Well hello everyone. Actually, I would not be surprised if there is nobody out there because I have completely dropped the ball and I have not updated my blog in FOREVER.
But... alas..... I have not stopped blogging, I've just taken a much needed vacation.

So... for anyone that still cares.... here is what has been happening with me for the past three months.

March 30
Flew back HOME to the good 'ole United States of America with my very own souvineer (my Swiss boyfriend, Adrian) in tow. Yes, Adrian and I flew from Bangkok to Taiwan, Taiwan to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Denver. We went from extreme (I mean EXTREME) heat in Bangkok to extreme cold (it was SNOWING) in Denver. My brother picked us up from the airport and let us stay at his place for a few days. I hugged my cat, ate like a king, enjoyed the cleanliness of the bathrooms and a really hot shower. Whew. Jet lag was horrible (the total flight time was 22 hours) and I slept for days.
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Just FYI - saying good-bye to Pamela was so difficult. It would have even been more difficult, but it didn't feel real. I just expected to leave and then miraculously see her in a few days. Anyway, I miss her like crazy.
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I got stopped by customs in Los Angeles. See... I bought a Thai floor mat with attached pillow for my father as a gift. I thought nothing of it actually. Customs said they had to check my pillow... so when I went up to the counter, the guy from customs says, "So.... you have a mat from Thailand, eh?"
You know that tone of voice that someone uses that insinuates that you've done something wrong?
"Yes," I replied innocently. WTF? "It's a gift for my father."
"So..... " he kinda sucks in his voice, "you haven't heard anything about these mats on CNN?"
Like I was supposed to know something?
"Nooooo," I reply. I've been in Southeast Asia for three and a half months, I did't catch the five minute CNN report.
He reaches in his pocket and produces a knife. "I'm going to have to take this from you anyway," he says. "You see, they hide grass in these mats."
"GRASS?!?!?" I almost peed my pants. The worst thing I could think of would be unknowingly smuggling drugs into the country. "Oh my gosh!!!" was all I could say.
"Yeah," he continues as he takes the knife and rips open the fabric, "the straw in these mats can cause all sorts of plant disease and I'm going to have to incinerate this."
"Ohhhhhh, you mean STRAW?" Shew!!!! Instant relief. Immediately, it didn't matter whether he took the mat or not. At least I was not going to jail for drug smuggling. Silly me, huh?
"What did you think I meant?" he asked. "Weed?" He began to laugh at me. I guess I don't blame him.

April 7
Adrian and I rented a car and drove from Denver to Tulsa. The drive (to me) is an excruciating 11 hour journey through flat ass Kansas... with nothing to look at. But Adrian really enjoyed it. He said it was really special for him. Which is cool because it kept me awake.
Lucky us... I got stopped by the Kansas Highway Patrol (of course) going 77mph in a 70mph zone. I got off really lucky with just a warning, though. Thank goodness. What a nice surprise for Adrian, too. Really it was no big deal. The officer was quite nice. It's just funny for a tourist who had only been in the country for a few days.
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I got to see my brother, sister, mother, father, aunts, uncles, cousins (not ALL of my family... I missed Aunt Edie) but a good majority. Unfortunately, my grandfather died soon after I arrived so we had some unpleasant business. BUT, it equated to more family time, so it was good in the end.
Adrian left to go travel through Canada, which ended up being a good thing. It made us realize how much we really like each other.
I went through the rest of my posessions. Had a big garage sale and sold just about everything else I owned. Why have it???? I know, I'm crazy.

May 8
Yikes!!! Too long in one place!!! Must move soon!!!
I took off in my car towards Las Vegas, Nevada! I drove through Oklahoma, Texas panhandle, New Mexico, and at last, Arizona. It took me two and a half days. I stopped at camp sites in the evenings, cooked myself meals on a coleman stove, and slept in the back of my car. I really enjoyed myself, actually. I was tired of driving, though, by the time I arrived in Vegas.
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Adrian flew from Vancouver to Las Vegas and I picked him up at the airport on May 10. We had a very sweet reunion..... and a fabulous two nights in Vegas. We went to the strip and saw all the casinos and their crazy light shows. Adrian was completely awed. It's VEGAS, baby! There's nothing like it.
After Vegas we drove to the Grand Canyon. It was stunningly beautiful. We camped in the Kaibab National Forrest (just outside Grand Canyon national park) for FREE!!! We had an amazing camp site. Nobody else around. The smell of pine in the air. Plenty of fire wood. It was great. We did Bright Angel hike down into the Canyon. The 4.5 miles down was great.... beautiful. The 4.5 miles back up was a killer. We just took it slow, though, and actually made it back pretty quickly. My legs were sore for a week, though.

I will have to finish later. I gotta go. But I promise it won't be three months later! Ciao!