The Final Entry Remembering the Journey Home Two Years Ago

Friday, Jan. 9th, 2009

After breakfast we literally skipped with joy down Wireless Road on our way to the U.S. Embassy. We got a few stares from some men riding in the back of a pick-up truck as they probably don't typically see a white woman and a teenage Thai girl holding hands and skipping down the sidewalk. When we got there we showed them the letter stating that we had a special 8 a.m. meeting. A friendly man did grant us the visa approval for Penny. He also even got Penny to laugh. We all had to raise our right hands and solemnly swear that all the information we had submitted was the truth. Then he told us that we needed to return at 3 p.m. to get her passport with the visa stamped in it. So, we went to have lunch and start packing our bags. When we returned at 3 p.m. we couldn't believe that we were really holding it in our hands. It was a very fancy looking visa! We were so excited that we even had to show it to the ladies at the front desk of our guest house. We also had to let them know that we really would be checking out of the guest house the next morning. In the late afternoon we headed back to the Needle King to pick up Penny's Thai dress. It fit her perfectly and she looked so pretty wearing it! We had a special treat on the way back. Although the picture didn't turn out well, I'll try posting it here. While we were walking down the sidewalk a baby elephant walked right by us on the same sidewalk!

Saturday, Jan. 10th, 2009

We had asked the folks at the front desk to call us a taxi cab to meet us at about 2 a.m. (if my memory serves me correct). We needed to be at the airport at least three hours before our scheduled departure time for our international flight. This was especially necessary due to heightened security after the airport closure that happened the month before. So, we needed to arrive around 3:30 a.m. to leave by around 6:30 a.m. So, I think our alarm went off around 12:30 a.m. We got all ready to go and went downstairs and paid.
But, our taxi came LATE! They finally had to call the guy and tell him how to get to the guest house. So, then to make up for lost time he sped at almost 100 mph all the way to the airport! It was quite a harrowing ride and seemed to accentuate the stress of our long stay in Bangkok. But, we were so thankful that we made it in time to get through the three different security check points. After our eight hour flight to Tokyo and layover we had another 10 hour flight to Portland where we saw Jay's friends through a glass window while talking to them via cell phones.
We didn't want to have to go through more security again and risk being late for the last flight home to Denver. Flying from Portland to Denver we saw a LOT of snow in the mountains. We even flew right over our hometown of Fort Collins. But, by that point our sweet daughter was dead to the world. We met both sets of parents at the airport. It was the second time my parents had made the trip out to Denver, as they didn't get word in time about the one change in our tickets. Meeting them at the airport is kind of a blur because our bodies were so tired. We had been up for around 30 some hours, but had traveled back in time after crossing the international date line, so it was somehow the afternoon of the 10th all over again. Then there was the hour drive home from Denver. Penny slept the entire time. When we arrived home it was fun to see our house decorated by thoughtful neighbors. Penny seemed excited to see her new bedroom. But, she was NOT happy about the pizza my parents tried to feed her. There were tears that night, already, about missing her friends back in Udon Thani. This was the start of a whole other new adventure. What a ride it's been!