Merry Christmas! No new updates. We had a very restful Christmas and are looking forward to a very Happy New Year.

Beahler's annual art project... pumpkin carving

Gabe and I are really big into one art project annually - pumpkin carving. Gabe is quite artistically talented when it comes to carving those big orange spheres. I haven't downloaded the pictures yet, but I will post them soon, so stay tuned.
This year, we went on a date down to Olympia and had so much fun picking out our pumpkins. We searched and searched and searched through the fields and finally found some decent pumpkins, but they weren't perfect. Then, while we were standing in line to checkout - there they were, the perfect pumpkins. We threw them in the back of the truck and away we went to get some coffee and shake of the cool autumn chill. A week later, the night before Harvest Day, we sat down and got to work.

Thailand

Some of you may be wondering why, after so many "Preparing for Thailand" posts I didn't ever post about our trip to Thailand. So here is the post, post going to Thailand...

We had a fabulous time. Thailand is beautiful, the food is amazing and the people are wonderful. We prayed for more people than I can count and Gabe and I are excited to go back.

Here are some pictures from our trip...

Team Thailand

Riding the Tuk Tuk Taxi

Go DAWGS!

For months, I've been asking my hubby (a senior at the University of Washington) if we can go to a football game in Husky Stadium before he graduates. A few weeks ago, he suprized me with tickets! We are going to the game this Saturday and I'm so excited to sport my new purple Huskies' hoody.

Yes, we are LOST golfers

Not too long ago Gabe offered to teach me how to golf. Our first trip to the driving range was not the most encouraging experience for either one of us, but each successive trip has gotten better and better. On August 9, 2008 Kimberly Beahler went golfing for the first time. Gabe took me golfing again on August 11 and we are going yet again tonight.
Golf is the perfect sport for us- I love walking and Gabe loves competition.
Since I don't own golf clubs currently, I am borrowing a set which I carry around in a bright pink golf bag. Between the scooter and now the golf bag, Gabe never has a problem finding me. All he has to do is look around for bright pink and BOOM there I am.

We also started getting into the TV series LOST this spring. It only took us about a month to get through the first 2 seasons and then we paced ourselves with season 3. Now we are deep in the heart of season 4 and loving it! Our dear friend Claudia has been our LOST buddy and endured with us through almost every baffling episode. We're looking forward to season 5!

As the July dust settles...

The month of July was a whirlwind for us. We were in Thailand the first half, in and out of town for work in the middle and off to California for the last week. Phew! Now it's time to unpack the suitcases, mow our overgrown lawn and try to find the kitchen table that I think is hiding under a pile of papers. The good news is the garden in my backyard is going crazy and we'll have more zucchini than I know what to do with very soon.
We started planning our 1st Anniversary weekend excursion. Let the good times keep on rolling!

Preparing for Thailand 3

We're so excited we leave in two days! Gabe and I packed our bags on Sunday and they are sitting in our living room ready to go. The suitcases are filled with summer clothes and a lot of over-the-counter meds in case we encounter anything crazy in Thailand. We have a final meeting with our team tonight and then Wednesday night we will be at the YMCA and get in a good two-hour workout before our 18-hours of traveling.
Update: I just checked the weather for Chiang Mai, Thailand and it's monsoon season, so we'll need to pack the rain jacket and umbrella too. There is a 40-60% chance of percipitation the entire week we are there.

Preparing for Thailand 2

We are getting closer and closer to our departure to Thailand and still believing the Lord for the provision of funds. Our team has already received donations large and small from so many people and we are thankful and excited to go.

Recently, my sister-in-law sent us a list of don'ts in Thailand:

Don'ts
*Do not show physical affection between guys and gals…even married people- no hugging, no kissing, no holding hands, no touching in intimate way of the opposite sex- at the home of blessing men do not touch the girls at ALL…in prayer times only have women lay hands on the girls
*Do not show anger- anger is very offensive. Not something they show.

*Do not argue with leaders or elderly.
*Do not show the souls of your feet and do not point with your feet, do not step on money (because the king's face is on the money)
*Do not speak against their government and especially the King…they are extremely loyal to the King and love him
*Do not speak against our own government
*Do not mock other religious people or the temples- show respect and kindness
*Do not compare how Americans might do it
*Do not give money away to children at the home of blessing, or to beggers on the street- if you feel led to give money away then give it to the leaders of the home of blessing
*Do not touch people's heads or point to people's heads
*Do not shake people's hands unless they offer it first, try not to use your left hand for anything
*Do not show disgust with bugs, food, housing situation, or city. Do not complain.
*Do not make eye contact with people of other sex on the street
*DO NOT DRINK THE WATER!!!! Even for brushing teeth…unless you won't to make new friends with the toilet

It seems as though we are in for quite a culture shock. I think the biggest problem for my 5'10" stature will be to wai (bow respectfully). The goal is to be lower than the elderly or respected person and Thai people are not known for their height. :)

Preparing for Thailand

In two weeks we fly to Thailand on a mission trip and we still don't have money or plane tickets, but we are believing the Lord for both. We need to raise $3,000 to cover the cost of the flight, food and lost wages from taking unpaid vacation time.


Our trip will be in northern Thailand near Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai. We will be visiting the Home of Blessing, the home of 150 girls who have been pulled out of human trafficing. We will also be visiting and praying for leading pastors in preperation for a pastor's conference in Thailand next year.


Gabe is excited to be going back into doing mission work (he grew up on the mission field) and we are both excited to pray for and speak God's love into the lives of the Thai people.




If you are interested in donating, you can contact us and we'll hook you up with a tax write-off!

Scooters are fun!

Back in February, Gabe and I purchased scooters. They get 90 miles to the gallon, go up to 60-70 mph and we can take them on every road except major freeways (like I-5). The scooters have improved our quality of life because they are not only saving us money, but every ride feels like we are on vacation or a date. It's wonderful! Last weekend, we rode them up to Seattle (see picture - the mirror on Gabe's bike is blocking the Space Needle). Other than having some sore bums when we got home, it was a blast! We hit up Alki beach for lunch at Spuds Fish & Chips and then scooted around downtown until we wound up at Seattle Center. In true Seattle fasion, we picked up some coffee at Starbucks and went to the International Fountain and watched some kids run around and get really wet.

Team Beahler starts to blog

Hi and thank you for taking the time to read our blog.

Gabe and I have been married over 10 months now and we are loving every minute of it!