Happy Birthday to me?!

I am feeling so blessed today!

Happy Birthday sign outside the library. A cake in the office along with everyone singing to me.

A card/book full of pictures of yummy sweets and notes from co-workers. Chocolate brought to me throughout the day by students and friends. The day finished with my 3rd grade class singing me happy birthday again.

My roommate sure knows how to make "birthdays" special!

Don't worry friends my birthday is still in June :) 

Quick Stop....

Quick layover in Malaysia ...

We took a bus, a train, a LRT and then hurried outside for this photo of proof that we were in Malaysia before getting some food with friends and heading back to the airport! Best way to spend a 7 hour layover!

Same, Same...but different

Here in Thailand you might be told- "same, same" when you are trying to find something and the person doesn't have it...but they think they have something that is the "same." It has turned into a joke and they even have shirts that say- "same, same" on the front and then ".....but different" on the back of the shirt. It is a great thing to say when comparing two different places or things :)

In Australia we saw some places that were truly the same as in the US or Thailand

...and some that were a little different...

Ben and Jerry's free ice cream day!

I will miss 7-Elevens 

Hungry Jack's looks kind of like a fast food place in the US :)

Never have been to a Hard Rock...

Starbucks for all my coffee loving friends...

What does not belong....

 What doesn't belong....

couldn't get this picture to go the right way....

feeding the kangaroos with food out of ice cream cones!

a new reason to carry around an umbrella 

Karla with Koalas, Kangaroos and Emus?! 

Yeah, I don't think the Emu belongs... it's name doesn't start with a K.... 

No wonder it didn't like me...

Book Character Day- just some crazy elementary staff....

Here are some of the fun people I get to work with each day! This is pretty much all the staff that don't have classrooms- secretaries, principal, nurses, art teacher, PE teacher, music teacher, librarians...

Telling the students how many minutes we read for...close to 600,000 minutes!

Can you guess which of the seven dwarfs I am?

Helping with English

These students have been a big blessing to me every Wednesday night during the Thai school year!

Two teachers, from my school, and myself help these kids with English for an hour once a week. We play games, read stories and laugh! 

The case of the missing shoes...

I ran in the rain on Friday and was trying to dry my shoes by putting newspaper in them and leaving them outside, but now they are missing....

If you know anything about these missing shoes or see them around (with or without newspaper). Please let me know via email, blog or facebook. The reward will be ice cream, D-Milk or something of equal value :)

They aren't actually worth too much anymore and they are getting holes...but when you have big feet in a small feet country it is hard to find shoes. When I have tried to buy shoes in the past- sales people just start walking away from me AFTER they look at my feet :) 

So long running shoes hope you come back again.....

April Goals

I will be out of the country (of Thailand) for almost 2 weeks in April, so trying to not add too many new goals. I also want to have somethings I could actually do while I am traveling...I guess reading and card writing would be the big ones!

Fitness
Run/walk for 40k
200 push-ups
200 sit-ups

Professional/Spiritual

 Devos daily

 Read 4 books

 Review Thai vocab/letters daily (5-10 min)

Other

Finish 20 pages of my photo-book for 2nd year in Thailand (school year 2012-2013) 

Newsletter/Prayer letter

8 blog posts  

Atlas up-to-date for all grades- K-6th (school related)
Application to a school finished and emailed
File Cabinet- organized for lesson materials (school related)
Notes to supporters (you might not get them in April...but they will have been sent)

Social

Trip to visit friends/ former co-workers in Australia!
Roommate "date"