Two dives near Sail Rock off Koh Samui! First dive was full of fish. Having a school of baracuda under you is pretty cool. Almost as cool as the gigantic school of shiny silver fish above you. A very National Geographic moment to see the school of fish moving in a circle together.

Megan didn’t love the first dive. She is tough and managed to dive even though she was dizzy during the dive and the following lunch. The boat we were on was knocking all over the place. There were a couple of people that skipped lunch to lose their breakfast off the back.

The second dive went much smoother for Megs.

The ride back to the pier was like riding in a baby rattle that is being shaken by an angry baby. It also smelled strongly of mint. There was a couple that seems to think that sticking a pot of the Thai equivalent of Vick’s Vapo Rub under their noses all the time, will stop the nausea. The vomiting off the back of the boat proved otherwise. They kept trying. God bless ’em.

Our guide was probably 65-70 years old. He has lived in Koh Samui for the last 20 years. He has two grown daughters back in the UK. He has not been back to the UK in 20 years. He just doesn’t want to go. He said “yeah, my daughters are kinda pissed at me”. Ummm….yeah, that tracks. He wanted to sign our dive logs with “Dived with Clive and Survived”. Interesting fellow.

We spent our last two days on Koh Samui saying “Booo”. Boo because we are so bummed it is almost over. Boo to our last Thai iced tea. Boo to our last night market. Boo to our last full day of six weeks adventuring. Boo to our last Mango smoothies. Boo to our last boat ride. Boo to our last swim in the Gulf of Thailand.

“Nap area” in Seoul, South Korea airport is kinda yucky. The actual napping room smells like stinky feet and stinky men…because it is full of stinky feet and stinky men. Blech. Finding a few chairs in the “Internet Area” made for a napping spot for Megan. She is going to need Ibuprofen when she gets up. 12 hour layovers are too long.

Jet lag is real. We arrived in Seattle about 11 am. We managed to stay up until 10 pmish and that made the next day manageable. We even managed to run in a race the next morning! We are amazing. To be honest, we “ran” the Lardbutt 1 K. They hand out donuts every 250 meters and there is a beer garden at 9:30 in the morning. A very American event. Culture shock when we went to South East Asia was not as impressive as when we came home and went to the Lardbutt.

I am constantly impressed by my children. I know that I played a significant roll in growing them and in raising them, but they are spectacular because of who they are as humans. They are great despite my mistakes. They are kind, they are loving, and they are my greatest joy. We have been through a lot in the last six years. Two of them graduated from college, and all three of them graduated from high school. This trip marked a huge transition in all of our lives. Will and Megan are looking to the future and how they will provide for themselves as adults. Emily is also looking to the future, but is at a point of deeper exploration as she heads to college.

There is a lot that is learned after high school and college. I have found that there is much to be learned post divorce. I am strong. I am brave. I am able to travel the world on my own. Above AND below sea level!

Will is smart, sensitive, and thoughtful. Megan is smart, adventurous, and loving. Emily is wise beyond her years. She is funny, strong, and incredibly independent. All three amaze me every day. I’ve had many roles over the years. I have worked as a day camp counselor, an assistant in a veterinary office, a nurse at an OB/GYN clinic, a labor and delivery nurse, a wife, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. It is cliché to say that the greatest job that I have ever had, and the hardest job that I have ever had, is to be a mother.

I say all the time, it would be easy to raise kids if you didn’t care how they turned out. But I do, I care deeply about how they turn out, and I have to say Will, Megan and Emily are turning out spectacular. I am so incredibly grateful that I pushed the idea with them that you get to pick the people that are in your lives. Just because people have always been around or even if they are family, that doesn’t mean they get the privilege of being near you. Where you spend your time and your energy is a choice. My three kids have chosen to spend their time and their energy on each other, and I am lucky enough to be included in that party. I hope they always recognize how lucky they are and that they always live by the adage Live the Life You Love. Who you spend your time with, and how you spend that time is a choice. And so I say to Will, Megan and Emily: I love you guys. You’re the absolute best. Where are we going next?