It's official...

I'm adopting a Burmese baby.


Enjoying Thailand. Longer update tomorrow.

Pray for Burma.

-Abby

Sawadee Kha (hello) from Thailand!

I'm currently sitting in bed at the cutest little guest house in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where it's raining. The perfect sound and ending to a great day. It hasn't even been 24 hours since I arrived in Thailand and here I am. What a whirlwind, mind-blowing trip it's been. Bryan has reminded me at least 7 times today that it hasn't even been a full day yet. Hello, pinch me, I'm in Thailand. WHAT?! We laughed all throughout the day about how amazing it is that we are here and how this has come to be. Our God is SO big and so loving!

I left OKC at 6:40am on Sunday and arrived in Bangkok at 11:40pm Monday night (or 11:4am OKC time). We are exactly 12 hours ahead of everyone in America which is somewhat fascinating to me. Time change is such an odd thing when you are on the flip side of all that is familiar. The flights were smooth, the people are real friendly and the culture is beautiful. Thailand isn't really what I pictured although I really didn't have any expectations to begin with. Bangkok is a huge city with large buildings and busy highways. The airport there is massive! Bryan and Nikki picked me up and we immediately headed to a guest house. It was so great to see a familiar face upon arrival. This morning we woke and had breakfast at a quaint little restaurant down a small alley. The smell and weather remind me a lot of Sierra Leone...I even had scrambled eggs and pineapple for breakfast which was typical for us in Africa. It's funny to be here and reflect on previous experiences. I've been missing Sierra Leone a lot but I know that God has me here instead and for good reason.

We flew out of Bangkok around 1pm and arrived in Chiang Mai an hour later. Chiang Mai is much smaller and more natural. The grassy mountains remind me of Hawaii. The air is thick but it's tad cooler. The place we are staying at seriously looks and feels as though we are in a giant tree house. (See photos!) After meeting some folks Eleho partners with, we relaxed a bit then headed to the local mall where we ate. I had fro-yo in honor of SoCal. It was tasty:) I'm trying to avoid all spicy foods for at least a little while, considering my stomach has a bad habit of getting ulcers when I'm overseas. We'll see how long I can go without getting sick!

Anyway, it's been an exciting yet exhausting 24 hours. I leave you with my first photos of the trip. We have internet access so I'll keep you all posted as we go along this journey.

first night in Bangkok:


Breakfast in Bangkok:



Welcome to Chiang Mai:









peace,
Abby

the Bean is 1

NOTE TO READERS: I'm an aunt therefore I reserve all bragging rights on this post;)

It's official...baby Ellie bean is 1 year old! My beautiful, amazing, little angel of a niece is a big girl now!
We celebrated this past weekend, not just one birthday, but TWO! Because not only is Ellie 1, Owen turned 3! THREE! What?! When did these babies get so big?! Since their birthdays are so close (O's is June 16th and June 18th is Ellie's) , my sister had a joint "Pirates & Princesses" party. We had so much fun pigging out on b-day cake & ice cream, hitting the treasure chest pinata & of course, watching the kids open presents. It blows my mind how big they are getting and how fast it's gone by. Whether it's swimming with Owen or cuddling with Ellie, I try and soak in the precious moments as best I can. I know they will grow faster than we'd all really like (cue John Mayer's "Stop This Train"). There's just something about their innocence that makes me want to squeeze them and never let go! They are such sweet reminders of Gods love and blessings poured on our families. Life would not be complete without them.

Yesterday, my sister and I decided to shoot some photos of Ellie in a cute little birthday number. Naturally, I can't help but share these photos with you. I just love her so stinkin' much! I promise to post b-day pics soon!

Here she is ladies & gents...Ellie Cunningham on her 1st birthday!

















With a full heart,
Abby

Natasha & Dan/E-shoot

While at Invisible Children, Inc. I came to know Natasha. She handles the Book Drive so whereas we weren't in the same dept., we often met at the "water cooler". She was sweet enough to let me join her at the Animal Liberation Orchestra show at Belly Up (coolest music venue in San D) one of my first weeks in CA. Anyway, Natasha informed me early on that she was getting married in July and I asked if she needed engagements. We finally got around to it the day before I left California! I was thrilled to shoot these for her and Dan. They are the first couple I've ever photographed at the beach! We drove out to my favorite place: Coronado! If you ever visit San Diego, you MUST go here. It is beyond beautiful, the sand is different than most places in SoCal and it's VERY clean. Not to mention they have Hotel del Coronado (you can see it in the back of some photos). It's gorgeous! These two were incredibly natural in front of the camera...they even danced. LOVE IT. I couldn't pick just a few photos so I decided to post quite a bunch that were personal faves. THANK YOU NATASHA AND DAN! You guys are wonderful. I wish you nothing but the best & a life full of happiness!
























Hope you all enjoy.
-Abby