sara beth comes to visit!

for one week, i got to have sara beth here with me! it was just the best. i loved showing her around the city and introducing her to all my friends. i am so glad she got to experience "my world" for a little while. it meant sooooo much to me!

see my mom's post on our reunion here. she's the sweetest. i wish she and dad could have come, too!

the mountains belong to him.

after vacation, we had the opportunity to go visit a village up in the mountains about 300 miles away from our city. it was an incredible experience. here are a few pictures from our week.

the riviera of the orient.

our next and final stop of vacation was hong kong! it was a great way to transition back into the chinese culture...though hong kong isn't too "chinese" because of its british influence. hong kong reminded me lots of london -- just with an asian flair!

i really enjoyed seeing the city. my favorite part of hong kong is the soho area on the island. it was super cute and had LOTS of yummy food.

we also loved having high tea at the peninsula hotel on saturday. a string quartet played while we drank our tea and ate delicious sandwiches and cakes. it was so fun.

we also took the cable cars up to victoria's peak right before sunset to see the city view both in the day and at night. we ate at bubba gump's at the top, which was delish. such a fun little excursion.

one night, we walked along the harbor and got to watch the light show!

yay for a successful and fun trip to the riveria of the orient!

an island in the sun.

though we were super sad to leave chiang mai, we were excited to be hitting the beach! our next stop was koh lanta--an island commonly called, "little sweden" because of all the sweeds that flock there during the winter months.

we loved our time there--hanging out on the beach, swimming in the ocean, and going on adventures around the island.

out snorkeling in maya bay.

five course meal at "time for lime."

my favorite day of vacation was when six of us explored the island together all day. me, miller, and haviland hopped on the back of owen, matt, and phillip's scooters and just cruised around the island! it was so much fun! because of all the dirt roads we rode on, we were all covered in dirt by the end of the day. it was hilarious. we ended our day, eating together at one of our favorite restaurants on the island called "slow down" and splitting a cookies and cream dessert among the six of us. so thankful to get to experience such a beautiful place with such fun friends.

sawatika, chiang mai!

after our trek, we got to spend a couple of days in the city of chiang mai. and we LOVED it. the city has a such a different, eclectic personality. it was so laid back compared to the very busy bangkok. some highlights from our time there include:

the sunday night market!

cooking class with haviland!

and zip-lining through the jungle!

trekking through thailand.

after our conferences, we some time to travel during the spring festival holiday. our first stop was chiang mai, thailand. for two days and one night, my friends and i trekked through the thai jungle, rode on elephants, slept in a wooden hut in a village, swam in a waterfall, white water rafted and bamboo rafted down the river. it was such a fun trip. we were exhausted by the end of day two, but loved our experience!

april and me riding the elephant!

lauren with our guide, tuck! we loved him!

gorgeous sunset!

anna and me hiking through the jungle!

a birthday in bangkok.

last year, i got to spend my birthday in snowy berlin, germany while i completed my student teaching internship. read about it here.

and this year, i got to spend it in sunny bangkok, thailand while we were attending conferences. it was a wonderful day. for the first time, i got to spend my birthday outside by the pool! how fun is that for a winter birthday girl like me?!?

here are a couple of pictures from the day.

all the girls by the pool -- haviland bought me flowers!

after my birthday dinner at a thai restaurant called "teaspoon."

singing and dancing with haviland at the irish pub.