The Desert Makes Me Sneeze

All throughout high school (and maybe middle school), I took allergy medication every day. You bored with this blog yet? Real life stuff people. It just became one of those routine things that I didn't really think about.

That all changed when I went to college. With all my new found freedom....I forgot to take my allergy meds. I know, responsibility at its best. Thankfully, it didn't matter that I forgot them....because I didn't have any more allergy symptoms!! No more sneezing and sinus pressure. Call it what you want, but I mainly contribute it to being in Wilmington, NC, which I firmly believe is one of the best places on earth.

The interesting/funny thing was that as soon as I went back home....I would start sneezing. It got to be comical to me at least. I would go home and within an hour I would sneeze a couple times, and my mom, being the great person she is....would walk into the room with a glass of water and an allergy pill. This pattern continued after college to the present...whenever I went home....the allergy meds started back as well.  The super funny joke that I came up with was that I was allergic to my own house. Oddly enough, my mom never thought it was that funny.

Fast forward to me living in this new little part of the desert. Over the past few months....I've gotten repetitive colds and more sinus headaches than ever before. After 30 years of life...and nursing school, I finally decided to try the ole allergy meds again (education at its finest). Start breathing easy mom....I'm allergic to another place besides the house!

Asian Adventure 3: Thailand!!!

Yall, I've saved the best for last. If you are looking for a vacation spot....look no further...book a flight to Thailand right now!! I'm serious, it's one of the best places in the whole world....I would not lie to you about this...go now!! We started out in Phuket...which is right by the beach.  Now my heart will always belong to the Outer Banks....but tropical beaches are a very close second (honestly, they might be tied). Our resort was crazy and it was a great spot to relax after some busy days running around Asia. We also did a tour of Phi Phi Island. Get ready to get jealous!!!

Is this real life??

This is why I let Brittany do all the planning...she never lets me down

Banana and Nutella is all you need to know!!

Our final stop (sadly) was Chang Mai. We had some friends here and it was so great hanging out with them. They were great at showing us around. My favorite day was spent hanging out with some elephants and tigers....the joy in my heart that day was indescribable....that sounds dramatic....but it was true. We also spent Thanksgiving there with a lot of other Americans. There was no oyster dressing or ice cream and topping....but I definitely didn't go hungry (I know yall were worried).

Up close and personal...don't worry mom...we didn't take this pic

They can even paint!!

pure joy!!

mango sticky rice....it will change your life

my thanksgiving plates....clearly I'm not the type to be shy around strangers

Last meal was BBQ, mac and cheese, and hush puppies....are you kidding me Thailand?!?! Be my friend forever!!

I was so thankful for this time. It is amazing some of the things I get to do...I hope I never get used to seeing awesome places. There are so many new places in the world to explore....but I hope Southeast Asia and I cross paths many, many times.

Asian Adventure Part 2: Vietnam and Cambodia

Our next big stop was Vietnam. I haven't really explored Asia much up until this point, but I loved it! It was green and there were fruits and veggies everywhere. One of my favorite things was just riding around on a motorbike running errands. I felt like I was in a video game!! We also did a boat tour on the delta. We stopped different places along the water and saw different cultural things...it was really fun!!

Seriously...it was so much fun!!

Our next stop was Cambodia. I really had no idea was I was getting into...but I absolutely loved it!! We went to Siem Reap, which is known for having really ancient Hindu Temples. We spent a day exploring them. Brittany thought I was ridiculous for taking more pictures of trees than of the temples. Yall, the desert is all one color...so seeing green and vegetation just gets me excited these days. It was beautiful. In the town of Siem Reap there are so many outdoor cafes and restaurants. I love being in places where people live their lives outside. I know that seems weird....but it's such a good change of pace from my normal(?) life.

I get a little crazy around so much grass

Seriously...look how pretty it is!!!

Ankor Wat....the most famous temple

seriously I took 29270485704 pics of this

We also visited a silk farm....did you know it was made from worms??

If you can believe it...there is still more vacay to see...the best is yet to come....man I really need to get back to Southeast Asia!!

Asian Adventure Part 1: Hong Hong, Macau, Singapore

This past November (yes I'm still blogging about 2014, but the catch up game is about to be won), I was able to go on quite the epic getaway. This life is weird and hard, but it has taken me to some of the best places in the world...and for that I will be forever thankful. I've also been blessed with some good buddies. I know I've said this before, but I have the best friends in the world...seriously...I'll enter them in any competition. Anyways, my go to travel buddy these days is Brittany. If you wanna watch two people have way too much fun....put us together. We have gotten pretty good at this take a vacation thing....really because Brittany does all the planning and I just run around acting like a 12 year old. It works people...and I'm convinced it could make a killer TV show.

Anyways, the Asian Adventure covered 6 countries....so clearly this is gonna need to be a series. I met up with Brittany in Hong Kong....and it was a sweet sweet reunion that consisted of a lot of laughter a couple Starbucks cups. Hong Kong has to be one of the quietest cities I have ever been to. No car honking, no yelling....I couldn't believe I was in a big city.

I loved the Hong Kong harbor and watching all the boats

I love the Olympics...that is all

We found really cool coffee mugs!!

While staying in Hong Kong, we decided to hop over to Macau. It is a 45min ferry boat ride from Hong Kong. It made for a busy day....but why not add another country to the list?? Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia...and it did have its fair share of casinos....but they also had pandas.

There was a slightly unfortunate restaurant incident. I ordered chicken and veggies...and that is exactly what I got (head and all)....I did my absolute best to keep a straight face and choke it down....lets just say I did not have a clean plate....and I got a Dairy Queen blizzard afterwards.

On our way to the next destination, we had a long layover in Singapore. I've got one word for you....malls. There is a lot of them. They are huge and themed and overwhelming...but there is also an Outback in one which was thoroughly enjoyed. Part of our layover meant spending the night in the airport...but as you can see....at least one of us (not me) is a professional at doing.

The rest of the adventure only gets better...so stay tuned!!

And then the Rents came!!

So back in September (yep I said that right...September...I'm a horrible blogger...can you say New Years Resolution), I got to see this beautiful sight walking towards me (no, it wasn't Mr. Darcy walking across a field in a long coat...even better)....

That's right....Simon and Eleyse made it to the desert....and it was so much fun to have them here. They were troopers and even endured long language days with me. For the girl who hates being alone, it was great to have my two buddies with me all the time. We laughed and ate and saw the sights, and they did their fair share of spoiling. I mean, I had to let them get it in while they had a chance, right? Mom even secretly brought my favorite birthday cake and a friend here kept in their freezer until the special day....I know I cried too!!

Anyways, if you know my parents at all.....you know we had a good time and I was well loved on. Thanks so much for coming.

This is pretty much how it is.....always.

He makes friends wherever he goes.

Love You!

Wait! The water is gonna make my hair do what?!?!

So thankfully, there is plenty of water in my part of the desert. I don't have to worry about rationing it, or waiting for a certain day to wash clothes (praise Him), but on the flip side....this water makes your hair fall out.

Yep...that's right...I said fall out! The tap water here is straight up from the ocean. Somehow the salt is taken out (blah blah science blah blah), but there is still a lot of minerals in the water that weigh down your hair and make it fall out....lovely. When I first heard about this horrible news, I thought....certainly I have super human hair that won't be affected....I was wrong. Let's be honest, I already have enough strikes going against me....I do not need to add baldness to the list, so here are a few ways to combat the thinning desert hair...

First of all, just about every popular shampoo brand here has a "anti fallout" version...so I stocked up on those. Not sure how it helps...but I'm telling myself there is some magic in that shampoo.

There is also hair oil. Basically you massage a handful of oil into your scalp to stimulate hair growth. I usually sleep overnight with the oil in my hair...which means an early morning shower get rid of all that grease. If you know me, you know I'm not very good friends with the morning, but I'll say hey to her every now and then if this oil stuff helps.

 The whole "do everything you can so your hair doesn't fall out" thing isn't all bad. There is actually some pampering involved. In a salon around here you can get aloe treatments. It involves someone literally breaking open an aloe leaf/branch(?) and rubbing it all over your head. Supposedly, multiple treatments cause hair growth. Your head feels really cool and tingly during the process, and you get a head massage afterwards. Clearly, from the pictures I'm having fun with this one.

The last way I try to combat this problem is by rinsing my hair with bottled water. People say that if you rinse your hair with bottled water, it will get rid of all those heavy minerals that weigh down your hair. Needless to say, my shower looks like this now...

Now hopefully you will never have to take all of these measures to keep your locks, but here's a reference if you ever do. In the meantime, let's all hope all of my hair doesn't fall out. But seriously, let's all pray and fast about this one for a bit.