Out with the New, and In with the Old

Yes, you read that correctly. In this first month of this new year, many around the world are working on throwing out bad habits, promoting healthy practices, and creating new goals. It is peculiar how when most people I know are chanting the mantra, "out with the old, in with the new," I am doing the opposite. As this new year gets under way, I am dumbstruck with the fact that we are officially in countdown mode for moving home.

How did this happen?
Where did the time go?
Why am I so conflicted about moving home?

So many emotions, thoughts, and questions continue running through my head, and sleep has not come as easily these past few weeks. Bradley and I have already had our family business meeting in preparation for the rest of our stay here, and it is surreal to calendar deadlines to sell our furniture, rent out our flat, and purchase our airline tickets. As I entered the numerous dates into our calendar, I was excited to have deadlines, as I work well under pressure, but I also struggled with this tug of sadness. This inner turmoil is so strange, although not foreign.

Foreign.

What does that even mean anymore? When I first came to Cambodia, foreign meant from a different country, but, for me, its meaning has evolved. Now, the idea of moving to America seems foreign. Even though I am anxious to return to the modern conveniences and comforts to which I am accustomed, this dusty, crowded country has become comfortable, and leaving is, well, strange.

Although we have done our best to be minimalistic in our purchases, we have accrued quite a bit of things during our year and a half. Soon, all of these "new" things will need to go. Some items will be sold, some shared with others, some tossed, as they have seen better days, and a few select possessions will make the trek home with us in 5 months. When we arrive home, I will have the lovely task of sorting through all of our belongings which are stored in 6 different locations - yeah, I am really jazzed about that. *eye roll* So, essentially we will be getting rid of new things so that we can in turn, go home to our old things. Our view on what we need has been drastically altered by our life in Cambodia. There are numerous things that will now be easy to part with, knowing that so many have so much less in this world. We are even considering moving into a tiny home when we return, since it may be the best solution for our new life situation.

Things are not the only new-to-old on our minds. We have made new friends here, both local and foreign. The thought of leaving the Chans breaks our hearts. Our brother and sister in Christ have been such a precious blessing to us in our work here. Leaving the Edwards will be sad, and knowing that, Lord willing, it is only for a short time, lessens the sting. Then I think of Karen, Nika, Sokcheat, Trina, Chris, Navi, Thida, Seyha, Senyn, and the list continues. All of these new friends have shared in my life in this Asian Kingdom, and it saddens me to contemplate leaving.

 So many firsts have occurred, and so many memories have been made...

first plane ride to Cambodia together...

first tuk tuk ride...

first communion...

first playtime before our first service...

first Sunday lunch...

first meeting with the landlord...

first contract signing...

first moto ride to our new home...

first Khmer-like load...

oh, and yes, I rode on the back of that... somehow...

first meal in our new home...

first game in their new home while mommy

and daddy take care of business...

first road trip...

first bible study in a new place...

first best friend in a new country...

As sorrowful as it is to imagine leaving our life and friends here, to think of returning home to my old friends lifts my spirit. All of the familiar faces, smiles, and hugs bring a smile to my own face. Vanny has made me sad several times, asking us to stay longer, but the thought of not being home with my family is too overwhelming. Aside from that, Bradley and I put our lives on hold for this work, and although we are the better for it, we are ready to move forward. We still have a hope for children; we have plans for a business; and we are excited to be a part of a work in our homeland.

We plan to stay situated in our flat until mid-April, as my brother, Byron will be visiting us the first week of that month. I have wondered what he will think about both our place and us. How much change has occurred since his last visit in January of 2015? So much has happened. At that time we were roughly 65% moved into our home, and I was enduring the homesick blues, something about which I had been warned by an experienced sister who had also done foreign work. Now, our home is very much lived in, and the homesick blues are long gone. I am proud of the home we have made together, and even though I often yearn to either turn down the heat or have A/C in the living space, I absolutely love being in my home. God has been so good to us here, as He has always been. I am enjoying each page of this final chapter in Cambodia, and am also thrilled to dive into the new chapter and whatever adventures it may hold. With the Lord's help, we are prepared to do whatever He needs, as we slowly welcome His shift in our focus to "out with the new, and in with the old."

Do you have any new year plans or goals?
Have you ever had the focus of "out with the new and in with the old?"

1+1=11 Years of Bliss

On December 18th I celebrated 11 years of marriage with the best man I know. He has given me more than I could have ever dreamed. For our 10th anniversary, we still felt new and slightly unsettled in our foreign home, so we opted for a simple, but romantic dinner at a nice restaurant in town. This year, feeling very settled into Cambodia, we were ready to step out of our Phnom Penh comfort zone. Having had a rough few weeks leading up to our anniversary trip, our get-away celebration was a welcomed one. I had researched quite a few places (the over-analyzer struck again -> http://sipofbrandi.blogspot.com/2015/03/does-it-really-matter.html ), and after much debate - with myself, as for me another person is not required for an argument - we decided on the Veranda Natural Resort in Kep, Cambodia. Buckle up because there are quite a few photos...

We began our trip in a private taxi which dropped us off at the front door of the resort. That may not seem like a big deal, but in a country where they cram up to 28 adults in a minivan (because more heads mean more cash for the driver) it is a wonderful treat to have breathing room during travel.

We were welcomed by the Veranda staff with lemon tea and a cool, wet cloth... and apparently I'm a Mister. ;o)

Just walking to our room was a vacation. It was beautiful!

The Stone Villa room 1 was our home away from home, and it was a peaceful retreat.

This is the back entrance that leads to the garden pool and steam bath - yahoo!

A few steps, and we had a view of both the garden pool and the Happy Hut, which is a crafting and learning area for children of those staying at the Veranda.

Our slithery neighbor - I love anybody who is willing to eat mosquitos for us.

After checking out our room, we looked over some of the other amenities: the reading lounge and the infinity pool.

We kept pinching ourselves, thinking this surely is not the same Cambodia we have lived in for the past year and a half... but it is... and we finally understood why so many of our expat friends (foreigners residing in another country) love traveling outside of Phnom Penh. It really is amazing what a little time with nature, away from the noisy, polluted city can do for your spirit. You cannot put a price on that.

The next morning we chose to hike the mountainside of Kep National Park, but first we enjoyed the "treehouse" feel of our resort and the luxurious breakfast buffet.

With every step we took up the mountainside, the splendor of God's creation engulfed us. 

Part way through our hike our bellies began to rumble, so we decided to shorten the trail by taking a short-cut up and over the mountain. It was more treacherous and stayed more true to its tropical rain forest climate than the breezy mountainside trail, but it was a fun adventure.

There are more photos of me because I was the wimp that kept stopping for air. Hehe!

Apparently I was feeling the muscle man pose... oh the irony.

Not too far from the entrance/exit of the park sits a hillside cafe named Led Zep. We were re-energized with a delicious cheese crêpe followed by the chocolate banana crêpe with coconut shavings. Umm, yeah, it was more than satisfying.

That evening we hung around the pools and room until dinner. Although the first night of our stay we sampled Kep's famous Kampot Pepper Crab at one of the beachside restaurants, the meals at Veranda were so delicious there was no need to leave the premises. So we treated ourselves to mouth-watering prawn bisque, the best goat cheese walnut salad I have ever had, along with an amazing salmon steak. *french accent* Formidable!

This is the infinity pool at night - spectacular!

Our final full day was possibly my favorite, all thanks to my generous hubby and my sweet new friend, Sonny. Bradley gifted me with a spa day. As they were running a special, I received an hour aromatherapy massage, an hour foot massage, and a 15 minute head massage for $45! I was so jazzed since when I'd seen the prices upon our arrival, I knew it was too much for our budget. However, the special promotion made my day fantastic!

The drop-off... excited and a mess of tension.

 Bradley treated himself too. While I "endured" the spa, he poured himself some lime soda water and plucked some passion fruit from a nearby vine.

The pick-up... happy and relaxed.

On our final evening, Bradley arranged for a special table and drinks (which was somewhat of a challenge since non-alcoholic drinks are harder to come by in this country). We dolled ourselves up, and relished stuffed chicken and a gorgeous steak.

The General manager, Aye, was so kind, and they arranged to "surprise" us with an anniversary cake. It tasted like a yummier version of the original ding dongs that came in foil - yummy!

We were so sad to leave the next day, but neither of us could help feeling beyond blessed that we had been able to plan and afford this celebration. I realize there are some people in this world who will never experience the luxury of a vacation, and there was not a moment that passed when I was not thankful for the ability to indulge in such extravagance. We caught a tuk tuk for 15 miles to Kampot, where we boarded a bus for our return home. Vanny and Sopeak were kind enough to pick us up, and we thanked them with dinner before they delivered us to our front door. We were there only long enough to drop our bags and hop on the moto for our date at a local café where they were showing Episode VI. The next day we saw Episode VII, and were so thrilled, that we decided on a final anniversary celebration: Star Wars Episode VII in 4DX. That's right folks! We technically got to ride in a TIE fighter, so yeah, we're a pretty big deal now.

Before Finn had made his decision to not kill for the First Order, he made an attempt on my life...

Thankfully Bradley was there to talk him down, and he is now rethinking his life path.

All in all, it was an awesome anniversary! I love finishing every year with a bang, and every year with my man is something to celebrate in deed! Love is whenever another person's happiness is more important than your own. I have been blessed with a godly man who truly strives to love me more than himself, and likewise, my love and respect for Bradley grows with each passing year. Whether dining at a beachside resort or McDonald's near home, marking another year in our marriage will always be a celebration, as long as the Lord allows us time. Happy 11 years to us! Cheers!

Please share any thoughts on your favorite anniversary, vacation, or Star Wars moments.