Fountain Square.

I have a habit of leaving photos on my camera's memory card. Forever. I was recently dumping them all on to my hard drive to free up space, and I came across a bunch of photos that I had completely forgotten that I had taken. Many were from a trip I took to Cincinnati, OH on business last May.

I was fascinated by this statue in Fountain Square in the middle of Cincinnati. I haven't been able to find much info on who this is supposed to be and what her story is. Can anyone help me out?

Hangin' My Hat in Tennessee

My oh my, it has been a long time since I have written anything here, hasn't it? But  I can assure you that I have good reasons. Very good reasons.
Because life has been moving at lightening speed these past few weeks, that's why.
Because suddenly my world has changed all around me. Literally.
Because I was in the car for over 11 hours.
Because I didn't have internet for a few days.
Because I didn't know what box the camera card reader was in. 
And Because.....

...Because...  I MOVED!

Surprise :-)

It kind of took us all by surprise, really. My husband and I hadn't really planned on moving anytime soon, and he wasn't really looking for a new job when he came across this one,  but things just came together and on Monday he starts a new job that sounds like it will be just perfect for him. Once we were presented with the idea of moving to Tennessee we both felt good about it. So we went for it! And here we are.

I've known this was a possibility for a little while now, as it was a bit of a lengthy interview process for my husband, but once he got the actual job offer there was no extra time to spare as we had to move quite quickly so that he could start work. Sorry to those of you who didn't get the memo, or who I did not get to say goodbye to. There was only so much I could do and only so many people I could connect with in such a short amount of time.

We are still getting settled into our new place, and still exploring the area, but so far I like it and think that this will be a good change for us. I have been ready for a while now to say goodbye to my 45 minute to an hour long commute to work, and to the hurried life of the Washington DC area. I think I'm ready to have a little bit of country in my life. :-)

Now I just need to wait for the moving truck to get here. In the meantime I am making due with the things I have. Welcome to my dining room table...

New Places.

I love to travel. Whether it be to the other side of the world, or discovering a new part of town I have not seen before, it is trilling to me to venture to new places.

I find airports fascinating. Such a wide range of people you come across, each with their own stories, and each with their own adventure on which they are embarking.

In a few days I will hop a plane for a destination I have never been to. Admittedly, it won't be a particular thrilling trip - I am going for business and will only be there a few days. However, there will be some time to explore and experience fun new sights.

Over the years I have seen a lot of places. Some spectacular, some simple, yet all interesting. But the lesson I have learned from all of them is that they are better when experienced with someone that you love.

As I think about what I need to bring with me for this trip, the one thing I really want to bring with me won't fit in my carry-on. My husband is a little too tall for that.

The Latest.

I have even received a few comments in recent times that are in reference to my falling off the face of the earth.
I have not.
In fact, I am very much enjoying my life on the earth.

I have been in an incredible phase of transition ever since my return from Thailand over three months ago. When you really don't know exactly where you're headed in life, it's awkward to write and give the update on what you're doing because it is only confirming to yourself the fact that you don't really know the answer. But I have learned a lot during this time. God has been teaching me over and over about what it means to trust Him.
Coming back from overseas was great. I was able to spend lots of time with family, and reconnect with friends, and get back into the swing of things in the states. But all too quickly I was faced with the question of what I would be doing next, and this is the question which I didn't have a clue how to answer. Would I teach again? Where would I live? Not having an answer to these questions quickly becomes a frustration. But I continually was able to see God's leading and provision. Not all at once, but spread out enough to keep me dependent upon Him. Then as I learned to trust Him, he provided one thing at a time. First I found some fabulous roommates... Then we found a darling little townhouse to live in, in a wonderful neighborhood.... And then I found a really great job that is not only something that I can love doing, but will also pay the bills that I was beginning to see pile up. Not to mention I've had lots of other unexpected blessings and surprises to make life even more exciting and enjoyable.

Namasté

I guess that after you tell people that you're going to go and traipse around India, it's a good idea to also inform them of your safe return... Well friends, i have returned to Thailand in one piece, and have more stories to tell than could ever fit in one blog post. I won't write a novel, but I will share some of the highlights if you want to grab a cup of Chai and sit with me as I reminisce.

If i'm going to reminisce, I might as well start at the beginning. That being said.... Almost as soon as Christmas break had begun, 3 other teachers from my school and I set out, not exactly sure what to expect, but ready for adventure. And adventure is what we found.
These are my travel companions. We're something along the lines of Next Top Model meets Amazing Race, if you ask me.Our first stop: Kolkata (Calcutta).
India, especially Kolkata, can be almost overwhelming, to be quite honest. New sights and sounds, vivid colors, strange smells, unfamiliar language... But in the midst of all of this unfamiliar, we were blessed with the familiar. We were picked up at the airport by an Indian man in a red SUV who was grinning from ear to ear and waving a sign that had my name on it. His name was Hassim, and he was the driver for some friends of mine from Virginia (Blair and James) who moved to Kolkata around the same time that I moved to Thailand. Hassim drove us to my friends' apartment where we were warmly welcomed. I cannot express how wonderful it was to spend time with friends from home who have been in a similar situation as I've been in. We spent much time talking about home, and of course sharing stories of living in foreign countries. We also spent Christmas day in their home, which was a blessing all of its own to be able to enjoy a good American Christmas dinner with fellow believers.
While in Kolkata we had the chance to see some of the local sights. We saw museums, and monuments, which were interesting, but we also went to the Missionaries of Charity Mother House, the mission started by Mother Theresa, which is also her burial place. We weren't able to volunteer as we had hoped to, but it was a powerful and humbling reminder of the need in our world.From Kolkata, we boarded a train that would take us on to our next stop. Darjeeling.
The train was an adventure all of it's own. To give you a mental picture... It kinda looked like a prison cell on wheels. But were able to make it much more fun than I can imagine any prison to be. It was an overnight train, and we were in "Sleeper Class", Which meant that our seats transformed into triple-decker bunk beds. In addition to my 3 traveling companions, we also had some very friendly bunk buddies.They found great amusement in watching me throughout the course of the night, as article by article i put on almost the entire contents of my bag, because it was so freezing cold. By the time we arrived I was wearing about 8 layers of clothing i think.
Our exciting train adventure was more than worth it, because Darjeeling was by far my favorite stop on our excursion. A small town at the top of a mountain, in the foothills of the Himalayas. It was s drastic change from Kolkata. It was vastly colder, much more quiet, and a million times more laid back.
We found a place to stay, bought some hats, scarves, gloves, etc., ate some dinner, went to bed early, and then the next thing we knew, we were waking up at 4am. We found a taxi and went up to Tiger Hills where we watched the sun rising over the Himalayas. It was breathtaking. As the sun began to rise, it reflected off of Mt. Kanchendzonga (the 3rd tallest peak in the world), in the most beautiful glowing shades of gold and peach.And then, as it began to get lighter, we could see another peak in the distance. It looked quite small... But that was only because it was very far away. In reality, if we could get closer, we would have seen that it is actually quite large. How large? The largest. Yes my friends, there in the distance we could see Mt. Everest.Seeing the world's tallest mountain almost made the trip worth it. But no matter how cool that is, no trip to Darjeeling is complete without drinking tea and going to tea gardens. A highlight for any good coffee shop nerd. From Darjeeling we boarded a second train, this one thankfully was a little nicer than our original one. We set off for the last leg of our trip: The Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur).
We arrived in Delhi just in time for New Year's Eve. I've decided that it doesn't matter what part of the world you're in, New Year's Eve is just one big party. We found a nice place for dinner, but the girls were a bit hesitant about being out late in a foreign place, especially since our hotel was in a slightly sketchy area. We headed back to the hotel early, but as it was nearing midnight, Sarah and I were curious about what would be going on. We decided to go out front of the hotel to see what we might find. But as we walked out our hotel door, we could hear music -- from upstairs. We followed the music up to the roof where the hotel staff was dancing and having a grand ol' time. We laughed, they laughed, and it was great. From the roof we could see fireworks going off in all directions at midnight, and one by one the guys shyly came up to us offering happy new year handshakes.
We spent a day touring the sights of Delhi -- India Gate, where I felt like a celebrity because people were taking more pictures of me than of the monument.We went to the Bahai temple, a huge temple for the Bahai faith, built to look like a giant lotus blossom. We also went to the Ghandi museum at the place where he was killed. You can follow his footsteps from the house up towards the place where he was shot, where there is now a memorial set up.After this, we headed towards Agra.
Story Time! Long long ago, an emperor named Shah Jahan had a wife whom he loved very much. She was actually one of his wives, but she was the favorite. When she died, he was devastated. He spent the next two decades building a monumental burial tomb for her -- The Taj Mahal. Rumor has it, there were plans for a second Taj Mahal to be built, only from black marble. It was to be built across the river, mirroring the original Taj Mahal, where Shah Jahan would be buried. This never happened though, instead he was buried next to his wife. His being buried next to her created the only asymmetrical part of the entire structure.
I believe i promised pictures. Well friend's here ya go.It was even more beautiful than pictures can show. I hope that each of you will get a chance to see it in person someday.

Well that's my trip. There are many many more stories I could share, and TONS more pictures I could show of all the other sights we saw, and the friends we made....
Okay, for real, I'm done now. I hope you enjoyed hearing about some of my adventures. Next time, you're coming with me.

Jet-Lag and Smoothies in a Bag.

After close to 24 hours of travel I finally arrived at my desired destination: Thailand!


(The picture above was taken from my bedroom window)

There is an 11-hour time difference between here and east coast USA. I am writing this at 5:30am, and back home it is 6:30pm. Jet-lag is beginning to show it's ugly face around here. Wait, did Elizabeth just say that she's up and writing at 5:30am? Yes indeed. Why? Because she automatically woke up at 4:45am. Like I said... Jet-lag's ugly face. But it's all part of the adjustment.

Speaking of adjustment. I don't even know where to begin on that note. Everything in Thailand is different from the states. The language (Thai), the currency (Bhat), the food (spicy!), the temperature (Generally around 35 degrees Celcius), the culture....

The culture is great here. Everything is very laid-back and people don't allow things to stress them out. Time is flexible, and i don't feel so dependent on my watch anymore. Although this is difficult for me because I am a very punctual person, and i always want to know when and where i'm going. I'm learning how to go with the flow of things here.

I don't wear shoes inside the house. I like that.

I also like that i can walk down the street and pay 12 bhat for a "Thai Frappe" as i've named it. basically it's a frappuccino (served in a plastic bag with a straw!) for less that 50 cents (US).

(Yay for smoothies in a bag!)


School training will start soon. I'm still a little bit anxious about the idea of being a teacher...

Smelling The Roses

Smelling the roses is overrated. At least that's what I keep trying to convince myself of.

I've always been a stop and smell the roses kind of person. But who has time for that these days? It seems that I have been swallowed up in the hurry of life.

The past several weeks have been non-stop for me.

Early May, my focus was mainly on two things. Finishing up my last credits needed for my degree, which meant lots of studying for final exams. My other focus has been being a dedicated shift manager of a small coffee shop. But that all changed when I completed my last exam with flying colors, and i put in my notice at work.

Packed up my cozy little room, loaded it all in the car, and then off to Lynchburg... Graduation was wonderful. The paperwork involved in reaching graduation was no picnic, but the end result was walking across a stage and shaking Dr. Towns' hand, and smiling for cameras with old friends. Seeing my friends was a much needed thing for me, as I have missed them all greatly after being away from LU for my last semester.

From Lynchburg I headed east... took a short stop in Farmville to see more dear friends, and then continued on to the coast where I now am with my family. Unload the car... unpack... now I'm repacking. I often get sidetracked from packing in order to do things such as working on the endless process of trying to sort out details so i can leave the country. But such is my life right now. Soon I will finish packing, head back to northern virginia, stay a few days, then hop a place for Thailand. It's all coming together, it's just taking a while getting there...

I have a 24 hour flight ahead of me where i can smell the roses all i want. oh wait... i don't think i can get roses through customs...

To Thailand I Go.

I have always liked ducks. And Geese.
I have fond memories as a child of going to the lake and feeding them all the stale bread that we had saved in our freezer for them. In the springtime there would be scores of little baby ducks, and we would watch them grow. Autumn would then come along and those little ducklings who were now all grown up would take flight and fly south. As I would see them fly overhead, something somewhere inside of me would say "take me with you".

I live rather close to an airport. Countless times throughout the day you can hear the thundering roar of the planes overhead. You eventually get used to it and stop noticing. But every now and then, when all else is quiet, you will hear that familiar rumble... and something somewhere inside of me wishes I were on that plane.

I bought my plane ticket today.

The title of this post pretty much says it. On June 4th I will be boarding an airplane, flying off to the other side of the world. I will be teaching Grade 1 Thai children at an English school in the suburbs of Bangkok.

I was at this same school last summer with a group of students from my college, helping out with an English camp. Ever since the time I was first there, the thought of coming back full-time was tucked away into the back of my heart. When I recently heard that there was a need for teachers this year, that thought was pulled out. Soon, it was all I could think about. In my heart I knew what I had to do, but I allowed other thoughts sneak into my head causing me to have fear and doubts. It was clear where God was leading me, but suddenly I wasn't ready to say yes. I felt like that little duckling who didn't want to fly south because even though everything inside of him was telling him to go, he was being fed all sorts of yummy, stale bread and was content to stay where he was.

My main hesitation to go was the thought of the things I would be leaving behind. As some of you know, my father is currently going through treatment for cancer. There is always the fear of "what if something happens to him, and i'm not here?" But he seems to be responding well to the treatment and I have loads of encouragement from him that if this is where God wants me, than this is where I need to be.

I don't know what the next year of my life will be like. Full of adventures, joys, challenges... I know that I will be stretched further than I've ever been stretched, but I am ready for it. I am so excited about the things that the Lord has in store. It's time for this little duckling to board that plane and go.