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!