Shocked

Today I went to the doctor (again). I was looking at my chart, which has my picture, my hospital number, my birthday and my age on the top of each page. I did a double take today when I saw that it said I was 27. I honestly thought I was 26. Not that 1 year is that big of a difference, but I was rather shocked in a way that I actually didn't (correctly) know how old I was. Oops. :)

Insomnia

A few days before leaving Nepal, one of my ears suddenly became "plugged up". I blamed it on the altitude and knew it would quickly pass. My ear "popped" the next day and I was back to normal hearing, instead of the muffled noises. But the next day, I was back to being "plugged up" again. Not even coming down from the mountains or 2 plane rides "popped" my ear back to normal hearing. It wasn't really that alarming... more annoying than anything else. Yet when I spent the entire school week asking my students to speak louder, to repeat themselves, to look directly at me when they spoke, to speak towards my good ear... and then when I started feeling like I was getting a head cold, I decided to see the doctor. Looking back now, I can't even believe a waited the whole week!

So I finally dragged myself to the ENT at the hospital only to find out that I have a severe sinus infection that has not allowed my ear "to pop". Unfortunately, the Dr. said that a sinus infection of my magnitude (perhaps she was scolding me for not coming in sooner) would last anywhere between at least 2+ weeks to 3 months. :( You can pray that it's closer to the 2+ week range and that my ear "pops" soon... hearing my students is always a plus. If not, she needs to do "cut into" my ear and drain it manually. Gross. I'll take the natural way, thank you very much.

Anyway, she put me on some antibiotics (here's hoping I'm not allergic to them) and as she was telling me about the antibiotics she said, "Some people experience insomnia when they take this antibiotic." I brushed the thought away... I'm not usually "that person"... I'm usually the person that breaks out in hives or has their throat close up due to a new medication. But here I am at 1:30 in the morning, dead tired from the work week, from feeling sick, from spending a week hiking in the Himalayas, yawning, desiring sleep in every way... and I can't sleep. I don't know if I can do 2+ weeks of this antibiotic and experiencing insomnia whilst being a teacher.

You can pray for a swift recovery. In the meantime, since I have all this free time on my hands, maybe I'll blog more frequently/quickly about our Nepal experience. Hey, there's always a perk. :)

3 Nepal haikus

Spring break in Nepal
Cold enough for hats and mitts
Oh how wonderful

Beautiful sunrise
A glorious creation
Thank you Father God

Baby goats are fun
They head-butt you with their nubs
And chew your fingers

More about our trip to Nepal (and probably more haiku's) to come...

Can I get a woot-woot?!

We're officially on spring break! (Insert woot-woot here). And it seriously couldn't have come soon enough... it's been a long time and waiting! :)

We're headed off to Nepal tomorrow morning with 9 other friends to hike the Annapurna Circuit. We're looking forward to new scenery, cooler weather, fellowship with great friends, exercise, and taking in God's majestic glory.

I can't wait to share pics of our trip with you when we come back... get ready to be blown away! :)

Catch ya' on the flip-side of our Nepal trip! Woot-woot!

Tootles.

State of emergency

Thai PM declares emergency in Bangkok amid protests

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok amid escalating anti-government protests.

In a televised address, Mr Abhisit said the move would help "bring a return to normal". The authorities will have additional powers to restore order.

It comes hours after thousands of "red-shirt" protesters marched on parliament - forcing MPs to call off a session.

The protesters want Mr Abhisit to resign and call elections.

Taken from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8607267.stm

MPs scale ladders to flee the parliament as protesters breach the gates and enter the parliament grounds on Wednesday afternoon, as the government moves against the red-shirts' People Channel TV station.

Taken from: http://www.bangkokpost.com/

For an interesting and more informative article to read about what a state of emergency consists of and what has really been going on in Bangkok as of late, click HERE.

Check out a few panorama pictures of the red-shirt protests HERE and HERE.

We're safe and sound here in Bangna. If anything, we feel inconvenienced due to the closing of a few malls and blockage of specific areas downtown. Additionally, we're really hoping that they won't cancel school again... we've had so many days off between flood and protest days that if we have another day of school off between here and the end of the school year, we'll have to have Saturday school. And we all know what that means... half the student body won't come, so nothing productive will get done, which means babysitting for an entire day. Yuck.

Please continue to pray for Thailand during this time of political unrest and turmoil.

Guess who?

Guess who played her first 5 hours of board games and got to eat at her favorite restaurant in Bangkok?

I'll give you one guess.

Yep, it was me. :)

And it was soooooooooo worth it.

And I will gladly do it again.

Just sayin'.

Once you pop... you can't stop!

If it's not one game, it's another... part 2

The following pics are from the ICS men's softball game. Did I ever mention how much Mike likes being surrounded by other sports obsessed men interested in sports as much as he is? Oh, I did? Okay, just wanted to make myself clear so that you understand that he is a game fiend. A game fiend of all sorts...

Choosing teams... like elementary recess all over again.

Batter up!

Swing batter, batter... SWING! (Brian Regan anyone?)

Will, cheering on his dad, Todd.

Pound it, brother!

How many outs?

If it's not one game, it's another... part 1

Intramural flag football. Mike coaches the 11th grade team. Despite how much he enjoys coaching sports, don't let that look fool you... he would much rather be playing! :)

Game strategies...

March your butt that way!

Bringing it in for a huddle after a victory against the sophomores.

Personal day

Me: I won't be here tomorrow, so I need you to make sure that you understand the project and what I'm asking of you. You want to have a productive work day tomorrow when I'm gone, so if you have any questions, today is the day to ask. Any questions so far?

Student: Why won't you be here tomorrow?

Me: Well... I kind of need a vacation day from you guys.

Student: [laughing] Oh man, you deserve it Mrs. Karly... we are quite the handful.

Me: Yes you are.


So what do the Mr. and I have lined up on our day off together??
1. The spa for a massage and whatever else tickles my fancy
2. Lunch at a yummy restaurant called, "Crepes and Company"
3. Starbucks
4. Games (I have to get my 5 hours in to be able to eat at my favorite restaurant... click HERE to see why!)
5. Shopping for our trip to Nepal... 9 days away!!
6. Listening to a Good Friday sermon from our home church and reflecting on the cross
7. Whatever else we have time for, since you know we could spend all day at the coffee shop whilst reading, listening to Pastor R., playing games, and eating/drinking yummy treats. :)

Looking forward to sleeping in and having a relaxing, yet reflective and meaningful day with the hubster!!