things i am currently obsessed with:

1. Literature & movies about climbing Everest. I can't get enough nor can I explain why. You'd think I'd hate it because it makes my recent mount climb look a bit tame (lame). It all started with this.

2.  You, The Owner's Manual. A great book about body parts & systems & how to live healthier, currently I'm just reading it but I look forward to the day when I actually start making healthy changes. (Bemoaning my natural state of procrastination.)

3. Mario Party.  A deadly combination of 2 great wedding presents: a Wii & the game itself.

4.  Giving stuff away. As Rebby & i "set up house" I am enthralled with the feeling of sending another load of "gems" to Goodwill. This should not give you the mistaken impression we are living lite 'cause we certainly are not but we are self-selecting down to only the great new wedding presents.

i miss

KATIE! She's back in Michigan & I am so, so sad. I know she is happy (hope she's happy) & was very ready to get back to regular life. BUT I so loved having her a tiny phone call away. There are very few people who I laugh with as much as her, who am I as myself with as much as her, who I have as much friendistory as much as her.  

Talking on the phone is no replacement for having her over nightly for adult beverages, hot tubbing, & Mario Party with RIDICULOUS amounts of screaming.

Plus CA is so much more fun when I get to show it to an outsider or see it through their eyes. I'm not sure which.

Sad. Sad. Sad.

This makes me wonder what I am DOING in CA? So MANY loved ones in MI.

I know, I know I have great friends here who I will miss should I move from here. AND I have the LOVELY husband who is also my best friend. BUT it's not & never will be the same as a great girl friend.

I just want a comfy, comfy girl friend I can be my ridiculous self with.

things I liked less about Thailand

Squat toilets - I don't even like typing the words so I'm not going to go into detail.

Humidity & my hair- a lethal combination. Thank the Lord I married a guy who likes curls & who doesn't really know the difference between curls & frizz.

Seeing the extremely dark, definitely damage causing tans on many people on Ko Samui & being jealous. WHY? What is it about me that craves leathery skin? So unhealthy, I know that. I do. I know that.

The open air markets that smelled of rotting fish & seeing so many flies crawling on the uncovered unrefridgerated meat. Obviously people do not get sick from this but I don't undertsand how this is possible.  On the other hand, I did like the markets because there was so much to see & it was all so different than my usual life.

The fact that on our first day in Bangkok both Rebby & I felt as though everyone was smiling to our faces as they tried to rip us off.

Tuk-tuks! They looks so fun- carts attached to motorcycles that serve as taxis but they're such a scam, They quote you a low fare but they don't tell you they are also going to bring you to several tailors, travel agencies, etc. & want you to buy something as they can get a free gas coupon. Rebs quote, "Please! Why won't you just take us straight? straight? To the hotel! Straight!" to a very angry tuk-tuk driver who was yelling at us for not staying long enough at a travel agency we never wanted to go to in the first place. Rebs thought he was going to drop us off in a random, dangerous spot & we'd be stranded, didn't happen but he charged us about 4 times the promised amount by the time he let us out at our hotel.

The guys on our trek who, on the second day, when or guide asked us if we wanted to go the easy way or the hard way replied, "Hard!" ALSO the equally tired girls who did not argue with this leaving me vastly outvoted in my desire for an easy, light day of hiking.

RLS- Restless Leg Syndrome. Despite the fact that Rebs insists it is all in my head (it's NOT) a condition that plagues me especially on planes when I am trying to sleep. The persistent feeling of needing to move my legs. So annoying! Although, admittedly not Thailand's fault.

The hardness of hotel mattresses in Thailand. After 2 night on bamboo mats we were looking forward to sleeping in a bed. However, we soon realized the mattress felt exactly the same! An upside to this is the sensation of crazy cloudy softness I experienced in our bed back home.

I realize most of these complaints have to do with comfort & aesthetics but what can I say? I'm a comfort & aesthetics kind of girl.

things i loved about Thailand

Beside the obvious 2 weeks vacation with the love of my life in a foreign land as the tropical sun tans my skin stuff.

While eating our last meal in Bangkok outside on a very busy street we witnessed someone walking their pet ELEPHANT down the sidewalk with more aplomb that I would walk a puppy, if I had a puppy. 

Let's take a moment to realize that if I had a puppy to walk I would be dancing with glee.

Oh the hedonistic delights: fresh fruit shakes on every street corner in any flavor, cheap, cheap massages, & a complete lack of responsibility.

I love saying the word baht (Thai money).  Also that it doesn't feel like real money because the exchange rate is so favorable so even though a meal can cost 450 baht that's still only about $12.50 & it was probably an awesome meal involving curry (yes, lot's of Indian food in Thailand). It should probably be noted that Rebs does not appreciate hearing me chant the word, "baht, baht, baht" in my most Mid-Western accent repeatedly.

When people began mistaking our tan selves for Italians we went along with it because it seemed friendlier & they kept complimenting our English!

I love that when it rained it was still warm & fun to be outside. When staying on the beach Rebs taught me how to spot a rainstorm coming in from over the ocean.

I climbed a mountain. This is not an exaggeration & an event that probably deserves its own post all to its accomplished self.

I loved meeting people from other countries, trying on their exotic accents in my head & secretly believing that my life would be infinitely cooler & more exciting if I had said exotic accent.

Snorkeling! Who knew you could feel peaceful in such a limited oxygen environment???

I loved the airport on Ko Samui! It is nicer than some of the hotels we stayed at including those here in CA. So very clean, tropical, & open aired with palm trees & very comfy, living room type furniture everywhere. They had a great bookstore & great little cafes with aforementioned fruit shakes. (Try the banana it is scumptious.) Also, the restroom had a huge aquarium with tropical fish & a large WATERFALL, in the restroom! Ahh! I should have gone with my instinct & went back to take a picture. Kicking myself. 

Seriously, I could have moved into that airport.

The airplanes are painted like bird & fish so you (I) can pretend it's like a ride in Disneyland.

When greeting or tanking someone in Thailand you put your hands together in front of you like a prayer to show respect or honor. I like that. We can use a bit more respect & honor around here. I wonder if I can start it?

There are Indian restaurants everywhere. So much great Indian food- who would have thought?

Despite the fact that we spent 2 weeks in a foreign land (I love that phrase- straight out of a fairytale) it was never a problem that we couldn't speak English. almost everyone we had contact with could speak/understand enough English to work it.  Which, in my opinion, is another example of America being a bully & forcing our ethnocentric ways on the rest of the world. generally, I do not agree with this policy but I greatly benefitted from it in Thailand.

still earlier or later

Update: it is now 7:20am & I still haven't slept. There was another attempt but also unfruitful :( Now my alarm is about to go off in 10 minutes & I should probably catch it before it wakes up the lovely new husband but I wonder which will really do more damage? Me trying to subtly stumble through the dark to turn it off or just letting it go. For the record I use an incredibly low-volume radio for an alarm & on Sunday morning the music will be all acoustic so there's a slight chance it won't wake him, especially considering that he wakes to a machine that is close kin to an industrial fire alarm. I think I'll chance it.

At some point during this ENDLESS night I realized I drank coffee with caffeine today (really yesterday but I'm in denial) which might be contributing to my sleepless state. I usually order decaf no matter what time of day it is & it still gives me energy. But it's been awhile since so I'd think that's no longer the problem.

Or this may be the result of karma. I was cocky 2 days ago saying I hadn't really been affected by jet lag & that with one extra nap I was back on track. Perhaps this is now kicking me in my tired butt.

Obsessively searching for an answer because I do NOT want to become an insomniac. I'm even nervous about the repercussions of using the word.

so early... or late

Is 4:03am a good time to start a blog. 4:30am on a Saturday night? For a youth minister the answer is wholehearted NO! But having just got back from Thailand I am clearly not ajusted to the current timezone I currently find myself in. The body is tired from a lovely day of traipsing through the City with great friends while wearing fairy princess crowns, I might add, but the mind, not so much. Oh stop, stop busy mind or else come up with more profound thoughts for this maiden entry.