Yesterday was a great day!

But first, I remembered some of the things I wanted to mention last time.
    I'm going to miss some important events in friends' and family's lives. For instance, my brother from another mother, Samson, is getting married in late 2012. He has wanted me to be a groomsman before he even met his fiancée! But I will have to miss this momentous occasion. My little sister, Allison, will graduate in December. I will be on the other side of the world and unable to celebrate her accomplishment with her. Not to mention  missing seeing  my nephews grow up, holidays, and birthdays.
    But that's the sad reality. I will miss important events. I know moving, and moving now in this season of my life, is the right thing to do. Luckily, I have the support of almost everybody that is important to me. To the remaining few that want me to stay or at least wait a little longer, I'm sure they will be won over in no time. They have no choice :)
    Oh, carpet- I will miss carpet. The majority of floors are cement, tile, etc. Occasionally there may be a rug, but carpet is only in hotels (from my experience). This will be easier to clean, but I'll miss the option of laying out on carpet for random nap. Yeah, I know, that's kinda weird.

    So yesterday... It started off with an errand. I had to get a copy of a title for an old Jeep I'm selling. This marks the first item sold from Craigslist (well, I'm waiting for them to pick it up as I write this). I also have another person coming out to look at a truck for sale and a guy wanting to check out my guitar and amp. These big purchases will help pay for essential things when I'm in Thailand. I'm praying that they sell quickly and without complication.
    Next, I met a teacher I worked with, Mrs. Rhodes, and a couple students for lunch. First, they gave me an AWESOME card that many, many, many students signed and left messages for me (see in the pictures). That was definitely the highlight of my day. Then we went to a Vietnamese restaurant for lunch. Great pho, fried rice, vermicelli dishes, and milk tea!
    I haven't mentioned it before, but I was worried I might have visa trouble. I was unsure of what kind to get, tourist or education (I want to study Thai before I start teaching if possible) and how to change whatever I applied for and received into a work visa. I talked to some expatriates who have experience with what I want to do, and they totally cleared up my confusion! Praise the Lord! I have a pretty good idea/plan now. I'll put the details below and eventually let you know if it works or not. This was the second-best highlight of my day. A lot of stress was relieved!
    Then last night I got The Explicit Gospel by Matt Chandler. Even though it was really late (I got it on Kindle), I couldn't help but to start reading it!

Visa Plan
I plan on getting two-entry tourist visa, each good for 60 days, and extend each entry for 30 days, a total of 180 days. I need a cushion of 2-3 weeks between this visa expiring and getting the work (B) visa. The total for the two entries and two extensions will be around $200, plus the cost of a visa run after the first 90 days.