Thanksgiving Plans

So this year we are having Thanksgiving with our friends, Angie and Brian Kehl. We met them at our one visit to the Brandon Ward, back when we thought that's where we were supposed to go to church. As it turns out, after meeting them just once we really, really like them! They just got back from 4 years in Germany and have 3 kids that more or less match up with our kids.

Grandma and Grandpa Cannon are in town for Thanksgiving and we are so happy to have them here. Originally I had told Lee that I just wanted to have the holidays by ourselves, since he's leaving in April. But then, I thought about it and realized that I really wanted to have the Cannon's with us, to see Lee once more before he leaves for almost a year. It's been a year since he's seen his parents, and I just didn't want one year to turn into 3 because of a deployment. While I wish my parents were here to celebrate, I'm looking forward to lots of visits from them while Lee's away and am already working out my summer trips to visit them in Atlanta. :-)

So, between the three families, we've worked out the following ideas for Thanksgiving:

Turkey (of course0
Ham, because the turkey I had already gotten for free is only 12 lbs.
Green Beans
Sweet Potato Fluff
Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Orange Knots (Angie's family tradition) - sweet knot shaped bread with an orange glaze (You Can Never Have Too Much Bread!)
Cranberry Sauce
Grandma Cannon will make some fancy Jell-O creation :-) (I think whipped cream is involved)
Angie's bringing some sort of cranberry dessert.
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie

Angie and I had a fun time discussing our menu, deciding who will cook what, and talking about our favorite family traditions.

I'm not sure if we'll have enough to eat! Ha! I'm excited to share Thanksgiving with new friends, happy to try new recipes and Thankful for another prosperous and healthy year for my family.

Shanghai Immortal

It's been almost four months since we left Shanghai, yet questions continue to pelt my thoughts like painful showers of hail, unexpectedly surfacing in a random springtime storm. Why are we Stateside again? Why were we uprooted from our home, our life and our friends, without choice? Why are we in this hot place, where winter never comes but fall taunts with false promises that peep quietly around the edge of a distant corner yet never materialize? Why is making friends so painful and hard. Will I ever really find a satisfying rhythm to my life here in Tampa?

Take warning, there will be no glorious moments at the end of this post. No epiphanies of gratitude will frost the edges of my lamentations.

I miss the bustling city, the dirty sidewalks filled with dark haired Asians, the faces of whom I never thought would haunt my waking dreams. I ache for the smells of bread being fried in a cauldron-like container of hot oil, set upon a propane fire. If only I could just walk across the street, greet my favorite fruit vendor with a smile and a receive her traditional greeting of "Have you eaten today?" I want to peruse the selection of greens, smell the tomatoes for freshness, bargain with the vegetable man over his overpriced mushrooms. I want to take a special trip down the canal side street, even though it's not really on my way home, just so that I can go through another vegetable market where they sell my favorite frosting-less Chinese version of cupcakes, which are baked in a dutch oven heated by charcoal. In that market all the vendors, dressed in their many layers of dirty coats, leggings and gloves with the fingertips cut off, would stare at my white face. They would all whisper about the 'outside person', ie, foreigner, that is in their market. I'd smile, ask them in Mandarin what the price is for their spinach, and enjoy the look of shock as they realized that this foreigner not only speaks a little Mandarin, but savors each tone, each inflection which gives meaning to the words that are spoken.

Strawberries aren't in season right now. If I were in China, I'd yearn for a big plump strawberry (because they aren't available in the off season) hand chosen from various baskets to ensure I was getting the very best berries for my RMB. I'd watch the lady dump my chosen basket into a plastic bag. She'd set it on her scale and tell me the price, rounding down to make me feel like I was getting a good deal. Now I just go to Publix, choose the best looking plastic box of strawberries, no matter the season. I won't have a say in the price, and the berries although always available won't taste nearly as sweet and some sort of satisfaction will be lost in the impersonal process of putting them in my cart as I amble down the aisles of the overstocked grocery store, living in the land of plentiful.

I miss my housekeeper. Plain and simply, I loved her help around the house. I loved the freedom of no dishes, no laundry and a break from cooking dinner whenever I pleased. However, to be even more bluntly honest, I miss her companionship. Ying began working in our home when neither she or I spoke even a word of each other's native tongue. Over the course of two years, we learned to communicate. She taught me to speak Chinese, to understand more than just the words, but also the people, the culture and the way of life. She became my closest friend in Shanghai. I find immense satisfaction and joy in serving my family again. My offerings of manual labor fill a void in my soul and bring fulfillment to my life that was undeniably missing while Ying shouldered my burden for two years. I ache for Ying to walk through my front door, smiling and eager to see me.

I miss my Shanghai Branch family. Being an 'outside person' in a city of 18 million Chinese could render you feeling quite helpless and alone, if not for the genuine love and tenderness shown by the members of the Shanghai Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We arrived in Shanghai on a Monday and our first week was so scary and overwhelming. It was such a relief to attend church for the first time the following Sunday. We were welcomed with an exuberance that I have never before experienced. We were invited to dinner, invited for play dates, invited for lunch, invited for just about any sort of social occasion that you can imagine.

Holidays in Shanghai were never a lonely event. Thanksgiving was full of love, laughter and people. The Butters family would invite 50 of their favorite people into their home to share turkey, mashed potatoes and all the traditional dishes, simultaneously sharing their love and friendship. I don't think Thanksgiving will ever be the same for us.

I miss the thrill of searching out a rumored 'Western' restaurant where you hope that just once, the food will be right. Of course, it never tasted like the food at home, but for some crazy reason just exploring the city and chasing down that shadow of a hope was always exciting and fun.

I miss the seafood department at the grocery store, where one could buy anything from live shrimp to live bullfrogs or turtles. Picking out the choicest cut of meat or piece of chicken with your bare hands and 10 of your closest (or not so close) fellow Shanghai residents was always high on the list of exciting things to do on a Saturday. Just in case you're in the neighborhood, NEVER go to Carrefour (the local version of Walmart) on a Saturday. I'd rather have my toes run over by a scooter than go shopping anywhere in Shanghai on a Saturday.

I'm still aching for the sights, smells and sounds of my favorite city. I'm still longing for a crowded subway ride, or eating dinner at a restaurant with my winter coat still on because they don't turn the heat on in the winter. I'm still yearning for a nice long conversation in Mandarin.... hungry for a piece of Chinese bread with salt and chives. I'm still dreaming of a trip to the Science and Technology Museum's subway station, where you can find the city's best fake market.

Shanghai will forever linger in my heart. Somehow it's etched into my soul and has changed me. I think I feel much like someone who has lost a dear friend to death. I know I must move on, I know I must let the ache and anger over leaving go, but somehow am afraid that if i do, I'll forget the city that I loved so much. How do you move on without forgetting? Does the memory of friends and treasured experiences become less important, less vivid or less monumental if you move past the pain and allow it to settle into a mellow warmth in your heart? I'm not sure and I'm terrified to find out.

Morning Ah Ha's

This morning I had a great Ah Ha Moment. As I scanned the kitchen and my family, each one jetting about doing their own private morning ritual, it dawned on me that I'm doing it all wrong. OK, well not ALL of it, but some of it.

Here's my daily cycle:

Get up, get the kids moving.
Start the kids on breakfast or getting dressed, depending on whether or not they are eating free breakfast at school.
Pack lunches.
Hurry to the table to read scriptures.
Get everyone out the door for school so they can arrive 30 minutes early (they REALLY like to get to school super early, don't ask me why).

We either ride bikes or take the car, depending on the weather and the after school activities schedule.
I arrive home to a disheveled home, full of breakfast dishes, clothes from the prior day's ritual nightly shedding for pajamas... newspaper strewn about the living room.... dad's snacks from watching football.... my untidy mess of shoes (I NEVER put my shoes away)... toys randomly mixed with school papers, homework and yet ANOTHER fundraiser paper from school...

I stare at the mess, shrug in frustration at the futile efforts of keeping a tidy house and amble off to my clean bedroom for an hour of watching TV, reading a book or napping.

About 9ish I decide that as much as I want to be a lazy couch potato, it's just not in me to leave a messy house. So I get up and start the day's inventory of to do's. I steadily work my way through house cleaning chores, laundry, grocery shopping, random yet necessary errands and somehow 2:15 comes way too soon and I am back at the school picking up my angels.

We flit from home to play to homework to after-school activities. About 5:00 I start panicking (yes, I do this EVERYDAY!) about what I'm going to cook for dinner, recommitting to getting an earlier jump on dinner tomorrow. Somehow I get dinner together only to play unsympathetic ear to the many and varied complaints from my family about what I have chosen to prepare.

Yesterday's meal was french fries and frozen chicken nuggets, by request from my aforementioned angels. I never put out purely prepared frozen food heated in the oven at 425 degrees for 12-17 minutes, but acquiesced. Lee wasn't thrilled at the prospect, so I made creamed tuna on toast for him, which I  don't really care for, so I made myself a salad. Proud of my ability to please the crowd, I plopped down into my seat at the table only to discover that I had failed to purchase more ketchup, and dinner was on the verge of ruin. Of course, not two bites into the meal, I was allowed the honor of holding audience to the symphony of complaints about the french fries I had chosen to purchase and cook (at 425 degrees for 12-17 minutes). "Mom, you shouldn't buy these french fries next time." "Yeah mom, they're too spicy." "What ARE all those little black things on the french fries mom?" "Mom, do I have to eat ALL my french fries?" "If I don't eat ALL my french fries, can I still eat my Halloween candy after dinner?" You got it folks, somehow, after preparing three separate meals to please the family, I managed to screw it all up!

So, we clean up dinner dishes, I go for a run and come home to find Lee helping the kids with homework (thank you dad!). I set up Family Home Evening, we have our lesson, have ice cream, I scoop Cooper up off the carpet where he has fallen asleep during the lesson, get ice cream dishes into the sink, tuck in the girls and plop down onto the couch with my laptop to watch my shows with ear plugs while Lee watches Monday Night Football. 15 minutes later he is snoring, the TV is blaring and I decide that my bed is a better place to finish my show.

Finally, the day is over. The house is destroyed again. The dishes are only partly done by my sweet children who do the dishes every night, but never quite up to my standards. The table and counters are still littered with crumbs and the sink is half full of pots left to soak (ie, left for mom to handle). The living room is once again strewn with random bits of evidence of the life we live: twizzlers laying halfway out of the package on the table next to dad's recliner, keeping company with a half drunk glass of squirt, separated into layers of squirt and melted ice. Children's socks turned inside out lay in small piles. Half finished book reports echo 4th grader questions in my mind as I walk past; "Mom, do you think this is a good conclusion sentence?" The dog stares at me expectantly as the rest of the house sleeps...."Please take me out, just one last time?" I finally make it to the bedroom, but the cat is reluctant to relinquish his.... no make that MY spot in MY bed. Lights out so that I can listen to the snores of my exhausted husband, who has spent the day working for his family, only to come home and spend his evening doing homework with his kids.

Morning begins again, deja vu like, as we repeat the cycle. So, what's my morning ah ha moment? Before I started writing, my ah ha moment was that my kids should spend part of their morning helping me recover the house. This morning I had them helping me separate dirty laundry. I THOUGHT my ah ha moment was that they should be helping me more. Though I haven't changed that realization, my moment of clarity has shifted, after writing this post.

Here's the amazing Kitty thought for the morning.... none of those daily details that I've so carefully crafted in a written devotion to the disorder in my life are really all that bad. Actually, they aren't undesirable in the least bit!

Waking up to a house full of children means that our life is full of LIFE. Watching kids bustle about the house in seeming disorder and chaos is  a sign of vibrant life, of healthy children. How blessed are we to have healthy, happy children?  Cleaning up breakfast dishes (again!) simply indicates that our pantry is full, our bodies are well fed. We have the means to purchase food for our families and the strength to prepare and serve it. Standing amidst the disorder of the home, shrugging my shoulders and climbing into bed for an hour is only possible for me because my husband works hard to provide for our family, so that I can stay home and be available for my children and husband. If we weren't so well taken care of, I'd simply be leaving the chaos behind closed doors as I too hurried out to join the masses of the work force. Instead, I am able to  pace myself, choosing which tasks to conquer at my own whims and desires. 


Of course it's not all peaches and cream. We take our lumps as they come. I'd rather be in China. I'd rather be soaking up the culture, complaining abou the filthy and smelly city and the rudeness of Chinese people, who for some unknown reason, refuse to conform to my ideas of a polite society. However, the Lord has seen fit to have us here. People keep telling my to Bloom Where You're Planted. Maybe I'm not quite ready to embrace that saying just yet, but at the very least, I can be thankful for the amazing things that the Lord has provided for me and my family.

Halloween in Mayberry

Finally, our last box is unpacked and I have a blissfully peaceful moment (post trick or treating) to sit and blog. It's been ages since I've cracked open the laptop and poured out my soul for the world to lap up in small doses.

I think we've moved to Mayberry, only it's 75% retirees who all hang out drinking together at seemingly every chance they can get. Our first day in the house was met with wonderful well wishers who not only came to welcome us to the neighborhood with plates of homemade bread, but also stayed to talk for 20 minutes and never really left. We discovered that not only are our neighbors nice, but they are sincere and intimate people, who aren't satisfied to just wave as you pass, but instead want to know you and love you.... right from the very start.

Let's begin with out next door neighbors, Joe and Mel Gamboni. Joe is an airline pilot, getting ready to retire. He flies once every two weeks to some far off land, returns a few days later, bleary eyed yet cheerful. His 20 year old son floats in and out of the house, but more often than not (when he's not working or being a part time soldier in the reserves) can be found out in the front yard playing with his half brother and sisters. Mel is Joe's second wife, and is an equally VERY part time flight attendant (maybe gone once a month), also mother to their 7 year old daughter, 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Despite the age difference (Lee and I are guessing 15 years) Joe and Mel are an awesome couple. They are vivacious, friendly and on course to be our next set of close friends. They ordered us pizza the day the moving truck arrived, welcoming us to the neighborhood with Papa John's style! We are so happy to report that not only are Joe and Mel really great people, their children are equally pleasant and a joy to be around. Our kids (Cooper mostly) spend their afternoons floating in and out of the neighbor's house, with both sets of kids alternating between whichever house has the best snack for the day. If Joe's older son is home, they are always next door because he is like a big play toy, constantly wrestling with the boys and teaching them great things like street hockey.

We were invited to the Gamboni's Halloween party and dutifully bought costumes and headed next door to hang out with Joe and Mel. Lee and I are not really the costume type, but figured we'd better suit up to nurture the relationship. Really, we were expecting a somewhat socially painful evening of making lots of small talk with people who really weren't interested in us, but just being polite. Boy were we wrong! As is turns out, the Gamboni's closest friends just happen to be all the neighbors on our street! EVERYONE was from the neighborhood and EVERYONE was at least 50 or older. Early in the evening Lee asked me if we were old enough to be there! If you're thinking this was a dull party because the average age in the house was 60, THINK AGAIN!!!! The music was loud, the party was crazy, the beer keg was flowing, jello shots were passed out and the dancing was rocking the house! Of course, Lee and I enjoyed watching all the crazy folks with a buzz and headed out early to get ready for the following Sunday's 8:15 am meetings (we left around 11 pm).

Joe was 'The Green Fairy', complete with green leotard, green tutu, wings, etc.... Hilarious!!!!

What we didn't realize when we bought our house is that the neighbors on our street are more like family than anything else. Craig and Cindy live across the street. They've got grandkids that are over almost everyday. Craig sits in his lawn chair when he's not tinkering in the garage or doing yardwork, and watches his little 2 year old granddaughter toddle all over the place. Cindy talks to my kids like they're her own. She'll spend 20 minutes talking to you every day if you have time. We love them to pieces. At the party last night, Craig and Cindy and about 3 other couples showed up in white t-shirts decorated with music notes, crazy hair do's, wacky sunglasses and music notes painted on their face.... what were they? LOONY TUNES! In case you were wondering, they all live on our street.

Lee and I were Pocahontas and Woody (the theme was cartoon characters).

Tonight was Halloween. Instead of leaving our candy in a bowl on the front porch while we took the kids out, we left it with the retirees two doors down. They had several tables set out to house candy bowls, pizza, and ice chests full of beer and wine. At least 10 of us left our candy with them and they sat out eating pizza and drinking beer, living it up while handing out a street's worth of candy. We got home around 7:30 (trick or treating is 5-7 strictly in our neighborhood) and the party was just getting started at the candy tables. What a neighborhood!

Here's our ghoulish crew. Eve, the crashed and dead airline pilot (Joe was not impressed!)... Ally the vampire and Cooper the 'Army Guy'.

Mayberry with a twist.........

New Friends

Moving is hard on everyone. I worry about the kids making new friends and fitting in. I worry for Lee, hoping that his new work environment will be a positive one. I worry about settling into our house, about finding the right mix for our lives. Every time we move, the concerns are generally the same, with minor variations.

One thing that I struggle with personally is making new friends. I've found that men are less prone to need intimate friendships beyond their spouse. I hate to generalize and do not in any way mean to say that men don't need friends. However, men get much of their daily social needs met in the workplace. No matter what country, city or state we live in, Lee will always have interactions at work and will always be able to develop relationships in that environment.

Women are creatures of a different nature. We thrive on deep lasting friendships with other women. We need our 'girl time'. We need someone with whom we can talk and talk, even if it's not about anything serious or deep. When you relocate a stay at home mom, it takes a lot of hard work and effort to explore, find and cultivate satisfying relationships.

I think making new friends is a lot like dating. You meet someone you think might be a good fit for your personality and then one of you has to be the brave one- the one who goes out on a limb and makes an invitation to socialize - someone has to ask the other out for a first date, so to speak. Then, you try to find an activity where you can get to know each other, but you choose carefully. If you have young children at home it's a little easier because you can use them as an excuse to socialize, or to end the 'date' if things aren't clicking. After the 'first date', if it goes well, you are left wondering if she liked you as much as you liked her, or vice versa. Should I call her, should I wait for her to call me? How long should I wait? I don't want to be a stalker, after all! It's a precarious process and I've found that you can live in a place for years and never find 'Mrs/Ms. Right'.

I made a new friend today. We sat next to each other at the gymnastics gym, talked politely for awhile and I got up the courage to give her my phone number. She gave me her number but I was too nervous to call. Maybe it's just the action of stepping outside one's comfort zone. Lucky for me, my new friend was bold and called me, inviting me out to lunch. I was a little nervous.... what would we talk about, just the two of us, face to face with no children to hide behind? I couldn't even remember exactly what she looked like, having met her only once.

So I made sure to get to the restaurant a little early, so I could scan all the incoming patrons. I actually worried the night before about this lunch date. Usually I just rely on making friends at church, which is comfortable and safe. Much to my happiness and relief, lunch was so fun! We had plenty of things to talk about, we had a lot of things in common, and we spent over an hour and a half gabbing. Maybe she won't become my new BFF, but it sure was nice to get out of the apartment and make a new friend.

Just an Ordinary Day.... Thank Goodness!

Today was a great day. The weather was perfect! Lee has had a full month's vacation since we arrived in Tampa, using up his vacation time leftover from China. It has been wonderful, hanging out all day with Lee.

This morning we got up together with the kids and dropped them off at school. We then had breakfast together at a tasty little restaurant across the street from the school called The Brunchery. Then Lee dropped me off at a friend's house and he went off for a game of golf. My friend Allison and I took a 6 mile walk, which was invigorating and fun. I really needed some girl time. Lee has been a wonderful companion for the last 8 weeks, but a girl needs her girlfriends! After the walk Allison took me to the golf course so I could pick up the car and go get the kids from their half day at school. It was such a gorgeous day that I decided to walk the mile to the school instead. I had the dog with me, who was completely worn out from her 6 mile walk. She was a bit resistant to the idea of walking back to the car with the kids and actually sat down in protest a few times along the way!

We headed home to swim at the apartment complex. The weather was in the upper 80's - perfect for swimming without getting too hot. I cooked up my first tuna casserole ever, and it was yummy! The kids protested, except Cooper who loved the casserole until he found out it had tuna in it. Mind you, he doesn't even know what tuna is, but it sounded gross so he immediately changed his mind about the macaroni he was eating. It was funny, but also annoying.

After dinner I took Eve and Cooper to karate. Ally wanted to come watch so we each brought a book and sat companionably reading side by side. We came home, checked homework, signed folders, read a story, said prayers, did tuck ins, and finished up a great day. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as uneventfully blissful as today!

Lowry Park Zoo, Tampa FL

Last Saturday I declared that I would not spend another day cooped up in our stuffy little apartment. I did my research and concluded that a visit to The Florida Aquarium would be the perfect (and most affordable) solution to my apartment blues. We spent a lovely two hours at the aquarium and then proceeded to purchase a one year family membership (my affordable activity suddenly wasn't so affordable anymore!).

With our membership paperwork came a blue sheet of paper, listing reciprocating facilities where our membership would gain us various discounts. So for the last week I have been scouring that blue paper for deals. So far we've eaten at two restaurants which each offered a nice incentive and today we went to the Tampa Zoo for FREE. Wohoo! For the month of September, members of the Florida Aquarium receive free entry to Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.

I love this day and age because technology makes our lives so much easier. I was able to peruse the park's website and glean lots of useful bits of information, like the fact that the Zoo has two water parks for the kids to cool off in. So, we started our adventure with a little water play to get nice and cool before trekking through the forests of Asia, the prairies of Africa and the Florida Gulf Coast.





I was initially quite doubtful as to the quality of the zoo, given that our visit began with lots of unsuccessful attempts to find the animals in their habitats. However, as the day progressed, we found lots of fun and unique exhibits.

I think one of our favorite exhibits was Stingray Bay, where we got to hand feed stingrays and touch and feel them in the tank. For the low affordable price of $3, I purchased two shrimp and one small fish (same size as the shrimp) to feed the rays. It was so neat! They actually swam right up to us and took the food right out of our hands. They got really aggressive and splashed quite a bit, which surprised us all!













We also got to give the kids a little lesson on the facts of life.



Eve and Ally's responses were identical "Eeeewwwww!!!!"

We saw manatees, which I had never seen up close before.









We saw some interesting animal interactions:





The kids got to ride the log ride. Ally is my daredevil, through and through. She was ready to go again and again. Eve didn't quite think too highly of the her log ride experience and Cooper was on the fence.





We made friends with a giraffe:



And some goats:









Overall, it was a pretty good day at the zoo. And the best part was getting in free! (Ok, not really the best part, but it didn't hurt my feelings too much...)

There are still a few weekends left in September, so who knows... maybe we'll do it again!

Update on the Baby Deer

You might remember our wonderful experience with the baby deer in my parents' backyard this summer. It was truly a memorable morning for the Cannon kids. My dad recently emailed to say that our sweet friend is alive and doing well. I guess she/he is still paying regular visits to their backyard, but this time she's brought along her mother.











Thanks dad, for sharing these pictures with us. What a magical moment! I'm so thankful we were able to share it with two of my favorite people in the whole world!

Thankful

11+ years ago I married my handsome prince and left the world of unwanted roommates forever. I was SO thankful to never have to share my home with someone I didn't like ever again. For all you previous roommates out there (Tanya, Rebecca, Ernie, Jill, Brian, etc.....) I'm not talking about you.

Likewise, when I got married I left the world of apartment dwelling far, far behind, much to my pleasure. Actually, come to think of it, I don't think I ever did live in an apartment.... with the exception of a few months in San Diego before we got married.

Just a few things I'll be thankful for when we move to our new home and leave our apartment forever:

• A kitchen with a pantry.
• A dishwasher that doesn't just move the food around, but actually cleans the dishes.
• Having an eating area big enough that I can get up from the table without moving the table to get out.
• Not having to store food in my linen closet due to the aforementioned lack of pantry.
• Not having upstairs neighbors, across the hall neighbors, or sharing a wall with neighbors.

In our new house I will be so thankful for:

• A safe neighborhood for my kids to ride bikes in.
• Having enough space to walk without bumping into furniture.
• Living one mile from the elementary school instead of 10 miles away.
• Not having groups of random teenagers hanging out near my front door at midnight.
• A garage, so our bikes don't have to be stored in Cooper's bedroom.
• Not having to carry groceries from the parking lot to the apartment.

Here's a few extreme luxuries I've missed in China and can't wait to have again in our new home:

• Water/Ice dispenser in the freezer door
• Deep freezer for food storage
• 3 car garage for all our toys
• A swimming pool in the backyard
• 2 cars
• A separate room for an office/guest room.

Brandon, FL

So here we are, living in Brandon, Fl ( just outside of Tampa), rudely displaced from our adventures in ChinaLand without even a how do you do. It's been a whirlwind crazy stressed out time that started early July when we were informed that we would be transferred from Shanghai to Tampa in 30 days time. Unfortunately, given that we were in the States at the time, with prepaid non-refundable vacations waiting for us, we couldn't actually start getting ready for the move until flying back to Shanghai, one short week before having to turn around and fly back to Florida, where we had just been vacationing. Exhausting. One word to sum it all up. Bone wearying exhaustion.

The kids and I began the summer mid June in Suwanee, Ga (northeast Atlanta) at my parents house. 10 days later we got the news about our transfer, so I had to go purchase a car, rather than plunk down WAY too much money on a rental car for the summer, as we had previously planned. We then travelled to Hattiesburg, MS to visit my brother and his wife. Usually, I just refer to them as my sister in law's family because she and I are such good friends I almost forget about my sweet brother! (No offense, Ernie) After 9 days in Mississippi Lee flew in to Gulf Port (one hour south) and then we headed to Tampa for some recon work. 3 days in a somewhat lacking La Quinta Inn left us feeling a little grimy (heat + humidity + air conditioner in hotel that didn't quite work= feeling grimy). 7 days of lovely bliss followed at Fort Myers Beach. 7 days of different, but nice vacationing in Pompano Beach ended our sojourn in south Florida. Lee had different flights than the children and I to return to Shanghai, so he headed out via Chicago (I think). The kids and I flew from Miami to Toronto, Toronto to Vancouver, where we spent the night and then finished the trip the next morning to Shanghai. Whew!

Our week in Shanghai was a complete blur of activity. We had a house to pack up, a car to sell, friends to say goodbye to, last minute 'must have' purchases to make, animal transportation to arrange and the list goes on. I struggled with whether or not to bring the kids to China for one last week, but in the end felt that they needed that time for closure. I am thankful that they were with us, even though it was a considerable amount of extra work.

We arrived on Wednesday afternoon in Shanghai. Thursday morning at 9 am I had a 'garage sale' to give away/sell America food and China electronics. Mostly we just gave away a lot of stuff. Friday and Saturday were spent running around town getting things done. Sunday the movers came and we then moved to a hotel for the duration. Right in the middle of all this, our clutch went out on the Chinese car. It took 3 trips to the dealer to get it fixed. On the third trip, I had to yell and scream (literally, my throat was sore for two days) to get the car fixed properly. I had about 20 people gathered around staring at the wai guo ren (foreigner) screaming, yelling and throwing things. In the end, they finally fixed the car and thoughtfully delivered it to me at our hotel.

Somehow, only through the grace of our Maker, we were able to get the house packed up, get the car fixed and most miraculously, get the car sold in a week's time. We didn't even bother to try to adjust to Shanghai time. We all fell into bed exhausted each day at 7:30 or 8:00 pm and we were ALL awake every morning around 3:00 am. It made for a very interesting week.

Flying back to Tampa was also pretty painful. We took a 14 hour flight to Newark, NJ where we spent the night at a not so nice hotel. Luckily for us the hotel had a passable restaurant. Once again, we all fell into an oblivion of sleep by 8:00 pm and awoke at 3:00 am with nothing to do but wait for daylight to break. I can't even describe feeling so tired that you are so dizzy that you are worried you will fall over. We had to maneuver 10 suitcases through the airport at each on of our connecting flights. When you are that tired, dealing with the suitcases, customs, baggage claim, shuttles to hotels, dinner and tired kids is an actual nightmare....a living breathing waking nightmare. I shudder to recall the horror!

I took my first taxi in America in over 25 years when we arrived in Tampa. The nice gentlemen called us a mini van taxi, which we crammed full with all our luggage, two sleeping kids and one tired mom. Lee and Ally rented a car and met us at the apartment. My taxi driver was a Chapel Hill graduate, class of 1992, and immigrant from Africa. He was a crack up and at least he was nice and energetic the whole drive home. Eve and Cooper slept through it all and I ended up carrying them both asleep on my shoulder through the hot parking lot into our new temporary apartment.

Whew! What an experience this summer has been.

I'm still tired. I'm still worn out. I'm still not ready to be in Tampa. I'm still longing for Shanghai.

We've found a house, put in an offer and it's been accepted. We go to enroll the kids in their new school on Monday. School starts Tuesday. We've spent the last week house hunting, getting physical examinations done on all three kids so they can enroll, furiously faxing requests to previous doctors for shot records.We've shopped for school supplies, we've shopped for school shoes, more than anything we've taken the dog out to pee since we no longer have the freedom of turning her out into the fenced in yard.

Tomorrow is Sunday and I am looking forward to a day of rest in our little apartment. Looking forward to no realtors, no houses to view and no more online hunting through endless piles of real estate listings.

Trip to the Everglades

As much as I hate to admit it, I've been a fan of CSI: Miami for a long time. Granted, I stopped watching it two years ago when we left the US, but still. I know the characters are cheesy, the plot unlikely (and that's being generous) and the storyline incredibly predictable, but I like it. The biggest reason I love watching CSI:Miami as opposed to the other CSI shows is it's setting. I love all the scenery, love the beach scenes, love the helicopter shots of downtown and especially love all the Everglades scenery.

So, when we decided to take an airboat ride in the Everglades, I was pretty darned excited. We spent the week in Ft Lauderdale, which is on the northeast side of the Everglades. I researched, researched and researched some more to find the perfect Everglade tour for us. What I found was that because of our location, the tours within easy driving distance were all very, very touristy and designed to move the maximum amount of bodies through in as little time as possible. I think we would have really enjoyed taking a more in depth tour, maybe canoe rides and camping, but alas - it will have to wait for another day.

So, we piled into an airboat with 20 of our closest tourist friends and took a very well oiled 30 minute tour through the sawgrass rivers with a tour guide who repeated the tour, word for word at least 12 times each day.

Oh well, it was still pretty stinking cool! We saw 3 or 4 alligators, including a brand new baby about 2 weeks old. Our tout guide told us to keep our eyes open for the baby, that it was about 12 inches long and hard to see, and low and behold our own Ally was the first one to spot him!

All the alligators that we saw were within the first 5 minutes of the tour. They were 'tame' alligators, meaning that they have been trained to come up to the boats in search of treats. It was still pretty cool to see them swimming through the water up to our boat.

We had a tough time getting shots of the kids in the boat because it was crowded, and they are short. :) But Lee managed one of me!

The pen behind Lee and the kids had at least 10 alligators or so. There were some pretty big ones!

This bird was also trained to come get treats. He followed us around on the boat. He was sitting about 5 feet from where I was sitting on the boat.

It was so hot, we were all sweating by the end of our 1 1/2 hour time on the gator farm. After the boat ride Lee actually asked my if my shirt was wet from sweat or did I get splashed on the ride. Ha! I just sweat a lot!

Hopefully sometime soon we can go back down (in the fall, preferably) and camp in a less touristy part of the swamp. I found a few really cool 'ecotours' where you can have a guide go with you. I'd love to slink through the swamp on a quiet canoe! We'd better be sure to bring our bug spray!

State of the Union

I've decided that you can pretty well judge the general state of affairs by your experience traveling the 'friendly skies'. I use the term 'friendly' ever so tenderly and with the utmost regard, of course. As I sit in my cramped assigned seat across the aisle from my children flying Air Canada from Miami to Shanghai, I sit reminiscent of things past and things longed for.

One of my favorite genres of fiction is historical fiction, particularly novels about the simpler pioneer days. I love Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series as well as Gerald Lund's historical fiction The Work and The Glory series . L.M Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables is also among my favorites, to be read over and over again. What I love about these books is imagining a world where people were intrinsically polite and friendly. How different would my life be if I could trust my neighbors, leave my doors unlocked at night or let my children roam free to play without a watchful eye glued to their little bodies in an effort to safe guard their innocence and safety? I love to lose myself in stories of service and a higher law of ethical purity and morality. I also love to picture the days when our money actually held a reasonable value.

My day started out with a 45 minute drive to long term parking, where our car will remain for 11 days while we return to Shanghai to say goodbye to friends, our sweet ayi and to tie up our lose ends. The kids and I took the shuttle to the airport, navigated today's modern mystery of checking in and going through security and sat down to a delicious and nutritious meal of McDonald's (for the discounted price of $22.96... 3 happy meals and a salad). I bought 2 packages of gum, two small bags of candy and a Runner's World magazine for another steeply discounted price of $15 (can you hear the sarcasm dripping, oozing and running freely?)

Just $93 and change later (parking fees included) we boarded the airplane. At the risk of being tactless here, I'm going to tell you that we spent over $5,000 on our tickets from Shanghai to the States. That's A LOT of money! That's more than most citizens of the great nation of China make in an entire year! While I am thankful to Lee's company for sending us home each year, I am speechless over the cost.

As we settled into our seats, we listened to the flight attendant going through her safety announcement, followed by her announcement for the price of food on board, followed by the price for headsets, alcohol and finally, if you are cold please allow us to serve you by selling you a blanket and pillow. I only heard part of the announcement.... feeling slightly irritated over having to purchase a crappy meal onboard. Cooper begged for $3 headphones. I could hardly refuse, knowing that we have a long journey ahead of us and that because Ally and Eve already had headphones, I could not deprive him of the same treatment. So, I handed the flight attendant a $5 bill,again irritated that something that once was free now costs money. I was politely told that they do not accept cash, only credit cards. GRHHHHH. A short amount of time passed and Cooper asked for a blanket. We had packed our blankets in our suitcases to make our transition during the 48 hour trip and the three airports we would go through a bit easier. Much to my disappointment and anger, when I requested a blanket I was told it would be $3, please. That's when I told my flight attendant just how pissed off I was that I could spend over $5 grand on airline tickets, have the first two flights delayed by a total of 8 hours, causing me to spend the night alone with 3 children in a hotel, without a how do you do from the airline, only to be charged for every last iota of service that should be included in an airline fare to begin with! To which she smugly replied "I'm sorry ma'am, that's just our policy". The outrage! If I could have thrown something at her, I probably would have. Shortly thereafter, she approached me at my seat, apologizing for the policy and then telling me that my yelling at her "was not appreciated". I apologized for getting upset, but explained that even though she was 'just doing her job' by telling me I'd have to buy a blanket, that it is also part of her job to field concerns, explain policy with a calm and polite manner, as well as to help ticketed passengers be comfortable and satisfied.

Here's where I say that the general state of our miserable existence is evident in the simple experience of being a passenger aboard ANY airline in this current day and age. I know, I know..... It's a little melodramatic to say 'miserable existence', but I'm feeling just a little low right now. I'm afraid of repatriation. I'm afraid to return to the US, where everything costs an arm and a leg. Try taking your family ANYWHERE halfway interesting without spending $100 easily. Don't dare to go out to a restaurant with 2 adults and 3 kids. There's another $50 big ones! To say I am scared is an understatement!

I'm disappointed with the fact that there are NO Customer Service standards in our world anymore. When was the last time you had a concern actually taken care of satisfactorily when you called a call center? Was your call even answered by someone who speaks English as a first language? Was that person even located in the US? My flight attendant offered a customer comment card, which I gladly accepted, thinking that at very least, I could write down my frustrations. She delivered a card with a website address written on it. Great, just one more way that I can be ignored. This way, it goes through cyberspace where there is no accountability whatsoever.

I want to live in a world where neighbors are friendly, people know each other's names,where our children are safe from evil doers. A place where common courtesies are extended on an every day basis, rather than as an exception to normal human interaction. I want to live a life in which treating a customer with respect is not going above and beyond the call of duty, but merely the way things are. I pray for the day to return where children are polite and respectful to their elders because their parents raised them to be that way. I'm feeling a bit disenchanted with the state of the world today... even a bit helpless to change it, a bit as though I am in a sea of unending waves, crashing one after the other that I will never be able to rise above. Is our society disintegrating at such an exponential rate that nothing can be done to save it? IS teaching our children and raising them to be amazing people enough to combat the throngs of parents who don't do the same? I used to feel that, as an American, I had the freedom and the power to overcome and attain anything I dared dream of. Where did that empowerment go? Can we really stop the downward spiral? Obviously no matter how many tea parties we organize, despite the throngs of people who may amass to protest current political movements, no matter how many times I fill out the customer survey, no matter how many times I ask to speak to a supervisor..... no matter the effort, it seems as though it is out of my hands.

Now I realize that this blog post is particularly negative. The blogging culture is generally one of "Look What We Did Today!" "Wohoo! We're Having a Great Life!" or "Look at my Cool Kid's Awesome Achievements!". Most of my blog posts play out that way as well. I love bragging on my kids, bragging on my husband and even on myself. Blogging is a great outlet for me. While I realize that we generally don't put all our emotionally difficult trials out on public display for the world to see, those trials are a huge part of who we are. You are bound to see more of my struggles laid naked to the world in the ensuing months. That's not to say that I'll be poring my heart out, sharing my most intimate thoughts or airing the proverbial skeletons in my closet. I just plan on getting a bit more 'real' with my posts. I have a feeling life is about to get a little bumpy as we transition back to life in the States!

Out of Order Blogging

I've been know to be a bit feather brained at times..... a bit harried, even a bit of an airhead, depending on the day and situation (I SWEAR having babies destroys brain cells!). So, here's a little out of order blogging.

We spent a week (in July) in Mississippi with my brother and his beautiful wife, Rebecca. They have 4 gorgeous kiddos, little Erne -age 9, Nigel -age 7, Emmaline -age 6, and Max -age 2. Just like Rebecca and I were best friends in college and have been inseparable ever since, the Cannon cousins and the Smith cousins were a tight bunch of kids the whole week.

The week was filled with trips to the library, Happy Hour at Sonic, riding bikes around the neighborhood, watching movies ordered from Netflix (this was new to my kids) and most widely enjoyed: swimming at the neighborhood pool. We have swum in years past with the Smith clan, but this year was the most enjoyable by far because 6 out of the 7 cousins can swim now. We spent almost every day swimming, sunning and snacking poolside.

Max was looking tre chic in his goggles, floaties and life vest. He was feeling CONFIDENT!

Here's a karate kick from Cooper!

Nigel, chilling poolside.

These girls were in hot pursuit of this neighborhood boy riding a yellow whale.

Aunt Rebecca, sporting her UGA hat and sunglasses. Looking good!

To say that the week was 100% relaxing would be misleading, to put it mildly. With 7 kids in the house, all 9 years old or younger, we had our hands full. There were varied altercations between cousins every now and then. Mealtimes were not necessarily quiet. Getting everyone loaded up to go anywhere was a chore and a half! But the end result was well worth the effort. What a fun bonding week for the cousins and parents alike! Big Ernie and I got to go on a brother sister 'date' and enjoyed an evening of sushi and a 'tour' of Hattiesburg. Rebecca and I tried our hand at a girls night out, only to find that the movie we wanted to see was sold out. So, without missing a beat we detoured to Chili's (my favorite restaurant) where we shared Skillet Queso and dessert. Yummy! Of course, we gabbed and gabbed (but when do we not?)!

Lee flew into Gulf Port, MS towards the end of the trip. The next day Rebecca took us to Ernie's plant and Lee and I got to tour the factory. Unfortunately Ernie was out of town on business :-(, but he arranged for a foreman to give us a tour. I had no idea that my brother had such an amazing job! So much responsibility and so much to manage! Wow! I was blown away and MEGA impressed.

I just wish that I had taken more pictures of the cousins playing together. Thanks for a great week Ernie and Rebecca! We love you guys!

Falling Off the Wagon

I've been doing so good.... I vowed that I wouldn't go crazy this summer eating all the wonderful rich American food that I love so much. I've done pretty well so far. I've maintained some semblance of order, exercising at least 3 times a week. I'm sure one day of freedom won't destroy me for life, but if any one day was my day to splurge, yesterday was it. I started the day with Krispy Kreme Donuts.... my absolute favorite ever. I drove 15 minutes each way just to get to the shop and proceeded to eat 3 on the car ride home. YUMMY!!! I rationalized telling myself that I would have a very healthy lunch FOR SURE. Then, hanging out at the pool while Lee golfed, I overheard a group of families discussing plans to order pizza for lunch. I decided that would be a perfect solution for our lunch needs. So, away I went with 3 pieces of pizza. Where did my self control go? It was perfectly lovely, eating perfectly delicious pizza in my swimsuit, lounging in the sun. OK, strike two. Dinner time rolls around and we decide to treat the kids to Olive Garden because they have been asking since we arrived in the US 5 weeks ago. Can ANYONE eat healthy at Olive Garden? Those breadsticks are to die for, the fettucini alfredo is my all time favorite at Olive Garden.... Steee rike 3!!!! But it was one delicious day, though. :-) Oddly enough, I feel no guilt whatsoever.

Blue Skies; Lazy Drifting; Ocean Breeze Dreaming

We spent two days digging trenches and building castles.

The kids were digging "their rooms", as in a bedroom for each of them.

They somehow hoped to fill the trenches with water and got so frustrated when the water disappeared!

I spent HOURS building these two sand castles and in the end, they weren't nearly as impressive as I thought they should be!

In the end we had to fill in all the trenches because the sea turtles were nesting and it was dangerous to them to leave any holes of any sort.

Go To Your Happy Place

After what felt like an eternity of house hunting in Tampa, it would be putting it mildly to say that we needed a break from reality. A 12 hour drive from Hattiesburg to Tampa with our three kids was only the beginning for both children and adults alike getting sick of being in the car. Day #2 was spent driving around Tampa to get a feel for the area. It began with 2 hours in a clinic for Ally's swimmer's ear infection and ended with a tired crew of kids, tired of being in the car with absolutely no destination. Day #3 was spent with a realtor who, although touted that being born and raised in Tampa (she was in her early 50's) couldn't even give us directions to her house! We spent an hour waiting for her to map out our day's search and that was just the beginning of our ill fortune with Donna. Day #4 was Sunday, so we went to church and then visited model homes, putting the kids through yet another grueling day of boring grown up stuff, where they weren't allowed to yell, run, play or relax. By the end of our sojourn in Tampa, the grown ups were equally exhausted and frustrated. On Day #5, we loaded up the car (no small feat) and were off to Ft. Myers Beach for a week of fun and sun.

I think I speak for our entire family when I say we were in great need of a get away. Having just received the news only 2 weeks prior that we were being transferred from Shanghai to Tampa, we were all feeling the stress and worry associated with making such a big transition with only one month's notice.

We arrived around 4 PM, tired, disheveled and somewhat irritated with one another. It was with a huge sigh of relief that we greeted our vacation house.

We rented the upstairs of the 'Glass House' and were thankful that there were no tenants on the bottom floor during our week stay. Here's the view from our patio:

The house is located on a little island called Little Hickory Island. It is one of many in a string of islands running parallel the west coast of Florida. Because it is a little out of the way, it allows for quiet and uncrowded beaches.

Our neighbors to the right were quite interesting to observe. After 2 or 3 days of trying to figure out this family, we finally talked to them, learning that they meet at the beach every year as a family. Because each child is grown with families of their own, they spend a week at the beach, coming and going as their schedules allow. At any given point there were 8-14 people at the house, speaking a medley of Spanish and English, tinged with Cuban and Ecuadorian accents. Ally asked one day "Mom, just how many people ARE there in that house?"

We spent the week sunning:

Swimming:

Playing in the sand:

And even found time to fit some good old fashioned grilling into the mix:

Where the kids and I found relaxation and our slice of paradise on the beach, Lee found his quiet joy on the golf course. When I met Lee, his passion outside of work was golf. Year by year, he slowly relinquished his free time (bit by bit) to raising children, meeting the demands of his wife and keeping up with the house, lawn and the Jones' in an exhausting effort to maintain an equilibrium. Happily, dad was able to get back to the basics by spending a couple of afternoons hitting a little white ball around a really well manicured field! Yeah Dad!

We live in a world filled with distractions. The world our children are growing up in is vastly different than the one we remember. When I was a child it was safe to roam the neighborhood unsupervised for hours. My mom could leave me in the car while she ran into the grocery store. It was safe for me to stay home alone. In our modern and technologically advanced world even the precious innocence of childhood is no longer sacred and we must protect their virtue with a vicious vigilance. So with utmost sincerity I say: Cling to your families, cling to their innocence. Cherish the time you spend with them. As a family, find your happy place and savor everything that makes that place special. Our next step is to take our home, wherever it may be, and ensure that it is our Happy Place.