Hiking Malaysia... a Sensory Smorgasbord of Green!

32 years ago we hiked the hills of Malibu Canyon ... Today, it's our joy being together hiking and exploring a whole new world .... How thankful we are for the friendship we share and for those of you who've lovingly encouraged us and have journeyed with us over the years!

So many shapes and shades of green...

This picture fails to capture the awe we felt as we hiked up this mountain bike trail to the canopy walk...but it's the best we could do with Sam's cell phone camera :) Next time, we'll take a movie!

I guess this is why it's called a rain forest!

I've been in Malaysia 2 weeks now, so I figured it was time to sit down and record some thoughts...share some pictures, especially for my readers who may not have Facebook, my favorite mode of communication these days.

First of all, let me assure everyone that all is well. It's amazing how quickly that I've made the transition. In fact, in less than a week after arriving, Sam and I had already entertained visiting co workers in our apartment twice. There's no way I could have done that my first week in Bangkok, but I guess the move to Malaysia is more like picking up where we left off.

Our field trips so far have included markets (both big and small), restaurants (mostly neighborhood), and parks. I saved the best for last in that list. If I were to choose one word to describe Malaysia so far, it would be "green". However, the color is just the beginning. Walking....hiking through the parks is much more like trying to sample everything possible at a sensory smorgasbord...the earthy smells, cool rain drizzling or pouring down, birds or maybe monkeys taunting, thunder rumbling, cascading waterfalls...it's a feast for sure, and Sam and I are "pigging out" as often as possible!

Oops! "Pigging out" was probably not the best choice of words in an Islamic country. In order to purchase pig products (bacon, ham...), one must go to a separate section of the store. So much to learn!

Happy Birthday!

Make a Wish!

Riley Lynn dressed in her mommy's 1st birthday dress

I should be packing (or sleeping since it's 1:27 AM... 3:27 PM Malaysian time) , but instead I find myself playing on the computer...reliving the precious moments we spent celebrating Riley's 1st birthday. Just wanted to share!

Letting Go...

Riley Lynn...almost a year old

This morning I treated myself to a surf side quiet time. The plan had been to watch the sun come up, but instead I was blessed with one of the best night's sleep I had had in a long time and didn't wake up until 8:00. Even though I'd missed my favorite morning moment, I knew that God still had blessings he wanted to share with me on the seashore, so I hopped up, threw on my jeans, and grabbed a hoody.

I've developed some special traditions since moving to Corpus, one of which is morning devos on the beach. My first stop is always McDonalds where I grab a large coffee, 4 creams, and a bacon egg and cheese biscuit before heading over the bridge to the island. This morning I even splurged and added a few apple pies to my order! Next, I drive along the beach until I find a quiet place to park. Then I pray, eat, read, walk, sing, pray, listen, pray.... You get the idea! It's my time to commune with my Heavenly Dad. I don't know what it is about the beach...seems like the static of life disappears with the soft roar of the waves and I can finally focus and hear what he wants to share.

This morning as I sat staring at the turbulent sea, my thoughts began with a question from The Sound of Music- "How do you catch a wave and pin it down?" The simple answer is you don't! My personal application of this obvious truth is that somewhere along the journey of parenthood, parents must acknowledge the ever changing limits of their influence and control over their child's life. When a child is young, the task can be daunting as I've recently been reminded of by caring for Riley. Children simply don't have the life experience to recognize dangers like hot stoves, deep water, and moving cars, so a parent must vigilantly try to stay one step ahead of them in order to navigate a safe passage through each day.

However, at some point, well it's not really a point....more like a series of points, the role of navigating life becomes the child's and parents must let go. It's not just the letting go of physical control....that's the easy part. It's the letting go of hopes and dreams that can be challenging. God has blessed each of us with a free will. No adult has the right to control another...to do so would assume that they were God-like in their knowledge and abilities which is ridiculous. Only God has the power to catch a wave and pin it down. Only God can control our every thought and action, but he doesn't. He knows all too well that to intervene in this way would rob him of the beautiful opportunity for the loving relationship with us that he so desires. He loves us enough to let go of his control and allows us to choose our own path...our own relationships.

These thoughts bring me to my own "letting go" and "loving" update. I'll be returning to Kuala Lumpur on Feb. 21. Vanessa has chosen to return to Trey and will be attending school at HCC in Houston. It is what it is...just another step as we all prayerfully try our best to live life. Thanks for joining us on the journey. How blessed we are!

Merry Christmas!

From Malaysia...

and Texas...

We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas.

May your holidays be filled with precious blessings,

savored by hearts overflowing with love and gratitude

for the gift of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

and joyfully shared with family and friends.

Our love and best wishes always,

Sam, Tracey, Vanessa, and Riley

Home Sweet "Malaysian" Home

Capsquare Residence ...20th floor

Our view

Our neighborhood...notice the Starbucks!

I've been back in Texas now for a little over week, but leave again tomorrow. Before I head out with our girls to celebrate Christmas with our family in Oregon, I wanted to post a few pictures of our new home in Kuala Lumpur. Sam and I were blessed to actually find and move into a furnished apartment over my Thanksgiving visit. Speaking of my visit, it was wonderful though way too short! Sam is doing well and sends his love. Of course, he's glad I can be with the girls during this time of transition, but is also looking forward to my return.

Beeee...autiful Blessings!

...just wanted to share a few pictures from Halloween. What a blessing it was to be with my girls to share yet another "first!" I'm convinced that there is no greater joy than experiencing the thrill of childhood once again, only this time through the eyes of Vanessa as she celebrates life with Riley.

Precious moments with Grandmommy's Honey Bee!


Posing for pictures before visiting friends

My Beeee...autiful Bees. Riley was a "busy" bee, Vanessa was the "queen" bee, and I joyfully chose to be the drone!

Trick or Treat!

Since I haven't blogged in over a month, I'm treating myself to time on the computer while my girlies are occupied.... Riley with napping and Vanessa with studying.

As far as an update... Sam and I are moving to Malaysia on November 1st. Nope! This is not a trick. Actually, Sam broke the news to me about a month ago on my birthday. It's been almost 2 years ago since we accepted the Thailand position. At that time, we thought we'd be there for a minimum of 3 years and were really hoping for 5. Unfortunately, the company had different plans. Such is the life of an expat!

Actually, now that we've adjusted to the idea, we're looking forward to the adventure of living in and exploring yet another country, though we'll miss our life and friends in Thailand greatly. The current plan is for Sam to stay in the company's guest housing until we're able to select an apartment which we'll do over the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll be travelling to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on the 20th of November to join Sam until Dec.4. Then, I'll return to Katy and continue helping Vanessa with Riley until she finishes her semester at HCC. In January, we'll move the girls to our home in Corpus Christi where Vanessa will continue pursuing her dream to become a nurse. Once she feels confident and we have care for Riley, I'll move to Malaysia and will begin making a home for us there.

Until all that comes to pass, I'm enjoying the treat of sharing in Vanessa's joy as she cares for her precious Riley. So far, I've been blessed to see this little fairy princess grow hair...enough for a clip-on bow, sprout 2 pearly teeth, stand solo in the sand on the beach, and take her first steps. My jack-o-lantern is truly full and overflowing with magical moments!

Tracey in Two Worlds

I'm seriously considering renaming this blog as Thailand is truly only part of my life's adventure. I haven't really done the math, but if I did, I think that I'd discover that the time I've spent in Texas since Sam relocated is about equal to the time I've spent in Thailand. It's neither good nor bad...just is what it is.

As far as an update, the storms, both weather related and personal, have passed and with each day the future seems a bit brighter. As of today, the plan is for me to stay with Vanessa in Katy and be Riley's grand"nanny" until her semester at HCC is complete. In December, we'll relocate our girls to our town home in Corpus Christi and Vanessa will complete her education at either Del Mar Community College or Texas A&M. Once we have a support system in place, I'll return to Sam and begin counting the days until we're with our girls once again :)

You know, the more I think about it, I really do want to change this blog's title. How blessed I am to live in 2 worlds! Does anybody in my blogging world know about title changes?

Stormy Weather in Texas

Hurricane Gustav is reeking havoc as it heads for the gulf coast, but the storm I'm writing about is one of the heart. Just a brief blog to let you all know that I'm heading for Texas in order to be with Vanessa and Riley as they rebuild their lives in the wake of Trey's departure. Funny, how in the last blog I posted the picture of the double rainbow. To be sure, there are rough waters ahead, but I know that we won't be facing the "storm" alone.

Singin' the Bangkok Blues...

Recently, Sam and I've both been singin' the Bangkok blues. We're really not quite sure why. Probably, it's just a lot of little things....all together called life! Fortunately, our concert is over and quite dramatically we were once again reminded that no matter how down we may get, God is faithful to keep His promises.

This picture was taken from our living room balcony. I wish I could have captured the whole double rainbow with my camera. I guess what's important is that it's etched in my heart.

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13

"Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all he has made." Psalm 145:13

A "Prophetic" Party Hat

Today, August 12, all of Thailand is celebrating their beloved queen's birthday. On this special national holiday, not only is the queen celebrated, but also mothers are honored as it's Thai tradition that Father's Day and Mother's Day are celebrated on the birthdays of the king and queen.Since today is such an auspicious day, I thought that I'd to seize the opportunity to share this snapshot of one of my students in his "party" hat. Do you remember in my last blog that I mentioned that we made hats the day President Bush visited Klong Toey? Well, imagine my surprise as I folded this little guy's hat! Honestly, I can think of little more to write as the headline profoundly says it all..."The future of history is here." I do believe that Thailand's royal family and our president would most certainly agree.

Hope you have a happy Mother's Day!

Just Another Day....NOT!

Today wasn't an ordinary day in the Klong Toey slum. In fact, for days things haven't been business as usual. The sidewalks had been swept...or should I say scrubbed? Street hawkers were notified that they were to remain closed on Thursday, decaying building awnings were removed, even incinerators along the street were wrapped in brown paper to mask any unsightliness from our President's view. I can't help but wonder if President Bush is aware of the extraordinary lengths to which this community went to prepare for his visit today.
Of course, he didn't just randomly choose this poorest of the poor Bangkok neighborhood. President Bush came to visit and honor a very special American, Father Joe Maier, a Redemptorist priest who came to Thailand in 1967 as a missionary. Father Joe founded the Human Development Foundation and has lived in and served the Klong Toey community for over 40 years. His Mercy Centre, a shelter for street kids and a home for mothers and children with HIV/AIDS is directly behind the school I teach at.
Speaking of teaching, I did actually teach today or at least tried to! The children were certainly aware that it was a different day... after all, it's not every day that their playground gets turned into a parking lot for police trucks! Anyway, after our routine lessons, reviewing the letter "H", and making newspaper "hats" (check my next blog), I headed out onto to the street to see what I could see...kind of felt like Zacchaeus in the sycamore tree! One of the first sights I saw was a string of secret service agents and their assorted vehicles. The picture above is of an agent I befriended because he was in need of locating the "facilities". I really enjoyed chatting with him and his partner. This was their first trip to Thailand. With the exception of suffering from major jet lag, they were having a nice time...looking forward to a Thai foot massage this evening:) To show their gratitude for my help, they gave me some secret service pins for Riley. Now that's a souvenir I never expected to collect in Thailand!
I also never expected to be interviewed by an AP reporter, but as you can see from the picture above, I was. Talk about nervous! The tape will probably never be aired, but just in case you'd like to hear what I had to say, you might want to tune into CNN. And if you'd like to know more about Father Joe's ministry, I highly recommend his book, Welcome to the Bangkok Slaughterhouse, or you can check out the Mercy Centre website. http://www.mercycentre.org/ My Shutterfly page will have a new album shortly containing all my snapshots from this most un-ordinary day.

Another 1st!

August 1st...I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some recent special firsts. First of all, it was our joy to welcome our Corpus Christi neighbors, Doug and Georgene, as our first guests from home. As I was waiting for their plane to arrive, I realized this was the first time I'd ever been to the Bangkok airport to meet someone...very exciting and I can't wait until the next time!

The picture above was taken the second evening our friends were with us, but it was the first time any of us had been to a restaurant where they give you condoms rather than after dinner mints! The restaurant, Cabbages and Condoms, is a one of a kind Bangkok Thai restaurant that donates a percentage of their profits to population control and AIDS charities. Be sure to check out my Shutterfly album for some pictures of artistic uses of condoms.

Doug and Georgene both enjoyed the view of the Chao Phraya River from the terrace of the Oriental Hotel. This 128-year old hotel is one of the most famous hotels in all of Asia and the first of it's kind in Bangkok. At the time of it's construction, it was the most impressive building not constructed by the king.

High tea...now that was truly a memorable first for Sam and me! We celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary in the Author's Lounge of the Oriental. This original wing of the hotel was an oasis of Victorian charm with it's white wicker furniture, sepia photos of King Chulalongkorn, and guitar soloist. We all enjoyed it so much that Sam promised that it wouldn't be our last visit here. In fact, we can't wait for our next guests to come so that we can share this special Bangkok tradition once again. Be sure to let us know when you'll be arriving, and we'll gladly reserve a room for you in our Bann Jamjuree B&B!

P.S. I've been busy working on our Shutterfly account and am once again up to date with pictures. Yeah! If you'd like to take a look, simply click on the link to the right.

Do I Make You Proud?

In memory of Dad. This picture was taken
the morning of my wedding, July 30, 1977.

Life in Bangkok, as I know it, is resuming a more normal pattern for which I'm thankful. Anyone who knows Sam and me, knows that we both tend to thrive on routine. For me, part of that routine is teaching.

I've just finished my 2nd full week of teaching English to pre-K and K students out at the Klong Toey center. They're such a sweet energetic group of little ones. Our major accomplishment of the past 2 weeks is mastering the new phrase, "I'm hungry"....it has so much more meaning to them than, "I'm fine."

How I wish I could share this little update with my dad as he always enjoyed hearing about what was happening in my life and would have gotten such a kick out of vicariously travelling with me through this part of the world. It's hard to believe that it was just 2 years ago yesterday that I had my last conversation with him, and even harder to believe that one of the thoughts I shared was assuring him that it was O.K. to die. Today, I find myself wrestling with thoughts like, "What was I thinking?" or " Why didn't I try pleading with him to keep fighting?" But I know in my heart that the truth is, it wasn't about me, nor should it have been. It was about honoring Dad's tremendous courage by helping him to have the peace of knowing that I respected his wishes and also trusted his judgement. It's my hope and prayer that my response then, and my life today makes him proud.

Father's Day thoughts I wrote to share with Dad years ago...still true today.

Dad

Strong.

Proud.

Sacrificially Loving...

Quietly Teaching...

Gently Pushing...

me to be the me,

I want to be.

Supportive.

Accepting.

Always there...

Always in my heart...

Always...

My Dad.

Happy 4th of July!

Our girlies celebrating at the park.

Looking refreshed after our 2 mile hike in the rain!

This truly was a most memorable 4th of July, my first ever to celebrate outside of the good ol' U.S.A. Our plans were to go to the Great American Rib company for dinner as they had advertised a special celebration. Well, as the saying goes...best laid plans! Our driver was sick, so we took the skytrain and walked about a 1/2 mile. Just as we got there, the sky opened up and it began to pour monsoon style. It was then that we discovered that not only was this an open air restaurant, covered only by a tarp like ceiling, but that since we didn't have reservations, we weren't able to join their party. Anyway....long story! The short version is that Sam and I waded home laughing all the way! We had no other option....couldn't hop in a taxi soaking wet, couldn't walk into another restaurant... Our only choice was to enjoy the moment, which we did. How awesome of God to provide a display of heavenly fireworks that we won't soon forget!