Loving life

Wow, so much to say.. Life in Krabi Thailand does not consist of your average day to day routine. Everyone here is very easy going and never really in a hurry. I have to say I like it a lot. Chill out and don't worry about it is the name of the game. Just be sure to give yourself an extra half hour for eating out if you have to be somewhere at a certain time :)
I've already got my favorite spots, coffee shop, dessert spot, restaurant..mmmn. There are few things I like better than sitting at a coffee shop, reading a Jane Austen novel, and having absolutely nothing on your mind.
Getting back to the food...people told me when you go to a foreign country for a few months you'll come back really skinny since its new food and you'll be exercising more. Well I'm here to tell you I won't be surprised if I gain 20 pounds here. The food is absolutely fantastic! I don't know if I could get sick of it since there's so much variety. 'Pad Thai' in the states is way different. The legit stuff over here is the bomb diggity. Leah and I quickly figured out how to say no spice (my pet) since their mild is our hot. I've had a couple mouth burning experiences.
My absolutely favorite thing here is fresh coconut shakes. We're talkin take a machete to the fresh coconuts in the back, blend it with some other goodness and you have yourself a glass of rainbows and lollypops while your sitting on a cloud of happiness... True story.
Yesterday I tried to go out preaching but found out they don't go out Mondays. Hakuna matata. So instead we went hiking and ended up at a gorgeous waterfall with no one in sight. It was just what we needed since we've been mainly in the town of Krabi the last week. Getting to see the country of Thailand takes my breath away. Pictures just don't do it justice.
I'll be supporting the Thai sign language group here. I absolutely love it! I think I've mentioned before, it's very similar to ASL so at the Thai meetings I've actually been able to understand quite a bit of it :) And I might be helping them translate songs! I'm soo excited and nervous. In ASL we use a lot of DVDs for signing. But in Thai they have very few publications translated as of now. It's a very small group so needless to say the ones involved are very busy. We have Japanese, American and Puerto Rican listening to Thai while trying to translate that into sign language (they've got mad skills) They're giving spirit has been really encouraging to me. The congregation here is full of some of the most loving people I've ever known. When they find out Leah and I are staying until march they light up with huge warm smiles and hug us with sincere thanks. It makes you wanna cry. Even though we may not share the same language, being able to share the same beliefs of unity and peace brings you close no matter what.

We'll be heading to northern Thailand soon so see more of the country and we can't wait! Elephant rides, wilderness treks, you name it, we'll probably do it ;)
I hope you all are doing awesome:) please feel free to email me, I love hearing from everyone. My Internet service is iffy so I'll respond when I have wifi ;)