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!