Rasmussen Reunion in Mink Creek

I missed this reunion last year because I was at Colonial Williamsburg. I'm happy that I was able to make it this year. I love Uncle Garland's park, the dutch oven potatoes, sleeping under the stars, and thinking about my grandpa. This area of Idaho is really beautiful. One of my mom's cousins brought a rock wall from the Ogden City Search & Rescue. It provided hours and hours of entertainment.

 Avery had fun improving her skills.

 Aidan is growing up.

 Natalie got in on the action. She was a natural.

 Aidan, Sage, Lucy, Avery, Sadie, and Kade

 What a face!

 Sage was nice enough to go around and help Lucy with the games.

 Aidan reached the top... several times.

 Lucy got in the harness, but didn't climb.

 What would the reunion be without the train?

 Candid shot of Mike, Grandma, and Uncle Ryan.

Natalie, Me, Dad, Sage

Play Mentor Program

Last summer, I decided to try something new. I signed up to volunteer with the IRC in Salt Lake City. The process of training and background checks and finding the right person to work with took several months. I was assigned to visit a Karen girl from Burma weekly for six months. She is 14 years old. She's got  four brothers who are 16, 11, 6, and 3 months. I went every Wednesday and we did all sorts of stuff: homework, English practice, immunization appointments, library cards, parks, walks, shopping, etc.

One day in May, I took her and two of her brothers to hike the U. They raced up the hill and then sat on the top of the U for about 25 minutes just chatting with each other and pointing out birds and bikers and clouds. They approached that little hike with so much wonder. I learned a lot working with this family. I am grateful for programs like the IRC who help refugees adjust to life here.

Teacher Blog

I started a teacher blog. I've gotten so many great ideas and freebies from other blogs, so it just seems right to share the things that have worked for me and the things I create. With a new language arts core and the two new grade levels I'll be teaching next year, I'm sure I'll be doing lots of creating. You are welcome to check it out at http://workinghardandlearning.blogspot.com/

Ubon

I really failed at taking pictures in Ubon. Sorry. It was a delight to be there though. I stayed at Ging's house and we went everywhere on her motorcycle. My motorcycle riding skills improved over the days I spent in Thailand. This picture is with Ning. I love her. She is a very happy person.

 Ging and Mae Nida. Though I was only in Ubon for 2 months on my mission, these two ladies are a big part of my memories.

 My last picture in Thailand. This is at Mae Nida's house. She made delicious panaeng curry and I had a whole lot of it. It is my favorite curry in Thailand. Also included in this picture are P' John and Toffee.

I had a really great time in Thailand. I got to see people I loved and do things I love to do. I've decided to not move there next year but I am still very up to moving there in the future. Time will tell.

Sisaket

I was only in Sisaket for two days and I didn't get very many pictures. If you want to see more, there were some posted on facebook. After I went to the hotel and dropped off my stuff, I went to visit P' Oh, the fruit lady. I taught her here as a greenie and she was always so nice to me. She introduced me to all sorts of new fruit. She's a hard worker. I don't know how she works at that stand 7 days a week from dawn to dusk and still manages to smile and have fun in life. I admire her so much.

 I found Mae Taew's house in the middle of the market. We chatted for a few minutes, then she had me call just about every single person in the branch and talk to them. P' Saen ran over and we got to see each other before she headed to work.

 Mae Taew is one of the most gentle people I've ever met.

 We had sticky rice and mangoes after dinner. It was beautiful and delicious.

 Pa Tawansak and Mae Prateeb had a whole bunch of us over for dinner. We ate in the front yard and it was so fun to catch up with everyone in Sisaket.

 This was my breakfast on Monday morning at Mae Taew's house. Chiles, fried fish, glass noodle soup, scrambled egg, and rice.

 It was Songkran in Thailand which is the Thai new year. One of their traditions is to wear Hawaiian-style shirts. This is Mae Phet.

 Mae Prateeb, Mae Taew, Mae Phet, Me, Water gun

 Another tradition during Songkran is to pour water on the hands of the elders and request blessings. I participated and got lots of requests to travel safely, lose weight, and find a good husband. Three things I need.

 Another tradition is putting powder on your face. It cools you down. Thai's go through a lot of powder between April 13-15. This picture is with Best.

 The lovely Maes packed themselves into a truck and we went driving around town.

 I didn't get any pictures of playing with water. I think there are a couple of facebook. Basically what I did was sit on the back of a truck with tubs filled with water. You then throw water on everyone and everyone throws water on you. I didn't play in Sisaket but I did in Ubon. We were soaked for hours on end. It was so fun.

 Part of our dinner on Friday night.

 At Pres. Somkiad's computer shop eating dinner. I miss eating on the floor.

 The view from my hotel room in Sisaket.

Bangkok

I didn't take a lot of pictures during my trip. I spent my time enjoying my friends, the food, and the language. P' Jom picked me up from the airport and then took me to get a foot and full body massage. It was only 300 baht ($10) for a two hour massage. It was needed after 24 hours of travel.

 Friday night, we went out to eat Muu Kata (affectionately known by my family as volcano food). It was as delicious as I remembered and I ate Muu Kata three more times while in Thailand. I couldn't get enough!

 You'll notice that most of my pictures include food of some sort. I had a long list to try to get through in just a few days. I got everything on my list except Nam Tok and Roti. I had to try out P' Sai's new restaurant in the condos. So good.

 I met Maggie (girl on the left) on the airplane coming to Thailand. She had never traveled to Thailand and was going to be in Bangkok for a few days before she met up with her boyfriend who was in Chiang Mai. We decided to hang out on Saturday night. We went to Siam Niramit. It was my second time but totally worth the money. P' Jom was our taxi driver. We ended up eating at the cafeteria in a mall nearby and I had my favorite Korean beef from a chain restaurant. I haven't had that dish in 5+ years.

 On the boat at Siam Niramit.

 After church on Sunday, I went to visit Mae Amnuay and Brother Rad. She was one of the amazing people I was able to teach on my mission. She and her husband have been to the temple and been sealed. She's fighting cancer right now and watching her granddaughter full-time (no easy task) but she still had a smile on her face.

 On Monday, I went to lunch with Mae Tu. Yet another one of my beloved friends in Thailand.

 More food. Yum!

 On Tuesday, I spent some time at ISB (the best international school in Bangkok) with President Sathit and Sister Kaew. I was supposed to leave the school at 9:30am but I ended up chatting with P' Kaew until 11:30am. I learned so much about her and her family. They are my Thai heroes.

 A trip to Pakkret wouldn't be complete without seeing Mae Yii and Ploy. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Phet :( I saw this family just about every week for nearly 9 months and they are very dear to me.

 I also got to meet up with P' Fon. I love this lady. She calls me in America from time to time and it is always fun to catch up with her.

 I got several pictures of my hotel room but this one is my favorite. I loved brushing my teeth outdoors.

 I met up with Pink on Wednesday. We ate meatballs. We went to the nearest 7-11 and I FOUND my pens. I've been looking for these for years. I've sent Sumana and even a parent of one of my students to try to find them over the years.  I looked in every 7-11 for six days and I finally found them at the last place I looked. I may or may not have purchased 20+ pens. Nothing like a Lancer .5 lead blue pen.

 I had to include at least one picture of Thai culture and tradition.

 Such good food. I smiled a lot while I ate.

 Pretty flowers.

 Here are the condos. There are thousands of people that live there and they are both wonderful and horrible all at the same time. I can't imagine my mission without them though because I spent so much time there.

Next post: Sisaket

So, I discovered David Phelps my freshman year of college. I think he sings for the Gaither Band. He was blessed with one of the most amazing set of pipes I've ever heard. He has so much control of his voice. I know it's not Christmas, but I figured I would share my most favorite version of him singing 'O Holy Night.' The people in the background are a bit distracting, but his voice is SO good.




Here is another one of him singing 'Nessun Dorma.' The beginning is a bit much. The song starts at 3 minutes 30 seconds.