We turned 30!

Despite my husband's emphasis on my turning 30, he actually turned 30 also this year, and only A FEW weeks after I did.

For my birthday:

Aaron tried to surprise with an early birthday present of stand up paddle boarding (which I've been wanting to do since the first time I heard about it), but the people he tried to arrange it with, never got back to him.  So we went to a horse race instead (unfortunately we lost those pictures in the water that destroyed Aaron's computer back in April.

We also stayed at one of the nicest hotels in the city....which was super nice (tv in English!!) until we woke up the next morning with Aaron's clothes soaked through because of a leak in the ceiling.

The night before that, though, we enjoyed a walk by the river, eating at one of my favorite restaurants, and having an Arrested Development marathon (since the new season had just been released).

the last picture of me in my twenties

In between my birthday and Aaron's birthday we went home to go to Isaac and Caroline's wedding!

One of our friends blessed us with buddy passes on Delta to fly home, and we ended up getting to sit in Business Elite on the long flight home!!

 In Business Elite, your seats fold down into beds, so I slept longer on that flight than I ever have before.

Thanks Lindsey!!

We came home for these two to get married.  The wedding was beautiful!

And then Aaron worked it out that we actually did get to go SUP, once we got to America.  And I think it was even better than the original plan, because we got to do it with almost all of his siblings.

Classy tanks.....and no Hannah's not really pregnant

And then again later with his parents and Josh!

At home we celebrated both of our birthdays with our families:

At the birthday party with my family it turns out I took more video than pictures...it involved a piñata, how could I not take video of that?

that's me dominating my brother in corn hole

with my grandparents

first time i've ever celebrated a birthday with july birthdays

At the end of our time at home, I surprised Aaron by letting him know that one of the other perks of the buddy passes that we received, was that on our way back to China we were stopping in Japan to hike Mt. Fuji to celebrate his birthday!

Pictures of Japan to come....

A Christmas Tradition

As soon as we returned from our honeymoon in Greece,  I was ready to set up our Christmas decorations, and realized as most newlyweds figure out their first Christmas together that:
A) we had no christmas decorations

2) we had no christmas tree

and D) we had no money.  (home alone reference anyone?  and yes I've seen that at least once every year (most years multiple times) since it came out during my childhood)

Thankfully family gave us some of their old decorations and there was a Food Lion right down the street where we bought a $25 tree with our VIP card.

Our first Christmas together, Aaron gave me Home Alone.
It was the longest I went a Christmas season without watching Home Alone.
My previous Home Alone was on VHS and we had upgraded to a Blu-ray at this point.

Our first Christmas tree....also, I look like I'm in 9th grade in this picture.
No seriously, I wish I could post my yearbook picture.  you would agree.

Our first Christmas together.
Notice - no VHS capabilities.  It was a sad season until Christmas morning.

Anyway, that Christmas we decided to start a Christmas tradition of getting a new Christmas ornament every year, so we could slowly add ornaments to our Christmas tree.  So this year - this is what our tree looks like:

this year's tree

Here's a sample of some of our ornaments from the past 5 Christmases.  (the first two are MIA because I left them in America, afraid they would break or get lost over here).

2010's ornament.  I love this little guy.  He always makes me smile.

2011's ornaments, our first Christmas in China....we spent a lot of time on bikes and dodging electric scooters, so it seemed appropriate.

And the cloud ornament below is this year's ornament.  We bought them from a local artisan's guild here.  You see clouds like that in decoration (painted as trim on walls) all around the city.

I look forward every year to picking out a new ornament.

And here are some pictures from our previous Christmases together:

2008, Aaron's parents' house

This happened right after:

2009

I miss this house

2010, first Christmas in China

since we just moved into our house I didn't have much to decorate with
so I made one festive corner

2011

I'll be honest, I don't miss this house.

the other dorm room - a video tour

Here is the long awaited tour of the other room:

spend my days in the sweet sunshine

I've wandered this world far and wide
I've been all around and to the other side, but there's nothing like coming home

We're coming home for the summer and to celebrate coming home, I'm posting the top 5 simple things that I am looking forward to:

1) TAP WATER.

go to the sink, fill up your glass, take a sip.  delicious.  can't wait.

2) DRY HANDS AFTER USING A PUBLIC RESTROOM.

there's a sink.  but there's no soap and no way to dry your hands.  looking forward to walking away from bathrooms without wet pants.

3) STARS!

I think I can count the times on my hands that I have seen stars in the last year and a half...and none of those times were in our city.  this is the city where sometimes it's a challenge to figure out if you're staring directly at the sun or if the moon came out early.

lately i've seen too many city lights,

i want to go somewhere where i can see the stars at night

4)  ICE.

in drinks.  at restaurants.  and you don't have to ask for it.  or really trust the establishment you're at to give you clean ice.  one of American friends here had to tell his visiting dad every time they went to a restaurant that he couldn't get ice water.  and every time they went, his dad still asked for ice water.  it's hard to get used to.

a local friend of mine went to america last summer, and thought it was so strange that she couldn't get hot water at restaurants, but it always came with ice.  i feel your pain.  (only the other way around).

5)  DRIVING.

we don't drive here.  although my husband did just get his chinese driver's license!!

roll down the windows, turn up the country music.

OH and what the heck, one more..... HOT DOGS.  an all beef hot dog. carolina style - coleslaw and chili.  I know. I know.  A lot of girls think hot dogs are gross.  But I like them.  And the chinese hot dogs around here are more like Vienna sausages instead of Hebrew Nationals or Ballparks.  

essentials

at least i'm calling them essentials.

These are the things that have so far made the month of December great:

the milk frother i got from ikea to make coffee
and hot chocolate with frothed milk!

egg nog!  thanks danielle for sharing your recipe

the fireplace in our tv 

the gingko trees turned yellow
fall came at Christmas time this year

homemade pizzas

hanging out with Jackie (Asian Kate's son)

one year ago today

One year ago today, we arrived in China.  We arrived in China a year ago?!  How did a year already pass by??

We haven't done anything to remember this day - maybe I'll talk to Aaron and we can come up with some tradition.  It just so happens that we moved to China on St. Nicholas Day- so maybe we'll remember both at the same time and eat oranges, chocolate, and nuts, and set our shoes outside of the door.  Although, I suspect they will be gone in the morning, not filled with treats.

To celebrate our one year anniversary of living in China - here is a video of the mess it was to pack and store stuff, and some pictures of our farewells.


The video below is pretty boring and messy.  And I'm not sure if I thought zooming in would make some kind of huge impact or statement.  because it doesn't.  and it looks pretty lame.

an oversized truck for our goods

pizza after our friends helped us move out.  we miss y'all!

goodbyes at the airport.

And a video of Josh - because he's a cutie.

Rick Prefontaine

A new era has been birthed, one that I am super proud of. 

Last weekend, my father, on the eve of his 5x birthday (where x is = or greater than 6 but no more than 8) finished a half marathon.

Finishing 13.1 is a big deal - most people haven't done it. I've never done it. But my dad, a self-professed "non-runner" got it done. And he did it just because he knew he should.

Growing up, dad and I ran together. And when I say ran, I mean that the two of us suffered through a 1.5 mile loop together, one time around. And we would usually quit before the loop was done. For years, the two of us helped each other run just enough to foster a serious dislike for running.

See the smiles of two non-runners through the years:

Before my high school prom, 2001

One-week visit back in America, 2011

Not only that, he and I ghost ran a Thanksgiving Day "Turkey Trot 5K" two years ago and dad had a hard time finishing. I think that experience motivated him to make running more of a priority, and now, two years later, he's done more than make it a priority: he has set goals, pushed himself, trained consistently, and achieved. I am so proud of my dad. Well done dad!

Pounding pavement.

Dad and Eliza in the race.

He's a runner now.

the Shepards

Growing up, my brother was definitely my best friend. We spent many a day wandering around the woods behind our house, collecting finds from the old 1950's glass dump that was on our land. We rode our bikes up and down the same stretch of driveway over and over and over again. When our cousins came over to play Chris was Peter Pan and all the girls fought over who would be Wendy. I would inevitably win (though I did not realize the love connection Peter Pan and Wendy seemed to have, until much later, and then stopped pushing to be Wendy).
We watched the same movies over and over together - Home Alone and Wayne's World, were our favorites. Chris and I also fought.....he would get on the other house phone every time I talked to my friends and would laugh at everything we said. We tackled each other to the ground...or rather I would tackle him to the ground to defend my privacy rights....that is until he outgrew me. We played each other in Super Mario World on Gameboy, blaming each other for our losses - "you were breathing too hard!"
I drove Chris to school everyday, and was sad the day I went to college and wouldn't get to spend all that time with him. He called me as my family started decorating the Christmas tree, the first Christmas I ever missed the decorating of the tree.
Last weekend, Aaron and I went home to watch my brother get married to a girl I remember hearing about when he was in high school and I was in college. They went to junior prom together, and years later would reconnect and fall in love.

I am really excited for Chris and Maria as they start their married life together. I am happy for Chris that he found a wife like Maria, a real sweetie who fits so easily in our family. I am also happy for Maria that she has Chris. Chris, who is competitive, imaginative, sensitive (despite outward appearances or ever admitting it), and who is sure to make her laugh. I know it won't always be smooth. There is sure to be conflict, as in all relationships, but seeking God and learning to compromise, I am sure they will grow together.
Welcome to the family, Maria!