Summer came

And now it is gone. (And this is the longest post ever.)

But I had the best summer ever. Seriously. I spent three weeks in Oswego with my 5 favorite littles.

 Fun in Photobooth--A classic favorite

It was a jam-packed three weeks. Not only was I working for Adam and Austin doing some social media PR, but we did something fun every day: playing in the park; going to the pool at the YMCA and racing down water slides; riding bikes and helping Caleb muster the courage to kick his training wheels to the curb--he did awesome; going to see several movies: Big Miracle, The Lorax, and Brave; playing in the splash pad; going to the beach on Lake Michigan; sparklers and fireworks on the 4th of July; helping Liz throw a baby shower; picnicking in a lovely state park; and playing nightly board games. Whew. I'm sure I've left off several things too. I even managed to complete one of my yearly goals: I ran 30 minutes without stopping. I know for most people this is not much of an accomplishment, but for me this is big. I don't like running. But I worked my way up to 30 minutes and for me this really is a big accomplishment. Unfortunately, I then left the country and haven't been running since...

There was much elation

From Oswego, I flew 24 hours to my dearest home away from home: Thailand. I met up with a mission friend who was doing an internship in Bangkok and we went to Udorn together that weekend. We re-lived one of our epic P-day adventures by returning to Phuu Foi Lom where we were reminded of "The Life of Story" and "What is Dinosaur?" It was of course, very informative as always. Having only been in Thailand three days, I had the opportunity to get my Thai fully tuned up by speaking in Sacrament meeting. 

I had a nightmarish bus ride back to Bangkok straight out of a horror movie as that bus was infested with mini cockroaches and I was too paranoid to sleep the whole way back as visions of arachnophobia were flashing through my mind. But I made it back and met up with my friend Bret and his friend (now my friend too), Mike. We had some close encounters with enormous and deadly snakes and found ourselves face-to-face with blood and sweat in our ringside Muay Thai boxing seats. 

It was quite fortunate that me and my 

weighty amphibian friend were color 

coordinated. 

Then we headed up north to Chiang Mai where the adventures continued as we cuddled with tigers, hiked waterfalls, watched Mike collect rocks until his heart was content, trained elephants, and ziplined through the jungle (just to name a few). 

The one scenario in which I am okay with being the big spoon

Mike the Rock Hunter. He did indeed bring a few of those

enticing finds all the way back to Erie, PA

He loves me! But then who doesn't?

I love ziplines. Period. 

North to South, we went to a lovely island paradise: Koh Samui. Our beach bungalow overlooked the ocean and it was pure bliss to just sit and watch the waves crash into the shore. It's a good thing that this place was paradise because this section of the trip seemed otherwise cursed: a missed flight; a lost/stolen iPhone and Blackberry; lost motorcycle keys; and a missed ferry all in the course of 3 days. But being in paradise seemed to wash the turmoil or stress right back into the ocean. 

From paradise to more beach, we flew to Indonesia and hopped a 4 hour boat ride to the Gili Islands where there was a lot of Scuba diving (except for me--stupid nose!), bike riding, beach reading, friend making, magnum eating, and photo shooting. 

Back to the main island of Bali we stretched our minds and bodies with yoga. Had the cultural tour of a lifetime that ended in us participating in a semi-annual Hindu ritual at a local community temple. This was all thanks to our Best Bali Guide, Ketut. 

We hiked Mt. Batur an inactive volcano to see the sunrise and then the sun set on our Bali vacation and it was off to KL for a day where we fed peacocks, had stunning areal views from skyscrapers, and scaled the 272 stairs to the famed Batu Caves. The dizzying climb was worth it because the caves were quite the site. 

The Patronas Twin Towers. Until Dubai,

these were the tallest in the world.  

Upon reaching the top, you receive a Hindu blessing--and

it is quite deserved after the strenuous climb. Then you find

out that you have to pay for it.

Early the next morning we rushed to the airport once again and landed in Cambodia. We spent the next two days cruising through a water village where all the houses and even the school are all on stilts; visiting the "Jungle Temple" where we climbed among the ruins and swung from branches; and visiting the expansive Angkor Wat, which was so widespread there just was not enough time to take all of it in. Alas, another trip must be made.

I spent a few more days in my Bangkok, a city of which I am oh so fond. I spent time with quite a few people I taught and one of my mission companions and it was all delightful. I was sorely disappointed when I had to go home and face reality.