Monday, February 27, 2017

~celebration

Monday, February 27, 2017
We got to celebrate again with Baset as friends and ward members wished him "Congratulations" on his Ph.D. Defense Presentation!!  We are so proud of him!

Saturday, February 25, 2017

~so fresh and clean

Saturday, February 25, 2017
Our International Ward is in charge of cleaning the church once a month!
Many times I have to ask Billy to take pictures (and then I am in control of the poses 😌) but today he went all out with the snaps and did a fine job!
 
Unfortunately, there are only about 12 adults that show up to clean each 
time so it takes us a bit longer to get the whole building cleaned!
I have to wear the mask cuz, even though all the cleaning supplies
 are diluted, all of them seem to have a large amount of 
windex in them so the products all smell pretty toxic!
This is Eowyn, her family was here today and she is a real hard worker!  
She also happens to be in my Sunday School Class and is the Best!!!!
Billy loves to tease all the kids and they all think he is pretty funny 
(which he is 😜😜😜)!

Oh, and as a reward we went out for a 
little Mexican food afterwards! Scrumptious!

Friday, February 24, 2017

~i see the mekong

Each day that we travel to the Farm we cross the Mekong River.  I sometimes 
take it for granted and don't realize how cool it is to have this experience!
My camera doesn't do it justice but it really is a beautiful sight!

From China to Vietnam, the Mekong River is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia and offers a glimpse into the long history and diverse cultures of the region. The 12th longest river in the world and the 7th longest in Asia, it flows through six countries: China, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
https://www.google.com.kh/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C5CHFA_enKH710KH710&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=where+does+the+mekong+river+begin&*
The World is a Fascinating Place!

Living a good, simple life!

Thursday, February 23, 2017

~unborn heart

Ta Khmau - Insemination
February 23, 2017
Our new friends and helpers, John and Piriana Kaienua who are experts with
insemination came and taught some of our staff about insemination.  We have
24 straws and 11 cows we will need to get impregnated over the next couple months!!

We needed to send Phyna to Vietnam to get some more semen since Pete the Bull hasn't been
pulling his weight at the Farm (looks like he will be going to the butcher shop in the near future).
They brought with them some great equipment that will help make this process easier!
They are going to help us over the next couple of months which will be great for us!

John and Piriana had a bunch of cattle in New Zealand and wanted to start a
Dairy here in Cambodia, but as we've learned, it is not an easy thing to do.
We feel blessed to be able to use their expertise while they are still in Cambodia!

A perfect ending to a perfect day - LoveSG Cafe! And, Yes, those are waffles I'm having!

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

~nagaworld

We were invited to have a celebratory dinner with our friend, Baset, who presented his Ph.D. 
Defense Presentation this afternoon. This was the first time we had been to NagaWorld 
since we don't gamble and we've been too busy to take time for a nice formal dinner!  
February 23, 2017

As we entered the complex we were greeted by very nice, friendly staff who directed us 
to the different restaurants so we could find our party. We were to meet at one of the 
buffets and since we came a little early we were able to wander around and enjoy 
the surroundings. The atmosphere was much nicer than any Las Vegas casino 
and to my delight it didn't reek of cigarette smoke (I am highly allergic). 

The ground floor was very spacious and there were even a couple stages with singing groups performing; this was very pleasant and not distracting because the music was mellow and 
not blasting in our ears. All of the surroundings were very beautiful and it was a delight to walk 
around and explore the different sights. There are a number of restaurants and we ate at the 
buffet on the ground floor. The food was very tasty and the selection was good. The staff was very 
attentive, helpful and kind. We had a wonderful time with Beset and his friends and colleagues!

Sunday, February 19, 2017

~git bizzy

Bill and I wore many hats at church today~
Sunday, February 19, 2017
When we first arrived at church I had to go and set up 2 separate class rooms then get back to the Chapel and find someone to pass out the fliers/announcements (that we had made the night before).  I then got the Hymn numbers for the Sacrament songs up on the board and begin playing the prelude music. Everyone else in the Branch Presidency were out of town so Bill ended up conducting.  Last Sunday the Branch President asked Bill and I to speak in Sacrament today, so we both spoke.  I played the piano (I had mentioned this once before in a blog but I didn't clarify that I do not know how to play the piano - it is a "self-playing" piano/organ so I just get to sit there and look awesome - yes, I mean AWESOME!  I just think it is spectacular if someone actually knows how to play the piano [my sister-in-law, Cindy] so I will assume that that is how everyone feels about me when I am up there as well (wink, wink)😜😜!)!
After Sacrament meeting I run downstairs to my SS class and spent the next hour with those 
adorable teens.  After Sunday School I run back upstairs to be in the nursery with Charlie (Chantel
was sick today).  There was another gal running the nursery while we were back in the States over Christmas vacation but she got a new calling and was released.  They didn't have a nursery leader anymore and since all the kids graduated to the older Primary class, except Charlie and Chantel, these 2 had just been going to Sharing Time and then just playing with toys the last hour.  I love the nursery and felt that there was no reason to not spend the last hour in there with them and get the program running like before!  I must say that with me being out of the nursery for just a couple months I was a little surprise that my organized closet was in such a disarray.  During snack time, while Charlie ate, I re-organized, got rid of stuff, and cleaned up the closet! Phew ~ it feels like home again!

Bill was also  asked to speak in one of the Primary classes!
Needless to say it was a very "bizzy" day!

SIDE NOTE: The piano thing is a hoot!  It is bit tricky cuz after each verse you have to push "start" to begin the next verse and it has a pause before you can push it so sometimes my chorister (usually a YW) waits a couple seconds waiting for me to start the music cuz I wait a few beats too long or I'll accidentally double push the button cuz I'm too anxious worried about me being late with the beat.  Pretty funny - I also have to make sure I push the "intro" button before each song, then the "start" button for the first verse ~ it is very complicated!  And if that's not bad enough I have to hurry (especially if there are no announcements) and find the Sacrament song and get it up and ready right after our opening song or there is a big wait!!!  So stressful 😂 They should have these piano's everywhere - they are the bomb!  I should go practice and see if I could get used to using the organ part! - Oh and sometimes the hymns in the piano do not coordinate with the hymn numbers in the book and we've had to change a song midstream during the meeting (like the week before when I tried to pull up the Sacrament song and it came up with a number that was different than the number in the hymn book -  I had to go over and tell Bill to tell the BP and then I went back and changed the numbers on the board - talk about pressure 😜!)!

Friday, February 17, 2017

~hey mama


One of our favorite restaurants is Mama's New York Deli ~ 
she used to be on the same street as the church (St 63) just a few blocks 
further down.  Now she has moved across town and is closer to us (on 123St)!  
Hooray!  
This is Mama - and that is what everyone calls her!  She lived in New York for awhile but after her husband passed away she moved back to Cambodia ~ 
she still visits her grandchildren in New York! 
She makes the best Fish & Chips I've ever had - bar none!
Sharing Bills Cheeseburger (with the works)!
^^Truer words have never been spoken 😋😋😋

Thursday, February 16, 2017

~soul sister


You go along in life thinking you have all the "besties" that you need then bam 💥 out of no where a new one arrives on your doorstep and you realize that there is always room for one more!!!!

Meet JoAnne Webster, One of My Soul Sisters!

So our new "best friends" are Bart and JoAnne Webster! They are the parents of our good friends
Collin and Rosemay (in our Cambodia Ward). They came out for a visit and wanted to visit the Dairy Farm and there was an instant kinship; I believe we must have been sisters in the pre-existence!
Bart got food poison the night before and his stomach was still a little queasy.  We stopped and got him some Ciprofloxacin and the pharmacist also gave us this liquid calcium/vitamin mixture that was supposed to coat the stomach. It didn't go down so well so Bart took it easy the rest of the day.
JoAnne found out that we have the friendliest calves around! If you turn your back, for even a second, out comes the cows tongue and licks you from behind!
It was a very fun and eventful day!! Safe travels to our new Idaho friends! Good wishes til we meet again! 

We will never look at the Mekong River as we did once before! 
😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛😛

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

~instagram~how do i love thee . . .

Let me count the ways~
 I do love social media for so many reasons, but the one I love best is being able to 
see my grand-baby's pictures, video's and voices no matter the distance between us!
INSTAGRAM ~ next best thing to being there and FACETIME ~ feels as if you are there!
~OUR FAMILY~


^^The Jakob & Mindy York Family^^

^^The Jamis & Marcie Charles Family^^

^^The Willie & Grace Matthews Family^^

^^The Robbie & Kelli Matthews Family^^

^^The Kenny & Lindsay Matthews Family^^

^^The Timmy & Sarah Matthews Family^^