Winter in Paradise

I hear its a blizzard watch back in our hometown today.  Sub-zero temps and flurries in the forecast.

We are suffering the effects of a cold snap here too….we've had to cut off the air conditioning and open a window as the temps have dipped into the 70's :)  

Its that bad y'all!  

In all seriousness, stay warm friends.  Hope you enjoy your school cancellations and cozy fires.  Here are some pictures to warm you just a tad.  

Picture yourself here…. 

Our T-man got a pretty cool Christmas gift.

A Scuba Diving trip with dad and uncle Raymond.

Meet Thailands newest, youngest Open Water Certified Scuba Diver!!

Im SO proud of this kid.  And Ill be honest, I was terrified to let him go.  

Like, I couldn't sleep!

I felt like one of those African tribal mothers who let her son go out with the men on a hunt to make his first barehanded kill.  I hugged him goodbye like I wasn't sure he'd come back.  I had visions of shark infested waters, equipment failure and him getting lost in underwater caves.

I was texting one of my best friends telling her of my insanity and asking her to assure me that my fears were unfounded.

"No", she said, "they aren't irrational fears, but he'll be fine".

Great. 

Thanks for the comforting words Faith!

In my defense…I was right.  

My husband texted me a picture of a gaping leg wound on their first day in the water.  Turns out, coral can sever an artery and land you in a clinic with a dozen stitches in your leg.  

Ouch!

(ahem….blood…in open water….does that sound like a shark hazard to anyone else?)

All things considered, boys had an awesome time on their guys trip. 

Tristan has missed "home" tremendously this year.  But what enriching opportunities he's had.  How many other 11 year olds have played with wild monkeys, caught a 24 kilo mekong catfish and been scuba diving in crystal clear water?  God is good to give him so many outlets for adventure and memory-making!

And my sweet boy (unprompted) brought me back a bottle of sand and a gorgeous chunk of coral for my "beach" shelf.  Love this kid!

An awesome way to close out 2013.  Guys made it back just before the ball dropped at midnight.  Got my New Years kiss from my hubby and a huge squeeze from my little man-in-the-making!

So proud!