Paradise...Found...

After a 14 hour train ride and a crazy ride in the back of a tuk tuk...we made it to The Juniper Tree in Chiang Mai...

Wow! What a place! The pictures do not do it justice...

We arrived to a warm welcome from about 15 other cross-culturally working families. The kids immediately headed to the pool and swam for 4 hours yesterday, at least.

The home we're in is so comfortable, so beautiful...we are so aware of the blessing we've been given. Apparently, it is the norm that this place is booked up 6 months in advance. So the chance to be here, enjoy 3 meals a day in the dining room and to have our laundry done...what a retreat for us!

I will post pictures in the next day or two...but we're having a bit of technical difficulty at the moment.

And...though I want to write long posts for you blog readers...I'm going to really limit myself so that I have lots of time to RETREAT and enjoy the family.

But I promise, little bits and pieces along the way.

We have enjoyed meeting up with another family from our organization here. They, with their three kids are from The Old Place and one set of grandparents came here to meet with them for 1 week of their 2 week retreat. So fun!

My injury...

In the Hong Kong Metro station there are escalators everywhere. We were attempting to go down to the track and I had two Littles and One Big with me already off the escalator. Then I heard a panicked call from Daddy, I turned and saw The Bug, struggling to lift a big bag that had tumbled out of her control.

Then Magpie began to sprint toward the escalator in an attempt to assist...I panicked and began to bound, like a gazelle, toward my young who were in peril.

In my "rescue mode" I pushed Magpie out of the way and leaped onto the escalator...which I forgot was moving.

My leg was swiftly moved from underneath me and I came down squarely on my right knee. OUCH! Further exacerbating the situation was that the escalator, regardless of my prone and helpless estate...continued to bring all the other passengers down to me.

It was like a 52 car pile up.

At the last moment, before all the others were forced down into the pile of carnage that was The Bug, myself and Daddy plus two suitcases, we were able to barely get out of the way.

It was so much pain initially coupled with the adrenaline rush of trying to spare the offspring that when I finally arose from the shame of my desperate scenario...I thought I was going to be sick.

Seeing my dramatic and weakened condition...the children ALL began to wail!

People were gathering like swarms of bees...and most thought the children had been irreparably harmed!

Finally, the Metro staff dispatched a wheelchair for me (how humiliating) and took me to the situation room where they bandaged and iced my bleeding and swollen knee.

We have many pictures...will post later...just lots of blue, black and scabs left to see now.

However...we're thrilled to be here...and so looking forward to the next 9 days.

Promise...more later...