Yummy goodness

The girls and I came home today to a house that smelled of baked-goodness. Aunty Jodi made banana bread! The girls spent the evening (after homework was done) finishing up the crafts started yesterday with Jodi, followed by the making of scones. Maddy said there was so much baking going on in this house that it's kinda like Mrs Thornton's house :)
The scones turned out really cute.
Unicorns and stars... how can they not be great?
Way too much fun going on with Jodi.
Maddy has decided that if she breaks my leg, Aunt Jodi will have to stay to take care of them..... needless to say I am watching my back......

Weekend in photos....

BUSY weekend! Started out with a swim meet- so nice having Jodi there, gave the girls someone to show off for. And someone to take pictures for me..... I am usually working the meet and can barely manage to watch their events never mind take photos of it- thanks Jodi!

The afternoon was all about shopping at the exchange and getting ready for the play- Beauty and the Beast:

Really well done play! It was put on by a local private school and they pulled out all the stops! The set was amazing, and some pretty talented youth playing the parts. HUGE difference between public and private schools here. Couldn't imagine a Guam public school pulling this off- physically or financially!

We have been trying to give Jodi a "taste" of Guam- lots of restaurants (Thai and Mexican) and two trips to Yogurtland!
Not to mention the mandatory trip to our great (and only) craft store on island- Ben Franklins. We had multiple hours (two hours of my life I will never see again.....) of choosing crafts- the girls loved the freedom of picking out a new craft to try...... huge thanks to Jodi for the "birthday" shopping :) you spoil them!
Awesome weekend- both girls loved their time with Aunt Jodi..... only four days left, and I am sincerely not looking forward to the send off...

You are going to have to wait.....

We just walked in from seeing Beauty and the Beast- so tomorrow night you'll see all of the weekend events at one time :)

'Night!

Hi All!

Two days in a row you are stuck with a novice blogger!

I know you come here for updates on Madison and Ellie (and their wonderful parents of course!), so I will try not to disappoint you there.

Tomorrow they have the final short course swim meet of the season, so tomorrow's blog will be peppered with pics and stories about them.

Today is about Haiti.

The child in the picture is Pierre. He is one of the children at the orphanage. No one is exactly sure how old he is as he was left at the mission small, undernourished, and unable to sit up....but he had a full set of teeth. He is a bit of a mystery, but loves every minute of attention that he gets. That is Miranda holding him - she is beautiful inside and out. Miranda helped out a bunch at the medical clinic, and now aspires to be a paramedic.

We had an ambulance! It was generously donated by Halton EMS. Sadly I never got to use it as there was no jack for it, and the roads are so horrid in Haiti that you would never risk going out without being able to change a tire or two.

Much of Port au Prince looked something like this - tents filled fields all over the place. This picture looks pretty with the blue sky and fluffy white clouds, but trust me, the smell was awful. Lots of people in close proximity with no running water or sanitation is a recipe for disaster...like....cholera for example.

The children were adorable, and even in Haiti they were not immune from popular TV and music stars. Note the rappa/gangsta pose on this little guy!

Do you see where his t-shirt is from? Niagara Tim Hortons!

This is a pretty standard look of a village in the area of Titanyen

This guy, Jocelyn, was essential to the running of the medical clinic. He was the ambulance driver, and pretty much everyday we ran a patient into Port au Prince, hoping to find a 'hospital' who would accept our patient.

My translator, Farel, was absolutely brilliant. He not only translated English to Creole and back, but provided essential insights to Haitian culture.

This is my bed...dishevelled, yes.

The mosquito net made a huge difference. So many of the patients we had were suffering from Malaria or Dengue fever - both mosquito transmitted illnesses.

Look at the raw beauty of the Haitian landscape.

With 98% of the land deforested, it will be a long recovery for this fragile nation.

Sam told me I should end the blog with some sort of summative statement...so.... bye bye :)

Guest Blogger- Jodi

Hi All!

Sam is enthralled with a Stephen Hawkings documentary!

So you are stuck with a guest blogger with no skill :)

Already I have uploaded photos completely out of order

oops

So here it is - a brief tour of Thailand

In random order

Let's start with loofah - the stuff you might scrub yourself with in the shower.

It grows on trees!

Who knew?

Here is a picture from the 'Long Neck Tribe' of Northern Thailand. Beauty or tragedy? These girls and women are only able to hold their own heads up for a short period of time without the rings.

During the hikes, we came across dozens of spirit trees. They were dressed up and surrounded with offerings. The good news is that these trees would not be cut down.

Here is a picture of a water buffalo - mom with her young one. We saw them most frequently around the rice paddies.

Next is a close-up of an elephant doing something that AMAZED me. She picked up a stick, furled her trunk around it, then proceeded to scratch first her left temple, then her right. Once she was thoroughly scratched, she disposed of the stick. This was my first glimpse of the incredible intelligence of these massive animals.

No travel story is complete without a comment about the loo.

Here is a 'squatter' - common in Thailand.

Feet are placed on top, a balanced squat ensues, and a bucket of water is used to wash the whole thing off.

Enough on that topic!

Back to the elephants :)

The day at the elephant sanctuary was pure magic.

Elephants in Thailand form an important part of Thai history and culture. It is written that the night that Buddha's mom became pregnant with him, she had a vision of an elephant entering through her chest. Despite this, elephants are often mistreated. I can't repeat the stories of the elephants in this picture without crying....so let's just say they were rescued from horrid circumstances. They now live comfortably and have people devoted to their well-being.

The north of Thailand, Chang Rai province, borders Burma and Laos. In the hills live non-Thai people known collectively as 'the Hill Tribes'. Each group is ethnically distinct with their own languages, customs, beliefs, and was of dressing. Here is an example of weaving from the Akha tribe

In Kanchananburi province, the infamous Bridge over the River Kwai is found. A walk down the hillside to a small cave revealed this tribute to the Buddha.

Tributes to the Buddha were common in Thailand, and astonishingly beautiful.

Life is Good

Lots of smiles with Auntie Jodi here!
So much time spent- lots of fun games and crafts.
Just love Auntie Jodi!

PS- Scott, first two are taken with the new lens :) THANKS!

Jodi's first boonie stomp....... this visit

First off- the girls are LOVING having Auntie Jodi here. They are over the moon excited, with all the adventure, the crafts, and the time spent- they are beyond happy :)
Today Jodi, Kevin and the girls went to Spanish Steps. Anyone who has been following the blog knows we've been there before, but its so beautiful, really worth going more than once- especially when they can show it to Jodi.
There was some fun hiking, some neat caves, and great snorkeling.

The girls got to have a chance to be a Buddhist Monk meditating in one of the caves. They are loving all the Thailand stories Jodi has brought with her.
Maddy is doing a "meditation pose" and Ellie is doing a "stop violence" pose- Jodi has become Buddha-guru! Again- the girls are LOVING it all.
Maddy took this photo of the flower- don't see many flowers around here, not sure why?
It's only day one- but man did they fit a lot in. I was working for most of it, but from the sounds of it, fun was had by all.

Tonight was family games night- we gave Jodi the choice tonight. Veggie burritos and Apples to Apples was the call. Really nice family night with the addition of more family :)

On to day two.....

PS- photos courtesy of Jodi and her cute Nikon..... oh, and she says "hi" :)