 20 minutes. We were a whole 2 hours early. I was disgusted. To make matters even more awesome our flight was delayed until 10 a.m.!!!! By this time I am delusional. We find something to eat and then drift around the airport in search of electrical sockets... finding none, of course. We wasted a bunch of time and finally it was time to board the plane at 9:20 a.m. and no plane in sight... Quite the adventure!

So we get on the plane and everyone is seated and this Chinese couple comes aboard and doesn't like their seats (the man was on the window seat of the seats we were in) and so they decided to pick a seat and the stewardess made him move and he began SCREAMING at her! This is totally awful, but all I could think of was that Chinese man who cut that mans head off on that Greyhound bus... but anyway, he began berating her and calling her and her airline stupid and many other things which delayed the flight even more. After all of that he finally sat down and shut up and we were able to take off. Of course Matthew starts a conversation with him and the guy was actually really cool and they had a good conversation.

When we arrive in Phuket it was breathtaking to fly into. Beautiful mountains and ocean. We immediately got bombarded from every which direction from cabbies, limo's, vans, shuttles, tours... you name it... it sounded like a chicken pen in there with all the 'cheap-cheaps.' I was outraged (no sleep played a part in that)! I kept my head down and kept shaking it no. They are so pushy here! I thought New York City Chinatown was bad! Instead of all that chaos we opted to get a private taxi which cost more (450 baht or about $13) and headed to Patong beach. The cabbie got the order of our hotels mixed up and took us to our 2nd hotel instead of the first and then got SO MAD at us (huffing andpuffing) when we wouldn't get out at the wrong hotel!!!! It was nerve wrecking!

After we finally made it to the right hotel we were in awe. This place is beautiful. Hotel Ibis Patong Beach. We went to eat at the hotel restaurant... they gave us a ridiculous amount of food... I finally met my match b/c the penang curry here was so spicy I couldn't eat it. Then Matthews cards were all locked up and he had no way to get any money... it was one fiasco after another...

We decided to walk to the beach... about a 10+ minute walk (although the front desk says it is only 2 minutes... augh!!!)... of course the whole way we are bombarded again by cheap-cheaps.... We rented beach chairs with umbrellas for 80 baht (less than $3 USD!!!) and chilled out by the Andaman sea. After such a chaotic day it was so well received! We stayed there from about 2 p.m. until sunset and then headed to find some street food. The food we found wasn't good at all. Service was great, but the food... yuck! Matthew ordered American fried rice.... it was some rice cooked in tomato sauce with two fried hotdogs on the side, some fried fish and a egg over medium on top!!! What in the world?!?! LOL... we gave up and came back to the hotel and got our showers and headed out to find an internet cafe. This is definitely a party beach town. Lots to do and lots to avoid. Tomorrow we are going to rent a longtail boat and visit some of the islands (Phi Phi and etc) and go snorkeling. It is after 9 p.m. and we are exhausted. We have about a ten minute walk back to the hotel... until tomorrow... cheap cheap!!!

Monday in Thailand

2009-06-29T06:12:00.002-04:00

The days here in Thailand last forever.... yet the trip is passing by fast. Tomorrow we fly down to Phuket (Southern Thailand) for 4 days and then back up to Bangkok.

We got up this morning around 6:30 (half hour before our alarm)... may as well as it was bright in our room and the roosters were crowing (stupid roosters are soooo loud all day, every day... right here in the city). We got up and were out the door by 7:30... searching for something to eat... we hadn't really eaten breakfast until today so it was odd to decide on eating Thai or going to eat some British/American food. We opted for British breakfast. It was ok. I got a huge fruit plate which was good. We sat out at the street tables and watched people and ate. It was suffocatingly (is that a word? ha!) hot outside. We were literally drenched by the end of the meal.

We were told we could walk to the Grand Palace (only 10-15 minute walk) so we headed out and it was soooo hot that when we got flagged down by a tuk tuk... as bad as I hate them... we took the tuk tuk! :-) These foreigners around here are drunk b/c it was a 10+ minute drive... and we had already walked a good distance... I should've learned not to trust people's estimates (in Hawaii we were told Waikiki beach was 2 blocks away and after walking in searing heat for over an hour... we found out it was in fact a mile away).

Upon arrival to the Grand Palace we were bombarded with merchants/vendors, tuk tuks, crowds and every other type of chaos. Totally overwhelming! Once inside the gates.... wow. wow. wow. Truly amazing. The opulence and detail of Thai architecture is mesmerizing and awe inspiring. Matthew and I stood there in our sweat drenched clothes, mouth open and amazed. The grounds of Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace were beautiful and HUGE! You can check out Wat Phra Kaew here: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/thailand/bangkok-wat-phra-keo-temple-of-emerald-buddha.htm
And you can check out the Grand Palace here: http://www.palaces.thai.net/day/index_gp.htm

It was so incredibly hot, but we barely noticed. I drank a gallon of water while we were there! We've both noticed a lot of people stare at us here... Well today was on a whole other level! Some Chinese students are here for one month to study? Anyway, they kept watching Matthew and I and finally one of them asked if they could sit with us (we found some shade in one of the marble structures) and get their picture with us! LOL! They kept looking at my blond hair and then some of them were clearly enamored with Matthew! We must've taken at least ten different pictures at that point! Ten different girls from the group! Then we walk into the temple where we ran into more of that group and they asked us to come outside and take more pictures with them! LOL! There were two girls and a guy this time and that is when they told us where they were from and also we got their names (too complicated to even sound out)... this time I got a picture with them! LOL... We were rockstars! LOL... then after hours and hours of walking we decided to head out to Wat Pho... we made it halfway out and decided to sit down again ( you have no idea how tiring it is to walk in this heat and Matthew had to wear long pants today for the temples)... so we were sitting there and these two ladies who appeared to be Southeast Asians... maybe Philipino... asked to get their picture with us!!! They took like three pics and the older lady made me hold her hand! Ha ha ha... Then she made Matthew hold her hand in the picture!!!

After all of that madness we headed out the gate to get bombarded again by hoards of people, merchants, tuk tuks, scams and total chaos in general. We caught a cab for 100 baht to Wat Pho.

Wat Pho was awesome. You can see it here: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/thailand/bangkok-wat-pho the reclining Buddha was unreal it was so big. As with all temples you must take your shoes off first and then you enter in and the sheer magnitude of the Buddha was unreal! Matthew opted to make offerings so he got 100 satang and put one in each of the offering pots. It was pretty cool. We then walked around the grounds and visited all the buildings and we were so exhausted we sat under a tree and people watched. I don't know if it was a mixture of all the walking, exhaustion or that drat massage I got last night, but my hip was locked up and hurting bad... so we chilled for a bit. We went and got some more water (another 1/2 gallon for me) and watched the fortune tellers outside the temple.

We opted to get a tuk tuk since there were a million of them everywhere and it was only a short distance to Wat Arun. This tuk tuk driver was TERRIFYING!!! I seriously thought we were going to die. Matthew was loving it, but I tell you I knew we were not going to make it. Since I know family reads this blog I won't elaborate. Needless to say we made it to Wat Arun and even though the guy wanted us to take his tuk tuk back to our hotel we were not going to do it!

Wat Arun was gorgeous! It is called the Temple of the Dawn named after a hindu goddess Aruna. Here it is: http://www.watarun.org/index.html Matthew climbed all the way to the top of that main spire! The steps were very steep. Due to my idiotic hip I climbed minimally, but it was so beautiful! We walked around the grounds and and we went into some of the temples. It was cool. We then caught a terrifying ferry back to the other side of the Chao Praya river into downtown bangkok. Theme for Bangkok is terrifying transportation! LOL. Once across the river we caught a taxi back to our hotel. We chilled for a bit and then took our laundry to a place on the hotel grounds and left it to be washed and headed out to eat. I had my first non-Thai meal (calzone) and Matthew had his hundreth non-Thai meal (what is wrong with that guy! LOL) of chicken cordon bleu.

Afterwards he went walking down Khao San Rd and I came into the internet cafe. We are headed down the road so I can get a pedicure and he can get a foot massage. I think we may avoid another Thai massage as we were both pretty beat up! :-) Tomorrow we fly to Phuket! :-)

Sunday Night

2009-06-28T11:35:00.003-04:00

Ok... wow!!! This evening we decided to eat street food... so we walked around Rambuttri road and ate chicken on a stick (so stinkin good) and then we found a row of Thai food vendors outside that had makeshift tables and chairs and we picked one of those. I ordered red (penang/panyang) curry that was soooo hot/spicy, but oh so good. Matthew got sweet and sour chicken and we both drank the thai orange juice. Everyone is international and most non-Asian faces are from Europe... and they don't necessarily speak English any better than the Thai's, so it is interesting to just listen. When we landed in Japan we heard of Michael Jackson's death. Very devestating... at least to me... so tonight when we were outside eating they had his music blasting in the streets. Bittersweet.

After our meal we decided it was time for a Thai massage. We debated between several places, but finally agreed to this place called, 'Massage in the Garden' and it was exquisite. It gets dark early here (like by 7 or so), so it was already dark and we walked down this stone/wood path to the outside receptionist. We paid 200 baht (less than $6 USD) for an hour massage. If you are not familiar with Thai massage it is a lot of pressure points, stretching, torture and also very relaxing (after the pain subsides). We were guided to some leather chairs and given cold washcloths with some sort of mint smell to wash our face and hands. Then we were guided to this bench where a woman washed and dried our feet. Everything is outside. They have these huge, tall industrial fans everywhere with these gauzy cabana's housing 2 beds. The breeze was wonderful and you could hear Asian instrumental music and birds chirping... it was divine.

They gave Matthew clothes to change into, but I (as I do not fit into the 98 lb Asian clothing) just took my outer shirt off and wore my tank top. I got the hefty receptionist (which must've been the owner/manager) as my masseuse. I was slightly alarmed as I could see Matthew's lady holding onto the ceiling and walking on him... dreading what was to come with my lady! lol...

So the massage began with tons of squeezing my muscles (lost my breath a few times b/c of the pressure being so intense) then some beating, pulling, stretching... had some pretzel moves going on... squeezing of my head (felt like my brains were going to explode! lol).... and my hefty Thai lady walked all over my back and legs... for a long time. She climbed all over me with her knees and put pressure all over me. It was quite painful, but the surroundings were very peaceful and I plan on doing it again. We are visiting the Grand Palace, Wat Phrew Kaeow and Wat Po tomorrow. Thai massage originated through Wat Po and they run schools there... so tomorrow... getting some more torture! :-)

It just hit me... we drank the tea at the end of the massage.... that means we drank the water... hopefully because it is boiled we will be ok... oh boy... this could be a long night....

Monsoon hit us again tonight. We had to run through flooded streets back to our hotel. We ended up going back to the British pub so I could charge my camera battery (we have no outlets in our room... everywhere we go here there are no outlets or trash cans... I don't understand). Matthew is already back in the hotel and I will be heading up there shortly. It is almost 11 p.m. and still raining. Thankfully it has been raining at night for the most part. :-)

Sunday in Thailand

2009-06-28T06:52:00.003-04:00

Today is Sunday... I woke up around 4:45 a.m. and Matthew woke up a little later. We got ready and was out the door by ten after five in the morning. Today was floating market day and you have to get there early to beat the crowds and the heat. The heat here literally is suffocating. Anyway, as we headed to the 7-11 to get our water for our camelbacks we were solicited by a cabbie wanting to drive us to the market. We negotiated with him a fair price and decided to take the personal cab for the two hour drive rather than the bus. The speedometer was broken in the cab so I have no idea how fast we were going, but all of our cabbie's/tuk tuks make up there own speed. the road sign says 80 kmh... they go 120. i told matthew traffic here is like schools of fish... they flow and change abruptly but somehow in sync. The two hour drive was tiring, but the countryside was breathtakingly beautiful. We even saw a rainbow at one point.

This morning we saw something disturbing... as we were leaving bangkok we drove past a park that was full of protesters and police with their plexiglass shields waiting on the full on protest. very eery sight that early in the morning. we were thankful we were leaving the city for the day to miss the protests. if you go on yahoo.com you will find a write up about this. we were warned by an email from the US Embassy that it was going to take place.

We arrived at the floating market a little after 7 a.m. and I found a toilet. My oh my... Yesterday I had to pay 8 baht to use a toilet and you had to throw the tissue in the bucket beside the toilet. Today I ran into the 'western toilet' with the bucket of water accompaniment.... thankfully i had tissue from the day before. Anyway, the touts tried to screw us again and have us pay 2,000 baht for a 2 hour tour. the way it worked out we only had to pay 1,000 thankfully ($30). this tour included a longtail boat ride for 2 hours as well as stopping at all the merchants we wanted to and getting on and off along the river. We rode along the overgrown and lush canals (called khlongs) being able to view local life along the waters of bangkok. it was very peaceful and relaxing.

We definitely got some awesome things along the floating market and it was everything i thought it would be. matthew ordered sticky rice with mango that was prepared in a boat on the water and we rolled up next to it and ordered. i got off the boat and ordered chicken with rice and veggies.... thai style... it was the best thai food i've ever had!!! i sat on a plastic stool along the river and no one spoke english, but it was awesome!

something that makes me laugh is there are packs of wild dogs everywhere! i keep thinking of Talledega Nights with Will Ferrell... he makes a commercial on that movie about watching out for packs of wild dogs! lol... anyway... ADHD moment....

And were back... so we spent 2.5 hours out on the river and after all the bargaining and buys we were spent (physically and financially). I have to say Matthew is amazing at the bargaining! He even jumps in on my negotiations! I think his love of arguing is a positive in this situation.

Did i mention our taxi cab driver had one long green nail on his left pinky finger? Random? Yes! Troubling... slightly. LOL...

Ok... my time here at the cafe is done.... We are on the hunt for some food (as all we've had since 4:45 a.m. and now it is 6:10 p.m. is our rice on the river) and then to a spa for some R&R.

Peace out!!!

we eventually reached the

Saturday, The First Full Day

2009-06-28T06:35:00.005-04:00

Saturday I got up around 9:15 and Matthew got up a little later. We walked through the streets surrounding Khao San Rd and got some fresh squeezed orange juice along the road... it is not from regular oranges though... they are small and green. Anyway, we caught our first tuk tuk and he was very nice. of course he was in it for the money... and the local tuk tuk's get money for 'petrol' from their 'sponsors' which are local merchants who pay the tuk tuk drivers to bring people in their stores to get more money... we cooperated b/c we only paid the poor man 50 baht (about $1.40 or so) to take us quite a distance, so we complied and went and checked out this tailor who makes suits. we were only in the store the required 5 minutes and then peaced out and went on our way.

we went to the Indian section of Bangkok as well as Chinatown. It was completely and totally overwhelming. Narrow stalls. Narrow streets. People absolutely everywhere. it was sooo hot outside and matthew and i kept catching ourselves just staring b/c it was so chaotic. we found a place to eat along the road and no one really spoke english. i ordered 'gai' (chicken), but all they had was duck. i liked the taste, but not the texture... anyway, it was good and we moved on. we tried getting a tuk tuk ride to the chatatuck market (?) but we wouldn't agree to going on a tour of a factory for a cheaper price so he made us get off the tuk tuk. lol. he was totally disgusted with us. we finally flagged down a taxi and he took us on the long journey outside the city to the market. this is the cabbie that got stopped by the traffic police. i have no clue what he did wrong b/c how he was driving.... everything was wrong! reckless and speeding seems the only way to go here in Bangkok. i have to close my eyes quite frequently.

this market was the size of some small towns. it would literally take days to see everything. i bought a orange thai silk bedspread and pillows and some ornate elephant pillows for about $28. dirt cheap. i also got a really cool piece of pottery for like $10. Matthew bought things for his family.

We ran across this place where you stick your feet in about 2-3 ft of water that had a ton of tiny little gara (sp) fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. it was a pretty neat experience. you could feel every little nibble and bite. ha! afterwards we could both feel a difference with our feet. very nice after a long day of walking. we made friends with the worker there and she had even lived in north carolina, so she spoke english well and also referred us to a few places around bangkok. We spent most of the afternoon/day there.

Afterwards we were totally exhausted and we made our way to the the Skytrain... it is the metro above the ground here... masses of people everywhere... it became quite confusing and overwhelming. Between a Bangkok official and a local we were able to finally make it back to the center of Bangkok (the weekend market was quite a distance outside the city). It was after 6 p.m. by the time we got into Bangkok and we caught a tuk tuk that flagged us down as we came from the stairs leading down from the skytrain. This guy totally screwed us financially. You can negotiate and negotiate but these people are slick! Throughout the trip he kept trying to raise the price and when we finally got back to the hotel he tried one more time saying, '500 baht?' I had had it by this time and was like, 'no!!! you already got enough baht from us!' Tense situation following we paid and vowed not to take another tuk tuk.

We came into the hotel and put all of the stuff we bought away and contemplated what to do next when we heard the monsoon rains start. By the time we made it out we went to the internet cafe and the rains kept getting harder so we decided to head over to the British pub that is on the grounds of the hotel. I ordered the Red Snapper which is locally caught which was made into fish and chips, along with a fruit tray of exotic fruits (very good). Matthew... oh Matthew... he ordered the sirloin steak and mashed potatoes... how American of him. lol. After that it was after 9 p.m. and we decided since it hadn't let up raining we would call it a night. Clearly it was party night b/c people partied loudly all night in our hotel until we got up at 4:45 a.m. to leave the next morning.

The Trip and First Day

2009-06-28T06:35:00.001-04:00

the flight was ridiculously long. after about 6 hours matthew and i wanted to shoot ourselves, but it is all good. the bangkok airport was relatively easy to navigate and we got out into the STIFLING heat about 12:50 a.m. on our Friday night (your friday afternoon) and caught the metered taxi into bangkok. that was an adventure as we had no seatbelts and they drive on the opposite side of the road about 50 km OVER the speed limit. our taxi driver did not speak any english so finding our hotel was also an adventure. after some stops he finally found it, thankfully my youtube watching paid off b/c i recognized the street to turn onto and the hotel. :-) matthew and i woke up sort of early. i feel ok. really drained as i didn't sleep on the flight but maybe an hour or two of the 27 hours. we are headed out to chinatown, indian market and only God knows what else. we are going to attempt some tuk tuk negotiations and rides today. it is so incredibly hot here that i cant stand it!!! it was almost 90 degree's last night when we arrived and the humidity has to be 100%. the bathrooms are going to be a challenge as the one in our room doesn't allow 'tissue' but has a bidet. still working to figure that one out. well... we only paid for 15 minutes of internet time at this cafe so i need to get a move on and find some street food to eat and def a massage! hope all is well and love ya'll!!!

Thailand Adventures Already Starting....

2009-05-05T21:06:00.004-04:00

International Certificate of Vaccinations.... :-)

No bootay shots... LOL... only a couple in my arm... LOL... Today I got a Hepititis A & B (have to get 4 of these) and a tetnus shot.

My new conversational Thai c.d. I listen to it everyday... I know how to count to 10 and say some greetings! :-)

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Typhoid.... just sounds third world... lol
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My prescriptions for the malaria pills and a anti-nausea med... just in case I forget and open my mouth in the shower or accidentally brush my teeth without bottled water... geez.... :-(
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Vaccinations started today....
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Already looking up side effect of some of the shots... I got tetnus, diptheria, pertussis and Hep A & B today... I go back for Hep A/B next week, in 21 days and one year from now. I start the typhoid pills tomorrow and the malaria will be started one day before travel.
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I have a killer headache and am soooo tired feeling...
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All the travel clinic information I got today.... Yikes! Let's see... Rabies (yes... from monkey attacks)... Japanese encephalitis, cholera, polio, avian flu, parasites, leeches, typhus, dengue... the information was making this trip super exciting to me! lol
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My travel bible (Lonely Planet)... my typhoid vaccine info and other misc information from the travel clinic...
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All about the vaccines I got today... Yikes!

My New Blog

2009-04-27T17:30:00.001-04:00

I've lost access to this blog for awhile... I finally took the opportunity to start a photography site... Please check it out...
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http://aprilhandley.wordpress.com/

Sit Still So We Can Beat You!

2009-04-16T11:41:00.006-04:00

On Monday I made plans to meet my sister in law at Subway for dinner and then take the girls to the bowling alley for a night of 'bumper bowling.' My oldest niece, who is 5, was having none of it. Someone had told her that bowling was done in the dark (galactic bowling) and she would not be convinced to even walk in the bowling alley to be proven wrong. She may have a little issue with stubborness. Ha!
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After calling a couple of theaters to see what movies were playing (I would probably have to call someone to talk me off of a ledge if the name Miley Cyrus was in the title) the girls voted that they wanted to come to Aunt April's house.
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Upon arrival to mi casa they felt like my fish were famished and had to take turns feeding them. I have a 100 gallon tank with fish as large as over 1.5 feet long that are well fed, but it was imperative that they be fed again immediately. Which is fine because I am a sucker with those girls. They could talk me into just about anything.
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Which leads me to how they almost made me throw up and give me a concussion. LOL. We had a dance-a-thon (as always) and I got to see a 'kung-fu' dance, several booty dances and a ballet move or two. Of course this was all to the rockin beat of the oldies station.
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The energizer bunnies known as my nieces then wanted to run as fast as they could in a circle jumping over my legs (I was sitting on the floor) which was cool until they stomped on my legs one too many times. LOL Then they said that I needed to sit in the center of the room and let them run around me. Ok, I can do this. So they take off running and laughing and I am laughing and then I start feeling queasy and icky and I realize I am getting dizzy from their running. Shouldn't it be them getting dizzy running in a circle in a small space of about 5' x 8'? Finally I had to tell them ok... enough is enough.. Aunt April feels drunk and sick! LOL
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So the next best option was wrestling. Wrestling is the obvious choice when you feel sea sick. I wrestled them like we were in a WWE tournament. I assure you they won! After I was nice and nauseous and beat up I finally sat up (still in the center of the room) when out of no where.... ***whap*** to the head! Madyson, my 5 year old niece, had just pummeled me in the head with my Japanese pillow from my couch. I may have blacked out for a second. Not only does she burp like a 45 year old sailor, she hits like one too! LOL
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I was like.... what the!?!? LOL... She then announced, 'Aunt April sit there and let us hit you in the head with these pillows!' After I gained my eyesight back I could see her and Eryn braced with their pillows ready to go!
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LOL. That has to be the most hilarious proposition I've recieved yet to date! LOL
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I stared at her and Eryn, who is 3, like a deer in headlights knowing the onslaught was inevitably about to begin. It was like in slow motion...'noooooooooo!' LOL... Within an hour I had been stepped on, beaten, kicked, jumped on, made nauseous, had a mild concussion and .... loved. How twisted is that!? LOL They put the 'fun' in dysfunctional! This was the one game I was not willing to play as I do appreciate my eyesight and the few brain cells that I have left. LOL
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Needless to say... just a normal day with my girls! I love them, injuries and all. :-)
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Pictures will soon be attached.

Everyone Remain CALM!!! :-)

2009-04-13T14:35:00.002-04:00

Everyone remain calm! Ha ha.... I've had so many calls, texts, emails, facebook and myspace messages about me going to Thailand... with safety concerns and all. Here is what I found at the US Embassy for Thailand....
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Q. What is the situation in Thailand now?

A. The latest Embassy Bangkok warden message on the State of Emergency in Bangkok is located here. Residents and Visitors should be aware that the locations of demonstrations and disruptions of traffic are unpredictable and vary frequently. The Embassy is not able to report in real time on the locations of current disturbances, but urges American citizens to exercise caution and to avoid demonstrations throughout Bangkok.
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Q. Is the Embassy encouraging people who are planning to come to Bangkok soon to change their travel plans? Is the Embassy recommending that American citizens in Thailand leave the country as soon as possible?

A. The Embassy is not currently advising American citizens to defer plans to travel to Thailand, or to change their departure plans at this time.
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Q. What is the situation at the airports?

A. All Bangkok airports are currently open and there is at present no indication that they will close or will become targets of demonstrations. The Embassy cannot predict what individual airlines will decide, but is not aware of any disruptions in airline schedules.
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Q. What is the situation at train stations?

A. The central "Hua Lum Pong" train station in Bangkok was closed on April 13 and passengers were diverted to Bansue station.
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Q. How can I get current information on what is happening on the streets of Bangkok?

A. The Embassy encourages the public to monitor local news and media reports for the latest on the situation in Bangkok. Should circumstances warrant the issuance of a new warden message or travel alert, such announcement will be made available to the public on the Embassy website homepage at http://bangkok.usembassy.gov.
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Warden Message
Thai PM Declares State of Emergency in Bangkok and Surrounding Areas
This message alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in Bangkok that Prime Minister Abhisit has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas following demonstrations by protestors from the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (aka UDD or “red-shirts’). This declaration follows demonstrations of anti-government redshirts in Bangkok protesting the arrest of one of their leaders.

The state of emergency empowers the government to restrict gatherings of more than five persons and to prohibit and/or block communications. Media reports gunfire at the Ministry of Interior and demonstrations at Government House, Parliament, and the Central World/Siam Paragon Shopping Malls.

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We wish to remind American citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. American citizens are therefore urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations and to exercise caution anywhere in Bangkok.

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For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, and health-information resources can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S. and Canada or, for callers in other areas by calling a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

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American citizens traveling or residing in Thailand are encouraged to register with the Department of State or the U.S. Embassy. The Embassy is located at 95 Wireless Road in Bangkok. The American Citizen Services Unit of the U.S. Embassy can be reached by calling 66-2-205-4049 and by e-mail at ACSBKK@State.gov. The after hours emergency telephone number is 66-2-205-4000.

Essentials for Travel in Thailand

2009-04-09T14:59:00.004-04:00

I just bought these items!!!!

I am getting so EXCITED!!!!

Thailand (Country Guide) (Paperback)

ReviewFor sheer global reach and dogged research, attention must be paid to Lonely Planet…' --Los Angeles Times, February 2, 2003

Product Description Discover Thailand
Uncover Bangkok's best street stalls or enjoy skyscraping gourmet dinners.Climb aboard a long-tail boat and island hop to your own isolated beach paradise.Get soaked at Songkran, the Thai celebration that becomes the world's biggest water fight.Trek off the beaten path in remote Isan to watch a rare solar alignment at an ancient Angkor temple.In This Guide:Ten authors, 259 days of in-country research and 150 maps.Trek, dive or monkey-watch with our detailed coverage of national parks and natural wonders.Visit lonelyplanet.com for up-to-the-minute reviews, updates and traveler suggestions.See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details
· Paperback: 820 pages
· Publisher: Lonely Planet; 12 edition (August 1, 2007)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1741043077
· ISBN-13: 978-1741043075
· Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
· Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds

Bangkok Travel Map (Globetrotter Travel Map) [FOLDED MAP] (Map)

Product Description
The highly successful Globetrotter Travel series, which includes guides, maps and atlases, presently covers more than 80 destinations worldwide. The large fold out travel maps allow the traveler to locate cities, towns, major roads and scenic routes, airports, hotels, golf courses, holiday resorts, parks and nature reserves. In addition, the reverse sides incorporate area maps and town and city plans of the major centers.
From the Back Cover
This user friendly travel map has been specifically designed for visitors as a practical and informative guide. More than just a map, it includes detailed street plans of major towns and large scale projections of popular tourist destinations.

Product Details
· Map
· Publisher: Globetrotter; 7th edition (January 1, 2008)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1845378423
· ISBN-13: 978-1845378424
· Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 4.6 x 0.2 inches

Thailand Travel Map (Globetrotter Travel Map) [FOLDED MAP] (Map)

Product DescriptionThe highly successful "Globetrotter Travel Series", which includes Travel Guides, Travel Maps, Road Atlases, Best Of Pocket Guides and In Your Pocket Language Guides, presently covers more than 90 destinations worldwide."The Globetrotter Travel Map of Thailand" caters specifically for the needs of tourists who are new to a destination. The town plans of the major centres pinpoint key buildings and places of interest as well as where to stay. Distance and climate charts enable travellers to plan their visits in advance. From the Back Cover

This user friendly travel map has been specifically designed for visitors as a practical and informative guide. More than just a map, it includes detailed street plans of major towns and large scale projections of popular tourist destinations.

Product Details
· Map
· Publisher: Globetrotter; Other edition (December 16, 2008)
· Language: English
· ISBN-10: 1847732461
· ISBN-13: 978-1847732460
· Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 4.6 x 0.3 inches

Thailand Here We Come!!!!!!! It's OFFICIAL!!!!!

2009-04-06T18:06:00.002-04:00

Matthew and I bought our tickets today for Thailand!!!! I am sooooo excited!!!!
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Thu, Jun 25, 2009
Charleston, (CHS) to Bangkok Suvarnabh, (BKK)
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Depart: 09:08 AM, Charleston, SC (CHS)
Arrive: 10:21 AM, Atlanta, GA (ATL) 1 Stop - change planes in Atlanta,
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Depart: 02:20 PM, Atlanta, GA (ATL)
Arrive: 05:00 PM, Tokyo, Japan (NRT) 1 Stop - change planes in Tokyo, (NRT)
Connection Time: 3 hrs 59mins
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Depart: 07:10 PM, Tokyo, Japan (NRT)
Arrive: 11:50 PM, Next day Bangkok, Thailand (BKK)
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Total Travel Time: 27 hrs 42 mins

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Mon, Jul 6, 2009
Bangkok Suvarnabh, (BKK) to Charleston, (CHS)
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Depart: 05:35 AM, Bangkok, Thailand (BKK)
Arrive: 02:05 PM, Tokyo, Japan (NRT) 1 Stop - change planes in Tokyo, (NRT)
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Depart: 03:30 PM, Tokyo, Japan (NRT)
Arrive: 02:45 PM, Atlanta, GA (ATL) 1 Stop - change planes in Atlanta,
(ATL)Connection Time: 1hr 25mins
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Depart: 04:55 PM, Atlanta, GA (ATL)
Arrive: 06:11 PM, Charleston, SC (CHS)
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Total Travel Time: 23 hrs 36 mins

It's all Downhill from Here!

2009-04-02T12:15:00.003-04:00

I finally have validation.... I am getting more ...... 'special' (yes, special in the sense that Obama used it before bowing to the PC police and backtracking) as I get older.... I knew my memory was getting worse.... LOL....
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This report states that we reach our mental peak at age 22.... with a decline starting at 27....
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Ok, so Lindsay Lohan is 22 and Britney Spears and Paris Hilton are both 27.... These people, and all of their glorious decisions that they've made, are at the peak of their mental well being... and THESE are the people our youth look up too and mimic.... Woooooow!
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Old Age Begins at 27, Study Finds
Monday , March 16, 2009
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Feeling old? You’re not alone.
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New research suggests that old age actually begins even before we hit the ripe old age of 30.
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The research, done at the University of Virginia, indicates that our mental abilities begin to decline from the age of 27, after reaching a peak at 22.
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The researchers studied 2,000 men and women aged 18 to 60 over a seven year period. The people involved, mostly in good health and well-educated, had to solve visual puzzles, recall words and story details and spot patterns in letters and symbols.
Similar tests are often used to diagnose mental disabilities and diseases, such as Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
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The research, led by Professor Timothy Salthouse, reported in the academic journal Neurobiology of Aging, found that in nine out of 12 tests the average age at which the top performance was achieved was 22.
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The first age at which performance was significantly lower than the peak scores was 27 — for three tests of reasoning, speed of thought and spatial visualization. Memory was shown to decline from the average age of 37. In the other tests, poorer results were shown by the age of 42.
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Salthouse said the results suggested that therapies designed to prevent or reverse age-related conditions may need to start earlier, long before people retire.

Random 'I LOVE the South' Memo

2009-04-02T12:08:00.002-04:00

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I love the South for many reasons....

Today it is because I can get fried chicken and rice with okra soup over it for lunch at Publix grocery store! LOL

SO.

FREAKING.

GOOD.

HA!

Ann's Visit to Charleston, SC

2009-03-31T00:58:00.010-04:00

Rainbow Row, Charleston, SC

Ann and I want to join the Willie Lewis & the Gospel Angels! LOL

We found this in the Market

Augh... the strange things you witness on a Charleston street.... a man with ceiling fan blades riding around.... ???

We rode the trolley around town. I love doing this... reminds me of when I was a tourist. :-) Ann is showing off her new 'hippie chic' skirt she got a Loose Lucy's.

Pineapple Fountain at Waterfront Park

Emily and Ann on our carriage ride... the older dude sitting on the ledge was cracking us up... He kept talking to our carriage of people while we were waiting to go... LOL

I'm Ann and I can't speak any of these languages! LOL

Emily and Ann at Noisy Oyster downtown...

Making out with Mrs. Bear (the store keeper told us as we walked in) on the Isle of Palms

These two were dog magnets! EVERY dog that walked by HAD to be petted by the dog whisperers!

Jack and Jill went up a hill.....

I can't get this picture turned around.... Ann chillin' in the ditch at the beach... LOL

She loved that lobster/crab thingy! LOL

Beach time Barbie building sandcastles....

Jo Chi Maaaaaoooooooooooooo

Sunset at the beach

You should've seen my cousin Sarabeth and her boyfriend Alonzo trying to fold their blankets up! I seriously think they were breaking the rules of this sign... it was pitiful! LOL

It was FREEZING on the beach!!!! We all looked like homeless people laying around! LOL

Give me a can of beans, some fingerless gloves, a piece of cardboard and something to start a fire with... you got homeless Handley.... part II (refer to Homeless Handley in Hawai'i 2007 for part I)

Music Faves

2009-03-30T07:46:00.004-04:00

My friend Michelle has been inviting me out to musical performances over the last year and I have found some artists that I really like...

The first group is Union County from North Carolina. Union County is kinda folksy.... I dunno how to describe it other than really good! :-) Here are their sites:

www.myspace.com/unioncounty

http://www.unioncountymusic.com/main/page_home.html
(click on reverbnation to hear some samples)
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The second artist is Rocco Deluca. I went to hear him yesterday and he was freakin awesome. He is like alternative rock sounding... with some 60's sounds coming through. I really like his style.

www.myspace.com/roccodeluca

http://www.roccodeluca.com/

No Greater Love 2009

2009-03-30T07:43:00.004-04:00

My church (World Harvest Ministries of Charleston) puts this play on... It is excellent... Hope to see you there!!!

Palm Sunday Weekend
Thursday, April 2 at 7:00 pm
Friday, April 3 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 4 at 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 5 at 10:00 am

Easter Sunday Weekend
Thursday, April 9 at 7:00 pm
Friday, April 10 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, April 11 at 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 12 at 10:00 am

Tickets are $6.00 per person.
Tickets go on sale March 16 and can be reserved by phone with a major credit card.
Sunday Morning performances are FREE of charge.

Direct Ticket Sales Line 843.478.6526

My Weekend with Ann Marie

2009-03-25T11:16:00.001-04:00

I am exhausted. Combine lack of sleep with more physical activity than I am used too and then throw in recovering from sickness and that equals one tired April.

My friend Ann came down to Charleston for a visit. I was so excited to see her. It is always cool when someone comes to visit me!! I miss home and I miss my wonderful friends from West Virginia. I’ve known Ann since we were in first grade, although we didn’t become friends until about fourth grade. It is really amazing to have friendships that last that long. I have quite a few friends that trace back to first grade. Throughout all of the stages of life someone knows you. I’ve been gone for over ten years so when I have friends from all that time ago it reminds me of where I came from and where I am.

Anyway, Ann came down and arrived in Charleston around 4 p.m. on Friday. We chatted for a bit and then headed to her friend Emily’s house (her husband is stationed in the Air Force here, but she is originally from the same area that Ann lives). We hung out with Emily and her daughter and then went to Chili’s for dinner. After Chili’s Ann and I headed to Folly Beach and walked around the beach (it was FREEZING!) and then met some of my friends at Applebee’s to have dessert and goof off. By this time we were about to fall out from exhaustion, so we headed back to my house.

Saturday morning Ann and I got up and went to breakfast with my cousin and her boyfriend and then headed downtown. The weather was cold (in the 60’s and cold wind), so that prevented us from a lot more walking. We walked quite a bit though. We visited the battery, waterfront park, the market (where I ran into another one of my friends, Jessica) the shops on King street. We hadn’t been able to find parking so we parked at the visitor’s center and caught the trolley around town.

Emily met us downtown later in the afternoon and we took a carriage tour. I thought we were going to get kicked off for laughing and being ridiculous. It was a lot of fun. I’ve taken the carriage rides several times and they take a different route each time and everyone has different stories. Our guide was kinda boring at times, but I learned some pretty cool facts about Charleston…. Like the constitution was ratified at the provost dungeon downtown as well as the Declaration of Independence was signed there… George Washington actually slept here! LOL….One fifth of the nations wealth is in Charleston! We heard about all the movies that were filmed here (at least in portions) like The Notebook, Forrest Gump, Cold Mountain, The Patriot (and tons more) and Porgy and Bess was set in Charleston.

After a long day of walking Ann and I went to Burlington coat factory to do some more shopping and then she went to her friend Emily’s house to stay all night. I totally chilled out at home because I was exhausted.

On Sunday Ann went to church with me. What an adventure. She had her first taste of a culturally diverse Pentecostal church. LOL It was fun. Ann said she really liked the service. Some of the preaching really hit home for us. After church Ann went to Emily’s to cook her family some chicken dumplings and I went out to eat with my family and my cousin’s boyfriend. Then we all went to Isle of Palms beach. Ann, Emily, Sarabeth, Alonzo and eventually Jo Chi. Ann and Emily ate at Coconut Joe’s and then had to leave and I went back out on the beach with Sara and Alonzo to watch the sunset. It was FREEZING!!!! Afterwards we all went to Cracker Barrel for dessert.

So concludes my visit from Ann. I already miss her and hope she comes to visit again soon! Although I was very exhausted, it was so nice. I will be posting pictures soon.

Wild & Wonderful WV... Not so wonderful?

2009-03-16T13:06:00.006-04:00

My friend Joe (not from WV) called me this weekend and told me the wonderful news.... West Virginia ranked dead last in the happiest state to live in... We are always in these polls showing off our toothlessness or fatness or now our unhappiness. Gotta love the Associated Press for staying on top of it. I told Joe he gave me blogworthy information since my home state is 'Wild & Wonderful' West Virginia... The article just reitterates the depressive/oppressive mentality that I felt my whole life living there. This information in no way surprised me.
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Western States Top Happiness Poll
By KEVIN FREKING
AP
WASHINGTON (March 10) — Looking for happiness — it's family-friendly communities for some, tropical paradise or the rugged West for others. A survey of Americans' well-being, conducted by Gallup in partnership with Healthways and America's Health Insurance Plans, gives high marks to Utah, which boasts lots of outdoor recreation for its youthful population.
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Speaking of outdoor recreation, the islands of Hawaii took second place and Wyoming was third in the poll that rated such variables as mental, physical and economic health.
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But fun outdoors obviously wasn't the only criteria — "wild, wonderful" West Virginia was ranked last among the states.
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And the bluegrass state of Kentucky was 49th, with Mississippi 48th on the list.
In general, highest well-being scores came from states in the West while the lowest were concentrated in the South. The happiest congressional districts were some of the wealthiest, while the lowest scores came in some of the poorest.
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Jim Harter, a researcher at Gallup, said he was reluctant to explain regional differences without more study, but he suspected that some of the variations are explained by income. For example, when people were asked to examine their status in life now and five years from now, wealthier people tended to score higher.
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The survey attempts to measure people's well-being. It examines their eating and exercise habits, work environment and access to basic necessities, just to name some of the criteria.
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"It's not just about physical health," said Eric Nielsen, a spokesman for Gallup. "It's about their ability to contribute at work and be more productive, and it's about feeling engaged in a community and wanting to improve that community."
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The massive survey involved more than 350,000 interviews. Examples of the questions include: Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied with your job or the work you do? Did you eat healthy all day yesterday? Do you feel safe walking alone at night in the city or area where you live?
The survey, which takes about 15 minutes, involved 42 core questions. Those taking the survey could get a score of up to 100. The actual difference between states wasn't great: The average score for the highest-ranking state, Utah, was 69.2 points, while the average for the lowest-ranking state, West Virginia, was 61.2 points.
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But Harter said that he believed geographic divides could be overstated and even the states with the highest scores had significant work to do to improve certain aspects of their residents' health and happiness.
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Researchers hope the findings will help employers better understand what they can do to create more productive workers. Eventually, the data could even be used to compare health and happiness by ZIP code. The survey is going to be generated for 25 years, according to current plans.
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To that end, the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index also ranked congressional districts. Residents in California Rep. Anna Eshoo's coastal district south of San Francisco generated the top well-being score, followed closely behind by residents of Georgia Rep. Tom Price's district, on the northern edge of Atlanta. Both districts rank in the top 10 in median household income.
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On the opposite end, Rep. Harold Rogers' district in eastern Kentucky's coal country and New York Rep. Jose Serrano's district, which includes the distressed neighborhood of the South Bronx, had the lowest well-being scores.
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Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
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Here are some links regarding this survey:

http://news.aol.com/article/happiest-states/378012

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/the-happiest-states-of-america/

http://www.ahiphiwire.org/WellBeing/News/Default.aspx?doc_id=262099

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212214448.shtml

http://investors.healthways.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=91592&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1265831&highlight=

Charleston, SC.... Remembering Why I Love it Here!

2009-03-13T10:18:00.005-04:00

April 1996 was the first time, as an adult, that I arrived in Charleston, SC for spring break my senior year of high school. My cousin was getting married in June and I was to be the maid of honor so I came down to meet her fiance and visit with family. I stayed a week and fell in love with this city.
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Over 1996, 1997 and 1998 I visited Charleston as much as possible between semesters of college. Finally on December 26, 1998 at 11 p.m. myself and my friend Mariah boarded the Charleston, WV Greyhound bus armed with 2 suitcases a piece and enough Fugee's and Lauryn Hill c.d.'s to last the twelve hours on the bus and headed to South Carolina.
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I had over $1,000, no job and no car and I was ready to move to SC on the bus! LOL Needless to say 10 years later I am still here and working the same job I got when I first moved here!
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2009 must be the year of visitations. My aunt from West Virginia came down earlier this year. Now my friend that I have had since elementary school is coming down next weekend and my best friend and her family are coming down in May/June. Because of all these visits I am searching for things to do in Charleston for when each visitor arrives and it is reminding me of all the reasons I love Charleston.
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I love the beauty of Charleston. Beautiful weather. Beautiful architecture. Beautiful nature. I love the southern food. The diversity (hey, I am from WV anything outside of 'white' people is exciting to see). I love the touristy things (that I STILL enjoy) to do.
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I've thought for years about all the places that I have traveled and if there is anywhere else I would rather live and I can never think of anywhere else (other than Hawaii) that I would love to live.... so I am FINALLY settling down and buying a house this year in Charleston. I am very excited about this!
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While researching things to do with my friend next weekend I came across a Conde Nast article that ranked Charleston #2 best city to visit in the US. See below.
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http://www.concierge.com/travelguide/charleston/factsheet

United States
1.
San Francisco, 85.2
view slideshow › see the San Francisco guide ›
2.
Charleston, S.C., 82.9
view slideshow › see the Charleston guide ›
3.
New York City, 81.6
view slideshow › see the New York City guide ›
4.
Santa Fe, 81.5
view slideshow › see the Santa Fe guide ›
5.
Chicago, 81.0
view slideshow › see the Chicago guide ›
6.
Carmel, 79.0
view slideshow › see the Big Sur + Monterey guide ›
7.
Honolulu, 78.4
view slideshow › see the Oahu guide ›
8.
Savannah, 78.0
-->see the Georgia guide ›
9.
San Diego, 77.2
view slideshow › see the San Diego guide ›
10.
Sedona, 77.0
-->see the Arizona guide ›
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http://www.charlestoncvb.com/visitors/charleston-news/charleston__sc_named_no__2_top_american_destination-944
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For the sixteenth consecutive year, readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine honored Charleston as a Top 10 travel destination in the U.S. Charleston was honored with a No. 2 slot - topped only by San Francisco.
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Last year, Charleston ranked No. 3 in the poll behind San Francisco and New York City. This year, New York takes the No. 3 slot, right behind the Holy City.
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Mary Thornley, Chairman of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, noted that the people of Charleston enjoy welcoming guests, and their hospitality shows, “Charleston is friendly indeed. There is a sense of pride in this place that isn’t found everywhere. Locals love the Charleston area with a passion, and visitors can sense this right from the start.”
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In other local rankings, Kiawah Island was lauded as the No. 2 island in North America. Kiawah is in good company with Vancouver and Nantucket rounding out the top three choices. Additionally, the Sanctuary at Kiawah Island was ranked the No. 3 resort in the mainland US. The top two spots went to Kenwood Inn & Spa in Sonoma and the Inn at Thorn Hill & Spa in Jackson, NH.
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The full Reader’s Choice Awards will be published in the November 2008 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Condé Nast Traveler, whose credo is “Truth in Travel”, is a monthly publication that caters to the experienced, discerning and frequent traveler. Condé Nast Traveler’s correspondents, as far as possible, travel anonymously. They experience travel the way consumers do, both the good and the bad, and report on it fairly and honestly. The magazine has an audience of 3.1 million and is published by Condé Nast Publications, Inc. For more information and details on this year’s Readers Choice Awards visit Conde Nast Traveler.

Current and Future Miss West Virginia :-)

2009-03-05T13:15:00.003-05:00

http://misswestvirginiausa.com/images/gallery/miss/milton/album/slides/n42204032_33096094_8224.html

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This is Camdyn Rae, my youngest niece, with Miss West Virginia at story time at the local library.
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Snoop Dogg is Confused.... Too Much Weed, Perhaps?

2009-03-03T12:22:00.002-05:00

Maybe someone needs to inform Snoop that if he Muslim..... The bling bling around his neck... is a Christian symbol... He's had one too many hits.... And I don't mean records....

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Snoop Dogg spent his Sunday attending the Nation of Islam's annual Saviours Day convention, donating $1000 to the organization (I'm sure he spends more than that on illegal substances in a week)....

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His first Saviours Day convention, Snoop sat behind Minister Louis Farrakhan, and afterwards said, "When you get a speech from Minister Farrakhan it's about a mirror, it's about looking at yourself. It's about seeing yourself and what you can do to better the situation … We're doing a lot of wrongs among ourselves that need correcting."

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When asked if Snoop was a member, the rapper replied, "I'm already in the Nation, that's why I'm here. I'm an advocate for peace. I've been in the peace movement ever since I've been making music. My whole thing is not about really trying to push my thing on you. It's just about the way I live, and I live how I'm supposed to live as far as doing what's right and representing what's right. That's why I was here today."

My Dates on Valentines Day....

2009-02-28T10:01:00.002-05:00

Michelle (aka Mishoo) and I after eating at Buffalo Wild Wings
Jochi, Mark and Mishoo

Jochi and I listening to Israel's 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'... wishing we were in Hawaii...

Mark, myself and Jochi Maaaaaoooooooo

Time for the Weekend

2009-02-27T14:56:00.004-05:00

Today is a BEAUTIFUL day!! It is in the mid-seventies and breezy. My office has our door wide open and the fresh air is blowing in. Days like this is why I moved to Charleston.
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I had a wonderful time in West Virginia last weekend. It was so good to spend time with family and friends at my nieces birthday party. That many kids made it very chaotic and it gave me reason #762 as to why I still do not want any offspring.
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Next Friday I have to have my tissue graft surgery in my mouth and my mother, who still thinks I am 12 years old, insists upon coming down here and taking care of me. The dentist said I would be out of commission only for a few days.... up to a week... but whatever.... no need to drive 500 miles to be my helper. I definitely appreciate it though.
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My family seems to like to acquire too many t.v.'s and somehow whatever they get too many of somehow gets pawned off to me. I lucked out with a car a couple of years ago, so sometimes it works out. Needless to say, my brother and father seem to be in a race as to who can obtain the largest television made. My dad, undoubtedly, will eventually make the entire living room wall a screen. It truly is inevitable at this point. I digress. Saying all of that to say that I, who owns one small t.v. and doesn't know if it is even plugged up, have inherited one of the gargantuan televisions from my family. Why would I accept this? For their viewing convenience, of course. When they make the 500 mile trek down from the mountains they have to be able to watch t.v. (with no cable, of course) so that they don't ACTUALLY have to think! Mind numbing nonsense is always a preference. I bought the DTV converter box pretty much for them when they come down so I can get digital t.v.
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My father bought this monstrosity of a television (flat screen and the size of a small car) and his former behemoth of a t.v. was bequeathed to moi. I was to pick this t.v. up when I went in for Madyson’s birthday. Unfortunately, my fairly frail father (say that five times!) thought because he drank an extra Boost drink that he could somehow move the massive television down the hallway without the help of everyone at the house. Needless to say, the t.v. made a nosedive into the wall. The t.v. was shattered and the wall now has deep gouges in it. My mother was thrilled to see that.
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So, one t.v. down and I thought I was freed. I wouldn’t have to lug that beast back to South Carolina with me, therefore not having to listen to it at my house when the relatives come to visit.
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No such luck.
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I always leave West Virginia on a Sunday morning and all the family comes and eats brunch at my mom's house before I go. My brother tells me, as I am getting ready to get on the road... fighting back tears, that with his tax money he is going to get an absurdly large television as well and I needed to stop by his house and take his television! What?!?! I haven't even turned my own t.v. on in the last six months, if not longer, so what makes you think I want yours?!?!?
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Again, I digress.
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Needless to say my delicate emotional state allowed me to win that debate and I was on my way. My family has already told me that upon their arrival for my dreaded mouth surgery I will be presented with my brother's gargantuan t.v.
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Drat!
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Anyway, I am so thankful for how this year is going. I start off in Hawaii (seriously, how much better can it get) and it has been going well every since. Now I get to look forward to my friend Ann coming down on March 20th to visit. We've been friends since like 1st grade and she is finally getting the chance to come down. Then in April my sister in law and nieces are coming down and in May my best friend April and her family are coming down. Of course June 12th I leave for Thailand. What can be any better? I suppose I am extra grateful because of the year o' hell I had in 2008.
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Hope your new year is going well!!!
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I am looking forward to this weekend. I am going out to eat with a friend after work and then at 9 tonight I am heading to Southend Brewery downtown to listen to Union County play (http://www.unioncountymusic.com/). Tomorrow morning I will be doing my stint at United Way's hotline til 1 then I have to clean an office building. Tomorrow at 6 p.m. my company is having a dinner to 'honor' some anniversary's. I have been at my company 10 years now so I will be included in that. Should be nice.
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Hope you have a great weekend!!!!

MSN Article: What Are You Eating?!?!

2009-02-27T13:50:00.005-05:00

Want some dead bugs with your dinner? Well, that's just one of the freaky ingredients involved in making some popular processed foods. And while all seven of these sound incredibly icky—though presumably used to help make your food tastier or look better—some additives are decidedly more disturbing than others. Here's what you're eating—which may inspire you to start contemplating those ingredient labels a lot more closely.

Carmine:

According to the FDA, this red food coloring (also known as cochineal extract) is made from dried, ground bugs . The Dactylopius coccus costa insect is native to Peru and the Canary Islands, where it feeds on red berries. The berries accumulate in the females' stomachs and in their unhatched larvae—which is what gives the extract its red coloring. Carmine is one of the most widely used coloring agents, and food manufacturers routinely use it to turn foods shades of pink, red or purple. Chances are it's what makes the color of your strawberry yogurt or that cranberry drink look so appealing.
But the problem is that at the moment, you have no way of knowing if you're ingesting these little red bugs. Instead, the label will simply read, "artificial color" or "color added." But the Vegetarian Legal Action Network petitioned the FDA to disclose the presence of carmine, and in 2010, that requirement will go into effect. "But it will still be listed only as carmine or cochineal extract, with no mention of the ingredient's source," says Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "The onus will be on the consumer to know what carmine is, and that's asking a lot."

Carrageenan:

This is a fancy way of saying seaweed, and it's used as a thickening agent in foods such as ice cream, pudding and other dairy products. According to Jacobson, it's extracted from red seaweed that's plentiful on the Irish coast. It meets the FDA's GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) criteria and it's vegetarian, unlike some other gelling agents.

Shellac:

Just in case you haven't eaten your fill of bugs, here's another opportunity for insect consumption. Shellac—which is used to make that shiny coating on jelly beans and to give fresh fruits and vegetables that perfect, glossy finish—is made from the excretions of Kerria lacca insects that are native to Thailand. Again, vegetarian lobbyists have urged the FDA to require that labeling indicate if fruits and vegetables are coated with an insect-derived substance. The FDA wouldn't go that far, but, according to Jacobson, it did require produce packers to disclose whether any coating used is animal- or vegetable-derived. "But it would be on a placard or on the box of produce, not in bold type on the fruit or vegetable itself," says Jacobson, and not necessarily displayed to grocery shoppers. "And I don't know that the regulation is very strongly enforced," he adds.

Gelatin:

Gelatin is used in many packaged foods as a thickening agent. In addition to gummy candy, gelatin is found in Jell-O, ice cream and yogurt. But those innocent-looking little Gummi Bears are hiding a somewhat distasteful secret. According to the USDA, the gelatin that gives them their kid-pleasing texture is created at the expense of several different animal parts, including ligaments, skin, tendons and bones. Though some non-animal versions of gelatin are available, vegetarians know to avoid packaged foods containing gelatin, unless it's specifically labeled as being derived from a vegetarian source.

Bacteriophages:

This is a case of an additive that sounds perfectly disgusting, but experts reassure that it's also perfectly safe—and even smart. Cold cuts and cheeses are often sprayed with a mixture of viruses (known collectively as bacteriophages) that work to help prevent listeria—a microorganism that can be lethal when eaten. "The viruses attack the bacteria and prevent bacterial growth on the food," says Jacobson. "It's actually better than harmless; it's a very clever way to prevent illness."

Xanthan gum:

While we're on the subject of bacteria, here's another one. Xanthan gum is a microbial polysaccharide that's derived from the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris. It's used to thicken liquids, and since it takes very little for it to accomplish that goal (concentrations of 0.5 percent or less), it is generally considered safe for use. You'll find it in most bottled salad dressings to help stabilize keep the oil from separating out. But what you may not know is that Xanthomonas campestris is responsible for the plant disease known as black rot.
"Natural" flavors:

Natural flavors are the mystery meat of the food-additive world. And while they sound like a good thing—who doesn't want to eat something that's "natural?"—the term can be misleading and confusing. You will find these so-called natural flavors in just about every sort of processed food. They're used to give a "smoked" meat a smoky flavor; give canned peaches back their peachiness; and give an almond-flavored cookie its advertised nuttiness. The mystery is always that when the ingredient isn't specified—and it usually isn't—you don't necessarily know if that "natural flavor" is coming from something you want to eat.
For example, you might assume that if canned peaches list "natural flavoring" in the ingredients list, the flavor would be derived from a peach. But according to Jacobson, it could just as likely be referring to apricot extract. Which is fine, unless perhaps you are allergic to apricots. And according to the current Federal Code of Regulations, a natural flavor could be extracted from meat but does not have to specify that if "the function in the food is flavoring rather than nutritional." Once again, it's a case of consumer beware.

Weird News

2009-02-26T09:56:00.006-05:00

This is by far my favorite story... possibly of the year... LOL
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Police say bullet lodged in hair weave; woman OK
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Other than having a bit of a headache, a Kansas City woman is uninjured after a bullet fired at her ended up tangled in her hair weave.
Police said the 20-year-old woman was in a convenience store parking lot late Wednesday when a man flagged her down and told her that her ex-boyfriend still loved her. She replied, "Well I dont love him," then heard gunshots.
She said she looked behind the vehicle and saw her ex-boyfriend firing a handgun at her. She stomped her accelerator and fled, then turned into another parking lot and called police. She told officers she recently had ended an eight-month relationship with the suspect.
Police arrested the ex-boyfriend and his friend in a car.
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This is completely disgusting... but whatever works for ya....
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"India to launch cow urine as soft drink"
Refreshing! CLICK HERE to read the article accompanying this headline.
Does your Pepsi lack pep? Is your Coke not the real thing? India's Hindu nationalist movement apparently has the answer: a new soft drink made from cow urine.
The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.
Om Prakash, the head of the department, said the drink – called "gau jal", or "cow water" – in Sanskrit was undergoing laboratory tests and would be launched "very soon, maybe by the end of this year".
"Don't worry, it won't smell like urine and will be tasty too," he told The Times from his headquarters in Hardwar, one of four holy cities on the River Ganges. "Its USP will be that it's going to be very healthy. It won't be like carbonated drinks and would be devoid of any toxins."
The drink is the latest attempt by the RSS – which was founded in 1925 and now claims eight million members – to cleanse India of foreign influence and promote its ideology of Hindutva, or Hindu-ness.
Hindus revere cows and slaughtering them is illegal in most of India. Cow dung is traditionally used as a fuel and disinfectant in villages, while cow urine and dung are often consumed in rituals to "purify" those on the bottom rungs of the Hindu caste system.
In 2001, the RSS and its offshoots – which include the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party – began promoting cow urine as a cure for ailments ranging from liver disease to obesity and even cancer.
The movement has often been accused of using more violent methods, such as killing 67 Christians in the eastern state of Orissa last year, and assaulting women in a pub in Mangalore last month. It also has a history of targeting foreign business in India, as in 1994, when it organised a nationwide boycott of multinational consumer goods, including Pepsi and Coca Cola.
The cola brands are popular in India, now one of their biggest markets, but have struggled in recent years to shake off allegations, which they deny, that they contain dangerous levels of pesticide.
Mr Prakash said his drink, by contrast, was made mainly of cow urine, mixed with a few medicinal and ayurvedic herbs. He said it would be "cheap", but declined to give further details about its price or ingredients until it was officially launched.
He insisted, however, that it would be able to compete with the American cola brands, even with their enormous advertising budgets. "We're going to give them good competition as our drink is good for mankind," he said. "We may also think of exporting it."
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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This one is actually sad.... To me anyway....

BOY dad Alfie Patten yesterday admitted he does not know how much nappies cost — but said: “I think it’s a lot.”
Baby-faced Alfie, who is 13 but looks more like eight, became a father four days ago when his girlfriend Chantelle Steadman gave birth to 7lb 3oz Maisie Roxanne.
He told how he and Chantelle, 15, decided against an abortion after discovering she was pregnant.
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The shy lad, whose voice has not yet broken, said: “I thought it would be good to have a baby.
“I didn’t think about how we would afford it. I don’t really get pocket money. My dad sometimes gives me £10.”

Alfie, who is just 4ft tall, added: “When my mum found out, I thought I was going to get in trouble. We wanted to have the baby but were worried how people would react.
“I didn’t know what it would be like to be a dad. I will be good, though, and care for it.”
Alfie's story, broken exclusively by The Sun today has sparked a huge political storm with Tory leader David Cameron saying: "When I saw these pictures this morning, I just thought how worrying that in Britain today children are having children.
"I hope that somehow these children grow up into responsible parents but the truth is parenthood is just not something they should be thinking about right now."

PM Gordon Brown refused to comment directly on the story but said it was important that the Government did all it could to prevent teenage pregnancies.
Alfie’s dad Dennis yesterday told how the lad does not really understand the enormity of his situation — but seemed desperate to be a devoted and responsible father.
He wanted to be the first to hold Maisie after the hospital birth. He tenderly kisses the baby and gives her a bottle.
And Dennis, 45, said: “He could have shrugged his shoulders and sat at home on his Playstation. But he has been at the hospital every day.”
Maisie was conceived after Chantelle and Alfie — just 12 at the time — had a single night of unprotected sex.
They found out about the baby when Chantelle was 12 weeks pregnant.
But they kept it a secret until six weeks later when Chantelle’s mum Penny, 38, became suspicious about her weight gain and confronted her.
After that Alfie’s family told only those closest to them for fear he would be “demonised” at school.
Chantelle gave birth to Maisie on Monday night after a five-hour labour at Eastbourne Hospital, East Sussex.
Last night she told The Sun: “I’m tired after the birth. I was nervous after going into labour but otherwise I was quite excited.”

Chantelle told how she discovered she was expecting after going to her GP with “really bad” stomach pains. She said: “Me and Alfie went. The doctor asked me whether we had sex. I said yes and he said I should do a pregnancy test. He did the test and said I was pregnant. I started crying and didn’t know what to do.
“He said I should tell my mum but I was too scared.
“We didn’t think we would need help from our parents. You don’t really think about that when you find out you are pregnant. You just think your parents will kill you.”
But Penny figured out what was going on after buying Chantelle a T-shirt which revealed her swelling tum.
Chantelle admitted she and Alfie — who are both being supported by their parents — would be accused of being grossly irresponsible. She said: “We know we made a mistake but I wouldn’t change it now. We will be good loving parents.
“I have started a church course and I am going to do work experience helping other young mums.
“I’ll be a great mum and Alfie will be a great dad.”

Chantelle and Maisie were released from hospital yesterday. They are living with Penny, Chantelle’s jobless dad Steve, 43, and her five brothers in a rented council house in Eastbourne. The family live on benefits. Alfie, who lives on an estate across town with mum Nicola, 43, spends most of his time at the Steadmans’ house.
He is allowed to stay overnight and even has a school uniform there so he can go straight to his classes in the morning.
Alfie’s dad, who is separated from Nicola, believes the lad is scared deep down.
He said: “Everyone is telling him things and it’s going round in his head. It hasn’t really dawned on him. He hasn’t got a clue of what the baby means and can’t explain how he feels. All he knows is mum and dad will help.
“When you mention money his eyes look away. And she is reliant on her mum and dad. It’s crazy. They have no idea what lies ahead.”
Dennis, who works for a vehicle recovery firm, described Alfie as “a typical 13-year-old boy”.
He said: “He loves computer games, boxing and Manchester United.” Dennis, who has fathered nine kids, told how he was “gobsmacked” when he discovered Alfie was to be a dad, too.
He said: “When I spoke to him he started crying. He said it was the first time he’d had sex, that he didn’t know what he was doing and of the complications that could come.
“I will talk to him again and it will be the birds and the bees talk. Some may say it’s too late but he needs to understand so there is not another baby.”
Lovely
Chantelle’s mum said: “I told her it was lovely to have the baby but I wish it was in different circumstances. We have five children already so it’s a big financial responsibility. But we are a family and will pull together and get through.
“She’s my daughter. I love her and she will want for nothing.”
Last night Michaela Aston, of the anti-abortion Christian charity LIFE, said: “We commend these teenagers for their courage in bringing their child into the world.
“At the same time this is symptomatic of the over-sexualisation of our youngsters and shows the policy of value-free sex education just isn’t working.”
Today Sussex Police and the local council's children services said they have investigated the case and pledged continued support for the young parents.
Britain’s youngest known father is Sean Stewart. He became a dad at 12 when the girl next door, 15-year-old Emma Webster, gave birth in Sharnbrook, Bedford, in 1998. They split six months later.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2233878.ece

City Church

2009-02-24T13:52:00.006-05:00

http://www.yourcitychurch.com/

My friend, John Pharis, has started a new church in West Ashley... So I wanted to put the church out there for anyone who would like to visit.

The City Church of Charleston is a new church plant in the City of Charleston, South Carolina.

They meet each Sunday at the St. Andrew’s Middle School Auditorium, 721 Wappoo Road, in the West Ashly area of Charleston.

The Worship Gathering starts at 11:00am.

‘Come As You Are’ is the rule. A hunger to learn more about Jesus Christ and better serve the people of our city will be the passion.

West Va.... Here I come.....

2009-02-18T15:36:00.005-05:00

I am getting so EXCITED!!! I leave for West Virginia tomorrow night!!! Yaaaaay!!!!
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I know... WHO in the world would get excited to go there... Ha ha.... I miss my family so much so that it overcomes the dreary drive there.... Eight loooong hours.... of weaving and winding mountains.... driven in the dark (I will probably leave around 1 a.m. to head to WV).
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I just checked the weather and am so excited!!!! The temperature is going to be in the 30's while I am there AND snow!!!
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I despise snow.
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No... I loathe it....
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Can't think of anymore words at the moment to describe my feelings for cold weather! Ha ha... Needless to say... when I see my three little nieces and the rest of my family it will all be worth it! I cannot wait!

This is my niece Camdyn with Miss West Virginia last week at story time at the library. :-)
Christmas Picture

Valentine's Day

2009-02-17T07:13:00.005-05:00

On Saturday (Valentine's Day) I started off my day at 2-1-1. The calls came pretty consistently and as always a reality check (hearing someone's else's story).

Sometimes I can walk away from 2-1-1 and go on about my day and not be emotionally drained and then other days, I need to go to a quiet place for a bit to recoup. Saturday was one of those days. So I went to Publix and actually went grocery shopping and went home for a couple of hours. Saturday night was going to be fun time with friends so I needed to switch gears.

During my time at home my ridiculous phone died, so I went to the car and used a charger that I borrowed from a friend and was talking to Theresa (from Hawaii). This raggedy van pulls up directly behind my car and this big dude gets out and just stands there and I was like .... oooooh crap... what is about to happen... (I do live in 'da hood')...

He then went around to the other side of the van and I turned my car on thinking... my poor little corolla is about to take out some shrubs or a very large man! Ha! About that time the man comes around the back of the van with a very tall box and walks up to my door... I was so dumbfounded, but I waited until he pulled away and I walked up to the door.... and I had a box of flowers?!?

2 dozen roses and a box of chocolates to be exact. With a beautiful card.... don't ask me from whom because I still have no idea. Needless to say the card meant so much. I will always keep it. Whomever sent them to me...

THANK YOU!!!!

Here is a picture from my phone...

Yay!!!

2009-02-13T08:48:00.004-05:00

I finally got something for going to school for so long! LOL... Crappy picture taken with my phone.... but I am happy so I had to share... :-)
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My Tats

2009-02-05T18:34:00.003-05:00

Click to make larger.....

Baggage and Luggage... :-)

2009-02-04T07:07:00.017-05:00

I feel like such a HUGE weight has been lifted off of my soul!
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I am finally about to be free after 3 years of hardcore stress.
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I started going to school 3 years ago. My schedule was get up around 6 a.m. and get ready for work. Be out the door by 6:30. Work. Take a lunch and scurry about town during my 1 hour lunch break doing errands, going to dental appointments (although most of my dental appointments I make for 6:45 a.m.... meaning I leave my house at 6:15 a.m. and then return around 11 p.m. that night) or take care of whatever I'd neglected. Get off by 5 p.m. and sit in traffic on Ashley Phosphate Road and arrive at school around 5:30. Wait on a parking space. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. Find a parking space. Go to class until 9 p.m. Head to either the computer lab or Barnes & Noble until 11 p.m. to do homework. Leave. Arrive at home around 11:15 or 11:30 p.m.
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Exhausted.
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Mentally and Physically.
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Spiritually.
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And then repeat the next day... and the next day and then again after that. Then comes the weekend. Fun times? Nah! Who needs to relax. I have goals! I have dreams! I have a clearly defined path in life!
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I digress.
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So... the weekend hits... some Friday nights that I didn't have any obligations (rare) I would actually get to see a movie... The late ones of course because I would have so many errands built up from the week... This wasn't that often though. Prior to this weekend I hadn't been to the theater in 2 months... so not so often...
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Saturday... I do my good duty and head on to United Way and volunteer some hours to listen to folks going through rough times. Sometimes this was an escape and sometimes it was hard. Some of their stories hit home. Either way, I love doing it. After United Way (get off at 1 p.m.) I would do only what was essential and then go to my second job of cleaning an office building. After 3 hours of hard physical labor I would go home and get cleaned up and by this time it was Saturday evening... There was ALWAYS something I had obligated myself to do.
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Sunday comes. Go to church. Get out by 12:30-1 p.m. Some weeks when my Saturdays were too full I would have to clean the office building on Sundays. In the last couple of months I started going out to eat after church with friends periodically, but usually I would head dowtown to College of Charleston library for a day/evening of homework and study (generally 7-10 hours worth). Those 4.0's and my cumulative GPA of 3.85 didn't happen by chance. So I would usually head home by 9 or 10 p.m. and get ready to start the week all over again.
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I did this for 3 straight years.
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Going for eighteen (18) hours a day. 7 days a week.
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Having a set schedule with no wiggle room. No flexibility. I had to schedule 'fun time' or time out with friends AT LEAST a month in advance. Ludicrous.
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The toll of having ZERO down time for yourself is overwhelming and devestating. I have paid rent to basically store my belongings and get my 5-6 hours of sleep a night... because I am never home.
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2008 started off really rough. In January I had a serious familial conflict that affected me deeply and then a close friend & colleague suddenly died. Follow that by 5 more deaths of friends and family. A couple by tragedy. Terminal illness. Suicide. Then throw in 2 months of traveling back and forth to West Virginia (8 hours, 500 miles) because of deaths and then my dad being on the brink of death. That leads to a 2.5 week journey from South Carolina to West Virginia to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN with my dying father (who has thankfully made huge strides in recovery) while maintaining an online class at school. Being the strength for my family alone was draining, but that has been my role since childhood (whether self-imposed or assumed by all). Starting in September I had to complete 90 hours of internship by November. Imagine squeezing in 90 hours of volunteer work into 3 months with an already packed schedule. In was truly insane!
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I will go ahead and stop now.... there are too many things to mention that has happened.
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So that brings me to now. I've been drowning for awhile now. Starting off this year I was in a hit and run.... more financial strain....then a dear friend was murdered last weekend. Now anniversary's of deaths are here... Things that I never had TIME to deal with emotionally have now built up so much that they are starting to come crashing out at the most inopportune times.
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Think of a closet packed full of stuff. Heavy luggage. Small items. Keep piling this closet full of these items and sooner or later... Probably when you have company over.... Probably when you are rushing to get out the door for something important....These things are going to flood out of this closet. It isn't going to be pretty. Stuff strewn everywhere. Big heavy suitcases come tumbling out and come open with all the contents going every which way. Possibly injuring anyone in it's path. Small boxes with their contents spilling out. Sometimes it is a small mess and you pile the stuff back in the closet to deal with another day. Then other times it is a full blown avalanche that takes a bit to clean up.
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The avalanches have been more frequent and becoming bigger and bigger for me.
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When your face goes numb and you have chest pains and your blood pressure and glucose levels are dangerously high... and weight gain keeps happening.... some serious changes have to be made. And quick. Every morning when I wake up my jaw and head are killing me with pain due to grinding and clenching my teeth from stress.
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So I am taking a semester off. I have to make it official this week. This is very hard for me. Taking time for myself. To take care of myself. To take each piece of luggage down from the shelves and sort it out. Taking each box out and unpacking it. I am tired of how much baggage I am carrying. I am tired of being on an emotional roller coaster due to being overwhelmed and not having time to deal with things. It has changed who I am. Over the last three years I became inconsistent in all things... periods of isolation... You name it.. I want to be me again.
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So... goals will have to wait. Time will go on. I will have 6 months to get myself together. Instead of graduating this year, it will be next. At the rate I was going... for so many years, I am not so sure there would be a next year if I didn't stop. When I was in Hawaii and was able to slow down and really think about life and what I did and didn't want... it really opened my eyes. I knew this is what I wanted to do, but just told myself to 'man up' (what a silly saying for a woman... Ha ha) and get over it... After this recent death and all the emotions that came flooding out... I knew it was time to make time.
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So if you see me and I actually look well rested. Peaceful. Happy. Celebrate it with me. It has been a long time coming. A hard struggle is being overcome. I want many happy and healthy years to come. I will sacrifice for that.
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Below are some of the effects of stress on our bodies, minds, emotions and behavior... Nearly everything on the list are things I have experienced... Not occassionally like a normal person... these things happened monthly... weekly... and daily...

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Effects of Stress
On your body
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Headache
Chest pain
Pounding heart
High blood pressure
Shortness of breath
Muscle aches
Back pain
Clenched jaws
Tooth grinding
Stomach upset
Constipation
Diarrhea
Increased sweating
Tiredness
Sleep problems
Weight gain or loss
Skin breakouts

Effects of Stress

On Your Thoughts & Feelings

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Anxiety
Restlessness
Worrying
Irritability
Depression
Sadness
Anger
Mood swings
Job dissatisfaction
Feeling insecure
Confusion
Burnout

Loneliness

Isolation

Racing thoughts
Forgetfulness
Resentment
Guilt
Inability to concentrate
Seeing only the negatives

Effects of Stress

On Your Behavior
Overeating
Undereating
Angry outbursts
Social withdrawal

Procrastinating or Neglecting
Crying spells
Relationship conflicts
Decreased productivity
Blaming others

Bizarro Things Online Today!

2009-01-30T10:59:00.003-05:00

PETA Wants to Change the Name 'Fish' to 'Sea Kittens'
When I read this today... Woooow.... What kind of crack are the PETA people smoking these days? Dear Lord!!!!
http://www.peta.org/sea_kittens/about.asp
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National Haunted Service:

Exorcist summoned after spook scares staff at Derby Royal Hospital
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5618459.ece
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Plan would buy airfare to send Hawaii homeless to Mainland
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090125/NEWS01/901250396
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Man accused of drunken horse riding in snowstorm
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_fe_st/odd_drunken_riding;_ylt=At5Y6gysSjt_Ze.rCtOvTcjtiBIF

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Venice goes online to ease toilet pay pain
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090128/od_nm/us_toilets;_ylt=AsFAsMMXZZ0JZC3ti.v1nontiBIF .

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Undies for Charity:

Evangeline Lilly Launches Lingerie Line

to Help Underprivileged Kids!

(Just funny headline)
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,485617,00.html
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Man tried to reclaim breast implants from ex
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_re_us/implants_attack;_ylt=Aq4buwRzFKCYG8L0gFPBRtXtiBIF
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Chicago Man Kills Brother Over $2 Debt
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,485620,00.html

25 Random Things

2009-01-29T19:39:00.001-05:00

25 Random Things....
1. I don’t play any instruments (although did take drum class in school)… I would like to learn to play the acoustic guitar this year.

2. My favorite colors are blue & yellow… green in close running…. Imagine that… (b+y=g)… Ha!

3. My cousin and I are going to start taking ballroom dance lessons soon! LOL… Seriously!

4. I am going to Thailand on May 8th for 2 weeks… Bangkok to Chiang Mai to Phuket (Phi Phi islands) and then back to Bangkok… Excited!

5. I was a strict vegetarian from age 15 til age 28… I do eat seafood and poultry now, but still no swine or red meat.

6. I would like to move to Hawaii…. If it wasn’t so far away from my family (Strangely living 8 hrs and 500 miles away from them now… not so bad)

7. Things I collect: shot glasses from all of my travels, sea turtles and oddly enough… magnets… yes, I will be one of ‘those’ people… LOL

8. My dream man would be ethnically dark with Asian eyes and a British accent… although my friends in Hawaii say it is impossible to find! LOL Ooohh... with green eyes too! LOL

9. I’ve never wanted to naturally have children…. And now I’m 75% sure I don’t want to adopt either…

10. I wish I could sell everything I own and just travel and find random jobs… alas I am too responsible…

11. Human qualities that I hate are: self-centeredness, selfishness, dishonesty, critics, lack of respect, goals and drive

12. I hate wine… except for pineapple wine from Okinawa and Maui, HI

13. I love patchouli… incense, candles, oil, lotion… you name it!

14. I’ve always wanted to be a National Geographic photographer…. Or a travel guide…

15. I saw an angel as a child. Intense.

16. I HATE scary movies… I’ve seen too many supernatural things in real life… not to mention reality is scary enough!

17. I would like to have some reptiles as pets… snakes, lizards… iguana’s…

18. My favorite toys as a child were Barbie’s, G.I. Joes, match cars, e-z bake oven and the awesome combo of hairspray and matches for bee’s or random insects… LOL

19. I made my brother hold onto an electric fence when we were kids to see if it was on and when I realized he couldn’t let go I got scared…. Oh and I got beat as well for that. LOL.

20. I never knew TRUE love until my 1st niece Madyson was born... when she was born I felt a love like I'd never felt before. It was life changing.

21. Here is a shocker: I regularly got in trouble in school for laughing, talking and... occasionally skipping class… LOL

22. I would like to visit a muslim mosque and a hindu service... been to buddhist, jewish and most Christian services.

23. I am a daydreamer… I draw on everything… I have a mad ADHD situation going
on! LOL

24. I love learning about new cultures and traveling… it IS my passion in life.

25. I can honestly say I only regret maybe 2-3 things in my entire life and they pretty much all took place while I was growing up… so live, learn, grow and be happy!....

My Lunch Break Today.... Woooow.....

2009-01-23T12:26:00.003-05:00

Today at lunch time I saw some.... odd... stuff....
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First I am waiting for my Zaxby's Zalad... yes... Zalad... and I look up to see this jeep in front of me with skeletons all over it...

Weird cars in Charleston are nothing new.. I have cars in my neighborhood with themes on them (i.e. Dora the Explorer... a pepto colored car with Dora's picture on it.... an I-26 car with maps all over it of South Carolina... see what I mean...)... then I look up and it says, 'Dysfunctional Family' on the window.... Ha!

The skeletons were no indication or anything....

Dysfunctional family? Join the crowd buddy!

Ha!
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I wanted candy REAL bad... but in order to eat candy I have to have my trusty toothbrush, floss and toothpaste ready to go upon swallowing the last piece of candy... (See the post below to understand why... )

Anyway, I didn't have that stuff with me (as I normally travel with backups), so I had to stop at the store to load up again on my supplies and I saw something... unique in the Lincoln next to me....

A 2.5 foot ceramic poodle strapped in a seatbelt in the backseat! Now I've seen older ladies... who put their pastel pink lipstick well above their natural lipline... that treat their animals as well as Paris Hilton does her Chihuahua... baby carriage and all... but an inanimate dog... strapped in the car... that kicked the insanity up a notch...

So what do I always do when I spot someone who outdoes my eccentricities? Why, take a picture... of course! :-)
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Just Call Me Kramer.....

2009-01-22T11:49:00.008-05:00

Since November I have been to the dentist a total of 11 times!
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I have a major dental phobia... No doubt due to a very psychotic and sadistic dentist that worked on me from age 6 to 20... That is the awesome benefit of living in a very small town and having 'la creme de la creme' of doctors to chose from. Don't even get me started on the other 'quacks' in town!
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Imagine a large man whose breath reaked of garlic (no matter the time of day) as he sang opera into your open mouth... And more importantly within 5 feet of your nose... while you fear the remaining boogers in his large nose would inevitably lose their grasp and make the descent into your .... yes, open mouth...
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Notwithstanding the fact that this dentist also disregarded whether his patients were fully numb before beginning the procedure of the day. Augh... numbness.... who needs it? He's only taking a very small drill and ramming it into each tooth until it hits the nerve... or in my case... He only pulled 7 teeth at one time on a 9 year old child... who needs novacaine!? So many examples... yet so little patience to retell each instance... Better yet... so little self restraint not to physically harm this retired dentist if I recall too many memories....
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I digress.
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So, due to my deep love for the field of dentistry (wonder why the suicide rate is EXTREMELY high in this field?)... I have avoided dentists as much as possible since hopping on the Greyhound bus and heading to the great state of South Carolina ten years ago!
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I guess I wanted to be able to smile and folks see that I am from West Virginia rather than actually telling them so. :-) West Virginia and England... Both known for their love of dental care! :-)
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With that said... Here I am today with my 11th dental appointment in 2 months with a list of troubles and thousands of dollars spent to correct a mountain of issues. I finally found a dentist who works with dental phobics such as myself. She has 6:45 a.m. appointments so that I can fit my dental health into my schedule (although still trying to figure out how to fit brushing my teeth in my schedule since I have to brush my teeth after EVERY FREAKIN sip, drink, bite I take throughout the day... My record is 6 brushings.... It is a GREAT hunger suppressant). I also have to use $8 a tube prescription toothpaste... I didn't even know there was such a thing!
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Since November I have enjoyed 2 root canals, 4 fillings (finally with the white fillings and not those outdated silver ones), found out I have to have tissue graphs in my mouth (being done in February), I have TMD muscular disorder in my jaw that has to be fixed (I was asked if I had been in bar fights or been hit in the head due to apparent head trauma!... No joke!), I grind and clench my teeth 'like a madwoman' as my dentist said....Let's see... I have to buy an $800 mouth guard to wear at night to prevent the clenching and grinding from hurting my teeth (clear that fits on my teeth like a retainer), 3 crowns for my teeth (please address me as 'Your Majesty' thank you very much!) and I am sure there are some other issues...
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This is all to the tune of .... $10,000 or so.... you know... No biggie... Thanks Dr. William C. Murray of Milton, WV for all of your awesome dental skills.... Oh, should I not mention the sadists name for fear of defamation? Hmmm.... I D.O.N.T. C.A.R.E!!!!
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And bitterness is in check... Moving on....
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Today I had 3 fillings replaced and had to have a 'post' put in my one tooth. What is a post? Oh just a metal rod stuck into the root canal and cemented in underneath my filling. After 2 hours of dental bliss (holding my remarkably small mouth open for that long....) the dental assistant had to massage my jaw and put a hot cloth on my face for my jaw to close. Good times. I have a little disorder that causes me NOT to get numb like normal people... So it is always a joy when we play... let me drill into your teeth and guess and see if you are 'numb enough'.... today that game went awry when I could clearly feel the drill hitting my nerve! Thankfully I have a good dentist who stopped immediately and didn't dismiss my obvious pain.
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Today she numbed me so much that I looked like I had Bell's Palsy (http://www.bellspalsy.ws/) as the left side of my face was completely paralyzed and swollen. I took this picture below on my way to my office. I tried to smile.... but it didn't work out so well. All I could think of the was Seinfeld episode called, 'The Jimmy' and Kramer was thought to be mentally disabled because he had so much novacaine. I tried to drink something this morning and it came right back out. Just like Kramer! LOL! If you haven't seen that episode you HAVE to see it. It is the episode with the guy Jimmy who talks in the 3rd person about himself and creates special tennis shoes that Kramer wears (which makes him look like he is mentally disabled). See the episode links below my Kramer/Bell's Palsy picture! LOL
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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697714/plotsummary

http://www.siyumhaseinfeld.com/eps/season6/619-TheJimmy.html

Hmmm....

2009-01-22T11:37:00.003-05:00

Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America.....do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America.....do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America.....do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America.....do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER ... Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

Hawaiian Entries

2009-01-19T07:45:00.002-05:00

The journal that I kept while I was in Hawaii was usually rushed on my laptop... so if you actually read the entries (as opposed to just looking at the pictures) please excuse poor grammer, sentence structure and etc... I skimmed through some of the entries and was like what was I smoking? LOL...

Click on the pictures to make them larger....

Hawaii: Wednesday, New Years Eve 2008

2009-01-18T18:46:00.013-05:00

Wednesday, New Years Eve 2008

When we finally landed I was so excited!!! When I got off of the plane it was so humid in Hawaii. It was 80 degrees and hot. I took my time on the long walk to baggage claim and just soaked it all in. It was so hot in the airport (most of it is open and has no air conditioning). I stood outside and waited on Theresa for about fifteen minutes and watched everyone. The people here are so unique.

When Theresa picked me up she brought me a fresh orchid lei! It is beautiful and smells so good!

We went to Safeway, which is a grocery store, and bought our dinner. She decided she was going to make me Thai Larb. It is ground up chicken or pork usually, but we made it with ground turkey. She also bought Tako and Poke which is raw tuna and squid with seaweed and stuff in it. We headed back to her house and she taught me how to make the Larb. It has red and green chilies, fresh garlic, fresh mint (that we cut from the garden on the side of the house), onions and fish sauce. It was really good. I also ate the Tako and Poke.

When we first got to her house the house was open and it was so hot. They didn’t have the air on and it was over 80 degrees in the house. It took me awhile to adjust to it, but I loved the fresh air. It is so beautiful here. When we went to get the mint from the garden I got to see their backyard which has the coolest plants and flowers. They have a bird of paradise flower and a guava tree and a calamansi tree.

When I first got to Theresa’s there was a big bag on the bed where I would be sleeping that was full of gifts she had bought me. There was also a postcard from Hawaii telling me how glad she was that I was here. She is so thoughtful! In the bag was a tie-dye shirt from San Francisco that she got for me when she went there and a mask from the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas that she got for me a few months back plus several other things that were awesome! It was very nice of her and I love everything in the bag!

By this time it was about 10:30 p.m. my bodies time and 5:30 p.m. in Hawaii. I had been up and traveling since 5:30 a.m. (my time) and was exhausted. They were having a party for New Years so I helped with some of the preparation and then finally got in the shower around 7 p.m. Hawaii time. I tried to lay down but couldn’t because it sounded like a war zone outside. Everyone here gathers in their neighborhoods and lets off more fireworks than the whole state of SC and WV combined. I have NEVER seen ANYTHING like New Years Hawaii style. It is a pyromaniac’s dream!

People started coming over around 8:30 and we ate and just hung out. Theresa’s mom made so much food it was awesome. It was mostly Filipino food, but they also had a turkey and potatoes and stuffing. I didn’t know what most of the food was, but it was good.

Theresa’s family and friends had enough fireworks to blow up a small village! They started letting them off around 9 something and it lasted until at least 12:30 in the morning. Everyone took turns setting them off although I pretty much stuck with the sparklers other than a few attempts at grenade launching! Ha!

They had fireworks that I hadn’t even heard of before that you have to have a permit to set off! The neighbors all had about the same amount or more. Everyone was out in the street together setting off their fireworks. It was really amazing. Everyone starts a fire on their sidewalk (their neighbor set a fire in a wheelbarrow) and that is what they use to light the fireworks. At one point they lined all of them up down the street and everyone ran out at the same time and lit one and took off running. On mainland the neighbors would complain so much that no one would be able to set off fireworks like this. Over here it is just an accepted part of the celebration.

At Theresa’s house we had Tim and Ninfa (her parents) and Ni (her grandmother). Then there was Norma (her little sister) and her friend Nicole. Then there was Roger and Belinda and their son Joey and his wife Lisa and also another guy they called Jo Jo. It was a lot of fun! I went to bed after 2 a.m. Hawaii time (7 a.m. my body’s time). I had been up about 26 hours by this point. I woke up at 7 a.m. Hawaii time (because my body felt like it was noon) and finished typing this entry. I was very tired, but couldn’t sleep.

Landing in Hawai'i

Landing in Hawai'i
Landing in Hawai'i
Flying into Hawai'i
Beautiful Sky
Mark made a collage of himself and Theresa.... Only he forgot to put Theresa in it... until the bottom right corner! LOL

Safeway parking lot with my lei on! :-)

Honolulu Airport

As you exit to the baggage claim area you see this sign...

Theresa and Kenny and the Korean chocolates with red pepper paste in them.

My shirt that Theresa got me in San Francisco... Haight and Ashbury

(The center for hippies... http://www.rockument.com/haimg.html)

Theresa knows I love the honu!

Sea Turtle!

Theresa bought me this in Las Vegas at the Venetian Resort... It is beautiful!!!

When I got to her house this huge bag and postcard was on the bed waiting for me... Soooo sweet!

New Years Eve Hawai'i Style!

Theresa's dad in front of the house.

New Years Eve Hawai'i Style!

Cleaning up after the fireworks...

Very late at night/morning... eating leftovers...

Theresa the fire dancer! LOL

Fireworks in the street!

Theresa and family/friends lighting the fireworks in the street!

Ninfa running to get away!!! LOL

New Years Eve Hawai'i Style!

Theresa's neighbor let this one off

These two dummies shouldn't be allowed near fireworks! LOL

I was soooo delirious! LOL

Fire Dancer Duo! LOL

These people are crazy in Hawaii.... that is Tim, Theresa's dad sweeping and their friends... they put their firework thingy over the street sign and lit it...

Now it is going off and they are loving it! LOL

I stuck with sparklers... I did a few grenade launches... but with my delirium.... it was best to stick with these! LOL!

She needs a chaperone at ALL TIMES! LOL

LOL... She is singing for me!!! LOL

Theresa doing only God knows what... People light fires in wheelbarrows and on the street here for their fireworks... It is serious business! That is her little sister Norma in the background... dumbfounded! LOL

Norma is perplexed about this weirdo by the wheelbarrow.... It is my duty to scare small children at all times! LOL

We sat outside with some of the fireworks during our dinner...

Tim, Theresa's dad....

Lisa... friend of the family from Canada... She was my fellow sparkler! LOL

Joey, Lisa's husband, lighting his fireworks

Yikes! LOL

Hawaii: Thursday, New Years Day 2009

2009-01-18T18:13:00.009-05:00

Thursday, New Years Day 2009
New Years Day we drove around half of the island. We first went to Nuuanu Pali State Park (aka Pali Point) where King Kamehameha forced the Maui kings men off the cliff during a battle in the 1700’s. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The mountains look like something you would see in a National Geographic magazine.
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After Pali Point we drove to the Halona blowhole or just the ‘blow hole.’ The waves were not that big so the blowhole wasn’t really strong. It is a place where lava rocks have accumulated and there is a hole in the rocks where the ocean water surges through and rushes out of a hole in the rocks like a whale’s blowhole. The whole area was beautiful. It is an area that is a sanctuary for humpback whales.

After leaving the blowhole we drove everywhere! We drove to Waianae where mostly Samoans live. There are homeless people in tents by the beach everywhere. This is certainly an area where tourists don’t see. Two of the funniest (if I can say that) things that I saw were a tent with a Holiday Inn flag out in front of it and a tent with Christmas decorations (wreaths and all) hanging on them. I guess if I were to be homeless I think Hawaii would be where it is at. We literally drove to the end of the island! My mind couldn’t comprehend that, but we drove to the end to where there was no more road! I love staying with locals so I can see all of Hawaii as they see it and not as a tourist see’s it.

We drove all over the place and finally went to pick up our friend Kenny who just got back from 2+ months in Asia. He brought so much stuff back from South Korea, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar (I am sure I am forgetting somewhere). His pictures were beautiful!!! He gave me a box from Korea, silk from Cambodia, a turtle from Thailand and I don’t know where my chopsticks came from. It is a set of chopsticks in ornate sheaths with elephants on them. Absolutely beautiful. Kenny came over to Theresa’s house and he opened a box of Korean chocolate (he called it Kim Chee chocolate). It was chocolate with red pepper paste in the center. Very spicy chocolate. It was good. We hung out for awhile just hearing about his travels and looking at his awesome (and I do mean awesome!) pictures. Jarrod picked up him from Theresa’s. If you are on myspace you can check out his pics (maybe) at http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=3139647

Afterwards Theresa, Norma and I went to go to Genki Sushi, but they were closed so we drove around for awhile and finally decided to go to this Thai place that is really good, but they were closed too! New Years Day is something around here! So we went to a Vietnamese restaurant named Ciu Linns or something. It was a very different experience. I’ve never eaten Vietnamese food before. I ate summer rolls (shrimp, noodles and some other veggies). I also ate green papaya salad with peanuts and mint. I ate some sort of herb leaves with lemon juice on them. I ordered BBQ chicken with white rice and carrots. It was not BBQ chicken like I’ve ever tasted I can tell you that! It was pretty good though. We had a dessert of banana tapioca. The consistency made me gag, but if I could get past that the taste was good. Afterwards we drove all over the place and finally went home around 9 or so. I was still exhausted!

We drove to the end of Oahu.... No more roads after this beach...

We drove to the end of Oahu.... No more roads after this beach...

The tent people... homeless folks.... Check out the wreaths though...

Homeless in Hawaii... I am somewhat familiar with that concept. :-)

This is my favorite picture from Hawaii... The green there almost hurts your eyes when you look at it... It is so lush!

Beautiful Hawaii

End of Oahu

Beautiful Hawai'i

Wanna stay at the Holiday Inn?

The blow hole....

Person way up on the 'lava rock' mountain...

I don't know why this picture keeps turning sideways.... See the person still on top of the mountain?

More tent people

Lovely Hawai'i

Island off of Oahu

Theresa at the blow hole

Moi at the blow hole

The blow hole

Blow hole

Nuuanu Pali

My little friend I carry in my pocket! LOL

Nuuanu Pali

Chickens roam free in Oahu!! LOL.. They say that Maui has chickens everywhere! WHAT?!?! LOL!

Nuuanu Pali

Some sort of bee at Pali point! LOL

Moi at Pali Point

Theresa

Hawaii: Friday, January 2, 2009

2009-01-18T17:24:00.006-05:00

Friday, January 2, 2009
Friday morning we got up and got ready and drove to the North Shore. Theresa was telling me about this place called Giovanni’s where you pay like $15 and eat this awesome shrimp out of this truck. Norma, Theresa’s little sister, went with us.
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It was overcast outside, but the weather was nice. We drove around the island and it was so beautiful! We finally reached Giovanni’s and it was really neat. It is this shrimp truck that everyone from all over the world signs their names on the truck. There are tents with tables outside of the truck and locals and tourists alike congregate. The food was unbelievably good. We ate lemon butter shrimp with rice and also garlic shrimp. I drank guava juice that was so good!
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It started raining so everyone huddled in and it was just a really neat experience. This couple on their honeymoon sat beside us. She was a teacher and kept asking Norma about the schools in Hawaii which are year round. Also, Hawaii schools are not enclosed. They don’t have hallways; you walk from class to class outdoors. I was told a lot of the classrooms don’t have air conditioning either and they have no lockers due to the sea air corroding them.
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Anyway, we chatted with those people for awhile and then we decided to go driving some more. The last time I came to Hawaii I got to go to the North Shore so a lot of the sights I had seen before so it made me excited to see them again and be familiar with the area. It is so beautiful there.
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By this time it was almost 2:30 p.m. and we started heading back to Theresa’s house because she was taking me to the luau that night.
By the time we got home we had to rush to get ready. We had to be at Paradise Cove (the luau at Ko’Olina resort)
http://www.paradisecovehawaii.com/ by 4:30 p.m. to get tickets. Theresa and I dressed up and I was so excited! We got there and Theresa paid for my ticket (she had paid for everything for me since I had been there which really touched me). We took some pictures outside and waited for them to open the gates. I talked to Delbert and Madyson on the phone while I waited.
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When we went inside a little before 6 I was so excited. They checked our I.D.’s and we got a Mai Tai as we entered in. They gave us this shell necklace and we took a picture with this cute guy! I was like hey… this is starting out awesome! Ha ha!
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When we walked into the luau it was so beautiful. It was on the beach and everything was so lush and green and the beach was like a tropical dream. First thing we did was go to a craft table to make a headband made from palm tree fronds with flowers in it. The lady tried telling us how to make the headbands but I was too mentally incompetent to understand what to do, so Theresa tried helping me, but got confused so finally the lady just gave us pre-made ones! Ha ha!

Then we went to the next table where we were making bracelets made from coconut tree or something and I didn’t have the patience to braid my flowers into the bracelet so yet again my awesome date Theresa did it for me!

Then after that we headed to get our temporary island tattoos from this girl and guy. Theresa got the girl and I waited on the cute guy! Ha ha! Theresa got a flower tattoo and I got a Honu tattoo (sea turtle). After that we went to where this girl was teaching lessons about how to swing these two poi balls on a string around and it was a disaster. We both hit ourselves in the head while trying to swing them! Theresa did better than me! I know people watching us probably thought we were slow! LOL

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After our poi ball lesson I bought Theresa and I a souvenir glass for our lava flows. Then we went to our hula lesson, but neither of us participated. Then this dude blew a conch shell and we watched this other guy climb a coconut tree (palm tree) with his feet and he threw flowers down from the top. It was really amazing to see.

Then the conch shell was blown again and we headed to the beach to watch a demonstration of how native Hawaiians fished with their nets. The sun was starting to set so it was really a stunning setting. There were hula dancers and everything.

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We started walking to the next event. Theresa kept saying look there’s so and so. I couldn’t understand what she was saying to me and I was looking at the back of this black couple at one of the vendor stands. I saw this girl in an Hawaiian dress with beautiful hibiscus in her hair and Theresa kept saying there is so and so over and over and all I could think was I love that girls hair piece and who is this guy that Theresa is talking about? So we walk up and he turns around and says hello to us and I assume Theresa went to school with him or something. She was cheesing up!

So these two guys come up to me and say, ‘hey momma, take a picture of us with him’ and I was like, ‘ok, if you take one of us with him.’ Still having no clue who this guy was.... but hey... if they wanted their picture with this guy... why wouldn't we! LOL

So, I took a picture of the wannabe thugs and they took a picture of us with the guy and when we are walking away Theresa said, ‘Oh my God we just met Ne-yo!!!!’ Then it hit me! I was freaking out then! LOL! I was like no freaking way!! We had heard he was going to be in concert on the island on our way to the luau, but I didn’t know what he looked like. I like his ‘Miss Independent’ song, but I don’t watch t.v. or anything so I didn’t know who he was. So that was pretty exciting.

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After our Ne-yo encounter we went to this presentation of how they cook the pig at the luau. They bury it underground and cook it. They had this big ceremony and singing and dancing and unearthing the pig. Outside of the dead swine, it was really cool.

Then we went to get our picture taken with a chief from Samoa and the ‘king’ and ‘queen’ of Hawaii. Theresa couldn’t get my camera to work and I had to go back twice for the king and queen picture. I was so embarrassed. I think she couldn’t get the camera to work! LOL

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We headed to the tables where our assigned seats were and we were totally being obnoxious and laughing. This dorky couple sat across from us with their dorky daughter who never interacted with other humans before. I could tell the wife thought she was better than us and didn’t want us talking to her annoying daughter. It was hilarious! So what are we to do in that situation? Bother them! LOL Talk to them!

The food was ok. Everything was very different. I ate salad with some weird dressing on it, a cold roll, rice, fried chicken and some other unidentifiable food. It was pretty good. Ne-yo sat across from us a few table’s away and I took stalker pictures of him. He was with a body guard and some girl.

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While we ate there was a long show that demonstrated different Polynesian cultures and their stories and dances. Places like Samoa and Tahiti. It was beautiful. Theresa and I laughed and laughed the whole time and that dorky girl kept talking to us while her mother looked at us in disgust! LOL!

When the show was over Theresa bought me the picture of us with that native guy from when we first came in. I told her she was the best date I ever had. It was seriously one of the most awesome things I have ever gotten to do. Theresa is such an awesome person.

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So that night on the way home we laughed so hard that we were delirious. When we got to her house I was so weak from laughing that I couldn’t get out of the car and she had to come around and open the door and she was laughing so hard she fell on the driveway and couldn’t get up. We finally collected ourselves and went inside and I put on my lei she bought me and took pictures. It was an awesome night!

Giovanni's Shrimp truck and tents
North Shore stores

Shrimp truck on the way to Giovanni's
Shrimp truck on the way to Giovanni's
Shrimp truck on the way to Giovanni's.... Check out the limo!

Giovanni's!!! Everyone from all over the world signs the truck... This place is found in travel guides of where to eat in Oahu!

Aloha! That tie-dye shirt is from Haight and Ashbury in San Fran... Theresa bought it for me when she went!

Enjoying my guava juice with lemon butter shrimp!

Theresa and Norma (Norma ate a garlic hotdog)

We shared an order of garlic scampi... Man that was THE BEST!

This is an island called the Chinaman's Hat..

http://www.chinamanshat.com/

Turtle Island

Norma got this picture of the birds flying...

Polynesian Cultural Center

Me taking pictures the whole time I was there... while Theresa sped by everything! LOL

H3 Freeway... Beautiful

Graveyard! :-)

Beautiful Hawaii!

Beautiful Hawaii

Paradise Cove Luau

Canoe rides at the Luau... We didn't do that.... Ha ha... for MANY reasons!

The entrance...felt like forever getting in there!
Theresa and her date... they are the same height!
Tiki and I

Theresa and her headband

Broke up Pocohontas! LOL

Us about tot make our bracelets... I sucked at craft time!

Theresa getting her 'tattoo'

Me getting mine....

Go go Power Ranger!

Obviously she got a flower

I got a honu

My power ranger pose

Paradise Cove Luau

Poi Balls class

Even the lady standing next to Theresa was laughing at us... We should NOT be allowed to do this!

This is idiotic! LOL

My date and I (she ditched Tiki man)... LOL

Paradise Cove Luau

Hula dancing teacher

Instructing everyone how to Hula

Some fine folks from NYC learning the Hula

Theresa with her lava flow in her souvenir glass....

And myself.....

Tree climber.... This is how the natives climb to get coconuts....

Tree Climber

Tree climber....

Throwing flowers down at us...

Coming down the tree

Conch shell dude signaling a new event

Little cutie... Ha!

Getting ready to climb the tree

Umm.... a small piece of fabric on my feet.... to climb a 100 ft tree... probably not! LOL.... AND in a skirt? LOL

Climbing...

Traditional Hawaiian fisherman

Perfect Shot! Traditional Hawaiian fisherman

Pulling the fish in....

Conch dude again....

Hula Dancers!

Hula!

Hula girl

Pulling in the net for fish

Beautiful!

Hawaiian lady leading audience members in a bunch of crazy stuff!

Hula Time! Shake what yo momma gave ya!

Getting ready for the pig to be taken out of the ground.

Ceremony for the pig

These poor people waiting on Theresa to figure out how to take our picture... I think we were all thinking of foul words in our heads!

Samoan Chief

Samoan Chief and me...

Taking the pig out of the ground....

Ceremony still going... They love them some swine in Hawaii! Ha ha

Luau entertainment

Buffet is on!

The mother of the dorky girl took this picture... She was none too pleased doing it!!! LOL I ate so much pineapple in Hawaii that the corners of my mouth hurt! LOL

Again with the pineapple! I dunno!

So precious! LOL

Ne-yo and the dummies (still clueless right here)... LOL

Stalker Picture #1 of Ne-yo

His girl and bodyguard... Stalker picture #2 Ha ha

Stalker picture #3... Ne-yo was a couple of tables away from us...

Saluting all the military folks there at the luau... (that's why the guy is standing)... and the Final Stalker Pic! LOL

Luau entertainment

I loved these outfits!

Luau entertainment

This was our host... everyone is called 'cousins' over there... So at each of our events and then this lady called the visitors 'cousins.'

Luau entertainment

Tahitian Luau entertainment

This was the 'Wedding Hula'.... I loved it... My fave!

My lei, headband, bracelet and necklace! :-)

Aloha!!!!

Theresa on the ground when we got to her house... We laughed so hard the entire trip that our stomachs and faces hurt all the time! LOL

Ko'Olina Resort where the luau was held

Hibiscus

Saturday, January 3, 2009 Hawaii Trip

2009-01-18T15:42:00.010-05:00

Saturday, January 3, 2009
Theresa had to work 9-5 on Saturday so she dropped me off at Starbucks around 8:20 to wait on Kenny to meet me. We shared a bagel and then she headed to work. I called April and talked to her forever until Kenny showed up.
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Kenny and I walked to the bus stop and sat and talked at the bus stop until the bus came. It was so nice to be able to hear about his stories of his travels. We caught the bus to a Filipino restaurant to eat ‘hallo hallo’ (I don't know how to spell it) but they were out so we ordered drinks, but the soda was warm and nasty. So we threw that away and walked to Don Quixote (Japanese) grocery store and walked around and talked.
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In the grocery store there are quite a few restaurants so we ate at a Vietnamese restaurant. I ate a teriyaki sandwich on French bread with pickled veggies. It was unbelievably good. Kenny paid for everything that day. These people in Hawaii treated me better than I have EVER been treated by anyone. They have such good karma/vibes/kindness/etc!
. After our food digested a little we headed off to the bus stop again and some Samoan guy kept talking to us, but I couldn’t understand his ‘pidgin’ talk so Kenny responded to his incessant questions. We headed to China Town downtown Honolulu. I was so happy to spend the day with Kenny. He is one of the most fascinating people that I have ever met. He travels all over the world and has such awesome experiences to glean from notwithstanding his beautiful spirit is fantastic to be around.
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China Town is very chaotic and it reminds me a lot of New York City’s China Town on a smaller scale. We walked through the streets and into the markets. It was intriguing to see all of the cultures and religions represented in this area. Kenny took me to this stand that makes fresh fruit smoothies (from fresh fruit right in front of you) that has ‘pearls’ in the bottom of it. The ‘pearls’ are made from tapioca balls. The last visit I had to Hawaii I tried this drink and hated it. This time I choose pineapple and it was so delicious. Kenny got a mango smoothie and we continued walking around and then he said let’s eat dim sum! All we did in Hawaii was eat! So we went to this place called the Empress Restaurant and I found out dim sum was when the Chinese people would come around with their carts with tons of food in steaming baskets and you choose portions. Basically a buffet on wheels.
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Kenny selected 6 different dishes (pictures below because I don't know the names of anything we ate) and we drank oolong tea. We couldn’t finish all of the food and took about half of it home with us. We sat in that restaurant and talked forever. It was so nice. Afterwards we finished China Town and headed to the bus. We went to this shopping center so Kenny could buy a gift for someone and then headed to Borders to catch up on our foreign travel guides. Kenny gave me great ideas for Thailand in May and we sat and read until Theresa got off of work. We were at Borders for maybe an hour, if that.
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Theresa was starving so we walked over to Genki Sushi, which is awesome! I wasn’t that hungry since we ate so much throughout the day so I only ordered a small bowl of rice with teriyaki chicken and some edamame. Kenny and Theresa ordered a lot of sushi and I tried some it (everything was raw and oh so good). I really like the garlic ahi sushi.
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After we ate we dropped Kenny off and headed home. We got our showers and got dressed and headed downtown Waikiki. I was so excited. We met this guy Philip who was Filipino and Chinese mix and he was looking for a date. Ha ha! I loved this guy he was so hilarious and adorable. He was inhis 30’s and was from San Francisco. A banker and in town with a coworker working in Honolulu. Philip hung out with us all night til the place we were at was closing. I had the best time with him. We also met some other people like Jay or Joe or something and Matthew. We stayed out until like 2:30 or so.... That was the longest ride home in history. We were so tired and delirious! Downtown Waikiki is fun though... you can just walk and walk and walk the streets and there are street performers and things all night.
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I love this place!!! Genki has the best sushi!!!

China Town... People were gathered everywhere playing chess and other games...
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China Town

Dim Sum here we come!! Kenny going into the restaurant.

Kenny ordered everything... pretty much everything shrimp or chicken in it. I like everything that I tried.
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I love oolong tea (however you spell it).
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Fresh smoothie stand... Sooooo good!!!
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China Town... even the clock is in Chinese! :-)

Kenny with his mango smoothie walking around....
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My friend Jochi said that is the Taiwanese flag behind me... I had no clue! LOL

There were altars (Buddhism) where people would offer incense and pray...
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Outdoor marketplace in China Town

Confucious say.... :-)
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Another place for offerings...

Ahh... Confucious again....

Asian food is everywhere in Hawaii... It is nothing to see Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai... etc etc all side by side there... It is WONDERFUL!

Entering into China Town.

China Town

Strange fruit in China Town... Anyone know what it is?
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China Town... See the fresh pineapple.... my favorite fruit is everywhere here!

Another market... in China Town

Mahalo means Thank You in Hawaii

Vietnamese restaurant in Don Quioxote... Soooo good!

After our meal.....

Kenny on the bus..... It was fun!

Me on the bus... That guy was probably wondering why we kept taking pictures! LOL

2009-01-18T15:09:00.006-05:00

Sunday, January 4, 2009
Today was the wackiest day I have ever had! Theresa and I got up and decided we were going to go to her friend Anna’s house downtown and walk to the beach. Waikiki beach is downtown Honolulu. Before we go to her house we went to the Aloha Stadium to the open market so I can look for gifts. I was so dehydrated, hot, hungry and tired that I think we only stayed 45 minutes at the most and we left. I bought a Hawaiian dress, 3 bracelets, and hibiscus for my hair and then left.
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So we go to Anna’s house and I was already told that she is really adventurous and wacky. I had no clue what was about to take place! We went to her house and she was already drinking. She kept calling me Angel and she said that I must be her angel. So for the rest of the day she addressed me as Angel. Before we leave her house she said that the beach was 2 blocks away so we agreed to walk it.
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We started walking the supposedly two blocks to the beach and decided to stop off to eat Egyptian food at a restaurant named Pyramids. It was about halfway to the beach. Pyramids was a really nice place and we got the buffet. Theresa and Anna were doing the ‘Walk like an Egyptian’ dance and it was just ridiculous. I ate way too much and then walking in the hot sun.... it wasn’t a good combination.
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We headed to the 7-11 gas station and I sat outside on the curb because I was so dizzy while they went in to get a big gulp diet coke. That thing was the size of Theresa! Anna’s two blocks was actually 1.5 miles (her husband later told her)! We had to keep stopping because we were all tired, weak and full.
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When we finally got to Waikiki beach we walked out on the pier where Anna proceeded to do various death defying flips into the shallow water! It was scary. I laid on the beach and was really out of it. We were there maybe an hour, if that, and Anna had to head home so I told Theresa there was no way I could make that walk again because I felt so sick so they walked back the 1.5 miles while I laid on the beach and eventually got up and walked a ways back to the hotel where Hula’s is located which is Waikiki Grand Hotel where I waited an hour on Theresa to come back and get me.
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We went home to take showers and end up hanging out there for awhile so I could load my pictures and Theresa and Norma played Guitar Hero. By the time we finally left the house it was after 8 p.m. and we decided we were going to go to this Filipino restaurant, but by the time we got there it was closed because they closed early on Sunday nights. We drove around until 10 p.m. going from restaurant to restaurant and everything (Thai, Genki and Chili’s) was all closed or closing. We ended up eating my first American food meal at Denny’s. My spicy chicken sandwich was good, but there was a roach on the wall and this Samoan family was having a domestic dispute at the next table over. It was very chaotic. Kenny met us at Denny's. After our dinner we made sure Kenny got home and then headed back to Theresa’s and went to bed!
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Waikiki is known for surfing... I went to a surfing competition when I went to Hawaii in 2007 down there... really neat!
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I saw tree's like this in Okinawa... really neat!
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The Hibiscus flowers are everywhere here! Love them!
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Waiting on Theresa to come pick me up... This is about 2 blocks from the beach... just people carrying their surfboards everywhere! :-)
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Ditto.
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Anna jumping off the pier! Look how shallow that is! She is CRAZY!!!
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Anna jumping off the pier!
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Ahhh... this IS the life! Have hammock... will travel!!!
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Downtown Waikiki... Sculpture in honor of surfers!
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Surfing sculpture...
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Theresa and Anna taking a break... Carrying that big gulp... no wonder!!!
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I wanted to die!
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Waikiki Beach
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Anna jumping off the pier!
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Theresa spilled water all over herself! We were ridiculous!!!
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Theresa doing God only knows what! Ha ha!
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Pyramids restaurant.
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They found some sort of flower that you suck the juice out of... kinda like honeysuckle here in the states.
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They stood there and argued forever about how to 'properly' get the stuff out of the flower.... wooooow.....
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Aloha Stadium is open every weekend for a GIGANTIC flea market that would take the entire day to walk!
The stadium
Waikiki
Christmastime in Hawaii.... Remember this song? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mele_Kalikimaka

One more pictures of the dummies in Pyramids doing 'Walk like and Egyptian' Ha ha