Family Reunion

Brent came to town to bring Christopher to BYU and there was a family reunion that weekend. We drove down to Mount Pleasant to Grams house and had a yummy meal, games, and a history lesson on some of the family members.

Here is Abigail. She found a fluffy caterpillar. She was in heaven :)

Here is Grams (Linda) all dressed up as her ancestor America. She did a great job telling us about her life and everything that she went through.

This little guy was too tired to listen and fell asleep:

Haley put together these two sticks and went around scalping people for fun. It was a very warm day so everyone pretty much just stayed in the shade.

It was great to see Grams. Lewis' uncle Mark was there with his daughter Whitney too. The last time I had seen Whitney in real life she was babysitting for my kids when we lived in Lehi about 10 years ago! We are Facebook friends but we just never see each other. It was nice seeing everyone!

Summer Poker at the Cabin

We have a friend that owns one of the original cabins up at Brighton Ski Resort. We try and go up there and hang out a couple of times during the year. This year we went at the end of August. It was chilly but beautiful.

My gorgeous self:

The Cabin in the Woods...

The man and me:

The ladies: 

Fall Farmers Market

We started going to the farmer's market in September. The girls love picking out the fresh fruit and vegetables. Our favorite one is out at Gardner Village. I think the girls like that one the best because they can get their faces painted and there are lots of activities for them to do besides just buying fruit and vegetables. The do a farm fresh breakfast at the market and the girls always want to go right in time to eat. Coincidence, I think not.

Abigail Birthday

Lewis and I were in Thailand for Abigail's birthday so we took her shopping when we got back. We let her choose whatever she wanted (within reason). She wanted to go to Toys R Us (which we hate) but we took her. She had a hard time deciding between a little $10 make up case and an electric scooter. We did not push her into any direction, she made her choice and it was a good one. Here she is on her new electric scooter. She absolutely loves it. She rides it all over the neighborhood, and even gives Haley a chance once in a while.

Happy Birthday Monkey! 8 years old!! I can hardly believe how big she is!!!

Thailand (Travel Home)

I am always so torn when heading home from a trip. By the last day I am ready to go and be in familiar surroundings, with my own stuff and in my own bed. But I also hate the trip home. Knowing that I have 2 days of travel ahead of me never seems very appealing.

I will tell you now that I do not have many pictures of this part because I was too tired to care and my camera was all but dead by the time we left the resort.

We left for the airport in Thailand around 10:15 or so. I think our flight left around 12:15 am so they like to give you a little time in case you run into problems. We got there and went right to the desk. They found our tickets to Seoul, Korea but then they could not find us in the system. After several people helping us they did find us booked on a plane from Seoul to LA but we did not have seats yet. The only available together were the 2 middle in the middle row. They told us to ask at the gate in Korea to move us so that Lewis would have more leg room. We just took what they had for now and went through customs. Customs in other countries is so funny. We walked right through and they barely gave us a second look. Once through we found that the airport waiting area was disgusting. The seats were circa 1968 and were FABRIC! So yes lice and other critters could be living in them. Not to mention that the seats all had rips in them and the cushioning was all coming out; mice anyone?

After waiting for almost 2 hours we were finally called to get on the flight. Korean Air, yea! But for some reason the appeal was gone. I was tired, cranky, and already feeling dirty from that airport and our trip had just begun. We sat together in middle seats for the 6 hour flight. I took a couple of sleeping pills and tried to sleep but I was not able to sleep for more than an hour or so. I ended up watching movies and listening to my music for the majority of the flight.

When we landed in Seoul we had to go through customs again before we headed out in search of breakfast. We were told while getting our tickets that the flight was full and we were sitting together in the middle of the middle row again but to ask at the gate and they would make arrangements to move us to a window or an isle.

When we landed we had about 7 hours of layover before our flight to LA so we had plenty of time to search around. We ended up walking to the opposite side of the airport and had something to eat. While there we found an escalator that went up to an upper balcony area of the airport. The upstairs ran the full length of the airport and was fairly large so we decided to see what it was. You see downstairs at the Seoul airport is like a restaurant/shopping center. There are tons of people and duty free shops everywhere. Upstairs there is a hotel, spa, quiet restaurants, t.v lounges, VIP areas, showers and family areas. Since Seoul is a hub and many people have long layovers they have a "secondary" area. This was the most clean and well kept airport that I have ever been to. There were people everywhere cleaning and helping people. It was awesome! We walked the hallways and considered getting a hotel room to sleep for a few hours but then we found a lounge area with free Internet access. We got a couple of comfy lounges and relaxed. Lewis was asleep in about a minute. I was able to check emails, Skype with the kids who were getting ready for bed, and watch a movie. We stayed there until noon. We started to get hungry and my feet were swollen so I wanted to walk a little to help get the blood flowing before the long flight.

We started walking and found the spa. We stopped in to see how much a foot massage would be and decided to do it. Seriously it was just what we needed. After the massage we were ready to find food and shop for a few hours before our flight. We stopped at the gate to check on our seats and they told us that our flight was delayed for 2 hours. They also said the best thing to do would be to give Lewis an isle seat in row 35 and me a window seat in row 25 and that the middle person in one of those rows would be willing to trade for the isle or the window to get out of the middle. It seemed like an excellent plan. So we got our new seats and went to eat. Lewis saw a Burger King and bee-lined it there. He wanted a burger and fries. After lunch we walked through the crowded stores and shopped. Lewis found a pair of sunglasses that he loved. We walked away from them three times before he could pull the trigger and get them. I also found a little object that caught my eye. It was a purse. Oh I was in love... until I saw the price tag. Good grief! Lewis would not let me walk away though and he bought me the purse and a wallet to match. He really can spoil me sometimes.

After shopping we cleaned up, brushed teeth and went to wait for our flight. Now by this time I had been awake for about 30 hours, with only a 1 hour nap on the plane.Lewis had slept a little but he needs a lot more sleep than I do so we were both pretty exhausted. We were waiting to get on the flight and the t.v. was set to this in the airport:

 This guy was doing I do not know what and everyone in the waiting area was cracking up. It was a game show so strange things were happening. I was so confused when people watching the show started dancing along with the contestants on the show. For a brief moment I thought I was going crazy from lack of sleep, but no, people were just really enjoying the show.


Here is the last picture that I took while traveling. I was laying on a lounger in the airport talking to my kids on Skype. I was headed home and was feeling happy. I had had a wonderful trip with Lewis and now we were ready to get home. This was also the last time I smiled for another 24 hours:

Here is my gift from Lewis. The beautiful purse that was bought in Korea:

Beautiful isn't she?

So as I was saying...we boarded the plane and found that I was in a row with a father and his son and that Lewis was on a row with a married couple that was not moving. This is the first point that I felt the fatigue hit me. I was tired and I was 10 rows away from Lewis for a 13 hour flight. Truth be told, I didn't need to sit next to him and I was the one that told them it was okay to separate us but still I was a little sad. The plane took off and we were on our way. The stewardess was coming around with our first meal and I was hungry by now. The kid in my row got a kid meal which was a burger and fries, the dad took the American meal and then I was told that sorry he took the last American meal and I would have to have the traditional Korean meal. Okay so picture me {no sleep for 35 hours, hungry, sitting next to a grown man that kept picking his nose and wiping it on the armrest, being offered a traditional Korean meal} I was miserable. When they told me it was the mushy goo mixed with guck for my meal I lost it. I started crying without making a sound (and I do not cry). Tears were running down my face while the nose picker next to me stared at me while eating his chicken and carrots. I could not get the tears to stop. 30 minutes went by and they came to get my tray and it was untouched. I just had them take it away. I asked for a Diet Coke, and of course it was all gone too. At this point I just put on my headphones and watched a movie. There I was tears streaming uncontrollably down my face, hungry, exhausted, and afraid to go to sleep from worry about a booger being wiped on me. I was a mess. Hours went by and I had to just sit there. It was the worst feeling ever. Finally breakfast came and I was able to get a continental meal with corn flakes and other assorted crap goodies that I did not eat. At least that tiny box of corn flakes made me feel better.

We finally landed in LA and got to stand in line for customs for about an hour, which really isn't that bad. When we got up to the window the guy asked us how our trip was. Simultaneously, Lewis said long, and I said hot. He laughed and said, oh one of those trips huh? We look at each other and smiled. It was a great trip but coming home was seeming to be a little bit hard.

We grabbed our luggage and went through another screening site and was directed to a kiosk with Korean Air so they could try and get us home since we were 2 hours late getting in we had missed our flight to Salt Lake. They put us on the next available flight out which was 3 hours away and we were to fly American Eagle. Have you ever flown American Eagle? Well I did once in 1989, and I don't remember it very well. American Eagle has it's own little terminal in LA. We were starving but it said that there would be food in the AE terminal so we got onto the tram and went out there. As we walked into the terminal my tears welled up yet again. It was the smallest, oldest, dirtiest terminal ever. There are maybe 25 seats and the only food is candy from a vending machine that is about 25 years old and a food counter with pre-made sandwiches and other assorted old danishes. We got Diet Coke from a machine and some m&m's to eat. We got the only 2 empty chairs (felt material with holes everywhere) and sat down.

I am not sure what happened the next 2 hours or so. I closed my eyes and heard laughing so I looked up and saw the whole terminal staring at us. I look over at Lewis and he is trying to stay awake but his head keeps falling backwards and hitting the window. I start to laugh and realize that I am doing the same thing but my head is falling forward and hitting my chest. This makes it even more funny to everyone that I am trying to stop but I can't. I am sure everyone thought that we were drunk or high or both. Remember we have not slept much, eaten, or showered in what feels like an eternity. Even with all of this going on, we are probably the cleanest and most put together people in the terminal. It was sad.

Finally they call our flight (after it was delayed twice) and we go to get on. We have to walk up a ramp to get onto this tiny plane and the plane inside looks as bad as the terminal we just left. We have "upgraded" seats so we had the emergency exit. We had tons of leg room but the guy sitting across from us was a whole blog post in himself crazy. He would not stop talking and even the stewardess asked him to be quiet. Our exit row was a sight to see. Duct tape held my armrest in place and the carpet that was left on the floor was curling up. If I was in any right mind I would have gotten off and walked home. But since I was in a state of exhaustion and starvation I saw my seat, sat down, put my seat belt on and promptly fell asleep. I remember the crazy guy telling stories the whole time and the take off and landing but that is it, really almost like a dream. Seeing as the flight was only an hour and a half not much could have happened anyway.

Finally in Salt Lake we get our luggage and head home. The dogs are ecstatic to see us. We are ecstatic to have showers and clean clothes. Food had to wait, I was just too tired to eat. Lewis fell right to sleep and I snuggled into bed and laid there, wide awake.

Welcome home, Kendra.

Thailand (Friday)

***WARNING*** Long Post***Lots of pictures***Do not read this right now if you are in a hurry***

We slept in on Friday a little since we did not have anywhere to be. We had a plan but we were not in a hurry. Sleeping in in Thailand meant that we did not get up and get ready and leave the room until 8 am. We headed down to breakfast and then out to catch a cab into town. We heard that the locals shop at this place called The Expo. We found it online (Facebook of all places) and saw that it opened around 10 am so we thought that would be a great place to go. We got our cab and he took us downtown. We asked him to come back for us at 1:15 pm and he gave us his card and would not let us pay him for the ride there. He said that we would only pay once when he came to pick us up. So we were shocked but we decided that if he did not come back for us it would be his loss of money not ours. 

We walked into The Expo and it was like a warehouse. Each area had material draped to separate it from the next stall. It was clothes, shoes, luggage, kids stuff, makeup, jewelry and so much more. And everything was cheap. And when I say cheap, I mean cheap. We bought shoes for $3, clothes for the kids $3, gifts for the ladies at work, and anything else that we wanted. We bought another piece of luggage because of all of the things we bought. I was afraid at the time that I was getting too much but now I wish I had bought a lot more. I did not take pictures of The Expo because I felt it would be rude but I could not help myself when it came to the food court in The Expo. Oh my. So if you know me, then you know that I have food issues and cleanliness issues. The food court was not only questionable but it was nasty. Here she is:

Yes, the chairs are cheap plastic balcony chairs that you see in rental homes in California. Yes, the ladies are washing dishes in a small tub of brown looking water. Yes, they are serving food without washing hands first. And finally yes, the servers are eating and serving food at the same time. We sat down and bough the only safe things; water and coke. It was very cheap; less than $1 for both drinks. As you can see they always serve your drink with a straw, thank heavens. I did not want my lips to touch anything. Yikes!

Our cab picked us up right on time. He was polite and fast as we drove back to the resort. I needed food and I wanted a little pool time before we left. On the way back I took some pictures of the locals. Here is a local transportation bus:

The electricity is horrendous there. They just add lines as needed and we heard that they lose power like once a day for an hour or two. Crazy!! Safety is definitely not a priority in Thailand.

7 Eleven, a little slice of home. Plus the electric wires:

When we got back we changed into swim gear and headed out to the pool. This was actually the hottest day of the week and there were no clouds to be seen. We decided to eat at the pool restaurant and then sit by the pool for the afternoon. While we walked there I took a bunch of pictures of the resort and the pool.

This was right in the courtyard outside of our room:

My feet getting some sun:

Bridge crossing over the pool. We would swim under this bridge and follow the water all over the resort:

Gorgeous:

Me:

This was the little bar/club/lounge area that we would sit at in the evenings and listen to live music. This is the seating:

I can't remember if I mentioned it or not but on our first day in Thailand we went to the spa and had massages. I am sure that I did mention it but I had to take a picture of the sign on the last day:

This is where the boat would pick up and drop off to go across the lagoon:

After a wonderful afternoon in the sun Lewis needed another nap :)

He slept and I packed all of our stuff. I left out only the clothes for traveling and my carry on stuff. Surprisingly it only took 2 hours to figure out how to pack all of the new stuff.

Infor gave us a food voucher for lunch and dinner so we decided to try the nice steak restaurant for dinner. We made an 8 pm reservation and headed out to get there right on time.

We had like $300 to spend so we ordered whatever we felt like. Lewis got this side salad that was the size of my head:

 We both got steaks with broccoli, potatoes and bread. It was a feast! I was able to eat the whole meal! Everything was delicious!

Once we were stuffed to the rim we walked back to our room for the last time. Here is a picture of the pool at night. You can see how if you are on the first floor you can go right out of your door and into the water:

Here I am at our lounge. Behind me is the bar that supplied me with the diet coke that saved me during the trip.

We went back to the room and showered, finished packing and went out to lobby to check out and get on the bus to leave. We had to catch the bus at 10 pm to leave so we knew we would have a long night/day/night ahead of us. Here is the last picture taken in Thailand. It is the wall behind the check in desk. I never even noticed it until we were checking out. Pretty cool.

Next up will be the trip home. It will be the longest post because it was the longest day of my entire life.

Thailand (Thursday Night Night)

 I completely forgot to show you our gift from Thursday night. It was an elephant bell. You ring it in the morning for luck for a good day and in the evening to let all of the stress and anger leave you. Here is a picture of it inside my house:

To be honest I love it but I had no idea how they expected us to get it home; it weighs a ton! I put it inside of my dirty clothes suit case and padded all around it. I am glad that I have it, and it is a really neat gift, but good grief it really has to weigh about 15 pounds!

After the last event most people packed up and had flights to catch at 9 or 10 pm to come back to the states. We had extended so that we could stay another day so we were able to walk around and stay up late while everyone else was leaving. We sat up at our little bar/club area and listened to live music while people caught the buses to leave for the airport. I was so happy right then to not have to pack up and go. They were all rushed and stressed out about packing the last minute things. Plus we knew that the resort was going to be practically empty the next day so we could have the place to ourselves again. 

Thailand (Thursday Night)

Thursday night was the last official event with Infor. It was a fair well party and dinner at the beach club in the resort. By Thursday I had run out of clothes so I just wore this dress again. When we got to the beach club there were angels greeting us:

We walked down by the water and took some pictures. It was beautiful in Thailand:

Here we are with the beach club behind us:

After dinner (fish, wierd chicken, fried rice, and fruit; of which I ate the rice and fruit) they had fire dancers. This was really neat to watch:

Kendra and Kara:

Lewis and some Angels (it is still up for debate if they were both women):

One Thai custom is for people to release these floating leis into the water. It represents letting go of grudges and hurt feelings to make room for new opportunities and new friends. So here I am with Kara picking out our floats:

And here we are letting them go:

After everything was done Lewis and I walked through the resort and I had him take some pictures of me with the decorations and statues:

I LOVED these elephant statues. They were located outside the daycare area and I wanted to take one home with me. Since I could not do that I just had my picture taken with one of them instead: