Saturday, October 13, 2007
This Morning
This morning I walked out into the livingroom to find this:
One of Melanie's friends just sorted through all her little girl's stuff and got rid of all the stuff her daughter no longer uses. So, Haley was the lucky recipient of a lot of fun new toys and clothes. She was having fun just hanging out with her new stuffed animals.
One of Melanie's friends just sorted through all her little girl's stuff and got rid of all the stuff her daughter no longer uses. So, Haley was the lucky recipient of a lot of fun new toys and clothes. She was having fun just hanging out with her new stuffed animals.
Recent Happenings
I have tried about 5 different times now to load pictures on my blog and it hasn't allowed me to. Very frustrating. I have had several blog entries floating around in my head the past several weeks that I haven't been able to post because I don't have time to load pictures. Then, when I finally have had some time, it wouldn't allow me to. Aaaargh.
I still have lots of pictures from our trip to Hong Kong, some of Haley just being cute, Britton's first soccer game, and various other things from our daily life. I don't really like doing blog entries without pictures, but I will for today and then hopefully whatever the problem is will somehow magically fix itself so that I can post pictures.
*Work is going well. Jason subbed for someone on my team two days this week, so that was really fun getting to work together. He taught a lot of the same kids that I teach and now he has a better idea of what I do all day and he can put faces to some of the kids I always tell stories about. When my co-worker got back on Thursday she said, "It was probably romantic being able to work with your husband the last two days." I don't think I would describe it as romantic, but it was really fun. He even stayed after he was done on Wednesday to help me with Girl's Sports. I think the girls really liked that.
*Britton got to be the "line leader" at school one day this week. His teacher told me about it when I picked him up and Britton just smiled. I think he has finally adjusted to the school routine. He is doing a lot better.
*Haley has such a good imagination. I catch her talking to herself or acting things out all the time. She has an imaginary friend that is a baby named Kayla. On numerous occasions when we step out of the elevator and the doors close, she has started crying, "Kayla is still on the alligator." (She calls the elevator the "alligator". I think it's so cute so I rarely correct her.) Anyway, so we have to call the elevator back and wait for Kayla to get off. There have also been days when Kayla is "lost" so we all have to search our whole house for her imaginary baby. She sure keeps things interesting.
*Today was Britton's first soccer game. He is on Team Italy. Jonas and Owen are also on his team. They had so much fun. I really like the league they are playing in. The fields are pretty small , but I think it's perfect for their age. They play two 20-minute games each Saturday. It will be a fun thing for the next couple of months.
*We are officially addicted to "The Office". I know everyone else in America has loved the show for years now, but we never started watching it. It's been fun to be able to watch the seasons all in a row without having to wait in between. We just finished Season 3 today, though, so now I don't know what we'll do. There were so many times that Jason and I laughed so hard we were crying. If you have any suggestions on good shows, let me know. The seasons are so cheap here and it's great being able to watch a whole season of something.
*We went swimming several times this week. I love that we are able to still swim in the middle of October. The weather is great now--not too hot, but still really nice.
*Thursday was Jason's birthday. We got to go out on a date by ourselves which doesn't happen very often these days. We ate at a Thai restaurant here that we really like. It was fun to just be able to eat and relax without worrying about how my kids are acting. Thanks Mel for babysitting!
I still have lots of pictures from our trip to Hong Kong, some of Haley just being cute, Britton's first soccer game, and various other things from our daily life. I don't really like doing blog entries without pictures, but I will for today and then hopefully whatever the problem is will somehow magically fix itself so that I can post pictures.
*Work is going well. Jason subbed for someone on my team two days this week, so that was really fun getting to work together. He taught a lot of the same kids that I teach and now he has a better idea of what I do all day and he can put faces to some of the kids I always tell stories about. When my co-worker got back on Thursday she said, "It was probably romantic being able to work with your husband the last two days." I don't think I would describe it as romantic, but it was really fun. He even stayed after he was done on Wednesday to help me with Girl's Sports. I think the girls really liked that.
*Britton got to be the "line leader" at school one day this week. His teacher told me about it when I picked him up and Britton just smiled. I think he has finally adjusted to the school routine. He is doing a lot better.
*Haley has such a good imagination. I catch her talking to herself or acting things out all the time. She has an imaginary friend that is a baby named Kayla. On numerous occasions when we step out of the elevator and the doors close, she has started crying, "Kayla is still on the alligator." (She calls the elevator the "alligator". I think it's so cute so I rarely correct her.) Anyway, so we have to call the elevator back and wait for Kayla to get off. There have also been days when Kayla is "lost" so we all have to search our whole house for her imaginary baby. She sure keeps things interesting.
*Today was Britton's first soccer game. He is on Team Italy. Jonas and Owen are also on his team. They had so much fun. I really like the league they are playing in. The fields are pretty small , but I think it's perfect for their age. They play two 20-minute games each Saturday. It will be a fun thing for the next couple of months.
*We are officially addicted to "The Office". I know everyone else in America has loved the show for years now, but we never started watching it. It's been fun to be able to watch the seasons all in a row without having to wait in between. We just finished Season 3 today, though, so now I don't know what we'll do. There were so many times that Jason and I laughed so hard we were crying. If you have any suggestions on good shows, let me know. The seasons are so cheap here and it's great being able to watch a whole season of something.
*We went swimming several times this week. I love that we are able to still swim in the middle of October. The weather is great now--not too hot, but still really nice.
*Thursday was Jason's birthday. We got to go out on a date by ourselves which doesn't happen very often these days. We ate at a Thai restaurant here that we really like. It was fun to just be able to eat and relax without worrying about how my kids are acting. Thanks Mel for babysitting!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Tuesday Tell All--Can't Live Without It
Today we are supposed to write about something we can't live without. The first thing that popped into my mind was my Aiee. She is great. She cooks and cleans and watches the kids. I had all of last week off, so we gave her the week off too. We got home from Hong Kong Thursday night and the next few days we felt helpless without her. (Okay, maybe not helpless, but we would have appreciated having her around.) She is a really good cook and already we crave the things that she makes. There were several nights when we were tempted to call her to see if she would just come cook for us. It seems kind of pathetic, I know.
And I really appreciate the fact that she does all the laundry. In the few days that she had off, it seemed like I was doing laundry the entire time. We had all the laudry from our trip and then Haley wet the bed one night so we had all the sheets and blankets. Our dryer is so small and it takes a really long time to dry everything. So, I had to hang things out on the balcony and in our laundry room to start them drying while I waited for the dryer to be done with the other things. Anyway, I did get all the laundry done, folded, and put away, but it took the whole weekend. I was proud of myself for not leaving it for her to do Monday morning.
Boy, have I gotten lazy in just a few short months.
And I really appreciate the fact that she does all the laundry. In the few days that she had off, it seemed like I was doing laundry the entire time. We had all the laudry from our trip and then Haley wet the bed one night so we had all the sheets and blankets. Our dryer is so small and it takes a really long time to dry everything. So, I had to hang things out on the balcony and in our laundry room to start them drying while I waited for the dryer to be done with the other things. Anyway, I did get all the laundry done, folded, and put away, but it took the whole weekend. I was proud of myself for not leaving it for her to do Monday morning.
Boy, have I gotten lazy in just a few short months.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Day 1--Hong Kong
Most of our first day in Hong Kong was just getting there and getting situated at our apartment. We took a bus from Clifford to Nansha where we got on a ferry to Hong Kong. The ferry was fun for the kids. We rode over with Mel and Shane and family. 
Once we were there, we had to figure out how to get to our apartment. We found a 2 bedroom apartment that the owner rents out by the night. The manager met us at the MTR stop and checked us in. Our room was on the 23rd floor so we had quite a nice view. 
We met Melanie and company for dinner at Dan Ryan's. It was nice to have some American food. Then we shopped around a bit and then went for a tram ride up to the Peak. We did the tram ride after it was dark and it was really amazing. It is such a good view. Definitely worth the long wait in line.
Monday, October 01, 2007
We're in Hong Kong!!!
We're in Hong Kong and we absolutely love it. It's such a neat city. It has a lot of the things that we miss about home (ie good American restaurants), but it's still China. It's fun seeing all of the British influence here--driving on the left side of the road, lots of people speaking English, tons of foreigners.
I will write about our trip in more detail when we get home and I can download pictures.
Yesterday, the theme for the day was probably transportation. We took all kinds of different forms of transportation. It was fun for the kids. We started off on a bus, then took a ferry, then a taxi to our condo. Then, throughout the day, we rode on the metro, 2 other ferries, a double-decker bus, a tram, and another taxi. So much fun.
I will write about our trip in more detail when we get home and I can download pictures.
Yesterday, the theme for the day was probably transportation. We took all kinds of different forms of transportation. It was fun for the kids. We started off on a bus, then took a ferry, then a taxi to our condo. Then, throughout the day, we rode on the metro, 2 other ferries, a double-decker bus, a tram, and another taxi. So much fun.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Mid Autumn Festival
On Tuesdy, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival. It corresponds with the full moon and, I think, the fall equinox. There was a big festival here at Clifford Estates. There were fun carnival games and those big, blow-up bouncy castle things for the kids to play on. A lot of the Chinese teachers were in charge of booths with games for the kids. Britton got to see his teacher and play her game. It was hard for him though because he had to pick up little bead things with chopsticks and place them on a paper. He tried really hard though.
There were tons of booths that were selling all kinds of different things. Britton bought a two-sided light saber that also comes apart in the middle so it can be 2 light sabers. It was fun just to be out as a family in the evening. 
Suite Life
We live in a hotel. There is a front desk and a lobby and people to open the door for you when you walk in or out. There's even a breakfast buffet service every morning in the lobby. About half of the teachers and their families live in our building and the other half live in another hotel in a different part of Clifford Estates. So, on each floor, there are one or two apartments that people actually live in and the rest are hotel rooms. Sometimes there are big conventions so there are a lot of people staying and the lobby is full and the elevators are crowded. But, mostly, it's just the regulars--the teachers and the hotel staff. It's actually really fun. It reminds me a bit of "The Suite Life of Zach and Cody". My kids have little inside jokes with the people at the front desk. And they are friends with all the other kids here and just go from floor to floor on the elevator seeing who's available for playing. There's one guy at the front desk that is really friendly and loves playing with my kids. He jumps out from behind the desk and yells, "Haley!" when she walks by. And if he ever comes up with repair men to our apartment (which has happened almost daily lately while we're getting our new internet hooked up), he chases Haley around and plays with her. He also has little jokes that he does with Britton everyday. It's fun to have people you see everyday who are friendly and nice and greet you with a smile. They are so helpful when we have questions about things. We are really spoiled here.
What Not to Wear
Our elevator has mirrors on all sides, so it gives you a 360 degree view of yourself. It reminds me of the show "What Not to Wear" when they make the person put on their clothes and go into that room of mirrors and see exactly what they look like from all angles and directions. So, everyday, as I'm leaving for work, I get to check myself out in this way. Unfortunately, probably most days I would qualify for going on the show. I really need to get some new outfits for my wardrobe.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
I'm such a nerd sometimes.
Last night I had a dream about the electron transport chain and making ATP out of ADP. Weird. I have not thought about those things in years. The worst part is when Britton came in and woke me up from the dream, I was actually really disappointed that I couldn't keep dreaming about it.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Girl's Night Out
Last Saturday night, Melanie, Rina, and I went out for a Girl's Night Out. First, we went to the hot pot restaurant. It's a really fun place. There are big pots of boiling broth in the middle of the table and then you order meat and potatoes and other vegetables and things to cook in the pot. It's really fun and I end up eating a lot of things that I normally wouldn't even dare try--like lots of different kinds of mushrooms and tofus. It takes quite a while so it's a fun place to just hang out and talk.
Second, we went and got manicures and pedicures. This was my first time ever doing this in my life. I know, it's hard to imagine. I am a very ticklish person and my feet are my most ticklish part so I don't really like people touching them. And it was really hard to not just pull my foot away while the lady was washing and smoothing out my feet. There were a few times when my whole leg flinched because it was tickling me so bad. I had to hold my leg down. It was pretty funny. The manicure was great though. I really liked the results of both though so I may try to do it every so often, even though it is hard for the pedicure part.
After that, we went to get ice cream cones from the grocery store. Mmmmm.
Second, we went and got manicures and pedicures. This was my first time ever doing this in my life. I know, it's hard to imagine. I am a very ticklish person and my feet are my most ticklish part so I don't really like people touching them. And it was really hard to not just pull my foot away while the lady was washing and smoothing out my feet. There were a few times when my whole leg flinched because it was tickling me so bad. I had to hold my leg down. It was pretty funny. The manicure was great though. I really liked the results of both though so I may try to do it every so often, even though it is hard for the pedicure part.
After that, we went to get ice cream cones from the grocery store. Mmmmm.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
My Dancing Princess
I just love this picture of Haley! This morning she made me move our coffee table so that she could twirl around and dance while she watched her Barbie movie, "12 Dancing Princesses". When we bought it, we didn't realize that it was in Chinese, but she doesn't mind one bit because she can still dance along with the girls in the movie.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Another Game of Tag
I copied this meme from Wendi's blog. It was fun to think back to what I was doing. And I tag anyone who wants to do it.
1.) What I was doing ten years ago: September 1997, Provo, UT--I had been in the MTC for about a month with about a month to go. I loved the MTC. It was a time of so much learning. I just soaked everything in.
2.) Five years ago: September 2002, Orem, UT--We had just bought our house and were just getting settled. Britton was 5 months old. Jason had just passed his Private Pilot exams. I was a stay-at-home mom and I can't remember what job Jason had, but I think it was doing siding. I also just started babysitting Davis once or twice a week.
3) One year ago: September 2006, Orem, UT--I just started teaching preschool for Britton and Michael. It was so much fun be able to teach them and play with them and plan field trips. A lot of the things we did revolved around our preschool themes. I was still serving in the Primary and loving it, probably just starting to write the program for the year. Britton started his soccer league with Jason as his coach and Michael was on his team. I was tutoring a lot and playing a lot and just loving life. The BYU football season had just started and we got to go to all the home games.
4.) Yesterday: September 20, 2007, Clifford Estates, China--(This is much more detailed than probably anyone would want to know, but I'm writing it for myself so I can remember what an ordinary, average day is like) I got up at 5:45 not so much because I had things to do, but because it's habit. I checked my email, read my scriptures, took a shower, got dressed. At 7:00, I woke Britton up and got him breakfast (French toast, as usual) and ready for school. 8:00 I was out the door and off to school. I rode my bike for the first time in a long time because we finally got a seat for the back of it for Britton. I taught 3 class periods in the morning before lunch. The first two ( we7A and 7B) were in the computer lab because they are working on projects. In the one (7C) right before lunch, we played Jeopardy. They loved it! They were so attentive the whole time. When I got home, lunch was ready and waiting for me. So nice. I love that. After hanging out with the fam for a bit, I had to head back up to school. I had two more classes. In the first one (8A), they worked on projects. They are writing children's books about insects--some of them are very good. They had to research an insect and then make up a story about it based on facts about the insect. In my last class (8B) of the day, we picked insects for their projects and then played insect pictionary to help them learn all the insect names in English. It was so much fun and they really got into it. After school I had a meeting with the Chinese science teachers to try to coordinate our curriculum. It was the first time I've met them so that was good. I had to have my TA translate the whole time because they don't speak English. After school, Jason took Britton to a modeling agency for a commercial that he's going to be in with Jonas. So, Haley and I took the bus and went out to dinner. We tried a place called "Andrew's Cafe and Bakery". It was good and they spoke English (always a plus in my book!) We walked around the shops a bit afterwards and I bought some pictures for my livingroom. I'm so excited. I've been wanting to personalize my house a bit so it doesn't feel so much like a hotel. I'll post some pictures later after we hang them. When we got home, the boys still weren't back, so I took Haley for a bike ride. It was dark and the moon was out and it was a bit windy. It was so much fun. So relaxing to just ride together and let the wind blow our hair. When Jason got home, I ran to the gym for the last half hour before it closed. After that, I just caught up on some school stuff and then watched Heroes. We bought Season One here and I'm only a few episodes into it. I'm liking it a lot, but it's much more gorey and dark than I expected.
5.) 5 snacks I enjoy: These are the snacks that I like that I can get in China: Dove dark chocolate bars, Pringles, Kinder Bueno candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, vegetable cracker stick things.
6.) 5 Things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: pay my tithing, pay off my house, invest most of it, buy Jason a van so he'll stop bugging me about getting one here, buy plane tickets for my friends and family to come visit me
7.) 5 locations I would like to run away to: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bali, New Zealand
8.) 5 bad habits I have: procrastinating, making a mess when I eat, wasting time, eating too much, eating too many treats
9.) 5 things I like doing: jogging, playing games, traveling, watching football, writing
10.) 5 TV shows I like: Gilmore Girls, 24, Friends, Lost, Heroes
11.) 5 things I hate doing: fighting, folding laundry, going to unneccessary meetings, making phone calls, being late
12.) 5 Biggest joys of the moment: teaching Haley--she's so interested in learning things right now (letters, math, etc), riding or walking home with Britton everyday, Dove chocolate, the nice weather (it just started cooling off here and it is perfect weather), planning our vacation in a week and a half.
1.) What I was doing ten years ago: September 1997, Provo, UT--I had been in the MTC for about a month with about a month to go. I loved the MTC. It was a time of so much learning. I just soaked everything in.
2.) Five years ago: September 2002, Orem, UT--We had just bought our house and were just getting settled. Britton was 5 months old. Jason had just passed his Private Pilot exams. I was a stay-at-home mom and I can't remember what job Jason had, but I think it was doing siding. I also just started babysitting Davis once or twice a week.
3) One year ago: September 2006, Orem, UT--I just started teaching preschool for Britton and Michael. It was so much fun be able to teach them and play with them and plan field trips. A lot of the things we did revolved around our preschool themes. I was still serving in the Primary and loving it, probably just starting to write the program for the year. Britton started his soccer league with Jason as his coach and Michael was on his team. I was tutoring a lot and playing a lot and just loving life. The BYU football season had just started and we got to go to all the home games.
4.) Yesterday: September 20, 2007, Clifford Estates, China--(This is much more detailed than probably anyone would want to know, but I'm writing it for myself so I can remember what an ordinary, average day is like) I got up at 5:45 not so much because I had things to do, but because it's habit. I checked my email, read my scriptures, took a shower, got dressed. At 7:00, I woke Britton up and got him breakfast (French toast, as usual) and ready for school. 8:00 I was out the door and off to school. I rode my bike for the first time in a long time because we finally got a seat for the back of it for Britton. I taught 3 class periods in the morning before lunch. The first two ( we7A and 7B) were in the computer lab because they are working on projects. In the one (7C) right before lunch, we played Jeopardy. They loved it! They were so attentive the whole time. When I got home, lunch was ready and waiting for me. So nice. I love that. After hanging out with the fam for a bit, I had to head back up to school. I had two more classes. In the first one (8A), they worked on projects. They are writing children's books about insects--some of them are very good. They had to research an insect and then make up a story about it based on facts about the insect. In my last class (8B) of the day, we picked insects for their projects and then played insect pictionary to help them learn all the insect names in English. It was so much fun and they really got into it. After school I had a meeting with the Chinese science teachers to try to coordinate our curriculum. It was the first time I've met them so that was good. I had to have my TA translate the whole time because they don't speak English. After school, Jason took Britton to a modeling agency for a commercial that he's going to be in with Jonas. So, Haley and I took the bus and went out to dinner. We tried a place called "Andrew's Cafe and Bakery". It was good and they spoke English (always a plus in my book!) We walked around the shops a bit afterwards and I bought some pictures for my livingroom. I'm so excited. I've been wanting to personalize my house a bit so it doesn't feel so much like a hotel. I'll post some pictures later after we hang them. When we got home, the boys still weren't back, so I took Haley for a bike ride. It was dark and the moon was out and it was a bit windy. It was so much fun. So relaxing to just ride together and let the wind blow our hair. When Jason got home, I ran to the gym for the last half hour before it closed. After that, I just caught up on some school stuff and then watched Heroes. We bought Season One here and I'm only a few episodes into it. I'm liking it a lot, but it's much more gorey and dark than I expected.
5.) 5 snacks I enjoy: These are the snacks that I like that I can get in China: Dove dark chocolate bars, Pringles, Kinder Bueno candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, vegetable cracker stick things.
6.) 5 Things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: pay my tithing, pay off my house, invest most of it, buy Jason a van so he'll stop bugging me about getting one here, buy plane tickets for my friends and family to come visit me
7.) 5 locations I would like to run away to: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bali, New Zealand
8.) 5 bad habits I have: procrastinating, making a mess when I eat, wasting time, eating too much, eating too many treats
9.) 5 things I like doing: jogging, playing games, traveling, watching football, writing
10.) 5 TV shows I like: Gilmore Girls, 24, Friends, Lost, Heroes
11.) 5 things I hate doing: fighting, folding laundry, going to unneccessary meetings, making phone calls, being late
12.) 5 Biggest joys of the moment: teaching Haley--she's so interested in learning things right now (letters, math, etc), riding or walking home with Britton everyday, Dove chocolate, the nice weather (it just started cooling off here and it is perfect weather), planning our vacation in a week and a half.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Another game of Tag
I copied this meme from Wendi's blog. It was fun to think back to what I was doing. And I tag anyone who wants to do it.
1.) What I was doing ten years ago: September 1997, Provo, UT--I had been in the MTC for about a month with about a month to go. I loved the MTC. It was a time of so much learning. I just soaked everything in.
2.) Five years ago: September 2002, Orem, UT--We had just bought our house and were just getting settled. Britton was 5 months old. Jason had just passed his Private Pilot exams. I was a stay-at-home mom and I can't remember what job Jason had, but I think it was doing siding. I also just started babysitting Davis once or twice a week.
3) One year ago: September 2006, Orem, UT--I just started teaching preschool for Britton and Michael. It was so much fun be able to teach them and play with them and plan field trips. A lot of the things we did revolved around our preschool themes. I was still serving in the Primary and loving it, probably just starting to write the program for the year. Britton started his soccer league with Jason as his coach and Michael was on his team. I was tutoring a lot and playing a lot and just loving life. The BYU football season had just started and we got to go to all the home games.
4.) Yesterday: September 20, 2007, Clifford Estates, China--(This is much more detailed than probably anyone would want to know, but I'm writing it for myself so I can remember what an ordinary, average day is like)
I got up at 5:45 not so much because I had things to do, but because it's habit. I checked my email, read my scriptures, took a shower, got dressed. At 7:00, I woke Britton up and got him breakfast (French toast, as usual) and ready for school. 8:00 I was out the door and off to school. I rode my bike for the first time in a long time because we finally got a seat for the back of it for Britton. I taught 3 class periods in the morning before lunch. The first two ( we7A and 7B) were in the computer lab because they are working on projects. In the one (7C) right before lunch, we played Jeopardy. They loved it! They were so attentive the whole time. When I got home, lunch was ready and waiting for me. So nice. I love that. After hanging out with the fam for a bit, I had to head back up to school. I had two more classes. In the first one (8A), they worked on projects. They are writing children's books about insects--some of them are very good. They had to research an insect and then make up a story about it based on facts about the insect. In my last class (8B) of the day, we picked insects for their projects and then played insect pictionary to help them learn all the insect names in English. It was so much fun and they really got into it. After school I had a meeting with the Chinese science teachers to try to coordinate our curriculum. It was the first time I've met them so that was good. I had to have my TA translate the whole time because they don't speak English. After school, Jason took Britton to a modeling agency for a commercial that he's going to be in with Jonas. So, Haley and I took the bus and went out to dinner. We tried a place called "Andrew's Cafe and Bakery". It was good and they spoke English (always a plus in my book!) We walked around the shops a bit afterwards and I bought some pictures for my livingroom. I'm so excited. I've been wanting to personalize my house a bit so it doesn't feel so much like a hotel. I'll post some pictures later after we hang them. When we got home, the boys still weren't back, so I took Haley for a bike ride. It was dark and the moon was out and it was a bit windy. It was so much fun. So relaxing to just ride together and let the wind blow our hair. When Jason got home, I ran to the gym for the last half hour before it closed. After that, I just caught up on some school stuff and then watched Heroes. We bought Season One here and I'm only a few episodes into it. I'm liking it a lot, but it's much more gorey and dark than I expected.
5.) 5 snacks I enjoy: These are the snacks that I like that I can get in China: Dove dark chocolate bars, Pringles, Kinder Bueno candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, vegetable cracker stick things.
6.) 5 Things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: pay my tithing, pay off my house, invest most of it, buy Jason a van so he'll stop bugging me about getting one here, buy plane tickets for my friends and family to come visit me
7.) 5 locations I would like to run away to: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bali, New Zealand
8.) 5 bad habits I have: procrastinating, making a mess when I eat, wasting time, eating too much, eating too many treats
9.) 5 things I like doing: jogging, playing games, traveling, watching football, writing
10.) 5 TV shows I like: Gilmore Girls, 24, Friends, Lost, Heroes
11.) 5 things I hate doing: fighting, folding laundry, going to unneccessary meetings, making phone calls, being late
12.) 5 Biggest joys of the moment: teaching Haley--she's so interested in learning things right now (letters, math, etc), riding or walking home with Britton everyday, Dove chocolate, the nice weather (it just started cooling off here and it is perfect weather), planning our vacation in a week and a half.
1.) What I was doing ten years ago: September 1997, Provo, UT--I had been in the MTC for about a month with about a month to go. I loved the MTC. It was a time of so much learning. I just soaked everything in.
2.) Five years ago: September 2002, Orem, UT--We had just bought our house and were just getting settled. Britton was 5 months old. Jason had just passed his Private Pilot exams. I was a stay-at-home mom and I can't remember what job Jason had, but I think it was doing siding. I also just started babysitting Davis once or twice a week.
3) One year ago: September 2006, Orem, UT--I just started teaching preschool for Britton and Michael. It was so much fun be able to teach them and play with them and plan field trips. A lot of the things we did revolved around our preschool themes. I was still serving in the Primary and loving it, probably just starting to write the program for the year. Britton started his soccer league with Jason as his coach and Michael was on his team. I was tutoring a lot and playing a lot and just loving life. The BYU football season had just started and we got to go to all the home games.
4.) Yesterday: September 20, 2007, Clifford Estates, China--(This is much more detailed than probably anyone would want to know, but I'm writing it for myself so I can remember what an ordinary, average day is like)
I got up at 5:45 not so much because I had things to do, but because it's habit. I checked my email, read my scriptures, took a shower, got dressed. At 7:00, I woke Britton up and got him breakfast (French toast, as usual) and ready for school. 8:00 I was out the door and off to school. I rode my bike for the first time in a long time because we finally got a seat for the back of it for Britton. I taught 3 class periods in the morning before lunch. The first two ( we7A and 7B) were in the computer lab because they are working on projects. In the one (7C) right before lunch, we played Jeopardy. They loved it! They were so attentive the whole time. When I got home, lunch was ready and waiting for me. So nice. I love that. After hanging out with the fam for a bit, I had to head back up to school. I had two more classes. In the first one (8A), they worked on projects. They are writing children's books about insects--some of them are very good. They had to research an insect and then make up a story about it based on facts about the insect. In my last class (8B) of the day, we picked insects for their projects and then played insect pictionary to help them learn all the insect names in English. It was so much fun and they really got into it. After school I had a meeting with the Chinese science teachers to try to coordinate our curriculum. It was the first time I've met them so that was good. I had to have my TA translate the whole time because they don't speak English. After school, Jason took Britton to a modeling agency for a commercial that he's going to be in with Jonas. So, Haley and I took the bus and went out to dinner. We tried a place called "Andrew's Cafe and Bakery". It was good and they spoke English (always a plus in my book!) We walked around the shops a bit afterwards and I bought some pictures for my livingroom. I'm so excited. I've been wanting to personalize my house a bit so it doesn't feel so much like a hotel. I'll post some pictures later after we hang them. When we got home, the boys still weren't back, so I took Haley for a bike ride. It was dark and the moon was out and it was a bit windy. It was so much fun. So relaxing to just ride together and let the wind blow our hair. When Jason got home, I ran to the gym for the last half hour before it closed. After that, I just caught up on some school stuff and then watched Heroes. We bought Season One here and I'm only a few episodes into it. I'm liking it a lot, but it's much more gorey and dark than I expected.
5.) 5 snacks I enjoy: These are the snacks that I like that I can get in China: Dove dark chocolate bars, Pringles, Kinder Bueno candy bars, chocolate chip cookies, vegetable cracker stick things.
6.) 5 Things I would do if I suddenly had $100 million: pay my tithing, pay off my house, invest most of it, buy Jason a van so he'll stop bugging me about getting one here, buy plane tickets for my friends and family to come visit me
7.) 5 locations I would like to run away to: Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Bali, New Zealand
8.) 5 bad habits I have: procrastinating, making a mess when I eat, wasting time, eating too much, eating too many treats
9.) 5 things I like doing: jogging, playing games, traveling, watching football, writing
10.) 5 TV shows I like: Gilmore Girls, 24, Friends, Lost, Heroes
11.) 5 things I hate doing: fighting, folding laundry, going to unneccessary meetings, making phone calls, being late
12.) 5 Biggest joys of the moment: teaching Haley--she's so interested in learning things right now (letters, math, etc), riding or walking home with Britton everyday, Dove chocolate, the nice weather (it just started cooling off here and it is perfect weather), planning our vacation in a week and a half.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Haley
Today after watering her plant, Haley said, "Mom, does dirt come from Oreos?" Now I know why she is always eating dirt :)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Tuesday Tell All
One of Wendi's friends started doing a "Tell All Tuesday" on her blog so I thought I'd join in.
For this week, we are supposed to write about all the places we have lived.
For the first 5 years of my life, I lived in what we now refer to as "The Provo House". It's the cute little house across the street from Kiwanis Park. I don't have a lot of memories from that time period, but the ones I have are good ones--our patchwork carpet in the back room, the secret hideout from the floor of the backroom pulling up, walking to Wasatch Elementary to watch movies in the summer, taking dance lessons around the block, starting elementary school, the Bookmobile, our strawberry patch and raspberry bushes in the backyard, and so many more. It was a fun place to start out my life.
From age 5 to age 18, I lived in Kearns. That is where I grew up. I don't even want to begin to record any memories because there are so many. But, I loved growing up where I did. I have so many friends still from those days. My best friends. I'm glad that my sister still owns the house we lived in because it's fun to visit and see old faces and relive some of the memories.
From 18-21 I lived in Stratford Court #302. Ahhh, the memories. Over the course of 3 years, I had the best roommates anyone could ever ask for. They are still my lifelong friends. Living in the condo was one of the funnest times of my life. There was always something fun going on and an adventure to be had.
When I turned 21 I went on a mission to Marseilles, France. I lived in Marseilles for 5 months, Albi for 5 months, and Aix-en-Provence for 6 months. I can't even begin to describe my feelings for these 3 cities. They are so much a part of me and who I am. I know the streets inside and out, probably better than anywhere else in the world. I discovered myself while serving in these three cities and there's a part of my heart that will always belong there.
Provo House Take 2--After my mission, I lived with my old roommates in the Provo House. It was fun living in a house instead of back at the condo--it felt more mature or something. But, it was nice to still have my great roommates. And we still did just as many fun things.
Provo House Take 3--I think I really like the Provo House! On December 16, 2000, I got married. My roommates moved out (well, at least some of them--Melissa stayed with us for a few weeks after we were married) and Jason moved in. I am so glad that I got to start out my married life in the same house that I started my life in. It was such a great place to live. Jason could play volleyball everyday at the park and it was so close to school for me. All of our friends were already used to hanging out there, so it was perfect.
In August 2002, we bought our house in Orem. We both fell in love with it the minute we walked through it. The neighborhood is so great and we have made so many friends. We love our big yard and how close we are to my parents. We will probably have that house forever.
In August 2007, we moved to Clifford Estates in Panyu, Guangzhou, China and that is where we are currently. This was a HUGE move for us since we've both lived in Utah our whole lives except for time spent on missions. It's only been a month, but already we're adjusting to life here and loving it. It has already been such a good thing for our family. I am so glad that we decided to get out of our comfort zone and shake things up a bit.
For this week, we are supposed to write about all the places we have lived.
For the first 5 years of my life, I lived in what we now refer to as "The Provo House". It's the cute little house across the street from Kiwanis Park. I don't have a lot of memories from that time period, but the ones I have are good ones--our patchwork carpet in the back room, the secret hideout from the floor of the backroom pulling up, walking to Wasatch Elementary to watch movies in the summer, taking dance lessons around the block, starting elementary school, the Bookmobile, our strawberry patch and raspberry bushes in the backyard, and so many more. It was a fun place to start out my life.
From age 5 to age 18, I lived in Kearns. That is where I grew up. I don't even want to begin to record any memories because there are so many. But, I loved growing up where I did. I have so many friends still from those days. My best friends. I'm glad that my sister still owns the house we lived in because it's fun to visit and see old faces and relive some of the memories.
From 18-21 I lived in Stratford Court #302. Ahhh, the memories. Over the course of 3 years, I had the best roommates anyone could ever ask for. They are still my lifelong friends. Living in the condo was one of the funnest times of my life. There was always something fun going on and an adventure to be had.
When I turned 21 I went on a mission to Marseilles, France. I lived in Marseilles for 5 months, Albi for 5 months, and Aix-en-Provence for 6 months. I can't even begin to describe my feelings for these 3 cities. They are so much a part of me and who I am. I know the streets inside and out, probably better than anywhere else in the world. I discovered myself while serving in these three cities and there's a part of my heart that will always belong there.
Provo House Take 2--After my mission, I lived with my old roommates in the Provo House. It was fun living in a house instead of back at the condo--it felt more mature or something. But, it was nice to still have my great roommates. And we still did just as many fun things.
Provo House Take 3--I think I really like the Provo House! On December 16, 2000, I got married. My roommates moved out (well, at least some of them--Melissa stayed with us for a few weeks after we were married) and Jason moved in. I am so glad that I got to start out my married life in the same house that I started my life in. It was such a great place to live. Jason could play volleyball everyday at the park and it was so close to school for me. All of our friends were already used to hanging out there, so it was perfect.
In August 2002, we bought our house in Orem. We both fell in love with it the minute we walked through it. The neighborhood is so great and we have made so many friends. We love our big yard and how close we are to my parents. We will probably have that house forever.
In August 2007, we moved to Clifford Estates in Panyu, Guangzhou, China and that is where we are currently. This was a HUGE move for us since we've both lived in Utah our whole lives except for time spent on missions. It's only been a month, but already we're adjusting to life here and loving it. It has already been such a good thing for our family. I am so glad that we decided to get out of our comfort zone and shake things up a bit.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Walks with Britton
One of my favorite things that I get to do everyday is walk to school with Britton. It is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment to school. I really enjoy the time that we get to spend just walking and talking. It's so fun to see how his little mind works. Somedays, I'm just drilling him on how he needs to act at school or nagging him to hurry up because we're late, but most days I just try to walk slowly and enjoy the moment. He stops to examine dead bugs on the sidewalk being eaten by other bugs. He notices and takes in things all around us, things I would probably just pass by. Almost everyday he wants me to tell him which plants are poisonous on the way to school. (The very first day of school, Jason and Haley walked with us too and Haley picked a plant and started putting it in her mouth, I told her not to because it might be poisonous, so since then, Britton has been really concerned about which plants are poisonous.) Finally, I had to tell him that probably none of the plants are poisonous because they are planted right next to a school but that it still wasn't a good idea to put plants in our mouths if we don't know what it is. He still seems to bring up the plants at least once a week though.
Jason picks Britton up during lunch and takes him back after lunch because his lunchbreak is an hour longer than mine. Britton rides on Jason's back on his bike the whole way home. It's quite the spectacle. Here in China, people use the craziest transportation--bikes, mopeds, golf carts, tractors, anything with wheels. And they pile as many people on as possible. I've seen whole families on one bicycle or moped. Or they carry HUGE bags of garbage on their backs or ladders or other big things that we would never carry on a bicycle. They just strap it on somehow. So, we thought we would fit right in with Britton on Jason's back. But instead, everyone stops and stares and laughs when they ride by. It's pretty funny.
Yesterday on the way to school, Britton told me all the names that he and Jason have for the different roads on the way home. There's "bumpy road", "crickity crackity road", "smooth road", "speed bump road", etc. It was so cute.
I'm glad that Jason and I both get to be so involved with Britton's first year of school experience. And that we both get to spend a special alone time with him on the way to and from school.
Jason picks Britton up during lunch and takes him back after lunch because his lunchbreak is an hour longer than mine. Britton rides on Jason's back on his bike the whole way home. It's quite the spectacle. Here in China, people use the craziest transportation--bikes, mopeds, golf carts, tractors, anything with wheels. And they pile as many people on as possible. I've seen whole families on one bicycle or moped. Or they carry HUGE bags of garbage on their backs or ladders or other big things that we would never carry on a bicycle. They just strap it on somehow. So, we thought we would fit right in with Britton on Jason's back. But instead, everyone stops and stares and laughs when they ride by. It's pretty funny.
Yesterday on the way to school, Britton told me all the names that he and Jason have for the different roads on the way home. There's "bumpy road", "crickity crackity road", "smooth road", "speed bump road", etc. It was so cute.
I'm glad that Jason and I both get to be so involved with Britton's first year of school experience. And that we both get to spend a special alone time with him on the way to and from school.
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