Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Boat, Bench, Breakfast

singapore is great! especially the buildings with a ship on top-so cool!
singapore so far is wonderful!! what an amazing city! the architecture is incredible, people are super friendly, food is fantastic and everything is very clean.

i decided i should probably move here since there is no chewing gum allowed. in contrast to my last visit to seattle that is a nice change.

right now its 2am and im wide awake because i went to bed too early. saw a lot of the city yesterday and even got to drink a singapore sling at the original bar where it was invented.

tomorrow we board the cruise ship and next stop is thailand! here's to hoping i can find somewhere this morning to watch the first canucks playoff game!

Singapore, Seven, Sailing

Hopefully by the time you read this, I will have safely arrived in Singapore after a fairly lengthy flight!

So this is my post to say I'm off to travel to travel my final continent! And that makes seven!

Over the next few weeks, I will be visiting Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and Japan! Combined cruise ship travelling and travelling by land.

It shall be an adventure and I cannot wait! Stay tuned for more updates!

A few things I'm looking forward to crossing off my bucket list:
-go to all 7 continents
-go to Asia
-eat sushi in Japan
-eat dog (i hesitate to admit this is on my list...)
-ride an elephant

we shall see what else the adventures shall hold!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Gum, Gross, Gals

This past weekend, I had planned for a cousin day, but was happily surprised to have a double cousin day! I showed up at Des' house only to discover, my other cousin, Joelle was there. The funny thing about this is that Joelle and Des are great friends but they aren't related, but they are both related to me. And we're good friends. That sounds confusing. Probably is. Either way, it was the perfect ingredients for a day of FUN.


You know those people that dance like crazy at the corner of the street and often they look like they're bored out of their minds? Well, in Bellingham there was a woman who looked like she absolutely loved her job and was so into it. I told Des to jump out and run to go dance with her. So she did. And she even got to hold the sign. We took pictures as we drove by. Oh what fun can be had when you just do random things people tell you to do. :)



We also stopped at Krispy Kremes on the way back. Mostly for the hats. Because they're pretty awesome. Except Joelle broke hers.




I hate gum. In fact, it's probably my biggest pet peeve. I hate seeing people chew it, hate hearing people chew or crackle it, hate smelling it on someone's breath, hate the look of it in a wrapper or thrown onto the ground. I hate everything about it. In fact, most of the time, it makes me want to throw up. So why I decided we should go see the gum wall in Seattle I have no idea. But search for it and find it we did.


In Pike Place Market, we found the wall, along with a large group of other folks. It was disgusting. Yet I stared at it in awe. It made me want to throw up, but I took pictures. Even posed in front of it. In fact, if I stare at these pictures for too long, it makes me want to throw up. But I figured I would post them for your enjoyment.


So the next time you are in Seattle, go to the main entrance of the market, go down the ramp, and turn left and voila, there it shall be. Maybe bring a piece of gum to chew and stick onto the wall. {dont' I look so excited to be there in the picture below?}


All in all a very fun day was had. Went for dinner, walked around a lot, and then enjoyed a musical all together. Lots of laughs and great conversation, which happen to be two of my favorite ingredients to add to the making of a fantastic day.

I will miss these ladies dearly. Joelle is heading to Africa and beyond for at least a year and I will be gone. But I treasure our times together and future times when we are all in the same place. I am thankful for an incredible family, that is not just family, but even more deeply bonded with friendship.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Soul, Surfer, Sharks

Last night I went to see the newly released movie, 'Soul Surfer'. An absolutely incredibly story, but above all incredibly inspiring. It's the true story of a young girl, Bethany Hamilton, who grows up surfing and is set to be a pro surfer and then loses her arm in a shark attack. With faith and perseverance, against all odds, she learns to surf again.


What I loved especially about this movie (besides the fact that it's a great story), is that it is blatantly Christian. I didn't realize this when watching the trailer, but Bethany and her family are Christians and the credit and glory that were given to God in this Hollywood movie are incredible. And exciting to see and hear the testimony of what God has done in and through this young woman. I have been reading other articles on her and it's a pretty incredible story. Check it out. And go see the movie.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Flowers, Friends, Frenzy

In the last couple days, there is the feeling of spring in the air! The flowers are blooming and everything seems fresh and new.


There is something about a street full of cherry blossom trees that makes my heart flutter with excitement inside because it's so beautiful and full of life. So today I tried snapping a few pictures of them.


And after today, I have flowers inside my house too! A friend of mine came over for tea and blessed me with some flowers. Was so wonderful to have her company and now I have a lovely bouquet of tulips in my living room as a reminder of our visit as well.


And life has turned into a frenzy (hence the lack of blogging). I have been so busy packing up my house that I have neglected entirely to pack for my month long trip. Maybe if I had a washer that worked I could wash clothes to pack. For now I will just run around getting everything else done, avoiding packing for my holidays altogether.

Countdown is on: 4 more sleeps and then the adventures shall begin!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Standoff, Scene, Safe

This is the scene I drove home to today. Over 50 cops outside in an armed standoff right outside my house. I wasn't allowed past (obviously) and was sent away, which was funny considering today was the day that I only took my licence when leaving the house this morning.
Apparently it was an old man and his wife had called in about his strange behavior. Pretty serious I guess by the police response. Saw some pretty large rifles and other things and everyone was hiding behind their vehicles. Kind of looked like a movie scene. Makes me think twice about jogging by this house in the future... Glad I live in a safe neighborhood!


Anyway, that was my excitement of the day. Hopefully I can go home soon to pack for the weekend!