i keep getting asked, “so, how are you really doing?” like i might not be answering the question, “how are you doing?” honestly. the honest to goodness truth is, i’m doing just fine. i’m including a graph to help define “just fine” –

now, i know that doesn’t look so good, looks pretty close to dismal maybe. But it is what it is. you know during the closing credits of the jetsons, when george yells, “jane, stop this crazy thing”? well, i’m pretty sure i know what he’s talking about. it’s not that i want to go home, or that i’m sorry we moved – it’s that it’s just so much, so fast.

i’ve already posted about the delayed flight, flying standby, bh going straight to singapore from bangkok and the kids and me coming on to chiang mai. which was a bit of a rocky start (if you haven’t noticed i have a tendency to minimize things, i learned that in our “are they the right kind of crazy to move to thailand” counseling session). you thought how brave and adventurous i was when we were here without bh – I got us out of the hotel, went to the zoo, the night bizarre, the internet café… well, the truth is, that while we did do those things, and while it may have seemed brave and adventurous, it was really just forward motion. i would have rather stayed holed up in our hotel room and cried. but what good would that have done, other than to further traumatize the kids. and we did spend a few mornings crying over breakfast – some very nice people who were also staying at the hotel were kind enough to check on us, maybe more to be sure the kids would be okay left in my care.

then bh got to town and we had to really think and act like this was our new home. we took care of the kids and school and got moved into our house. i drove a stick shift - on what i consider the wrong side of the road - in the middle of morning rush hour down and around the streets of chiang mai. and that really might go down as one of the most stressful and scariest things i’ve ever done in my entire life. we found furniture, the grocery store, the local market. i’m learning to shop by picture and that there are some places to shop that are more english friendly – not meaning they speak english, but that there is some english on the packages. i’m learning that things take more time. i’ve learned that i’m spoiled. i don’t like hanging clothes to dry or hand washing dishes. it’s not convenient and it takes time and your clothes aren’t really soft. i want furniture – now. i’m glad we have mattresses and a kitchen table and chairs. but i want some place else to sit in the house. i want my mattress off the floor. i want to be comfortable. and i want routine.

i want someone to talk to. i’m a bit of an extrovert. you know barbra streisand's lyric, people, people who need people are the luckiest people in the world. that was written for me, about me, i’m one of those people - well, not really feeling the luckiest people in the world part right now. and i got no people here. i mean none that aren’t family and forced to endure me because of their genetic makeup or because they said, “i do.” and not only that, the only other adult in the house is introverted. which - if i understand what an introvert means- it means he’s some kind of freak of nature – you know, like a weird mutation or something. he’s drawn me a graph to show me the difference between extrovert and introvert, i’ve done my best to recreate it.

lets say that the 0 – 7 are representative of how full up of conversation and interaction we are – with 6 being as full as you can get – and the 7 being there because i didn’t know how to make it go away. so, bh spends his entire day, either pretty full or totally full. i, however, start with plenty of space available and it’s not full until i close my eyes to go to sleep – and really, it might not be full then. this doesn’t really do his original diagram justice, but it gives you a good idea. the problems – well really it’s just one big problem – this causes are that he is all happy in his introverted little world, no one wants him to participate in any kind of conversation – it’s good, but then there’s me. sad little no.one.will.talk.to.me me. he tries, God love him. he uses exaggerated hand gestures, makes disturbing faces and he grunts, but those really aren’t good substitutes for conversation. so, i blog, a lot. maybe you noticed. and i check my email every chance i get. but it’s not the same. and the truth is, i want friends, but i hate making them. you know, the awkward small talk, the i’m not sure i’m gonna like this person, the i’m pretty sure they don’t like me. i know i’ve done it before, but once you’ve gotten past that you forget it and it’s like you’ve always been friends. it’s sort of like that mommy amnesia – the one where you forget how much it hurt to sit up in bed after a c-section so you go ahead and have another baby. that’s where i want to be, not having another baby – it took three, but now i remember the pain. i want to get to the you’ve always been friends place.

so, right this moment i would say life sucks. but it’s all part of it. i signed up for this. i know it’s where God wants our family and i know it will all be good. and i know i have a choice. i can move forward, get things done or i can curl up in a ball and cry. one is much easier than the other, but i think i’d miss out on all the misery fun.

not to mention the blog fodder.

we're driving home the other night and #1 says, "hey, is dad asleep at the wheel? oh wait, dad's not driving."

this wrong side of the car thing has us all screwed up.

yesterday we test drove a car, it was good, bigger than what we are renting right now - but most important it was automatic. no more driving stick! we also made a trip to the store to look for fish sauce, the right fish sauce, the real fish sauce, and while there here's what we found for the kids to do...

and, yes, i did find the fish sauce...

then we test drove the car.

then we went to a ginormous mall, the central airport plaza. here's a picture of just one of the motorcycle parking lots - and it's not the whole lot - at this mall...

michael had to get a new fancy schmancy cell phone for work and chan needed new tennis shoes for pe. tennis shoes that will never, ever touch another surface other than the brand new gym floor at the school. while we were there we found this...

but we didn't have any :(.

then home and to bed.

today, i woke up and decided to get back on the horse... i cooked a thai meal. my confidence was renewed because i had found the fish sauce, and this recipe called for fish sauce. here's how it turned out.

and it was tasty. no one had yogurt.

yesterday evening i went nuts and volunteered for all the volunteer opportunities currently available at the school. thankfully, right now that is only 2 things. one is international day - they group us by our nationality, and i would think i could come in handy - fresh off the boat from america and all. and then they are getting ready to hold parenting with confidence classes. i volunteered to be a hostess - which really means hand out name tags at the school every tuesday evening a for 4 weeks. just glad they weren't looking for a volunteer grounds keeper cuz i would have been all over that...

other than learning to drive...

so thursday night we get a text message from the lovely folks at the office here in chiang mai - we had spoken with them earlier in the day about arrangements we needed to make for friday and they had a solution. they arranged for us to rent a car so i could drive #1 to school to meet with the high school advisor and arrange his schedule. meanwhile, they would send a truck to the hotel to pick up the man, a#2, #3 and all our luggage. sounds great? well, after i familiarized myself with a manual, drove around the round about the wrong way, stalled out a few times, i was ready to go - the only thing left was convincing #1 to get in the car with me. once we were off it took us 90 minutes to get to the school; it should have been a 20 minute trip - but we saw some things i hope to be able to find again. then we had to get from the school to our house. luckily, the office manager at CMIS knows just where our moo baan (neighborhood) is. and when we got to the house most of the unpacking had been done!! yeah, the man, #2 & #3! next to do was find something to eat. so we journeyed out - found a super store with a kfc. and look what they had -

and, of course, we had to do some shopping. but it's hard to figure out where to start when you have nothing! so, we started with some basic necessities. dishes, a pot and a pan, silverware. a clothes washer!! saturday and sunday were spent setting up house, finding where to get other furniture. stuff that works for us, but doesn't cost a fortune.

other highlights of the last few days... when you don't inform your credit card company that you've left the country they shut you down. when you make purchases you should remember that you no longer drive a minivan, but are currently renting a small passenger car. if here's what happens if you don't remember... (and don't worry, the kids really could breath and they are all still alive) -

this morning i was highjacked by motorcycle riders and couldn't get into the lane i needed to be in so took the long unknown way to the kids' school. and now i sit in a coffee shop - which is a little weird because it wasn't too long ago that i read about this very coffee shop here - writing this blog, wondering what normal will be like here.

an internet cafe... so right now, all four of us are lined up in a row like a momma duck and her baby ducklings enjoying a little bit of www heaven! who knew? of course, every other person in here is a teenage gamer - and not caucasion. we're so not cool. but we're happy and not cool.

and now i have a moment to really write. and another bonus, a lovely woman at the hotel is letting us borrow her adapter/converter. so as we sit here interneting we have a laptop and a nintendo ds charging - talk about a good day.

i received many emails to let us know about the cowboys' loss... #1 took it very hard. his reaction was probably a little cowboys' loss and a lot loss in general. it seems perhaps it's a dallas curse, first the mavericks and now the cowboys looked so promising. well, at least make it a little further than this promising.

and i have to again say thank you to all for helping with our house. you know how when something is done for you that you can never ever pay back - well that is what's happening right now for us. it's very humbling and also makes us feel very loved. so thank you guys.

okay, so now for the juicy stuff. calm down, it's not really all that juicy... i feel like we're in a bit of a holding pattern. not in our house, but in a hotel. not on a vacation, but not really living here, either. i know, i know we are living and we are here - you know what i mean. #2 is all out of sorts, #1 is okay, but not great and #3 is having the time of his life because every morning there is a breakfast buffet. no routine to speak of, other than passed out cold by 8pm. #1 is starting to enjoy thai tv. we watched a show about police officers - i'm pretty sure it was a comedy. and we've also seen a drama(?) about airline crews. no idea what happened, but a good way to pass some time. bh gets in tomorrow. after he arrives we take the kids to the school for testing and while they are testing bh and i go sign on the house. talk about alot of waiting and then a big hurry up and rush.

no tv - well, that's not really true - we do have thai tv. i watched an entire episode of ghost whisperer dubbed in thai. now, i'm really wishing i had watched that show in the u.s. and internet is limited. yesterday we went to the zoo and the night market. today i want to do nothing. maybe read, nap, walk around the hotel. i'm hoping i can get the kids to agree. of course, #1 just asked what are we going to do today...

it's here. the luggage came in late last night. now everyone is fresh - no more stinky boys. i know all around us must be relieved.

today we've visited the zoo - it was a great distraction for the kids and now we are all exhausted!! today seems to be #1's day to be out of sorts. i'm really quite glad they are taking turns, i'm not sure i could handle all of them at once.

thanks everyone for your comments. i appreciate them bunches. it makes my day a little brighter when i get to read them.

and a big thank you also to the wonderful ladies (winey & trish) who are busy sorting out my house. i know it is a ton of work and i can't thank you enough.

we slept 13 hours last night and are all still a little draggy today. i took the kids to see the house, they all liked it. #3 wanted his own balcony, like a#2 and the man & me, but other than that all is good. they were thrilled with the amenities - swimming pool, tennis courts, badmitton, etc...

the lost luggage is still lost... and we're still waiting. but it's all part of it, right? think pigpen from charlie brown - only without the little squigle stink marks and with a real stink instead. but it is just the boys - #2 and i are great.

i think we're all feeling somewhat overwhelmed. #2 had a small break down at breakfast - i think some of the novelty is wearing off for the kids. or maybe they didn't ever feel it was at all novel. but nothing like a few tears in a hotel restaurant.

we made it. we're tired. and when the day comes that we can tell this story as the funniest story ever i'll be sure to include the part where half the luggage doesn't get here. because what could be funnier than two stinky boys with no clean clothes.

we are in bangkok. at least the kids and i are. the man has just left for singapore. the rest of us are waiting to get to chiang mai, because of our delay we have to fly standby. we will know in the next few moments whether or not we will make this flight. if not, there are others today. right now we’re cranky, tired, smelly and really just ready to be done. one day this will be the funniest of stories.

so, yesterday, once we woke up and got around, we realized we were hungry. what to do? we looked out of our hotel window and saw what appeared to be the only viable option.

so we started walking, and decided to be brave - to persevere - to walk the dangerous streets of la. and boy were we rewarded.

you know all of those choices had to be hands down better than a 7eleven taquito. and they were.

We finally board our flight. 2 hours late. we're on the ground at lax at 8:45 pm. our flight to bangkok on thai airways takes off at 9:30 pm. so we have 45 minutes to taxi in, get off the plane. get to the international terminal and check in. this doesn't happen. and no one really wants to help us. our tickets were purchased through united. (i've flown united twice now and they are batting zero.) after we discover the people at thai airways aren't all that keen on helping us, we head back to united. i won't go into the details, but i did take a picture.

and before you say, "eww, that's so gross, what kind of parents could let s8 sleep on the floor of the lax airport?" you should know i agree it is pretty nasty.

we're set for standby tomorrow night at 9:30p on thai. and as much as i might not be a great big fan of united, they did come through and put us up in a hotel - for two nights. and we're gonna try to sleep and not worry at all about where our luggage might be. the luggage that contains all our clothes and when i say all, i mean all.our.clothes.

so ruth, i'm in your town. not enjoying it and so wanting to be somewhere else. but i'm sure that in any other situation i'd be lovin' it.

we're doing it. right now, we're doing it. all five of us are at the airport, with what we managed to pack. what we didn't we hope someone else will enjoy. we were able to coordinate rides to the airport. one for our suitcases and one for us. and now we sit, and we will continue to sit. when we got to the airport our flight was delayed 20 min., now it's delayed 2 hours. so we sit... and blog, and fight about discuss taking turns on the computers.

and this early in our move i've already missed some great picture opportunities. i missed our house in a pretty serious state of disarray as we left. and i missed us at check in with our 10 ginormous suitcases open for all the world to see while we tried to balance them. and we did, only one was over the 50 pound limit, but the others were so close we had to frugally spread those 7 pounds out. and i missed all 30 of the minutes we spent getting through security. and we weren't waiting to get through we were going through the process of security. we had at least 12 tubs lined up with our various belongings strewn about. tsa people doing bag checks, making sure bh's cpap machine wasn't dangerous, the plastic cases for the wii games looked suspicious, so lots of digging and time and everyone behind us getting a bit impatient. and probably my favorite, when we all take our shoes off we discover #3 has on only one sock and c#1 has on no socks.

but the two hours will be put to good use. i can go ahead and cancel our garbage pick up. call the carpet guys to lay the carpet we ordered and let the realtor know that the clean up might be a little more than expected.

we're doing it. right now, we're doing it. all five of us are at the airport, with what we managed to pack. what we didn't we hope someone else will enjoy. we were able to coordinate rides to the airport. one for our suitcases and one for us. and now we sit, and we will continue to sit. when we got to the airport our flight was delayed 20 min., now it's delayed 2 hours. so we sit... and blog, and fight about discuss taking turns on the computers.

and this early in our move i've already missed some great picture opportunities. i missed our house in a pretty serious state of disarray as we left. and i missed us at check in with our 10 ginormous suitcases open for all the world to see while we tried to balance them. and we did, only one was over the 50 pound limit, but the others were so close we had to frugally spread those 7 pounds out. and i missed all 30 of the minutes we spent getting through security. and we weren't waiting to get through we were going through the process of security. we had at least 12 tubs lined up with our various belongings strewn about. tsa people doing bag checks, making sure bh's cpap machine wasn't dangerous, the plastic cases for the wii games looked suspicious, so lots of digging and time and everyone behind us getting a bit impatient. and probably my favorite, when we all take our shoes off we discover #3 has on only one sock and c#1 has on no socks.

but the two hours will be put to good use. i can go ahead and cancel our garbage pick up. call the carpet guys to lay the carpet we ordered and let the realtor know that the clean up might be a little more than expected.

we passed the crazy tests. all four of them.

so, bh snores. he snores and he stops breathing while he's sleeping. his doctor recommended him for a sleep study and our insurance, who does everything top notch, sent us a kit. which means, i'm running a sleep lab. bh says i'm not. even though i have been thoroughly trained - i watched a 5 minute video that taught me everything i need to know. and i have proof that i'm running a sleep lab, see...

see the little sleep study computer. it's on our handy, dandy night stand. (since we've sold all of our bedroom furniture, we're sleeping on a mattress on the floor and he must use a small appliance box for his night stand. there was nothing in my training that said this was frowned upon.) he also has the breathing monitor attached right up there under his nose. he has a chest monitor on, too, but it's under the covers. and a finger monitor. all of this is attached to his little wrist unit that is attached to the little sleep study computer. it's all legit. i've got to run this lab for 3 nights. then i pack up all the above listed equipment and send it to my esteemed colleagues who plug the little sleep study computer into a bigger computer to get the results. these guys aren't qualified to run a sleep study lab, only the highly qualified - like me - get to actually work with the patients.

my office is working under a bit of a time crunch. turns out january 10, the patient and his family could be leaving for their new home in a new country on a new continent. yes, i said we could be moving one week from today. if you remember the pictures i posted about our last moving sale - if not, they're here - the condition of our house isn't all that different at this moment. i think that means it's time to get busy.

one of the things that my kids think is pretty cool is the wide array of options for after school snack. when we walk out of the gate of the school this is what we see...

and here are some of their options...

so far my favorite is the tempura green beans.