A few firsts... and hopefully a few lasts

The first of my close friends got married at the end of April.  And I was a bridesmaid for the first time.  It was great.  But it was also a bit crazy.

My parents and I flew to Charleston, SC on Wednesday before the wedding.  They have friends in Charleston from medical school and were planning to visit for a few days before the wedding.  They were also able to take a quick trip down to Augusta to see Aunt Jamie's choir rehearse with the director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I, on the other hand, went to work.  

Laura Beth, the bride, is in occupational therapy school in Charleston.  She finished her last of six finals on Wednesday morning at around 10 am.  When I arrived at noon, my parents brought me to her apartment, and quickly bid me farewell.  We had less than 24 hours to pack up her apartment and completely move her.  And, as my parents saw, she had a very long way to go.  

Packing I can handle.  But this packing was more complex than I was prepared for.  Some of Laura Beth's things were being packed and prepared for her sister who will be moving into an apartment at Clemson next semester.  Some of Laura Beth's things were being moved to a new apartment on the other side of town.  And the rest of Laura Beth's things were being put in a moving truck to be brought down to Pensacola, Florida, where her now husband has an apartment.

While I wanted to be independent in the packing process and just "get 'er done," I couldn't.  Every single thing I wanted to pack had to be cleared with Laura Beth.  She had to tell me what corner or box or car or moving truck to put everything in.  I felt useless.  But, I must have been somewhat productive, because we finished.  

We packed up and moved out of one apartment, moved into a new apartment and a moving truck.  And we were finished by Thursday afternoon.  I am going to give myself another pat on the back for that one.  

We drove out to Fripp Island, where the wedding would be taking place.  As my friends and fellow bridesmaids arrived, I lost it.  I was a total wreck.  Tears were streaming down my beet red face for the majority of the weekend.  But, somehow, I was the only one of my friends not to cry at the ceremony.  As crazy as the weekend was, and it was, just ask my parents, it was absolutely wonderful.  I saw four of my best friends from college.  I met Allie's fiancee.  I saw Jackson, Lindsey's son, who is 3 years old already, and tearing up the dance floor.  But most importantly, I saw Laura Beth get married, knowing that she could not be any happier.  I am thrilled for her.

So, it was my first friend's wedding, and my first bridesmaid experience.  Allie will be getting married next April, and I will be a bridesmaid again.  And I know that I have lots more weddings and bridesmaid duties ahead of me.

It was also the first time I packed someone else's apartment in 24 hours, and well, my fingers are crossed that it was the last time for that.  I also hope that it will be the last time that the framers mess up my wedding gift....

The last name was supposed to be MEYER...  Yeah, I cried about this too.  Gosh, I need to pull myself together.

"Thai Style" at its finest

Days before I left Thailand to come home, we had Sport Day.  Don't let the name fool you, there was very little sport going on.  The day was a competition between government schools throughout the northeast, and only involved teachers.  

The day began for me at 3 am.  I was dragged from my bed, forbidden from putting on my sling, covered in makeup and hairspray, and sewed into my "Thai style" outfit.  Yes, I was forced to be part of the parade.  The parade is the most elaborate and important competition of the day, and therefore my white face needed to be put on display.  I just went along with it.

A photo with the director of the school.

Check out the makeup and fake eyelashes!  I think it was more makeup than I have worn in my entire life.  Combined.

One of my very good friends in Thailand, and a teacher at my school, Golf.

The man behind the makeup.

When the parade was finished, we were bussed back to the hotel to change into our issued uniforms, pink polo shirts and athletic pants.  Even though I scrubbed a few layers of skin off of my face, there were still traces of makeup, but back to Sport Day we went.  Immediately the vice director handed me a paper coffee cup filled with beer and told me to drink up.  While taking my first sip, she wrapped a sequin and feathered number around me and pushed me to the stage.  I was then forced to partake in the second most important competition of the day: cheering.  But once again, don't let the name fool you.  The competition was more about silly costumes, simple dance moves, and karaoke than anything else.  I won't lie, I loved it.

Sequins, feathers, sunglasses and beer.  What else could an American girl in Thailand ask for?

Dancing, excuse me, cheering away!

This is a photo from the dinner and closing ceremony of Sport Day.  From the left, Teacher Sue, one of the third grade teachers I work with, and a Manao's future owner candidate, Paul, and Teacher Lawan, the head of the English program, and my co- teacher last year in grade one.

These are a few of my favorite things

I may have mentioned this before, but I love baking.  I really, really love it.  There is nothing I love more than taking a perfectly clean kitchen, and messing it up.  I love making it super dirty.  I feel successful with flour on the counter, cocoa on the floor, batter splattered on the wall, and a mixer covered in egg whites.  And it's best when there is a sink overflowing with dirty dishes.  As I can smell the products of my labor baking in my mini oven, I clean.  Usually the music is blasting, and I just clean.  I love washing the dishes by hand.  (But I won't pretend for a second that I'm not grateful for a break, and a dishwasher at home!)  Even with our poor excuse for a kitchen sink, and nearly nonexistent water pressure, I find the cleaning process calming.  It is the perfect way to pass the time as the smells waft throughout the house.  Here are a few photos of my latest mess in Thailand.  This was days before I left to come home.

A beautiful, albeit small, sink overflowing with dishes.

The kitchen sink at full pressure.  Yes, this is for real.

The awesome finish products!  A chocolate peanut butter cheesecake, a gift for Paul.  Cinnamon swirl bread, to be sold at the coffee shop.  And a lime cheesecake for my coworkers.

As I write this blog, I can smell my most recent creation in the oven downstairs.  My family will soon be enjoying peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.  You are welcome to come over and help us finish them!  

It's good to be home.

It happened.

In October Paul was in a motorcycle accident.  While driving home from my house, he was completely cut off by a car and fell off his bike, breaking his collar bone.  The one thing he said was thank goodness for his full face helmet.

After his accident he forced me to buy a full face helmet as well.  He said that my driving ability didn't matter, someday I would get in an accident.  Everyone does.  And I did.

While driving home from a late night noodle run with my friend Bethany, I was completely cut off.  I was about half a kilometer from my house, and passing another motorbike.  There was plenty of distance between us, and I was driving at a safe speed.  I saw the entire accident happen in slow motion.  The bike was on my left, and made a ninety degree right turn directly in front of me.  I jammed on my brakes, but I hit the back of his bike.  The next thing I remember was lying on the pavement and being put on a backboard and lifted into the ambulance.

I was admitted to the hospital with a fractured collar bone, two fractured ribs, and one broken rib.  And let me tell you, I'm no expert, but this was a gnarly xray.  I was kept in the hospital, in the trauma ward, to monitor my head injury.  I took a pretty hard spill, and while I didn't have a throbbing headache, I had pain in multiple places around my skull.

I had road rash on both my knees, shoulders, hands, elbows and scrapes on my face.  Bethany said she and the man I hit had to lift my bike off of me after the accident.  Luckily, he stayed with us, which is almost unheard of in Thailand.  He called the ambulance, filed the police report, and took full responsibility for the accident.  Honestly, ninety-nine percent of accidents in this country are hit and runs.  Thank goodness this was not.

I thought it was a bit bizarre to have scrapes on my chin and to have pain in multiple places around my head, but one look at my helmet puts everything in perspective.  My helmet is severely damaged around my chin, and the inside of my helmet is what scraped me.  There are scrape marks and dents around the entire helmet, proving a crazy and very dangerous fall.  I will be eternally grateful to Paul for forcing me to purchase my huge, silly-looking, bobble head- like, full face helmet.  If it weren't for that helmet I would not have a functioning jaw right now.  And I definitely wouldn't have any teeth.

After about 36 hours in the hospital, I came home to my wonderful roommate, Cait.  She has been absolutely wonderful, and has taken amazing care of me.  I am recovering quickly, and I was even able to go on the school trip to the beach.  It still hurts for me to sneeze, but I'll be just fine.  My bike is a bit scratched, but nothing a new coat of paint can't help.

I'm okay, and I will be home on April 1 for the entire month.  I'm looking forward to healing at home, driving in a car, and having an American doctor take xrays.

For now I'm relaxing, finishing up my grades for the school year, and counting my blessings.  Again and again.