Tuesday, November 30, 2010
All in good fun
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 1:48 PM 0 comments
37
I realized today during a Tao Bao search for brown leather clogs (any suggestions?? The Dansko ones I can only find in a size bigger than I wear) that if I lived in Europe, my age would match my shoe size, 37.
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 1:37 PM 2 comments
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Still thankful . . .
More things to add to my thankful list from earlier today:
391: The turkey turned out awesome, if I do say so myself
392. And so did the stuffing, and I don't even like stuffing so that's saying something
393. Conversations with friends that start with, "When we were living in . . . " and it's always somewhere out of the ordinary. I love those stories!
394. Crunching leaves under my feet as I walked home. There never used to be leaves in the fall here! I hope it's a long time before someone comes along and takes them away
I just found the sign below online and it encouraged me. I hope you see all the good gifts in your life today too!
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 7:37 PM 1 comments
Sliding down the stairs
Thump thump thump thump - "Oww . . . ."
That was the very familiar sound of a child sliding down stairs. We used to do it as kids, in our sleeping bags, down the carpeted stairs. Here, we have concrete stairs covered with a thin wood veneer. It didn't sound fun.
"Was that an intentional slide down the stairs?" I asked from the kitchen where I was nursing the turkey (oh please oh please oh please be good little turkey!)
"That was me sliding down the stairs on a beanbag," said Ethan with a bit of a moan.
"And what did you learn from that experience?"
"I need to do it again!!"
Not the response I was expecting. I should stop typing and put the kabosh on this madness because it's only fun until someone smashes into the AC unit at the bottom of the stairs.
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 11:55 AM 0 comments
Gratitude on the day of Thanks
It would just be wrong if I didn't add to my list of grateful things today, so here they are:
366. My husband gently disciplining the kids in the wee hours of the morning
367. Quiet hours in the a.m. while getting over jet lag
368. Amazing women in my small group who love me and want to hear my heart
369. New friends for our kids
370. Running the Turkey Trot (and finishing it despite a side ache!)
371. Running the Turkey Trot with four other women, just enjoying their company on the way
372. An older woman who can coach me in cooking my first turkey (yes, my first!)
373. And my first batch of stuffing!
374. An oven big enough for a 13 lb. turkey. This is a rarity in China.
375. Oh, I forgot to mention - 20 people fitting into our kitchen/dining room after the Turkey Trot to eat cinnamon rolls and drink coffee (and we weren't even that crowded! I love my kitchen!)
376. Enjoying a new book (Count of Monte Cristo) on my new Kindle (which is on my new iPad)
377. Dayle, my coach, who is wise, gentle, and believes in me
378. Realizing that I have parents who love me really well and are unfailingly generous.
379. Almost being through jet lag
380. The gift of being able to coach LEAF again in a few weeks
381. Erik has sabbatical for the month of December - I'm so looking forward to him being around!
382. Our house is WARM!
383. God is my defender, the One who justifies me
384. God uses all things for good
385. My husband is my safe place
386. Plaid pajama pants from Old Navy - they have become my new "uniform"
387. Tao Bao - what can't you buy on it? We would have ordered the turkey from there but they were sold out
388. Our helper - I love coming home just in time to host people for dinner and seeing that my house is now clean (it wasn't when I left!)
389. I was able to use my Discover card at Carrefour yesterday. It's a long story, but it saved me a lot of time and stress!
390. So far the turkey looks edible!
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 10:53 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Our kids' take on the States
Before we left China, I asked the kids what they were most looking forward to about being in the States. I thought I'd get responses about seeing family and spending time in Orlando's amusement parks, but instead they said,
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 3:35 AM 0 comments
Thoughts from 27,000 feet
Our kids are getting too big to curl up in the chairs and sleep.
Even time I do this I think, “I never want to do this again.” And yet I will have to do it again in a week.
Never judge your hair in an airplane mirror. The lighting in there is awful.
If people are still standing and walking while the seatbelt light is on, even after the flight attendant says in Chinese, “For the last time, sit down and fasten your seatbelts!” chances are they will remain standing.
Special meals are the way to go – no waiting for that meal cart to finally get back to us little people.
Providing someone with a small, thick steak may seem like a kindness except when you have simultaneously provided her with only plastic utensils.
It doesn’t matter how bored I am, the movie Grown Ups is not worth more than 5 minutes of my attention.
Why can’t I bring water on the plane, but you’ll give it to me when I’m here? (there is a second security check as you leave China, after your ticket has been scanned, to take any liquids you've bought in the airport)
I am genetically programmed to sleep only when it is dark and quiet, I am laying down in a comfortable and warm bed, and no one is touching me. These are not the conditions on a plane, therefore I do not sleep. Also, I would suck on Survivor.
I wish I could take credit for what great travelers our kids are. We get so many compliments, but really, it’s all them.
My butt hurts.
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 3:34 AM 2 comments
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Being Thankful
Thoughts from Gina Marie at 6:35 AM 1 comments