I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age.

Ahhhhh... visiting my blog is good for my soul today.  No rhyme or reason for this one, but just a few updates on Cambodia.  I often feel that you, my readers, will get bored with my Asian Adventures and I have to dig for other topics to write about, but maybe some of you actually DO want to these stories.  I have to remind myself why I started this blog and it was solely for releasing words onto "paper" and processing thoughts.

I've been feeling like a boss lately, learning how to maneuver through Cambodia a little better.  The true test of survival here is getting across town with multiple items crammed on your moto.  A hook... small basket... and space at your feet can hold all kiiiiinds of things!!  Bravo, Abs.  Bravo.

I had my first official visitor, Ms. Shawn Douglas Reuss!  It was such an odd feeling, because when she was with me, I literally felt like I was at home which was priceless comfort the week she was here.  I must say, she was a trooper managing the heat, dirt and crazy moto rides.  Girl took it like a champ on the back of my moto in this chaos!  She also validated many of my struggles and life changes that I have slowly gotten used to, which made me feel not so crazy.  I think her eyes were as big as saucers when she saw where we did our laundry!  No fancy dryers here folks.

We've amped up the kids' class schedule and I'm loving getting to spend more time with them.  I can slowly see growth and change in their English which is why I'm here folks!  It did strike me funny the other day when one of the young boys was sitting there working with no shirt on.  I thought, "Hmmm... in the States... this would never be allowed to happen."  And then I remembered that it was 100 degrees outside... and our air con was barely working... and I decided there are more important things in life than making him put his shirt on while he wrote sentences.

We had a Lee team visit recently with Jake and they were a blast!  A few days some of the Lee students (and their sponsors) shared in our classes which was totally fascinating to our Khmer students.  They loved it!  I let them ask questions to the American guys and probably my most favorite question asked was to Pastor Jimmy Harper-Lee University's campus pastor.  One of the girls asked him, "What do you love most about your wife?"  Pastor Jimmy rattled on and on about everything he loves about Sharon and told them he has been married 29 years.  The whole class oo-ed and ah-ed.  Khmer need to see what it means for a grown man to love a woman and continue to love that woman even after many years.  I, too, appreciated how easily those words came for him.

I attended my second Khmer wedding last night.  It is a glorious cultural experience!  Women get DECKED OUT for weddings... all the while trying to walk steadily in heels on a dirt road surface.  I have no idea how they do it.  Also, probably what I found most enjoyable... was that when you leave the couple their monetary gift in an envelope you receive a piece of gum.  Yes.  Gum.  So clearly everyone who left with bad breath did not give a gift.  I also saw a small fan explode off the tent "ceiling" which might have been the next best thing I witnessed.

And finally, the Big 3-0 has come and gone.  Oh WAIT... it's not gone.  I am just choosing to embrace it!  I shall leave you with some words from the mastermind (ok... that's kind of a joke) of Country music-Tim McGraw.

"I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age.  The ending of an area and the turning of a page.  Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here.  Lord have mercy on my next thirty years."