Snow day in RVA!

Richmond got blasted with about a foot and a half of snow! We've had so much fun being out in it. Today, it's starting to melt a bit, but tonight will probably freeze again. Oh well, we'll enjoy it while it's here!

Merry Christmas!

It's been way past forever since I last posted anything, but I'm feeling like crankin' it back up again! I'm headed to Chiang Mai in less than 2 weeks, so I'll be posting stuff from there too.

Here's my pup, Maybelle, sporting her Christmas apparel.

"There's a snake in my boot!"

Ok, Ok....there's not really a snake in my boot (like Woody from Toy Story exclaims)--this story involves no snake nor do I own boots. What I do have is a striped lizard and my jeans! Let me explain...

A couple of days ago, I was getting ready for the day. Carrie, Court's younger sister, is here visiting for a while and so the bathroom can get a little crowded while 3 of us girls are drying hair, lathering deodorant, putting in contacts, etc. So, I wet my toothbrush, lined the bristles with a thick squirt of toothpaste and slipped out to sit on my bed to get outta the way while I brushed my teeth. Moo, the world's cutest Chihuahua, was lounging on the bed, so I went to sit next to her. The minute I sit down, I see a long squiggly tail shoot out from under a pile of clean clothes (I had yet to fold them) and slither down my bed spread and under my bed. I hollered because at that point I couldn't tell if it was a lizard (I knew it wasn't a gecko) OR a snake! Moo saw it and was shaking in fear...no help at all.

Me, Court, and Carrie go into hunter-mode and try to find it. Well, let me rephrase that--Carrie and I tried to find it while Court stood on the bed holding Moo. With a flashlight in hand, Carrie and I looked around and finally found it blending in with the dark base boards. We could really only see its stripes and shiny exterior. OK, so it was a baby lizard--dark brown with a snake-like head, but its tail was longer than its body. Ugh.

We devised a plan to get rid of it. I didn't want a mess to clean up, so I thought I could smack it with a rolled-up newspaper just enough to disorient it and then I'd scoop it up in a plastic bag and release it outside. Good plan, huh? Well, I swatted at it and all that did was make it squirm away faster. We chased it under my desk, then under my bed. At this point, it was hopeless. What could we do now? We resigned and went to the mall. I didn't see it again that evening, so I slept in my bed--pretty much with one eye open the entire night! All went well.

The next day, Court and Carrie left for the beach, so it's just me and Moo left to take care of the removal of this unwanted guest. No sign of the striped stranger. So, my morning went on as usual. When I got out of the shower, I reached for my jeans and stepped one leg in. As I went to step into the other leg, out squiggled that revolting reptile! It dropped right outta my britches and slithered under my bed! Oh mercy! Moo and I got bold and tried to get it out with a broom with no success. Again, I retreated and hoped to have another shot at it later. And of course, I did.

Yesterday evening...went to the bathroom, flipped on the light switch, reached to open the door and down drops the lizard! I feel like I've got him cornered! As I strategize, neither one of us makes a move and our eyes are fixed on the other. I make a smooth escape downstairs to get the bug spray! This is high-powered stuff and I'll just get it with the spray! Genius! When I return with the can, it was gone. But the can remained on the sink for easy access our next encounter!

A few minutes ago, I went to the bathroom to check on its current whereabouts. There it is. That slithery snake-like body is coming out from under the bathroom rug. I grab the can and spray before it knew what hit it. It took off running under the bathroom door. I fling open the door and chase it with a direct line of spray! It slows, coughs, spits, throws its hands up in the air, waves a white flag, and surrenders. Well, something like that. I let it alone, closed the door and hope that when I return its taken its last breath.


Mission accomplished. I now can return to my living space with confidence that there is not a lizard in my bed or in my clothes! Life in Thailand--ya gotta love it!

Day of Prayer for Tibet

Take a minute to lift up the people of Tibet. This has been a quite a year for them. I pray they'll come to know where TRUE PEACE is found.

Pai, Sabai

Court, her younger sister--Carrie, and I have taken a 3 hour road trip from Chiang Mai to a town called Pai. The drive to Pai is super famous because from Chiang Mai there are exactly 762 curves in the road. I loaded up on Dramamine as soon as we got off the main road. It rained a little, there was a water buffalo crossing, we used a squatty potty on the side of the road that was covered in bugs, and then we finally made it to our cute little air conditioned hut situated in the middle of a rice field, safely surrounded by mountains. It's absolutely beautiful here!

This is a super chill town. In the title of this post is the word "sabai". It's a Thai word used to describe something very relaxing and laid back and chill. Well, that perfectly details the vibe of this place! I bought a magnet that has some mountains on it and the text: "a little town in a big valley". I LOVE THIS PLACE!!

Jackfruit, Schmackfruit

One of my fave Thai fruits is jackfruit!! It's an odd, spikey, football-shaped mass that hangs from jackfruit trees. Some are so heavy and full of fruit, that peeps will construct creative support systems just to keep the thing from falling off the tree! Not only is it noted for its unique exterior, but inside is a bright yellow, strong smelling fruit. You've really gotta like it to be nose first into it cutting it up! (It's in the same family as durian.) You wouldn't believe me unless you tried it, but it really does taste like strawberries and banana!!!! I promise!



Well, my friend, Lah, has a bunch of jackfruit trees at her house. So, she wanted to share her jackfruit harvest with us! We gladly took it off her hands. She dropped it off on our porch and we came home to find it! I was so excited. But, I had to call her and tell her I had no idea what to do with it! She laughed and apologized and said she forgot about that part! The next morning, she came over and taught me how to cut it up and pull out the fruit! I needed newspaper, a big knife, and rubber gloves. Once we got into pulling the fruit out, it was the stickiest mess I'd ever seen! It was so sticky that after we cut everything up, the knife looked like glue had been dumped on it. I used some soybean oil to clean it off. Powerful sticky stuff!




After about an hour of cutting and pulling, it was rewarding to enjoy the fruits of my labor!

Buh-bye, Sulu!

After 12 of some of the funnest days I've had in a long time, my 'lil baby cuz went back home! We had a blast! I think that's the longest time we've gotten to spend together since back in the day when we would go out to New Mexico to help out at Elim Haven Mission.

It's been so awesome to watch Sulu enjoy some of the things here in Thailand that I love. One of the bigger surprises was her takin' a likin' to khao soy! She admits that her food preferences are not very broad, but she really went out on a limb to try food here. I appreciate all the effort she put into trying almost anything!


Sulu, thanks so much for spending part of your summer break from PA school to travel a million hours away to hang out with your crazy cuz! I love you and am so glad to have you as my 'lil baby cuz and especially as my friend!