Diving and fun with photography

I was pretty freaked out, I'll admit it.  The diving here uses meters instead of feet, a different 'out of air' measure (which I found out later is actually more than we use for PSI in the states) and a few other different hand signals. But it was a great time!
We started our diving at island #5 in the Similan Islands- this was the scenery on the way out:

I thought it so cool for these huge boulders to be in the middle of the sea..

This one's for you Casey- Lyn.. :)

Nervous me!

Anyhow, it all came back to me and after a minor (ok, major- at one point I floated all the way to the surface from about 15 meters and I couldn't control it!  Scary but we had a great dive guide that pulled me back down and put another weight in my pocket.) incident we had a beautiful dive.  Dean was also pretty freaked out about losing me completely underwater but he really enjoyed the scenery as well- we saw SO much color down there and the visibility was perfect. I was a little apprehensive to do the second dive due to my TMJ issues with holding on to the regulator but I talked myself into it and it was my best dive ever!  For those of you who dive, you can appreciate how amazing it feels to have your weights right, your breathing pattern down and to just BE down there.  Dean had a few issues with his mask but all was well after about 15 minutes. 

Success after 2-60 feet dives!

Yum-o

All in all, Khao Lak was such a beautiful break!  Our pool villa was amazing, the Le Meridien is a beautiful resort and it all helped get us into 'vaycay' mode.  Here's some night pics of the resort-gorgeous!

Entrance to Le Meridien Khao Lak

I was trying to get a pic of the torch in the middle but I caught this little snail and his trail on the way.. :-)

Full moon!

We're in Krabi now, another kind of beautiful that I can't even explain.. we golfed this morning, went to the town of Ao Nang, booked a rafting/ATV trip for tomorrow and a private diving charter for Saturday!  Wahoo! Post again soon, xo

Sa-wat-dee from Khao Lak

Once again we are up way too early-make that 5:30 to be exact- in Thailand.  It's pretty hard to adjust to being 11 hours ahead of the norm but we've done a pretty good job thus far.
We were only in Chiang Mai for two days but wow-what a difference to Khao Lak it was!  Being that we stayed at Le Meridien in the city, we wanted to do everything we could in the city itself which included tuk-tuk rides to temples, villages, foot massage places (Dean's was great, mine was terrible- picture a 'pedicure like' massage for 1 whole hour-I couldn't wait to get out of there!), custom tailor for suits and eating the best Thai food I've ever had.  It was very busy!

What's funny is that as we explore Thailand, I am noticing that smell is very much something I am associating every place to.  If I could pick Chiang Mai's smell, it would be a cross between the heavy smoke from the intense burning that's going on all over mixed with exhaust from the thousands of tuk-tuks and motor bikes on the road everywhere.  Odd to post about the smell I'm sure but my sense of smell is intense and I notice them all!  BTW, if you're not sure what a tuk tuk is, here is the one we used:

 It's kind of a cross between a golf cart and a motorcycle.. a tricycle with an engine :)

We flew to Phuket on 3/26 and drove about an hour and 15 min to Khao Lak.. kind of a somber ride due to seeing a pretty bad accident with an SUV and a motor bike and passing multiple tsunami memorials along the way (Khao Lak is exactly where it hit in 2004).  Aside from that, we finally arrived at the hotel and it is absolutely gorgeous, with my favorite scents of jasmine and magnolia everywhere! Here are some photos:

 Pool Oceanfront Villa :-D

Early morning coffee, just taking it all in.

Dean at the 'office'

Yesterday we relaxed on the beach and swam in the sea (the water temp here is like bathwater and the sand is like powdered sugar under your toes), then in the afternoon we had our massages and took a trip into town to book our diving and hit the night market.  Unfortunately we got caught in a downpour so the night market will have to wait until tomorrow, but today we are doing a two tank dive out in the Similian Islands!  I have been reading about this for months so I am super excited but also very apprehensive about spending 9 hours on a boat with no land in sight..!

Have a great day, more pics and posts to come soon.

Chiang Mai Adventures

Hello!  We made it safely and all I can say is.. WOW.  Thailand is so beautiful because of its culture, people and customs.. it truly opens your eyes to make you see what the US is majorly lacking.  We have already met some of the friendliest, most helpful people along our journey and it's so great to be thrown into a completely different time (literally!) and place.  I don't have much time to write so I will try to give an update with pictures:

Our flight path around the world

Perusing the dinner and breakfast menus while enjoying my champagne :)

Dean loving the entirely flat beds on our flight!

23 hours of flying time later, we have finally arrived.  I vaguely remember this shot, we were beyond exhausted.

Ronald and I doing the Wai- the Thai version of a handshake/wave.

Dean releasing birds at one of the temples- it's good luck!

First tuk-tuk ride-hence the blurred/terrified look of this photo.

:-D

We went to a very poor village where they make umbrellas and will paint anything you want (in beautiful design) for a donation.  Super amazing people here.

Dinner at a local hotspot on the Ping River recommended by one of the great people we have met- best live music I've heard in a while.. and the FOOD here- I can't even put it in to words!

So that's it for Chiang Mai for now, we leave today for Khao Lak, will post again when we have time. XO

We just ran like the bulls through Newark airport! Flight was delayed 1.5 hours from WPB, so stressful. Sitting here in the Business Class lounge sipping my Bloody Mary, I have almost forgotten about the rudest security woman I have ever seen. I know New Yorkers are a different breed but come on.. She snatched my jacket and shoes out of my hands and threw them on the scanner belt-who does that?!?!
Ah yes.. My Bloody Mary.. Mmm.

Thomas Party!

Ok, night before big departure.. just wanted to share some cutie patootie pics with you:

 

Early birthday morning presents!

 

Cake Lollies!

 

Train Cake #1

 

Trains Cake #2
 

Trains trains everywhere!

 

My favorite :)

Needless to say.. Elliott had a wonderful birthday party and slept very well that night. :-D

Catchya in Thailand!

Thailand.. 10 days away!

As most of you know- Dean and I will be in Thailand for 3 weeks starting on March 22, 2010.  I am going to be using this blog to document our experiences- I find that there are little things I will forget if not properly written down as they happen!
That being said, I am going to go private and hope that if you read this but don't follow it publicly, you will give me your email address so that I can add you as a reader!  I'm not exactly decided on which way I want this blog to go, but for now I'm going to keep it to our friends and family so that I may update and communicate in Thailand without any qualms about who may be reading about our personal experiences.
Also, Elliott's birthday party is next week and I am going to attempt some baking that I'm pretty unsure of.. you'll want to check in and see what the outcome is, I promise you!

DIY Necklace holder

Continuing on with my obsession with organization (well ok... not really an obsession but I certainly need to get it together with my various messes that drive me crazy daily), I sort of owe this project to D's sister.  She showed me one that she had put together and it reminded me that my mother used to make these necklace holders with quilt batting, ribbon and hooks.
I was in dire need of hanging up my necklaces to avoid the daily knot-removal fight I would get in with them every morning.  I also just bought some inserts from Bed Bath and Beyond for my earrings/bracelets/etc. that fit into my drawer in my closet (no, you don't need a fancy closet company to come fit them to your drawer!) so this project was a must- do.  Here's how it went:

Find an inexpensive painting (I found these at Homegoods) suitable for where you would like to hang your display-mine was to be hung in my closet.

Buy some hooks at a craft store with screw-backings, in different sizes if you have larger necklaces.  Ignore the man trying to get away from you at Michaels that says they don't have anything like that- THEY DO!

 

Pick the layout of what looks best on your painting for your hooks.  Remember that the larger hooks should go in the center to avoid pulling down the sides of your picture with the weight of your necklaces, and stagger the hooks so your necklaces have room to hang.  Start screwing in with your hands.

 

(Sorry for the glare of the picture, I should have taken these anywhere else but the closet.)

 

About 15 minutes and some sore fingers later, voila!

 

 

No more piles of necklace mess and knot-fighting!  Hooray!