Dear loved ones,
This week was an adventure as we spent the past 4 days staying at 3 different hotels and touring a total of 10 venues with the Hokes (Senior missionaries in Hong Kong) for next summer's Asia Area YSA (Young Single Adult) Conference. The Hokes have been assigned to organize and lead the YSA conferences for most of their mission. We met them last year when we attended the event as Senior missionary helpers and patriarch (John). They are a great couple. Their mission is ending soon, so it was fun to reconnect with them and join them in their quest for a good venue for the event. We are home and in our PJs on this Friday evening. John is enjoying a BYU basketball game (that he recorded while we are gone) and I am trying to get this blog written!
We love you and miss you and keep you in our prayers! Thank you for your kind letters, texts, emails, and prayers!
As always the pictures tell the story best!
With love,
Elder and Sister Brady (mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, John and Shelly, and so on)
Last Sunday we attended church in Bangkok because Elder Brady had a blessing scheduled in the afternoon. We are so glad we went to the international branch that day because, lo and behold, who should we run into, but Patea Ruffin and her grandchildren, including dear Navi!
Patricia (Patea) is from our home ward in Gresham, Oregon and she has moved to Thailand!
We absolutely love this bundle of energy, joy, and faith!
Navi was one of the young women I served in YW back home. She was also one of my campers when I served as a YW Camp Unit mom (with Katrina) in 2023 and 2024! She is friends with our granddaughter Charlotte and was in Katrina's cabin at camp this past summer 2025!
Going back in time to the day before (Saturday), we decide to eat some yummy hamburgers before we started our fast. These smash burgers are about a 1 mile walk away and worth every step!
This little burger shack is called Barney's Burgers and they serve our favorite burger here in Bangkok!
We had some tater tots too in case you are wondering!
Earlier that Saturday, I got a pedicure. My feet needed this.
Moving back (or forward) to Sunday -
We went outside to the 6th floor balcony to take a picture with the sun shining directly over the temple!
Sunday afternoon it was time to break our fast with this giant chocolate bar from Trader Joes. Special thanks to the Howards for this yummy Christmas gift.
"Look, it's only 140 calories for the whole bar," says John!
After 140 calories worth of chocolate, it was time for a friendly game of cribbage.
John won. Enough said.
Sunday night was our monthly Senior missionary zoom meeting. It is a nice time to connect and update each other on what is happening in our neck of the missionary woods.
I have no pictures to prove it, but Tuesday was just a day in the office! So let's move on to Tuesday where we headed to our first hotel inspection. I love that the Thais keep their Christmas decorations up for the New Year Celebrations and the New Year's celebrations carry on for a long time! It is the 9th of January as I write this up and Christmas was still up everywhere we went!
Hello.
I have always loved looking at houses and hotels! Looking at pretty things make me happy!
This is the convention center area lobby of one of the hotels.
This bellman was so friendly and we loved his uniform!
Here is another hotel's lobby outside the ballroom.
This little walkway over water was inside the hotel's restaurant.
We ate dinner here and breakfast the next morning.
Dinner on Tuesday evening. I settled on my favorite Thai food! Well, I should say, one of my favorites!
Som Tum and chicken with sticky rice! Yum!
The beautiful hotel pool at night!
A view of Bangkok from our hotel window.
A view of a Thai Wat outside of our hotel window.
A view of me on a treadmill! I usually walk the stairs for exercise, so it was fun to use a gym.
Day 2 of hotel scouting. Wednesday. I don't remember where I was! It was all a blur!
The hotel we toured on Wednesday was close to the temple, so we walked over between appointments to show the Hokes the temple grounds.
It is a little bit cooler, but the skies are still so clear and blue!
This is the Golden Tulip! So pretty!
I love how pretty this bathroom is! How many times can I use the word pretty in today's post?
This pool at the Grand Richmond Hotel was beautiful! Unfortunately, it is right next to a busy freeway and the open windows made for a very noisy pool space.
The view of the sunset was stunning though!
Another gorgeous convention center lobby!
Here we all are in the elevator on our way to tour some hotel rooms! Hokes, Bradys, Europa (from the County Office), and our tour guides!
Picture time before we say goodbye to the Grand Richmond.
I love this art! I don't know why this is now blue and underlined! But I am too tired to change it!
Another gorgeous lobby!
The Novotel Impact gave us a free 5 minute massage to let us experience how wonderful their spa was!
It was indeed wonderful!
Dinner buffet at the Hyatt Regency by the airport.
Dinner of course means 20 desserts for Sister Brady!
The beautiful pool at the Hyatt!
This is so gorgeous at night!
The artwork is so pretty.
Inside the lobby at the Hyatt.
Good morning breakfast.
I don't know what building this is, but I liked it.
Ice and Europa from the Country Office came with us to visit most of the sites. Europa was kind enough to get Burmese lunch for us. It was so delicious. Ice helps us with travel and cars fulltime in the mission. And Europa is helping with the Book of Mormon translation from English to Burmese.
This lovely pool was at the Eastin Thana City Golf Course.
This house was across the street from the resort and reminded me of homes we see in the USA. I had never seen a home like this in Thailand! It was so cool!
The lobby with Christmas decorations at the Golf Resort.
This beautiful lobby was at the Grand Four wing Convention Center Hotel!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Same hotel, lovely fountain.
A view from the hotel room. You can see the Bangkok skyline on the top left (way off in the distance).
This ballroom seats 1000! We only need around 300 seats!
Well, it is Saturday night now. I did not get this finished on Friday evening like I had hoped!
Thank you for reading!
Spoiler Alert . . .next week's blog will be titled:
Happy One Year Mission Anniversary!
So long!
HOW TALL IS ELDER HOKES??!! Goodness! What a great gift of chocolate for John. I hope he shared... while defeating you at cribbage. We keep saying how happy and healthy you both look. What great memories you are accumulating! We just started another block and another year with our Pathway mission. Loving it! Things are good here. This morning, Dick Stagg and his grandson, Luke, helped us out by taking all of our cut and split wood to Edie. It was 36 degrees while we worked. No snow yet, which is okay by me. Have another fabulous week while celebrating your one year mark! God be with you, as always.
ReplyDeleteHello! Elder Hokes is 6'7"! He towered over all of us! Ummmmm . . . I consider any chocolate a gift for me!! Unless it is dark chocolate. John can have that! So, I was kind enough to share with him. I just needed to clear that up. The sunny skies, fresh fruit, and occasional giant chocolate bars are keeping us healthy and happy! Well, the great missionaries and people here in Thailand keep us happy too! I love that you are on a pathways mission! I am sure you two are the best ever!! How wonderful of Dick and Luke to help deliver wood in the freezing cold! Edie who?! Enjoy the no snow!! While it does get too hot here, I do not miss the cold! 2 more days to the one year mark! We can't believe it! Thanks for reading the blog!
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