back home and so so blessed

We have been back in our home for 3 days and it has been absolutely FABULOUS! We had a safe return trip and  are settling in again and so thankful for God's goodness and faithfulness to us. The transition between countries has been one of the best ever.  We have so much to be thankful for:

-Thailand feels like home.

-I actually feel more comfortable here in many ways

-Due to some changes of our flights at the last minute, Mike and I did not get seats together on the long 12 hour flight, but instead he gave me too wonderful ladies (Susan and Patty)  on each side of me that made the long hours enjoyable.

-Our first flight on the new Dreamliner 787 made the flight more comfortable than usual.  Umpteen movie, TV, game choices on our own screen.

-On our 2 hour layover in Tokyo we bumped into about 10 people from Cru also en route to a conference in Bangkok.  It was fun to catch up with them too and made the layover go fast.

-All 6 HEAVY bags made each of the 4 connections on time.  (We brought stuff for other people too)

- Great quick overnight in Bangkok before catching flight to Chiang Mai.  Clean hotel included buffet breakfast and shuttle to and from airport all for $40.  Love the Thai prices, even if our breakfast choices did include spaghetti and salads.

-Home looked great on arrival.  So good to be in our own home again.

-Delicious authentic Thai meal for dinner. (My favorite Tom Kah Gai)

-A husband who is so fluent in Thai that he easily gets our techno world back in order.  He had to compare new offers of choices for wi-fi in our home, cell phone plans, cable TV options and got it all researched and set up our first night back.

-A daily afternoon coffee smoothie for $1 to get me through jet lag.

-Great appointments with friends to get caught up again on what has happened during our absence.

-New cell phone discovery that I can message and talk with my girls over the Internet for FREE.

-Kindness and cordial-ness of Thai people in doing business is so delightful.

- Jet lag has not been as bad as usual, thanks to Melatonin.

-Greetings of Sam our Labrador each morning. He can't stop waggin his tail.

Woa...this is getting long- but it helps you to see how much we have to be thankful for.  God is good and faithful to us.

Lest you think that everything is rosy.. here's a very small note on the down side.  I have privately been dreading coming back to the snake issues that we had so much of last year and the huge Took-ays that started coming into our home. Have wondered what I will get to face this year with them again.  So far- so good, but our property has been invaded with pigeons making nests on our balconies, in our carport, and leaving their messy droppings around way too much for me.  Our house girl told me stories of a snake on our bedroom balcony in one of the pigeons nests, and how she has been trying to keep them from nesting everywhere.  I'd like to get this under control.  Hopefully Mike and his BB gun can get this under control.

Also, as much as I'd like to settle in and get unpacked and reorganized here, today I leave to be gone for 20 days.  I've had 3 days to unpack and repack and it has not really been enough time for me.  We will be helping and serving in Bangkok, Chaam, Ranong, and Laos over the next few weeks, and then when we do return we have guests in our home for the next week. Being the homebody that I am- this is not leaving me much time in my home.  Such is life for us.... praying for contentment and joy all the way along in the journey as we walk with him.

out with the old and in with the new

When we first moved to this house, I was so happy to find furniture made out of real wood and not the pressed wood that is most common here.  This buffet piece of furniture  had allot of hand carved wood work on it and we thought it was pretty cool.  Fast forward- 14 years, and it just was not so cool anymore.  Trends and my style had changed a bit, and I was ready for something different.  

Off to my woodworking friend, with a combination of pictures from favorite magazines and this is what we ended up with. I like (love) it so much better for in our home.

 

The best part of all was the price.  I sold the old piece back to him for just a bit less than I had paid for it originally (price of wood has gone up) and got this new piece for a third of the price it was in the USA catalogue.  I actually only paid less than 10% of the cost of the catalogue price with my trade in.  Those are my favorite kinds of home improvements. Custom made for me too! Amazing Thailand!

Flip That Room

My "flip that room" project didn't turn out to be as big of deal as I was hoping-- but then it wasn't really a "flop" either. Coming back from the states a few months ago, I knew it was a project that I really wanted to get done. When we moved into this house 12 years ago, one thing that we liked about it was the guest room. We're not sure what the former occupants used the room for- but it has been a perfect guestroom for us. It is a separate building outside, with it's own bathroom, AC, and we've made a little kitchenette for some of our long term guests. Our friend, Reatha helped us decorate it in 1998. The decor was perfect for that time, but the pink and blue flowers were so "over" and I've been very ready to make some changes. The furniture is Burmese antique and we've tried to use local bits and pieces for accents. I was planning to totally start over with different furniture, but Mike and I decided that didn't fit the budget, so we didn't really do that much. Basically, fresh paint, new window coverings, and few other changes in accessories is all I did. The whole room feels so much better to me now. I still need to add a bit more, but it's very usable. Our first guests came just a few weeks after we got back, which helped me to "get the job done quickly". They stayed for a month, and it's time now for out next "very special guests" to arrive. (To be announced in my next post)

OK, OK, it's time to show the before and after photos.

BEFORE........and AFTER......before...... (I feel like a decorating magazine "wanna-be" article, right now) and after......I forgot to mention, that the most important piece in this room now is my Dad and Mom's chenille bedspread. After Dad's funeral, I tried to figure out what I could bring back of theirs that we could put in our home here as a family keepsake. Since furniture is a bit difficult to bring on the plane, I decided their bedspread was the best I could do. I am so glad that I did and it is so special to me. I remember them looking and looking for this bedspread several years ago, because mom really wanted a "real bedspread" and all they could find was comforters. They loved it and when I asked Dad about getting a new bedspread when he moved, he told me so often how pretty he thought it was. It brings with it so many memories to me.

bathroom and kitchenette area....It's amazing to me to see what a difference the paint alone does. The artwork is pictures of Chiang Mai and our actual road that we live on, done by a local artist. Well, thanks for joining me on my walk-through. It's almost time to get to the airport for our next guests. We're so thankful for this comfy guestroom. Y'all come on over now!

Sam's New Hang-Out

This post is for Collin! I just to want to show you, my little buddy, that Sam has a new favorite place. It is right under your fort that Papa made you. He has always been a dog that likes to be around people, so now he likes to be near the construction workers next door. I think he likes the sounds of their power tools humming all day long. If you were here, you could keep him company when you are up in your house. I guess for now, he'll just have to lay there and wait for your return someday.

A Homebody at Heart

I was a bit sad to see this week come to and end. I was home alone all week and loved it. Mike spent the week with our teams in the south checking on the building projects and we decided it was best for me to stay in Chiang Mai. I was reminded once again how I am a "homebody at heart". For 25 years of my life, my ministry was based out of our home and therefore I think I will always be most " at home" there. Since we have been away for so much of the last several months and will be in and out in the coming months, I knew that this week was a golden week to get caught up on things around the house. Even though the temps were in the high 90's and low 100's all week, I was workin' like crazy. It has felt so good to clean, sort, paint, garden, rearrange, etc. The only sad part is that I still don't feel caught up. I had a dream of feeling caught up on paper work and correspondence stuff, too. I'm not sure if that feeling of "caught up" could ever happen to me. Here's just a few photos of the week:

A little proof of the high temperatures. It always helps me mentally to see the thermometer for some reason. I guess it gives me a reason to know why I feel so drained and low on energy.

I know this could be a bit gross to some of you, but I wanted to show you what we found yesterday. Mike and I were changing a light fixture and when he pulled it off the wall, it sounded like lots of little pieces of a light bulb falling to the floor. When I turned my head to look, Mike informed me it was just lizard eggs. That was a lot of baby lizards that were hatched in that room; but don't worry, they are all good. They eat the insects for us, and don't bother us at all.

On Wednesday, I wanted to bake for my Alumni Bible Study and had been planning to bake for some new neighbors and other people too. I got a little carried away and ended up making four batches. I also gave the neighbors some tracks, and DVD's about the life of Jesus with the cookies. I told them that our family is Christian and pray that a little seed has been planted for future conversations.

This week, I've spent quite a bit of time, doing a "Flip that Room" long needed project for our guestroom. We are very excited for our first guests to arrive in two days. As soon as the room is done-- I'll show you the difference.

Way to Go, Samson!

This morning, I was doing some gardening outside and noticed that Sam was pretty intent with his labrador hunting instincts on catching a lizard. He was working on it for quite awhile. I eventually came back inside and was sitting here in our office working on my computer, when all of a sudden I heard Sam with one of his "come look at me" barks. I went outside to discover that he had finally caught it and was pretty proud of his catch too. After playing with it a bit, and letting me take a few photos of him, then came the funniest part. He set it on our patio and laid down real close beside it as I think he was ready for a rest, but kept looking at me as if to say "didn't I do good? - just take some more photo's of me with my catch!" So here you go, my cute little Sammy and his proud catch!