The Islands, Thailand

Monday, September 30

 As previously mentioned,
{on my Railey Beach post}
in an effort to not feel like complete lazy bums,
 we decided it was high time to “do” something 
and see a few other islands in Thailand.  
So we signed up to have a speedboat take us to four islands for some snorkeling.
We decided that snorkeling sounded the most like “nothing” 
which is really what we set out to do in Thailand.
leeezzzz be honest. 


Now there are a lot tours/activities to do in and around Railey, 
like rock climbing, 
zip lining, 
scuba diving,
etc. etc. etc.
{seriously, we couldn't believe how many random tours there were!}

 So even though Railey is not a relatively large area, 
it’s pretty incredible all the fun things you could potentially do while there! 

the day was absolutely perfect. 
we met some really fun couples from England and Australia
and cruised around the most gorgeous archipelago in the world:)

We swam on the gorgeous beach of Bamboo Island
Explored the famous Maya Bay (made crazy popular by the Leo movie “The Beach”)
Ate lunch and frolicked in the waves of the idyllic Koh Phi Phi
And snorkeled in a bay off Koh Phi Phi filled with loads of colorful fish.  

i'd do it again in a heartbeat:) 
enjoy the pictures! 
happy Monday,
love Katie 

{i snuck these babies into my suitcase...can't wait to put them in a vase}
 {this picture cracks me up...hello lady and her bum!} 
 {my handsome, being handsome}
 {monkeys!!! look at the baby in the top right corner, so cool!}

Why Not?

Friday, September 27

When I'm old and saggy and can say whatever I very well please,
what I really want to tell my grandkids is that I lived a good story.

that I took risks and listened to the Holy Spirit.
that I made cookies with my neighbor kids spur of the moment
and moved to Nepal with my husband.
That I skinny dipped in italy,
and ate bugs in Asia, 
and opened my home to anyone looking for love. 

and then I realized that all of those things I wanted to remember,
anything that was worth repeating,
were opportunities that presented themselves that others might say, 
"well, why?..why would you do that?"

"why eat a bug?"
or
"why move to country where the freaking electricity is never on?" 
or
"why live in a neighborhood that has a gang?" 

and here's my very deep and profound answer,

"why not?" 

why.the.heck.not? 

Jesus's life wasn't normal, so why should mine be? 
Jesus didn't have a picket fence or a fat salary or even a permanent home on earth. 

He just carried love around in his pocket, and sowed seeds of beauty and depth, grace and forgiveness. 

these are the thoughts swirling in my head right now, am I weird? 

and so in honor of the 

why not 
statement, 

I am now a farmer. 
I know, laugh. 
please. 
it's hilarious. 

While still in Nepal, my dad mentioned that if we wanted to come and work the rice harvest he'd hire us! 
You see, my family has been growin' rice like nobody's business for the last 100 years. 
and while I didn't grow up in the country or on a farm, i'd love to believe that i'm a farmer at heart. 
Most the time, I settle for being a farmers daughter.
but now with great excitement, I can now say i'm a legit farmer {for 4 more weeks! haha}

Kev and I decided that for one month this Fall, we'd learn how to grow grain like it was our job. 
In fact, it is our job. {not to grow the grain, of course, but to harvest it}

So for the next month, you can refer to me as farmer Katie:) 
I've got my flannel, my jeans, and work shoes...i've even got a grease gun! 

so why not randomly work on a farm? 
we're young, we're able and we still have our eyesight to drive a tractor! 
and won't that make a good story someday? 
I think so:) 

So today, I hope you'll find something to ask
"why not" to! 

surprise yourself, cut loose, and love life for all it's surprises!! 
love Katie 


Railay Beach, Thailand

Tuesday, September 24


 {not a bad view from the breakfast table:)}



I’m not going to lie, 
all Kevin and I had the energy for after leaving Nepal was, 
well…nothing.
 I literally had sobbed every ounce of energy from my body after leaving the girls house.

So we decided that doing nothing sounded amazing. 
And what better place is there to do nothing than on the beaches of Thailand? 
I honestly can’t think of one.

I had lived in Thailand about 5 years ago teaching English, but never got around to visiting Railey Beach…
which, in the opinion of many, 
is the best beach in Thailand.

So this time I was not planning on missing out on it! 
Railey was everything I imagined and more! 
MORE
It was a dream of a paradise, with a very chill atmosphere. 
If you’ve traveled at all to Thailand, you know that some (many!) beaches have turned into an all night party for crazy youngin’s that chug beer like nobody’s business. 
Railey, thankfully, was NOT that place. 
Railey struck me as a lagoon where time stood still 
and people lost themselves in the beauty, and in their books. 
It was quiet and peaceful. 
Kevin went for a run one morning and was the only one on the beach!

To get to Railey is a process. 
You need to fly/bus from Bangkok to Krabi. 
From Krabit you take a shuttle to the Ao Nang pier. 
While Railey is not technically an island, you have to catch a long-tail boat from the Ao Nang pier to get there, 
as it’s surrounded by massive cliffs on a penninsula. 
After a 30 minute boat ride, you reach Railey West. 
Railey has two sides, East and West.

The beach on the West side is where you want to lounge during the day, 
however the East side is where the cheaper place to stay are located. 
We stayed at Railey Garden View Resort on the East Side, and got the cutest bungalow for $20 a night. 
It was a steal if you ask me, and I couldn’t recommend it more:)

The other amazing part of Railey is that you also can take a short 15 minute walk 
and discover a whole new beach called Phra Nang
which is touted as the 2nd beach beach in Thailand!
 It is absolutely breathtaking with large cliffs rising out of the water. 
Unreal. 
it's also magical at night! 

One day we did a speed boat snorkel trip which
 A) made us feel a little less lazy, 
and
 B) ended up being one of our only activities favorite activities. 
Pics from the boat trip are here. 

I couldn’t recommend Railey Beach more! 
If you go to Thailand, make sure to add Railey to your list. 
You can thank me advance for this advice:)

love Katie 
ps- stop on by my sweet friend Rachel's blog for a little interview she did with me today:)