Getting through the Weekend

Haven't been able to blog as much as the internet cafes have been closed down more due to New Year's. There is a lot of things closed down and Bangkok seems quieter. Can't say that I miss the noise and crowds. We have been finding things to do to keep us busy. On the 31 we mostly went swimming. On the 1st we took that boat ride to a Japanese person's high rise apartment. On the 2nd we took a tour to the Rose Garden where we took in an elephant show and culture show. The drive in the tour van was quite an experience. The driver must have been doing 90 mph and was weaving in and out of traffic on the highway as if we were in the Indy 500. Of course, there were no seatbelts for any of the passengers. Just prayed that we'd make it back in one piece and that no one would get car sick. Yesterday, the 3rd, we went to a shopping plaza, called the MBK Market, where I bought silk material to make Penny a traditional outfit. Afterwards, I discovered that I need to actually take the material to a tailor to have it made into an outfit. Here I thought it was already made. Ah, another frustration of not understanding Thai. But, I've picked up several new Thai words and Penny is learning more English. After the Market, we went to the house of Jim Thompson, which has been made into a museum. A very beautiful, peaceful place, but not a place for small children as there are several items centuries old sitting out in the open that could be destroyed by little hands. Then we walked along a canal to a huge shopping department store complex, called the Siam Paragon. They have a large toy store and children's play area on the 4th floor. Penny was very excited that we bought a Disney Princess version of Uno. We came home and played it for hours. She picked it up very quickly! She's a very sharp girl. Not at all developmentally delayed as we were told she might be. Today we went to an English-speaking church. Penny enjoyed the music and read a Thai comic version of the New Testament. We might be able to meet with one of her nannies from the orphanage today, as she is in Bangkok visiting her university friends. Tomorrow is a full business day as usual at the USCIS office so we're really hoping that they'll get to work on our case and hear something soon that we can go in to get our interview. Thanks for all of your prayers!