Happy "Chinese" New Year!

After being gone all summer long it was good to be back for a beautiful Shanghai fall. By September 1st I was working pretty much everyday at the Shanghai American School as a substitute teacher. Trent kept a pretty low profile and didn't have to travel much until mid-October for work. In October we took another family vacation to Bali, Indonesia and had an absolute blast. Bali was beautiful and relaxing. We had our own private villa that was just beautiful and the kids of course loved playing on the beach and splashing in the massive waves. The food in Bali was amazing as they tend to cater to Australian's. The cuisine (besides local Indonesian food) was fresh seafood presented in the most artistic fashion.

When we arrived home from Bali, Trent was once again gone a good portion of the time, to Europe and back (a few times) and travel within China. During this time we got the kids a trampoline since we now have a nice size back garden to put it in. They have had a blast on it (as well as mom and dad). We like to sneak out there when the kids are doing other things and bounce really high and crazy-like. It's nice to act juvenile every once in a while.

The first week of November I ran in the Hangzhou Marathon (a short marathon, only 9 miles). It was a great experience and I am currently registering for a half marathon (13.1 miles) on the Great Wall of China in Beijing. It will be in held mid-May.

December presented us with a big decision....do we travel back to the US or stay in Shanghai and have a Christmas in our own home? We finally decided that we wanted to be in our "own" home for Christmas instead of traveling around like crazy living out of suitcases. The week before Christmas we traveled to Tokyo, Japan to see old friends who are stationed on the airforce base there. We had a great time and got a taste of America being on the US Airforce base. On Dec. 23 we landed back in Shanghai just in time to be settled for Christmas Eve and Santa Claus' arrival.

Christmas Day we had the most enjoyable day. The kids had a wonderful time tearing through boxes from Santa and from family. This was the first time we have ever been in our own home for Christmas. Late morning, we had a beautiful, elegant Christmas Day Champagne brunch with our friends from Australia. By nightfall, Trent and I were looking at each other wondering what happened to the chaos that usually comes with Christmas day. The next morning we skyped friends and family and by that time were were really feeling homesick. We realized that even though Christmas can be chaotic, loud and crazy (traveling to family member's home's, sleeping in guest bed's, and living out of suitcases)......it's worth it. It's what it's about and without it, it's like having Oreo's without milk. It's just not complete and certainly not as enjoyable and fulfilling in the long run.

After the holiday's, we decided we couldn't make it till summer without seeing family and friends. So in January we booked tickets to come to America over Chinese New Year (in February) when the kids had a break from school. Trent had a mandatory work meeting he had to attend the last week of January so he went to the US 2 weeks before the kids and I.

After Trent was gone but prior to me and the kids leaving Shanghai, I decided to do some last minute shopping downtown to bring home a few Chinese gifts for our families. I was at my first shop when I became doubled over with stomach pains. As a dedicated shopper, I managed to stand in line to purchase my items then went straight to my driver and told him to take me to the hospital. After a few hours of testing, a CT scan determined I had Appendicitis and was immediately taken in for surgery. Being the middle of the night in the US, Trent was sound asleep and I was not able to get ahold of him before my surgery. Poor guy woke up to over 20 missed calls and texts from myself and friends....I think the fear he felt waking up that morning was far worse than my surgery and the pain of recovering.

I had 7 days to recover before taking the flight with the kids to America. Because it wasn't laproscopic, I really had to take it easy all week. Our good friends Yong and Yang helped me to the airport and carried my luggage. From there, I was all set and we had a smooth flight. Since being in the states we have traveled to Denver, Cheyenne, WY, Casper, WY, and Ardmore, OK. Which brings me to current day. I am writing this blog as I sit in my parents house in Ardmore. The Chinese government has major controls over what comes to China via the Internet (if you haven't read) Therefore we have many problems accessing sights such as Facebook, Myspace, and Blogspot (which is how I do this Blog.) Half the time I cannot access Blogspot to change or update it. I have no faith that it will change anytime soon so please be patient with my sporadic blogging. I will update this when I can.

March we will be heading back to Phukett, Thailand. We had such an amazing vacation last Spring Break we decided to go there again. We will be making a 1 day stop in Hong Kong to take the kids to Hong Kong Disneyland. This will be a total surprise to our kids so if you happen to read this and see Tenley or Tayton....please don't spoil the surprise!

Until the next time I have access to this restricted site.....Take care and God bless!

An Update on our Chaotic Lives

WOW! Nearly 5 months have passed since my last post! Where has the time gone....

I'll begin with our family vacation to Thailand. The last week of march we went to Phukett Thailand and had the trip of a lifetime! We stayed in a Mariott hotel in a "family style" suite equipped with a mini kitchen and two bedrooms. It was just across the street from the ocean so the kids got plenty of beach, waves and sand castle time. The highlight for the the kids was a day trip to an island off shore called Phi Phi Island (pronounced pee pee- maybe that's why they liked it!)

We took a speed boat about 1.5 hours off-shore to the exotic island where we snorkeled, swam, saw monkey's and did some local shopping.
We did another day trip to a local "safari" place and rode elephants 30 minutes up the Island hills and enjoyed a breath taking view of Phukett and the ocean surrounding it!

All in all it was a much needed and enjoyed vacation that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

In April I took a mini vacation for 3 day's to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with a girlfriend who was attending a conference for work. It was a beautiful "clean" city with fun nightlife and great shopping.....did I mention the shopping was great!

June 1st we moved into a house approximately 1 mile from the apartment complex we have lived in for the past year. It was great to get into a house where we all feel more at home and have more livable space as well. It is a much safer place for the kids to ride their bikes and after only 3 days in the new house Tayton had his training wheels off and was riding a "big boy" bike! At 4 years old, he seems too small to do that!

In June the kids finished up school and on the 17th we were off to America to spend the next 6 weeks with friends and family.

Our first stop was in South Dakota where we enjoyed fresh mountain air and quality time with Trent's family in the Black Hills. We stayed in a cabin while everyone else stayed in their motor home's.

Next we headed to Denver and stayed with our friends Tara and Tim Sisneros while Trent worked back at corporate headquarters. The kids had fun seeing old friends as did Trent and I.

The third week back in the states we met my parents in Breckenridge and celebrated the 4th of July there in a condo. The weather was gorgeous and we did lots of biking, hiking and walking through the mountain towns. Every night Trent and my dad cooked amazing meals while my mom and I sat back and enjoyed quality time.

After the Mountains Trent headed back to Shanghai and I left for Oklahoma with the kids to stay for a week at my parents house.

The final (6th) week in the states the kids and I went to Wyoming to see Trent's family. I had an awesome week there not only enjoying quality time with family but relaxing as well. I hope everyone is lucky enough to have in-law's like me where you really do feel at home in their presence.

Thank you to everyone who housed us, fed us and put up with us this summer. We really appreciated the kindness and hospitality that we were shown. Our family and friends back home mean the world to us. We promise it's only a matter of time until we'll be back and everything will be as it was. Hopefully at some point we can repay the love we've been shown.

Now we are back in Shanghai enjoying being back in our new home. I was only back 2 days and Trent was already on another plane to another country. He has been in Turkey for 2 days but is expected to be back home in 2-3 days. It's good to be together again after more than a 3 week separation! Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Well, that's all for now.....until next time!

God Bless

It's Been SO Long, A Lot Has Happened!

It's been SO long since my last post....which should tell you one thing. I have been busy! Life here is going great and we are getting to see and do more as we get more comfortable in our new culture. Since my last post I have been to Switzerland to visit Melanie (my other expat friend!) and then to the states for Christmas with our families and friends, and then back to China. After Christmas I began working at the Shanghai American School as a Substitute teacher and I am LOVING it! The school is an absolutely awesome place to spend alot of time. To be a part of such an amazing international school is thrilling to say the least! I am mostly working just 3 days a week, they offered me full time but I felt I still need to see so much of China and I am just not wanting the 5 day per week commitment right now.

I am also proud to annouce we have had 3 guests since Christmas as well. First, my sister arrived on the 15th of February and spent 6 days with us. We had a blast seeing all of Shanghai and flying to Beijing to see the Great Wall, The Olympic Center and Forbidden City. I also introduced her to some local street food. Thankfully she didn't get sick!! We had an amazing time together and enjoyed sister to sister time... It was long overdue! Thanks Brenda for coming to see me!

Our second visitor, Mandy Monjaras and her daughter Ashley (our old neighbors in Denver) arrived on February 28th and stayed until March 7th. We had a great mother/daughter time as our daughters are also best friends. We also saw much of Shanghai including some traditional magic and dancing. I also introducted Ashley to the "Wet Markets" where you buy your live fish, ect...and have them freshly "cleaned" for you on the spot. She was a great sport and thought it was hilarious to watch the fish flop on the ground before their untimely death! (Mandy, is that disturbing?) (Wet Market photo below)We also flew to Beijing, this time Tenley also came with us and she got to see the Great Wall for the first time. What a great experience for 6 and 7 year olds to see such wonders of this great world! Mandy and Ashley, thanks for taking your vacation to see us!! It's meant SO much! (Ashely, I hope your thumb is better---she broke it on her last night here!)

Our last visitor, was Jamey Fifield. Jamey is a great friend to Trent and all of us for that matter. Trent took a few day's vacation and they also went to Beijing among other places. Jamey is always fun to have in China as he is willing to do and try anything! (ANYTHING!) He points out the things that we often overlook and makes normal day to day stuff a blast! Thanks for a good time Jamey!
Tenley and Tayton are doing great! They are absolutely thriving in their schools and in this environment. Tenley has taken up tennis lessons and loves them! (picture above is Tenley with her tennis racquet) Tayton has a few buddies that he loves to play with and loves to ride his bike to school everyday. China is treating us well and our family time is in abundance now! Trent continues to work an obscene amount of hours, but having him here all the time makes such a big difference. When we lived in America, I found it hard to keep up with what country he was in. Picture below is of Tayton playing the drums at Madame Tussads Wax Museaum here in Shanghai.

We are staying commited to learning Chinese and taking lessons weekly. We feel pretty confident getting around now...although I have to say, Chinese in a Southern accent sounds pretty funny! As long as they understand me, that's all that matters! My friends all want to go shopping with me as I have it in me to always get the lowest price and still leave with them smiling at me. (southen charm!)

I will try to post more blogs in the future. We leave for Thailand in two days and I will have lots of pictures to upload from our first Family Vacation! We are all more excited than words can express to get away to a new part of the world!!

More to come!! Stay tuned!

No place to go but up!

This is what a typical shopping day looks like for me. Shanghai is so large you can't lay stores out over acres of land...you build them up! This is a picture of my shopping cart on a straight escelator. The first floor is small shops, the second floor is home goods and the third floor is groceries. So if you are on the 3rd floor and finished with you shopping but suddenly realize you forgot the lightbulbs, you have to go back down to level 2 to get them; then return back up to level 3 to check out! I don't make these mistakes anymore, my shopping has never been more organized!

Life Goes on.....

It's been two months since my last post which says alot about life here....busy. I have done what I said I wouldn't do...OVER COMMIT! I have come to realize that this is just me. I like being out; doing, living, experiencing, and socializing! Why change just because I am in China.

Trent is getting really busy with work and really understanding why employer's are sometimes smart in allowing people to work from home.....because they never stop working! Overall he is really loving life here and really enjoying his schedule. He is traveling on average 1 or 2 days a week which is much better than being gone for two weeks at a time like when we were in the states.

Tenley is loving first grade and making tons of friends! The time elapsed has finally caught up to her and she has mentioned she is really missing her close friends. Just the other day she pulled a shirt from her drawer (a long sleeved one). It was the time she has pulled out her winter clothes. She said it smelled like Ashley's (Monjaras) house. (maybe we washed it at mandy's house when I was staying the night or something) I think it was a little nostalgic for her.

Tayton is growing like a weed! Even my friends here are noticing how fast he has shot up! He is really slimmed up (not my chunky boy anymore). He is going to be built just like Trent I think.

He loves school and has made lot's of friends! This past week, school was closed because Hand, Foot, Mouth disease was going around like candy. He really missed school and looks forward to it reopening on Monday.

First week of School

Well, alot has happened in the past two weeks. Tayton started preschool last Monday, Tenley celebrated her 6th birthday on Tuesday and then started school on Thursday. She is pretty excited about being a 1st grader.

Lets start with Tayton and his school. He is going to a preschool that is located on site here at the Racquet Club. It seems to be a great school, it's close and he LOVES it. He is in the Dragonfly classroom and they began learning this week how to describe their looks. Tayton's teacher said, "okay Tayton, what does your hair look like" (I think she was hoping for a color description), and Tayton replied, " it's good". She said she could help but laugh because of the confindence he had when he said it.

Tenley is now the big 6! She is so excited to be 6, but is already talking about being 7...... we had a party here at our house with her new friends she has met since arriving in June. She had 7 friends representing countries, Holland, Australia, Canada, Scotland, America, and China. You should have heard the accents!! I LOVED it!! All the little girls are so precious.

Two days after her birthday she started school. She really likes her teachers; Mrs. Walker from Australia and Mrs. Priti (assistant) from India. When she got home from her first day the first thing out of her mouth was, I get to have 3 recesses. (a MAJOR accent on 3)

I am posting some pictures of our apartment for those of you who have requested to see what our house looks like. Also, there are some pictures of the clubhouse, where we spend a large amount of time. There is a great place for kids to play while us mom's and dad's sit and socialize. It's really great and very family friendly.

Trent is starting to travel in and around China more. Next week he has to go to Turkey for a week. He has started language lessons which are pretty intense. I start mine next week. I was waiting to get the kids in school to devote more time to it. We both really want to use this opportunity to learn as much as we can.

My weeks get's saturated pretty quickly when you consider a day or two shopping (food, ect..), a day of language lessons, a day of volunteering at the school. and maybe a day of free time with the girls. It takes so long to do everything so if you have to grocery shop, you will not get anything else accomplished that day before picking the kids up from school. After school we are trying to go to the pool each day. Summer is getting closer to being over so we want to soak in the sun while we have it. It's a great way to unwind also!

Is anyone else thinking what I'm thinking?

"Where's Waldo?"

Sorry it has taken us so long to get another post up. We have been busy getting acquainted with China and playing "Hide and Go Seek." For example, Vanilla Extract, do you know how hard it is to find such a thing in China. I did finally find it and my kids (and Trent) are happy to once again have homemade banana muffins and chocolate chip cookies.

School will be starting soon, 10 days to be exact (yes I'm counting). Tenley is very excited to meet her teacher and make more friends. I think she has met every child living at the Racquet Club, but it is just not enough for her. She is quite the social butterfly.

You have to understand that living in a new culture you are going to get random questions from your children. The other day Tenley asked me, "mom, why do all the people here have black hair?" After the lack of a brilliant answer I told it like it was, "because God made them that way." Anyone else have a better answer? Belching in public is also very common here (not rude). A few weeks ago our driver belched very loudly in the car with us in it. Tenley was quick to shout off, "excuse you!" I couldn't help but laugh because neither of them were in the wrong.

08/08/2008

We went to TGI Friday's on Friday night to watch the opening ceremony's for the Olympic games. It was really great to be among the Chinese people to watch it all unfold. A truly historical event for them really. They are obviously proud and honored to be hosting such an event, probably more so than any country to ever host the Olympics.