We're Back!

What a month it has been! So much has happened since my last post and there is much to blog about. I have a lot of catching up to do! Aaaah! Since my last post our life has been a tad crazy! The end of April Rick and I spent 5 days in Atlanta at a conference, came home and three days later put our house on the market on May 5th and the next morning, May 6th the Carder fam got up at 4:30 am to head to the airport to go to Thailand. So, there ya have it, that's my excuse for not blogging for over a month. Wowsers, I would say that this is just the way we roll but in fact this is not the way we like to roll. It has been crazy and we much prefer things to be a little more calm but it's all exciting and good things so it's ok.

So, backing up, yes, our house is officially on the market so if you or anyone you know is looking for a great 3 bedroom/two bathroom house with a neighborhood pool and two parks nearby let me know! We love this house, the location and neighborhood but we are wanting to move closer to Rick's work so we'll see what happens. You can be praying about this for us! Anyway, our plan was to put the house on the market the day before we left for Thailand in hopes that while we were gone for two weeks it would be ready for people to look at. Great plan right? Sure, well wouldn't you know that for two weeks it was spotless and no one came and the day after we got back from Thailand when our suitcases were spilling out and covering our dining room, laundry was hanging up everywhere, STUFF was out everywhere, THIS was the time someone decided to come. Lovely. We didn't get the courtesy call in time so some sweet family came and looked at our messy house. Nothing says "Welcome to our Home" quite like wet clothes hanging in the entry hall and suitcases all over the floor. Oh well, that's how it goes sometimes.

Anyway, we got home this past Friday, May 20th from Thailand and just had the most amazing time! Wow, what an incredible trip we had and it was such a special and blessed time being with Derran, Ann, Brynn and Meg. Everything went so smoothly, the girls did great on the flights, no one got sick and Eva and Ella didn't skip a beat being in a new culture where everything is different. Eva even readily wanted to use squatty potty's so I would say culture shock was not a problem! I can't wait to share about our adventures so get ready for several posts on Thailand. I took over 500 pictures so I'm just giving you a heads up that you're going to get an earful. :) We are still getting adjusted to the time change since it is 12 hours difference and I would say that we are almost 100% functional. I'm telling you, this jet-lag business is for the birds! Brrruutal! The first day back Eva and Ella were up at 3:30am...for the day. I don't think I even need to say that this is not cool but I will anyway. Not cool. The next day it was 5 am which is better. The next day was 6:30 and today Eva was up at 6 and Ella got up a little after 7 am so we are definitely moving in the right direction. Keep pushing it back girls, push it back! I will say though that I am so thankful we are struggling with jet-lag on this end instead of while we were in Thailand. We were only there for 11 days and one of my prayers was that we wouldn't waste time with sleep issues/jet-lag and that prayer was answered. The girls got up the first day we were there at 5 am but after that they did great. That seems like a small thing but I really wanted to be able to make the most of our time there and we did so I'm so thankful.

There is much to share so when I get my act together I'll post more about our trip. I can already feel myself slipping into a little bit of a funk and we've been back less than a week. I miss my sister and neices SO much already. My heart hurts and longs for more time with them. I'm so grateful, blessed and thankful that we got to spend 11 days with them. I feel like now that I've experienced their life in Thailand first-hand I know better how to pray. We love you Ann, Derran, Brynn and Meg and miss you like crazy! We're so proud of you and your commitment to the people in Phayao. We can't wait to see you again and for our next trip to Thailand. Love you, love you!!

Stay tuned, more to come from our Thailand trip involving elephant rides, motorcycle chase, amazing food, and lots and lots of cousin time!