tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14137543394859228512024-03-18T11:03:10.965+08:00Table for FiveFollow the McClintock family as we change, grow and find adventure in life in Suzhou and Xi'an, China.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-29803562235843564432016-08-15T08:29:00.003+08:002016-08-15T08:29:57.993+08:00The Move (5 Years in the Making)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nearly a month ago I left a voice message for a friend where I basically said “nothing is happening, but I feel like something could happen.” Little did I know, that very day my husband found out that our family was going to be transferred to our next destination. It’s the move that’s been 5 years in the making…<br /><br />We’re moving back to the US!<br /><br /><br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UiLu1b6ccnUorxfJcoWso2BEu1EkfygvLV3UFO4T1g0w0V0tpiTsrFBFcTF32EVr_LfRIs2542EOeXZhB4v7SLadZ-kID57bFaVw5LjEcRMHcq7OGbujhQ2vUFK4paL278q7PK3Y4Jnv/s1600/IMG_2667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UiLu1b6ccnUorxfJcoWso2BEu1EkfygvLV3UFO4T1g0w0V0tpiTsrFBFcTF32EVr_LfRIs2542EOeXZhB4v7SLadZ-kID57bFaVw5LjEcRMHcq7OGbujhQ2vUFK4paL278q7PK3Y4Jnv/s320/IMG_2667.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hope to call this house home in a few months!<br /></td></tr>
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It’s been a good run for our family. We will leave China with a deep love for the country and its people, but we are very confident that the timing is right. In a matter of a few weeks we’ve bought a vehicle, put an offer on a home, found a preschool for ChinaBean and a few other details have literally fallen into place. </div>
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<br />Our girls will start school in China and have a proper goodbye with their friends and classmates. We plan on eating lots and lots of fantastic Chinese food and maybe taking in another few sights. I’ll be trying to read up on how to end an oversees assignment well (in between researching washers /dryers and mattresses-such an exciting life we lead). <br /><br />We don’t yet have our return tickets for the US, but we think that our girls will be trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood in the US this year. We have about 8 weeks left in China and just a few tasks on our to-do list!<br /><br />Five years ago we had a cultural training class to prepare us for moving to China. The trainer told us that often times it is harder to repatriate (move back to your passport country) than it is to leave. I remember thinking that I would worry about that later. And, we’ve been told that that ,for every year you live outside of your passport country, it takes 6 months to readjust when you return. If you do the math, that means we’re going to potentially feel out-of-place for the next 2 1/2 years. <br /><br />For those that will be waiting to receive us when we return, be patient with us and please extend us a huge amount of grace as we try to find a new “normal”. </div>
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Now excuse me while I go start packing!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREXLQx8EmYl2uLha4P7_X5dNRCAzziUjOnnqvlDuDigfCL2Y0VMcTXxWK8uIvN2oeCQ7mQKv_kbqk_NJSkQ_Y5B2OA3V52cmBBp8Gs4ViIq1gAx4Qle1NvFVKlmOooBMPxZVYgSgAzoYk/s1600/IMG_2636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREXLQx8EmYl2uLha4P7_X5dNRCAzziUjOnnqvlDuDigfCL2Y0VMcTXxWK8uIvN2oeCQ7mQKv_kbqk_NJSkQ_Y5B2OA3V52cmBBp8Gs4ViIq1gAx4Qle1NvFVKlmOooBMPxZVYgSgAzoYk/s320/IMG_2636.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first house we looked at is the<br />house we put an offer on.</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br />P.S. For the Hamilton musical fans, after Jamie told me that we were moving I had the song “What’d I Miss” running through my head for a few days. Just take out Thomas Jefferson and replace it with “McClintock” and “China” for Paris and I think we’ve got ourselves a hit song!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics#note-7919381"><span style="color: black;">Thomas Jefferson’s coming home!</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics#note-7919381"><span style="color: black;">Thomas Jefferson’s coming home!</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics#note-7919381"><span style="color: black;">Thomas Jefferson’s coming home!</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics#note-7919381"><span style="color: black;">Thomas Jefferson’s coming home!</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics#note-8549373"><span style="color: black;">Thomas Jefferson’s coming home Lord he’s</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics#note-8549373"><span style="color: black;">Been off in Paris for so long!</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-whatd-i-miss-lyrics#note-7981234"><span style="color: black;">Aaa-ooo!</span></a></div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-19680930818480785102016-07-19T04:58:00.003+08:002016-07-19T04:58:51.084+08:00It's Our Chinaversary!<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; line-height: normal;">
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Somehow we’ve reached the 5-year-mark of living in China. The traditional gift for a fifth wedding anniversary is wood, so I guess I’ll get Jamie a set of chopsticks to mark our 5th Chinaversary. Do you think he will be amused?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Facebook has been reminding me of my posts from half-a-decade ago…meeting a stranger (turned friend, she was already living in Suzhou) Stacey at the Chicago airport, having breakfast with Gene Simmons, landing safely in Suzhou and starting our expatriate experience. This adventure was supposed to last a grand total of 18-24 months and here we are at the 60 month mark. Funny how that happens!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSG9fn_AEnFA8dlbkNqAC0xYxf5-XdE1l8ocqSUNXxaiNNkAUmiymkiG4em1HXFauPIVwp6LAN3jlJ_KP87D0sUztLVsLJ6lLMrEzCqPcxUwxlVpEObB9JFjmTO5sCo-1O6jruMIVOZq-6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-07-18+at+3.44.48+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSG9fn_AEnFA8dlbkNqAC0xYxf5-XdE1l8ocqSUNXxaiNNkAUmiymkiG4em1HXFauPIVwp6LAN3jlJ_KP87D0sUztLVsLJ6lLMrEzCqPcxUwxlVpEObB9JFjmTO5sCo-1O6jruMIVOZq-6/s400/Screen+Shot+2016-07-18+at+3.44.48+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We have not loved every month (or week, or day) of this experience, but the good has outweighed the hard. The collection of friends, memories, and experiences has made it so very worth it.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilltRQH8D2HVfjDD99-MU1R-ZyYe_xfqgYpPOff7jPTHnvMqNawmih4xrDwt3K4kLAqBjXo4aGQ2Mb34o5O7LNmsEluPdvK75VKC1MfNigGGshL88HYEzoNNt1_7D7ZRRknfODlDcso7Es/s1600/IMG_2509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilltRQH8D2HVfjDD99-MU1R-ZyYe_xfqgYpPOff7jPTHnvMqNawmih4xrDwt3K4kLAqBjXo4aGQ2Mb34o5O7LNmsEluPdvK75VKC1MfNigGGshL88HYEzoNNt1_7D7ZRRknfODlDcso7Es/s320/IMG_2509.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here we are, chatting on our<br />Chinaversary...Jamie in China,<br />the rest of us in the US.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know my blogging has slowed down to a mere trickle of infrequent posts. There are several reasons for that, some intentional, some not. The intentional reasons are to try and be fully present with my girls when they are home, to give myself plenty of time to help our family to settle into our new city and home, and to not place my personal to-do list over the needs of my family. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The unintentional is that chasing three school-age kiddos around is hard work and my days are full! The by-product is that by the end of the night I am exhausted and have little energy for anything beyond a Netflix binge. We’ve also traveled a lot this past year; five trips outside of China (along with those frequent flights to Shanghai for orthodontist appointments). And finally, we’ve been processing our move last summer and trying to fall in love with our current city and frankly it’s been a challenge. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Looking ahead, I’m not sure what this next year will bring. Maybe some changes? But, in the meantime, our family is sure enjoying our time in the U.S. surrounded by family and friends. It’s been a good summer!</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw6tlB_rYgoNovWIHLbdL3NVbLgQoSeYkMIBq58mEXdpls755CdPsfKeLxTs4FwGycoNivBm11BG3K7gqMupNvrIhNdYdcgjo1htjoRNyduMlKEs4-fYAqBJd4Z4p4mKZOeemMvuPxiDV/s1600/IMG_2327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw6tlB_rYgoNovWIHLbdL3NVbLgQoSeYkMIBq58mEXdpls755CdPsfKeLxTs4FwGycoNivBm11BG3K7gqMupNvrIhNdYdcgjo1htjoRNyduMlKEs4-fYAqBJd4Z4p4mKZOeemMvuPxiDV/s320/IMG_2327.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the Mark Twain Caves in Hannibal, Missouri</td></tr>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let’s raise a glass of green tea and toast to the last 5 years. Cheers!</span></span></div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-14575592173743638492016-05-17T10:20:00.002+08:002016-05-17T10:20:28.008+08:00Name that brand!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Sometimes I am surprised at how powerful advertising can be even to the casual consumer. Often I don't even have to read Mandarin to know what brand is sitting on the shelves at our local grocery store. Colors, shapes, and even fonts are enough clues to figure out what I am buying. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Let's play a game, "Guess the Brand". Here's round 1!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjC52uSit6RGNZa8uRF8fa89HKrGMZ7br0-w6PrGgbO6d7PGkwlC_JFLsRvywKt6W-koDyf6jFcrHc3cl7J60oYmPTxXuwPxeownSOlsnXm0a7n9q7aW52TpceEgGcXvRp7RwrRz01ut4K/s1600/IMG_0179.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjC52uSit6RGNZa8uRF8fa89HKrGMZ7br0-w6PrGgbO6d7PGkwlC_JFLsRvywKt6W-koDyf6jFcrHc3cl7J60oYmPTxXuwPxeownSOlsnXm0a7n9q7aW52TpceEgGcXvRp7RwrRz01ut4K/s320/IMG_0179.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Any guesses?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">How did you do?</span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-16230991318233674512016-05-04T11:13:00.000+08:002016-05-04T11:13:44.678+08:00Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It seems that summer comes to Xi'an early! The temperatures climbed to the 90's by the end of April. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Hot weather means we must have water fights, right? EBean was very excited to finally put her new water gun to the test.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We provided some great entertainment for our local neighbors within the apartment compound. Many people were still wearing long sleeves and pants, so our girls running around in swimsuits and shooting water at each other was confusing and amusing. We're the crazy foreigners!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In Suzhou I had rain boots and rain coats to get through the late spring and early summer months, but that won't be necessary here. It might be due to the effects of the Gobi Desert to the far northwest of Xi'an, but I don't know that for sure. Hot, dry weather arrives early here - lesson learned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">J</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">ust 5 1/2 more weeks of school left and we can really begin the summer weather. Counting down...</span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-37893544045909782912016-03-30T14:05:00.000+08:002016-04-08T04:14:30.390+08:00It's the Year of the Monkey<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another spring festival has ended and the Year of the Monkey has begun in China. We just happen to have three monkeys at our house!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy New Year from our monkeys to yours!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Each year the has an animal that represents the Chinese Zodiac and they rotate through every 12 years. And, since I was born in the year of the monkey, this year is my year! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Apparently people who were born in the year of the monkey are smart, clever, enthusiastic, and innovative. Yay for me! But, monkeys are also known as being jealous, selfish, cunning and arrogant. Yikes. I guess that I work on those things this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This year's new year celebrations were a bit different than our time in Suzhou. There was no big company dinner and Jamie didn't have to give any speeches. Our girls did have three weeks off of school and we were able to take a vacation outside of China (more on that later).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Now that Christmas travel is done, the Chinese New Year festivities and travel are done, and we all seem to be healthy at the same time (at least at this very moment), so it might be time to finish unpacking our last few boxes and finally hanging up our pictures. Such an exciting time at our place!</span></div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-53054674165960685782016-01-24T21:47:00.000+08:002016-01-24T21:47:21.621+08:00New Year, New Word<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
Finally 2016 has arrived. Apparently I was very eager for the new year as I kept writing 2016 on things in December. I have written in the past about my lack of goal writing at the beginning of a new year. I am a reformed Type A, so I have an on-going list of goals and to-do’s, but I have adopted the practice of choosing a word of the year.</div>
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As I’ve mentioned in the past, I enjoy reading blogs and listening to podcasts. And, a few years ago, a favorite author of mine introduced the idea of choosing a word at the beginning of each year to guide the goals and decisions of the year.</div>
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Embarrassingly I had forgotten my “word” from two years ago, but my friend Megan remembered it for me. “Steady” was my word for 2014. I knew we were facing ChinaBean’s third open-heart surgery and I wanted to roll with the stresses of that and the other challenges that come with living overseas.</div>
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Last year I settled on “rest”. I was staying up too late, racing around Suzhou, working, volunteering and trying to soak up what was supposed to be our last 6 months in China. I knew that I would have to be intentional and protective of my time. I don’t know that I came out of 2015 more rested, but I was certainly more aware of what I felt like when I had margin in our schedule and the implications of me not being rested. Our surprising move to Xi’an has changed our schedule drastically and increased the “margin” in our schedule greatly. Coincidence, I think not.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://frenchpressmornings.com/2015/05/1859/">http://frenchpressmornings.com/2015/05/1859/</a></td></tr>
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I seriously considered the word “sleep” for 2016, but a wise friend suggested that linking my word to scripture might be beneficial. Hmmm, “He makes me lie down in green pastures…” Instead, I have chosen the word “peace.” It still allows me to build off of last year’s word by reinforcing that when I am rested, I am certainly more peaceful!</div>
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Life, whether overseas or in your home country, isn’t always peaceful. But when those tough times come, I want to choose peace rather than always being reactive to a stressful or intense situation. Like jello, I will absorb whatever life throws at me. Right?!</div>
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It seems that 2016 might have several chances for me to practice my word. We returned to Xi’an after Christmas holiday with an un-repaired apartment. Tiles ripped up, dust everywhere, furniture in random places…peace. Jamie returned to the US for a week after only being in Xi’an for barely 7 days…peace. Jet lag with three kids in a hotel…peace. Peace, peace, peace. Let’s hope that I don’t have too many opportunities to practice.</div>
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<i>“Seek peace & pursue it” ~ Psalm 34:14</i></div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-37963971803364106162016-01-02T23:56:00.000+08:002016-01-02T23:56:00.513+08:00The Great Wall Fun Run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I might be behind on posting this, but as the calendar flips to 2016, I reflect on the highlights of the last year. The Great Wall Marathon was at the top of my list. I didn't run the full marathon, or even the half marathon, but the "fun run" provided me with just enough challenge. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The "fun run" was an 8.5 km race. The first 5 km was a run up the side of a hill (but let's pretend it was a mountain) to the entrance of the Great Wall where racers climbed up and down a series of 5,100+ uneven steps. It was amazing! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I trained on a treadmill on our patio, facing a wall, and trying not to aggravate my plantar fascitis. Race day was the longest that I have ever run. Really. Ever in my life. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_prGpq_eoU4p42ap9qvkNFPne0HD-s5IX8H5ZsTOOJgueRHZdTqMkCW59XEa_jQvJrIeF71QvUasngw_Xh7U8ishpJlOxI8gCvIGwnRBmTKJZb2ceR18yciv-JsI_TrVoTtEBWjcwcodf/s1600/IMG_4709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_prGpq_eoU4p42ap9qvkNFPne0HD-s5IX8H5ZsTOOJgueRHZdTqMkCW59XEa_jQvJrIeF71QvUasngw_Xh7U8ishpJlOxI8gCvIGwnRBmTKJZb2ceR18yciv-JsI_TrVoTtEBWjcwcodf/s320/IMG_4709.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three of us lived in the same apartment compound in Suzhou.<br />
My Italian friend on the right ran the 1/2 marathon, again.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Suzhou train station and headed to Beijing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This gentleman started chatting with us on the Beijing subway.<br />
He had visited one of the US facilities for the company my husband<br />
works for, and his mother was born in Suzhou.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nike, inspiring us to run our best.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The day before the race, my two friends and I took our rented car (with driver...no driving in China for us), to the small village where the start and finish of the race was located. We walked to the beginning of the course and then down the road we would be running in the morning. The "hotel" we were staying in had a little restaurant and we dined on some fine Chinese food the night before the race.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The closest I will ever get to running 34 km.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sporting some national pride before the race.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTKDPrs58XkfXAZhGP4xcOKsSo7ooE2nf6XjvJDORWJfAeTHPvpvwz6_ZkCRjzTOerfeiwtuXAYyVh8eU-gRhZugMOkjasvDqZtH9PNPYv5cHOpmpK9wVlYdQm93DCysWhBr_UlhB_sJb/s1600/IMG_4790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipTKDPrs58XkfXAZhGP4xcOKsSo7ooE2nf6XjvJDORWJfAeTHPvpvwz6_ZkCRjzTOerfeiwtuXAYyVh8eU-gRhZugMOkjasvDqZtH9PNPYv5cHOpmpK9wVlYdQm93DCysWhBr_UlhB_sJb/s320/IMG_4790.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles before the race.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncXTogp_pZQ2NCv15DagzZ27tq3WW_ew2I7QIfQsMGUXtPWBRV_ZMP5n9cx5Aw3alVvt-bnHg6eZqXOiPxV-7p7GlmvTlCusIT_bp2lzdVKkxiPfKjQpU57MrkTU8x7X5EbGT5BPAfHhM/s1600/IMG_4792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhncXTogp_pZQ2NCv15DagzZ27tq3WW_ew2I7QIfQsMGUXtPWBRV_ZMP5n9cx5Aw3alVvt-bnHg6eZqXOiPxV-7p7GlmvTlCusIT_bp2lzdVKkxiPfKjQpU57MrkTU8x7X5EbGT5BPAfHhM/s320/IMG_4792.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I took a few pictures during the race. I am terribly stubborn and competitive (even with myself) and that makes up for my lack of athleticism. Before I started the race I had decided I would just play it by ear and take it easy. But, then the race started and the adrenaline began pumping and I decided that, sure, I could run the 5 km up the side of the hill/mountain without stopping.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXmk9jboJcQ-ZmZ6NAB8uFa2x90t2Pc7GBtHev4IJBywQA1U1iJrtHaH-Ao2CO4twarEtVNdpvFs6H1NmojgQbNRd0kHBuuN2veLGAzC7bSh3pZcvF4f4-62bD-H2aS4Cd3zYE8BtKztP/s1600/IMG_4739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXmk9jboJcQ-ZmZ6NAB8uFa2x90t2Pc7GBtHev4IJBywQA1U1iJrtHaH-Ao2CO4twarEtVNdpvFs6H1NmojgQbNRd0kHBuuN2veLGAzC7bSh3pZcvF4f4-62bD-H2aS4Cd3zYE8BtKztP/s320/IMG_4739.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some people ahead of me.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU3QzA_GFT48kKrWZMTTYeLEaYl7Uujlbo7A-Auv51Ll0hF2O0JUuPbvsw4Ot2TTYbDaQGIK_kGRqtw9Y0VpARtrsTsq9LTLah1zAJpnrHt4aZuHI-iXGpQ9EAbFk1evuiXbGf9dg_IoS/s1600/IMG_4741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZU3QzA_GFT48kKrWZMTTYeLEaYl7Uujlbo7A-Auv51Ll0hF2O0JUuPbvsw4Ot2TTYbDaQGIK_kGRqtw9Y0VpARtrsTsq9LTLah1zAJpnrHt4aZuHI-iXGpQ9EAbFk1evuiXbGf9dg_IoS/s320/IMG_4741.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, some people behind me.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And, I did the whole way. It was awesome! I did pause for a quick photo at the entrance of the Wall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">nd, here we go...the 5,100+ steps.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVRkwHtpTFplUqRWl0SvVjt74b9wBKS8anZ1mXpaLKCg8SvVaTIj6hAHXps_gLilFmN6JOUkZYX1IPYqsA8Qqz_PMBgkKM3AAWhNPQGAxbJw7IBLOVn10_bswmlOCeQmn759uEZmYKWYE/s1600/IMG_4753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVRkwHtpTFplUqRWl0SvVjt74b9wBKS8anZ1mXpaLKCg8SvVaTIj6hAHXps_gLilFmN6JOUkZYX1IPYqsA8Qqz_PMBgkKM3AAWhNPQGAxbJw7IBLOVn10_bswmlOCeQmn759uEZmYKWYE/s320/IMG_4753.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Going down...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwWKAX43WBgvP-WMHNntwkLSc0Fwxw1fRbvM9Exprt0Rs-U2-4QIzFV-c0412HmjOljNaAtD9iOnPLqNs9Kvb80Sj7cicWAIOJL_eLDyu8I6Jall9E2IKDiO0qXq5MTY5aDQJgjOJguQB/s1600/IMG_4800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwWKAX43WBgvP-WMHNntwkLSc0Fwxw1fRbvM9Exprt0Rs-U2-4QIzFV-c0412HmjOljNaAtD9iOnPLqNs9Kvb80Sj7cicWAIOJL_eLDyu8I6Jall9E2IKDiO0qXq5MTY5aDQJgjOJguQB/s320/IMG_4800.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What goes down, must come up and up and up.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCHMhwNDcsYgM5nOupGx4ZeUyp0UDKVpUIuUgi_Ji45tH59YyuNo_YVV7lgUj_MFZ72tl9laTrhdeHehibPaLwDwSSNlO_20wiL57kQt7HNNJSs40FW1Cw3G7KQuw6iD8yzLPhda0rnh1/s1600/IMG_4797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeCHMhwNDcsYgM5nOupGx4ZeUyp0UDKVpUIuUgi_Ji45tH59YyuNo_YVV7lgUj_MFZ72tl9laTrhdeHehibPaLwDwSSNlO_20wiL57kQt7HNNJSs40FW1Cw3G7KQuw6iD8yzLPhda0rnh1/s320/IMG_4797.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeO6U4UeMobQg4o5tJtBNr3dcM5tJK4D0Y-Mj4eRDdmq2XP4VGHW3M1Vp0PFuY3c1l4jSXkl0DTYagvviAkQM4foKiKw6IgY-88iBl30JTSuF55yK5jUPzoJLXE7SOQ9Soo_794d7bJ6N/s1600/IMG_4749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxeO6U4UeMobQg4o5tJtBNr3dcM5tJK4D0Y-Mj4eRDdmq2XP4VGHW3M1Vp0PFuY3c1l4jSXkl0DTYagvviAkQM4foKiKw6IgY-88iBl30JTSuF55yK5jUPzoJLXE7SOQ9Soo_794d7bJ6N/s320/IMG_4749.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They call this part the "Goat Pass" for a<br />
very good reason!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-pE11x56T2qI75j2SOgO5vhey1zTMsKGG_36v-_hOq9kKeAhaG5r3meR0P-ts53KU8VpxtbrIlSwZdUlTnQN71jSNjVfgE-Wwkgk4nCHZOQPoH-DSjTFfmGSOiWxyfS2ISAGkJED6a3-/s1600/IMG_4801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-pE11x56T2qI75j2SOgO5vhey1zTMsKGG_36v-_hOq9kKeAhaG5r3meR0P-ts53KU8VpxtbrIlSwZdUlTnQN71jSNjVfgE-Wwkgk4nCHZOQPoH-DSjTFfmGSOiWxyfS2ISAGkJED6a3-/s320/IMG_4801.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I can see the finish line, but can I get there?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwSrEwlan5K_OGaNIuPSQvWwu3mgIdXiGiprF2gf3jVL7_Db6ITdL42ITE8qKBkN5b-bP6OS3vOzWtlMAy3bLbWTAkRPP_UT7x7bef5eZpfbSY7uCBKH3aU8E_3OfGtkELgLUh9hWghIR/s1600/IMG_4804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwSrEwlan5K_OGaNIuPSQvWwu3mgIdXiGiprF2gf3jVL7_Db6ITdL42ITE8qKBkN5b-bP6OS3vOzWtlMAy3bLbWTAkRPP_UT7x7bef5eZpfbSY7uCBKH3aU8E_3OfGtkELgLUh9hWghIR/s320/IMG_4804.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We finished!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdRo5LuIib9ZkPFJutySC-p5lNkCEX52GztlLYpZNijyP8KHJaxHYEFM1GhQrzMYFKiO2eFu0EVXROuicKe8lZkemyOify8Mfifx0OkGueeHWLa0_eewtIkzD-_kVdW3VPjE7NgJ5ZS0t/s1600/IMG_4774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdRo5LuIib9ZkPFJutySC-p5lNkCEX52GztlLYpZNijyP8KHJaxHYEFM1GhQrzMYFKiO2eFu0EVXROuicKe8lZkemyOify8Mfifx0OkGueeHWLa0_eewtIkzD-_kVdW3VPjE7NgJ5ZS0t/s320/IMG_4774.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wasn't the first and I wasn't the last. Somewhere right in the middle.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UVLG9aBiD-pZeObsbj-238NqlpXN7x9sI9lvJXW72KEYeh_01aryR-hoSnALILmelVS07POt7U3ZbVR2WaZSOdW7xAXXlYgQC5yUiZu_9BJJTaHy-QZNW6RkEaPtH-RslLuGmmZtVp32/s1600/IMG_4786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_UVLG9aBiD-pZeObsbj-238NqlpXN7x9sI9lvJXW72KEYeh_01aryR-hoSnALILmelVS07POt7U3ZbVR2WaZSOdW7xAXXlYgQC5yUiZu_9BJJTaHy-QZNW6RkEaPtH-RslLuGmmZtVp32/s320/IMG_4786.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We made it back to the hostel in Beijing<br />
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and we found more steps. Ahhh!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXO11sp3t6MA1bmeYTMMG9Ip-nxRUkQzvdaEqrnCKdak-TQJkSNENE0IMBgJnByYV9lnwyX_XsGn8sxBgyMN8cNTylLK4MmAIzgvQ85yuuDYLUOhxO8rlkmmRbsCC01svEozlPQeH3-Gx/s1600/IMG_4809.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivXO11sp3t6MA1bmeYTMMG9Ip-nxRUkQzvdaEqrnCKdak-TQJkSNENE0IMBgJnByYV9lnwyX_XsGn8sxBgyMN8cNTylLK4MmAIzgvQ85yuuDYLUOhxO8rlkmmRbsCC01svEozlPQeH3-Gx/s320/IMG_4809.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The train ride home was one of the most fun rides I have had. It's a 5-hour trip from Beijing to Suzhou and we laughed approximately 4.5 hours of the ride. We were still laughing coming down the escalator at the Suzhou rail station and it echoed through the hall. I am fairly certain that the driver who picked us up thought that we were inebriated, but I solemnly swear that we were not. Not even a bit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The race was a great moment in 2015 and I'm looking forward to what 2016 will bring.</span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-58115031067424566292015-12-16T23:07:00.002+08:002015-12-16T23:07:52.985+08:00What’s That? Wednesday: China’s One Time Zone<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
Here’s your fun fact for today…all of China is on one time zone. In 1949 China dropped it’s 5 time zones and adopted 1 time zone for the entire country. For perspective, the United States and China are roughly the same size, and the continental US has 4 time zones.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTK805HJOS7zntSWa04vx2qUgMSSlPTHZvu07tcukqaFZWehvCQmfZZowwV8bzoVzq7FHuYIxjwo74ZLYKzjiUGIAoqvo5HAuHweZAwsqfqnNY_3tqN1w2lZH4crtmZ_0fMPBkKd9rmYRy/s1600/IMG_2175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTK805HJOS7zntSWa04vx2qUgMSSlPTHZvu07tcukqaFZWehvCQmfZZowwV8bzoVzq7FHuYIxjwo74ZLYKzjiUGIAoqvo5HAuHweZAwsqfqnNY_3tqN1w2lZH4crtmZ_0fMPBkKd9rmYRy/s320/IMG_2175.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7:31 am, during one of our trips back to the US.<br />We were on our first day of battling jet-lag and had<br />been up for about 4 hours at this point.</td></tr>
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When we lived in Suzhou, which is on the eastern side of the country, it meant that the sun came up really early! This wasn’t a problem except that we had told our girls that they couldn't get up until the sun did. That’s not great when sun rises at 4:30 a.m. The city of Xi’an is about 2 hours inland and now the sun comes up at a more reasonable time! </div>
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Now, go wow someone with your new factoid.</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-57999721269193455672015-12-14T08:58:00.000+08:002015-12-14T08:58:17.941+08:00Surviving (and Sometimes Thriving) in Xi'an<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; line-height: normal;">
We have made it through the first six months in Xi’an! Some days it was merely surviving and other days we did thrive. Because these six months have required a lot of living, there hasn’t been much time to write about it. Although I did compose many blog posts in my head. Does that count?</div>
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Here is our recap of the first six months…</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Suzhou</td></tr>
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We moved from Suzhou to Xi’an. We watched our boxes be delivered to an incomplete apartment, which means we had no appliances, air conditioners, lights, etc. We couldn’t actually stay in the apartment, but yet I needed to be there during the day to supervise workers.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And, arriving in Xi'an. Bikes were the first thing<br />to be unpacked!</td></tr>
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We returned to the US for a month to get in as much quality time with family and friends as possible. We also had doctor’s appointments, check-ups and other not-so-fun things. In the US, we would be able to spread those appointments out over 12 months, but we were on a time crunch, so it was all crammed into 4 weeks.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy 4th of July to us...on our way to the US.</td></tr>
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In August we carted our 10+ pieces of checked luggage back to Xi’an and moved into our apartment. It was livable, but still not complete. On our first night in the apartment I really, really wanted to make myself an egg. We didn’t have a lot of groceries and not all of our boxes were unpacked, but I thought I could make myself an egg. Wrong! The ignitor for our gas stove worked, but upon closer inspection, we realized that the gas line had never been installed to the stove. That required another worker to come and drill a hole in the countertop and then run the hose to the stove.</div>
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Hmmm, what else have we experienced? Well, I thought that after living here for 4 years that surely we had acclimated our digestive systems to most of the intestinal challenges we might encounter. We battled a few rounds of tummy troubles (affectionally known as Suzhou-stomach in our house) after a some meals out and one afternoon barbecue in the mountains. It might have been the local produce, it might have been that the knives that were used to cut our BBQ meat were washed in the nearby stream, or it could have been something else. Needless to say, Xi’an still had some surprises for us.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6krsq6oclo5Yx5GhV6-uEsG8uJQQYbQOizxSVGrxsfV6ib4wlUdrQ-dZBitywy0AHiVXMxSnHbE7pfRxXXdwDW1sxXKYqmi_Q63u8a_n9RG8tsOlpcoFzOo4pwVFT5jfpdhuOgO86MM2/s1600/IMG_6101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6krsq6oclo5Yx5GhV6-uEsG8uJQQYbQOizxSVGrxsfV6ib4wlUdrQ-dZBitywy0AHiVXMxSnHbE7pfRxXXdwDW1sxXKYqmi_Q63u8a_n9RG8tsOlpcoFzOo4pwVFT5jfpdhuOgO86MM2/s320/IMG_6101.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New school and no uniforms.</td></tr>
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All three girls started school and we worked through a new routine for drop-off, pick-up and homework. We got a puppy, which hasn’t been as challenging as I expected….though, I did set the bar extremely low, so anything seemed positive.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took Oreo with us to a barbecue in the mountains.</td></tr>
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We traveled to Dubai for October holiday. It was amazing and some day I hope to blog about that!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQiwMbHJFt8zwW25v4rxloT9cypgNeU1pAC9kehdrlTSPTPj7NUwD4DdJXF0gKVfrUw5UNaktTfGJzfNcRcFMvsUxRGiK_TPzUE1QjmM2ndsHkVG5xo2vAmfkOcRS85j5Eswpf5ab3gui/s1600/IMGP0630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCQiwMbHJFt8zwW25v4rxloT9cypgNeU1pAC9kehdrlTSPTPj7NUwD4DdJXF0gKVfrUw5UNaktTfGJzfNcRcFMvsUxRGiK_TPzUE1QjmM2ndsHkVG5xo2vAmfkOcRS85j5Eswpf5ab3gui/s320/IMGP0630.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first desert safari.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1suGTrTNN6Nf14z-jSMscxa5yPjLpBfcpqW5GBEh0x8Qk7K8DKjw_vTduRnbOOD_Y5RZrTY3JVu3YrjzpGsoGkphSKMCKrzHuYaryHGPgFQhfHCZ6EE2MbzATniIh4HXrGvw-Erm8wQ_j/s1600/IMG_6346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1suGTrTNN6Nf14z-jSMscxa5yPjLpBfcpqW5GBEh0x8Qk7K8DKjw_vTduRnbOOD_Y5RZrTY3JVu3YrjzpGsoGkphSKMCKrzHuYaryHGPgFQhfHCZ6EE2MbzATniIh4HXrGvw-Erm8wQ_j/s320/IMG_6346.JPG" width="240" /></a>LBean and I have been traveling to Shanghai every few months for her orthodontist appointments. Our 2-1/2 hour plane ride for a medical appointment makes me wistful for when it only took 10 minute drive (and three stoplights) to get to the dentist. You can read about the time we went to Shanghai on the <u><b>wrong weekend</b></u> for LBean's appointment here: <a href="http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2015/09/piece-of-humble-pie.html">Piece of Humble Pie</a>.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a lot of water on my floor!</td></tr>
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Oh, and there was that time the workers came to turn on the in-floor heating and our living room floor flooded. And, it was one week before Thanksgiving guests rolled in…that was awesome. We mopped up 5 buckets full of water, moved furniture and dragged our new rug out to the patio and now we get to watch the remaining water creep up the walls in our apartment. It’s going to take a few weeks for the workers to tear up all the tile in our living room and dining room and then fix the problem. Merry Christmas to us!</div>
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So, most of that was just surviving. But, there have been lots of thriving days too. We love the people we have met, both local Chinese and other expats! We have really enjoyed having families over for dinner, hosting parties, and trying to build community with new friends. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJKTwAA9aYGet_7WRv9hkJLwEaaq2oiiIlFrZXb3Yrdu2DtwmIpXN39cNIkx0ryNIcIBQubejmDA-q_X9L8P_L8_2OtBaOU8I_vQPzGRe3fmFo1uSaWtWTsE973fdEqS0KEwj4lApfJDQ/s1600/IMG_6703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJKTwAA9aYGet_7WRv9hkJLwEaaq2oiiIlFrZXb3Yrdu2DtwmIpXN39cNIkx0ryNIcIBQubejmDA-q_X9L8P_L8_2OtBaOU8I_vQPzGRe3fmFo1uSaWtWTsE973fdEqS0KEwj4lApfJDQ/s320/IMG_6703.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We can fit a lot of people in our apartment and I'm so glad!</td></tr>
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I’ve done a lot of thinking and comparing of Xi’an to Suzhou and here is my chart of “Here versus There”:</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Here (XI’an)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">There (Suzhou)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Noodles! We’re in the north, people eat noodles.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Rice (breakfast, lunch and dinner)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Rou jia mo (Xi’an hamburger-kind of)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Suzhou’s got nothing like this</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Mountains</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Water canals</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Pollution (better in the Spring, Summer, & Fall)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Pollution (at least we have them beat in the winter)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Northern dialect (words end with the ‘r’ sound)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Southern dialect (no ‘r’ on the end)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">American international school for LBean & EBean - one class per grade (9-12 students per class)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">British international school for LBean & Ebean - 4 classes per grade (17-20 students per class)</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">ChinaBean’s preschool-2 mornings in English/2 in Mandarin</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">ChinaBean’s preschool-all Mandarin, all the time</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Starbucks, what Starbucks?! Just kidding, there’s now one 10 minutes away by car.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Starbucks? Which one, I could walk to 5 within 10-20 minutes.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Heat! We’re north of the Yangtze River, some places have government heat.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">No heat for you! South of the Yangtze, you’re out of luck.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">IKEA - opened in August!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">IKEA - 35 minute drive away </span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Expatriate community - it exists, but smaller</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Expatriate community - 3 times the size of Xi’an!</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Apartment living - 9th floor, 2 floors</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Apartment living - 27t floor, one level</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Amazing community of friends</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal;">Amazing community of friends</span><br />
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-23757798351295268692015-10-05T07:00:00.000+08:002015-10-13T21:39:07.727+08:00Meet our newest family member! <div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
Over four years ago we sat LBean down and tried to explain to her that daddy had a new job and that we were moving to China. We might have hastily ended the conversation with “and we’ll get a dog!” Maybe not the best way to try and distract/bribe/excite a child about moving to a new country, but we did.</div>
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Jamie and I had a dog for a few years early in our marriage. Although Miles was a very ornery 70 lb lab/beagle mix, we loved him very much and we were sad when he had an unfortunate accident. </div>
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At the same time that Jamie’s job was transferring us to China, we had also decided it was time to get a dog again. We really thought we would get one in Suzhou, but for a variety of reasons we never did get a four-legged furry friend. </div>
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Fast-forward 4 years and Jamie and I are discussing our possible move to Xi’an. One of the first things we agreed on was that it was time to get a pet. My brother got a dog (hi Gracie!) the summer before and our girls LOVED playing with her. I had everyone convinced that a cat might be a better fit for our apartment lifestyle. But, after seeing our girls play with Gracie over the summer, it became pretty clear that a dog would be really good for our family.</div>
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In September we began seriously researching dog breeds that were not only good for families, but also for apartment living. Jamie’s administrative assistant and our driver helped us locate breeders and pet shops that might have what we were looking for. </div>
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Jamie and I whole-heartedly support adopting dogs from shelters (like we did with Miles). Beijing and Shanghai do have animal shelters, but that doesn’t exist in Xi’an. At least not we’re aware of. Also, it’s very common for cities here to have “pet & plant streets” where there are all kinds of animals for sale. I’m not sure that all are for the purposes of being a pet…some probably end up on a dinner table.</div>
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We did have luck finding a pet shop on our side of the city that seems legit and offers boarding, vaccinations, dog grooming, supplies and is 500 meters from an animal hospital. We visited the shop on a Sunday to meet two puppies, both male miniature Schnauzers from the same litter. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7sIxecYoz_DaO4LOglBRkTeYh7Zs8y7GAtWDvp-sJlgYI1XjPFqCFWAhG3La9ozjSZtcXZ1TqRIAhNh32CnMWtdA-9zxHnUXBOUZVE15I35goURfQ7G9DSBeM0YlNs1FE4uELqN76iv_/s1600/IMG_6223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN7sIxecYoz_DaO4LOglBRkTeYh7Zs8y7GAtWDvp-sJlgYI1XjPFqCFWAhG3La9ozjSZtcXZ1TqRIAhNh32CnMWtdA-9zxHnUXBOUZVE15I35goURfQ7G9DSBeM0YlNs1FE4uELqN76iv_/s320/IMG_6223.JPG" width="240" /></a>We were smitten with the black and white one and we showed great restraint not bringing the dog home that day. (We did not show the same logical thinking with our first dog Miles. We had gone to Lowe’s to buy paint and decided to just “look” at the puppies. We came home with a dog and not the paint.) A national holiday was coming up in three days and we would all be home for 4 days to help potty train the puppy. Because we all know that when everyone goes back to school & work, the dog becomes mom’s job.</div>
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As we planned for a new puppy, a few names were tossed around. I was trying even out the glitter and princess influence in our home by suggesting something masculine, like Yoda. Jamie offered the name Chewy, but I had already mentioned the name Oreo to the girls and they had latched on to the name for our new black and white puppy.</div>
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We are so glad that Oreo is part of our family! He is very much a puppy and we’ve had our share of accidents (so glad we have tile floors), but I have joked that he is our therapy dog. Now that ChinaBean has gotten over her “I’m not the baby in the family” feelings, all the girls love him very much and he has been a great addition to our family. We hope he is a part of our family for a very long time!</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-6508548266916665282015-10-01T10:16:00.000+08:002015-10-01T10:16:38.629+08:00Help! I’ve forgotten how to cook<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Well, technically I didn’t totally forget how to cook, but moving sure seems to throw me off when it comes to creating meals in the kitchen.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I have never been accused of being an excellent cook, but I have had enough practice to sufficiently feed my family.</span></div>
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When we first moved to China four years ago there was so much to learn about where to shop, what was considered safe to eat, what import stores carried favorites from home (or at least what would make do when no favorites were available) and begin learning how to make some things from scratch because there were no other options. It was overwhelming and I felt as if I had forgotten how to cook.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSpnF8MH50sluiJb-_nswVQ9dacVOFQKbxo5FIcpL1q_17mD-wicAV4aQnoqWV6sh1ld9mD7pj4thwLK4Qw-rNDdJAEZXrB8VS0MIENVhLbfcSqkruEixGoA6DphZZH_HxFmn2V2Fzmkb/s1600/DSCF8953.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkSpnF8MH50sluiJb-_nswVQ9dacVOFQKbxo5FIcpL1q_17mD-wicAV4aQnoqWV6sh1ld9mD7pj4thwLK4Qw-rNDdJAEZXrB8VS0MIENVhLbfcSqkruEixGoA6DphZZH_HxFmn2V2Fzmkb/s320/DSCF8953.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EBean enjoying some pizza & spaghetti<br />
when we first moved to China in 2011.</td></tr>
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Many of our first days in Suzhou we were eating out, but I can tell you that our girls got tired of chicken nuggets, cheese pizza, and spaghetti, which seemed to be the same three things on rotation on all the kid’s menus. Once our air shipment arrived in Suzhou, I was really looking forward to cooking something, anything from home. Our first meal in our Suzhou apartment was…pancakes. Not terribly fancy, but I fed my children from my own kitchen. From then on, I had a mantra of: find a meat and add some veggies, find a meat and add some veggies…</div>
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In Suzhou I was very spoiled and had an import grocery store within our apartment compound. It was little and I affectionately called it my 7-11 import store because it was the size of a gas station convenience store, but it really did have most of what I wanted on a regular basis. Within our part of the city was also a bakery supply shop, a few good bread shops, and two other import stores. What couldn’t be purchased in Suzhou could possibly be delivered from one of the other larger import grocery stores in Shanghai, which delivered to Suzhou once or twice a week.</div>
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Our move to Xi’an this summer brought back a few of my cooking insecurities. This time though, I knew what I wanted to figure out first, where to buy meat. I can navigate a fruit and veggie market without too much trouble now and the large import grocery store, Metro, has most of what I want, but finding quality meat was a priority. Now that I have that all figured out (Metro or Vanguard for chicken breasts, ground beef and roast from a meat market our Ayi knows about, and still looking for good ground pork), we are getting back into a cooking routine. There are a few things that I haven’t been able to find at Metro that I’ll want to bring back from the US or figure out how to order off of TaoBao like vanilla extract, canned black beans and unsweetened Cheerios, but for now we are doing okay.</div>
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Again, I am no Martha Stewart or Pioneer Woman in the kitchen, but if you’ve moved to China and you’re wondering what other people cook, I am happy to share our family’s meal plan from the last few weeks.</div>
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Breakfasts:</div>
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- yogurt with granola (from Metro)</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- tortillas with eggs, cheese and bacon (**)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- homemade bread (bread maker from Metro, put everything in the night before-as long as the recipe doesn’t include an egg, use the delay start and wake up to fresh bread)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- cereal (Metro has some cereal, otherwise we ration out what we bring back from the US)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- muffins/coffee cake/baked yummies</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- bread machine cinnamon rolls (Thank you Julie for introducing these to me! </span><a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/01/bread-machine-cinnamon-roll.html" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">http://moneysavingmom.com/2010/01/bread-machine-cinnamon-roll.html</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">- baked avocados (</span><a href="http://lilluna.com/avocado-bacon-and-eggs/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">http://lilluna.com/avocado-bacon-and-eggs/</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">)</span></div>
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- muesli (<a href="http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/02/26/swiss-muesli-recipe/">http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/02/26/swiss-muesli-recipe/</a>)</div>
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- smoothies</div>
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- homemade biscuits with chocolate gravy (<a href="http://faithfulprovisions.com/chocolate-gravy-and-easy-biscuits/">http://faithfulprovisions.com/chocolate-gravy-and-easy-biscuits/</a>)</div>
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- slow cooker applesauce (I put several peeled & diced apples in the crockpot, pour in some water, add a little cinnamon and let it cook all night. We all wake up to fresh, warm applesauce in the morning!)</div>
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Lunch:</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiezdMFJWrDtMR_u9zP2tabtMOEqBHdlKBFslOCiTdoj2M49ztJ4kxqAqp7Wr7FpK2eFiZQZB78SRdeaM77_C90o6hij6Lo_Wf7P_XetvL62fKAHCeLZ_rFMxGrb5Oqyk8kkXn1Gzyzrq/s1600/IMG_6174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmiezdMFJWrDtMR_u9zP2tabtMOEqBHdlKBFslOCiTdoj2M49ztJ4kxqAqp7Wr7FpK2eFiZQZB78SRdeaM77_C90o6hij6Lo_Wf7P_XetvL62fKAHCeLZ_rFMxGrb5Oqyk8kkXn1Gzyzrq/s200/IMG_6174.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, pumpkin soup!</td></tr>
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- pumpkin soup (ChinaBean and I love homemade pumpkin soup. Thanks to my friend Sarah for the recommendation of putting cream cheese in your soup! I roast the pumpkin first, add chicken broth, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, pepper, cream cheese and then puree everything.)</div>
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- veggie and ground beef soup with homemade noodles (the people of Xi’an eat noodles and it is very easy to find fresh & inexpensive noodles)</div>
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Dinner:</div>
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- meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes</div>
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- BBQ pork sandwiches (throw pork and BBQ sauce in a slow cooker and let it cook all day)</div>
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- Italian Beef sandwiches</div>
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- pasta bake with ground sausage (I make my own ground sausage, <a href="http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/02/baked-penne-and-50-grocery-card.html#more">http://www.plainchicken.com/2012/02/baked-penne-and-50-grocery-card.html#more</a>)</div>
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- slow cooker burrito bowls (<a href="http://www.thisgalcooks.com/crockpot-chicken-burrito-bowls/">http://www.thisgalcooks.com/crockpot-chicken-burrito-bowls/</a>)</div>
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- handmade pizzas (use Pioneer Woman’s pizza dough recipe, <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/my-favorite-pizza/">http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/my-favorite-pizza/</a>)</div>
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- mac ’n cheese with bacon</div>
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- chicken and peas pasta bake (<a href="http://pinchofyum.com/garlic-parmesan-chicken-lasagna-bake">http://pinchofyum.com/garlic-parmesan-chicken-lasagna-bake</a>)</div>
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- poppy seed chicken casserole (<a href="http://www.market2meal.com/2011/02/poppy-seed-chicken-casserole.html">http://www.market2meal.com/2011/02/poppy-seed-chicken-casserole.html</a>) (I found crackers very similar to Ritz crackers in a Korean store outside our apartment building.)</div>
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- chicken shawarmas & hummus (you can make your own hummus really easily and buy white sesame seeds at the market to make your own tahini sauce) (<a href="http://www.market2meal.com/2010/03/chicken-shawarmas.html">http://www.market2meal.com/2010/03/chicken-shawarmas.html</a>)</div>
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- pasta & ground pork meatballs</div>
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- Italian chicken and rice (I make my own cream of chicken soup for this, <a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/07/crockpot-italian-chicken.html">http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2009/07/crockpot-italian-chicken.html</a>)</div>
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- baked potatoes</div>
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- breakfast for dinner (pancakes/waffles, bacon, sausage, eggs, etc.)</div>
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- tuna noodle casserole (This is a bit of a joke at our house. Jamie hates canned tuna, so I usually only make it when he is traveling or has a business dinner. It’s become a tradition now.)</div>
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- Navajo fry bread with taco toppings (<a href="http://lilluna.com/homemade-indian-fry-bread/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+lilluna/isXQ+(Lil'+Luna+-+All+Things+Good">http://lilluna.com/homemade-indian-fry-bread/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+lilluna/isXQ+(Lil'+Luna+-+All+Things+Good</a>)</div>
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- cheeseburger wraps (<a href="http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2011/09/grilled-cheeseburger-wraps.html">http://www.mostlyhomemademom.com/2011/09/grilled-cheeseburger-wraps.html</a>)</div>
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- beef stew with mashed potatoes</div>
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- slow cooker Maidrites (<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/136937644893791396/">https://www.pinterest.com/pin/136937644893791396/</a>)</div>
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- Hawaiian toasted cheese sandwiches (<a href="http://houseofyumm.com/hawaiian-grilled-cheese/">http://houseofyumm.com/hawaiian-grilled-cheese/</a>)</div>
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- slow cooker Thai soup (<a href="http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/10/slow-cooker-thai-chicken-soup/">http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/10/slow-cooker-thai-chicken-soup/</a>)</div>
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chicken pot pie (sorry, have to make your own pie crust here, no pre-made)</div>
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cheesy chicken, bacon, ranch pasta (<a href="http://flavormosaic.com/cheesy-chicken-bacon-ranch-pasta/">http://flavormosaic.com/cheesy-chicken-bacon-ranch-pasta/</a>)</div>
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That’s pretty much what I have made so far since we’ve moved to Xi’an. Of course, every meal is paired with one or two vegetables. Most of the fruits and vegetables that we buy are fresh and I shop for them every few days. We will have other family favorites that I cook in the coming months.</div>
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You will notice that many of the recipes call for cheese, sour cream and cream cheese. Every family has their splurges and dairy products is one of ours. Fresh fruit and vegetables are so inexpensive here that we choose to spend some of our grocery budget on delicious dairy.</div>
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Some of the websites or apps that I use for meal planning are:</div>
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- Market 2 Meal (this website is written by a woman who lives in China, <a href="http://www.market2meal.com/">http://www.market2meal.com</a>)</div>
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- Pioneer Woman (<a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/">thepioneerwoman.com</a>)</div>
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- Pinterest (I use the app and you can search for me. Just look for kbmac1.)</div>
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- All Recipes (I use the app)</div>
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At this time I try to save (or pin) recipes of things that I know I can find in China. Why frustrate myself with delicious-sounding meals that I can’t make here?</div>
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As encouragement to anyone who has moved to China and now feels like they are a pioneer living in the olden days, here are few of the things that I have learned to make from scratch. If I can do it, you can too!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBZKCobStuIG6r_tgF90TidWCr9b8fin7Gy8AZE7zsdf-J-NcpPNTxPECyG25OEpQNssIDI25CO1bZAngqhgdoUYwrGMPRadWfA4gWRkexbtL_LKCZ1UD33VObiLy2oelcAa53TAWqVuT/s1600/IMG_6021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguBZKCobStuIG6r_tgF90TidWCr9b8fin7Gy8AZE7zsdf-J-NcpPNTxPECyG25OEpQNssIDI25CO1bZAngqhgdoUYwrGMPRadWfA4gWRkexbtL_LKCZ1UD33VObiLy2oelcAa53TAWqVuT/s320/IMG_6021.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found sesame seeds and pinto beans here.</td></tr>
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- yogurt (got my yogurt maker from Metro)</div>
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- freezer jam</div>
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- ricotta cheese</div>
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- sour cream</div>
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- hummus</div>
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- tahini sauce</div>
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- grenadine</div>
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- breads & biscuits</div>
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- granola bars</div>
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- cream of chicken soup</div>
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- ground sausage</div>
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- enchilada sauce</div>
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- homemade Magic Shell (for ice cream)</div>
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- refried beans (you can find pinto beans at the market)</div>
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**There is a tortilla lady in Xi’an! She makes several kinds of homemade tortillas, whole wheat buns, coffee cake, banana bread, pitas, bagels, muffins, etc. If you place a larger order she, or her husband, will deliver to your home. We have really enjoyed this! Send me a message if you would like her contact information.</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-16841360055303718902015-09-25T10:23:00.001+08:002015-09-25T10:23:19.960+08:00Piece of Humble Pie<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Remember that time last weekend when I hopped on an airplane with LBean to go to her orthodontist appointment and I realized half-way through the flight that her appointment was actually the next weekend? Yes, that was my weekend.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">How about yours?</span></div>
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Let me back up a bit. LBean is of the age where orthodontics is a regular part of our monthly routine. When we lived in Suzhou, we would drive the hour to Hongqiao (a Western-suburb/neighborhood of Shanghai) for her monthly orthodontist appointments. After we moved to Xi’an, we talked with Jamie’s company about how to continue her orthodontic treatment and if it was even possible to continue her treatment in Xi’an. It was decided that it would be best that LBean and one parent fly to Shanghai for her appointments. It’s a 2 1/2 hour flight each way, so think about that the next time you’re sitting at the dentist or orthodontist waiting for your appointment!</div>
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Thankfully LBean’s orthodontist suggested that her appointments could be spaced out every 2-3 months and we won't have to make the flight every month. And, I found out that other families in Xi’an have flown to Chang Mai, Thailand for orthodontic treatment, which made me feel a whole lot less ridiculous about it all. At least we were staying in the country!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWvc4n1UQQifjQ23mLjV1lyiKIhE8LgKJPN0frh8XMG_zN1rxKFzBwsvp2kwYwFcEIUcpnh90Kn-Y1zcfBuv8-gbjJCKELQ_DiEpQa5JmzjivecK88ne55kWOccSZPm49e3V749poYkPT/s1600/IMG_6356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdWvc4n1UQQifjQ23mLjV1lyiKIhE8LgKJPN0frh8XMG_zN1rxKFzBwsvp2kwYwFcEIUcpnh90Kn-Y1zcfBuv8-gbjJCKELQ_DiEpQa5JmzjivecK88ne55kWOccSZPm49e3V749poYkPT/s320/IMG_6356.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checked in and ready to go</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Speed ahead to this past Saturday. LBean and I packed our bags, hopped on our flight and were enjoying some great mother/daughter time. About half-way through the flight I decided I needed to double-check the time of the appointment so I could better plan our day. As I was reaching for my planner a few thoughts converged…hmmm, I never got a text reminding me of her appointment, and wouldn’t that be funny if her appointment was next Saturday.</span></div>
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I opened my planner and staring back at me was her appointment time, which was listed for the next Saturday. Right next to it in the notes section of my planner were our flights. Why I didn’t put two and two together, I don’t know. I put my head in my hands and LBean became concerned. “Are you crying mom?” I lifted my head and I was laughing. I mean, really, who does something like this? I just couldn’t stop laughing. I said, “Just wait till I call your dad. He won’t be mad. At least I don’t think so…”</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EztyNDNqRALJHKCrV5W7Qo5mRN43p88X3DLuLKaYEbPOsC2cnlVmQ0zrajLP8umD-d6JFrI2u29XHk4gVDipPVABgeLSCm2CektRycSUORoRQWIHn0_w7WMytJRc0arVgbAo0QGFbmdq/s1600/IMG_6349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0EztyNDNqRALJHKCrV5W7Qo5mRN43p88X3DLuLKaYEbPOsC2cnlVmQ0zrajLP8umD-d6JFrI2u29XHk4gVDipPVABgeLSCm2CektRycSUORoRQWIHn0_w7WMytJRc0arVgbAo0QGFbmdq/s320/IMG_6349.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Starbucks helps our subway ride go well</td></tr>
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We got off the plane and I immediately called the orthodontist’s office. “Can you please confirm my daughter’s appointment? Hmmm, next Saturday, well now I get to admit something very embarrassing to you.” Thankfully, LBean’s orthodontist has three offices, 1 in Hong Kong, 1 in Hongqiao (where we were staying) and 1 in Pudong (closer to the big airport). We were in luck because the doctor was in the other Shanghai office. Instead of walking out the front door of our hotel and across the driveway to the Hongqiao office, LBean and I trekked to the other side of a 24 million person city.</div>
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We dropped our bags off at the hotel, grabbed a quick lunch and started our 1 1/2 hour journey to the other office. We stood on the subway for an hour where we changed subway lines three times and then walked about 25 minutes to the other office. But, we made it! In the process we discovered a whole new part of Shanghai that we had not been to before. LBean was such a good sport about it all and had a great attitude.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ3o5fSyWMyYyqDrtpwtJGLAjAMMbu8p7y31augdlG98NAh4ed4atuD6w0P9zIxupBUeACYHPW6BEM4DTKMWgMwNeKTt8mHR8brTslG15m_RsOYQWkFZmrSO6Z0PnKueGWqWKy5mI0vdu/s1600/IMG_6351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQ3o5fSyWMyYyqDrtpwtJGLAjAMMbu8p7y31augdlG98NAh4ed4atuD6w0P9zIxupBUeACYHPW6BEM4DTKMWgMwNeKTt8mHR8brTslG15m_RsOYQWkFZmrSO6Z0PnKueGWqWKy5mI0vdu/s320/IMG_6351.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LBean enjoying her new book and taking a break.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPU6AFnxOSkePhY6x7H_Y0EZaK-7fcN1LX2uWxzN5eUH920X5mI13nhwEGQX1pOswnS7gmOSj3DpBYjqItTbYVEuUQFn72deI-sO2vxUzOg-G3SThwNDEdB-Xi2mZlNc6O8jfAczHsyfa/s1600/IMG_6352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPU6AFnxOSkePhY6x7H_Y0EZaK-7fcN1LX2uWxzN5eUH920X5mI13nhwEGQX1pOswnS7gmOSj3DpBYjqItTbYVEuUQFn72deI-sO2vxUzOg-G3SThwNDEdB-Xi2mZlNc6O8jfAczHsyfa/s320/IMG_6352.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still happy and standing in line in Marks & Spencer</td></tr>
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To break up the 90 minute return trip, we stopped at West Nanjing street for a little retail therapy and a snack at Marks & Spencer. That night we celebrated our success with a tasty hotdog and cheeseburger from Blue Frog. (And, our waitress did ask why she hadn't seen us for a long time). I told Jamie that the extra 3 hours we spent getting to the other office was my penance for making such a big mistake. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0QKovY2_His3WhL5g8aNEjV23tIOO_eYlfAjQ4J3sDe9W6wNEWfzeU1q4gR9wB5Tr81PXrby-7f1eZe9feUdcqlFRgs3GmzQHEaxT7QH1pGJSznXXtqH6XIVcb50OSdAbX2_ebYyWSp5/s1600/IMG_6355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ0QKovY2_His3WhL5g8aNEjV23tIOO_eYlfAjQ4J3sDe9W6wNEWfzeU1q4gR9wB5Tr81PXrby-7f1eZe9feUdcqlFRgs3GmzQHEaxT7QH1pGJSznXXtqH6XIVcb50OSdAbX2_ebYyWSp5/s320/IMG_6355.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a few people at the West Nanjing Road subway stop</td></tr>
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LBean and I spent Sunday morning going through the import grocery store stocking up on a few things that I haven’t managed to find in Xi’an yet (or haven’t looked for on TaoBao). We stopped at the Pearl Market for a few gifts for the little sisters and enjoyed one last tasty meal. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86AQvCrNJmnmbNRFhAo_nxs-paY1JSAjYxC8SnpY-8mo5IDBRmjqfRN8SRbUgOp3Fcn_4fWAMVF-KgUu-e2sdszSVagSALFpK8nM_oUb7s07Luq1AEzmmuz8aTMX4AO2Ktno4Xxz1O1UC/s1600/IMG_6360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86AQvCrNJmnmbNRFhAo_nxs-paY1JSAjYxC8SnpY-8mo5IDBRmjqfRN8SRbUgOp3Fcn_4fWAMVF-KgUu-e2sdszSVagSALFpK8nM_oUb7s07Luq1AEzmmuz8aTMX4AO2Ktno4Xxz1O1UC/s320/IMG_6360.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We brought two big suitcases for our overnight trip.<br />You can see why! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDvnl2UP4nCK5mRFT7GpFFjF-tyKPc3bYKtMiB7KFSXRX9bkbs0NiE22ovz7W8z6xkt02BAZVcdEUGWRS7HPfqr59tTj_Jk6VsEnNLjcKj_KKmKrqK4wLHVkKAWF_RVjjYmkVMvPbXDe1/s1600/IMG_6361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKDvnl2UP4nCK5mRFT7GpFFjF-tyKPc3bYKtMiB7KFSXRX9bkbs0NiE22ovz7W8z6xkt02BAZVcdEUGWRS7HPfqr59tTj_Jk6VsEnNLjcKj_KKmKrqK4wLHVkKAWF_RVjjYmkVMvPbXDe1/s320/IMG_6361.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is a proper stack of nachos.</td></tr>
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The weekend turned out to be wonderful, but I dined on a big slice of humble pie for my mistake with a huge scoop of grace on the side. I was right, Jamie was not mad and he has given me a lot of grace for my mistake.</div>
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I will consult my calendar before the next appointment. I promise.</div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-27670917405096905112015-09-18T11:02:00.003+08:002015-09-18T11:02:50.995+08:00Well, hello there!<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I feel like I must re-introduce myself.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">My name is Kara.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">And I live in China.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Still.</span></div>
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We did not fall off the face of the earth, just moved our family. It’s been a whirl-wind 6 months and we’re getting settled into our apartment, the girls are enjoying their new schools and we got a puppy. Bring on the chaos!</div>
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As I mentioned in my last post, we fully intended/believed that we would be moving back to the United States this summer. Needless to say the move to Xi’an was a bit of a surprise.</div>
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Let me take a moment to introduce to our hew city…</div>
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Name: Xi’an (pronounced something like “She ahn”)</div>
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Population: At least 8.5 million people (which is roughly the size of New York City)</div>
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Fun Facts:</div>
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<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;">One of the oldest cities in China</li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;">It’s the oldest of the Four Ancient Capitals of China</li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;">It is the start of the famous Silk Road</li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;">It is the home of the Terracotta Warriors</li>
<li style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0px;">Xi’an people love noodles. Generally speaking the people in the southern part of the county eat rice with their meals. For those in the north, it is noodles. </li>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DlZ3o8trb_Z1sS3mSRDT5LR_IZ83sYkg2DfJtkKZsq05eg4De5FCngdT1u2rgBxfleUCAXtqy_scy9LsyR-WlG5RDszLM6C4YE6w-pMky0cWvimfCOCkmLNzEAoMbewYjZ_IOBKwyEuw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-09-18+at+10.38.41+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DlZ3o8trb_Z1sS3mSRDT5LR_IZ83sYkg2DfJtkKZsq05eg4De5FCngdT1u2rgBxfleUCAXtqy_scy9LsyR-WlG5RDszLM6C4YE6w-pMky0cWvimfCOCkmLNzEAoMbewYjZ_IOBKwyEuw/s640/Screen+Shot+2015-09-18+at+10.38.41+AM.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beijing is in the NE corner of China. Suzhou (our home from 2011-2015) is by the big red arrow.<br />Our new city is 2.5 hours inland by plane (by the blue star).</td></tr>
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(All my facts are from Wikipedia because we know that everything we read on the internet is true.)</div>
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I am looking forward to getting back to blogging and introducing you to our new city.</div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-34798392024113465062015-05-20T19:38:00.000+08:002015-05-20T19:38:34.775+08:00We're Moving! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After a few (okay, many) weeks of uncertainty, we are able to officially announce that...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As my dad quickly pointed out, "That's not in the US." No, we are not moving back to the United States as we thought that we would. It seems fitting that the first move to China was a complete surprise to us and so when Jamie was approached about a position in Xi'An we were equally surprised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Xi'An is most famous for the Terracotta Warriors. So, if you've been waiting for one more excuse to come visit us, I think you've just found it. From what we have learned, it seems that Xi'An is a larger city than Suzhou, but the expatriate population is 1/2-2/3 smaller. I think I will be saying goodbye to some of my favorite creature comforts in Suzhou!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Over the next month we hope to visit Xi'An and find our next apartment/home, decide on a school, pack up our Suzhou apartment, finish the school year at Dulwich, say goodbye to our Suzhou friends and then unpack a few boxes in Xi'An. The tentative plan is for me to be in the US with our girls for the month of July. We'll see how that pans out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Emotionally, everyone seems to be doing pretty well. It was a shock to us all because we honestly believed that there was a strong chance we would end up back in the US. However, at one point Jamie was looking at positions in 3 continents, so we knew that nothing was a given.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The morning we revealed our next city to our girls, we toasted daddy and his next job with sparkling juice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We put out our miniature Terracotta soldiers as a clue to where we were headed next.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I guess that means the overseas adventure continues and maybe this blog too.</span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-74905214489398314152015-04-06T11:33:00.002+08:002015-04-06T11:33:40.710+08:00Nobody's Cuter Than You<br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">See if you can recognize anyone you might know at 2:03 in the video...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where we sat for most of the weekend.<br />
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in pj's, glasses, and no make-up. I spared you that photo.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few weekends ago my family and I took a quick trip up to Beijing to visit my friend Megan and her family. They had recently moved to the capital from Suzhou and it was our first time to see their new apartment and neighborhood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Megan and I planned to spend most of the 40 hours we had together talking. We were pretty successful and managed to only waste 12 hours sleeping between the two nights that we were there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On Saturday night we were approaching our 2 a.m. bedtime and Megan said that we should watch the video trailer for a new book that is going to be released. One of our favorite authors, bloggers, and podcasters, Melanie Shankle, has a new book coming in April. Megan's prompting reminded me that several months ago I had submitted a photo of the two of us after the author asked for pictures of friends to help promote her new book. Well, about half way through the video Megan and I start giggling (and I might have shrieked a bit) because our picture was chosen to be in the promo video! And, to prove what a great friend Megan is, she did not immediately strangle me after seeing that this is the photo I submitted…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Rest assured, we are the only ones in the video 1) on an E-Bike, 2) in China, and 3) wearing very stylish bicycle helmets!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here are a few excerpts from the email I sent to the author describing my friend and what she means to me. </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">…In the Spring of 2011 my husband was offered the chance to our family to China for his next work assignment. In fact, he was offered the position on March 2, which was the day after all of our paperwork to adopt a little boy or girl from China arrived in Beijing. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As any Type A, stressed out mama who was about to move her two little girls across the globe would do, I started looking for blogs about expats in China, specifically in Suzhou where we would move. I found a cute blog called Apple Pie to Stir Fry and began reading about life in Suzhou, China and pouring over the author's photos to give me a visual of what I was about to experience.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fast-forward a few months and our family arrived in China, we're living out of suitcases in a local hotel until our sea-shipment of household goods arrive and we take our family to church for the first time. As we're settling our oldest daughter into Sunday school class in walks a very cute mama with her two daughters. I break out of my introverted self and walked up to her and asked, "Do you have a blog?" She looked surprised, and said "yes..." "Is it called Apple Pie to Stir Fry?", "Yes..." (I tease her now that she was suspicious, she swears she was just excited that someone was reading her blog). I had finally met Megan in person! </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From the beginning Megan's hospitality (she's from the South, I'm a Yankee) and smile eased my homesick and over-whelmed heart. At one point I looked at my husband and said, "I think she's the one", I thought I had found a best friend in China and I did.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Megan & I have now known each other for three years and we are each other's go-to person. Texting, emailing each other book recommendations, forwarding blog posts, gabbing about new podcasts we've found (she introduced me to your podcast), and our bi-monthly "meetings" (we sneak off to Starbucks or the like on Wednesday afternoons, without children) cement our relationship. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I feel a bit selfish because I think I am defiantly getting the better end of the friendship deal! Megan & I know that our time together in China will be coming to an end and we're trying to treasure all the "meetings" we have left. But, the gift of friendship, honesty, accountability and the example of Megan's relationship with the Lord will be something that I take back to the US with me and share with the three besties I left in Central Illinois. When the time comes & we're not in the same country, all I have to say is thank goodness for technology! </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for Megan's blog, it is no longer. I encouraged her to let it go during one of our "meetings", it was stressing her out and not any fun. I think the blog had already served it's purpose, it had brought us together.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am sending a photo of Megan & I from this past spring. As we were planning our next "meeting" she asked what I wanted to do and I told her I wanted an E-bike (electric bike) ride. Most Chinese in our town have one and I'd never been on one. Megan agreed to give me a ride. Because we are responsible mothers who harp on our girls about wearing helmets, we rode bicycle helmets for our ride. We're so cool! I couldn't stop laughing because we were moving at approximately the speed of smell and I felt like we were stepping into the movie Dumb & Dumber. Such a great memory!</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don’t think that I’ve ever plugged a book or product on my blog, but I am very excited for Melanie’s new book </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nobodys-Cuter-than-You-Friendship/dp/1414397488">Nobody’s Cuter Than You</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> which releases on April 7, 2015. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Megan and I have decided that we will pay full price for it, we won’t even wait for it to be on the $1.99 Kindle list. Maybe you should look into paying full price for it too.</span><br />
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-61721473377882438022015-04-01T10:54:00.000+08:002015-04-01T10:54:02.179+08:002015 World Figure Skating Finals (Women's Long Program)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzl0DxjPlz7qKgQSm8P4vN0GuXRd1zor0Yayp7-5cSnN3dg5b6amXPGTJbpNxJtpylZpi2Tuu_PM1iuFmCbF4Buy-u2sALnzrCWdVjwj1kdHZQTBWLL5vQ8ssuB9J47zCpHrPOJwI3yj5B/s1600/IMG_3492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzl0DxjPlz7qKgQSm8P4vN0GuXRd1zor0Yayp7-5cSnN3dg5b6amXPGTJbpNxJtpylZpi2Tuu_PM1iuFmCbF4Buy-u2sALnzrCWdVjwj1kdHZQTBWLL5vQ8ssuB9J47zCpHrPOJwI3yj5B/s1600/IMG_3492.jpg" height="320" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I happened to pick up a copy of the <u>China Daily</u> newspaper on a recent flight and was excited to find that the World Figure Skating Finals were going to be in Shanghai. First thing on Monday morning I had some help tracking down tickets (because at the point you had to go to the venue to pick them up in person - will call would have been a bit handier). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg39_aCdw9oFZ1bC0Ax5HfFxnoNYWy1usc4YmwLiUNmOfjxZAVXaMdnehC6Mi-VC16Syh5MSb0ffV7hkYvLNh5zub6eelM1QexbYm6_aOhVVtTnp3Uqj0JfhyDVg6bcoszwrqtu_J8_qq/s1600/IMG_3495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZg39_aCdw9oFZ1bC0Ax5HfFxnoNYWy1usc4YmwLiUNmOfjxZAVXaMdnehC6Mi-VC16Syh5MSb0ffV7hkYvLNh5zub6eelM1QexbYm6_aOhVVtTnp3Uqj0JfhyDVg6bcoszwrqtu_J8_qq/s1600/IMG_3495.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We spent Saturday enjoying some very talented figure skaters. We had no idea what to expect and we didn't know that we'd be there for 4 hours and over lunch time. In the US at a sporting event there would have been several options for food, most of them covered in processed cheese. This being an event in China, I should have known to bring our own food. I was not thinking! The girl snacked on popcorn and suckers. Towards the end of the event I almost got bold enough to ask the couple next to us for their extra chips. The guy virtually had a grocery store in his bag...sandwiches, chips, and some other snacks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Despite our hunger, we had a great time. The staff at the event were so kind and polite and the spectators were amazing. When the last 2 groups of skaters performed the audience pulled out flags for each of the performers respective countries, even those with complicated histories. Very impressive!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWa3vDP6iBaDnLzRT4FtRin4zaBhN0fwCQ5h8d2cX8Y3Ds9Lhohkdgw1zprw3-ntb4AdbneZk9MwV6ouo47IxQNph_cINiROjaZZC2oOMK1LXOr_BLmk7i8QGF-7hhECKIxAajTdWzcWgj/s1600/IMG_3806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWa3vDP6iBaDnLzRT4FtRin4zaBhN0fwCQ5h8d2cX8Y3Ds9Lhohkdgw1zprw3-ntb4AdbneZk9MwV6ouo47IxQNph_cINiROjaZZC2oOMK1LXOr_BLmk7i8QGF-7hhECKIxAajTdWzcWgj/s1600/IMG_3806.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was very special to cheer on the US skaters while on our "home" soil in China. We proudly waved our flags and screamed just a bit!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1H59R6FC3ebuX1zUgmfmN1SS7YEt7ns7b8zL1YthoijypmcYSs8ezP_UvGhd3dYiTrI2oo2Q5grFCRXMpg0a4rKE00ptQGAXYWdHljBaZkEtqT5yOLgJDoduYtLX8gkUSNDoGVyK2cdp/s1600/IMGP8433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK1H59R6FC3ebuX1zUgmfmN1SS7YEt7ns7b8zL1YthoijypmcYSs8ezP_UvGhd3dYiTrI2oo2Q5grFCRXMpg0a4rKE00ptQGAXYWdHljBaZkEtqT5yOLgJDoduYtLX8gkUSNDoGVyK2cdp/s1600/IMGP8433.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First competitor</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibMOCF8xq6J2KaVILfPl_ODLHcLpmONS9v6aDXGnvVfMMV-HK3MAheRUuKaIUZT-Zn5QSyIULTmmvaCcQdkWf4ecwK_jlYiRRTdSrJ_4Pi16DzBI1jlsT0r5IEbk2mHcDytcL3_o_AdWR/s1600/IMGP8434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjibMOCF8xq6J2KaVILfPl_ODLHcLpmONS9v6aDXGnvVfMMV-HK3MAheRUuKaIUZT-Zn5QSyIULTmmvaCcQdkWf4ecwK_jlYiRRTdSrJ_4Pi16DzBI1jlsT0r5IEbk2mHcDytcL3_o_AdWR/s1600/IMGP8434.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unless cousin Molly competes some day, I doubt<br />
we'll be at another World Championship!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7q-RwlhdvYcumchqgWEcwA1TTWXoLElKSEinLdm86i-fzfLLTi0lb4lDOWvqaif1s0mc6ueSy3MGMkboGs8RzjO7DWs7p4Y4gQn-pRYyCOzrOem1MQVpqSAsejLbxgy7QD4Ngna0N5aqA/s1600/IMGP8436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7q-RwlhdvYcumchqgWEcwA1TTWXoLElKSEinLdm86i-fzfLLTi0lb4lDOWvqaif1s0mc6ueSy3MGMkboGs8RzjO7DWs7p4Y4gQn-pRYyCOzrOem1MQVpqSAsejLbxgy7QD4Ngna0N5aqA/s1600/IMGP8436.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flags ready and watching closely.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGTR2v1BtoslwaOp05BAwLeokAZ8NHe_kKMDbeMiZXNsY31VZmo1Adj-001vAEgtvWWuh3Smv7ogTSZbq4HOvvWn1FXtSLLlGDWwphtfp4Xgc2-1qgi6GEgmJgPIqrRSAi4MMksxJVhnC/s1600/IMGP8454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuGTR2v1BtoslwaOp05BAwLeokAZ8NHe_kKMDbeMiZXNsY31VZmo1Adj-001vAEgtvWWuh3Smv7ogTSZbq4HOvvWn1FXtSLLlGDWwphtfp4Xgc2-1qgi6GEgmJgPIqrRSAi4MMksxJVhnC/s1600/IMGP8454.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Impressive</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RVpxB6s_MtPAF1rUBHm-DCCmdSOcHziSg3TyLh0GLO2J_Mg3pN9I5yZToLIUyWRn3mpbMwwYd8EmQgTTuYjywaknCZuIuPjuqqJ9umR_fzvm44W_mRiDo-HU6xjYrKc_UWH59qUWihwH/s1600/IMGP8486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1RVpxB6s_MtPAF1rUBHm-DCCmdSOcHziSg3TyLh0GLO2J_Mg3pN9I5yZToLIUyWRn3mpbMwwYd8EmQgTTuYjywaknCZuIuPjuqqJ9umR_fzvm44W_mRiDo-HU6xjYrKc_UWH59qUWihwH/s1600/IMGP8486.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcirV0dF5Con6sz5czVbNuBCD9Lq3jkRT4WaCc3eFmjEfFDyC24i7rG26eH-AEGPJHiQBANnzpPSYdwnD5f5sRheiG-4hLFEf45cvJJipOq4_vg03MIzkfrPXTifZd6bVHUwkCuiWPZys/s1600/IMGP8490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEcirV0dF5Con6sz5czVbNuBCD9Lq3jkRT4WaCc3eFmjEfFDyC24i7rG26eH-AEGPJHiQBANnzpPSYdwnD5f5sRheiG-4hLFEf45cvJJipOq4_vg03MIzkfrPXTifZd6bVHUwkCuiWPZys/s1600/IMGP8490.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US skater Gracie Gold </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvk032YweqjUa18-Nm_kKFd-CdAYpm0uQEWC5NFcAxO9HuHwktXUeovPB1_CJdYTOARKxWn9t8LtvXz-eivVQ-EpwZVhE9hhwvQv3VMUe72wRj7n0J901Y3A88tllZ42Njqn31AlQmLulM/s1600/IMGP8502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvk032YweqjUa18-Nm_kKFd-CdAYpm0uQEWC5NFcAxO9HuHwktXUeovPB1_CJdYTOARKxWn9t8LtvXz-eivVQ-EpwZVhE9hhwvQv3VMUe72wRj7n0J901Y3A88tllZ42Njqn31AlQmLulM/s1600/IMGP8502.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US skater Ashley Wagner</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxaTFCrWJT-HEJXcqElAixZhSmFjIVlDY43FSNJXBCFwbOlTk7O3C1d-89o_4y8ubHM71vyjnyTQBIF0RItMQZpkrNGgDpB1EvPnakFCYgEkcakPc6ubSykuTZeNnfK1FSZXY9eOxDKTL/s1600/IMGP8512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWxaTFCrWJT-HEJXcqElAixZhSmFjIVlDY43FSNJXBCFwbOlTk7O3C1d-89o_4y8ubHM71vyjnyTQBIF0RItMQZpkrNGgDpB1EvPnakFCYgEkcakPc6ubSykuTZeNnfK1FSZXY9eOxDKTL/s1600/IMGP8512.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great job Ashley!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsCrxN_gKf5n5XzbqC8t8B-yEwkABlio9yCqPil4ll9RwEcDOXFr19WMjRRMZrJZaPMHNCIbQkeRE4FlCOngZc9AE90ituvoKnE_5hMVihrtwWDdLjQC7HNMIyhhe2I0ibVwfgFhANbYs/s1600/IMGP8514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsCrxN_gKf5n5XzbqC8t8B-yEwkABlio9yCqPil4ll9RwEcDOXFr19WMjRRMZrJZaPMHNCIbQkeRE4FlCOngZc9AE90ituvoKnE_5hMVihrtwWDdLjQC7HNMIyhhe2I0ibVwfgFhANbYs/s1600/IMGP8514.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the scores</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGkGrJJIl6T3__b1F5fwpPWExkbx_CT5-VCHYIGISYFvYcPVCU61-bGpFtz3-bYyg2P1yjK1sT_Oa3m1LC9T5RFe0IriIwLXtp2iwlDUzZWd2iglKPkq8O4rcwhBZ3KejMi-GURNDRDV5/s1600/IMGP8515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXGkGrJJIl6T3__b1F5fwpPWExkbx_CT5-VCHYIGISYFvYcPVCU61-bGpFtz3-bYyg2P1yjK1sT_Oa3m1LC9T5RFe0IriIwLXtp2iwlDUzZWd2iglKPkq8O4rcwhBZ3KejMi-GURNDRDV5/s1600/IMGP8515.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sporting some US pride </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ4SPORsgwZVKxEBPGqbJQk-GSh1GsRGnHwFdEyRYUzwUnlMTFSpJ1gniGDURk9aHc4nQPDCK15qYjlArI8Vwix6VIIMZylp4I5bHuBYj4vgYHhuTiZlxMj9-WYVkkDa181ateFe52niV/s1600/IMGP8521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJ4SPORsgwZVKxEBPGqbJQk-GSh1GsRGnHwFdEyRYUzwUnlMTFSpJ1gniGDURk9aHc4nQPDCK15qYjlArI8Vwix6VIIMZylp4I5bHuBYj4vgYHhuTiZlxMj9-WYVkkDa181ateFe52niV/s1600/IMGP8521.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US skater Polina Edmunds</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCl0qsNHC5uq-h5upRYg8wTBHt3iCTxN12z20Kv0pcCBQs1Z_UgK2P6znT7Facx5OOQVmq4q23s-YRTfMW19j2MNOCMDHMGnfqZ9bwiSPEFUFetGJIUTuNVUSFIFgfEwR0io4kK8nNBluF/s1600/IMGP8580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCl0qsNHC5uq-h5upRYg8wTBHt3iCTxN12z20Kv0pcCBQs1Z_UgK2P6znT7Facx5OOQVmq4q23s-YRTfMW19j2MNOCMDHMGnfqZ9bwiSPEFUFetGJIUTuNVUSFIFgfEwR0io4kK8nNBluF/s1600/IMGP8580.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little skaters picking up the stuffed animals<br />
thrown to the skaters.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXKr80EunnsPePmJKk5uq6oiBwsH-bbl0jNUIFBl0_PYD0uclb9tiDEBlkZTPQ9_X11Ie-J_cEB0NRozZPXz8RJU3bnOwdQd1sh2Wpyc-0AGeEngw4mWlMDALIYwpaoXUYQ5xghOSO4FD/s1600/IMGP8585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXKr80EunnsPePmJKk5uq6oiBwsH-bbl0jNUIFBl0_PYD0uclb9tiDEBlkZTPQ9_X11Ie-J_cEB0NRozZPXz8RJU3bnOwdQd1sh2Wpyc-0AGeEngw4mWlMDALIYwpaoXUYQ5xghOSO4FD/s1600/IMGP8585.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bear was bigger than the little skater<br />
trying to carry it!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYzub5kiv9qLsuvZSeCYXP5uxwkYnyRqISRj1TFtnWgX8s1zeLo30XAkoYynw9D4WCtM0DnUzC_cCtdx9raHcZ0KWoWqWYXBqSVJy6_r2rguX8McyC46u02tY61qOhQv052b7jUXLTV3Q/s1600/IMGP8633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZYzub5kiv9qLsuvZSeCYXP5uxwkYnyRqISRj1TFtnWgX8s1zeLo30XAkoYynw9D4WCtM0DnUzC_cCtdx9raHcZ0KWoWqWYXBqSVJy6_r2rguX8McyC46u02tY61qOhQv052b7jUXLTV3Q/s1600/IMGP8633.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winners...Russia, Japan and Russia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpG3d2I6TS_ZbM_CFA9_AzgaZFzYINIyIS1HmpBz1gwsB2FTP0bN7kVPSGc74MB4rXCd-8bwr_2DCBGRmvjKQuFHmEcjCN9FlimLYvM9XmwSJbwkkPhpXtBrHl-xXqheLc__LKHszOqtw/s1600/IMGP8634.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXpG3d2I6TS_ZbM_CFA9_AzgaZFzYINIyIS1HmpBz1gwsB2FTP0bN7kVPSGc74MB4rXCd-8bwr_2DCBGRmvjKQuFHmEcjCN9FlimLYvM9XmwSJbwkkPhpXtBrHl-xXqheLc__LKHszOqtw/s1600/IMGP8634.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medals ceremony</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I enjoy going to Shanghai to take advantage of the opportunities </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">"city"</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> has to offer! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And, no, we don't have 4 girls now...we grabbed a friend of LBean's so she could enjoy the day too. Jamie weathered the estrogen, Taylor Swift tunes and figure skating very, very well. We appreciate his dedication to his daddy duties!</span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-74926261274613145602015-03-20T07:59:00.000+08:002015-03-20T07:59:36.145+08:00Avoiding Bitterness: Why Not Knowing is Okay<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“So, you’re moving this summer, right? You’re moving back to the US?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The question that keeps getting asked. A lot. Well, actually we don’t know. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“You mean Jamie doesn’t have a job?!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Well, Jamie’s role during his time in China was to train up a Chinese national to take his position. The time has come for the national to take over and we are excited about this!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Can’t he just go back to the job he left in the US?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Jamie’s company encourages their employees to move roles/positions/jobs every 3-5 years. It is necessary for career development and learning new skills. Jamie’s skills have grown, changed and evolved while we’ve been in China and a different position will be a better fit (just like if he would have been in a role for 4 years in the US).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Is there a job for him?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Well, in a large company it is really about timing. What other people are also looking for their next position within the company and what positions will be </span>available when we think we'll be moving?<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> This is the point that we’re at, looking at what might become available in the next 6 months.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Don’t you want to move back to the US?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sure, that would be great. Family, friends, cheese, driving and Target are all great things about the US.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Don’t you want to have another expat assignment?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sure, that would also be great. We love to travel and there are so many more places to see. The experiences that our girls are having are shaping their world-view in such a positive manner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">“Aren’t you freaking out?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Not yet. I had tea with a friend last week and she mentioned that there were about 102 days between last Friday and their projected move day (at the end of the school year), which is potentially our move date. She was meeting with the relocation people in the afternoon to start assessing their belongings and what it would take to move everything back to the US. One hundred and two days is not long at all!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The conversation with my friend put me in a very reflective mood. I started remembering all the feelings that I had before we moved to China and one of the emotions I had was bitterness. I was excited to move, I was ready for an adventure, I was sad to leave family & friends, but our little family of four wanted to go. We were choosing this. However, as the process got started, emails started rolling in, the continuous stream of calls with lawyers, accountants, packers, etc. I developed a lot of bitterness. I didn’t want to spend my last 8 weeks feeling harassed by my to-do list. I had the distinct feeling that the only thing keeping me from breezily sailing through this move was me. Me not willingly to stay up all hours of the night filling out forms, responding to emails, organizing our things, and marching through the to-do’s. But, I couldn’t escape it and those things had to be done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I wanted to spend the time leading up to the move savoring time with family, enjoying one more round of hugs and laughs with my closest girl friends and giving my girls an extra big dose of Americana to sustain us through the first 6 months of our move.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So for now, from my perspective, if we don’t know where we’re going, then I can’t have a moving to-do list. Frankly, if an international move gets crammed into 30 days, then fine by me because it will be crazy and exhausting no matter how many days I am given.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I’m avoiding bitterness at all costs. Instead, you can find me soaking up all things Suzhou and China and enjoying what time we have left here.</span></div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-38652906265164025142015-03-17T21:13:00.000+08:002015-03-17T21:13:07.339+08:00More Evidence that It’s a Small World<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">
<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you're a faithful reader (thanks mom!) you might remember few posts about small the world can really feel.</span></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Let me think back…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The time we met friends of my parents at an <a href="http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2012/08/bulgogi-ponies-and-waterfalls-jeju.html">international meeting in Korea</a>. My parents' friends next stop was Shanghai. They were meeting in-laws of one of their own children. However, the in-laws they were meeting didn’t actually live in Shanghai, they lived in Suzhou. Hmmm, I’ve heard of that place before! A few years have passed since that realization and it’s fun to chuckle about it because the people they were visiting have children LBean & EBean’s ages and our kids all go to school together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another reminder was just this past fall when our taxi driver on the <a href="http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2014/12/chinas-golden-week-2014.html">island of Borneo</a> had not only been to the US, but had lived in souther Illinois (my home state) for over a year. He had attended flight school at Southern Illinois University.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later int the fall we were in line to board our flight back to Shanghai from southern China and the father behind us nudged his son. He said “Did you tell them?” and his son shook his head shyly. Turns out that they had stayed at the same resort as us in Borneo 6 weeks earlier and they remembered us. (So much for being anonymous while on vacation. My first thoughts were: 1) Had I been yelling at my kids and 2) What had I been wearing?!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In January I was scanning through a Suzhou friend’s FB page. I was helping put together a photo book for her going away party and needed to find some contact information for her friends. As I was scrolling through her friends list it told me if some of my Facebook friends were friends with her Facebook friends (did you catch that?). Most of the friend connections were easy to figure out…people from church, Girl Scouts, housing compounds and other Suzhou-related ties. But then, there were at least 4 or 5 connections that had nothing to do with Suzhou at all. A dear friend of Jamie’s from college (a study buddy that we have camped with on many Labor Day camping trips), one of my good friends from college (we might have passed the time in class by trying to complete the daily crossword puzzle in the Daily Illini), and someone I know only via a Facebook introduction (but she also lives in SE Asia). It was fun to keep discovering the connections. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0MNywO7jdBFq4xNz0317wkaX2EvQ1Bczh1Pm6OOxewTITIkFK-2YixvsjfkMpzZviBt51T6GWZcfDae3IpNBUrDRcaccJgI5PVVXkKuanbHPgEmO1RSPxLVp6GUk1TfI5yQDPB4vZk4x/s1600/IMG_3656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0MNywO7jdBFq4xNz0317wkaX2EvQ1Bczh1Pm6OOxewTITIkFK-2YixvsjfkMpzZviBt51T6GWZcfDae3IpNBUrDRcaccJgI5PVVXkKuanbHPgEmO1RSPxLVp6GUk1TfI5yQDPB4vZk4x/s1600/IMG_3656.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ChinaBean "demonstrating" some<br />of my physical therapy exercises</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Most recently I started seeing a doctor to address some pain in my foot from running. During our first meeting we started chatting and as it turns out, he is also </span>originally<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> from central Illinois (my home state in the US). We grew up within hours of each other. Now I can pretend to be very particular about my health care and say that I will only go see a doctor from my home state. You can do that, even in China!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQs4xutDMeCAzv852DJax2A0eMEAkL7ZBvNJtzmHMAcCYnlnehy6ydDIgunAAUs530aTLg4X98rrG8bp7cvV-ZqvQYrCqJxiiV1UwXRy2fuHRs48NIr_gh0i7BRgXKdu0OetuAbfPFE4k/s1600/IMG_3657_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoQs4xutDMeCAzv852DJax2A0eMEAkL7ZBvNJtzmHMAcCYnlnehy6ydDIgunAAUs530aTLg4X98rrG8bp7cvV-ZqvQYrCqJxiiV1UwXRy2fuHRs48NIr_gh0i7BRgXKdu0OetuAbfPFE4k/s1600/IMG_3657_2.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She is having way too much fun with this!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Maybe instead of seven degrees of Kevin Bacon, it should be the seven degrees of Suzhou?</span></div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-12052156035069494922015-02-12T23:24:00.001+08:002015-02-12T23:26:59.569+08:00Time to Empty the Pantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9itmvVk4c1DzNzgyGlmUcE_LgA2LPXjvBWA0xTaHELRaHPiTydv3FFqQi-NZXSvHST95eWkPwjGUQCMBbdii__eaOEMAM2EKF9IugsNQbzhTbCPT6_ar1TfFIAkkchWUw65MBjLScDgzo/s1600/IMG_3212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9itmvVk4c1DzNzgyGlmUcE_LgA2LPXjvBWA0xTaHELRaHPiTydv3FFqQi-NZXSvHST95eWkPwjGUQCMBbdii__eaOEMAM2EKF9IugsNQbzhTbCPT6_ar1TfFIAkkchWUw65MBjLScDgzo/s1600/IMG_3212.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As an expat I think it’s pretty common to bring back food from your home country. Sometimes it’s because the the same product is just ridiculously expensive-hello $10/box cereal. (I even know one person who would freeze big blocks of cheese and hide them deep in her checked luggage. The cheese would thaw during the flight, but still be cool when she landed.) Or, you stockpile because you just can’t find it in the country you’re living in (mmm, Girl Scout cookies, candy corn, etc.) I also tend to buy multiples of things when they’re either one sale or just randomly happen to be in the store (butterscotch chips).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We think our time in Suzhou is limited, although we don’t know anything for certain. So, I decided that it might be time to start eating from the pantry. A few weeks ago I went to the store, bought $50 worth of food (although not just for one meal, but still) and all I managed to eliminate from my stockpile was a taco seasoning packet. I must rethink my tactics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For anyone who lived with me at 4-H House in college it brings back memories of the end of the semester. If the commissar did a good job managing the finances, we’d have a surplus at the end of the semester, and we’d dine like queens during finals week. Shrimp, steak and other foods we hadn’t eaten for a whole semester. Except for our situation, I foresee a lot of tacos, tea, Crystal Light, lentils and butterscotch cookies in our future!</span></div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-89928550662624853182015-02-01T22:54:00.000+08:002015-02-01T22:54:28.947+08:00Chinese New Year: Married to Spiderman (& Batman)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The year of the horse is ending and the year of the sheep will begin soon. Last night Jamie had his annual dinner at work to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY). We've attended a few of these before...<a href="http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2012/03/enter-dragon-chinese-new-year.html">2012</a>, <a href="http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2013/02/2013-year-of-snake.html">2013</a>, and in 2014 (apparently I didn't blog about that one). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am always so impressed with everyone's willingness to participate in the entertainment. It is common for different business groups at Jamie's company to perform dances, skits or songs and it is taken very seriously. It's great that the expat employees embrace the experience too and take part in the celebrations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year Jamie had the option to perform a dance to a pop song that is very popular right now (Xiao Ping Guo-Little Apple) or dress-up in costume. He voted for the costume. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, I get to tell people that I'm married to Spiderman (and Batman too....flashback to EBean's Children's Day last year.) Have I ever told you about how my husband is such a great sport?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qUsnN4jikMVIZynktC_4KxiwQuF8Zu32gqg8xJALcInNw-TYOOjAiF9KJYbMRao1EENdRTk-2dfLrxV0o58eDA9Y_kemD38VIV_96LXT2f5Wq0GewdIxe9Kh_rUhC0JR3J9F9J1LsTFc/s1600/IMGP6683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qUsnN4jikMVIZynktC_4KxiwQuF8Zu32gqg8xJALcInNw-TYOOjAiF9KJYbMRao1EENdRTk-2dfLrxV0o58eDA9Y_kemD38VIV_96LXT2f5Wq0GewdIxe9Kh_rUhC0JR3J9F9J1LsTFc/s1600/IMGP6683.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making his entrance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHYLEKVNmmx0qyJyW2WREJVJdoHW_5IJ92TOccl5ogJp0pF6KGMBflOSN4FI2WKLWM_1D3sg3fokDaqz2rSB6lxhyphenhyphenhgIWlASXvaJ98PXHqanT0EHZwGdgut72eEr_0TYqq1hraK6oMxZF/s1600/IMGP6694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHYLEKVNmmx0qyJyW2WREJVJdoHW_5IJ92TOccl5ogJp0pF6KGMBflOSN4FI2WKLWM_1D3sg3fokDaqz2rSB6lxhyphenhyphenhgIWlASXvaJ98PXHqanT0EHZwGdgut72eEr_0TYqq1hraK6oMxZF/s1600/IMGP6694.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The big reveal!<br />The employees had to guess the name <br />of the person in the costume.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlQpbkYdi1xI2pdHwVXK-ZNcfRqTg8vfUTbNsExZJLL7c-h3UB3BoYuOf3dWaG4xa7OGgNxeyT62r5BJzqDXJv1FqRXffblLkKjceSlH9v5-dqoYbKCQyjmB7K0XzUryRby9W3ieHbMmO/s1600/IMGP6678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlQpbkYdi1xI2pdHwVXK-ZNcfRqTg8vfUTbNsExZJLL7c-h3UB3BoYuOf3dWaG4xa7OGgNxeyT62r5BJzqDXJv1FqRXffblLkKjceSlH9v5-dqoYbKCQyjmB7K0XzUryRby9W3ieHbMmO/s1600/IMGP6678.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the other expat husbands performing<br />their dance to Xiao Ping Guo. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the husbands (too many to fit<br />into a single picture!)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhuzGfYcHNxMrKwpPvHutt3wvQuQVu7SvbaR8sOQjYQVrSP7e6HQEBM9rVCQtb56MYfJ7A149hhVx-8oli2Ku2D3YXv3UrGOHVRZ6LiZ29pYeK0nvvFxqL7WZgKHbiBnBSdH-NkbL6KjQ/s1600/IMGP6708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRhuzGfYcHNxMrKwpPvHutt3wvQuQVu7SvbaR8sOQjYQVrSP7e6HQEBM9rVCQtb56MYfJ7A149hhVx-8oli2Ku2D3YXv3UrGOHVRZ6LiZ29pYeK0nvvFxqL7WZgKHbiBnBSdH-NkbL6KjQ/s1600/IMGP6708.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The supportive spouses. I'm so glad that these women are<br />also friends.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpqOwU-RnC6aLawiD-DQJaCgHBHfV6zbdjcWjvVmy7-g1iD_Z1xA77FZ9Tf2aEycul4yOrLUHhtAvoVZENnoUAml-vH292PWPftCbQxXvqWJ3XLQ5a2BohGsmq7f7yB1l-aNeoAQJuEgn/s1600/IMGP6728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpqOwU-RnC6aLawiD-DQJaCgHBHfV6zbdjcWjvVmy7-g1iD_Z1xA77FZ9Tf2aEycul4yOrLUHhtAvoVZENnoUAml-vH292PWPftCbQxXvqWJ3XLQ5a2BohGsmq7f7yB1l-aNeoAQJuEgn/s1600/IMGP6728.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy New Year!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-3645504916876522272015-01-27T10:38:00.001+08:002015-01-27T10:38:51.571+08:00Made in the USA<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">In the US the joke is that everything is made in China.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I think there could be several statistics to (nearly) back that claim.</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">But, on two separate occasions, when I have been particularly observant,</span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I have noticed some good ‘ole “Made in the USA” products here on the mainland.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first time was at the girls’ doctors office in Shanghai. One of the international hospitals uses otoscopes that are made in the US.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyFn1dKm1_YyjDR3E44LfX6s_cy-zovndSO7A9mVQ7x-p_c9iWUQLUf9fq1B_3PFzPd2us7c2CdhDZdREwkt5QHiTa3Gje0Tyqb2UerMz2ETsRlfOfpbjPdm2lwlo83DteWe6u7r3iSEn/s1600/IMG_2993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyFn1dKm1_YyjDR3E44LfX6s_cy-zovndSO7A9mVQ7x-p_c9iWUQLUf9fq1B_3PFzPd2us7c2CdhDZdREwkt5QHiTa3Gje0Tyqb2UerMz2ETsRlfOfpbjPdm2lwlo83DteWe6u7r3iSEn/s1600/IMG_2993.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And the second time was this past weekend. At McDonald’s. Near the bathroom. The hand dryers were not only made in the US, but also in my home state of Illinois. You really just never know!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(And, for full disclosure, when I told the girls that their reward for being such good troopers while I dragged them through Old Town was McDonald's, LBean groaned. She really wanted to have sweet & sour pork from Yang Yang's. Sorry missy, mama wanted a spicy chicken sandwich.)</span></div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-72492497590654021512015-01-09T05:48:00.000+08:002015-01-09T05:48:07.409+08:00My Word for 2015<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last January several of the bloggers I follow shared how, instead of making lists of New Year's Resolutions, they chose a word to represent their upcoming year. Maybe as a mantra or a reminder, but something to direct their efforts and new-found enthusiasm at the start of the year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I jumped on the band-wagon and I chose the word </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>steady</b></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">. You can read last year's post here <a href="http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2014/01/now-where-were-we.html">http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2014/01/now-where-were-we.html</a>. Although I didn't wake up every morning and chant "</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>steady, steady, steady</b></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">" or meditate on it, the word was running through the back of my mind. One friend would even reference it for me. Over-all, I did feel steady last year. The waves of life came (house stuff, expat life, heart surgery, months in the US and away from our normal routine, and the general calamity of having three young kids), but the waves did not over-take me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Drum-roll for this year's word please...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b> rest</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Which, as it turns out, is oh-so-hysterical at the moment because it's 5 am and I'm up blogging. I'd really rather be resting, but ChinaBean still has a touch of jet lag. So, when she woke up at 4 am asking for a waffle because she was hungry, she woke me up too. She is now happily sleeping in a cozy bed next to her daddy and I'm up blogging. Oh well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Anyway, looking ahead to 2015 I know there will be epic adventures (trying to soak up all the goodness SE Asia has for us), there will be changes (moving? Probably. Where to? No idea), building a house (maybe), and by the end-of-the year I will have a 9, 7 and 4 year-old. Wait, what?! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In between all that I need to find </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>rest</b></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">. Seek it out, look for it, ask if what I am doing is restful. I want to read more. Enjoy the quiet. Be alone some.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6b1qq_I9Q46cvUHFsnE4zMLzev1hAL5eSvcpF_LQBiqZWjTnsAmz2dCtbGHHsbM2XoT0r1-OWjcI28uhyKx66cKBAIIRFGWHeuU_GUhVYhsy5hbQbAMcIZCEJh_tp-4wP-NFwQHJ3asR/s1600/IT-IS-TIME-TO-REST1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6b1qq_I9Q46cvUHFsnE4zMLzev1hAL5eSvcpF_LQBiqZWjTnsAmz2dCtbGHHsbM2XoT0r1-OWjcI28uhyKx66cKBAIIRFGWHeuU_GUhVYhsy5hbQbAMcIZCEJh_tp-4wP-NFwQHJ3asR/s1600/IT-IS-TIME-TO-REST1.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Found this on: <a href="http://bravegirlsclub.com/archives/10250">http://bravegirlsclub.com/archives/10250</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As for the "not" New Year's Goals that I wrote in my planner last year (I like to think of it more as a running to-do list), I will happily be carrying over the unfinished ones to this year and not add anything new. And, in last January's post I referenced potty-training (done) and pacifiers (done)...I'm calling 2014 a complete success.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, here's to 2015 and a new year! May it be restful for all of us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-38218067060702829892014-12-09T09:10:00.002+08:002014-12-09T09:10:26.109+08:00China's Golden Week 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year for October holiday (the week of National Holiday in China), we decided to go to the island of Borneo. Before this trip, I knew nothing about the island and it had a reputation that I didn't know about. After our trip, I was texting a friend in the US and she mentioned that her grandmother would refer to the "wild women of Borneo". Even recent episode of the BBC show, Downton Abbey, Lord Grantham referred to Borneo.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I believe that the island of Borneo is the third largest island in the world. The northern part of the island where we stayed is governed by Malaysia and the southern part is governed by Indonesia. After doing a bit of research, I think the former practice of head-hunting on the island might have had something to do with its reputation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our visit at the beginning of October meant that there was a good chance that the rainy season might have already begun. And, it had. There were a few days of full sun, but many days it rained. We were thankful for a great hotel with lots of indoor options for fun because we needed it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying some Borneo milk tea.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This look says, "Oh, dad"</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8Bpgk2UJY9WUu8zwiYclQZVK_hSDYrMXHyzpOzdhU9zb8nTP49FDPOQ_eOjfHgVCTY81TUzC_F92-YoAJi2tzO8j_cKtq7CZ6dbTNXsYphKeuVafPk-X5LOKqLQ-SmAnJqpouRRjQits/s1600/IMGP4689.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN8Bpgk2UJY9WUu8zwiYclQZVK_hSDYrMXHyzpOzdhU9zb8nTP49FDPOQ_eOjfHgVCTY81TUzC_F92-YoAJi2tzO8j_cKtq7CZ6dbTNXsYphKeuVafPk-X5LOKqLQ-SmAnJqpouRRjQits/s1600/IMGP4689.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Our hotel had an orangutan rescue center. We were fortunate to see the orangutan's up-close during their morning feeding time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On our way to the sanctuary...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here they come...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see the baby hanging onto the mama?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comparing our feet to the orangutan.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The clouds are rolling in and the rain will begin...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Date night. Jamie and I have decided that going to dinner with fewer than your maximum amount of children constitutes a date night. LBean and EBean partied at the Kids Club while Jamie, ChinaBean and I enjoyed a nice Indian dinner.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmm, Indian food!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We convinced the girls one night to go to</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> a </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">teppanyaki restaurant. They were skeptical at first, but the table-side entertainment and good food won them over. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">LBean sighed and said that it was too bad there weren't these kinds of restaurants in Suzhou. I got to give her the good news that indeed China has it's fair share of Japanese teppanyaki food too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While the rain came down, we found ways to entertain ourselves. We enjoyed games in the kids club and it was even more fun because some friends from school happened to be staying at the same hotel. We took advantage of the activities in the lobby and learned how to make a grasshopper out of a leaf and fold napkins in fancy ways. The hotel also had a nice open-air game room and we introduced EBean to game Jenga and LBean tried to dominate a game of checkers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On our last day in Borneo, when the sun broke through, we made a mad dash to the pool before the rain began again. The water was a bit chilly since there hadn't been enough sun to warm it up, but the girls got over it quickly and enjoyed themselves.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeking up at our room!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On our way back to the airport that evening Jamie struck up a conversation with our Maylasian taxi driver. The driver mentioned that he had been to the US before (I was expecting him to say L.A. or some other major city) and in fact he had been to Illinois. He shared with us that he had gone to school for 18 months in southern Illinois to earn his FAA pilot's license. He had been about 3 hours from where Jamie and I grew up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">What they say is true, it's a small world! </span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-52053662934089818572014-11-06T11:31:00.000+08:002014-11-06T11:31:35.049+08:00I Chose Pink!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Tuesday I had the chance to cross off another item on my bucket list...attend a Melbourne Cup race party and wear a fascinator! It was a really wonderful day and even though none of my horses won, and I didn't win a single raffle prize, I had a great time with some wonderful ladies and friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As you can see, I went with the pink fascinator! I had so much fun shopping for it on <a href="http://mcclintockclan.blogspot.com/2014/10/fascinators-and-other-curiosities-on.html">Suzhou's Wedding Street</a>.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The beautiful ladies at our table</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Me with my friend Shannon</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As an adoptive mama, the highlight for me was listening to where all of the charity money raised at the event was going. An amazing lady from the US, Jenny Bowen, started a charity called <a href="http://halfthesky.org/en">Half the Sky</a> many years ago. Her organization seeks to train caregivers in orphanages how to interact with the children and to enrich their lives. They also set up model preschool and programs to impact the children in a positive manner. Half the Sky has done some tremendous things for the children of China.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The woman below is the current CEO of the partner program in China to Half the Sky. She is holding the book that Jenny Bowen wrote and book that I just happened to read last month. It's called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wish-You-Happy-Forever-Mountains-ebook/dp/B00DB32Q32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415243688&sr=8-1&keywords=wish+you+happy+forever">Wish You Happy Forever.</a> I was a tad bit teary when I realized the speaker's connection to the Half the Sky foundation and that all the charity money would go to this organization. For me, it was the best reason for being at the Melbourne Cup party!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">All smiles with my Australian friend Claire.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The ladies from Building 68! (Our apartment building)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The husbands jumped in too!</span></td></tr>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1413754339485922851.post-90006394663705437232014-10-25T21:55:00.001+08:002014-10-25T21:55:16.040+08:00Fascinators and the Other Curiosities on Wedding Street<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In my mind I have created short bucket list for my time in China and my experience as an expat. This year I am very excited to attend my first Melbourne Cup (horse racing) party with some of the women from our apartment compound and to cross another thing off my list.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Part of my ensemble will include a fascinator, which as my Australian, Scottish & British friends know, is a headpiece. To shop for a fascinator two friends and I headed to Suzhou's Wedding Street to go on a treasure hunt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As the name suggests, Wedding Street is lined with little shops selling wedding dresses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Before my friends and I had started exploring the first alley, this gentleman came up to me and motioned that he wanted to have his picture taken. I was happy to oblige!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We saw all kinds of dresses. Some were very fancy, others were whimsical and a few reminded me of the 1980's.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We did find a handful of shops that sold hats, headpieces, fascinators, jewelry, feathers, bows and costume jewelry. Being in China, the majority of what we found were limited to red (China's favorite color) and white (a now-popular bridal color in China). We did find a few other choices and we enjoyed trying on the pink, purple, blue, black and green fascinators we found.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I felt very Jackie O with this hat/fascinator on. And, I also realized how desperately I need a hair cut. Yikes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A few choices of fascinators...</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJQ7Prg0bGCyW2GBJbkJ4sxj1Vwcj5BJ9dmCBOp9zN5cCDNXiX9CdWKvIV8BFvGy-AT7-vsH6AIoBVe0zCHxGN9FyXJmBkCY9OtI1MksTtML63lqnJhNNDB_9lnW2-e9Ab89e5C6osRI4/s1600/IMGP4985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwJQ7Prg0bGCyW2GBJbkJ4sxj1Vwcj5BJ9dmCBOp9zN5cCDNXiX9CdWKvIV8BFvGy-AT7-vsH6AIoBVe0zCHxGN9FyXJmBkCY9OtI1MksTtML63lqnJhNNDB_9lnW2-e9Ab89e5C6osRI4/s1600/IMGP4985.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Another bridal shop in the row.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It looked like several of the shops had additional dresses on the second floor or were sewing dresses. I took this picture right after someone had thrown a bunch of scrap fabric out the window to someone waiting below.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Feathery and pink, but not my favorite.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I like purple, but I don't think this is "the one".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Peeking down another alley</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And, I now know where the scrap fabric and discarded mannequins go for their final resting place. I only saw two rats as we were wandering around. It's fine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We asked one shop owner about hats and she took us through this little hole between her shop and the one behind. I felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The streets around the bridal shops were just as interesting. Tour buses coming to unload people on their way to visit Tiger Hill, a lady selling scarves, a vendor roasting chestnuts and the hustle & bustle of a busy street.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I ended up purchasing two fascinators, a pink one and a red & black one. I'm not sure which one I'll wear (I need to decide on my dress first). The race is next week, so I need to decide soon!</span>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03307223276376220393noreply@blogger.com2