#skymiles

January 23-25, 2018

Going to visit Billy in Thailand/Cambodia! Can’t wait to see him!

  I got up at 3am, Tuesday 1/23/18; picked up Robbie at 4:30am
and he took me to the airport (bless his heart)!
Arrived in LA for a 4 hour layover!
 
Left LA at 11:30am and had a wonderful flight to Shanghai Pudung, China.
Billy used his skymiles to upgrade me to a cozy, comfortable, spacious seat! 

 
#doesntgetbetterthenthis #sugardaddy #wontwanttogetofftheplane

I got a "pre" take-off drink (oj & 7up) and a goodie bag full of, well . . . goodies😊!
As we landed we were asked to remain in our seats because a quarantine crew was
coming on board.  I either understood incorrectly or everyone ignored the announce-
ment because they all began collecting their bags from the overhead compartments.  I
just stayed in my comfortable seat as I was going to have a 9 hour layover in China, so no
rush! Another announcement came on so everyone went back to their seats and sat back down
while they carried a person off the plane . . . Interesting!  Arrived a little early in China at 5:15pm (Wed) instead of 5:50pm (2:15am UT time). Got to my next gate and settled in for the 9 hour layover. Left China at 8:50pm (5:50am UT time).  Judy (my personal flight attendant 😉) explained the seat belt procedure then brought a delicious freshly squeezed glass of orange juice (of course!)!

#Diedandgonetoheaven
 
I'm all set for this flight! I've got my scriptures, nook, oj, headphones (brought the nicer ones from
the previous flight), moist washcloth (full size), and steroid drops (I've been instructed by Dr Faber, who I saw on Monday, to increase my drops to every even hour for the next two weeks - this
worries me just a bit cuz sometimes steroid drops will cause the eye pressure to go up.
Monday my right eye was 8 and my surgery eye was 11 - which is great as they
want it in the 7-24 range [a week and a half ago my surgery eye was 17]).

We arrived in Thailand Thursday (midde of the night) 1am (Wednesday 10am, UT time)!

Arrived!

 Lost luggage! So my luggage never showed up but as I was waiting for it I noticed how
they have these marked circular lines around the carousel that everyone is instructed to stay
behind so everyone can see their luggage and are able to grab it when it comes around (also
for those of us whose luggage doesn't show up they can see that easily too)!  I do love it!

Doppelganger - Jon Hamm

It's been a long haul - about 27 travel hours (6am SLC departure Tues. Jan 23 - 1am arrival Thailand Thurs. Jan 25 ~ 14 hour time change) - but with the amazing seats Billy got for me it just turned into a fun 2 day journey! I got a taxi to the Novotel Hotel at Siam Square.  Billy has been delayed and will be arriving Friday afternoon.  I arrived after midnight Wednesday (officially Thursday early AM). The taxi's have gotten a bit more expensive and the toll alone was $2.25 which is a lot higher then before.

~a good year for the roses

Thank you, Him, for a wonderful send-off~

As I was frantically packing to get ready to come home (from Cambodia 

to America) our sweet Farm Manager, Him, surprised me with these 

beautiful Christmas Roses.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude as these 

are truly one of the most gorgeous arrangement that I have ever received!

 
~ and they had the most delicious fragrance~  

We had a few errands to run and some business to take care of and our first stop 
was to Devona's (a.k.a. bff) to drop off all the things I didn't have time to deliver 
to everyone before we left.  And since I couldn't take my beautiful flowers with 
me nor did I want to leave them behind in our apartment, I passed them on to Devona so that she could enjoy them as much as I did!  I wish I would have planned far enough in advance to get Christmas presents out to my close 
friends here in Cambodia, but since I didn't, Him will get extra credit for his 
thoughtfulness! Because if anyone deserves to have their day brightened 
by some beautiful flowers,  it's Devona!  She is a joy and blessing in my life! 

It was raining cats and dogs this morning as we headed to the airport! On the way we had to return our Moto's and get our Passports but we are more than eager to get home and be with our family! We will probably have to come back to Cambodia for a few months in the New Year but we will have 6 wonderful weeks to spend with the kids and grandkids! I am also excited to see the fall leaves, snow and all the Christmas decorations while celebrating the most joyous time of year!
While here in Cambodia we've met some wonderful people and all our workers 
at Moo Farms have learned the importance of each step in making it successful.  
We have 25 cows and 8 calves that are growing healthy and strong! 
We have had only a few mishaps but overall the Farm is thriving. 
We know they will keep everything in order while we are gone!

~LEAVING CAMBODIA~

So many wonderful thoughts going through my head knowing that 

we will be with our family in a mere 22 hours! We flew from Phnom Penh, 

Cambodia to Guangzhou, China (2 1/2 hrs with a 4 hour layover). 

Finished ~ Started 

I had 6 pages left of the Book Of Mormon until I could start all over again 

~ as some of you know it is my "traveling companion in the skies" so I was able 

to get those last few pages under my belt on the first leg of our trip home!

At the airport in China then onto JFK Airport in NY (16 1/2 hrs)!  
That was one long light!! Exhausted but Excited!
We Stayed over night at the Days Inn (close to the airport) and caught
an 11am flight to Buffalo, NY to be with Mindy, Jakob and the boys! 
Let the good times begin!!

~airplane

~really?

Had a wonderful time with Kim in Indonesia and an uneventful flight to my connecting country (Thailand).  While still on the plane I started getting a little worried as we were pulling in a little late to our gate.  I only had an hour to get to my connecting flight and it was on a different airline. When we booked my flight somehow I was listed as a "Mr" not a "Mrs" and they wouldn't let me change it on-line.  I was so afraid that they would not let me on the plane, especially, as I read in the little fine print, that my ticket and passport needed to match exactly.  Once we came to a complete stop and the doors opened I got off the plane and started running!  The passport line was a mile long and then once I got through it I discovered another very long line to get back into the reservation area.  Fortunately, for this line, a sweet little gal had sympathy for me and assisted getting me to the front of the line (the 2nd gal I talked to).  By the time I got to the check-in counter my plane was taxing on the runway.  I was, of course, crying as I was buying yet another ($109.00) airline ticket to get me back to Cambodia.  Slowly and quietly (with no one stopping me) I made it up the stairs to the "Sleeep Box".

A little sad and lonely night but feeling very blessed for a cozy, comfortable bed)!

Lesson Learned - Sometimes saving money at the beginning ends up costing more in the end.  Double check on how much time between connecting flights and don't forget about having to go out and reentering the terminal for customs and declarations.  Better yet, spend the extra money and use the same airline to book all the flights - it will save a lot of time and money in the end!

 

At least I knew the routine with "Sleeep Box" so in a way it became my (4th) 'home away from home'!

~a swingin' safari

October 6, 2016

We made it to the AMAZING Taman Safari! 
Don't you just want to hop in that Tiger Bus with Kim and drive all over Indonesia!

I took about a dozen pictures to get this perfect one! 
The little elephant calf was trying to play with all the big elephants!

This little guy was such a cute one, so playful and full of energy! 

There were so many wonderful pictures of the Elephants so I just picked out my favorites!  I love how the one little elephant kept touching the other one! 
I believe his love language must be "Touch" 😉😉😉

~Indonesia II

October 5, 2016

Started each morning with a batch of spirituality at Seminary!
I LOVE THIS PICTURE 

I'm not sure who drew it but it is the best depiction I've ever seen.

Seminary was wonderful and Kim is a great teacher!  They are studying the New Testament.  In Matthew 19:24 it says: "And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God".  Usually when we think of an eye of a needle we think of a sewing needle (which really would be impossible for a camel to go through)
but as this picture depicts the entrance to get inside the wall is referred to as the "eye of the needle" and the camel (us) has to shed all that he is carrying (our baggage; sins, mistakes, grudges, etc.) and then submit to kneeling down (humble oneself) and go through the strait and narrow passageway (Gods Commandments) to get inside the city walls (Eternal Life and Exaltation).  Thinking of the entrance to Eternal Life as a literal eye of a threading needle would make it impossible to live with
God, whereas, understanding the real meaning makes us realize that it is possible and attainable for us to live with our Heavenly Father (we just need to do our part)!  So Cool!  This was one of the great lessons Kim taught (she explained and gave a much better lesson, this is just my condensed version).
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2003/02/words-of-jesus-riches?lang=eng

I never quite understood the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-16)
and to be truthful it kind of made me mad - I mean really? . . . was it truly fair for the
last workers to get paid the same amount of money (as the workers who labored all day)
when they had only put in an hours worth of work?  Well, after Kim's fantastic lesson I
learned that YES, it is fair because as we learned these simple details it makes total sense!

Landowner - Represents Christ

Vineyard - Membership in the Church

Laborers - Christians

End of Day -  Judgment

Reward - Eternal Salvation

If Christ (the Landowner) offers us membership in His Church (the Vineyard) and we accept it and take upon us His name to be Christians (Laborers) then at the end of our life (End of Day) we will be judged for our performance in this life and if we did all we could and lived worthily we will be able to live with God for Eternity (Reward).

We want everyone to gain Eternal Exaltation (to actually live with our Heavenly Father in His
presence throughout Eternity)!  So, yes, regardless of when others join in to accept, learn and
live the Gospel, we want all to have the blessings.  Those that join earlier will have the advantage
of a longer lifetime to become all that the Lord wants them to be and we should rejoice that
others will have the same opportunity when they accept the Savior and become one of his
"Workers in the Vineyard", no matter the time!  Again, Kim did a much better job at explaining it!

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland puts it so eloquently when he offered these additional lessons from this parable of the laborers: “… His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there. ... So if you have made covenants, keep them. If you haven’t made them, make them. If you have made them and broken them, repent and repair them. It is never too late so long as the Master of the vineyard says there is time” (“The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 32–33).  

https://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/05/the-laborers-in-the-vineyard.p1?lang=eng

Kim and her wonderful Seminary kids!

~let's get this party started

October 4, 2017 

I made it to Jakarta!! I came out of the wrong door at the airport and had to reenter to find Kim but it was a sweet reunion with one of my best friends in all the world!  We traveled home in her comfy van with her very nice driver! Kim's complex (Pakubuwono Residence)  is GORGEOUS!!!

It has all the amenities of a 5 Star Luxury Hotel ~ there are 5 huge high-risers in their complex; 24 floors in each tower.  They even have their own Elevator (sort of) ~ there are 5 different elevators in the apartment and each one opens to an apartment from the 2 doors - one door will go to one apartment and the other opens to the other.  Your card code will only open the elevator door to your side of the apartment - Way Cool!  When "our" elevator door opens it's to Kim's entry hall!  We take off our shoes and go inside for some lunch. They have opted out of a maid/cook since it is just her and Steve.  

 
We talk and visit and took a tour around her place!

It has everything: Weight Room, Post Office, Laundromat, Conference Rooms, Massage Spa,
Tennis Courts, Pools (indoor/outdoors), Play Area, Outdoor Tables and Chairs for lounging,
studying, visiting or eating and an amazing Walk-way around the whole unit!  

When Steve got home that night and after we had some dinner he took my phone and got me 

all set up with "WhatsApp"!  This way Kim and I can talk and text as much as we want 

with no charge!  I hope he doesn't regret that decision down the road (teehee!)! Here is 

the picture Kim took of me for my WhatsApp photo!  Day One = Perfect!

I got up super early (3:30am) and got ready for the day and was just hanging in my room checking 

my email! When I finally went out to the kitchen at 5:30am everyone was gone. I found a note from 

Kim telling me she would be back after seminary.  My heart just dropped and I was soooooooo sad.  

I hurried and texted her to let her know I was up and sorry that I missed her.  Fortunately they 

hadn't left yet so I was able to run downstairs and jump in the car before they left!! Phew ~ that 

won't happen again - I thought we were going to leave the house at 5:30am but now I know we are 

supposed to be in the car by 5:30am. What a relief - I don't know how much more drama my 

little heart could take after the airport incident!! The traffic is crazy but I just expect that in all 

Asian countries so no surprise to see all these kids, Moto's and cars going crazy in the streets!

~oh, what a night

 October 3, 2016
indonsia here i come~

Short version -  The day started out so good but the ending could have been better! I left Marianne (Poulsons)’s house (a.k.a. bff), in Thailand, at 4:15 in the afternoon to travel 12 miles, by taxi, to the Don Mueang International Airport.  Unfortunately, I didn’t arrive until 8:23pm and I missed my 7:05pm flight. I had spent over 4 hours stuck in the taxi with a horrific thunderstorm raging outside where the traffic was in total gridlock mode for the majority of the time. There were a number of accidents and the flooding made for slow moving with the water up to the middle of everyones tires; more in some places. Difficult night with a few tears.  The good news was that I was able to catch an early afternoon flight the next day to spend some quality time in Jakarta, with my bestie, Kim Hofhiens!

Longer version ~ Today started off to be a fantastic day!  I got up early and got ready and then Marianne’s driver took me to the Hair place “Pim's(?)” in Nichada Thani!  They colored my roots, blew out my hair and gave me a nice little shoulder/foot massage.  Then Manit (their driver) and Billy came and picked me up and we went downtown to the Suvarnabhumi Airport where we dropped Billy off.  It was nice to be able to visit with him before he headed back to Cambodia.  When Manit and I got back to Nichada I was going to have him take me over to the Villa (grocery store) but I thought I could get the few things I needed, plus money, from the stores by the front gate.  I had Manit drop me off there and told him I would get a taxi home.  I got some money and a few items from 7/11 (my 2 other little shops were closed).  I decided to get a massage and then go back to Mariannes. The motorcycle taxi driver happened to be the same guy from my visit in July that helped me get my backpack fixed (see: "can't leave home without it")! So far, so good!

Arriving back at the house; I wrote a few notes, texted back and forth with Billy until he boarded his plane, packed up and got ready to go to Don Mueang (the airport that was near by).  I was getting ready to leave (about 4:15) when all of a sudden it started to rain, thunder, lightening and then storm with sheets of downpour (it was, literally, like buckets of water pouring down from the sky).

 

Marianne’s housekeeper run out to the gate to get a taxi called for me (bless her heart ~ she came back soaking wet). I wanted to leave her some money but I only had 480 baht (about $14.50) and even though I thought that my fare would only be about 250 baht I didn’t want to take any chances to be without enough money for the taxi.  The taxi came right away and off I went.  As we were heading down the road he made a left turn and we passed Big C and then flipped a U -turn about 1/2 mile down the road.  This was not as fast as it would have been had we just gone over the overpass, but I had plenty of time (my flight didn’t leave until 7:05pm) so I thought we would be just fine . . . NOT!

We slowed down from the get go (right after we went under the overpass).  It was bumper to bumper and we were crawling along.  I took out my nook (a gift from Billy from last Mothers’s Day!) and got nice and comfortable.  After about 15 minutes (when we should have been fairly close to the airport) I started watching the clock as it was ticking away (and the meter).  It just didn’t seem like we were getting anywhere.  I kept thinking that we were moving along but each time I check my GPS it indicated that we were still 1 hour and 40 minutes away . . . 

"What the?!?".  I wasn’t sure how that could be since we were only 12 miles from the airport (and it usually took less than a half hour to get there with normal traffic). After a very short time I realized that we were not moving . . . at all.  

I kept checking the time and the GPS but each time it indicated that we still had an hour+ to go.  I then started watching the meter and that sucker kept going up and up and up. I knew this wasn’t good since I only had 480 baht on me and it was approaching 300 by this time.  Finally, as I was thinking that we had to have passed our turn off, I looked over and saw “Sizzler”!!!  I totally recognized this 

landmark, since we ate here a lot when we were living here, and realized we were really still a great distance from the airport.  At this point it was already past 7pm and my flight was just taking off.  This whole time I had been texting back and forth with Billy and I wasn’t sure if I should spend another couple hours and just go back to the Poulson’s or try to catch another flight out tonight (there was one that left at 8:05) or just stay at the airport and try to get out tomorrow.  Unfortunately, 8pm rolled around and we were still on Chang Wattana so the chances of me catching this later flight was 0 to none. Finally, at 8:23pm, I arrived (with not enough money for my fare) and had to explain to the taxi driver that he could either take American money or I needed to run inside to the ATM.  I left my bags as collateral and ran, got the money - 529 baht, and gave him an additional $9 tip - I know, I went a little crazy but after 4 hours in his taxi and listening 
to his wife thrash him I just had empathy for the poor dude. 

So, $24 lighter, I headed back into the terminal and went around to many different locations trying to find someone who could direct me to the ThaiLion Airline office.  After locating it and telling my horrific, anxiety filled story, they were not very sympathetic (good grief 4 hours in a taxi for not that many miles, who wouldn’t sympathize).  All they could offer was (for an additional $112.00) a new ticket that would get me in at the same time tomorrow night to Jakarta.  Fortunately, Billy had found an afternoon flight that would get me in at 2:30pm 
on AirAsia for the same price so I went to the ATM for the 3rd time that day 

and got out $120 and bought yet another airline ticket to Indonesia. 
 

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD BECAUSE I NEEDED IT BAD!

As I was wandering around I headed upstairs and an airline worker yelled over, 

I just kept walking then thought I’d better see what he wanted.  I turned around 
and walked back and he wanted to know where I was going.  It was just kind of weird, so I just said, “Upstairs for food” and walked off.  I got upstairs where 
a tall, skinny, (a little bit creepy) guy came up and started talking (I think he 
was saying words) and was pointing and waving his arms in different 
directions.  I had to go to the bathroom but I was afraid to go down the 
hallway in case he followed me so I went in the other direction around the 
corner and there was a host of other eating places and another toilet! Phew!

I wasn’t sure where or even if I was going to sleep during the night (I figured I could just grab a chair and cuddle up with my Nook until my 10am flight the next morning) but Billy said I should go to the hotel across the street.  I was having a little money problems (as in 'I didn’t have any') but he said he would pay for it and that I should go across the ramp and get a room.  I didn’t really want to leave the airport and as I turned around I saw “The Sleeep Box” and went over and 
checked it out.  The little girls were so sweet and totally empathized about my 
story (perhaps because I was giving them money instead of wanting them to 
comp me a room ~ like I wanted the airlines to comp my next flight!)!

I ended up paying $54 (back to the ATM for the 4th time) and got this 
beautiful little white room (good size) that had a nice bathroom and was 
very cozy! I went in (checked for any American Channels on the TV ~ none) and organized all my stuff and wrote about my day.  So instead of arriving tonight 
I’ll be seeing Kim tomorrow afternoon!!  Oh, What a Night (day)!