LORI IS ENGAGED!

This picture has been on our wall for a long time, and will soon get a new photo in the bottom slot. It is a high priority on the list for the photographer to capture. Don't let me forget, ok?

This past month has been 'out of control' busy for us, but we are finally at home again and it feels so good.  We have some catching up to do here. The really BIG news first.......

Feb. 11, 2017- Austin Taylor asked Lori to marry her and she said "of course".

Austin is also on staff with Cru at the University of Central Arkansas.  Lori and Austin have known each other for several years thru working with Cru, but started dating last August. They have very similar passions and visions in discipling college students. Lori will transfer to Austin's campus after they are married and join that Cru campus team.

The wedding is July 24 in Estes Park Colorado.  Our biennial conference with Cru is in Ft. Collins, July 16-23 . Since it is pretty rare to get our family together from 3 states and 2 countries and we will all be in Colorado that week, it seemed like a great place for a destination wedding.  Lori (being an MK) does not really know where home is sometimes.  As they say "home is where the family is"- so Colorado - 'here we come'!

I had forgotten how 'all consuming' planning a wedding can be.  Since they are having a short engagement (5 months), and with Lori in Texas, me in Thailand/Iowa, and the wedding in Colorado- it is taking a lot of long distance planning.  It's not like I have not done this 3 times before- and yet it seems to be constantly on my mind.

Lori, Mike and I were able to stop through Estes Park for just a few days to confirm the location and a few other decisions for the wedding last month.  This is the venue we chose, with a picturesque view of the Rocky Mountain National Park's Longs Peak, the Continental Divide and Lumpy Ridge.

We are thrilled for Lori.  We LOVE Austin. We have seen God bless her for waiting for his very best until she was 34.  We are so excited for July 24 as they begin their new life together.

Thai Fishin' with Austin & Lori

While Lori and Austin were here for Christmas, we wanted Austin to get the Thai fishin' experience. In just a few hours , they caught 15-20 catfish, weighing between 8 to 40 pounds each. I didn't fish, but had fun taking pictures......

Some of them were hard work to bring in and gave them a fight.

bringing in two at a time....

they all kept busy....

proud fisherman.....

proud fisherwoman....

another one.....

could not have done it without BJ's help and his peanut butter bait balls.

What a fun day with these two fishing experts!

Samet Island with Austin and Lori

What's a trip to Thailand without a trip to the beach?

After Lori and Austin arrived and after we took Sarah to the airport and after Mike finished his Bangkok meetings- the four of us drove to the beach for two days.

Instead of one of the city beaches, we wanted a more exotic one- yet close to Bangkok.
We decided on Samet Island because of it's proximity to Bangkok.

We arrived by car just in time to catch the ferry to the south side of the island which is less populated and more peaceful.

The sun rose on our side of the island.  It was worth waking up early to watch the morning colors.

Then the guys joined us for breakfast.....right on the beach....and, oh the view!

Our only full day we rented little motorcycles and explored every road on the island (it's small) from sunrise to sunset. That was the highlight of our island adventure.

It was such a fun day to be together.

Renting scooters is our favorite way to see a new place.  We would ride and stop and check out the view whenever we wanted.

There was such beautiful scenery.

These two did more hiking than me.  In-fact at one spot, Austin did some cliff jumping- but I was not there to capture his danger-some activity. I guess when you're young you gotta live on the edge!

Yummy fresh fruit-shakes at one of our stops.

While driving the bikes home at night after dinner, meeting this python on the road added some excitement.  We just sat and waited for him to take his sweet time getting to the other side. He was HUGE!

I loved their signs around the resort!

Yes,  happiness is a day or two or three or better yet, a week at the beach!

We were so thankful to get time with Lori this Christmas!

And life is even "gooder" when Austin is along!

The time to take the return ferry to the mainland came too quickly and yet Lori was anxious to get home to Chiang Mai also.

Come back Lori and Austin! Our house is so quiet! We miss you!  

Lori and Austin to Bangkok

My last several posts, I've been sharing about my sister's visit to Thailand in December.  The day that she left Thailand to return to the USA, Lori and Austin arrived.

You ask.....who is Austin?
Well.......Lori has met someone who is very special to her- in fact more special than anyone else that she has met.  After growing up here in Thailand and this place being so much a part of her life- she wanted him to come here and visit.  We LOVED their two weeks here, getting the time to know Austin, and showing him around this place we all call home. He loved Thailand and we love him.

Their first day here, they just wanted time with Aunt Sarah and after a teary good-bye- we started exploring Bangkok.

We did not really plan it this way, but in the process of getting around the city from place to place- we discovered that during  Austin and Lori's first 24 hours here- they used 12 different forms of transportation. Plane, car, motorcycle, subway, tuk-tuk, river-taxi, tourist boat, sky-train, taxi, we walked, we ran, and even played on a segway.  How's that for an adventuresome first day in Thailand?

Checking out the cheap prices as we walked the streets of Bangkok.

We took the river taxi along the Chao Phraya river as a convenient way to make some stops. 

When we arrived at the well known Wat Arun, we were disappointed to find out it is still being renovated, just as it was a year ago when we visited.

The entire spire is made of individual pieces of tile (this is a borrowed photo from before renovation started), so it's taking them years to get it fixed up.

We walked around the area; the grounds are very beautiful. 

Since we were so close to the Grand Palace we decided to go into that area,  where the king of Thailand's body is for people to go and pay respect.  Once we got close, everyone wore black as much of the country (especially government workers) are still doing. 

Most Thai's want to make a type of pilgrimage to go visit where his body is laid.  It has been three months now, and they are still mourning his death.  He was very loved and respected.

The area was so crowded with groups dressed in either black or white.  Many content just to be on the  streets outside of the Grand Palace.

They only permit a certain number of people per visit, so this is one of the sitting areas where people wait to enter the palace where his body is. Most Thai's have known no other king since he had been king for 70 years.  A one year mourning period will take place until next October 13. We admire the respect and love they had for him as their leader. 

SFU GreekWide

During our recent travels , we drove down to visit Lori in Nacogdoches, Texas and loved our visit with her. That girl always has been and probably always will be a small little dynamite.

Her ministry focus is the girl students in the sorority houses on their campus at Stephen F. Austin University.   They started having  a meeting every other Tuesday called "GreekWide".  This is a time when each house takes a turn and invites all the other sororities and fraternities  to their home to build unity in the Greek system. It is sponsored by Cru.

Lori had been busy preparing for this meeting, so we were happy to get to be a part. 

This is her inviting them all to the Winter Conference in December. 

These are some of the girls that Lori meets with who were giving testimonies. 

Meagan did a great job sharing some things that God had taught her recently.

God has been changing her heart a lot and she really has a desire to share with others. 

Vince the staff guy who works with fraternities shared a very clear gospel presentation.  We were so impressed that the students listened so attentively too. 

This ministry has been growing and has so much future  potential.  Last month 150 students came and the next one that we were at had around 200.  They just kept coming as the meeting went on.  Please pray for the staff and Christian students to follow up with all these new students interested to grow in their walks with God. We miss you Lori!