Celebrating

 So this is it! I'm officially out of my 20's and into my 30's. There is always such a big deal made when you make this transition. Like a great portal you go through and can never go back. Like I said in my last post, I wasn't afraid of the transition, or particularly excited by it. I feel like my life is exactly where it should be at this age, which is pretty boring, I guess. As I look forward, I see so many great new things to do and explore, and yes, I will miss the young, free days of being in my twenties, but those already seem like a different life. I'm so thankful for all of the people, and experiences that have made my life so full of love so far. I look forward and see more adventures and more laughter and sunshine, of course there will be more challenges, and the ever looming "getting older." But right now, it's hard to see them, so I'll keep my rose-colored glasses on for now. :)

Yay!

Goofballs at Mexican food.

Dad had shared a meal with us Sunday and we saw him off to the ferry Sunday night. It felt like the first of the celebrations. The actual day itself was anti-climactic. It was a Tuesday, just like any other Tuesday. We went to work, and I walked in to see my classroom covered in 30's left by Honey and Zack. It was a sweet gesture, and the students had fun poking fun at my new age all day. After an unusually long staff meeting, we headed over to the Mexican food restaurant for dinner. Amy brought Paul to meet us, and H&Z joined us as well. Paul couldn't sit too long, so we just had some drinks and then headed home to order pizza. Paul had trouble falling asleep, so when we finally got him to bed, Donnie and I shared a delicious Haagen Daz ice cream cake. It was decadent and delicious. A great way to end the day and officially start my thirties.

Refuses to pose for pics

The rest of the week went by uneventfully, we finished the cake, went to quiz night, and finally it was Friday. Friday we had planned to go HK with Zack and Honey and Paul. It was a surprise trip for Honey (her big birthday is coming up too) and we all met at the ferry to head over on Friday afternoon. 

Happy Birthday to us!

It's a long journey when you factor in border crossings and crowded subways, but we made it to the hotel by 7pm, just in time to enjoy some happy hour and put Paul to bed. After that, the guys surprised us by pulling out a spread of paint and paper and we spent the next few hours laughing, painting and dancing. Honey and I made a venture out to the streets around our hotel to get more beverages, and it was so lively, I couldn't help but take the time to take a few photos of the busy streets. We stayed at the Ovolo again, and it's in an area of "urban renewal," so it's not glitzy or glamorous, but interesting still.

Sweeties

More Sweeties

Hard at work!

Mr. Beef??!

Out and about

Paul woke up at midnight for a dance party, then we all fell into our beds exhausted, and happy. Saturday was slow to start, breakfast, then saying goodbye to Zack and Honey.

After we said goodbye to H&Z, we slowly got ourselves ready for the event of the day, an international craft beer festival. Our tickets were for the afternoon session (12-5), so at 11:30 we made our way to the metro and then followed the poorly placed signs and eventually ended up at the beer fest. It was located at a park across the bay from downtown central HK. We arrived right as they were opening, so it wasn't crowded, and people were just waiting for us to come up and try their products. It was an amazing collection of craft brews from around the world, and a really impressive collection of food booths too. We tried german sausages, Texas BBQ (it surpassed Donnie's expectations!), but we skipped the beer ice cream and opted for all samples of the delicious liquid. 

Paul had fun running around the hills and dancing to the DJ, until he decided to fall asleep in his stroller. :) Donnie and I had some quality time soaking in the atmosphere, chatting and generally feeling like royalty. We celebrated the beauty of the food and beverages, each other's company and our feelings of self-satisfaction for having ventured out to try something new. It was a China moment, I couldn't believe we were standing there, with that view, surrounded by people who looked like they belonged in Portland or Seattle, and marveled at what had changed in a year. It was a perfect moment. We savored it, and when Paul started stirring, we headed back to the hotel.

Unfortunately, the rest of the weekend wasn't as smooth as the first few days of it. Paul has been challenging us with his 3 year old tantrums and general poor attitude. Sunday, we were going to take him to the science museum to see a dinosaur exhibit there, but after about an hour of screaming and struggling to get ready, we opted not to and headed home by ferry. It was an exhausting way to end such a fun experience, such a low to the previous high. We've been reeling from it since.

Our anniversary followed the weekend, and we had a low key meal and then headed home to Paul. It's been 7 years since the day we were married. I can't believe how fast time goes by, how much we both have changed, but how much I value having Donnie as my life companion. The daily grind can be hard to bear sometimes, and I'm so lucky to have an incredible, inspiring partner to keep me going, and plan our next trip with. :) He's my rock, my travel buddy, my partner in parenting, and my husband. I hope he knows how much he means to me, and that this next year will be more fulfilling with him by my side. 

Here are some pics from Saturday:

Dancing in the metro...we're on our way!

Where are you??

Empty, but so inviting

Yum, yum

Selfies!

Playing around :)

So lucky.

Cool day, cool view

I loved the logo!

Super yummy Texas BBQ

Happy Anniversary!

China Moment, cheers!

In other news, we've booked our travel home for the summer! Here's how it looks:

June 15-June 30: San Antonio (with a weekend at the coast in the middle)

June 30-August 1: Munich (yes, we're going back!! YAAAY!)

August 1-?: Back to HK, then Shenzhen. Hopefully a certain darling sister will visit then :).

It seems so far away, but I can't wait! I keep imagining all the food, friends and fun we'll have in SA, and then some re-charging time as a family in Munich. :) 

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes and the love from around the world. I miss and cherish everybody and I'm looking forward to seeing you this summer! 

Love to all

A Day in Luohu

Los Dos Duos +1(minus me)

It's been another blurry week, Monday through Thursday were busy, busy with work, meetings and running. Thursday was a welcome break from the routine with our return to quiz night, and Dad eve had the opportunity to join us. It was going smoothly until the last round, but still fun to introduce Dad to some more work people and relax for what felt like the first time this week.  Unfortunately, later that night Paul woke up with a horrible sounding cough, which alarmed us so much that we stayed home Friday to take him to the doctor.

Introducing the LCC

The doctor thought we were crazy because Paul didn't cough once while we were there and his fever had also faded, but he gave us some meds and said come back if it doesn't get better. We ran a few more errands, then headed home for a quiet evening at home.

Paul was feeling a little better so we went ahead with our plan to meet Dad out in Luohu to show him the craziness of the LCC and Dafen Artist Village. We grabbed a cab and met him at his hotel, then jumped on the subway over to the LCC.

We were actually earlier than it's opening time (11am), so there were very few shops open. Dad got the effect with the constant invitations to buy bags and watches, but we didn't stay long. Paul had a meltdown and we couldn't focus on the intense job of picking and bargaining for goods. We decided to cut our losses and head for Dafen.

Making Noodles

He liked it, right?

Paul fell asleep in the stroller en route to Dafen, so the journey was smooth. We got there and wandered around the alleys looking for some food to fill our empty stomachs until we finally found a Muslim noodle shop that I'd never noticed before. I ordered us some food, and we joined a table of some lunching Chinese men, and waited for our feast. I think I've mentioned Muslim noodles before, but just to recap, it's called Muslim noodles because they are noodles made fresh at the shop and the shop is owned by Muslims. I love them, Donnie is not such a huge fan, he prefers ramen noodles, but Dad had never had them so we dug into my selections. I think he liked them. :)

Dad, look out for The Hulk!

With our stomachs full, we wandered around looking at all the galleries and different styles of paintings. It's kind of relaxing just taking it all in, not searching for anything specific. We saw a few things we liked, but didn't buy anything. The weather took a turn for the worse, and Paul was awake and hungry, so we called it a day. But not before Paul took an epically long ride on a strange fish merry-go-round with Donnie.

Strange... but fun!

We stopped at the mall at Dad's stop on the metro and did some shopping, then bid farewell to Dad, and headed home in a taxi. Paul was happy to get home, and so was I, but there is little relaxing to be done with a wound up 3 year old. All of the energy he reserved in the stroller today is being unleashed tonight. ;)

The lost art of Dafen

Tomorrow is our last day with Dad until he comes again. It's so comforting knowing that we'll see him again so soon. I think we'll have fun exploring Shenzhen whenever he comes to visit. :) Hopefully the weather cooperates with us tomorrow.

Home relaxing.

On another note, I turn 30 in 3 days.

I had a friend ask me if I was ready. I thought about it for a second, and I told her that my first 30 years have been filled with traveling the world, falling in love, learning, growing, teaching, and starting a family. I've really been lucky in my life so far. Turning 30 doesn't scare me or make me anxious or make me feel like I haven't done enough with my life. I feel older, yes, but these years have prepared me for all that is to come, and I truly believe, as beautiful as my life has been so far, the best is yet to come.

Cheers to all the love, friends and family that have made me who I am. :)

Our First Visitor

If you didn't know, we have no spring break this year because we had Chinese New Year off, so the months ahead look long when you think we have three more months left to teach (our last day of school is June 14). We do have a few days in May and one in April, but other than those, it's a long haul until the end. Luckily, we have a distraction!

My dad arrived in Shenzhen about a week ago, brought here by his new job with Apple. He has to visit the factories and building sites of some Apple products, and those locations (some of them) are here in Shenzhen! Unfortunately, his hotel is located on the way other side of town, and he has set days because of the transportation to and from the building sites. So seeing him during the week is tricky, he doesn't get back until 7:30pm and it is about an hour travel time between our two abodes.

snacks :)

Fancy Luohu

This is a small distance compared to how far I am from all my other family members, so on Thursday, we opted out of quiz night and headed out to his side of town. Donnie and I jumped on the subway almost immediately after school and rode it pretty much end to end, and arrived in the much newer, and definitely classier side of town, an area called Luohu. We had some time to kill before Dad would be back from his daily pilgrimage, so we wandered around a really nice mall, looking for a cafe to sit and have some refreshments while we waited. We had no luck, so we bought some snacks at a really fancy grocery store and sat down in some available chairs to enjoy our finds. It was a small snack but it gave us the energy to keep exploring and finally make our way to the hotel to see Dad!

Dessert!!

I was so excited to see him, I ran across the lobby and gave him a huge hug! We dropped off his stuff in his super deluxe room, then he treated us to the Hyatt buffet. This buffet was unlike any other buffet I have been to. I think I had every kind of food from Chinese to German to American to Italian, and I only sampled part of it! I had to save room for my favorite, dessert. ;) But the best part of the evening wasn't the food, it was the company. I hadn't seen Dad since August when we shared a meal at an airport while we were on layover in Phoenix from Hawaii to San Antonio. It made my heart shine to hear him speak, see him and catch up on each others' lives in the past six months. His life has changed so much, even more so than mine, so I value that time getting to understand what's going on with him. It was unfortunate that we couldn't bring Paul (too far and too late at night), but the "adult" time with Dad was priceless. We parted ways with plans to get together on Sunday, his only day off that week.

Saturday Shenanigans 

A walk in the park

Friday was a blur of work, and Saturday was spent on a run in the park, and cleaning our house in preparation for Dad's visit. It's not dirty because Amy cleans it daily, it's just a little messy (but not now!) and before we knew it, it was Sunday.

Silliness with Granddad

We got up early and I went out to meet Dad at the subway, and walked him back through our neighborhood. It's cool to show people things they've only heard you talk about. And I'm glad he gets to see where we live, it's important to me that people can 'see' what life is like. I play movies in my head of everybody's lives in their homes or home towns and it helps me feel more connected to them. If I've never been there, it's hard to relate to.

Lunch, shocking convo I guess.

 Anyway, we made it home and had breakfast with Paul after showing Dad our digs here in Shenzhen. It was a grey day (actually it's been grey the entire time Dad's been here), but we headed out for our long walk to the bay anyway. We wandered down to our version of the river walk, and then finally made it to the bay. I was tired, so was Paul, he fell asleep on the way to the bay, but we pushed on and walked all the way up to the soccer stadium. Paul woke up and played with Dad and Donnie, running up and down the hill chasing bubbles. It was fun, but I was ready to go, I was starving! So we grabbed a cab back to Sea World and ate at a place we'd never been called Gypsy's. It was really good!! :) And of course, we had to have dessert, so we indulged in the expensive, but tasty Haagen Daz across the mall.

Utterly decadent.

It was a fabulous day, and we were all tired, so we took the bus back down to our apartment, then while Dad and Donnie rested, Paul and I caught up on our Doc McStuffins. :) From there we headed back out to show Dad the craziness of Wal-Mart and eat some ramen. But our favorite ramen place was closed, so we met Zack and Honey at the Red Lantern, the very first Chinese restaurant we tried when we got here.  We had a great time, telling stories and sharing food, but Paul was restless, so it wasn't long before we all called it a night. We walked Dad back to the subway, and said goodnight before catching the bus home.

It's kind of indescribable having Dad here in the city with us, and knowing that he'll be back multiple times. Who knew a year ago that we'd all be hanging out in China that very next year? It seems a bit serendipitous and I'm so thankful to whoever smiled on us and brought it upon us. I really had no idea when I would see Dad again, until he mentioned Shenzhen was one of the places he would have to visit on business when he got his new job. I can't wait to see him again this weekend, although I'm not sure yet what we'll do. I know I'll soak up his presence until the next time he comes. :)

Much love to all. <3