It's a Small World...Vietnam, Groupon and me!

Image representing One Kings Lane as depicted ...

Image via CrunchBase

Thought #1

FYI: One Kings Lane is a website very much

like your Tuesday Morning

Store only more beautiful.(If you want to join

send me your email address to Orencoopinions@gmail.com

and I will send you an invitation.

You will get the $15 discount.)

Good Morning World

I don't wake up by hitting the floor running. My mind requires a cup of coffee or two. When my feet finally carried me out of bed this rainy morning, my mind went for a stroll dragging the rest of me along behind. Glasses on and robe wrapped tight I stumbled to my kitchen. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the wrapping from an item I purchased from One Kings Lane. I had purchased a duvet using my $15 discount I received when I signed up for the website. The wrapping was so classy I have let it stay on my computer desk for a few days. That is where my mind took a u-turn. I had no idea we were going to write about this today.

My Thought Process...sorry

So did you know that the wife of Groupon's founder, Andrew Mason, is one of the owners of One Kings Lane. You can see why I would know this...shopping and daily deals all in one family always catches my interest. (You can watch Andrew Mason's interview on 60 Minutes where this fact is revealed.)

Trekking with Sue Mae

The One Kings Lane wrapping reminded me of some people we met in passing while we were in Vietnam. I know, it is as if I were the mouse that found a cookie and needed a glass of milk. A lot of my days are like that.

The Stream of Consciousness

We were on Phu Quoc located in the Sea of Thailand for over a week. The weather is tropical and the landscape is lush. Every evening as the sun set our hosts at Cassia Cottages would serve cocktail hour. One evening while we were there during the Christmas holiday they held a cocktail hour by the pool and all the guest were invited. They served beautiful food and wine. A small intimate group gathered to visit as the shadows grew long.

Isn't it funny that when you travel you are somehow attracted to people from your own country? I suppose that is why we spent so much time with David and Amy Goldman. The Goldmans were a young couple from the Illinois, United States traveling around the world with two children. They had just sold a business and were taking a year off to travel. Their children were learning geography first hand and doing their school work on the fly. The Goldmans had spent time in Shanghai where they had dinner with a former teacher of their teen daughter. This teacher has worked for Shanghai American Schools for ten years. When they discovered that my son and daughter-in-law work for Shanghai American School, Amy Goldman wanted to know if my son and his wife were acquainted with the teacher. Well, now that you mention it, they were. Oh my gosh...Shanghai is the largest city in the world!!! Incidentally my daughter-in-law was raised in Illinois.

Sue Mae and me

I listened as Amanda (a former middle school math teacher) gave Maya, the Goldman's teen daughter, a short algebra/technology lesson on the patio. This is what Amy Goldman had to say in her blog post called Another Small World Story:

Furthermore, Amanda used to teach eighth grade math and was very pleased to be able to give Maya an algebra pep talk in the way that only a math teacher could do. “You’re solving linear systems using eliminations? I LOVE eliminations!” You will all be happy to know that after Amanda’s motivational speech, Maya took her quiz and received 100%. Good job Maya and thank you Amanda.

But the connection did not stop there. The Goldmans had also been to Sapa in northern Vietnam earlier and trekked with the guide we had used. Her name was Sue Mae. Actually Sue Mae mentioned this very family to my daughter-in-law because of their round the world year. This small Hmong woman dreamed of doing that herself one day.

David Goldman also mentioned that a relative was one of the people involved in Groupon (ahhh, here is the cookie and the mouse part). So there you have the connection to One Kings Road. It turns out they call it six point of separation for a reason. It could be that we are all connected to a shopping website like Groupon in some way. Those of us that love a good deals are certainly hoping so. Seriously, I love it when real people touch our lives in small ways yet that connection spreads out like the rings a pebble makes when it hits the water.

You can read the post Amy Goldman's post about our chance encounter at Another Small World Story. (They even have a picture, with my son, my daughter-in-law and I.)

God Speed Goldman family. Give my best to the rest of your family. :) I hope you are still loving your life on the road.

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

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