Look back at the latest month.
End of May - Cooking with Poo and weekend in Bangkok. Started as hairy scary because of the coup but ended as the best weekend ever. Wow what a weekend. 2 sleeps in Bangkok and traveling all over the city on the BTS line and taxis made me a pro (joking) but it did make me so comfortable to get around this city. Gave me lots of confidence and knowledge about this enormous city. Found some amazing shopping malls and even more amazing places to eat. Reminds me of NYC.
Cooking with Poo was awesome! Walked through the markets and cooked with this incredible woman who still lives in the slums but has made a name for herself and become extremely successful while also making other people in the slums become successful and prosperous. She has everything she needs and lives a very simple life but the work and charity she does for others is quite amazing. She is in her 40s and it's all about helping others. To be so selfless. She says she can only be as good as the people around her.
First weekend in June - traveled to Malaysia with Jacks school for the Fobisea games. Impressive is the only word to describe this event. 5 days in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia. Fobisea games are like the Olympics of international schools. Andrew went to Brunei back in March. It is a select group of kids who have tried out to make the team. Each team is made up of 6 boys and 6 girls for their year group. Jack is part of year 6. Year 4, year 5, and year 6 compete in their respective year groups. Soccer, T ball (not American T ball) and athletics are the categories that the athletes compete in. Jack performed really well taking home 3 bronze medals in TBall and athletics. I will say it was great for him and his ego, tough competition. For me it was a HoT HOT HOT 3 days of sitting on the sidelines cheering them all on but nothing I regret and SO glad I got a chance to go.
The athletics were great but I think I was more impressed with the 5 teachers and the 36 kids that were with them. We are talking 36 kids from the age of 9 to 11 traveling to the airport, handling their own passports and luggage, dealing with customs and immigration. They walked through the airport like they were adults. They handled winning and losing as a team. Everything was a team effort. Life skills that can't be taught in a classroom. These kids and teachers are impressive. The independence that is taught is incredible. Yes I went but did not travel with the team nor did I stay at the same hotel, no parent chaperones. The team stayed at a hotel in KL with 4 to a room and 5 teachers to look after 36 kids. No one was hurt, no one acted up, all had respect for one another. They were up everyday at 6am dressed and ready to get on the bus to travel to the venue by 7:30 everyday, professionalism at its best.
Home from Malaysia Monday night - gearing up for Friday - Sports awards and the BIG sisters show up. Oops a glitch in the plan- Erin calls me from school Friday morning and something is wrong. Pick her up from school and see half her face is paralyzed - scary. Off we go to the hospital. 5 hours of laying In the emergency room and playing guess the diagnosis of other patients( not much privacy in this hospital, guess they don't have the HIPPA act). She is ready to get OUt. It's Regents sports award night and she wants to go. After an IV drip and some chats with the neurologist we are cleared to leave with no prognosis but an ok to go to Sports award for a little bit as long as we go back tomorrow for MRI. I dash home change and grab clothes for Erin and in the bathroom of the Amari Erin changes from hospital scrubs to fancy dress - hey it's the Amari and she wants to look good. We go and Jack wins the Sportsmanship of the Year award and the MVP player of rugby. What a day and night. Shipping Erin and Walter (he just returning from India at 8am that morning) Andrew and Jack home, I head to the airport.
FINALLY From what it seemed like FOREVeR - planning been going on for like 5 months my sisters finally arrived. Something I had looked forward to in like forever. Never having spent 10 days with just my sisters in like 30 years I was a bit nervous. Us Moloney sisters rose to the occasion. Having more fun than you can imagine. Troopers they were. Bangkok not just once but twice, Thai cooking school (which I know did not respect the USDA laws of cooking schools), massages twice, temples, high tea, rooftop bars, eating out LOTs, drinking LOTs, a little tennis, sun, pool, sweating, shopping and more shopping and I think more shopping. If the Thai economy displays a boost next month it's because of them. :) it was everything I hoped for and more. Incredible. So thankful they made the LONG trip. I know it's not easy. Wish my parents could have joined us.
My life is so different, weird, incredible and sometimes unexplainable that it's great to share it with family and friends so they can see it first hand.
Monday afternoon before my sisters show up the maid quits. What?? Can't be. I deal and eventually hire KB, my drivers wife. Now I have beds made up that look like dead bodies are buried in them. She washes dishes and then puts them in the dishwasher for a few hours then puts them away. And washes all clothing together, if my whites werent dingy enough before they are now. My Sisters make fun of me bad because now I'm making my bed as a tutorial for this woman who speaks no English so she learns how to make a bed. I have no managerial skills. I'm teaching her how to do wash and clean my house by doing all the work. Walter says I might as well just do the work myself and save some money. Hahahaha like that's gonna happen.
I was lucky enough for Betsy and Katy to also be here for my birthday. Might have something to do with my booking of the tickets 😜 Walter as always spoiled me rotten and had a party for me. Have not enough words for what that man does for me. He always goes above and beyond with this birthday being no exception.
In this crazy week of my sisters being here - Erin had an MRI and was diagnosed with Bells Palsy from an inner ear infection that was pressing on a facial nerve causing the paralysis. She is fine now. No worries. On steroids and everything is clearing up. Enough for her to leave on her 10 day London trip with school. Have I ever said I want to be one of my kids. What a trip she is on. 7 drama productions at world class theaters, from Miss Siagon to Phantom of the Opera. She has picnicked at Buckingham Palace, rode on a double decker tour bus, and shopped at amazing places, all enough to make her mother and father very jealous. The chick is still not home. Left the 21st and comes back the 1st. NICE (saying that obnoxiously) is all I can say about that.
School is ending. - Jack received his Global Citizenship award, Andrew is Andrew receiving Mr Sports award and a service award for his trip back in March.
Final Goodbyes - UGh! In this expat world people come and go on a regular basis. Walter and I wanting to have a party for a while decided to throw a MEGA party for 2 couples that are leaving. As my kids would say it was EPIC! Never before have I thrown this kind of party. Ice Bar with a swan carved on my driveway, wait staff, pool filled with candles and hundreds of flowers, tables brought from a hotel and set up (gotta love our Amari connection), a pig on a spit and about 70 people. Wow it was incredible.
4 days from now on an airplane for our summer trip back to America. What a year it has been. So many people that weren't in my life a year ago now I'm feeling the affects of them leaving. How life can change.
We are ALL so excited to come back. Can't wait to see Ryan. Just turning 19 I think this was a major year of growth for him. This has definitely been a year of change, growth and adventure for us all.
The 5 state American tour begins July 3, one day after big papa and I celebrate our 20th anniversary.
How lucky we are!!
Cheers from the other side
😘🇺🇸 M
