giving thanks. day 2. november 2.

Day 2 | Family

This is a family photo from last Christmas. I so dearly love my family. No... we aren't perfect. We each have our flaws and challenges, but we sure know that we love each other... more than words can say. "I love you" is a common yet very meaningful phrase around our home. I'm so very blessed and absolutely love to spend time with my family. They are my best friends. Family vacations/trips are the best! :) I know everyone can't say this about their families. May I never take them for granted.

Jesus loves me, this I know...

This is the view from my seat tonight and the sun sets... feeling like I have the best seat in the house... listening to the sound of the crashing waves and looking at the vast expanse of the ocean... in absolute awe... there is something about the ocean that makes you feel so near to God... and stand in such awe of Him at the very same moment. You guessed it... I'm on vacation... spending 10 days of relaxation in Florida. It's easy for one to feel guilty for taking time off... but, as I shared with a friend just the other day... I believe that vacation is absolutely necessary. And as I sit here at the ocean... I am reminded that some of my greatest vision and dreams for life have been the fruit of times away from the hustle and bustle of life.... when there is no agenda... nothing preoccupying your thoughts... and there is opportunity for sleep, rest, and refreshment... It brings clarity. And, I think that sometimes you don't realize how much you needed a break until you get one. These past couple of days have been incredible. So- I was walking by myself along the beach yesterday afternoon... splashing along and letting the sand squish beneath my toes.... when I said the silent prayer, "Lord, teach me something new about You... and I'll tell the world what I find." Now that seems like kind of a bold prayer... then, I go pick up the book "Love Beyond Reason" by John Ortberg... this could be a pretty neat journey... I'll let you be part of my "world". :) Yesterday my sister and I saw dolphins off the coast, and today we saw about 50 cownose sting rays [come to find out- they are migrating to Mexico and there could have been thousands of them!] and we didn't even have to go to sea world. :) I'm excited for the new things God is going to teach me this week, the visions and dreams He will place in my heart, and the rejuvenating He will give my body, mind, and spirit.

Signing off for now... here's what I've been up to as I've been writing... green tea in hand. :)

tokyo.

We got home from our big trip last night... been experiencing the jet lag today. :)  Mom figured up that we spent 44 hours on airplanes in two weeks.  wow.  So, we spent the day in Tokyo on our trip home.  We met up with our friend Daniel, and he showed us around the city... via lots of walking, subways, and trains.  It is a beautiful city with beautiful people.  I've never seen so many men in suits and ties in my life!  We went to the 45th floor of a building for a view of the city.  Then, we did some shopping and ate sushi for lunch... the real deal.  After that, we went to see the Imperial Palace, which made for some pretty photos, even though it was cloudy and rainy... nothing stops me.  lol.  The japanese cherry blossom trees were blooming around the city... saw the Tokyo Tower.  We grabbed some very expensive Starbucks and walked around the market/fish market... and ended the day with a bongo drum game in an arcade. :)  Busy day but glad we got to see the city!!

phi phi island.

long-tail boats.

just doing a little kayaking.

 

jumping into the crystal water.

 

beautiful.

  

they wanted a photo with us.

Today we took a day trip over to Phi Phi Island.  I'm SO glad we did!  I was able to capture some awesome photos... not to mention that the water and cliffs were breath-taking.  On the ferry ride to the island, we were asked to take countless photos with the Thai ladies... they living in a village 1 hour outside of Chiang Mai and have probably never seen Americans.  They kept telling us how beautiful we are.  They are all very careful about protecting their skin from the sun, because they want it to be white like ours.  We went over to the island on a small ferry then transferred to a somewhat smaller boat for snorkeling.  We didn't actually snorkel, but we did some swimming.  At another stop (Monkey Beach... yes, there are really monkeys!), Hona, Kelly, and I took a kayak to the beach from the boat.  Kayaking in the ocean is one of my favorite things ever!  The water was amazing.  We didn't get close to the monkeys... just saw them eating bananas from a distance.  While we were there, a little girl (maybe 5 years old) from our group was bitten 2 times by one of the monkeys.  After talking to them, we found out they are actually missionaries to Singapore from the U.S.  Kelly was able to help translate to coordinate insurance and hospital info. for the family.  It was definitely a God moment.  Sweet family!  We had a late lunch on the beach before we headed back.  The meal was served family style, so we sat with a couple from Sweden and a guy from France (spoke no English at all.)  Dad pretty much spilled his soup bowl all over the guy from France... he just laughed.  (we rode the taxi from our hotel to the pier with two young girls from England.)  There are so many people who visit Thailand from Europe.  Then, on the ferry ride back, we sat with and talked to two men from Norway.  I love talking to people from all around the world! (two of Kelly's guy friends with her organization are getting ready to move to Spain this year... definitely going to have to make that trip happen!)  So, the ferry ride back was eventful.  We were sitting on the top deck and went through a storm... lightning and all.  The crazy part was that there was a big funnel cloud (typhoon) in the sky behind us that touched down in the water.  (no wonder Phi Phi Island was devastated by the tsunami!)  When it started dow-pouring, I went downstairs to get out of it (thought it would be smart with my camera and all)... Hona and Kelly stuck it out.  We got back to our hotel around 5:30pm... still raining... absolutely exhausted... got some lattes and room service.  It's about 8:45pm as I write this.  Kelly, Hona, and my parents crashed a long while ago. :)

more phuket.

     
We have had such a nice time here.  Hona, Kelly, and I went on a little walk around the town when we got here... got some ice cream at a 7/11 and found ourselves headed in the wrong direction and walking right through a Thai neighborhood.  The living conditions  here remind me a lot of what I have seen in Mexico.  The people are what makes it different.  We aren't tired of the Thai food yet. :)  I have been having a new favorite... watermelon shakes.  (just watermelon and ice... yum!)  The other night, we had dinner on the beach at sunset... nothing like it in the world.  We are staying at a beautiful hotel.  We look forward to breakfast every morning, because it is sooo good!  The pool is beautiful, and I love it when the tropical flowers fall off the trees and float in the pool.  The driving here is crazy!  And, it's still kind of odd to have dogs hanging around the restaurants.  We are having a great time! :)