Playing Catch Up.

We've been home for almost a week and I finally feel like I'm getting into the swing of things. Unpacking was easy and getting adjusted to the East Coast was easy... for two of us anyway!  Our little babe decided it was way more fun to stay on West Coast time. :-)  Thankfully the last two nights have gone better than the previous four nights!

I was somewhat nervous going into our month-long trip out West, mainly because it was the first time we were on deputation without our car.  Up until that point, we were used to being in new places on new adventures ~ always in our car. :-) So, yeah, our comfort zone was gone for a month and replaced with planes, borrowed cars, trains, buses, RVs, and hotels.  We just kept rolling along and trying to be flexible!

But as usual, the Lord worked out all the details and we met some wonderful people along the way. My husband and I marveled at the way the Lord (once again!) met all of our needs, right down to giving us a place to stay when just the day before we were wondering where we were going to pillow our heads for the next night!

The West Coast is absolutely beautiful, and we only saw parts of Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. :-) I used to think Pennsylvania had mountains... nope, guess again!

Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska

We are grateful that our deputation travels have taken us to some amazing scenery across this great country! There's nothing like staring at a beautiful mountain and feeling pretty puny. :-) Add to that Paul is one of the most traveled babies I know of. This kid has already been to 22 states... and counting. :-)

Alaskan mosquitoes took to Paul and left their mark. Two weeks later, and he still has a couple of marks on his face! He was a pretty happy camper through it all and thankfully most of his bites took place just a few days before we left Alaska.  I told our friends who live there that I'm going to have a really hard time picturing Alaska being cold and snowy because it was so hot and full of mosquitoes while we were there. Oh, and it was light outside for 22 hours.  Sheesh. 

We had a wonderful time in Alaska spending time with our friends. We were in the Interior, which isn't your typical picture of Alaska. We did get to see grizzly bears, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, mountains, mountains, and more mountains! There aren't too many major roads in Alaska, and most of them are around Fairbanks, which made it convenient for us. :-)

Paul's latest adventure is cruising around, with a lot of help from Mommy and Daddy. :-) He has attempted to crawl, but doesn't quite make it... although it sure is fun to watch!  Now that we're home, we're hoping he doesn't get too bored with being in one place.  We plan to be in PA for most of the summer, with a quick trip out to Ohio to help friends with vacation Bible school. I'm grateful for the time home to spend with family, friends, and trying to pack our apartment up for our move to Thailand.

We have our tickets in hand and we plan on leaving November 5 - just a little over four months away. Downsizing our apartment into eight suitcases is going to be a wonderful challenge.  I was thinking again this morning of how I'm going to do this and was ready to burst into tears at the thought of leaving my home.  We've spent three happy years in this little apartment, but being sentimental is not going to get things organized! I think I'll have one good cry over it and then get to work. :-)

The Days (Months?) Just Slip By...

According to my blog, apparently November just didn't happen. At all. :)

Thankfully it did... since it was the month of Thanksgiving! Nat and I have a lot to be thankful for; but then again, doesn't everybody? I recently said to Nat, "I am really content with my life." As soon as I said that I thought to myself, "Wonder what storm is coming up in my life." Yes, a storm came but that doesn't change the fact that God is still in control. And I'm thankful for that...

A few changes have been happening in our lives... like a new baby. As in baby nephew:). This little guy is #12, making the count 3 nieces and 9 nephews. Unfortunately I have begun the habit of looking at a kid and calling him/her by a cousin's name. Twelve is a lot to keep in line:).

Because #12 made his debut the other day, I get to watch his two older siblings for the next several days while his mommy recovers from having him. This is going to be fun and will include adventures like Bounce U, hide-n-seek, and PB&J sandwiches. :)

I recently started working in my church's office again... after a three year break. It was kind of a yay:)/sad:( time because I love working in the office, but it meant leaving the bakery. :( If I ever figure out how to be in two places at once, I'll let you know. I greatly enjoyed working at the bakery for the past two years, but that season came to a close.

I know that my time in the office will be short-lived as well but that's for a great reason: deputation is just around the corner! We have been waiting and praying for a long time and we're thrilled to be getting in position. We're hoping to have some local meetings in the early part of 2012, and then head out full-time in April. Just one step closer to Thailand!

Before we start 2012, we need to finish 2011, which includes a fantastic road trip to the Lone Star State! I love my in-laws (good thing, huh?!) and we're fixin' to spend some time down there practicing our "ya'lls" and "howdys":). I have a feeling my accent is going to be a dead give-away!

Happy Fall!

My candles are burning, there's cooler weather outside, yummy pies in the fridge for later with friends... and a delinquent blogger finally blogging. Yeah, that would be me. :)

A friend recently asked me about my blog (with the subtle hint of hey, are you going to blog again in your lifetime?!?) and I realized that my blog has been neglected because of an answer to prayer. Wow, that sounds like I don't like blogging, but I do! About a month ago I began to ask the Lord to fill my time because I was fast slipping into the boredom stage. Working one day a week, no children to take care of, and a small apartment to maintain wasn't quite filling all those hours in a week. :).

The Lord really answered that prayer as opportunities began exploding out of everywhere (so it seemed) and like I told a friend this morning, I feel like I'm on a roller coaster!

So the one thing that did get neglected is this poor blog of mine. Oops.

~~~~~~~~

I'm attempting to stretch myself in a few areas, including learning new things. Nat and I are eventually heading back to Thailand, so I've tried to start learning Thai. My friend Pookie would probably fall over laughing at my pathetic attempts at writing the Thai alphabet, but I needed to start somewhere!

I also started piano lessons, which is a b-i-g stretch for me! I played the cello for four years in middle school, but that was a looong time ago. Thankfully I have a really nice teacher... so now it's practice, practice, practice!

Recently I've been trying lots of new recipes, thanks to Taste of Home! I really missed cooking while in Africa, so now I'm making up for it. :) Last night I made an apple pie from a recent ToH magazine, but tweaked it a bit. One of the ladies at church gave my husband and I a bag of organic apples so into the pie they went! Mmm, mmm.

So that's life in a nutshell. Our days are busy and long, and we're tired at the end of each day, but it's a good tired:).

And now it's time to get ready for the Christmas cantata practice. Nat and I have some lines to memorize. :)

Sweet Seasons.

Summer is coming to a close.

We joined some friends in playing volleyball this evening, but I know summer is just about done because we could only play until 8:10. That included straining our eyes to see the ball fly through the air and counting every ball that went over our heads as out.

Yep, summer is ending.

After church was over last night, I walked home (in the dark of course) and felt the slight chill in the air. We don't run our air conditioners anymore; just open windows and the occasional fan. I have lived in Pennsylvania my entire life so I know that we'll get one more hot spell before summer slips away for good.

I enjoy the fact that here in Pennsylvania, we actually get all four seasons. Just about the time I tire of the current season, the winds of change blow. I'm not tired of summer yet, but the kids are back in school, the fair is going on this week, the weather is changing - it's time to move on.

Besides, autumn brings joys of its own: sweaters, candles, tree leaves changing colors, and hot apple cider. Mmm, mmm!

Ecclesiastes 3:1 ~

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

Full Steam Ahead!

We're not ones to sit back and let the grass grow under our feet so in keeping with tradition, Nat and I plunged head long into projects immediately after returning from Africa. We did give ourselves a day to recover... naturally:).

Thankfully jet lag worked in our favor and we really only had it for a day, which was absolutely lovely. My first Sunday back at church was mostly spent with little kids. They really grow up on ya when you leave for two months! I also got to hold Jackie's little guy - finally:). He was born right before we left for Africa so between getting ready for a big trip and the teen girls, there was no chance to say howdy to him:).

Nat started back to work right away too which was a good thing since two of the guys on staff took a group of teens on a missions trip to West Virginia and another man joined staff that day. Of course Nat had a pile of stuff to sort through; two months was a long time for accumulation to take place!

We did break away last Thursday for a quick anniversary trip to Washington, DC. We had a rather short list of things we wanted to see, bu ended up only going through 2.5 museums. Yes, we are those people who read every. little. thing! It was so nice to get away, even though we were just "away" in Africa. The big difference was the lack of seven other people on this little trip:).

Saturday morning we left DC bright and early in order to come home for a very sweet friend's wedding. Traffic had other ideas though:). Thankfully we made it home just in time to change and go over to church. I wish I had a picture of Jen's wedding but they are all on my husband's phone and he's currently on the phone:). It really was a blessing to see though since my friend waited for God to bring the right man into her life. Most girls get discouraged waiting after the age of 25; Jen patiently waited several years past that age and it was well worth it!

Another very dear friend of mine traveled from Tennessee to Pennsylvania for the wedding, so we had her over for lunch on Sunday afternoon. That was priceless. Our friendship has endured over the miles, but it sure is good to have a 5-hour-face-to-face chat every now and then too:).

Today we had yet another couple over for lunch. They too are from Tennessee and were up for a brief visit, so we were quick to jump on having them over. There are too many friends I have said, "see ya later!" to in the past month that it makes me long for Heaven when there will be no more goodbyes.

Tomorrow I'm connecting with two more friends; Wednesday is my normal babysitting day (gives my dear sis-in-law a break!); Thursday I hope to see another sister and her two kids; Friday and Saturday we'll be seeing Tierany (Nat's sister) and the rest of Nat's family up in New York; Sunday it's back to church and then.... Monday. I'll start back to work after three months and I'm looking forward to it!

So in the midst of keeping up with people in real life, you'll have to forgive me for not being as faithful to this blog as I would like:).

Cooking With Betty.

I was given approximately 12 cookbook/recipe holders for my bridal shower and I must admit my first thought was, "oh boy, here we go!" I like to cook, but it's not like I churn out gourmet meals or anything like that. Plus my dad has always been a basic meat-potatoes kind of man, so I never deviated from that routine (hint: it always helps to keep the man happy with the kinds of food he likes!). I learned that hint the hard way after trying new dishes on my dad, who promptly looked for the old and familiar dish;o).

With the turning of the page into wedded bliss, I knew I had one very big advantage on my side: Nat loves all sorts of food (with the exception of scrapple and liver and onions). So I determined to start putting all those cookbooks to good use!

Of course it helps to have them handy, although I'm not entirely satisfied with their resting place:

It also helps to have cute Longaberger baskets nearby to compliment the look and feel of the kitchen:o).

I must say my favorite cookbook so far is the old tried-and-true one of Betty Crocker. Any recipe I've looked up in that red book I have tweaked, but that's the luxury of being the cook:o). So far I have only burned one meal (go here to read that story!), and overall I'm happy with what I've been able to do.

Gourmet? No.

Happy husband? Most definitely!

Life In A List.

In no particular order, here are some (interesting???) recent events in the life of yours truly (um, that would be me!)

• I got my engagement ring cleaned yesterday and can't stop looking at it today! It's so shiny:).
• 25 days until we tie that knot! Ok, I realize this is a future event rather than a recent event, but the countdown is faithfully noticed each and every day:).
• Nat and I got together with my brother and his family last Thursday night and had a great time! It's so nice to be able to hang out as "couples."
• After a huge decision-making process, I've decided what towels to go with for our new bathroom and kitchen. Riveting, I know! Ya'll just about fell off the chair from fascination, didn't you?
• Amanda had a birthday today (technically she still has it since there is another hour left in this day) and I've delighted in reading the various facebook messages that have been left for her, especially ones from Nina and Rachel. My funny bone has been tickled by these two gals!
• For the first time in almost six months, I didn't have a lunch table come in to the bakery on Saturday. None. Zippo. Which was rather saddening since I like to interact with the customers so much!
• So I'm looking forward to serving at a catering party tomorrow night for 45 ladies - all members of a sewing club. Kudos to them for sewing and getting together! Perhaps their talent will rub off on me???
• Sunday night the babies in nursery decided that was the night to do some "whoopsies" which resulted in some "boomsies." Very, very technical terms.
• Nanette's little cutie had us in stitches towards the end of the night when she couldn't make up her mind to laugh or cry. Her face would scrunch up in preparation for the cry, but at the last minute would be turned into one of her super-adorable smiles, courtesy of a nursery worker making some faces:).
• My sweetie and I are joining a crew from church and heading off to summer camp next week. I'm in unofficial camp mode since we're doing the games for camp and have started planning them all out. I'm having a blast and can't wait for next week!
• I just figured out that the sound coming from the kitchen is not the shuffling of papers caused by the air coming from the fan; oh no --- it sounds like a mouse to me. Oh joy!

News, news, news.

• News item #1: I'm back in good, ole' PA. Earth-shattering, I know!
• News item #2: My trip out to the mid-west was most amazing and so timely. More to come later.
• News item #3: It's amazing how seeing my handsome man smiling in a picture makes me giggle and grin, smile and sigh:).
• News item #4: I don't think #3 was as newsworthy as I think it is!

~Only 67 more days!~

Update, Update, And More Update.

Well, anonymous, you asked a very good question!

What's the point of having a blog if you don't use it?

At least post an update about your relationship, how your planning the wedding, updates, updates, updates...

The funny thing is *ahem* I've thought of doing that very thing a couple of times over the last few weeks:). It's now 2 AM and since I'm wide, wide awake and I've already finished my marriage counseling homework, I figure I'm going to take anonymous' suggestion and give an update:).

For starters, this past week was a l-o-n-g week. Nat left on Monday night with a group of teens and adults for an independent baptist student competition in Illinois ~ hence the reason the week was l-o-n-g! I'm not quite sure how Jackie managed to have a long-distance relationship for several months before she got married, but I'll be the first to say it's not meant for me! I've been so spoiled by being able to spend so much time with Nat, and this week showed me just how spoiled I (we) have become! Between the schedule out at the competition and my work schedule, Nat and I had an interesting time trying to connect this week. The times we were able to connect (hello midnight hours!), Nat was very tired so we had to keep our conversations pretty short.

It was pure bliss to be able to see him this morning -- excuse me, Saturday morning! -- for a couple of minutes before I left for work and then he came back over after I was done working. The way I figure it, we have three more trips coming up -- he'll be taking one and I'll be taking two -- but that shouldn't be too bad because they are quick 3-day trips and we won't exactly be limited by two constraining schedules.

It's so nice to have Nat home:).

~~~~~~~~~~

Ah, yes, the wedding plans! I haven't really posted much about the wedding, have I? Well, according to Bed Bath & Beyond, we have 104 days until the wedding! I must confess I've not been the blushing bride-to-be that has all the days, hours, and minutes figured out; rather, it has been easier for me to say "__ months to go" and leave it at that:). So in keeping with the tradition I've started, we have 3.5 months to go!!!

There have been a couple of neat things in regards to the wedding that I'm so thrilled about:

1. Nat and I have been planning it together. I've always wanted to be able to plan my wedding with my future husband and Nat enthusiastically jumped right in with both feet:).
2. We've not had one problem with people pushing their own way or plan. Our parents haven't put pressure or certain obligations upon us, for which I am grateful!
3. Planning the wedding hasn't been stressful for us. We've just slowly and methodically gone from one detail to the next without getting all frenzied or hysterical:).

Right now I'm in the midst of securing fabric for the bridesmaid dresses. The Lord has clearly blessed in so many of the wedding plans, and He did so again last Saturday night! A while back Nat and I found some fabric at Joann Fabrics that we liked for the bridesmaid dresses and I was able to go up last week and get half the fabric I needed at a fraction of the price! God blessed with a special sale (end of the bolt) and a 50% off coupon! I bought all the fabric the store had, so I just have to go to another store to get the rest!

I've yet to buy my dress, but I know exactly what I want. I found it online so I didn't even have to enter one bridal store and try on gown after gown ~ that suits me just fine! I had my fill of bridal stores years ago when a friend of mine got married:). Lord willing, I plan on buying my dress within the next couple of weeks and a friend of mine is going to alter it for me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Nat moved into an apartment a month ago and that is going to be my new home! I had thought of going over and decorating/organizing it, but then realized that it wouldn't be any fun to have things just so and then.... return to my parents' house:). So we decided to wait on the whole decorate/organize thing until closer to the wedding when it will be more reality than a dream:).

~~~~~~~~~~

In the meanwhile, I've started the process of going through all my stuff (code word - junk). I'm shaking my head in amazement because I had a huge yard sale before I left for Thailand in August 2008 and now I'm wondering how all this stuff (junk?) crept back in since I came home from Thailand in September 2009. I didn't even go to that many yard sales since coming home:). But it will be fine because I have one more opportunity to have a big yard sale before I move. It's amazing what I thought I needed 10-15 years ago I now realize that I don't really need in order to set up house:).

~~~~~~~~~~

Of course in between everything else I'm still working at the bakery and am having such an enjoyable time! I love interacting with people, so needless to say, I'm having a great time with my job! God's been good in providing opportunities to speak for Christ and I'm so thankful for that. People -- whether they are co-workers or customers -- are always interested in hearing I've been to Thailand and plan to return. I'm often asked what it was like and what I did there... talk about open doors!

~~~~~~~~~~

This update has been l-o-n-g (but not as l-o-n-g as this past week was!), but now I'm feeling a little bit tired so I suppose I should retire for the night (morning?). My sweetie is preaching at a church in Jersey in the morning and I get to go along with him:).

*Happy sigh*

Why Hello Spring!

*Cough, cough*

It's been a bit dusty around here with all the lack of posting going on, ahem.

I'm not quite certain who to blame that on, but I have a feeling a certain charming man might be part of that reason♥.

Ok, I can spread the blame to a crazy work schedule and also to the fact that spring unofficially sprung the other day and completely lured me outside with visions of volleyballs and bare feet on a sand court. I must say, it did not disappoint and I was blissfully happy to play after a very l-o-n-g absence from my favorite sport!

Continue on, spring days! I have renounced my love of all things snow and hot chocolate.... at least, until next winter:).

Spontaneous Road Trip!

In the hopes of surprising Rebecca, I never mentioned I was heading out to the Midwest over the weekend for a quick visit. I assure you this trip was *quick* in a couple of ways: (1) we were only out there for three days (2) the idea popped into my head to go only last Tuesday (3) I somehow convinced my brother-in-law and sister to tag along for the weekend 24 hours before we left:).

My parents really were planning on going out for a visit, and when I found out I had off from work on Saturday (and I always have off Tuesday and Wednesday), I decided to ask off on Monday so I could go along with my parents. In talking with my sister Thursday night, she asked me my plans for the weekend and I told her about the trip. I mentioned how I was going to share some wedding ideas with my sister-in-law (who is in the wedding) and then jokingly said my sister should come too so I could have two bridesmaids in the same room to talk about plans.

I didn't think she would seriously say yes... but she did:). After talking with her husband, and me offering to help drive out with them, Friday morning they decided it was a go. This was the best weekend for them to take the 11-hour trip since they're both teachers and had off Monday. We headed out Friday night, and along the way I called my sister-in-law in the Midwest and told her *surprise surprise* that I was coming out. I failed to mentioned so were three other people, but knew my brother and sister-in-law well enough to know they would be so surprised and would love it:).

The expressions on their faces Saturday morning made it worth it all! They couldn't believe my sister and her family would travel all that way for pretty much 1.5 days. We had such a good time and, as I mentioned above, it was so much fun to see Rebecca's face on Sunday morning:). Good times!

We were crazy enough to drive through the night Friday night and then stay up Saturday night playing games, but it was so much fun to spend time as a family and to laugh:).

Two of my nephews ~ Trevor (7) and Andrew (4).

Trevor and his daddy (my oldest brother Jack).

Lake Michigan is right down the road and while it is so much more fun to be at the lake in the summertime, we still ventured out on the snow-covered lake and snapped a few pictures:).

The expression on his face is absolutely priceless! Trevor is autistic, but has grown in so many different ways. When he saw me Saturday morning he said, "Auntie Anne! You CAME!!!" as if he knew all along I was coming:).

Some More Various And Sundry...

I'm jumping on the ever popular bandwagon of delayed blogging by being fashionably late with these pictures from last weekend's snow:

My first snowfall in almost two years! After being in the tropics last winter (with my brain knowing what temperature it was supposed to be outside), my joy was endless as I saw the white stuff fall from the sky:).

My mom's rose bushes... um, minus the roses:).

Snow and my little car ~ two things I greatly missed in Thailand!

~~~~~

In other unrelated and thereby probably only interesting news to me, Nat is gone for the weekend to Iowa. Usually he is gone for part or most of the weekend to New Jersey, but in this instance I think he is a little bit farther away than normal:). He did mention to me last night that he has finished part two of his side of The Cliff-Hanger Series and is working on part three, so that should be posted soon!

~~~~~

As I sat in my church's service this morning, I was reminded again of how good God is to me. The pastor was preaching from John 6 about the disciples in a storm on the Sea of Galilee and it just struck me that God is there in every single storm. There's never a time when He is overtaken with the fear of "what to do." It sure was a good morning spent in the Lord's house, wouldn't you agree?

Various And Sundry News.

As one commenter pointed out in the last post, my time has been taken up with a certain charming young man, in addition to all the other family members that came streaming through our house over the Thanksgiving holiday.

And you know what? That's ok:).

I really did enjoy having all my brothers, sisters and their families in for Thanksgiving though. It's very rare to get all of us together at once - hence the two group shots in the post below. We know to snag the shots when we can! Plus the rest of the family got to meet and interact with Nat... which they did very well:).

In the midst of family visiting, I started a new job ~ which has been an incredible blessing. God completely provided for me and I was -- once again -- overwhelmed at the way He orchestrated it all out. I am working at a bakery and catering place doing all sorts of things. My favorite part is interacting with customers. It's fun to get to see the "regulars" and to help out wherever I'm needed. The days are long, but are definitely worth it:).

The Christmas program at my church has also been snatching my time away, but it has been a great blessing getting involved with it. We took a break for several years of doing this particular program, so it's exciting to be actively involved with it again and to expect God to bring a couple of thousand people across our way!

There, I think I covered most of what I've been up to ~ family, finance, new job, and Christmas program:).

Well, I'm off to the races again! Enjoy your day:).

Border Trip.

A few team members and I went to the Thai border on Tuesday and returned today - a whirlwind of a trip, but much took place while we were there! Below is a video of about 20 men unloading a container packed full of boxes containing God's Word in a regional language:

There is nothing quite as thrilling as seeing God's Word printed in a different language! Of course unloading the container was just half the job. We don't want to keep "the seed in the barn" and so we started distributing some of the books this morning, which was a real blessing to do.

While passing out these booklets, five of us were walking down a muddy, rain-soaked road, attempting to reach some more people. I was trying to stay out of the mud puddles (as much as possible) and as I took a step on what I thought was solid ground, my left foot sunk into a pile of mud... sandal and all! Good thing I got that pedicure last night;). There was nothing else to do besides pull my mud-covered foot out and keep walking down the road. It was pretty funny to see! We just continued down the road (*squish, squish*) until some kids had compassion on me and threw a bucket of water (already used once for soaking fish!) all over my legs and feet. Those little kids got down and did a pretty good job cleaning up my sandals and feet! I don't think anyone got a picture, although I did see a video camera come out... of course!

Lest you think that was the only embarrassing thing I did today, I have another rather amusing story to dispel any thoughts on that matter:). As we drove home today, we stopped at a rest stop that included several little shops, a gas station, and a 7-Eleven store. I had just woken up right before we stopped, so apparently I was still sleeping when this incident took place:). I walked over to the 7-Eleven store and waited for the doors to slide open. That's what happens at the 7-Eleven right down the street from my house, so I guess subconsciously I was expecting the same thing here. I knew the doors opened because I saw people inside, so I just kept walking up to the door waiting for them to open. My mortification was deep when a smiling store employee came over and pushed open the door for me! I'm sure I turned five different shades of red while the Thai people (customers and employees!) all tried not to laugh at the farong who couldn't open the door.

*Sigh*

Just another day in the life of Anne:).

Elephants On Sukhumvit.

"A lumbering grey shadow can often catch your eye as you drive along one of Bangkok's most polluted and congested streets, Sukhumvit.

And so it is that spotting a huge elephant, dodging the tuk-tuk motorcycle rickshaws, the ubiquitous taxis and blizzard of traffic is nothing out of the ordinary."

(Read the rest of the article)

I can definitely understand this news article I found at CNN, as I've seen these elephants around Bangkok (like the one pictured above).

Just another instance of life as usual in Thailand!

Wandering In To Say Hi. [*HI*]

Hello!

I'm still alive (which is a good thing because how weird would that be having a dead person typing on this blog??? Strange, I know.)

Anyway, we had a whirlwind of a trip to the border and came back today to be hit with a mega-load of problems, thankyouverymuch,devil.

With that said, I think I'm going to bed. What a day!

Btw, I did get a new pair of brown Hush Puppies tonight, after wearing my Wal*Mart special brown sandals for six years. Shoes are so refreshing and fun to shop for, don't you agree?

Solitude.

I am, by nature, a person who enjoys solitude. Don't get me wrong; I'm also very much a people-person, but I usually need some time to myself daily. Actually, to make that statement completely true, I use a lot of my time alone to pour out my heart to God. I tend to pray or sing out loud and it's just a wonderful time to worship and praise the Lord. The rest of my time I use to think, piddle, write e-mails, blog, read or ding around, as Krinny calls it:). Granted, it's not very exciting, but it's just a part of "me" :D.

In America I would often jump in my car and go for a drive or go walking at a local park ~ just ask my Mom:). Obviously I can't do that here in the Land of Thighs (to quote my friend Emily!), but thankfully it's worked out for the past six months that the early morning hours and late evening hours have been my "solitude" time. Pookie and Carolyn aren't early risers and at night Pookie goes over to her friend's house while Carolyn goes to her bedroom (and to clarify that last part - Carolyn did that from the very first day she was here... she wasn't forced to go; I think she wants some "alone" time too:D). I'm so thankful for that alone time I've had and appreciate it even more so now, as it's temporarily gone since we've added a new roommate for a month or so.

I was thinking about this today as I took a quick walk to the market across the 10-lane highway. I just needed to get "out"; I'm fairly confident we all have those moments! The walk was pleasant and as I picked out a watermelon and oranges, I was so thankful I live in a country where I can go by myself to a market and not be worried. I might not find too much alone time during the hectic week (we do have 10 people on our team right now!), but I thank the Lord for the gem of just going for a walk.

Of course that walk included being so incredibly hot and sweaty ~ 95 degree weather will do that to ya! A khaki skirt probably wasn't the best option to wear for my walk:). As the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers... :)

Putting Sneakers To Good Use.

A few weeks ago, I was reading Rachel's blog and almost jumped up and down at this statement:

"This is a world where cockroaches in the kitchen do not necessarily mean a dirty house."

She is talking about her African experience, but that sentence crosses the ocean and applies to Thailand too. I cannot tell you how many cockroaches I have (a) seen in my house (b) killed in my living room alone. In fact, just a few minutes ago I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. I grabbed the nearest shoe and thought I squelched it, but when I turned on the light, I apparently only got a wing. Ugh. A few minutes later, a limping cockroach (I've never seen one like that before!) came crawling out from under an end table and, well, that's the end of him!

I could also tell you about the impossibly huge brown spider Carolyn and I found in our kitchen a month ago. Pookie had just gotten done telling me how this new spider was found in Rangsit (our little town - by the way, I just killed my second cockroach of the morning!) and how this spider bit a boy and the boy died from it, so the comfort level wasn't very high in our kitchen as we came face to face with the furry thing. Carolyn eventually grabbed a broom and swatted it to death.

There was also the time I was walking up our (dark) stairs to go to bed, blissfully ignorant of the fact some sort of insect was already bedded down for the evening on the seventh step. When I stepped on it, I felt movement under my foot and quick darted up the stairs. Now every evening I shine my cell phone light onto the stairs to scare away any creepy crawly things. You may ask why I don't turn a light on. Well, that's because the light switch is only at the top of the stairs:).

Rats, rats, rats and monitors only add to the excitement here in Thailand. But in reality, we're not ever surprised when faced with these creatures because this used to be a jungle. We went to a refugee camp in January and as we passed the old camp, the only thing that told us thousands of people ever lived there were some steps hacked into the side of the road. The jungle had completely taken over what used to be a thriving place less than two years ago.

In the meanwhile, we keep on killing the bugs and insects that make their way into our house. Just don't tell me what's running around in the ceiling. I can just imagine. If the scratching is any indication, a family reunion is taking place!

Oh, I just killed my THIRD cockroach and it's only 7:15 in the morning.

Yuck.

More Useless Information About Me.

Because I have nothing better to do with my time on this sunny Saturday afternoon, I decided to post this list I found on Facebook. Oh, and is it just me, or are there tons of lists popping up everywhere on Facebook? Just wonderin'!

Anyway, feel free to copy and post this on your own blog. The instructions are really easy: place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. See? Very simple:).

Things you have done during your lifetime:
( ) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
( )Been to Hawaii
(X) Been on a plane
(X) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost - umm, countless times! Visitation memories, anyone???
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
( ) Swam with Stingrays
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
(X) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose - more times than I remember!
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
( ) Danced in the rain-naked
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone - every morning with Theresa:). It's dark when we start walking, but is sunny by the time we come home!
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( ) Driven across the United States - almost! I've gotten as far as Wyoming:)
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving - no, nada, not happening!
(X) Gone snowmobiling
(X) Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
( ) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
( ) Seen the Grand Canyon - not yet! That's a dream vacation of mine:)
(X) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
(X) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
( ) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World - decided not to after seeing the parking lots. Seriously! My sister lives nearby so every time I go to Florida that's one of those unavoidable things.
(X) Been in a rain forest - oh wait, they probably mean a *real* one:D. I suppose aquarium ones don't quite count, huh?
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls - sadly, no. Please hold all shock and appearances of being appalled. I plan on rectifying it when I return home!
( ) Ridden on an elephant - you would *think* I would have done that already since I live in Asia, but the opportunity hasn't presented itself yet.
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying - huh? What's that?
( ) Been water-skiing/tubing
(X) Been snow-skiing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( ) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
() Swam with sharks

To Sleep Or Not To Sleep. That Is The Question.

If you should happen by our blue/pink house between the hours of midnight and 2 AM, prepare yourself. Someone is probably walking or talking - in their sleep.

Two nights ago was one of "those" nights. While I try to be in bed by 10 PM (with tonight being a rare exception since I can't sleep.... gotta love irony!), Pookie doesn't normally make it to bed until after midnight. On this particular night, I was sleeping when Pookie came in. Normally she doesn't wake me up (that's always a plus since I'm not, ahem, at my best when aroused out of a deep sleep!), but this time she unintentionally woke me up. Or rather, her laptop did. Here Pookie was under her covers with her computer on, trying not to wake me up. As you can see, that plan worked out rather well;).

But wait! It gets better!

For Christmas, the girls from my church office sent over a box chock full of items, including Christmas cards. One card in particular plays into this little drama. It was a musical card that proclaimed, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!!!!!!!!" You might think those exclamation points are a bit of an exaggeration, but I assure you they are not. Yes, for some reason, this card starts off at 1 AM singing, "It's the most wonderful time of the yeeeeeeeeear!!!!!!!!!!"

Christmas might be the most wonderful time of the year, but I can guarantee you 1 AM is NOT.

We both ignored the song, and before too long, it stopped. Just as I was about to step back into the land of sleep, I heard, "It's the most wonderful time of the yeeeeeeeeear!!!!!!!!!! Ding, dong, Ding! Dong!" Now keep in mind we were both tucked away in our beds. We have no idea how the card started playing; it just did. I hopped out of bed and rather forcefully shut the card. I contemplated throwing it out in the hallway, but that would require being fully awake to perform that function, which I was not. (Have I mentioned how delightful I am when I'm aroused from sleep?!? :D)

I have no idea what time this next incident occurred; all I remember hearing Pookie say is, "Anne! You're talking!" To which I replied, "All I said was blah, blah, blah." By the time I got to the part about what I said, I was already drifting back to sleepy land, so I really have no idea what I actually said.

5:45 my alarm went off - it's a lady with a British accent saying, "The time is 5:45 AM. It's time to get up." - and I always tell my phone to be quiet for pity's sake: Pookie is sleeping! And I'm normally still sleeping myself when this conversation with the phone takes place, hence the reason I'm talking to a phone!

Theresa Lange and I try to walk every morning, but that morning my eye was burning like crazy, to the point I was crying out of one eye (which is very weird, I assure you!). So instead of walking, I decided to go back to bed, hoping that closing my eyes would help. As I crawled into my bed, I had some sounds coming from Pookie's bed. Knowing that I cannot fall back to sleep with background "music" serenading me, I said, "Pookie! You're snoring!" To which she replied, "Oh. Sorry." I eventually drifted back to sleep before Miss British lady woke me up at 7:30.

In telling the story to Carolyn the next day, Carolyn was (and is!) very thankful she is in a room all by herself. Can you imagine if there were three of us in a room? Let's just say ear plugs and eye masks would be passed out at the door:).