one month to go

First off - thanks for all the congratulations, kind words, and encouragement!  It means a ton.

Things are coming together!  I had two people point out that it's March and I leave in March.  The first one was my personal trainer.  The workout I did today was tough, so I didn't really pay much attention to her.  I was more worried about staying alive for the next hour!  The second person pointed out that I will land in Thailand exactly one month from today.  I was home, surrounded by all my stuff...stuff I am not taking with me...stuff that I need to sell, donate or throw away.  I had time to freak out.  My mom is coming down in a few weeks.  I hope to have as much done by then.  If not, she'll get me in gear.  She's good at that!!

I got everything sent off for my visa application. Here's hoping that process goes smoothly and I get approved a non immigrant B and won't have to make visa runs while over there.


I bought my flights also!  I'll leave the morning of March 31st from Austin.  Before this whole moving to Thailand life event started happening I already had a trip back to KC planned for March 26-29 to see the twins and for Lilly's birthday.  So I'm planning on having everything ready by March 25th, make that trip back home, come back to Austin and sell my car and turn in my keys to my apartment on the 30th and then head out on the 31st!

I'm also working on checking things off my Austin bucket list - kind of playing a tourist in the city I've called home the last 3 1/2 years.  I live less than a mile from a cool bridge with a trail up to a ledge with some cool views.  I took advantage of that a few weeks ago.  It was beautiful and peaceful up there!


I also went to the KU/UT game last night.  This is the 4th KU/UT game I've attended.  They've won two and lost two.  So glad last night's game was a win.  Luckily, I did not get a nose bleed since I was in the nose bleed seats.  That's what I get for paying $25!!  While at the game, I got to see the lady that was very influential in my career at my previous employer.  I once joked that I followed her from Topeka to Kansas City and from Kansas City to Austin.  I'm finally breaking out on my own and not following her anymore!  I also ran into a guy that I lived across the hall from when I lived in Orlando for that short stint my freshman year of college!  At first I thought he was a friend of a friend, then I realized who he was.  We hadn't seen each other since 2001 and had no idea the other was living in Austin.



Still on my list is Gus's Fried Chicken, Hut's Hamburger, the bats on Congress, and getting as much queso as possible.  I'm sure there will also be a couple of BBQ lunches in there too.  I heard there is a place in South Austin that is TexMex BBQ...BBQ and queso #heaven

Next stop Thailand!

I’m pretty sure growing up in the idyllic Mayberry town in Southeast Kansas wanderlust was not a word in my vocabulary.  We spent most of our summers at the lake (how do I miss those times now) and taking a big vacation to St. Louis.  The first time I was on a plane was on the senior trip to Orlando.  I did attempt a big adventure back to Orlando my freshman year of college. But wanderlust still hadn’t taken over and I returned back to my comfort zone quickly.  Shortly after that I met a nice boy, had the fairy tale wedding and started imagining my 2.5 children and the white picket fence.  But over time I realized that wasn’t what I really wanted.

            At 30, I took a pretty big step out of my comfort zone and moved to Austin, Texas.  The only time I’d been to Austin prior was for a meeting spent in a conference room and dinner at the TGIFriday’s in my hotel with coworkers old enough to be my grandparents.  I had an acquaintance (who in time became my family here) that helped me find an apartment from afar.  I also had another coworker that moved down at the same time as me and we were roomies for the first three months.  But other than that, I was starting completely over.  And I knew it was what I was supposed to be doing. 

            The last 3.5 years here have been some of the most difficult, some of the most exciting and some of the most eye opening years of my life.  I’ve made (and lost) some great friends.  I completed my MBA.  I had no choice but to learn to like myself, because sometimes I was all I had here.  And the best thing that came from my move was the wanderlust.  During an MBA trip to Washington D.C. I realized I wanted to go abroad once I graduated.  I quit my job at a company I’d been with for 13 years last September and have spent the last few months worrying my parents I was going to end up having to move into their basement! 

            However, that’s not going to be happening!  I’m going to be a long way from their basement.  I’ll be moving to Thailand the first part of April to teach English!  I have to be in Bangkok by April 4th and will spend 4 weeks in the beach city of Hua Hin doing the TEFL certification that is required to teach English abroad. During that time I'll figure out what age group and what part of the country I want to be in and work with an agency to get a contract with a school. 

            I know that the 18 year old Beth Ann that was ready to get out of that small town and start college at Emporia State had no idea she’d eventually be moving to the other side of the world.  But that’s the beauty of life!  Everything that has happened the last 16 years was preparing me for this next big adventure.  And this next big adventure is just preparing me for the many more ahead of me!