Reunited

After almost an entire year with only getting to see each other for the 3 weeks that I was home, we are DONE with this looooooooong distance madness.  No more skype dates, no more figuring out the time change every time we want to talk, no more being on opposite sides of the world.  It is sooooooo nice.

We've had a pretty great week.  He had a little hang up with his flights and got here a bit later than we hoped, but he got here.  The first night we got into town we did Chinese BBQ, and have been eating out every night since.  He absolutely loves China so far and I could not be happier about that.

We've gone to the lake, walked around the majority of town, had jiaozi more times in a week than most people do (and we're still craving it), worked our butts off at the farm (and by 'our' I really mean 'his'), gone to tutoring, and last night we had dinner at Summer's house with several of our tutoring girls there too.  It was delicious food, duck-duck-goose, hide-n-seek, more food, cute kittens, and lots of tea.

We went to this little park thing for the end of tutoring. Luckily Evan had his camera!

Traditional Dragon Boat Festival food. It's sticky rice inside of these leaves. Good stuff. 

He's up at the farm today trying to help a guy out with as many projects as possible before everyone shows up for camp next week.  One more week of him in town before the summer madness really kicks off.  He'l have 2 weeks of cooking, a few days back here in town as I finish up school and then we hop on a bus and travel around while doing service projects for the next few weeks.  It's going to be a blast and a lot of hard work, but I am so thankful that I get to do all of that with him here.

We're trying to take pictures.  This week we'll tote our cameras with us more.  I plan on visiting the camp a few times so I can see all the fun they're having.  I'll get plenty of pictures of that.

I'm (we're) down to 2 months and 3 days before we head home.  It's coming so fast.  I am still very much in love with this place and so thankful for that.  It will just make saying goodbye a little harder than I hoped.  A lot of great things can happen in these next 2 months and I'm just staying excited about it all.

Still Here

It has been a few weeks hasn't it?

I have been so busy the past few weeks.  Nothing really exciting has gone on in my life, BUT I do have some great news.  There is a new brother here!  I am thrilled about it.  He is a fantastic guy and knowing that he is someone I will get to see again in eternity is such a beautiful thing.

Small group is going great!  We're really digging into what it means to make this decision something that changes your life - how to integrate it into your habits and how to build that strong foundation.  It will be ending next week and I am so sad about that, but I know that the work has been good and every second has made some sort of an impact.  I am thinking we have another sister, but I have not confirmed that yet.

I have one of my favorite people ever coming here in 2 days!!!!!!! I am beyond anxious at this point.  I just want him to be here.  I have been finishing up lesson plans, planning finals, getting odd things done and out of the way so I can just relax and we can enjoy our time we have together before he starts cooking for camps and I have to pack up my apartment.  SCARY!  Then it's projects and summer camp until we jump on that plane home :)

70-something days until I land on U.S. soil again.  I cannot wait for what is to come when I get home, but I am still so in love with this place.  Leaving it behind until who-knows-when I will get to come back is going to be tough.

Rainy season is sneaking in now and every time we have a storm it reminds me of the first time I came here and then I just fall in love with this place all over again.  I cannot believe I am in month 11 already.  I thought this part of the journey was forever away, but here it is.

Not much else to share.  I am hoping to take lots of pictures once Evan gets here.  Hopefully there will be some fun culture shock stories to share.  I am curious to see how he takes it all in.  Things are just normal for me now.  The spitting, snot rockets (normal, but still grosses me out), language barrier, squeaky baby shoes, crazy traffic, restaurant behavior, grocery shopping, it is all just normal life for me, but for him it is going to be a whole new world!  Should be fun!

Back to my to-do list and watching season finales.