Only 19 more days...

Already this year has been crazy busy and I've been crazy tired from the many birthday parties, work projects, and crazy band cr@p going on. And un-lucky (and ironically) for me after just getting vaccinations for both the flu and the h1n1 virus (along with 3 other shots), I found myself starting to feel ill. And even though I knew that both flu vaccinations were not live viruses, I still kept thinking that it was too much of a coincidence. A few days later after I've used up my 3 sick days for the year, and when I found I couldn't even talk from my laryngitis, I was ready to strangle the travel clinic nurse who suggested that I would need those shots for our trip to Thailand. I haven't been this sick in years.. so not cool lady! Lucky for her, I was too weak to drive down there and do the job and too mute to chew her out over the phone for over a week. And now as my voice is coming back and I am feeling a bit better, I find I can be logical once more and just accept that I got sick from stopping by that germ infested travel clinic.

Anyway, why am I talking about all this? I’ve realized there are real reasons to getting your travel shots AT LEAST 4 weeks before your trip.. you could get dead arm, sick, become mute, or end up having to go to jail for strangling your travel clinic nurse.. and you need time to get excited about your trip beforehand. Also, travel shots are VERY expensive (5 vaccinations X 2 people = $500+.. and I still need to pick up our malaria & TD pills too) so make sure you plan for that. Oh, and did I mention that getting your tetanus and typhoid shots hurt like hell afterwards.. talk about dead arm! I had serious bruising and couldn’t use my arm for a few days without it hurting. So take note and get them well in advance of your trip.

Now with only 19 days until we leave for Thailand I’m starting to feel some real excitement. ;) I guess it's time to start thinking about the details.

Here is our itinerary with Intrepid:

Day 1... Bangkok
Days 2-4... Kanchanaburi/River Kwai
Day 5... Ayuthaya
Days 6-7... Chiang Mai
Day 8... Homestay
Days 9-11... Hilltribe Trek
Days 12-13... Chiang Rai
Days 14-15... Bangkok

http://www.intrepidtravel.com/trips/TSN

Clothes I need to bring:

My cute new purple swimsuit!!! I got it from modcloth ;)
Sarong - may buy in Thailand
2 cotton t-shirts
1 long sleeve hiking shirt
1 long skirt that covers the knees for temples
1 pair of ballet flats for temples
1 long sleeve cover up
2 pairs of linen pants
1 pair of zip off pants
2 wicking shirts
3 pairs of wicking socks
Running shoes
Outdoor sandals with good grip (may buy some chacos or the like)
3 pairs of patagonia undies
3 bras

Important Items:
Travel documents: passport, travel insurance certificate, air tickets, Intrepid voucher
Money belt, cash, cards
Prescription glasses (if I can get some before hand.. eek)
Sunglasses
Alarm clock
International adapter
Our Kindles and charger..
My Ipod w/ headphones and charger
Cody's Iphone
Binoculars
Main camera with memory cards, spare batteries, charger, and lenses
Waterproof camera with memory cards, & charger
Deodorant travel size
Facial wash and lotion in 1 oz bottles
Facial Sunscreen
SPF 80
Travel Brush
Travel Toothbrush and toothpaste
2 bandanas
Chapstick / lip balm
Baby wipes
Travel Size hand Sanitizer
Travel Size shampoo and conditioner
Dr. Brennens soap in 1 oz bottle
Lock for bag (for train)
Ear plugs/eye mask for train
Language phrase book
Guide book on thailand
Insect repellent / Deet
Razer

Hiking Items
SteriPEN
Lightweight travel towel
Pillow liner (to stuff clothes in)
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Pack cover & duffle bag cover
Carabiners
Small First Aid Kit.. Malaria Pills, tiger balm, etc.
Travel size Body glide
Fleece for warmth at night
Headlamps with extra batteries
Raincoat / Waterproof Jacket ?
Hat
Roll-less Toilet Paper
Dry Shampoo
Sharpie pen
Knife, spoon, fork?

And maybe if it fits..
Hair stuff: flat iorn, bobby pins, headband, clips, and the like for my hair
TanTowel Towelettes.. 'cause i can't get a tan any other way.. lol
Makeup: Jane Iredale PurePressed Base SPF 20, some mascara, and a small eyeliner
Downey wrinkle free spray (travel size)
Shout stain wipes
Playing cards
Packable Summer Dress
Travel air pillow
Folding paper fan
Small journal and pen

Pack & Organization
Debating between my Osprey and my Arcteryx
Debating between packing cube and compression sack for clothes
Thick Trash Bag
Pack Cover
Ziplock bags
Clear zip bag for airport carry on
Laundry bag

I hate the packing part. Too bad my extra day in bangkok isn't before the trip or I could just buy my clothes there. I heard t-shirts in the markets are only around $3.00 each.. dare
I hope!?! Oh, well. Maybe I'll just toss out my sweaty yucky hiking clothes for some cute market steals. ;)

Another year bites the dust..

As I didn't blog all year, here is 2009 in a nutshell:

January - Backpacked the lost coast with Cody, Kyle, and Mia.. thought I was going to kill my hubby for how hard it was. Murder Game was released and made #1 on the NY Times.. woot woot!

February - Took ballroom dance classes with my cousin Nick. Had great times with my grandpa and the boys. Can't remember what else.

March - Filled with birthdays.. Cody, Brian, Mark to name a few. Othere then that March is a blur. Took out my nose ring.. kept getting caught on everything. What a pain. Only got my nose pierced based on a dare from my cousin Lisa.. I know that makes me sound like an idiot.. I am.

April - Moved from Ukiah to Graton. Enrolled Mia in agility. She loves it. Went backpacking in Hetch Hetchy (Yosemite) with Kyle, Ross, and Cody. Loved it. So beautiful there. Drop Motion is starting to do shows down here. Yay for the boys.





May - No longer stealing the Internet from her nice neighbors. Now I even have Comcast so I can watch the office.. very cool! Been years since I've had tv. I got my camera back from our trip to Peru and Tucson. Arlo finally sent it. I'm so happy to see those pictures! Mom made #1 with Burning Wild on NY Times!! Go mom! Mia's birthday party was a big hit. Everyone had a blast. Best birthday party EVER! The photos are adorable. My laptop died.. crashed and burned. I cried over the loss of my photos that were not backed up. So so sad. But life goes one and now I have a new one. Getting used to it.





June - I cut my hair and went red. It's now very short. Girls trip to New York with my mom, Aunt Renee, Domini, Manda, and Cece. I dragged Cece and Renee around the city with me. Saw the statue of liberty, Ellis island, empire states building, and lots more fun stuff. Even learned to use the NY subway all by myself to get Renee and I to and from Central Park. This travel stuff is getting easier. We saw two broadway shows, Wicked & Chicago. Wicked was my favorite. I had the most amazing seats too.. 6th row & center!!! Thanks to mom's publishing house for those tickets!! Amazing! I fell in love with broadway and NY.







July - Cody and I go backpacking in Tahoe with Kyle, Sco, Em, and Mia. Mom makes #1 on the NY Times with Hidden currents! Drop Motion rocked at Jasper's and Sand By the Ton in Oakland.. amazing shows! Sand By the Ton was very stange though. It was like a mini-burning man kind of thing and dress seemed to be optional. Cody turns to me after their set is over and says.. "Want to go home and watch Harry Potter? This is just too crazy." - Just 1 more reason why I love him. Our good friends Samvega played at the Hopmonk with Music for Animals.. yes!!! Great show! Manda and the girls come for a visit. Had so much fun with them on the coast. We played in the splash pad and learned to flight kites. Went to see Kelly Clarkson with Skyler Rose. Just us girls. Had a blast. Cody and I have our 4th wedding anniversary. We had yummy Indian food and went to see the new Harry Potter movie in theaters to celebrate. I thought it was our 5th.. Ooops! Too many years together has muddled my timeline.










August - Cody and I went backpacking with a Brian, Abel, Sco, Neem, Aria, Em, George, and Naria at caribou wilderness near Lasson. Mia even had some pups to play with as Hula, Zorro, and Lucky came with us. We had the whole lake to ourselves! Then had an amazing vacation with Cody. Went to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Canyon Lands, Arches, 4 Corners, Monument Valley, Mesa Verde, Great Basin, & best of all we backpacked the Grand Canyon (north to south).








September - Mom's Dark Slayer makes #1 on the New Year Times for hardcovers. I'm very proud of her. All her new books made it #1 this year.. I think that's a first. Lisa is coming to visit. I'm so excited. Then my world falls apart. Harley boy was fading fast. He lost the use of his back legs and his body was giving out. Lisa still comes to visit me. She is so sweet to tries and cheer me up. We hang at the coast with our moms and Harley. I then spent another week with Harley on the coast so he could be with my family and in the cool air that seemed to help him breath. Cody take work off too because it looks like there is no way he was going to make it through the month. My best friend was leaving this earth. My heart broke. RIP Harley Boy. I'll always love you.




October - Mia is starting to be her crazy self again and I'm starting to function. At least I can be around other people without falling apart. Cody takes Mia and I to Big Sur for the weekend to help us get our mind off of loosing Harley. We tried to go backpacking but I wasn't up for it. First time I've ever turned around on a trip. I just couldn't do it. So hard to do anything with this pain and as Alice died in October 4 years ago it's already a hard month for me. He is so sweet about it though and we manage to have a good time anyway. My Aunt Nancy had a beautiful wedding and lots of family came. We all went dancing that night and had a blast. There was even a salsa dancer there. I turned out to be a great night. Samvega has their CD release party in San Fran at the Bottom of the Hill. Crazy fun show. I'm very proud of them. Drop Motion is asked to go on local TV. They even record a nice live album there.. cool. Then Domini, Cody, Mia and I hit the road. Our first stop was Portland to visit our good friend Brandon. Then up to Washington to see Manda, Morey, and the girls for Halloween. We went to the pumpkin patch and I had my first corn maze experience. It was set up like clue. Domini, Skyler, Cody, and I spent hours trying to solve it.. only to find out one clue is missing so you can't. But we didn't care.. we had fun. I was a rag doll for Halloween.





November - Still on the road going through beautiful Canada.. British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatewan. Our mission? PUPPIES!! Borzois to be exact. My sister is getting one and we are brining one back to someone in CA as a favor. Stopped by Kathie’s for a few hours. Just enough to sleep and get back on the road. Good seeing her and Travis and Tanner. Can't wait to get back to see all our Utah pals. Utah has made a place in my heart. Back in time for last Drop Motion show of the year. Boys won't play again until Feb of 2010. It was a blast. Cody takes me spelunking for my birthday and I repel into a huge cavern.. amazing! I love my hubby. Thanksgiving is crazy.. lots of food, family, and fun. Perfect.













December- Crazy crazy month. Meant to decorate and put up a tree. Never happened. Tons of problems with the Cobb house. Cody spent most of the month working up there. I spent most of the month on the coast with family. Lucky mom had 4 trees so I didn’t feel so bad not having one. My sister came up for two weeks with the girls and her hubby. We had a cookie party, shopped for presents, wrapped presents, saw the Princess and the Frog and had movie nights. Christmas was wonderful. New Years was quiet. We stayed home and watched When Harry Met Sally and tried to see the Blue Moon through the fog. Just Cody, Mia, and me. I miss Harley Boy.