24 weeks down, 16 to go!

Baby Goccia is 24 weeks now...scary to think but only 16 weeks to go! Here are pictures of Mel and Baby G.

Ankush

One of our friends at Help In Suffering (HIS), Minal, gave Aaron this ankush (it's 14.5 inches by 4.5 inches.) He's always wanted one but had no idea how to get it since they have been outlawed here. An ankush is used by elephant trainers (mahouts) to control the animals. Sadly, when they are used they can cause serious injuries to the elephants. The mahouts will take the sharp end and jab the elephant on the head to get it to move or go faster.
Recently Minal was driving somewhere with her family and they came to an intersection. The light turned red and she saw a mahout riding an elephant through the intersection trying to beat the red light. She immediately noticed that he was using this ankush to prod the elephant to move faster. Minal jumped out of her car, stopped the man and demanded that he give her the ankush. When she told him that she was worked with HIS, he knew he was in trouble! HIS played a big role in the ankush being banned and they replaced them with a bamboo pole that can still be used to nudge the elephant without causing any damage. The mahout began apologizing very quickly and Minal began yelling...she even slapped him across the face! She took the ankush and grabbed him by his collar with it while she was yelling at him. If all this public humiliation wasn't enough, he got into even more trouble once the elephants owner heard about what happened! I bet he won't be using another ankush again!!
All this to say that this is how Aaron ended up with his ankush!

We also wanted to say hi to one of our newest blog viewers...Grandpa Goccia! We love you and hope you're behaving yourself. : )

6 months!

In some ways it doesn't seem possible, but in others it feels like a lifetime. Can you believe we've been living in South Asia for 6 months today? Wow! I was thinking about it the other day and realized how many things have become "normal" to me in the last 6 months. I think I might even miss some of these things when the time comes to go back home...of course, some things I won't miss at all!

1. Seeing dogs, pigs, cows, camels and elephants in the street.

2. Riding in pedal and auto rickshaws.

3. Eating with my hands.

4. Being hot and sweaty all the time.

5. Hearing people speak Hindi.

6. Buying my fruits and vegetables everyday from a street vendor.

7. Buying milk in a bag.

8. Buying fresh eggs and they're already warm!

9. Seeing people use the street as a toilet.

10. Having beggars come up to us all the time.

11. Drinking chai everyday.

12. The smell of raw sewage while walking down the street.

13. The absence of traffic rules.

14. Riding side-saddle on a motorcycle.

15. People showing up anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of days after they say they will!

Strange picture for the week

Well, here's another one from Thailand! This picture was taken inside Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai. Yes, this is/was a real person that has been preserved and placed inside a glass box. Let me tell you, it was CREEPY!! You could see his eyebrows, eyelashes and blue veins. We were unable to find any kind of plaque to tell us exactly why this monk has been preserved in this way. If you think it's a strange picture, you should see it in person!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Dad & Mom! Thank you for always being a wonderful example of what marriage should look like. Thank you for sticking together through the hard times and for loving each other.

We love you and hope that we will be able to see you soon. We hope that you have a great anniversary as well as many more. Mom, have Dad take you somewhere nice to eat (Dad, McDonalds is not in this category).

Happy Day!

Happy Birthday Daddy! I'm so thankful that you're my Dad. I couldn't have asked for a better father or role model. I love you very, very much!

A True Father

By Debra M. Booth

Most any man can father a child for this we know is true, but to be a good dad there's a whole lot more for all these men to do.
They have to have strength to endure long days even though their bodies be tired, the love in their hearts has to show in their eyes to the child who so admires.
They have to show honesty through each day and show that life is worth living, they have to show caring in all they do in taking and in giving.
Understanding has to be a big part of the father's heart as well, and though he feels pain or hurts at times he may never, never tell.
They have a great laughter that shows in their eyes and comes rolling from within, to light up the faces of each little child as each day draws to an end.
Hopes for today, Dreams for tomorrow is what they must keep showing, and though they grow old they still feel great joy, for the love of their children keeps growing.

Happy 9th Birthday Birdie! What would we do without our Bird? I miss watching Little House on the Prairie with you at lunch everyday. We can't wait to see you in just a few more months. I hope you had a wonderful birthday and that your Dad was extra nice to you today! : ) Love you!

Wat Buppharam

This past January we had the great opportunity to visit Chiang Mai, Thailand. Someone told us that coming from South Asia, Chiang Mai would be like Disneyland and they weren't kidding. We absolutely loved it. It reminded me so much of home, slightly resembling Florida. We were there for 3 weeks but I was unable to do much touring as I was on bed rest for two of those three weeks. Aaron rented a scooter and was able to see a lot more of the city than I did.

As you may know, Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country and there are Wats (or Buddhist temples) on every street corner. We were blown away by the detail and beauty of every wat we saw. Here are pictures from Wat Bupharam - they're breathtaking!

This is actually a small wat in comparison to most others.


This is supposed to be a pure jade budda.


View from the inside.


There are dragons and other reptiles on all the wats.


More reptiles