This week, we were in Bangkok to take my mom to the tourist destinations before her flight back to the States. We planned on seeing the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and the Jim Thompson House. Unfortunately, the protests taking place … Continue reading
It has now been a month since we arrived in Thailand. I am assuming that you have all been anxiously wondering and waiting for an update on the promises I made before we came to Thailand. You can read about it in the post I wrote here, but the overview was that I was choosing to:
1) Be more positive. Mostly meaning that I would try not to let circumstances and situations make me a negative Nancy (sorry to all you positive Nancy’s out there).
2) Find and join a bible study here in Thailand.
3) I would make a habit of some sort of physical activity or exercise.
Let me start with number one, because that is where most people start and I just don’t think it’s necessary to try to be different tonight. Being positive when things go awry can be so difficult, okay maybe not to everyone, but this is my Mount Everest. I have written on occasion of my realistic attitude, what some people call a negative attitude in the past. Sometimes my hard attitude can cause discomfort for me, not to mention the fact that my two-year old and my loving husband get a little sick of walking around with a ticking time bomb all the time. I desperately crave to be soft, gentle, and flexible when it comes to not only travel, but also in my relationships with others. With that in mind I made the promise that I would work to put a positive spin on things that would normally get me down or frustrated.
As with any goal one makes, it seems that as soon as it is made, things in this world come along that make you want to throw up your hands and give up as soon as you start. We made it to Thailand and settled in comfortably in Hua Hin. We found a great villa and made it our (temporary) home just in time for my mom to come visit. Then we had a huge storm, with flooding, falling tree’s (trees that fell onto our house!), no power for 2 very hot days, and no running water for 12 days. Mom was getting to experience real life in a developing country, when all I wanted to show her was the life of luxury, fun, and beauty that could be had in this amazing country. Then I got sick, then Z got sick, just a cold, but one that hung on for what seemed like a long time. My stupid expectations were squashed and thrown in the burn pile.
I am writing all this, not to complain, but to be real, and also because I was so impressed that I was still rocking my positive attitude through all the crap. I was doing so well, then the dreaded three letter acronym that women dread every month kicked in, PMS! Suddenly, my cranky, moody other self kicked in. I am pretty sure that mom felt nostalgic as I pretty much slightly acted as I had as a teenager. Not my finest couple of days. Luckily, I was able to pick up and start again despite the massive waves of uncontrolled emotions and make Mom’s last couple of days feel like she was in a fun place instead of in a crazy house.
So, I have restarted my goal to put everything on a positive spin, and feel that there will be more and more PMS’s time between each episode when I fall back into my realistic negative attitude. I am truly a work in progress, as long as I keep improving, I count that as a win.
Now onto goal number two, finding a Bible study to join. Thailand is a mainly Buddhist country, but there are a few small churches here in Hua Hin. We are thinking of trying one we found nearby that seems to share our same thoughts on faith and Christianity. It is pretty small so it takes some gumption for us to go, but I am hoping that going will be a way to meet other people of faith, plus help me achieve my second goal. It will also help with my first goal. I am a much happier, patient, and kind person when my life is focused on what is most important to me, my faith. So keep your fingers crossed, or if you so desire, please pray that we will find a temporary church home that encourages and supports us.
Goal number three has not been hard to accomplish. We have a pool! And especially since I was using it to bathe (no, I did not use soap, but any cool water to rinse off the sweat was good for me) for a couple of weeks, swimming seems to be what my physical activity is for the time being. Yes, I do admit that I can only dog paddle, but have you done that for 10 laps? Your arms will be burning in no time. Demi Moore body here I come… okay, maybe I do not want to be that buff. I would be happy just to be a healthy, strong, me.
So there are my updates. I will update you again if anything changes drastically, but lets all hope that this will the last post about it until I realize that I have perfected myself, because that is what it’s all about, right?
What kind of goals do you wish to achieve for yourself? Do you have any tips, advice, or kicks in the butt to motivate me to stay the course? Leave a comment and let me know, I appreciate advice more than I like to admit.
I am delving into a new technological world today. We are currently in Bangkok (yes, again… We just can’t get enough it seems), and I am having to use our iPad to post this. I am really hoping it goes … Continue reading
When we set out on this trip, there were two promises that we made to Z, the first was that we would see real monkeys in the wild, and the second was that we would see and ride on elephants. … Continue reading
I will never take washing my hands, flushing the toilet, clean dishes, or showers for granted ever again.Of course I know that there have been other things that I have had to do without for a bit and made the same promise, only to completely forget what I was never going to forget to appreciate. Hmmmm… Maybe I should start writing these things down…. Yet another reason to write a blog!
We have had water now for one day after living without running water for 12 days, that is right, the whole time my mom has been visiting we have been without running water. I am sure that she will want to return post-haste after roughing it for so long. Luckily she is still here for another 6 days, so I have an opportunity to make her fall in LOVE with Thailand still.
My sister was supposed to be here this evening, but unfortunately was struck down with kidney stones this week. Poor sister, she seriously got a bum deal this week. The good news is that I am now going to harass persuade her to visit us for Christmas. What a wonderful Christmas that will be! Please pray for her if you can, I know that she is very disappointed that she couldn’t make it here, not to mention the amount of pain she is in.
We are settling in here in Hua Hin. We are trying to figure out if it is the place we want to be for the next couple months. It is a very relaxed town, and our villa is amazing, but there are not many things for Z to do. Of course she can play on the beach or in the pool, but as far as having other children to play with, I am having difficulty finding other English speakers with kids her age. I will keep trying though. I know there are tons of kids here, it just comes down to meeting other parents, whether they speak English or not. She just needs some friends to play with.
We are going to Bangkok early next week to show my mom the tourist sites, which I am actually very excited about. It has been a long time since I have made the effort to see the Golden Buddha, the Bangkok night markets, or the Grand Palace. The last couple of times we were there it was all mall shopping (YUCK!). I am excited to be a tourist for a couple of days, instead of a traveler, and write about what we see for you guys.
Until then, we will do some touristy things here in Hua Hin and I will tell you all about them on Friday! Thank you again for reading and please keep my sister in your thoughts/prayers!
Hello from Thailand! Jen was kind enough to ask me if I would like to try my hand at the Monday Montage and I eagerly jumped at the invitation feeling quite privileged! It may be that my teasing about how … Continue reading
For those of you who would like to donate to help those affected in the Philippines, I think that this is a real option. It is a way to help and truly know where your donation is going and how it is being used.
Yesterday, my mom and I went out and had a day to ourselves. No men, no toddlers, no limits… just two ladies looking for a day of pampering and fun. There really is no better place than Thailand to do … Continue reading
I had a whole blog post written in my head about how rough this week has been for me. How I was able to put a positive spin on my troubles and hardship. I cannot do that now. I cannot speak about how hard it has been for me to have to bathe in our pool, eat amazing Thai food, and sit in our fanned or air-conditioned house. Yes, we haven’t had running water in the house for almost a week, but we are still living very well. Just even writing this makes me feel like a total heel, but I feel it is important to be honest.
It is sad how self-involved I can be sometimes. Especially as so many are suffering in the aftermath of Super-Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. I cannot even begin to understand, let alone write about here, the devastation and turmoil those in the Philippines are struggling through right now. The news and photos on the internet scare me and pull at my heart. A fellow blogger at Journeys of the Fabulist posted about some blogs that she follows that have the inside story (Thanks B!).
I really liked Charly’s Blog, written by a gentleman who was born and raised in the Philippines. Charly has been relaying survivors stories and updates on what is actually happening there. His writing brought tears to my eyes.
Another blog, Fascinations of a Vanilla Housewife, is written by a woman in the Philippines who made it through the storm unscathed and has some excellent links to ways that one can help.
Please check these blogs out and do what you can to help those that have lived through this massive natural disaster. I hope you will also join me in praying (or sending good thoughts) for this country that has been hit hard this year. Now I am now going to research ways that I want to donate and help, while slinking away with my tail between my legs and joyfully preparing to take a bath in our pool.
My mom is here!!! My mom is here!!! This is my first experience having a family member visit us while we have been so far away from home. As you can probably tell I am a little excited ecstatic that she is here. It has been like a hypnagogic hallucination (now that’s a phrase I will be using more often…Thanks thesaurus!) being able to visit with her in person, well when I get my five minute turn at least. Z has not let Nana out of her sight, in fact this morning I told Z, “I love you” and Z responded, “Nana”. Hilarious!
On another note, I wrote a post recently about promises to myself. One of them was to remain positive even when a situation makes me want to throw in the towel, throw up my hands in despair, or lay on the floor and throw a huge tantrum. Hmmm… I will think of other clichés to use later, I know there must be some more. This week I have encountered many opportunities (like how I phrase that? So positive right?) to put my gumption to the test. I am going to write more about that on Wednesday, but if you follow And Three To Go avidly (who wouldn’t, am I right?!) then you probably noticed that I did not do my usual post this past Friday. When we arrived back in Hua Hin from picking my mom up in Bangkok, a huge storm left floods and fallen trees in its wake. We came home to our villa with no water or electricity. We roughed it for two days and one very hot night before the power came back on. We are still without water, which has been giving us so many more excuses to hop in the pool. I am so thankful that we have a pool, it has been our bath, our reservoir and a wonderful way to cool off. See, these tests to determine my fortitude are nothing (just kidding…please no more tests!!).
Last Wednesday, I asked you what you would like to see and read about on And Three To Go, and I received some great ideas and suggestions… Thank you all for your help! Okay, enough of hearing about my week, I want you to see it too! Here are this weeks pictures…
Some signs that I saw along the road that appealed to me for some reason… I think it was probably the added tire sign, adds some real flavor to the advertising opportunity.
Sorry to all the men reading, but the fact that they have maxi pads out for you to feel and see before you buy them makes me laugh.
This blew my mind when I first saw it in our travels years ago… Eggs are not refrigerated anywhere that we have been except in America. I wonder why we Americans need to be different? (That’s a rhetorical questions..haha)
The flood as we drove home from Bangkok, quite the adventure! I felt especially bad for the scooter drivers, but everyone seemed to have a good attitude about the river that used to be the road.
Zoë really wanted her picture taken with this guy. He was the welcoming committee at the Tokiya restaurant in a mall in Bangkok.
Nana and Zoë on their first day together! They haven’t been separated since.
80’s Flashback! Amway is alive and well in Thailand, except you don’t get invited to dinner with friends so they can give you their pitch… Here you can just go to the Amway store. Nice!
There are even knock-off trucks in Thailand. Here is an “Isusu” work truck.
If you all have something that you would like to see here in Thailand, let me know and I will try to include it next time! Thanks again for following along on our trip!
And Three To Go 