Looking Back

When we set out on our exPat adventure, I put together a video to tell the kids where we were moving to.  Now that we're done, I also put together a summary video of our adventures in Thailand.  So many of our family and friends were a part of it, so I share it here and say "Thank You!" for coming to visit us and sharing this with us.

Goodbye Bangkok

We spent the last 5 days downtown in a hotel so we could more easily shutdown life in Thailand.  From closing bank accounts, cell service, taking care of cars and wrapping up work, it took most of that time!  We did make an effort to have some fun on the weekend so we wouldn't all go crazy.  We took the kids to a surfing/knee boarding place and "funarium" for a nice break as well as several other good-bye activities.  Candace and I went on a last fancy date in one of the tallest skyscrapers in Bangkok.  It was a great evening together!

After several months of planning, the morning finally arrived (2am!) for us to leave.  We got all of our 17 bags (and 6 backpacks) downstairs and met Khun Tar and our rental driver to take all of us and our stuff to the airport.  It was sad to drive down that dark highway one last time knowing we'd likely never be back as a family.

Once arrived and checked in, we grabbed some breakfast and waited in the lounge for our early flight.  We were all getting excited to finally be returning to The States!

We boarded our ANA flight and the kids quickly got snuggled into their seats for the 7 hour flight.

Once we landed in Tokyo, we grabbed some more food (and Internet) and then boarded our 747 to San Francisco!  I had booked seats upstairs as I figured this was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kiddos.  Glad I did.  The captain let the kids sit in the huge cockpit and get some pictures.

The flight went really smoothly and quietly. The kids are amazing travelers after the last 2 years, so we all really enjoyed this long (10 hour) flight together.

We arrived in San Francisco and waited a long time for all of our bags to arrive.  Once we gathered them, we piled them all onto carts and made it through customs.  We were back in America!

We had a few hours and then caught our last leg of the trip on a small regional jet from SFO to PDX.  As we flew over Northern California, I spotted the hill where my grandma used to live and where her ashes now remain.  It was a tender mercy to be able say good-bye to grandma one more time.  As the scenery changed to more and more green and mountains, Candace and I smiled at each other: "We're home."

The Cheneys were waiting for us at security with a welcome home sign.  It felt so nice to be welcomed by family and to realize that we had safely made it home to loved ones.

So that brings us to the end of this great adventure.  I can't believe it's over.  We are so grateful for this opportunity to live overseas among such a wonderful people.  It was hard at times.  It was glorious at others.  So thankful we experienced it together and that so much of our family got to experience it with us.

Farewell Party for Work

My co-workers threw a farewell party for me and my family last night and it was amazing.  I seriously don't believe my future retirement party will be as good as this.  :-)  Between the flowers, balloons, photographers, amazing Thai dinner, speeches, games, and mementos, it was a memorable evening and I left feeling very loved.  I've truly been welcomed into their Thai family and will miss these amazing people.  Phom je khit theung khao boi boi krap.

This is a hand-made 3D model of me on my bike leaving Thailand.  The detail is amazing.

My Thai family

 

Wonderful, traditional Thai food

Everyone gave me a photo with some thoughts on the back

Full Circles

I have noticed that the Lord often brings aspects of my life in "full circle," meaning that the end often meets up with the beginning of a significant experience in a beautiful way.  Such has been the case as we wrap up this adventure in Thailand - truly the Lord is in the details of our lives:

On my first trip to Bangkok, I was in Tokyo waiting for my flight and catching up on work email and saw my brother online, so we did FaceTime (for the first time overseas) and it was a neat experience to have him be a part of this first big trip.  On my final trip to Bangkok last week, my brother and I just happened to have connecting flights at the exact same time through Tokyo.  So we met up just 10 feet from where we had "met" 2 years previously!

2013

2015

The day we moved out of our home in Houston, we were treated to a spectacular sunset.  A beautiful end to an emotional good-bye to our life and memories in Houston.  2 years later, as we moved out of our rental and said good-bye to many friends and memories, the Lord treated us to another spectacular sunset...the likes of which I have never before seen...it looked like a rainbow in the sunset.

2013

2015

During our first morning in Bangkok as a family 2 years ago, we were taken to a special side room and had a wonderful meal with an amazing view.  It was a great moment as a family.  2 years later, as we returned to the same hotel to leave Bangkok, we were taken to the exact same side room for our breakfast together.  Considering this breakfast area is pretty large with lots of tables, the coincidence is not lost on us!

2013

2015

There have been several other "full circle" experiences we've had, but suffice it to say we've seen the hand of the Lord and his tender mercies as we say good-bye to our adventures in Thailand.  God is in the details of our lives!

2013

2015

Moving Out of Nichada

Let me start this post by emphatically stating that my wife is AMAZING.  Moving overseas is hard enough - even with the help you get.  From list after list, staging, inventories, coordination, etc., it's exhausting to do as a family.  It's even harder to do by yourself - and my wife did most of our move prep and execution by herself and with 4 kids to be a mother to as well.  Thanks Candace for all that you do and are.  Love you.

So the months of preparation came to a finale as the movers arrived to pack up our house.  We split the move into 4 parts: 1) sea shipment to storage (items that will move into our home when it's done), 2) sea shipment to apartment, 3) air shipment, and 4) bags we take with us on the airplane.  Candace color coded EVERYTHING so the movers would clearly know what went where.  They did a fabulous job!  Their skill at crafting custom boxes for furniture and odd shapes was amazing.

where there's a will, there's a way to play!

We slept on air mattresses for the few days the house was boxed and the kids finished school.

The movers took 2 days to box the house and then 1 day to load it all in the shipments:

Crating the piano

Have I mentioned Candace is an amazing wife and mother?  Amidst the insanity that is moving a house, we hosted good-bye parties for our kids and their friends.  I kept telling her it was an added complexity we didn't need - she simply smiled at me and said it would be fine.  She was right.  :-)

Once the house was boxed and mostly all moved out, we cleaned it all and I patched the many holes in the walls from the hanging frames.

We had GREAT help with these 2 friends.  Khun San Juan (left) left her day job several times to come over and help clean, bring food, etc.  Khun Geetha came over after her day job to help clean as well.  These are just a few of the many people who dropped off meals and helped out...love our friends here!

We had a nice family meal (with an AMAZING sunset I posted about under "full circles") during our last night in Nichada...

The next day we loaded up all of our luggage (17 bags, not counting back packs) in our mini van and Khun Tar drove the van and I drove the Vios downtown to our interim hotel.

We will miss living in Nichada Thani.  It was the perfect place for our family in Bangkok for 2 years with wonderful family and friends.

Good-bye Nichada, we will miss you!

Moving Day Is Here!

While I've been back in Houston on my extended business trip, Candace has been very busy preparing for the big move while juggling "normal life."  In anticipation for the move, she's hosting good-bye parties for the kids and attending all of their end-of-year school activities.  She's pretty much super woman.  :-)

Our daughter and her friends at their good-bye party

The first day of the big move is today.  I hear it has gone well and going faster than planned.  We are blessed with great friends in Thailand and one of Candace's closest friends came by the house to help out and lend moral support.  As we discovered when we set out on this journey, you really feel focused love of those around you when you leave.

It's nice to see things coming together.  Leaving Thailand has been just as busy as when we left America, but I think having gone through it once has helped us juggle it better this go around...plus we don't have a house to sell and the insanity around that, so that's a plus.

While we're not selling a house, we are building a house!  On that front, we were thrilled to have our foundation poured this week.  That's a huge deal as we can now make some good progress regardless if it decides to rain!