Bangkok

So we changed our plans for the weekend and stayed in Bangkok. We still had a list of things we wanted to see and with the threat of all the floods we decided it would have to be sooner rather than later. I am glad we did because things we saw on Saturday are under water today! We took a river boat to all the historical monuments like the Grand Palace. On Sunday we went to the Bangkok International Ward. It was nice to hear things in English. Great weekend! Next weekend we are headed  North.

I felt more like taking the pictures than being in the pictures ....

Southern Thailand

Thailand has been treating us well! We had an amazing weekend in southern Thailand this weekend. We flew into Krabi and took a ferry to the Phi Phi (pronounced pee pee.. hehehehe) and then to Railay (cute name huh? ). It honestly was one of the most beautiful places Robert and I have EVER been. I felt like I was in heaven all weekend… or at least what I hope heaven is like………Islands in all shapes and forms, turquois water, tropical fish (you could see without snorkeling gear), bungalows on the beach for $16 a night, monkeys, long tail boat rides, yummy food, fire dancing, caves, kayaking, hiking, limestone cliffs, stalactites (stalagmites???), $6 hour oil massages (can you tell I am flabbergasted by how cheap everything is?). I wanted to freeze time and then bring everyone I know here!  It should honestly go on everyone MUST SEE list. Write it down Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Leh and Railay 

(I put lots of pictures up on Facebook if you care to see)

Robert went back to work Monday afternoon. He really likes his rotation. It has nothing to do with what he is going into but he says it is interesting and informative. He has seen some rare things that you only read about it text books. Not to mention it has been really relaxing.  He goes in at 10 and is home by 3. I spend my days reading, laying out at the pool, working out, roaming the neighborhood.. and of coarse blogging …. Rough life huh? I feel kinda guilty with all this ME time but I know when real life picks up again I will long for these days.  

Bangkok is an interesting place… traffic, pollution, crowded, dirty… (“Wait don’t you live in NYC?”.. you ask.. YES but NYC has my heart)

We are planning to go to Northern Thailand this weekend (Chang Mai) and am excited to ride and elephant and see the long neck tribes.

Thanks for reading!

We made it to Thailand!!!

We arrived in Thailand with a flawless trip! I guess we were expecting the worse and were pleasantly surprised. We had the entire row to ourselves so I sprawled out and slept the entire 12 hours... so did Robert ... except when he was playing the in-flight trivia game and beat everyone :) The flight in was beautiful. The landscape is thousands of acres of rice fields with sporadic extravagant Buddhist temples.  We took the air train (much nicer transportation than NYC)  to our hotel. Our room is on the top floor (21st floor) and overlooks all of Bangkok. We are right next to an elementary school so I feel right at home:) I can hear the kids singing and chanting all day. I seriously could look out this window for days.. there is so much going on. Our room is basic but nice and clean. We have 3 American channels on our TV but I think I prefer the Thai channels.. they are hilarious. We spent the first day sleeping, unpacking, and eating! The food is… well maybe I just haven’t ordered the right thing yet?!?! (I hope) It seems all the fish still have the eyes,  the chicken still has the skin and everything else is coated in a film of slim. The breakfast has a few more American options so I will survive J We worked out this morning.. Robert is determined on getting in shape for the iron man. There is a pool on the top floor along with a nice work out facility. We are noticing how large we are in comparison to Thai people. The pool is very shallow on one side and gets deeper on the other side. I laughed when Robert got in because the water went up to his shin J I must have created bad karma cause when I got on the bike I skinned my knee because my legs were too long. Robert went into work today. He says  the hospital is really nice. It is about 2 miles away from the hotel so he takes a tro-tro (a colorful four wheeler????)  Everything is SOOOO cheap. Robert came home for lunch so we went to the local supermarket to stock up on H2O and Diet Pepsi (equally important J). Walking through grocery stores in foreign countries is one of my favorite things to do (very interesting). I just spent the last hour talking to the front desk (everyone in Thailand speaks decent English and most of the signs are in English) about all the things we should do while we are here… I am so excited. Now I just need to convenience Robert to play hooky from work J

California

Smith girls know how to travel! We took a lil' trip to southern cal and had a blast. We initiated our newest girl to our girls trips'..... Hailey!

She is a great addition.

I overlooked my vendetta against Disneyland and actually enjoyed it. The perfect weather and no lines helped!












And of coarse spent time at the beach.....



It was a great trip! Thanks mom and DAD for everything!

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Friends

My latest trip to ut I really wanted to make an effort to see old friends. I have been really bad about it on my last few trips. But .... It made for a GREAT trip. I was a little apprehensive about contacting some of them because it had been so long but I am so glad I didn't let it hold me back. I have some of the greatest friends that have made a huge impact in my life. If I ever write a book they will each have their own chapter!
I am so mad that I didn't get pictures.... Grrr!
- Ashley and her great husband ( who I finally meet)
- Staci and her adorable little boy
- My high school friends.. And their crew!
- Becca... Is the best!
- John and Melanie... Could talk to for hours (oh wait I did)
- Jen.... Would love to be just like her
- My Redwood Elementary family... Amazing teachers (who are the only reasons I survived my first 2 years of teaching)

- Sarah ... My amazing sister in law!
( our trip to the aquarium)



I also enjoyed spending time with my family and enjoying the out doors.







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For real this time...

Robert asked if I would make our blog private... at least until residency applications are done and over (March).

So anyone and everyone.. leave your email and you will get an invite!

If you left your address last time I tried to go private you will get an invite!

http://robertandlindsay.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2010-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&updated-max=2011-01-01T00%3A00%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=50

Working out in the city...

Working out in the city (summer only) is one of my favorite things to do... (too bad eating is also my favorite thing to do in the summer!)

Tribute to the Sun
Riverside does free yoga classes several times a week. This might be may favorite. We lay our mats right along the river and pay tribute to the setting sun!

Yoga in Fort Tryon
Fort Tryon is a hidden jewel of NYC. Most tourist don't make it up that high on the island so it is quiet. Sometimes I think I like it more than Central Park. All the trees and bushes are over grown. During yoga I have seen skunks, beavers and bats.

style-span">Thai Chi in Bryant Park
It seems like Thai Chi has been the new "thing" lately. Bryant Park has free classes on Tuesdays. Thai Chi is a lot like yoga (holding one positions for long periods of time) but you are standing the entire time. Occasionally you get to yell things out and make karate sounds!

Jackie O

This past month, Robert has been commuting to the East side for his internship. I ride the subway with him to Central Park and then dodges taxi's on his classy Huffy bike to the East side. I go for a run around the Jackie O. It is amazing to watch the sun rise over the city!


Bryant Park Yoga

Free yoga in Bryant Park. Over 500 people attend. Beautiful view of the city sky line. Kinda weird to have so many tourist watching and taking pictures.

Summer Streets
The last 3 Saturdays of August they shut down 5th ave from the Brooklyn Bridge all the way up to Central Park. Robert and I ran the whole route. It was amazing to run in the middle of what is usually a busy street.

Park under the Brooklyn Bride
This one is on my list for this week!!!

This has been Robert's idea of working out lately. Poor kid, he is working around the clock!

The other day I was on the subway going to Central Park for a run. I was watching some kids break dance on the train and noticed one of them looked like an old student. He looked at me and his eyes got huge. I ran over and gave him a hug infront of all his friends. He was embarassed! Haven't seen him in over 2 years. Totally made my day!

Now if I could just stay away from Levain Bakery, all this working out would make a difference :)

summer favorites

We have less than a week left in the city before we head out on our 2+ month adventure. I am excited for our adventure but I am sad to leave the city. I love this place. We have tried to get the most out of the city before we leave. Here are a few of our favorite things....

American Idol Concert in Central Park

I couldn't think of anyone better to go to this concert with than Ashley. She is an American Idol guru. I have spent several Tuesday nights at her apartment watching American Idol for girls night. It was fun to see the AI crew up close. There is nothing fake about their voices.

Pia... aka... Robert's BFF! The story is told that she came into Columbia's hospital to do a benefit concert. Robert passed her in the hallway and she winked at him. Back off girl... he's mine!

Tenement Museum

This has been on my list of things to do for a long time. I was excited that Robert planned it into one of our dates. They take you through old apartments from the late 1800's and talk about the history of NYC.

Summer Stage at Lincoln Center
Live music and lots of dancing!



Shakespeare in the Park
Every summer they put on FREE Shakespeare plays in Central Park. The theater is pretty amazing. It overlooks the pound and castle. It is pretty hard to get tickets but if you are persistent enough it is possible.

Food Truck Festival
On Saturday a group of our friends got together and went to South Sea Port. All the gourmet food carts from around the city invaded the streets. It was delicious!
*** pictures from Maddie's blog and yahoo


Our good friends, the Hansen's, are headed off to Boston.. sniff, sniff.. Jonathon is like Robert's brother.. seriously. They have gone through the ups and downs of medical school together. Ashley and I have conquered the city together! We will miss them dearly!

In between Robert's rotation at Columbia and Hospital for Special Surgery he wanted to get out of the city. We decided to take a trip to Gettysburg and knock it off our bucket list. We made a pit stop in the Amish Country and Hershey. We had a really good time.

Amish Country

Hands down.. the best pretzel..... I have ever had... Robert and I still talk about it!

buggies rides

Gettysburg

These guys are die hard civil war fans. We sat and talked to them for over an hour about the Civil War!

Beautiful, wide open spaces

Robert listening to the history of physicians during the Civil War

adorable little restaurant

Hershey, the sweetest place on earth!

The second you get off the Hershey exit you can smell chocolate in the air.. no joke!

Chocolate tasting

Chocolates from around the world.