2011, here we go.

New Year's Eve was lovely and low key. I was at the Gailey's and we played some rock band, hung out, did henna and counted down until midnight. On cue, the clock struck 12 and we ran outside, shot silly string and watched some fireworks.

2010, it's be great. 2011, I'm planning for some new adventures.

My very first henna to celebrate the new year. Thanks David!

2010, it's been a good one

January:

This was when I stated blogging again, stalked mailboxes and went to physical therapy twice a week. I was getting ready for some changes. I was thinking about transferring schools, learning patience, and a tornado came through Huntington Beach in these awful storms we were having. I then headed back up to Chico.

February:

Got into the routine of my semester, had a wonderful Valentine's Day up in the mountains, Cardinal and White track meet, Sunday hikes with Desiree and discovered the claypits with Luke and got my care horrifically muddy.

March:

I dislocated my shoulder for the second time. I was in the pool with Luke and Christina who were kind enough to take me to the hospital. I stayed in Chico for Spring Break which consisted of BBQs, Kristi's visit, and I went to my second Colbie Caillat concert.

April:

Chico celebrated their famous Cesar Chavez day and Andrea came to visit me for her Spring Break. And this was when I officially decided I was not transferring, but going to Thailand in the fall instead.

May:

I endured my ridiculous schedule, had track meets and in my spare time went out to the clay pits. I survived finals, had another fun week at the cabin to celebrate the start of summer (which resulted in two black eyes and a huge goose egg), and then I packed up and headed home for summer/surgery. I then had surgery and hung out with my favorite miss Sarah Martin.

June:

Dog beach, painted Andrea's room red, physical therapy, and taking summer easy.

July:

Happy 4th of July! I went to Pleasanton and Lake McClure. I went boating with Sarah and had my birthday in Catalina.

August:

I went on an amazing road trip from Huntington Beach --> San Francisco --> Clearlake --> Chico --> Lake Shasta. I got home and them packed and left for Thailand. I left for Thailand on the 16th, and started school shortly after that and had some of our first bonding night in Bangkok.

September:

Did a lot of sight seeing around Thailand: Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Full Moon Party, Flooding, and I fell into a hole.

October:

Taught english camp, studied for mid terms at Koh Samed, had a Halloween party and saw Benny Benassi in Bangkok.

November:

I went to Hanoi, Vietnam where I got to see one of the 7 wonders of the world. Celebrated Thanksgiving and Loy Krathong and was introduced to both Disher and Beep in Koh Chang.

December:

I went back to Vietnam, but this time I went to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon). Studied for finals, packed up, went to Chiang Mai and the moved out. I then moved in with the Gailey's, went to Bali and explored Bangkok.

2010, it's definitely been a year for the books (or more literally the blog). It's been a wild adventure in which I've grown up and experienced so much. It has far exceeded any of my biggest expectations. I've made made new amazing life long friends, strengthened old relationships, and made so many memories. I'm sad to see this year end, but I'm excited for the events that 2011 will hold. Happy New Years!

1st class movie and flowers

We got back from Bali on Monday, the 27th, and the rest of this week has been a much needed break. I'm now just in the countdown until my parents get here on the 3rd. We've spent a lot of time at home just hanging out, Laura and I packing up, and some wandering around Bangkok. Tuesday we went to run some errands and went to MBK and Little India (which we actually found on accident, it's within China Town). I got really pretty material that I'm going to see if grandma can make into a skirt for me and these wonderfully obnoxious sparkly sandals with little bells on them.

Wednesday Ron, Heidi, David and Many went to Ayutthaya. Laura, John and I hung around the house, went grocery shoppping, went out to lunch and then went to pick up Mandy and David's things from the tailor in town. We all went to movies that night to see Tron, first class. It was a wonderful experience. Recliners, served popcorn & drinks, they even brought us a blanket.

Thursday morning the girls went to go look at jewelry, I got a tuk tuk charm! That afternoon we went into town to get John a guitar, the girls wandered off and into a wholesale perfume shop. You know the designer permume and cologne that you buy in department stores for like $60-$90 or however much it is, we got it for about $10...and that was the expensive ones. I love Thailand and it's hidden little money saving secrets. Oh and this one isn't so hidden but I've also gotten movies for $2.50 and Rosetta Stone for $6. It's been lovely. Then after that we all took a tuk tuk over to the flower market, that was really fun to see.

Today is Friday and I'm just hanging out,blogging and getting together the last minute details before my parents get here on Monday. It's New Year's Eve and I think we are going to party really hard later with some rock band.

Unconventional Bali Christmas

So this Christmas was a little unconventional. I'm still abroad and I've been able to meet the wonderful Gailey family. They invited me to go to Bali with their family for their Christmas vacation. This last week or so was a whirlwind: study for finals, take finals, pack to move out, pack and go to Chiang Mai, got back to Rangsit to grab my stuff and take it to the Gailey's, unpack from Chiang Mai, repack for Bali and then I was on the plane the next morning. (hence why it's taken me a few weeks to update the blog). John, Ron, Laura and I flew to Bali a day before the rest of the family. We got there and headed out on a 3 hour drive to get to the other side of the island to an area called Tulamben. We stayed at a dive resort called Mimpi. We settled in and wandered around a little. The next morning we woke up, got some breakfast and went for our first dive. We dove the House Reef, it was a bunch of metal welded to look like a plane and sunk that is now covered in coral and all sorts of little creatures. Just before our second dive of the day Heidi, David and Mandi got there. We then went to do a wall dive which was amazing. We saw a baracuda, a HUGE sea fan, octopus, bright blue starfish and so many other things. The next day Laura's ear was bugging her a bit so we decided to take the day off from dives and just hang out. The next morning we did a wreck dive. It was a ship from WW2 I think? It was called the Liberty and it was pretty much just sunk to get it out of the way. It was really neat to see how everything was growing in and around the ship. That night we went on a night dive that was really exciting. You can literally only see where you flashlight it pointing. I've discovered that I love night dives.

Christmas morning we woke up and went for a dive all together. There weren't any gifts exchanged but we all spent time together playing card games (5 Crowns and Trash) and that night we all decided as a gift to each other we would all share something we liked or appreciated about each person. It ended up being such a good time together and was a good reminder of what Christmas is all about and reminded us to really appreciate those around us. I missed my family, but I also felt right at home where I was. Later that night after they Gailey's had gone to bed came my family time.

Skype, it is a wonderful invention. My family has a tradition, absolutely no one is allowed downstairs until mom and dad have been woken up, gone down and gotten the camera set up. Then the four of us stand on the stairs in our PJ's, smile for a picture and then proceed to our stockings. We were determined that this tradition shouldn't change so despite the time difference, I got on skype and was there with my siblings as we walked down the stairs, I smiled for the pictures and watched them get into their stockings. I'm so grateful that I was able to be with them, even just through skype, on Christmas morning.

(I also got a wonderful surprise e-mail that made me smile)

So although unconventional, it is definitely a Christmas to remember. I'm so grateful for this time a year and the way it brings people together. I'm so grateful to the Gaileys for adopting me these past few months and for inviting me to be a part of this special Christmas. I'm so grateful for the gospel and that I know what this holiday really celebrates and that I have found so much comfort and knowledge from my faith. I'm also so extremely grateful for my family. I miss them so much, but they have been so good at supporting me on my adventure these past few months. I can't wait until my parents get here so I can share a little bit of this adventure with them. I love you. Merry Christmas!

Chiang Mai

Everything packed and ready to move out of Penthip. A handful of us decided to go on one last group trip to Chiang Mai. Oona, Stig, Lori, Sarah and I hopped in a cab and headed to the train station. It was our first adventure on a sleeper train, left about 9pm arrived about 12 hours later in Chiang Mai. We've been spoiled with the warm Thailand weather. Chiang Mai was definitely a lot colder than anything we expected. We were scrounging around trying to put together warm outfits out of our summer clothes. We stayed at a lovely little place. The first day we decided to go up to the Doi Suthep Temple. It was one of the more spectacular temples that I've seen here. We wandered around and did a little bit of shopping too. I got Austin something really neat that I'm excited to give him. Then the next day was our big day. We did the "Flight of the Gibbons" zip-line adventure. It was SO much fun. We got picked up bright at early at 6:30 am and headed into the trees. We had a really good group, it was a lot of fun. The zip-line course was great, there were so many different lines and we actually saw a gibbon! That night we did a little shopping (or a little more than a little shopping), but we got some good things. The next day we went to the zoo where we visited the pandas, fed giraffes and saw many other exciting animals. We then headed back to the train station to head back into Rangsit. It was a really good trip and definitely a good way to end the semester. I can't believe how quickly this semester has flown by. I'm still no sure how I feel about not being here in a short while. I'm going to miss everyone!

Goodbye Rangsit!

I've been awful at this lately. So catch up time, I went to Vietnam again with Lori and Sarah. I went to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) which is in Southern Vietnam. We were the first customers at this new hostel, it was so nice...and I had to pay the wonderful sum of $6 a night. Not too bad if you ask me. My first trip to Vietnam was amazing and beautiful but one thing I liked about this last trip was that I got to see a lot more of the history related to the Vietnam War. We went to some old war tunnels and to the war museum. It's really different and an interesting experience to hear the war recounted from their point of view, it's amazing how much of history is left to interpretation. I experience my first taste of Indian food, it was so good! I'm gradually becoming more cultured in my food preferences, it's a wonderful thing that I'm not a picky eater at all.

Then this last weekend we all stayed around town to study for our finals. I took my last one earlier today, yahoooo! Another semester done with. The grading system here sucks, so I think my GPA is going to take a little bomb...but we'll see. And this experience was amazing, I wouldn't have given it up for anything. Yesterday I packed up my room, took the picture off the walls and emptied all my drawers. It's so strange to see a place you've called home for the last few month just become another empty room. Tonight is my last night in Rangsit and it's bitter-sweet. I can't believe I'm not just going to be able to walk out front of my room and see at least 5 people just hanging out. I'll especially miss being around so many people who know my and my habits so well. It's been so fun getting to know all the little things about everyone, it honestly feels like a big family. These last few months were better than anything I expected. I'm going to miss everyone, I love you guys!

Thanks Manel and Katrine for this!

thai speech

Sorry, I realize that my last post was the worlds longest summary of a week...but it really was a good weekend. (the main reason for it's length was that I really didn't want to pay attention in class and I was using this as my distraction). Vietnam round two this weekend! I was planning on going to Cambodia, but things changed and the opportunity presented it to go to Ho Chi Minh, in the south, so I decided it sounded like a good option (I went to Hanoi in the north a couple weeks ago). I just need to leave the country somewhere so I can get another little 30 day stamp. I'm excited to see some of the history and hang out with the lovely Sarah and Lori. Now it's time to stop procrastinating my Thai language speech (which is kinda a joke really) and start memorizing it. Wish me luck, this is the paper I wrote my speech on...I accidentally used it for crafts. oooops. But really this just proves how seriously any of us take this class. Sa wat di kah!

disher and beep

We decided to take a quick weekend trip to Koh Chang. It was Me, Oona, Lori, Janelle, Stig, Noah & Carson. Woke up friday morning bright and early with the hopes of leaving at 6am, in actuality we left about 6:30 am. Consequently we missed the early morning bus, but luckily there was on an hour and a half later so we just got a long breakfast. It was Stig's birthday and we sang to him bright and early and had him unwrap his lovely present from Oona (the wrapping was fantastic if you ask me. It consisted of bubble wrap, computer coupons, massive amounts of tape, and the outside was decorated with scissors, his old phone, a watch, a yarn bow, chopsticks and some other nonsense) Finally on the bus we snacked on bread and nutella and then I fell asleep...one of my talents I'm really grateful for is my ability to fall asleep just about anywhere at anytime. Got to the dock, took a ferrry, then a taxi and arrived at the lovely Siam Hut Resort (I promise it wasn't as fancy at it sounds). We put our bags down and ran to the beach to enjoy the rest of the sun. The water felt amazing, it's been so hot in Thailand the last few weeks.

It took the boys a few tries to get their 3 man totem pole, but they were so proud once they got it. We attempted a 4 person one but failed miserably. There was the chicken fight which was arguably won because of garlic breath, that's an unfair advantage if you ask me. And don't the boys just look wonderful in their newly purchased speedos. As we were getting out the boys found a deal jellyfish and thought that it would be funny to put it on Oona's head, she didn't think it was that funny but we all laughed about it later. We then showered and got ready to go out and discovered that our bungalows came with a community pet. We walked outside and there were two cow/water buffalo/ bull (it's still in debate) animals just hanging out, laying in and munching on the grass. I pet one. It really wasn't that exciting, he ignored me. Then we got dinner at this really good little restaurant fully equipped with a monkey to play with while you were waiting for you food. Now this was much more exciting than the water buffalo. He stole Stig's orange party ribbon, and we definitely didn't get it back. The monkey was sweet as long as you weren't trying to take it away from him. He eventually fell asleep in mine and Lori's lap. I ordered a pumkpin curry that was SO GOOD. WE then wandered to a Reggae bar with live music. It was there that the real night began with buckets, ice fights, straw competitions, another wonderful happy birthday song to Stig and once again being the loudest and most obnoxious crowd in the place. We then wandered back to Siam Hut where the night continued with more buckets, loud music, gossip, some man love, boob pillows, Fins and much more ridiculousness. The night ended about 3am when we got back to the Bungalow and Lori, Janelle and I cuddled under our lovely mosquito net (that wasn't really effective).

Saturday we decided to rent motorbikes. Wonderful idea, with some later realized flaws. We began heading one direction, then Lori decided she wasn't up for driving so we headed back to return her bike. She hoped on the back with Noah and then we took off in the opposite direction. The road were crazy steep and winding, it was definitely interesting. One turn got the best of Oona, she kinda just tipped over, but she brushed herself off and got right back up and on our way. This cause a short delay so the others were waiting at a little store when we got there. What was supposed to be a quick stop turned into a 5 hour delay. Carson lost his key, but found another key that he thought was his, then the key hole got covered so we took it to a shop and they got it opened for us, but the key still didn't work. So long story short we drove back to the rental place, got a new key and were on the way again, but during our wait we had a lovely little lunch where we were fortunate enough to come across some disher and beep.

We ordered it for Carson and stole a little bite and it was wonderful, but the point is those two words then took over our trip. Oona and Noah being the main culprits, but it was entertaining. They've come to mean everything and nothing at the same time.

After much delay we were back on our way. We stopped and swam for a little at White Sand Beach where Oona found a "toenail" and her reaction was really funny and Janelle discovered the "world's smallest shell" and Carson refused to swim because apparently that requires you getting wet, who knew? We also stopped at a view point where we saw this fantastic tourist warning sign. The best rules to follow: Scribble in the range (if any of you can translate that to mean anything productive let me know), Shooting package, point cracker (again, point cracker? I haven't heard of those yet), Buzz scandal, and our personal favorite...you aren't allowed to bring your Destruction Button. I'm really curious as to one, what that is referring to, and what happened that they felt the need to include this on the list of forbidden items.

Another fun night, including the bat/balloon that Oona mistook for person and part of her roof that fell off in the middle of the night. Then Sunday Noah got a tatoo, the girls enjoyed the beach and some swimming and then we were headed back to the ferry. The ferry ride was really pretty, it had just gotten dark and the weather we perfect outside. We had some time to kill before the bus ride so we went to a market where I played rock paper scissors with two little thai boys for at least 20 minutes, they were adorable. Then the bus ride home, slept through the whole thing again. We got to Bangkok, got off the bus (it almost drove off with Carson) and then took a taxi home.

It was a wonderful weekend full of mango shakes, beep, disher, Bam Boo, lost keys, motor bikes, buckets, speedos, fun fun, loud lizards, and tattoos. and HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND STIG!

ps, question of the week: does anyone know what the particular name is for a duck's foot? This was brought up at least 3 times and none of us could remember, you're assistance would be greatly appreciated.

turkey and lights

I spent from Wednesday until Sunday at the Gailey's. Wednesday Laura and I went to Khaosan Road where I helped to culture her by eating more Thai food. It was successful, she liked what we ordered. Then we made some new friends, they were definitely entertaining and best part was they secretly paid for our dinner. We went to see HP 7, so good! The second part needs to come out asap. Then Thursday (or friday? i duno my days jumble together here) night we had an early Thanksgiving at the Gibbon's house with at least 30 people from church, it was so good. I ate myself into a food coma in record time.

Then Sunday I had church in the morning, then it was Loy Krathong that night. It's a huge light festival that Thailand has every year. A group of us went into Bangkok right on the river. We then lit these little flower boats, made a wish and then let them float down the river. We then watched fireworks and saw a ton of the floating lanterns light up the sky. It was a beautiful night, full moon and all.

true story in Vietnam

"When I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True Story"

...yes they made a shirt that said that, and yes we bought them.

What began as a short series of unfortunate events mainly consisting of visa issues turned out to be a wonderful trip to Vietnam. We attempted to fly into Hanoi on Thursday but then ended up standing in the airport as we watched our plane fly away because apparently we didn't have the correct paperwork...so off to the Vietnam immigration office we went. Long story short, it sucked, but we got it figured out and we were on our way bright and early at 5 am Friday morning. We got to Hanoi and stayed at, well I forget the name of it hotel, and wandered around town. Oona and I witnesses a little accident, the fence in front of the cathedral will ever be the same again. Then Saturday we woke up and headed to Halong Bay. The van left even my with little leg room and the road was like and Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland...except it lasted for 3 hours. Not complaining though because we laughed about it and it was well worth it. Oh and our tour guide confirmed the rumors...they eat dog in Vietnam. We decided that the shocks on the car were made out of old bed springs. We got to the harbor and got on a boat and headed towards the islands. It was so amazing. Then we went on an adventure through a cave where we saw the "monkey/frog rock" and the wonderful speedo man.

Meet Speedo Man.

He though that a speedo and long shirt was and appropriate outfit, we did too. And Stig wore his matching shirt if full support.

Afterwards we were able to kayak through the Bay at sunset, it was perfect. That night was Carson's 21st birthday. That went from low expectations, to sneaking through windows, getting caught, and eventually led to major karaoke and a wonderful party with a 27 year old couple from London and two older couples from Australia and Ireland...it ended up being such a ridiculous and entertaining night. The next morning we woke up and jumped off the top of the boat and then headed back to Hanoi. Halong bay was absolutely breathtaking beautiful. The next couple days in Hanoi we went and saw the Museum of Literature, ate wonderful food and spent too much money. The city streets are crazy and packed with thousands of motor bikes, deciding to cross that street was a little gamble with your life. And the things they manage to carry on there motor bikes is seriously amazing. We saw one with a fridge AND microwave, another had a person carrying a coat rack, one with a ladder, and there were so many others. The last night we stayed at Central Backpackers Hostel and it was really nice, I would definitely go back and stay there. The last night we hung out with some of the others from the Hostel, signed their wall and then wandered the town until we came across a place that was open to feed us. We ordered way too much food, and ate it all. That was a fun meal with our topic of discussion ranging from men who wear pink, danish news, to an argument about whether garlic is a type of onion (an agreement on this still hasn't been reached). Wonderful trip!

Vietnam, we will meet again.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday. She is the most amazing woman I've ever met. I honestly could not have been given a better example in my life. She has taught me so many things: strength, service, honesty, hard work, the importance of laughter (often times the ability to laugh at myself), forgiveness, and this list could go on and on. Mom, thank you for all that you have done for me. All the tears you've helped to wipe away, the times you've made me laugh, and the lessons you've taught me. Thank you for the thousands of pictures and videos you've taken detailing my life, even when we gave you grief about actually taking the pictures. You're support for me is unmatched. I'm so grateful for the way our relationship has grown over the past few years, you will always first be my mom, but you've become one of my best friends as well. I hope you have an amazing birthday, I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH!!! <3

birthdays and picnics

First of all, I love letters, they just absolutely make my day. This week hasn't been too eventful but it's been absolutely lovely. Started off Sunday buying our tickets to Vietnam, LAST MINUTE. We needed to buy them before midnight, we hit submit at 11:59 pm, we decided to go out for a little success celebration after, the ice cream Oona and I shared was wonderful. Then, probably consequently, Monday began with me sleeping through my first class on Monday....oops, but I then found out that I'm not going to have to spend a lot of money renewing my visa so that's good news. Tuesday, learned how to make Pad Thai (i think? maybe that was the week before) but anyways I learned how to cook something Thai, Wednesday was a little field trip to a museum that was only in Thai...that was interesting. I finally got a new ring and these wonderful red thai pants the I love! Then we celebrated Minty's 20th birthday.

Most people left town but Jessica, Oona and I have had a lovely and relaxing weekend. We've run errands, had a movie night with Casa Blanca, and concluded it with a Saturday adventure to JJ Market, dinner picnic at the park and Vintage Market adventure. I then woke up a little late for church today, good news is I still made it there and not too late. I'm now at the Gailey's and dinner smells wonderful. Laura and I have talked about just about everything under the moon, we were just about to start up discussing our solutions for world peace but we had to set the table. to be continued....but we did make a little checklist. 20 (check), planning to graduate (check), not absolutely our of our minds (well, that's debatable). Anyways, it's dinner time!

Missionary update. Jake is still working in the mission home. He says he is loving it, learning a lot and is definitely keeping busy. He's getting to play more soccer which he is enjoying, and last week he said he met an American soldier which he thought was neat. We're currently just sticking to good old hand written letters, which takes a little coordination because I'm very much on the opposite side of the world, but it's going pretty good. I absolutely love letters. Miss him a lot, but he's doing a wonderful job in Brazil.

yes,

I'm very happily content with my life right now. I'm one of the luckiest people I know, despite my constant bouts of bad luck. I realize that's a completely contradictory statement, but my mother would understand. Luck, or lack there of, creeps its way into our daily lives but I'm glad to have had her as an example of how to tackle it gracefully and with a smile of determination. Today was a perfectly ordinary day, nothing too significant...woke up, cleaned my room, went to lunch, ran some errands, hung out, read, dinner, market andddd it was a beautiful day in Thailand today. I'm not sure where this is going, but I just realized sitting here that I don't have a single thing to complain about and that's a wonderful thing.

“Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.” ~Groucho Marx

costumes and music

Halloween definitely isn't near as big in other countries, but the IC staff figured they try to make up feel as at home as possible so they decorated our building at school and here are some pictures from the Halloween party. It was definitely entertaining, and I got mummified and was able to have it be acceptable that I ran around all night without shoes on. HAPPY HALLOWEEN! the only thing missing was the pumpkin carving, I'll just have to double up on it next year.

Then last Saturday night we went to see Benny Benassi in Bangkok. The boys decided to dress up like Guitos and we were their official tattoo artists. After a little ticket mix up the rest of the night went well, it was a lot of fun. Quote of the night, "You don't need to worry, she's fine, I'm pretty sure all she's been sipping on is 7up all night." - thank you for you concern Chris. haha

the little things

Yesterday I woke up and my phone was on the fritz, which typically it wouldn't have been a big deal but today I planned to go to JJ market and then meet people to go to a Vintange market, and communication was going to be necessary. So before JJ I went to the mall where I got my phone and they though they fixed the problem. After assuming the problem was solved I went to JJ Market, it's HUGE outdoor market in Bangkok, where I personally played a major role in fueling the Thai economy. My phone went on the fritz again....oh wonderful. I decided to try to get a bite to eat about 5pm to give my feet a break and attempt to figure out my phone. This was my lovely mean consisting of my favorite thai mea, pad see ew, my favorite thai drink, cha yen, and my favorite flower, orchid. It made me smile enough to take a picture. Oh, the little things :)

After taking it apart and putting it back together about 9 times I was about to give up hope when BAM it worked just long enough to let me make one call. So long story short I was able to meet up with people at the subway and the vintange market was fun. We got back about 11 pm and decided to order McDonalds, because yes...they deliver in Thailand. It was decided that the only thing worse than getting McDonalds was actually getting it delivered. haha I got a baby sized McFlurry that I think it was well deserved after my 12 hour day walking around.

I was ready to go to bed, when there was a little dramatic incident with one of the girls getting hurt at the Full Moon Party so I had to help make a few calls and get things figured out which kept me up until like 5am, but it got figured out so it'll all good. My sleeping patters have gotten really spastic this last week.

And this was the lovely wake up call I received on Friday morning about 15 seconds after waking up. haha I love you guys!

Other little things:

- I've finished planning my parents visit and I couldn't be more excited

- A new found appreciation for spending time with myself

- My foot is still really bothering me (a not so good little thing)

- I've put a significant dent in Christmas shopping

- Trip planning with the momma

- e-mails, letters and postcards

- and so much more i'm sure...

it's really the little things that make all the difference. I'm in Thailand, life is good, I've got nothing to complain about.Everyday is an adventure.

awaiting registration...

every year I get crazy with anticipation for registering for classes. In all honestly, I have nothing to worry about, I know I'll get all the classes I want with ease because of the priority registration I get from track. I'm one of the lucky ones, I can't imagine not knowing if you were going to be able to get the classes you needed. dear california budget cuts, you really suck. Anyways, I have like 4 more hours until I can register....3 am my time. I think I'll watch a movie or something and enjoy this little time I have to relax because Spring semester is going to be full speed ahead.

Sugar Glider

I've been terrible at taking pictures the last couple weeks, so I don't have much of a visual update but I've had some fun nonetheless. Last week was pretty low key, just had classes and the usual. Then Wednesday night I decided to go stay with Laura and her family for the weekend. Saturday we went to MBK and the the JJ market. We came home with a Sugar Glider for John. (see example below...not John's actual SG) He is the cutest thing, and I've officially decided I will not come home without one (maybe two).Then Sunday was church as usual, I had to give a talk, it went pretty well. This week is midterms so I'm just studying and trying to get through those. They shouldn't be too bad.

SDLGJHSG within the duration of this blog post I've killed at least 4 tiny mosquitoes in my room, definitely wearing bug spray tonight. oh mehh and I think I might have tendinitis in my right foot which is a bummer, but it'll get over it eventually. In the mean time I'm planning for mom & dad's visit, I can't wait!

this is how I started studying for midterms...

...breakfast at the beach in Thailand, doesn't get much better than this.

Koh Samed

Our little Bungalow with mosquito net!

If you look closely you can see I had a little friend sleeping under my chair keeping me company.

I got a really entertaining 4am wake up call from these two + Lori & Janelle + two Thia fire dancers on the porch? It was definitely an entertaining next hour, spicy bread sticks included. (thanks Janelle!)

for some reason they laughed, but I thought the cups were a brilliant idea. haha

The weekend before I taught an English camp with Lori & Sarah at Pattaya.

the culprit

This is the hole that I fell into, except last night the water above it was at least 5 inches deeper and no one had been kind enough to stick the wooden ladder out of the top of it yet.

lesson to be learned: shuffle your feet...or just take a taxi <-- better option My street walking home from school today, looks more like a river

finally i'm professionally cleaned and covered up. It's not too bad, the wrapping around my leg is just to keep the bandaid on...tape doesn't like to stick to my leg.

i've joinned the Thailand bandage club.

Thanks to Alex's doctor kit: email to my dad:
dear dad,
i decided i should give you something to laugh/ shake your head about at work.well, its POURING rain outside and the streets are literally flooded over the sidewalk. In the street the water comes mid/high shin and on the side walk it is still multiple inches above my ankles. needless to say you can't actually see the ground. So I was just walking home and silly me thought it would be logical and safe to walk on the sidewalk. oooops I fell into an open man hole like thing with half my body, substantially scraping my right leg. people falling in manholes happens in the movies...THIS IS NOT SUPPOSED TO ACTUALLY HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE!!! Well, I'm now all bandaged up and i'll survive. but if i hadn't won it already i've now officially won the award for being the most ridiculously accident prone.
-love you dear daughter <3>And Desiree has written me my eulogy already: "Amanda- the girl with red hair, always had a break sprain or tear. From her shoulder to manhole, her body took the toll and now she is laying in the coffin there." -- perfect.
my track record, starting in December:
- dislocated shoulder #1
- IT band decided to rub against the bone in my knee -->10 weeks physical therapy
- shoulder dislocation #2
- shoulder dislocation #3
- got my toe stepped on so bad I lost my toe nail
- shoulder dislocation #4
- bashed my face in 4 wheeling:
- resulting in: huge goose egg, two black eyes, and swolen (almost broken) nose
- shoulder dislocation #5
- FINALLY shoulder surgery

....relatively injury free summer, could have been because I was in a sling, but oh yeah I was stung by a bee. Thailand's been good to me so far, I should have known better than to expect these 5 injury free weeks here to last too much longer. All that's left to do at this point is laugh about it.