Celebrating Thanksgiving with a Bang!

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend! We started with a massive Thanksgiving potluck at Campus Village Cafe on Wednesday night with about 20 or so families. And another potluck with about 6 families at a friend's house on Saturday. The food actually tasted American (that may sound boring to you, but to us it was very exciting!). After Saturday's dinner, we had fireworks!

Where else can you walk into a store, buy massive aerial fireworks and set them off from the street outside your house? This is China.


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My Birthday in China

Although I missed celebrating with my family and friends 'back home' it was still a great birthday in China.

A friend and I hiked up to the UFO. We went the back way through the woods. Very natural and quiet....

We are going to the UFO in the top, right corner:The quiet hiking path:

Me at the top:
Me and my friend at the top:The view of KaiFaQu from the top. It was a foggy morning, but unseasonable warm - it would be 50 degrees (F) that day!
After the hike another friend joined us for yummy brownies!!!

My lunch from a vegetarian Chinese restaurant. Yes, takeout comes in bags, not in those cute boxes like in the US. I've seen people take these bags back to their shops and then put the bag inside a bowl. That way they can eat out of the bowl and then discard the bag and not have to wash the dish.
I finished off my night with nachos and ice cream at home. A GREAT DAY!
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Warm Feet

I have a lot of new loves in China. Yes, I still love Eddie (bagels, bread, muffins and rolls delivered yesterday). BUT, my new love......

Radiant Floor Heating.......

How could I have lived 40+ years without it? We've had lows in the 20s (F) and highs in the 30s (F) and I'm in the house without slippers!?! I used to live in my slippers!! I always had cold feet. Not now.

We've turned off our forced air heat and the warm floor is enough to warm the house. Unbelievable. Yesterday there was sun shining through the window of the office and it got so hot I had to open the window (just a very small crack, but still!!).

We're tearing out the flooring in our Audrey Street house when we get back. Looking into Radiant Floor Heating options there. :)
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Turning 9 in China

Kevin's birthday!

Living

This post isn't about living in China...it's about living...and dying...and living.

Last week a friend from high school and college died unexpectedly. A woman in her 40s, a teacher, a well-loved person who touched many lives. Almost 9 years ago my sister-in-law died after battling brain cancer. A woman in her 30s, a teacher, a well-loved person who touched many lives, a mother of two young children. A year ago this week my father-in-law died of the same (not very common) brain cancer. A friend's friend died unexpectedly last week. A friend's neighbors' lives were taken unexpectedly last week, too.

I can't help but continue to ask myself. Can life really be so fragile? So brief? If death can come at any time, should that affect how we live our lives?

Nine years ago, with my sister-in-law's death, my awareness on life changed. I started to ask myself: If I were to die next week, would I feel like I lived a good life? If not, what changes do I need to make? Am I happy with who I am? Can I accept things that I cannot change in my world? Do my actions show my kids that I love them...every day? What can I do to make my relationships more meaningful? Can I stop complaining about the small stuff and appreciate what I have? What choices in my life will make me and my family happy?

Some people believe that we shouldn't change the way we live because we fear dying. I don't fear death. I just fear dying without having lived my best life. So every day, I choose happiness and try live my best life. And hopefully, I'll live to be 100 and I'll look back without regret, knowing that I did my best.
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No Doubt it will be Cold!

If the 17*F wind chill factor this morning wasn't enough to convince us it will be a cold, windy winter....

These "wind barriers" are pretty convincing! They are even protecting the poor trees!

And, yes, Kiana is still wearing shorts to school :)
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Loving the Field

When we moved in, there was a dirt field between our house and the school. Now we have a playing field and track! Yesterday there were about 15 adults playing soccer, about 20 kids playing soccer and about 10 other people playing or running!

Our family has enjoyed playing football, soccer and baseball in the past few weeks. In Portland, we used to play in the street and stop every time a car came by - but here we can play without interruption. It's been very fun!

I have been working out there - running intervals or stairs, walking and doing push-ups on the wall. One day Kiana was my personal trainer - she is tough! I'm trying to enjoy outdoor workouts while I still can. While the past few days have been beautiful weather, we've had a taste of what a cold, windy winter will be like as well. The cold is tolerable, the wind is intense!

Here are some pictures of the construction of the field. It is an artificial surface laid over concrete with little rubber pellets for cushioning. It also has nice pathways around the field that the kids walk across to go to school.

Leveling the dirt:
Pouring the concrete:

Smoothing the concrete surface:
Laying the surface:
Playing!:

The path to school - the construction on the right is the new gym and pool (hopefully it will be finished while we are still here!). This is taken from my bathroom window - so the kids have a very quick walk to school.
PS. Kevin just played for a little bit with the Taiwanese softball league (mostly adult men). Very friendly and fun game!
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