Last Day of Summer Break

Today is the Queen of Thailand's Birthday, also known as Mother's Day. It's a national holiday with offices, schools and official buildings closed. With Jerry off work, we decided to go to Dio Inthanon, the highest mountain in Thailand at 8,500 feet above sea level. After seeing beautiful waterfalls, we reached the top where it was VERY cold and cloudy. It was a fun way to spend the last day of summer before Austin and Adriann begin school tomorrow.

Mongolian Trip

Mongolia is a beautifully, unique country of dry and desert land. It is often called the land of the blue sky. From the sunrises, throughout the day to the sunsets, the sky displays an incredible work of art. The most fond memory I will take away is the people. A smile is a smile anywhere you go and they all need to know Truth. One of the last days in the countryside, we were honored to partake of a feast which included milk products and goat with potatoes and carrots. The neat thing was that the live goat was killed, skinned and pressure cooked all within one hour! Pretty cool! I expected the meat to taste wild, however it was wonderful!

Milk products of every kind are eaten by the Mongols during the summer months. Yummy, if your a Mongol! The above picture is some of the items basting in the sun before dinner time.

This 74 year old lady lived in the Ger during the summer months. She was a very gracious host.

I also, had the opportunity to spend time with and encourage a group of girls from a local Body. They kept me young doing cartwheels and making pom-poms!

Jerry's 4oth Birthday!

Today is Sherry and Jerry's 40th birthday. We hear that Sherry is spending the day at the opening of the Choctaw Indian Fair. Jerry's day was filled with surprises. He began with breakfast cooked by Austin and Adriann. At work there was no way he would forget he's turning forty!

After work we had a surprise get together at a local Mexican restaurant with lots of friends. There, he was visited by an old lady who gave him tons of "tips" about growing old, as well as some little goodies he might need! Oops, she forgot that in Thailand you don't pick you teeth in public. Guess old people can get away with anything!!!

Happy Birthday, Jerry! I could never have asked for a better husband and friend or father for our children. I love you and look forward to seeing many more candles be added to the cake! Kelly

Fig Preserves

This week a friend gave me a jar of fig preserves! Someone had sent them to my friend who loves figs just not preserves. I was THRILLED! It has been years since I had them so I made biscuits the next morning. Yummy, yummy. I forgot how good they were. Austin has developed a taste for them as well. We're already planning to bring some from America on our next visit.

Number 2 is actually number 1

It's election time in Chiang Mai. A few weeks ago, the city had the mayoral election. It was fascinating to see how the system works in this culture. Some things are the same everywhere, such as candidates holding and hugging babies, shaking hands, making speeches at market areas, which would be like festivals in the American south and posters/signage. There is one difference that has been most interesting. Each candidate is given a number and on all their advertising, the number is always in a large square usually in the lower portion of the sign. The election was held and Candidate Number 2 came out #1!! We laughed and thought how it would NEVER work in America. No one would ever want to be any number other than number 1.

A few more pictures from Debbie's visit.

Sister's just having fun! The long hair, we always dreamed of... How do you like it? I think it's us!

The real sisters!

So Long, Farewell!

The time has come to say goodbye to Aunt Debbie. Last week, we watched "The Sound of Music" and have sang the songs almost daily since then. We decided to create our own version of "So Long, Farewell" for Debbie. Here's to you Aunt Debbie. We miss you already!

There's a sad sort of sound from the house on the corner,

And the family members each one, too

And throughout the rooms,

an absurd little gecko

is popping out to say,

gek-gek, gek-gek

Gek-gek regretfully they tell us,

Gek-gek but airline tickets compel us

to say goodbye

Gek-gek

So long, farewell

Swatdee kha goodbye

you came, you saw

we hope you won't forget

the times we shared,

it was all just a ball

So long, farewell

Swatdee crop, goodbye

the flowers were such a pretty, pretty site,

you oohed and ahhed, almost all night

So long, farewell

Swatdee kha, goodbye

my room just isn't

the same without you in it

(chit-chat, chit-chat, chit)

So long, farewell

Swatdee goodbye

Goodbye, goodbye

The pictures you've all been waiting for...

After a little set back, a foot message is always a way to feel better, because the elephant camp was awaiting. Debbie enjoyed a hug from one of the elephants before a ride on "Poo Billy" who is 29 years old! As most of you already know, Debbie LOVES flowers. The flower market and plant market brought lots of oohs and aahs, along with the naming of most of the flowers. The orchid farm has many varieties and was a must see after leaving the Elephant camp. We couldn't resist adding an orchid picture. We'll try to add more pictures in the next couple of days. Enjoy!

This is certainly not the most popular tourist attraction. However, Debbie has been able to experience health care, Thai style!! We have laughed and said that she just wanted to make sure Jerry has had adequate medical care over the past year. After 3 days, she is now feeling somewhat better. The stories she takes back to Mississippi will have a bit of a different flare from past visitors!

Aunt Debbie Arrives!

We are thrilled to have Aunt Debbie visit! We've counted down this day for months. Can't believe she's actually here! Our first full day was very enjoyable. Here's a few photos from the day...

Debbie, Adriann and a hill tribe girl

Jerry having too much fun with the camera!

Swim Meet

The end of the year swim meet was hot, wet and lots of fun! This was Adriann's first year on the swim team and it proved to be a highlight of the school year. Way to go Adriann!

Mother's Day

"All I am or ever hope to be,

I owe to my Angel Mother."

Abraham Lincoln

Jerry and I have been blessed with incredible Mothers. Thank you for your love and support and for just being YOU.

We Love You both very dearly!

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a great place to visit! Last week, we were there for visa purposes, Jerry's medical checkup and company business. Although it was a busy trip, we were able to enjoy some of the sights and pleasures of the city. Austin overlooking the city from The Peak.

Simple Pleasures

Austin and Adriann could not wait to get to the Krispy Kreme. Yum, Yum! Here Austin is savoring every bit of this original glazed donut.

Birthday Party

Adriann had a scavenger hunt birthday party on Saturday. Teams were sent in search of things such as finding 8 flowers, wrap each team member 8 times with toliet paper, eat 8 marshmellows and put 8 ponytails in someones hair. A great time was had by all!

Aunt Tommie Anne's team won in record time but were a bit exhausted from running around the neighborhood.
Aunt Susan's team did a wonderful job using creative methods of getting around (the car to get to the guard house!!!)

The party was topped off with games,cake and ice cream.

Happy Birthday Adriann!

Adriann's 8th Birthday

Ice Cream and chocolate - what a fantastic birthday!

Happy Birthday Adriann

Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man 3 came out in theaters today in Thailand. May 1 is Thai Labor Day, so no work and no school, great day to see the movie. It got positive reviews from Austin and Jerry!

6th Grade Field Trip

The Sixth grade at Grace takes an annual field trip to Bangkok. Austin has looked forward to this trip for months. Jerry went along as a chaperon this year. They left on the night train Thursday evening toured the Children's Discovery Museum on Friday then returned on the train, Friday night. Whew, fast trip but lots of fun. The boys in Jerry's group wanted to get up at 4:00 a.m. after just going to sleep! The joys of being young.

Hot Days!

Wasn't there an old song "hot times in the city"? This the my alarm clock in our bedroom! 102 degrees at 5:08 p.m. The outside temperatures have been around 105 the past few days. This leads to lots of pool time! As Phil said, the heat now will make us thankful for the rainy season to come! It's all about perspective.

The Faces of Jerry

Recently, Jerry grew a beard. This is a first for our 16 years of marriage. Personally, I (Kelly) loved it! However, the timing was very bad with Thailand enjoying it's hottest season. When he announced it was coming off, we decided to have some fun.

What's your choice? Let us know your opinion.

A. The Full beard
B. The Goatee

C. The Mustache - surely not!!!
D. The Clean Shave!