A Day at Dallas Arboretum

In May 2009, we bought a membership to the Arboretum in Dallas. We knew that when Kaylee gets here it would be the pefect photo spot. We went with Lee-Ann's mom and dad, and Noom's brother, Neab. If you look at the pictures, it's not hard to guess who is who.

It was a hot day, so naturally Lee-Ann wilted not very far into the trip. We plan on going back this fall for some photos of us with a new addition, so check back soon!

First Glimpse of Kaylee Mai Purtthipatkool

9 Weeks on Jan 30, 2009

11 Weeks on Feb 11, 2009


12 Weeks on Feb 19, 2009

18 Weeks on April 6, 2009



28 Weeks on June 9, 2009

Cancun, Mexico

On October 30, 2008, we had our late honeymoon in Cancun. We were there until November 2nd, but it was nowhere near long enough. We stayed at Le Blanc Resort. If you are planning on going there, you should definitley consider staying here.

The resort was all-inclusive, so we could get almost anything we could imagine. There was always plenty to eat and drink. There were four bars in the hotel, and five restaurants. As you probably already guessed, we love buffets, so the lunch buffet at one of the restaurants was a big hit with us.

We were able to lay out by the pool and have whatever drinks we could think of. Luckily, they had a menu since neither of us are big drinkers. The weather was beautiful, and there were enough clouds most days that Lee-Ann could actually lay out. Unfortunately, the first day was very sunny, so Lee-Ann did have a sunburn the entire trip.

It rained occasionally, but the only thing that meant was more time to hang out in our room. The room was beautiful. It had its own jacuzzi in it overlooking the ocean. Our view was beautiful. When it did rain, we were able to order room service and make our own drinks from the fully stocked bar in our room. We think that the resort wanted to make alcoholics of us!

We have gone on plenty of vacations, but this one was by far the best. It was nice to get away for a few days and not have to worry about work or bills or any of the other daily stressors. We were able to turn our cell phones off and do absolutely nothing, and not feel bad about sleeping in. We are just looking forward to the next time we can go.

Second Visit to Thailand

In May of 2008, we went back to Thailand. It was a lot more relaxed this time, since Lee-Ann had already done most of the touristy things during the first trip. There was a lot of sleeping in this time around, and a lot of shopping.

We went during the rainy season, so it was hard to do a lot of things outdoors. If we were out at a market shopping, without fail, it would rain and we would have to go indoors somewhere. It was fun, though. We got to see a lot of different places.

Our favorite memory was the dinner cruise on the Chao Phraya River. At first Lee-Ann wanted to sit inside because she was worried about the humidity, but it turned out to be a beautiful night, and sitting outside was definitely the better option. It was a clear night, and the lights were beautiful. The food was from a buffet, but it was very good. We were serenaded by a guitar-playing trio, and entertained by traditional Thai dancing. The trip lasted about two hours, and took us to see the length of Bangkok. It was a touristy thing to do, but Noom was glad that he went, since he didn't do many touristy things when he lived there.

We got to go see our friend Aew, who went back to Thailand a couple of years ago. She used to work with Noom in a restaurant when she lived here. Now she makes and sells jewelry. We were glad to see here; it had been a very long time. We had a lot of catching up to do. She took us around the market that she worked at and had us try some interesting food that we had never had before. After that, she took us to a very nice international buffet, because she knows that we are the king and queen of all things buffet ;)

After hearing Noom talk about his high school friends since we met, we finally got to see all of them together. Lee-Ann had already met Louis and Rhat the first time we went, so she was anxious to meet them again. Noom was excited to meet everyone. We met at a little pub, and ate like kings. His friends wanted to make sure that we didn't go hungry. They didn't know that we ate before we got there, though. There was live music, which was nice to listen to.

Abe

Abe is our family dog. He is a Yorkie/Poodle mixture. He really fits our laid-back lifestyle. His hobby is sleeping. We say that he is the anti-dog. He hates playing outside, and doesn't like to share his toys with anyone. He is the friendliest dog that we have ever met, though. He will go up to anyone and automatically start trying to give them kisses. He is happiest when he is sitting on someone's lap. We got him right after we moved into our first place, which was around August of 2006. He has a bad habit of snorting when he gets excited, so whenever he meets someone new, he snorts at them.

Stats:

DOB: April 6, 2006

Favorite Toy: Lambo the stuffed lamb (at this moment)

Favorite Food: Science Diet for Senior Dogs (don't ask)

Favorite Place: Under the bed

Favorite Friends: Dazey and Elmo...and anyone else that he comes across

First Visit to Thailand

After hearing Noom talk about Thailand since we'd met, finally, in June of 2004, we took a trip there. We stayed in Bangkok with his family. Noom hadn't seen his family in two years, so it was time for him to see them again. I just needed a vacation!

Most of the time, we stayed in Bangkok. There are so many malls there; it wasn't hard to find something to do. The shopping and dining were definitely an experience. We were able to eat a lot and not worry because in Bangkok, it is usually easier to walk everywhere.

One of the neatest places we went to was the Grand Palace. It was previously the residence of the King, but now it is open for visitors. If you are ever in Bangkok, it is definitely a place to go.

Chinatown was definitely a new experience for me. There were all kinds of street vendors selling food that I had never seen before. Noom hadn't been there in a long time, so he was out of his element as well. Thankfully, we were there with a few of his friends, so they took us to the spots that were worth our time. I don't even know what half of the food I ate was, but I do remember trying shark fin soup! That is something I can guarantee that I will not try again.

We took a train trip to Kanchanaburi, the site of the Bridge on the River Kwai. When Japan invaded Thailand during World War II, prisoners of war were forced to construct this bridge. After we had toured it, we stopped in a graveyard for all of the US, British, and Dutch soldiers that lost their lives. It was a sad experience, but we were glad that we got to experience history firsthand.

Another place we went was Ayutthaya. You might not recognize the name, but you have probably seen it in movies. It is now in ruins, but it used to be the site of a city, with temples and a palace. What is left now are the remains from a Burmese invasion.

There are many places to visit in Thailand. If you want to know more about it, click here for a website that shows you many of the different places to see.

Recipe: Chicken Satay

Chicken Satay

Ingredients
6-8 chicken breast strips
Marinade
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
Peanut Sauce
9 oz peanut butter
1 14 oz can coconut milk (enough to make sauce creamy)
1/3 c tamarind juice (may adjust for taste)
1 Tbsp brown sugar (may adjust for taste)
1 tsp salt
Cucumber Salad Sauce
1 cucumber, coarsely chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, thinly sliced
2 shallots, chopped
4 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp sugar

1) Combine the ingredients for the marinade sauce. Add chicken. Let stand overnight in refrigerator.
2) Combine ingredients for Cucumber Salad. Let stand overnight in refrigerator.
3) Put chicken on skewers.
4) Grill chicken at low heat for 7 minutes, or until evenly cooked. Keep brushing the chicken with the marinade while grilling.
5) In a medium sized pot, bring coconut milk to a boil. Add peanut butter. Stir continuously until blended. Set temperature to “low”.
6) Add tamarind juice, brown sugar, and salt to peanut mixture. Keep stirring until well blended.
TIP: If the peanut sauce looks too thick, add coconut milk until desired consistency is reached. If more coconut milk is added, you may have to add more brown sugar and tamarind juice. Adjust for taste.

Recipe: Aloha Chicken Kabob

Aloha Chicken Kabob

Ingredients
6-8 chicken breast strips, cut into 1 ½ to 2-inches strips
2 bell pepper, cut into bite size
1 medium onion, cut into bite size
1 can diced pineapple with juice
10-15 cherry or grape tomatoes
Marinade Sauce
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
3 tsp pineapple juice

1) In medium mixture bowl, making marinade sauce by mixing soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh lemon juice, and pineapple juice (for making chicken meat more tender) together.
2) Put chicken into the marinade mixture.
3) Cover the bowl and leave the mixture bowl in room at temperature for about 2-4 hours or in refrigerator overnight.
4) Alternate ingredients on sticks or skewers. Keep the marinade sauce.
5) Grill at low heat about 7 minutes or done on each side. Brush with marinade while cooking.

Our Home

This is our first (and hopefully last) home. We lived in an apartment when we first were married, but realized very quickly that apartment life wasn't for us. We were married in November 2006, and had the house in April 2007, if that illustrates how much we were not apartment people.

After moving from a third floor apartment, we both promised that we wouldn't move again for a very very long time, if ever. We started our search in Carrollton, but just weren't finding anything. I was starting to get frustrated, but on a whim, Noom moved our search to Allen. It didn't take long before we found this house and fell in love with it. We are still having fun making it our own, and having a blast adding our personal touches to it.

The front yard has been our pet project since we moved in. Below are a couple of pictures of what we had to work with when we first got here. It wasn't pretty, but we both wanted to try out our green thumb. Noom realized very quickly that he is a natural at gardening. I, on, the other hand, do have a green thumb, but it points downward. I still like to look outside and admire the view, though. The picture at the top of the page is what our yard looks like now. Below left is the first look we had of our house. The picture to the right is what the yard looked like before our massive landscaping undertaking.

Las Vegas 2005

For Ann's 21st birthday, we went to Las Vegas to party it up! It was the middle of July, and they were in the middle of a heatwave. The temperature never got below 110 F during the day. We found out one morning that the previous night, Caesar's Palace overheated and lost power! We stayed at the Aladdin, luckily.

Whenver we go on a vacation, food is always on our mind. We literally stuffed our faces at the Spice Market Buffet. They had all you can eat Alaskan King Crab legs.

We tried our hand at gambling, but the only jackpot we hit was $20.00. No worries, though. It was still a lot of fun. Lady Luck just wasn't with us on that trip.

On Ann's birthday night, we went out for a nice dinner, and then a limo ride around Las Vegas. It was nice to drive out into the desert and see Las Vegas from afar. It is such a bright city!