Duped!

The lady I work with, Gretchen, who encompasses enough knowledge and ingenuity to ensure I don't go crazy when asked to do things that are beyond my experiential scope, came up to me a few weeks ago with an urgent look on her face.

She told me that occasionally someone will call and inquire about our copier information, asking for the make and model number.

A seemingly innocent inquiry.

But the real motive behind this phone call is to gather information so that their company can begin sending supplies for your copier, attempting to obligate you into accepting their services.

We are contracted out with another company, Ikon, so we have no need for these sneaky outside suppliers.

Well, today, while in the midst of bulk mailing lists and other various tasks, a phone call was transfered back to me. I believe his name was "Jessie" (or so he says...) and he seemed professional, friendly, and confident as he said he wanted to follow up on our order and confirm our copier number.

Now, as a side note, I don't know exactly what the plot of the 2002 thriller "Phone Booth" starring Collin Farrel was, but I imagine it had to be pretty similar to what I experienced today.

Because that's how dramatic these things feel when you're entering data all day....

Right after I willfully searched and finally offered the numbers "Jessie" was after, I had a brief moment of quick clarity, followed by regret as I casually said, "You're with Ikon, right?"

Click.

I fell for it!

I couldn't believe that my otherwise stealthy, suspecting self would fall prey to such a devious guise!

And after slowly putting down the receiver and getting back to my work, I began to have multiple scenarios float through my head of what I could have done. I felt like George Costanza reveling in the retrospect that brilliant comebacks and cleverly placed lines could have brought.

"Oh yeah! Well the jerk store called and they're running out of YOU!"

One simple line and I could have turned this guy around. He would have realized the error of his ways and probably taken up a career in medicine, giving back to society, rather than stealing their copier information.

I will not be fooled again!

Bird by bird.

"Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong." - Anne Lamott

And this is why, more than 2 months after my last entry, I am dusting off this space in an attempt to inhabit it once again.

I made one New Years Resolution this year. And it was to write something, anything, every single day of the year.

I made it to January 3rd.

But now I am being terribly inspired as I read through Anne Lamott's "Bird by Bird" where she will slowly reveal to me every single thing I ever needed to know about writing (I have lofty demands..) and a tad bit uninspired as I spend forty hours a week refilling vacant copier paper trays, sweeping away the unsightly remains of mangled staples, visiting the exotic land of "bulk mail," and entering numbers into a computer that each reveal the generous donations of people giving back to their own community.

And it's that last bit of work that I attempt to hang onto as I wander through the rest of it, over-thinking, under-praying, and always just a little bit uncertain of where I fall in the grand scheme of things.

Sometimes I suppose the Lord allows us a discomfort if it means He can better move and shape us.

Fair enough.

The way we were.

Josh and I became quite the "accomplished" (perhaps too generous a word) cinematographers during our time in Cambodia, and to show that in its fullness, I thought I would post some of our personal favorites here so that the thousands who flock here daily would have easy access to our videos in one concise post.  Oh the hours of research I am saving people.....

First, my personal favorite, our Batman video, where Josh discovered previously unknown courage.  And I discovered video sound effects!

Next, our "Crib."  The place we spent nearly 3 hours total when not out with teams :)

And finally, our extensive series of discovering the lost ruins of Angkor.  

We needed a hobby.

Sold.

Most of the time I am on pretty good terms with the mystery and possibility of the future and what it might bring.  It allows for some daydreaming, some out of the box thinking, and a fair amount of hope. 

All good things.

But sometimes I just want to know.  I want to be able to fast forward a few years and see how the list of my current choices would each pan out if acted upon.  Like skipping to the very end of a choose your own adventure book.  

Job hunting is an adventure all its own.  Complete with intrigue, adventure, mystery, and the occasional Q&A while wearing fancy clothes.

And where has this latest adventure led me??

To the home-based Greeting Card Business.

Let's think about this.  What do I love in life?  It's a lengthy list which includes my husband, music, and coffee....and one that also includes funny pictures combined with witty captions.  

Yes.  

I have married into the most creative family possible, and I have also browsed many a greeting card section lately (we have a lot of Fall birthdays in the family).  There is a need people.  There is a need, a niche, and a negligible amount of possible failure that could come of this.

Watch out Hallmark...

Home sweet home.

For the record, I have begun to compose many a blog post in my head over the past weeks since returning home, but haven't been able to make myself sit down and organize it all into one concise post.

It has mostly come out in Facebook status updates. Because people want to know what kind of english muffin I am having each morning :)

Today, wholewheat.

With a perfectly brewed cup of Anniversary Blend from Starbucks. Ah yes.

Josh and I have had a wonderful first month (and some) being back home!

Our first two weeks found us with friends and family and Target and some beautiful leftover Northwest summer weather.

Our second two weeks home consisted of a road trip down to California....

On Monday the 14^th, we packed our car full of clothes, camping supplies, maps, a cooler of snacks, and home made Ronda Ferguson cookies as we set out south for our very first US road trip as a married couple! :)  We had been planning toward and anticipating this road trip since July, wanting to do something special when we moved home to celebrate both our homecoming and my (yikes) 30^th birthday.  

We set out south making a stop at my aunt’s house in Olympia to visit with her and my grandparents and eat delicious sandwiches and birthday cake!  An excellent start to any road trip :)

We continued down into Oregon with an overnight stop at the Remingtons where Josh and I were both badly beaten at multiple games of “Carpet Ball” (which I’m still convinced they made up…) by Thomas.  But we enjoyed homemade spaghetti and breakfast at Starbucks with two of our very favorite people :)

We left the Remingtons to meet up for lunch with Betty Gomez in Clackamas who has been to Cambodia multiple times serving with Medical Teams International.  We love her :)  

We continued on our road trip enjoying healthy snacks such as the energy drink "Amp" from the people who brought you Mountain Dew and Sugar Water.  It is not only healthy and energizing, but it allows your husband to talk in a continual stream of sentences from approximately Clackamas, Oregon to Redding, California.  Are there records for these types of things?  Because we could be breaking them. 

Other healthy and inexpensive snacks included this dinner we consumed at 9:30pm.  Because health food has no time limit.

We made our way down to Sacramento to visit the Goldsteins, eat sandwiches with Megan’s secret ingredient (I’ll never tell), and entertain Kellen and baby Kayla.  We have a way with children you know.

We drove on to San Francisco where we visited Fisherman’s Wharf on a perfectly beautiful day.  

We drove a portion of the day to Yosemite National Park where we found a great car camping spot and pleasant greetings/warnings/scary sayings throughout the park. 

The good news is, we didn't kill any bears and by our estimation we prevented roughly 72 forest fires.  In the midst of all that we were able to take in some pretty incredible views such as these. 

After leaving Yosemite, we decided to get acquainted with some of California's finest law-enforcing residents who not only sport fashionable safety wear, but will also change your tire in .5 seconds on the side of a busy highway at no charge.

We saw the largest collection of pinwheels in current existence.

And we practiced our culinary skills by making chili and organic spaghetti-o's over an open flame.  

Perhaps my favorite find of the entire trip was 10 calorie Vitamin Water.  I am hoping to be sponsored by them at some point.  Right after I find a sport I'm good at.  Does bargain shopping count?

Day 7 of our road trip marked our first day at Disney Land!  And I don't know that my face altered from anything other than a complete smile the entire day.  At many points I believe I may have actually skipped rather than walked (5 year olds kept doing it), and I remember continually repeating the words "disney land disney land disney land!" in an emphatic manner when the inward emotions were more than I could bottle.

29 years people.  I waited 29 years!  

And it was entirely worth it :)

Even the trash bins at Disney Land are magical!

Though not entirely germ free...

BFF!  We met within my first 10 minutes of arriving at the park.  I couldn't tell exactly what his words to me were, but they went something like, "I have waited 29 years to meet you, would you come work at Disney Land as one of our parade dancers?  I've heard of your impressive dance skills.."  And then something else about cheese.  

Instant connection.

I want to move here.  I've decided.

Fastpass!  Which, incidentally, we barely had to use because the lines were so short.  Mid-September is apparently the ideal time to visit Disney Land.  

My very first ride at Disney Land was the Jungle Cruise.  Or as I like to call it "What My Life Looked Like for 16 Months in Cambodia." Only that ride had reality. And Dengue Fever.

My 6th ride at Disney Land was called "Looking at what my husband will look like 40 years from now." 

And for the record it was the only ride at Disney Land that made me feel a little nauseous....

Second scariest ride at Disney Land?

"It's a Small World."  

And it is small.  And entirely on water.  Lots of singing.  Not for the faint of heart...

On Day 2 at Disney we went to California Adventure!  Where we enjoyed great rides, construction and promising signs of what will eventually be a part of the park, and again hardly any lines!  

I also enjoyed my fancy Minnie Mouse ears (which I have managed to incorporate into my outfits 6 out of 7 days of the week), and my "1st Visit!" pin which I plan to later have tattooed onto my arm at a date yet to be determined.  

My husband is still not quite won over by the idea.  He'll come around.

Minnie Mouse and Indiana Jones. The finest of all on-screen duos.  

My favorite part of Disney Land??  While it is difficult to narrow it down, I really think it has to center around the fact that at random points throughout your day, life size plastic green army men can drive by you in a life size plastic green army tank, interact with the crowd forming around them, drive away....and it in no way seems out of place or strange.  Yes.

Day 3 of our Disney trip took us out of Disney entirely and up to Universal Studios!  Which provided us no shortage of celebrity sightings. 

And some "near" celebrity sightings...

"Waterworld."  Josh's future place of employment and the most impressive thing I've seen since the "It's a Small World" ride.

These are our actual re-enacted expressions after going on the Revenge of the Mummy ride.  Amazing.   The only time in my life I found myself paying to have whip lash.  Twice.  We Americans are funny that way.

The exact temperature it was every single day in Cambodia.

And the exact same scenery we saw many days in Cambodia.  Minus the smells and direct stares as we would walk past...

Another familiar aspect of Cambodia...Emily!  Only this time we enjoyed her company and conversation over french fries and hamburgers on a cool Los Angeles evening...as opposed to our typical hang out times of french fries and hamburgers within the cool air conditioned booths at the Freebird in Phnom Penh. 

I said my goodbye's to Disney Land and thanked it for such a perfectly magical experience.  I couldn't have asked for a better trip.  Minus maybe getting chosen to dance with the High School Musical kids rather than getting ousted by an 8 year old.  It's cool.  It just inspires me to really get my moves down.  

Our last stop before coming home was a slumber party with some of our very favorite Santa Rosa people who we have been fortunate enough to have twice on teams in Cambodia!  We love them.  And not just because they make us Mickey Mouse pancakes and let us sleep on their memory foam mattress.  

But partly because of that...

We have now been back for a few weeks, settling in, reveling in the bargains we've found for future home items (important things like a silverware tray and shower curtain rings), basking in the joy of being married in America (hand holding is now a reality!), and the excitement of "job hunting" (everyone's favorite past-time).  I hope to not abandon this blog but to also not be terribly self-indulgent with it either.  

No new team updates to post here anymore, just life at home, and an ongoing prayer to allow the Lord to work in me here like he worked in me in Cambodia.  I don't want Cambodia to be a chapter that I close without realizing it.  I think it is meant to be more of a springboard than an isolated portion of my life.  And I am currently figuring out where that springboard will take me :)  

The First of the Lasts.

First of all, as a public service announcement I would like to share that I think Blogspot is out to get me.

Because for all of the time I spend attempting to format the layout so that the pictures and text line up just right (to perfection!), I will look over at my husband's computer as he's reading through and see things completely out of place. So please feel free to use your imagination in regards to what the page should look like if it is not aligning properly on your computer.

Thank you.

In other news, it has been quite the week for Josh and I as we watch the calendar days pass by and the one marked with "Josh and Michelle Depart" draw closer and closer. Pretty surreal.

And yes, that day is TOMORROW by the way! Wow.

In an important piece of news, I had intended to end my time here by maybe working on my tan a little this week before leaving (I have very clearly defined priorities), but rainy days combined with a general dislike of being in direct Cambodian sunlight (teams can understand this) have left me with one goal unfulfilled and potentially many "I thought you'd be tan" comments to follow :) It happens.

Back to this past week.....Josh and I began to enter a season that marked the first of many "lasts" for us.

Including:








Our last Sunday at the Cham Chao church where we said some preemptive goodbyes to the kids there and had the privilege of being called forward by Pastor Peter so the church could pray over us and our transition home. This was quite powerful and moving to the both of us as we looked out over the Cambodian congregation and felt the hand of Pastor Peter's mother rest upon us as she prayed aloud and thanked us for our service to the people of Cambodia.

My husband pointed out to me afterward the truly powerful picture this was of a woman probably in her 70's now who has been a Christian since her teenage years, survived the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, and has raised a son who now serves as the Foursquare President of Cambodia as well as another son who is one of our main staff doctors here. And this woman, who has so faithfully served the Lord and persevered through countless difficulties, with tears in her eyes, was thanking us for our service.

Humbling, to say the least. We will definitely miss this incredible church family! Along with all of the other congregations we had the opportunity to join out in the provinces with teams!










On Monday we decided to journey out to an exotic location (meaning, we went to the end of our road, turned left instead of our typical right, and then took a right at the market by the first fruit stand.....incidentally, this is also how directions are given in Cambodia.)

We started out with nothing but the open road, our cameras, and a handy R.E.I. compass keychain at our disposal.

We quickly found what we were looking for, which was the chance for some last photos of the beautiful Cambodian countryside. I will miss it.

And clouds like these :)
And cool shots by my husband like this. :)

We eventually ended up in the Kandal Province, which allowed us to say that we have now officially taken our little Kia Sportage out into the province and at the same time confirmed to us, via the bumpy roads that nearly tore the vehicle apart, why we do not usually take the Kia Sportage into the province...

After venturing back into Phnom Penh, Josh kindly indulged me in my very favorite little cafe/restaurant in Phnom Penh, The Java.

If you hit it right, you can manage to secure a seat inside the air conditioning to better enjoy their selection of pastries, salads, and sandwiches (my favorite is the roasted chicken on anadama bread with mozarella, cucumbers, tomatoes, mustard and homemade potato chips....oh my).

You can also enjoy a lovely cup of iced coffee as you peruse their art exhibits that rotate monthly..

....and which sometimes include scary Tim Burton types of artwork involving a terribly dark room with writing you can't understand and ominous trees stretching to the ceiling made of cartoon-like shards of plastic intended to scare young children and American 20-something women alike.

And sometimes it's the only way to the bathroom, so you have no choice. You are forced into the scary art :(

I realized as we were driving around this past week and I had my camera at the ready that there are certain things that don't seem so "foreign" to me anymore....and perhaps that should concern me?...the list includes...

"People Riding on the Top of a Large Vehicle."


"People Riding on the Top of a Mid-Size Vehicle."


"Oversized Loads."


"The Cambodian Road Flare."









"Pigs on the back of Motos."

(he's sleeping, I'm certain..)

"Motos and Live Chickens Strapped Onto the back of a Van with only a Piece of Rope"

"Weeds growing out of vehicles..."


Some non-road-related things include:

Little Gecko friends to keep me company while washing dishes (and occasionally accidentally being flung directly at me when I pull something off of a shelf...)

And of course GIANT gecko friends who freak us out when we walk out of our bedroom and they are directly on the wall in front of us, and who wake us up in the middle of the night with the unmistakable noises they make that reverberate off of every wall in the house. (And for those non-team-members who haven't had a chance to hear it, Josh does a giant gecko impression that could win contests, if such contests existed)

So for now, along with all of the above, we will also sadly say "Goodbye" to ....

"Amatak Driving School of Phnom Penh"

Based on the driving habits of 97.2% of Cambodian drivers, no one would believe you exist. And yet you do.

And while I don't know if this makes the fact that people still drive directly at us flashing their lights and endangering our lives any better, at least you're trying. So thank you.

"Tela Gas Station"

You have not only provided us with "Power for Energy" on numerous occasions but have also been a beautiful beacon of light when out in the province with teams in dire need of survival necessities such as chocolate covered pretzels, ice cream, and ice cold refrigerated beverages.

"Heng Cheng Bakery and Fruit Stand"

You not only have the sign outside featuring baguettes that look like a bag of french fries, you also became the landmark for finding the road to our house roughly 6 months ago when you opened for business.

Thank you Heng Cheng for your bright blue sign, your delightful raisin bread, and for inspiring the other 3 bakeries now either open or soon-to-be opening along this same street (because when you open a business in Cambodia, you can be certain that 3-10 businesses carrying the EXACT same product will be opening next to you shortly...we don't understand it, but we have found it handy at times).

"Random Street Sign with some Khmer Writing and the number 400 on it"

We don't know what you say random street sign, but we do know that you are located on the left side of the street just after the Heng Cheng French Fry Bakery. And that you have directed us safely home many nights on a dark road that up until a few months ago contained no street lights.

"Cambodian Mickey Mouse."

I will not forget you when I meet the American Mickey Mouse less than 4 weeks from now. Or at least I'll try not to...

"The Best Cafe"

Located just across from the airport in Phnom Penh we've had many a team member believe that we were taking them to what we deemed to be "the best cafe" in all of Phnom Penh.

But no, it's the same as most places, only with far more clever marketing.

"ANZ Royal Bank"

I like your blue spots (the name they give to their ATM's), your nicely framed pictures of Cambodian government officials, and the fact that I get to feel cool when I say "A and Zed" bank.

"Freebird Restaurant"

It took me a long time to warm up to you Freebird, but after a while Emily was able to convince me of your ability to make excellent coffee and I was then officially won over by your American style breakfasts that included both coffee and juice. I can't resist you. And I have the coffee mug and t-shirt as mementos to prove it.

"The Russian Market."

Team member: "Why do they call it the Russian Market?"

Josh: "Because everyone is moving so fast."

You have given us comedic fodder, the smell of humidity mixed with fresh meat, and cheap prices when we have felt the time and energy to bargain.

"The W.C. (aka The Water Closet)"

I liked you SO much that I recently bought a sign with you on it in Siem Reap for a buck.

It may be the first thing we hang in our future home one day...

"Junkit Cambodia Co., Ltd."

Obviously not contracted with the same marketing firm responsible for "The Best Cafe."

And yet I love you anyway Junkit Cambodia Company Limited. You are so brave in the name you carry if nothing else.

"Our Sweet Ride (aka our Kia Sportage)"

Yes, it's true that you don't always start on the first try.

Or the second.

Or the third.

And yes, it is also true that a few months ago the lock on the passenger's side door broke in half and it may take up to 7 tries of locking and unlocking from the driver's side to get the door to open...

And yes, it may also be true that as of Monday the driver's side door will not unlock from either the inside or outside, forcing the driver (in this case Josh) to crawl awkwardly (yet skillfully) out through my door at every stop....

And yet.....well, we like you, but the reality is that we are probably going to buy a used Rav4 or Subaru station wagon when we return home next week.

Sorry.

"Our Home in Phnom Penh."

While Josh and I joke that the tent we bought at R.E.I. with a wedding gift card was our "first home," in all reality you have been where we have spent roughly 3 days out of our 16 months together in Cambodia when we were actually in Phnom Penh and not out with a team. :)

I exaggerate...but this house has been great, our roommates have been great, and we have been blessed to get to spend our first year and four months of marriage based out of this property :)

And last but not least....

"Phnom Penh Post-Church Sunday Traffic."

Because sometimes the light at the intersection might be green.....but if you look behind you as you drive away, you realize that all of the lights on the opposing section of traffic were also green.

It's best not to question it.

So long Siem Reap.

With nearly every team that has come to work with us in Cambodia, we have ended our time with them by spending two days in Siem Reap, a growing tourist destination in northern Cambodia. It allows the teams some down time to reflect on their experience, get a break from having rice for 3 meals a day, visit Angkor Wat, ride in tuk-tuk's, and finally get to have things like ice, fresh veggies, and dairy :)

It's the little things in life...












Josh and I have often joked throughout our time here about our plan to move to Siem Reap and base teams out of there rather than Phnom Penh. It just makes sense! There is an airport, excellent Mexican food, and we would of course reside at the "modest" Cozyna Hotel for a reasonable daily fee that would include breakfast, a swimming pool, cable TV, and a hotel staff who all believe my husband's name to be "John."

(He finally just went with it, thus fulfilling every young man's dream of having an alias...)

We love this place. It loves us. And they give you a complimentary glass of juice as you enter. Who could ask for anything more??

Sadly, we could never convince anyone but ourselves of the sheer genius of this plan.



This trip to Siem Reap with the team from Snohomish marked our last time at a number of our favorite spots...including:

The Blue Pumpkin.

Does the name make sense? No.

Are the cute little coasters too expensive to justify as a souvenir? Yes.

Do they have the best iced coffee in all of Siem Reap? Yes. (and for the record that is liquid sugar I'm holding in my hand....to alleviate any confusions or concern..)

Do they have comfy couches, dizzying artwork and the only air conditioned upstairs restaurant on Pub Street? Definitely.

We had our last dinner at The Soup Dragon with the team which included plenty of pizza, as well as everyone's favorite risky meal, "Macaroni with Harm and Cheese." It's a popular one, along with "Meal Lovets Pizza." Not a lot of menu editing going on at the Soup Dragon, despite them having new menus this last visit.


The Soup Dragon also included plenty of views of the city.....

and by views of the city I mean views of The Blue Pumpkin, UCare Pharmacy, other restaurants on our same street, and yes of course, everyone's favorite...fish massage!



That's right friends, Siem Reap is prime location for that age old skin care remedy we all lovingly refer to worldwide as the Fish Massage.

As if the sign isn't entirely inviting and self-explanatory in its own right, I will go a step further to explain that you simply put both of your feet into a large pool teeming with tiny fish who quickly and gently come to gnaw on your naked foot flesh eating away at skin, bacteria, and potentially portions of your small toe (though the eye-witness reports remain unconfirmed at this point).

And now I can't imagine a better way to segue into more restaurant hot spots the husband and I hit while in Siem Reap!

We visited our favorite Mexican restaurant, Viva! for $1 tacos, authentic Mona Lisa paintings (don't spoil it for us), and a large screen TV featuring our favorite sport, Soccer!!

Well, maybe I should clarify that we are aspiring soccer fans because we are moving back to Seattle, where soccer is apparently becoming quite popular. And we love things that are popular. Like Super Nintendo, Full House, and Arsenio Hall.






We also went to our very favorite ice cream spot with its claim that "Happiness Never Melts."

Your ice cream will though, even in the air conditioning.

Something new for us in our last few weeks here has been a newfound desire to shop in the markets.

Normally we only go to the markets out of necessity or to take teams there, but we've made a few purchases for home and in the midst of our shopping after all this time of living in Cambodia ventured out to the Night Market in Siem Reap.

And friends, it was amazing.

Truly.

If you are ever in Siem Reap, we most likely won't be with you, so we will suggest via this blog to check out the night market. It is deceptively spacious, beautifully lit, allows for cooler nighttime temperature, and YES there are multiple Fish Massage pools set up.

The only thing it does not contain is a guy who willingly jumps through a hoop of fire knives.

The good news?? We found him elsewhere. And for $.50 he let us take his picture.

Safety first kids.

Just kidding.

Places we did not go during our time in Siem Reap include...

"Happy Special Pizza".

"Happy Herb Pizza."

And any restaurant including the words "Happy," "Ecstatic," "Herb," or any combination of these....

It's for the best, really.

We also did not go to Dr. Feet.

Thanks anyway Dr. Feet, but I think I'll go ahead and stick with good old Dr. Garra Rufa, more commonly referred to in the prestigious aquatic realm of the medical field as "Dr. Fish" for all of my footcare needs.

So peace for now Siem Reap. We will miss you old friend. It's been good. And we will miss our "Uncle" Naret, the tuk tuk driver (and his crew) we would enlist for every visit.