Apple Pie to Stir Fry

International-NESS

2012-02-15T13:01:00.000+08:00

One of the things that I wasn't expecting but havegreatly enjoyed since arriving in China almost 2 years ago is the incrediblemix of cultures that are part of our lives here. Yes, of course, thereare lots and lots of Chinese people but we also interact with Koreans,Japanese, Germans, British, Africans, South Africans, Spanish, French, Aussies,New Zealanders, Slovakians, Dutch, Canadians, Finish, and the list goes on. I just listed those that came to mind right away that we play with, go toschool or church with or have just grown friendships from chance encounters. I'm often struck by how small my view of the world was before we came tolive here and I continue to be very grateful for the opportunity for not onlymyself to be exposed to these other incredible cultures and languages but alsothat my girls, and particularly Xan. She is old enough right now to interact and build her own friendships with these"different" people and yet doesn't see them as different atall.

Sure, they may talk differently or eatdifferent foods than we do but those differences aren't things that keep usfrom having friendships with them and honestly in the US I'm not sure that wewould be that way. Now before you go judging…..hear me out onthis........I don't think we would have as many multicultural friends for acouple of reasons.

1- We just aren't exposed to them. Wenever lived in a large city or near a large population of people that werereally much different than us....our biggest "difference" was oftenthe University you attended or the denomination of your church ;-).

2- We gravitate to what is easiest. Ihave many, many wonderful American friends here and to be honest they areprobably the ones that I'm most "comfortable" with but it's becauseit's easy for me. I don't have to work or try very hard to find commonground, they get my jokes, like the same foods, etc. My non-Americanfriends often don't laugh when I say something I think is quiet funny, they thinkwe eat way too much sugar and they find my southern accent a little hard tounderstand. However, that being said, I have learned a ton about othercultures by nurturing those friendships and trying to find that common groundthat is really pretty easy since we're all living an expat life and most of usare moms and wives. I have come to love hearing the different ways toprepare foods, raise our children, interact with families, and holidaytraditions as well as what their day to day life looks like.

Xan attended a party this past Saturday forValentine's Day and when I went to pick her up I just smiled at the facessitting around the room. I made the comment to my friend's husband thatwe were incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to have such a diverse groupof friends from literally all over the world. Xan and the hosts' daughterwere the only American kids there. There were children from Mexico,England, Korea, Hong Kong, and one I'm not certain of. Food is often thecenter of conversation for we moms since we are all trying to"recreate" familiar dishes from our home countries in a foreign landand I just had to chuckle as those sweet moms sat around my friends table happily munching on cheetos and rice krispy treats.......I was in heaven butI'm pretty sure they were enjoying it too.

Well it has taken me a while to get where I'm goingbut my inspiration for this post was an experience I had this past Sunday atchurch related to this whole idea. We attend what is called anInternational Fellowship church that is open to foreign passport holders onlyand I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that we literally have 30+nationalities represented most Sundays. It is a very diverse group and weoften say that it has to be similar to what heaven will be like one day. Anyway, I was in the nursery with Maggie and due to a helper shortage(seriously.....every church nursery, even in China, has helper shortages haha)I needed to stay in the room with her. There is another little girl inthe room that was playing away with the toy dishes and food. I know hermom and see her often around so I wasn't a complete stranger for her. Sheis 3 and has lived in China her entire life and I knew that she was fluent inChinese. Now I must tell you that Sarah's parents are from the Congo andhave the most beautiful dark skin you've ever seen and it is AMAZING to watchthem in worship. They make you want to know whoever it is they know causeit is just beautiful.....but I digress. So here is sweet littleSarah speaking 90 miles an hour in Chinese to me and I'm trying to answer backand ask her questions with my very limited vocabulary. It was obviousthat she wasn't understanding my Chinese a couple of times and I'd revert to my English and sure enough she'dunderstand me. (Her mother and father are both fluent in English.) Oneparticular time, though, she was trying to tell me something and I didn'tunderstand and she busted out with some French (with a perfect dialect I mightadd). So....here is this 3 year old who in the course of a 30 minuteinteraction used 3 languages on me. WOW! Talk about humbling....Ionly know one little language and struggle mightily to try and grasp a tiny bitof another. We Americans are certainly behind on the languageissue.......so, so many of the people I meet know at least 2 and many know 3 or4 different languages. Again I say WOW! We are doing our part tohelp Xan with a second language and she is actually doing very well with herChinese. Stan attends classes too so needless to say my Chinese is by farthe back of the pack at our house and I'm not ashamed to admit that I've usedXan on more than one occasion to translate for me. I've had a tutor inthe past but haven't had one for quite some time now and maybe, just maybe it'stime to get back into the learning mode. I'll keep you posted.

So.....a bit of rambling but I think you get mydrift. We live in the midst of some very different but great people from allover the world and I just think that is pretty cool. Our lives will bebetter because of them.

Chat with ya later-

Drum Roll Please

2012-02-04T16:45:00.002+08:00

We started the adoption process for our 2nd daughter back in 2008 and after lots and lots of forms completed, authorizations received and years spent waiting we were "matched" (adoption lingo for the birth country identifying a specific child we could adopt) to our precious girl. There are still some formalities to complete and government appointments to attend and of course several more forms to complete but we hope to have it all wrapped up by April or May and then bring this sweet girl home to meet the rest of her family this summer. Living here has definitely afforded us some opportunities for blessings that we never, ever would have anticipated. One huge one is when we were asked to care for a little girl with some health issues that was living in the local orphanage to help prepare her for some surgery. Well...that little girl was our daughter and God gave her to us in the most unpredictable but amazing way but that's a whole other story so without further ado......please meet our precious MAGGIE MEI.

She has one very happy big sister who not only shares the same middle name with her but also her birthday. God saw fit to give us two girls who came into this world on January 26. As you can imagine, we had a little bit of celebrating to do last week.

So glad to finally share her with you and get back to updating you all on our lives. It just didn't feel right sharing blog posts without including such a major part of what is going on. Now you are all in on it. We are blessed for sure!

Chat with ya later!

Mother and Daughter

2011-09-12T07:43:00.000+08:00

I have mentioned our ayi here before. Her name is Dong Mei and we are so very fond of her. We truly consider her part of our family and in the 15 months she has been with us our relationship has grown into such a sweet friendship. I've been warned by those with more "china" experience than me that I should keep our relationship as strictly employer/employee and not to get "too friendly" but our hearts and personalities just won't allow that. We learn something from Dong Mei almost every day about the food, the culture, the language, the country, etc. It's like having a full time teacher in our house and the learning is all hands-on, interactive fun things. It's priceless for our family wanting to soak up as much of this country and people as possible.

One of the cultural differences that is just hard for us westerners to understand is the grandparents role as the primary caregivers in the majority of families. The one child policy makes it a bit more manageable for those grannies and grandpas. :-) Dong Mei's daughter, Anna, is a product of this custom and she resides with her grandparents, Dong Mei's mother and father, in the Sichuan province. Now as a reminder, we live in Suzhou.....the Jiangsu Province. There is a lot of ~~miles~~ kilometers between this mother and daughter most of the year. The Chinese usually travel to their home towns during the Chinese New Year holiday (Jan/Feb) and get to see their children in addition to most of their other relatives who've made the same journey. Dong Mei didn't go this past January but instead made the trip home in August. She was there for 2 weeks (yes...we survived without her but she was sorely missed). The wonderful part of her returning (and the main point of this post) is that her daughter came back to Suzhou with her. Anna was here for about 5 weeks and she came to our apartment with her mom most days. She is 13 years old and is very shy but we enjoyed getting to know her and as we had so hoped...she felt comfortable in our home after not too many days.

It was her first time to visit Suzhou and Stan wanted to make sure she saw some of the "sights". She had studied about the beautiful gardens of Suzhou in school so our first outing was to the Humble Administrators Garden. We made a day of seeing the garden, getting some lunch and doing a little bit of old Suzhou sightseeing. She had her camera with her and was taking pictures every 5 minutes or so. It was fun to see her get so excited about seeing something she had studied. I equated it to seeing the Liberty Bell as a young girl myself. It was a bit surreal that I was really looking at what I had read about so many times and she was just as excited as I remember being.

Anna also wanted to experience swimming....something we take for granted for sure. She got a suit and some floaties (yes....floaties b/c she had never done this before) and away we went. Fortunately, the compound across the street from ours has a great pool and a very relaxed visitor policy so we frequented the pool while she was here. After a couple of days she convinced her mom, Dong Mei to also get a suit and join us in the water. Again...so fun to watch them experience these things together and for the first time. I think that is what I enjoyed most.......seeing them together as mother and daughter. I was saddened to think through their situation and realized that this was probably the longest time they had spent together since Dong Mei left the Sichuan province over 7 years ago. Most years it's just a couple of weeks once and maybe twice a year.

When the time came for Anna to return to her home in order to begin school there was definitely an air of sadness. Anna and Dong Mei cried most of the day and when I stopped long enough to think about it I cried too. I hated it for them. I can't imagine being in that situation and I'm grateful that the LORD saw fit to put me in a culture where that wasn't the norm. However, I also don't want to be arrogant enough to think that the way "we do it" is the only "right" way. Anna spoke very little english but she understood a bit more. We were so glad to get to know her and can't wait for her to return. On the morning after she left we each found a note that she had written in english and decorated in a 13 year old girly kind of way. The sweet sentiments that she expressed and the effort it took her to write each one in english were a blessing to us and will be a keepsake for many years.

HAPPY Day

2011-09-01T14:55:00.001+08:00

I know there's probably some unspoken blog rule that you just should have a post about the first day of school and that you should have at least 17 pictures (which have been expertly posed- to not look posed -that include grade or age indicating props and cute new shoes and hairbows and on and on and on). Well I'm just going to rebel and not do it.....nope ...not gonna do it. I refuse to be persuaded by peer pressure and do things just because I'm supposed to. (whisper from my powerful internal rule follower: You can see my first day of school photos on facebook). Instead I'm going to show you another day that caused quite a bit of happiness here a few weeks ago. Rebellious I know......

It was one morning and Xan and I were in the living/dining room. We heard some incessant knocking on our neighbors door and since I was ~~nosy~~ concerned about who would knock for so long when clearly no one was home and at such an early hour (it was before 8am) I looked thru the peep hole and boy was I glad I did. There was a guy trying to deliver a package that was obviously from America and I knew my neighbors weren't so I decided I needed to intervene. I opened the door and in all my pajama clad, sheet creased cheek, bed head glory I walked over to him, glanced at the box and confidently told him that it was mine. He was a bit startled by my ~~appearance~~ boldness but after convincing him that we were indeed the Everitts that were listed on the label he smiled and went on his way.

Xan and I couldn't wait to tear into that box and see what treasures awaited us. Stan's parents (who love us very much as evidenced by what they pay to send these surprises over to us) had packaged up some little pieces of home and we were absolutely giddy. We had no idea what all was included but the anticipation is 1/2 the fun......well at least 1/4 of the fun. We thought about waiting for Stan but then thought again and decided he wouldn't find it near as exciting as we girls would so we went ahead without him.

There were lots of goodies in the box and we had fun spreading it all out and taking our time to look at each thing. Here are a few that made us really HAPPY.

This made Xan very HAPPY. Her Nana knows how she loves gum and the assorted flavors were just almost too much.

These made me very HAPPY. Nana also knows how much I love sunflower seeds and the "jumbo" variety too! Oh my......I was so very smiley.

These little treasures made me HAPPY too.......wonderful and cute note cards (you can't find any little notecard things here and particularly faith based ones) and this book that I'd been wanting for sometime.

These made all of us HAPPY. We love pepper and this brand is very hard to get here. If you had told me two years ago I'd be cheesy, big mouth, grinning over McCormick pepper I would have rolled my eyes and thought something smart but today....today I was HAPPY.

So that, my friends, is me letting my inner rebel out. No first day of school post here....nope. I'm certain that these pictures of pepper and sunflower seeds have made your day too. Glad to share some of our HAPPY with you. If you need me I'll be reading my new book, eating seeds and asking Xan to quit smacking her gum.

Chat with ya later-

Bubbles

2011-08-07T14:26:00.000+08:00

When it's hot outside you get creative to pass the time. I think Xan spent almost 30 minutes on two different occasions blowing bubbles in this old mixing bowl. On this particular day I just kept watching her and had one of those "I'm so blessed to be her Momma" moments. I hurried to snap a photo and I'm so glad I did.....I love it!
Chat with ya later.

Red Rover

2011-05-17T15:19:00.000+08:00

Red Rover, Red Rover
Let Xan Come Over!

Xan's bestest little friend here in China, Kallie (next to her in white shirt) had her 6th birthday party
and fun games were played along with delicious cupcakes and lots of giggling.

I loved her expression. Pure joy! This one will be cropped and printed for sure!

Girly Stuff

2011-05-16T09:44:00.000+08:00

So I went earlier this week to have a pedi with some friends of mine and I'd like to say it was because one of them had a birthday the day before but really we just like to go get pedis together and the fact that she had a birthday was just gravy. We could at least "say" it was for her birthday. Well....anyway, when Xan got home that afternoon and saw my toes she was jealous to say the least. I stepped way out of my toenail polish comfort zone (Oh come on! you know you have those colors you don't ever venture far from....don't judge me!) and went with a dark purple and then really let my inner rebel out and asked them to paint a flower on each of my big toes. I live on the edge here people.

Stan had to go out of town this weekend so I ~~bribed~~ promised Xan that if she was a sweet girl then we would go get hers painted while he was away. She kept her end of the bargain and so Sunday afternoon we headed over to a nail shop close to our house. We had a gift card from a friend who had moved back to the states (thanks Ms Lori) and so on top of it being close and a fun treat.....it was free! I love free!

Here is little Miss Thing being way to comfortable getting pampered. I can't imagine where she has learned to enjoy such fine things.

She was loving it!

Seriously......she had the best time! It was fun.

And for the final results -

She thinks it is so cool that we have matching toes. I think it is so cool that she wants to have matching toes with her Momma.

Chat with ya later-

2 Months, Facebook and Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:30:00.000+08:00

So......embarrassed that I just looked at my blog and it's been 2 months since my last post. I don't know how long it's going to take me to just admit that I'm not good at blogging. I have lots of "great" ideas that float around in my head about a blog post but somewhere between there and actually sitting down with my computer and making it happen I choke. Well what do you do after you choke? You are supposed to get up and wipe yourself off and start fresh. So here I am, freshly brushed off and starting fresh.

I've committed to a 30 day break from facebook and it's been a bit refreshing to not feel that "need" to sit down each day and catch up on things {that until facebook I would have never known and probably never missed not knowing it}. That being said, I'm not going to lie and say I haven't been curious about my besties and familiy that I keep up with via fb. I posted on my wall that if anyone needed me they could email me and I haven't gotten one single email so I"m guessing that I'm not missing anything earth shattering. I'll be back to FB in June unless I decide that this way of life is better for me......I"m guessing my curiosity will win and I'll be back getting my daily fix just like the rest of you information junkies. :-)

Happy Mother's Day! It's Sunday afternoon here in China and my girl is sleeping soundly so I poured myself a nice big diet coke and decided to get back on this horse. We've had a good day here and it started with Xan wishing me a Happy Mother's Day about 5 or 6 times between the time we got up and when we left for church. If she thought about it she would just tell me again......so stinking sweet! I know I've said it before but I am so blessed to have that girl call me Momma. After church we had lunch with some friends and then home for a nice Sunday nap. Stan works on weekends so it's usually just us girls hanging out and today was pretty much that way. It has been nice to reflect some today on being a mom and seriously what a blessing and daunting responsibility it is. I just can't imagine trying to do it without relying on Christ to guide and lead us in this life long endeavor. I fail every single day and today was no different but by His grace I'm allowed to continue and hopefully one day see this sweet little one He has entrusted to us come to know Him.

I've also spent some time today reflecting on the life of my Grandma who we lost only 6 short months ago. I miss her. I haven't lived near her since 2003 but I miss talking to her. I miss knowing that she was going to be excited for me and whatever I was doing or experiencing. I miss her. It's still surreal that she isn't here or there...and its sad. I miss her. She was far from perfect and had no trouble at all sharing her opinions but I still miss her. I'm sad for my aunts too.....this is their first Mother's Day with no Momma. They didn't buy a card for her this year......they didn't have her over for lunch.......they didn't call her early this morning to tell her they love her. Instead, they will probably be sad and melancholy as they remember her or visit the cemetery and place a beautiful arrangement there for her. They miss her too.

And because I've got some catching up to do on posting pics....here's a picture of me and my girl when we were at an Easter brunch/egg hunt.

Chat with ya later-

Caddies, tenderloin and a rabbit

2011-03-09T13:49:00.000+08:00

We hosted another group of caddies on Monday night and had a good time as usual. I'm getting more and more used to having these larger groups (and having a helper to assist me with the food and house preparations) so my stress level for the evenings is very low. I really get to enjoy them being here. This group was very sweet and so kind. They always want a group photo with Stan and Xan (I'm always the designated photographer :)......here's the group.

Stan usually plans some kind of fun game or icebreaker activity and this time is was the "who am I" game where you ask "yes" and "no" questions to try and figure out what name is on the sticker you are wearing. It was a bit of a challenge for us this time b/c all the names and characters were famous chinese people and we weren't familiar with most of them. Stan's assistant, Carol, is always so helpful to him in getting the activities translated and planned. (In the photo above, she is the one in the striped sweater with her hand on Xan's arm).

Our menu this time was beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, green beans, deviled eggs and yeast rolls. They were all well received and the only leftover we had was some beef and a few rolls. These girls may look small but they can put away the food. It's interesting b/c they usually all go thru the line and serve themselves with very small portions and then they taste all the "different" foods and come back thru the line and serve themselves man size portions.....some even return for third helpings. Of course, making them happy with my food makes me happy so I'm always glad to have them leave with a full stomach and smiling face.

The other thing that these evenings result in is gifts.....it's a cultural thing here to give gifts for everything. We've told them over and over to not bring us anything but they always do. This particular night we received a very large fruit basket...emphasis on large. They also brought Xan an extremely large stuffed bunny rabbit....again-emphasis on the large. Oh yeah......they also brought her another bunny. One that is not stuffed. Yep....you heard me correctly. One of these sweet young girls bought my daughter a real- live- breathing - hopping - eating - pooping - peeing rabbit. I thought for a brief time that she had brought her pet with her to just "show" Xan but I was corrected and warmly and graciously thanked them for such a "thoughtful" gift.

So.....everyone....please meet Charlie.

And.....as you will see here my daughter is already in love with this little thing so I guess he'll get to hang around a while. *sigh*

????Any guesses on what is going through Stan's head right here? :)

Chat with ya later.

Dancing with Dong Mei

2011-03-02T16:11:00.000+08:00

Dong Mei spends a lot of time at our house. She is our ayi (pronounced ahh yee) and we love her. One of the blessings of expat living is having someone help me around the house and with Xan when we need a sitter. It is one of those things that is still so very surreal but also very nice- I must admit. She is a sweet woman and we view her being in our home for so much time as a perfect opportunity to just be Christ in her life.....every day, day in and day out....when noone else sees what we are doing, what we are saying, and how we treat her and others. Her native language is of course, Chinese, and mine of course....is not. Therefore, we have some very interesting conversations that consist of pantomimes, broken english and very poor chinese and when necessary good ol' google translator on the laptop. All that being said.....we have become very dear friends. It really is amazing how much can be communicated without the same language.

It is also fair to say that the relationship between Dong Mei (pronounced dong.....like ding dong, may) and Xan has been one that has grown from Xan's awkward acceptance of this strange person in our home into a sweet, caring one that has them each giggling, playing tricks on each other and most recently acting as the other's language teacher. Xan really does enjoy her time with Dong Mei now and Dong Mei is absolutely wonderful with Xan. Here are a few pictures I snapped of them after school yesterday during an impromptu dance session b/c Xan wanted to show me her "new moves" and she just happened to have on a great twirly skirt.

Chat with ya later.

Random Things from This Week

2011-02-20T16:48:00.000+08:00

Here is a quick list of a few (17 to be exact) random things I've done this week ---be careful, this is pretty exciting stuff!

1. Went to fabric market / flea market with Stan and spent $15 on fabric followed by a lunch that cost $7 and was more food than we could eat.

2. Grieved for a former teacher/friend who lost her husband of 24+ years this week in a horrible, tragic accident that left her a single mom with 3 teenage/young adult children.

3. Ran 6.4 miles in 1 hour and 8 minutes and it was 30 degrees.

4. Continued a 4 month long fight with AT&T wireless.

5. Really enjoyed some incredible croissants from a German bakery in Shanghai that delivers to Suzhou (totally negated #3)

6. Cried and laughed both, uncontrollably at times. (no reason......just because I'm a girl)

7. Sang praises to an absolutely amazing GOD with a very off key Korean woman behind me doing the same thing. (the man in front of me could be blogging a similar stmt about me right now)

8. Made 15 sippy cups of warm chocolate milk

9. Watched a sinful number of The Office episodes after obtaining a new VPN for our computer and doing the happy dance with Stan for at least 45 minutes. (this was seriously life changing for us...woohoo)

10. Paid almost $5 for a can of Rotel because I craved a good mexican casserole after explaining it to a friend from Pennsylvania (*gasp*- she had never heard of Rotel)

11. Had a very interesting conversation with my 5 yo daughter about death after reading the story of Abraham and Isaac.....yeah-didn't see that one coming.

12. Attended a recipe exchange / luncheon with women from all over the world...very cool.

13. Made princess cupcakes that took 4 hours and a ton of supplies but made one special little Asian girl really smile.

14. Missed my sister .......a lot. (direct relation to #6)

15. Changed my mind at least 37 times about whether to cut my hair short or let it grow.

16. Downloaded 4 new books from the Kindle "free" list......I love my kindle and so love the freebies!

17. Made heart shaped toast and spread nutella (chocolate wonderfulness) on it---called it breakfast ---and sent my little one to school.

Chat with ya later.

Yet another birthday post

2011-02-19T15:14:00.000+08:00

So.....Xan wanted a birthday party with her China friends but since her birthday was at the beginning of a 2 week school holiday we had to wait until her friends returned to actually host her party. She invited 5 little girls and 4 were able to make it....we had princess games, princess dresses, princess cupcakes and all things princessy......(can you guess the theme?) Anyway...here are the pics.

The Royal Table

The Princess and her Prince waiting for the party to begin.

Princess Tori entering the Ball

Princess Xan making her announced entrance.

The princesses (less a few shy ones) were dancing and twirling away as one of the moms cheered from the balcony.

Princess Elizabeth did enjoy her twirly ribbon wand.

Many, many kisses were planted on the Frog amidst giggles galore.

We passed the poison apple.

Princess Alessia and Princess Elizabeth were often caught laughing.

Princess Tori thought it quite funny to mix the games and act like a frog while passing the poison apple.

Princess Xan really wanted to eat the apple but alas her request was denied.

Cupcake Goal: Princess Xan selected these for her party. Her mother was quite nervous about completing such a daunting task.

But......they turned out pretty darn cute (if I do say so myself).

Princess Kallie's castle is right next door to Princess Xan's and they can each often be found at the
other's if not at their own.

Princess Alessia was quite beautiful in her Aurora dress.....the envy of one Princess in particular.

What a sweet group of little girls.....it was a blessing to have them in our home and celebrate these beautiful princesses.

Chat with you later.

Chinese New Year

2011-02-03T18:47:00.000+08:00

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, celebrations officially began last night with incredible fireworks and an international televised "gala" displaying the best of China's talent. We enjoyed both from the warm, cozy home we have here in Suzhou on the 11th floor of a high rise apartment building with 3 sides of windows.....perfect for watching a bazillion fireworks. Unfortunately, I did not get my camera out to take any photos of all the wonderful displays but rest assured that we thoroughly enjoyed them.

The Chinese have a very old custom (ok....they are all really old and they have a lot of customs but.....) that loud noises and the color red will scare off any bad spirits that may be hanging around so that is how they begin the new year-lots and lots of fireworks and red decorations everywhere. There were fireworks and firecrackers going off pretty much all day yesterday but they really got going full blast at about 11 and went strong until about 1am. Midnight was the pinnacle for sure. Today there have been sporadic bursts of loud noises as well but not near yesterday's levels.

The Chinese also place red banners or signs on their doors to express what they hope for in the new year. These are placed not only on private homes but also onto entrances into businesses, apartment complexes, and even cities and villages. We tried our hand at this last year while we were still in Aiken but this year we have a better understanding and friends to help us with our calligraphy. We made our signs earlier this week and placed them on our door. They will remain until the end of the Spring Festival celebrations in 2 weeks which culminates with the Lantern Festival. (another blog post for sure).

Here's a little peak into our home.

The bottom 3 are some traditional Chinese wishes and the top 2 are just a few we wanted to include.

This was pretty sweet-Xan's wish card was a picture of Caed, her cousin in Texas. Maybe, just maybe, he will come to China this year for a visit.

A Day of Celebrating

2011-01-27T18:29:00.000+08:00

Xan's birthday yesterday was literally an entire day of celebrating. Turning 5 is a very big deal you know. So for those grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins (and few really good friends) ----Here is the play by play.

We started the day with a candle on her requested pancakes with purple sprinkles.

A quick snapshot in her birthday shirt and "stylish" scarf.

Cupcakes for her class at school.....all ready for Mom to deliver.

Happy Birthday sung in 2 languages and then blowing out more candles.

Her classmates enjoying the sweet treat after nap time.

Happy friends all around the table.

A great big card from her class......so sweet and pretty too.

Her class (with the traditional Chinese gesturing of course).

She loves Ms. Brittney!

Ms. Leelee

We visited some friends after school for more cupcakes and they sang Happy Birthday to her in 4 different languages (very cool but very uncool that Mom forgot her camera). Then we came home for a yummy "requested" dinner of pork chops and mashed potatoes with salad. For some reason, she wanted to open presents right after we finished dinner. So........we did.

She was very happy about the purple sparkly fingernail polish.

But even more excited when she opened her eyes and saw her new kitchen.

After cooking up several meals she decided it was time to cut her birthday cake. Some of Stan's Chinese friends had this cake delivered (we were all so surprised and grateful) that afternoon. It was almost like a cheesecake....very tasty and came with LOTS of candles which, of course, she thought needed to all be used.

We finished our day like we began....with candles for the birthday girl.

Chat with you later.

Memory Lane

2011-01-24T17:58:00.000+08:00

In honor of my baby girl's birthday coming up in 2 short days I decided to do a little walk down memory lane. I was able to find a few pictures from her previous big days and have to admit.....a couple of them made me tear up just a bit. I really can't believe that she is almost 5 years old. Everyone tells you, "It flies by and then all of a sudden your baby is graduating." Well we aren't buying any cap and gown just yet but I have to agree that it has flown. Thanks for indulging a proud Momma.

Number 1

Her very first birthday party.....just the three of us in South Carolina.

Her second "1 year party" chocolate chip muffins with Reid and Anna Grace-----sweet memories!

Number 2

I know we had a small little birthday party at our house but for some reason there are no pictures from that day. So.......just imagine her wearing a cutesy pink hat and eating a pink cake. PS....I loved her bob!

We went to the circus for her 2nd birthday and this was a favorite pic of mine from that day. She was so excited to see the elephants and this is when they came out.

Number 3

Her 3 year birthday party while we were visiting family in Texas....thanks to Baba, cousins and Nana b/c Mom had stomach flu. Only those already "exposed" to the yuck I had attended this little soiree.

Her pink cupcakes and full princess get-up.

Her "second" 3 year birthday party at my sister's house. We had it again with my Dad and Judy and all her cousins on that side (can't imagine why they didn't want to come to stomach flu central) and Xan certainly didn't mind having 2 parties.

Number 4

Her 4th birthday was the year of THE CAKE. We didn't have a party but this is the cake that her Baba got for her. She is definitely his princess......always has been!

No party, per se, but of course Eva came over to help eat the large castle.

The princess theme continued this year as well......she asked for gloves and new crowns and shoes.

More birthday posts to come.........

Chat with ya later.

Snowing in Suzhou

2011-01-18T18:39:00.000+08:00

About 1 o'clock today it started snowing here in Suzhou. Xan was very excited about it when she got off the bus this afternoon and we stopped on our way to our apartment to take a few pictures. There is just something really pretty and tranquil about snow. I'm not sure if we'll get much more or if this will be it so we're just going to have some hot cocoa and enjoy it.

From our balcony.

The "fountain" in front of our building.

I liked the contrast of the tropical foliage covered in snow.

Xan had just commented that is was "no fun" that her bestie, Eva in Wisconsin, was going to get all the snow. (More on Eva and her casa in a post coming soon)

Chat with you later.

Grandma

2010-11-29T21:00:00.000+08:00

Today is Monday, November 29. I've been in the US for just shy of 2 weeks now and in some ways it feels like 2 months and in other ways it was like I arrived yesterday. I am still making my way through the emotions that have overwhelmed me since I arrived.
On Sunday, November 7 my Grandma suffered a major brain hemorrhage and was immediately placed on life support. My sister called me with the news that evening (Monday morning in China).
I knew when I saw the number on my phone that something was wrong-it was that feeling you get when the phone rings in the middle of the night. My fear was correct and at that moment my life as I had always known it changed forever. I spent the next couple of days making multiple phone calls per day to get the latest report and to try and make a plan for what I needed to do. If she got better then I'd be needed to help with the rehab and all that goes along with getting her better and back home. If she got worse then I'd want to be there before anything happened. Not knowing what to do was a bad place to be.....I just didn't know and I prayed and prayed that the LORD would be clear in showing me His plan for what I was to do.
As usual, He was faithful and one evening my dear husband told me with such gentle, assuring authority to go and be there as long as I needed to be. I knew that it was right and it was time.....I made the arrangements, packed for what would be at least a 2 month trip, and tried to think clearly enough to line things up for him in China. Xan and I flew out early one morning, traveled 29+ hours and arrived in Lubbock on Tuesday. God was so gracious because that night Xan and I both slept almost 8 hours and the jet lag was providentially not an issue.
Wednesday morning, November 17, I was at the hospital for the first allowed visitation time for ICU. It was Grandma's 76th birthday and I would be the first to tell her Happy Birthday! I was both excited and anxious to go and actually lay eyes on the woman who had been so incredibly strong my whole life. I knew that she was on life support and that she was weak and tired so I tried to prepare myself mentally. My dear friend Marilyn met me in the parking lot to hug me and take Xan for a couple of hours and what a blessing that was. My wonderful aunt Freddi accompanied me into the room to hold me and cry with me as she "just knew" that I would need her as the initial shock of seeing Grandma would be almost overwhelming. I was able to get past my initial sadness of seeing her with all of the machines and equipment and get up near her face to begin speaking to her. Immediately I got a response from her and I knew without a doubt that she knew I was there. Oh God was so good! I continued to get responses (raised eyebrows, 1/2 smiles around her vent tube, and even some tears) on and off for about 15 minutes or so. I was so happy! The Grandma that I had spent countless hours with was now fighting for her life. I was so sad! The next day Grandma was moved to the hospice unit. She was never in any visible pain and seemed to rest peacefully for the majority of the following 5 days. I had a couple of other times with Grandma when I knew she was aware of my presence and we enjoyed our time together. I would just talk with her and recall so many wonderful memories and I thanked her over and over for the innumerable times she had so selflessly helped me. I thanked her for always sharing her Jesus with me. I thanked her for the prayers that I knew had been lifted on my behalf for years and years. I cried and laughed and cried some more while spending time just being with her and holding her hand or rubbing her feet (things she liked for me to do). There weren't any apologies or regrets that I felt I needed to speak with her about....it was just a sweet time to be together.
My Grandma and I have always had a very special relationship. I was her first grandchild and even lived with them for the first 2 years of my life. She has always been my #1 fan. I could do no wrong (most of the time) in her eyes and her approval meant so much to me. She was a young Grandma and was very actively involved in my formative years. It was her that made sure I had the right outfits, the prom dress, the patches for my letter jacket, the perfect throw pillows for my first apartment, my favorite foods when I came home, and so, so much more.
The LORD chose Tuesday evening, November 23 to bring my Grandma to His side. My sadness is truly unspeakable and I'm not even sure that I completely comprehend the magnitude of the loss yet but I'm also extremely excited and rejoice that she is literally at the feet of Jesus. I can't imagine anything more wonderful. I praise God for my Grandma and her life and I thank Him for allowing me to be one of hers.

Tastes of Fall

2010-11-01T19:12:00.005+08:00

In continued effort to elevate myself to an official domestic diva I have been baking a bit this past week. I made 2 different Pioneer Woman recipes, roasted and pureed a fresh pumpkin, and made homemade applesauce. Of course I did all this during a week when we have not had any sugar at all around here (yeah right....only 37 pounds from all the Halloween pre-parties, parties, and after parties).

The flat apple pie (from PW's cookbook) I made earlier in the week tasted ok but after the juice ran off the pan and onto the floor of the oven and the house filled with smoke in about 13 seconds it just kinda ruined it for me. I had to take it out, move it to another pan and.... side bar: have you ever tried to move 1/2 baked dough- yeah well it wasn't pretty..back to the story.... clean the oven (ok-confession-my helper actually did this part) and then wait for the oven to reheat and complete the baking process. The juice was definitely missed but the apples had a good flavor and the dough, although ugly, turned out ok. I'll make it again but I'll be sure open my windows BEFORE I begin. Looks like the domestic diva has got a ways to go.

That being said, I did have a successful creation this week that was oh so delicious. It's fall and that always makes me hungry for apples and pumpkins and turkey and pumkin spice lattes and I could go on and on. Well..... since canned pumpkin costs almost $8 per can here I resorted to going old school and roasted and pureed it myself. My friend Carleigh talked me through it and I gotta say.....it's way easy and so good. So I had a very large bowl of pumpkin (that only costs $2.) in the fridge that I have been looking for ways to use it. I found this recipe and tried it on Saturday. Pumpkin Creme Pies were a hit with my both my adult friends and their kids that we had a little dinner party with that night. They are a soft pumpkin sandwich cookie with a sweet cream cheese filling that is wonderful. I highly recommend that you make these and you should do it rather soon......so that you can make them again.....I promise you will want to.

They are a bit more work than a regular cookie but oh-so-worth-it. The parchment paper squares are key so be sure to use them when baking- the cookies are very soft and the parchment paper allows you to handle them without using a spatula and breaking them. Also....I had alot of pineapple cream cheese so I used that when making the cream filling. It was a very good move b/c the pineapple was subtle but very nice. Be sure to put the cream cheese mixture in a baggie and pipe it on- much easier. You should store them in the fridge too. I saved the parchment squares and used them as separators and it worked great.

So....enough for now. I'm certainly no food blogger but I had to tell you about these and I do hope you enjoy. Xan sure did!!

Chat with ya later.

A Nice Shiner!

2010-10-28T19:21:00.003+08:00

Xan had a tumble right before my eyes on Monday evening resulting in a very nice shiner. She was in the tub and I could see it happening and couldn't stop it in time. I felt like "mother of the year" for sure. Stan teased her today that it looked as if she was wearing makeup......that made it a bit better. (and then she asked for lipgloss)

300 years

2010-10-26T14:09:00.004+08:00

300 years.....that is a long time. Week before last I was honored to attend a wonderful event celebrating the 300th anniversary of the orphanage that I volunteer at each week. They had a really nice affair on Thursday that included all kinds of entertainment and local dignitaries that spoke before a crowd of at least a couple hundred people or so. They also had several families that had adopted from this orphanage return for the event and they were presented with gifts and one even spoke about her life since the orphanage.

I was part of a group of 10 volunteers that attended the event and I went to show support for the orphanage. I really didn't expect to get overly excited or emotional or even understand most of what was being said for that matter. I just wanted to go and be supportive. Well....that was my plan and as the Lord often does.... He had another plan.

I found myself in tears several times watching videos that were shown or observing families that were in attendance that have been grown through adoption. It is such a miracle and beautifully transcends all language barriers.....it's just amazing. I was fortunate to be in attendance and it wasn't just so I could be supportive. The Lord wanted to bless me and encourage me and oh how He did!

On Friday, my normal day to go to the orphanage, I went expecting nothing extraordinary. The celebration and festivities had all been on Thursday so I again, wasn't prepared. Surprise, surprise!......the families that had come in for the celebration (from the US and the Netherlands and not sure where else....I think there were 6 or 7 all together) were all touring the facilities and came through the baby/toddler area during our shift. Oh it was so wonderful! Most of the girls were about 12 to 15 years old and one family was even celebrating their GOTCHA Day on that very day. They had received their daughter 15 years ago to the day. (how cool is that huh?) There was also a family that had a little boy that was only 3 or so.....also from this orphanage. So here's the part that is just so neat and I'll write thru tears now b/c it still gets to me. The girls and their families were being followed and escorted by quite the entourage- as you can imagine there were lots of photo ops and they came in and immediately started playing with the toddlers and such. The part for me that was so moving was the parents of these girls. They literally could not stop expressing their gratitude for what we were doing as volunteers. They just watched us with this look of emotion that can't quite be expressed. There were tears and hugs and lots of smiles and exchanges of "that look" but here's the deal.......it was them that I wanted to thank. I kept saying...."NO, NO it's you that we thank. You are the families that are loving these girls forever now. We just come and help for awhile." and the whole time I'm just thinking how grateful I am that I get to be there.....at that moment.

Then there was the other side of my brain........ I know the feelings they are trying to express.....I am "that Mom" who would LOVE to know that someone had gone and held my little girl when she was tired or hurt. I would love to know that for 7 1/2 months of Xan's life she was being loved on......even if it was only once a week. It's huge- and I totally get that. It really was a surreal moment. My feelings were all jumbled. I was grateful, they were grateful, I was happy, I was sad, I was overwhelmed. It was just one of those moments that will forever be part of me.

The whole time all of this was happening we were just sitting in the floor holding babies (I think I had 2 on my lap for most of their visit) and just rocking them or soothing them. They weren't used to all this attention and it was a bit unnerving for them. Once the families and their entourage all left we were back to the normal routine......and the babies were all still there doing what they normally do and probably wondering what just happened. I didn't have time to really collect my thoughts and process all of the emotions until I was home and then it hit me. God totally blessed me those two days. ABUNDANTLY blessed me and I have no idea why it was me....but it was and for that I am grateful.

I didn't get a whole lot of pictures....but here are a few.

One of the girls who had been adopted from this orphanage.

The director giving his speech.

Some of the entertainment and one of the young girls living at the orphanage now.

A few of the other volunteers.

Xan was excited to hold the flowers we received as gifts. They were beautiful!

13.1

2010-10-06T15:44:00.004+08:00

I have made a commitment and, like most responsible adults, when I make a commitment I take it pretty seriously. This one was no different. I was afraid to even speak it out loud until I knew I really wanted to do it. I have pondered "the idea" for sometime now but actually committed to it about a month ago. Here it is.....drumroll please: I am going to run an official 1/2 marathon on December 5.....yep 13.1 miles in Shanghai, China.

Stan completed a full marathon in January of this year and I was so proud of him and the accomplishment. I told him several times during his training that I admired his willingness to do it but what I most liked was that he had this "goal" that was out there and he was physically working towards it. It's actually a joke between us that if he doesn't have a goal then he is miserable.....as long as we've been married he's always been working toward something. I'm grateful because those goals have taken me to some pretty amazing places and afforded me a lot of great experiences. Anyway, that is what appealed to me personally.....having that goal and testing my self discipline to see if I could really do it. Not just the race on race day but the grind of training for it. So here I am and I'm letting all of you in on my journey of personal growth (blah blah blah).

Now I would like to give you a little background here. First of all, I do not like running. I'm fairly certain I never have enjoyed running. Some of you that knew me "back in the day" may recall a few successful events I took part in that required some running and the passing of a baton amongst some other young ladies. They are actually some of my fondest memories and to this day I can think about a race and literally get butterflies. It was so much fun. However, I decided a long time ago that what I enjoyed was not the actual running......it was the winning. Oh how I love to win and we actually did it a lot. We were blessed with talent, were coached well and we worked hard so we won. What made it more fun is we were very unlikely winners......4 (some would say scrawny) girls from a small west Texas town with a combined weight of 375 pounds (maybe).......when we were soaking wet.

Anyway....I say all that to say that THIS running is much different. I'm now running for myself. There aren't any teammates or coaches to push me along during the training, there aren't any fun track meets each weekend where medals are awarded and my efforts praised, no opportunity to win a big race to qualify for a bigger one. Nope.....it's just me, my tennis shoes and my iphone heading out and returning for these runs in preparation for the big day. I don't think I had ever run further than a mile in my whole life until I started this training and I'm not gonna lie to you....I fully anticipated hating every single training run (which is why I thought long and hard about the commitment). BUT, I've been pleasantly surprised at how much I've enjoyed the runs and actually look forward to getting out the door and beginning. I've gotten up to 5 miles thus far and it felt good. Sure, my knees hurt a bit and I'm ready to stop when it's the end but overall, I enjoy it. I'm following a training schedule that I found online and I'll get up to 10 miles before the actual race. That sounds completely impossible right now but then again the thought of running 5 miles a month ago was absurd to me as well.

I think one of the things that makes it so enjoyable for me is the music that I listen to. In the States I had quite a bit of car time and that was when I really got my fix of the music I like but since we've been here in China that has been missing. I didn't anticipate that being a big motivator for me but it is. I get to listen to everything from praise and worship, country and a little pop -all as loud as I want and without any interruptions. I have gotten a few funny glances when I'm apparently singing out loud as I run past some locals but oh well- they are going to stare at the foreigner anyway. :)

So there it is....it's out there.

And 8 weeks from this Sunday I'll be out there too!

Chat with ya later-

Pet & Plant Street

2010-10-05T19:27:00.013+08:00

We have made the short trip to Pet and Plant street a couple of times since we arrived here in Suzhou because as any of you who know Stan can attest...the man loves plants. He comes by it quite honestly.....his mom is also a lover of all things green and she converted Stan's dad and they have created (read: worked their tails off for 7+ years) the most amazing back yard ever with ponds and bogs and plants and plants and more plants..... but I digress. Back to pet and plant street.

It is literally a street where there are probably close to 40 or 50 shops selling plants and more than that selling animals. I use the term "shop" very loosely as many are just a small room (imagine a flea market environment and you are close). Anyway-we made the trip (10 short minutes by taxi and 20 by e-bike) right before Xan began school about a month ago and I've had these pics just sitting on my computer waiting for me to share them with you. The plant part of pet and plant street is very lovely and lush but the pet part is a different story. There are literally hundreds of different animals that are for purchase and the conditions are certainly less than optimal. Those animal protection folks would go nuts but it does make for an interesting morning and some pretty good pictures too. So here is a random sampling of what we saw that morning....in no particular order. (thanks for the photo advice today from my friend Danielle on getting them to up load quicker....thus resulting in more blog posts--- hopefully)

A cage full of pigeons.

Tiny baskets for the crickets you can purchase.

There are TONS of turtles....all sizes, all colors, etc. One of the delicacies here is turtle soup and there is literally a whole turtle floating in top of the bowl when it arrives at the table. I haven't partaken but Stan has and he says it's actually not bad. I think these smaller turtles are for pets.....at least I hope so.

Yep....this is a bag full o' turtles.

Just because I could.....here is a picture of a shop owner cleaning her toenails.

This sweet little girl watched us very intently.

I was glad she let me photograph her without posing.......I loved this picture.

More cricket cages.....this is only about 3-4 inches square.

and if you want a bit more style for your cricket this one is for you

Here are some of the hundreds of crickets.....it was loud and I can't imagine wanting one for a pet. Obviously the locals can and do.......lots of them for sale and all kinds of accessories.

Xan was checking them out.

Here are some of the smaller plants.

Again...because I could...high heels are literally worn every day by all kinds of workers....doesn't matter what you do or if they even match your outfit. I'm shamed in my comfy flip flops or tennis shoes by these ladies walking the streets and working in their heels.

This is for Stan's mom.....Yep that is trumpet vine. Want some??

This large, lovely plant is now a member of the Everitt greenhouse. He had it delivered to our apartment that same afternoon with about 5 other smaller plants. It really is beautiful.

Stan is just loving life here.....he gets very happy when he is around lots of green things.

This is a very common stance for people here in China to do work. They squat and will sit forever doing tasks or just chatting with each other. The older folks do it too....the men will squat and play dice games on the sidewalk. I don't know how they do it.

This cutie pie stopped to admire the very large, ugly cement lions that we did not have delivered to our apartment that afternoon. (I do have my limits)

Just some pretty flowers-

Some kind of nasty worm....there was a shop with tons of these bins full of them. I'm not sure what they are for....not sure I want to know.

This guy was one of several in the bird section that had a great seat to watch the shoppers go by. He was quiet but there were lots that weren't.

More birds...

and because he can.......a man working without a shirt on. [Side note: unfortunately this is not the least dressed that I've seen a man working. I drove by a construction site one day and saw two men in their tighty whitey's and hardhats and shoes. I promise! It was almost traumatizing if I hadn't gotten so tickled.]

Fish.....lots and lots of fish.

Some of the dogs....most were the small breeds but we did see a few large dogs.

More fish...

Just a sad puppy.

Trying to fit in with the locals.......ok- not so much.

A basket of eggs that were near the pigeons......this picture doesn't do them justice. They were a beautiful almost see through white color. Very unusual...again not sure if they eat them or what.

That's about it for now. Would love to give anyone a personal tour of Pet and Plant street so if you're in the area be sure to call us.

Chat with ya later-

Maybe we'll win-

2010-09-24T22:27:00.006+08:00

Our adoption agency, America World, publishes a calendar each year full of photos that families are asked to submit of their adoptive families. I submitted a few the first year we had Xan but since then the deadline always snuck up on me and I never did get any sent in. Well this year was different...I actually got them submitted on time (hey.....the very last day counts). I'm pretty sure I've posted most of them before but thought I'd share them again.

The prize if you "win" is to have your picture actually appear in the calendar along with receiving a few free calendars. As you can imagine, they receive many more photos than what they can publish but hey......I think she's pretty stinking cute so maybe, just maybe we'll win.

Chat with ya later-

China Safety

2010-09-13T18:23:00.002+08:00

The Chinese have a ways to go before I'll be impressed with their safety features and protocols.......and this is one reason why.

This is an "e-bike" (almost identical to the one we have) and as you can see the owner got creative and did a little add on for his/her little one. We have seen this more than once and many times we've seen a Dad driving, Mom riding behind him and her holding a tiny little baby between them......tiny!

Like I said...they are a long way from the 5 point Britax car seat I insisted on just a short 4 years ago. But lest I sound too harsh on just the locals, we expats are almost as bad. We run all over town on our own e-bikes and merge and honk right along with the rest of them. When in Rome.....

Chat with ya later.

A New Ride

2010-09-07T14:57:00.004+08:00

A certain little someone had been working on completing a good habits chart for almost a month. She had been promised, by a certain other two someones, that she could have a scooter when she met the goal. There was a very specific scooter that was being worked towards. It HAD to be a pink princess scooter because another certain little someone had also received one recently. Well she did it and she got it and that little someone has been smiling ever since.

Wow!

2010-08-30T14:54:00.009+08:00

My baby started school today. Wow! I have a lot of feelings about it as I'm sure most moms do when their oldest starts school for the very first time. It's the end of a very special time and there won't be a time like it ever again. It makes me a bit sad but then I'm also excited and happy for her to be moving into this part of her little life. In the States we would have waited an additional year before heading off to kindergarten but here in China they have international schools that have K1 and K2 and since she is 4 1/2 then she is in K1. We went Saturday and met her teachers and saw her classroom and even met a few of the other students that will be in her room.

The school is called Newton International Kindergarten and it offers curriculum for both the international students as well as a chinese only curriculum (for the locals). We, of course, are in the international side but that also accommodates other nationalities other than just Americans and also some Chinese that want their children to learn English. Needless to say her classroom is very global and we LOVE that. She has 15 classmates and I'm guessing that about 10 or 111 are Asian and the other 4 or 5 are American, European and Indian. She has two teachers...Miss Lilly who is the Mandarin teacher and Miss Brittney who is the English teacher (I know huh....their names couldn't be more perfect).

The one thing I was a bit anxious about before Saturday was Xan's comfort level with her teacher. She has struggled just a bit with people speaking mandarin to her and not being able to communicate with them. I know that this will pass but it was still a concern that if she perceived her teacher couldn't "really" understand her then she might be more apprehensive about going and not enjoying it. Well....as you might imagine....God took complete care of my little anxious mother's heart and gave us Miss Brittney. When we met her on Saturday she was the sweetest thing and

-She is from Charleston, South Carolina

-She helps lead music at our local church (we recognized her and she did us as well)

-She has an adopted baby sister from China.

I mean really.......could HE have given us an any more perfect fit for Xan. Not only does she understand Xan but she talks "like we do"......southern drawl and all, feels that she is doing exactly what God called her to do, and has a very personal understanding of the miracles related to adoption. WOW!

So....this morning after her requested breakfast of blueberry muffins she put on her brand new dress, I fixed her hair (complete with large bow of course) and off we went to catch a taxi so Stan and I could take her to school. We actually rode over with some friends of ours who Xan plays with all the time and was also starting at Newton today in K2. Callie, her mom Julie and her little brother Porter all rode over with us. The girls parted ways at the staircase promising to see each other on the playground and on the bus this afternoon. We got to her classroom and it went as smooth as silk. Miss Brittney helped her put her backpack in her cubby, change to her indoor shoes (a China thing) and get all settled before she ran to us, kissed us goodbye and went on her way. She didn't shed a tear or even act sad. I did pretty good too until we turned to walk away and I watched her through the window. I'm not ashamed to say that I shed a few tears before getting back in the taxi and heading home.

Stan was off work today so we've enjoyed a lovely day of just being together. We ran some errands, tried out a new restaurant for lunch and then home to watch a movie together. I'm supposed to go meet her bus in about 15 minutes and I can't hardly wait to see her and hear all about it. God is so good isn't HE.

Well.....I know there are some grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who can't wait to see some pictures so here are a few.
Xan and Miss Brittney on Saturday at Orientation

Exploring her classroom

Checking out her new ride....

And here she is....all dressed up and ready to go!

Baba walking her to the taxi

Our little friend Callie met up with us on the sidewalk

and away we went......

Wow.....I love this little person (and that big person too) so much!

Here is a snapshot I took thru the window as we were leaving.

And there you have it......my baby has begun her education. Like I said.....Wow!

PS- She bounded off the bus beaming and had a GREAT day. Her favorite part was coloring and she made 2 friends. Her teacher sent a note home that she was "a delight" and that her good manners were "refreshing. (you can go gag now but I am one proud momma today!)

Chat with ya later-

Dining with the Locals

2010-08-24T20:20:00.003+08:00

We hosted our second group of caddies from Stan's club this past Sunday evening for dinner in our home. Our goal is to have all 150 caddies at least once this year and this time we had a grand gathering of 21. My menu was very southern with bbq chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes, and deviled eggs with cobbler for dessert. The caddies are all young women here in China but Stan had told me that they could eat like grown men so I was prepared for some mighty appetites. Stan's secretary always accompanies the team and acts as a wonderful translator and not surprising, with that many women there is never a lull in conversation or in the giggling. The food is always a guess because most of these girls have never eaten "western" style food but they request it and we aim to please so... It is fun to watch them try new things and they always want to know how to prepare whatever I've served. I'm flattered but then again....they don't have anything to compare it to. They were very leery of the deviled eggs at first but once I demonstrated how to actually eat it they were a big hit. They also devoured the green beans, which of course were cooked all afternoon with some bacon and onion. They couldn't imagine cooking something for 2 hours. That is such a foreign concept to those who have always only known stir fry or boiling. The mashed potatoes and chicken were also a hit but the cobblers were certainly not treated as they would have been in the US. You can see for yourself in the before and after pictures below.

Here are a few pictures from that evening.

The girl in the middle was singing for us and as you can see her friend is quite tickled by her rendition. These girls were a really fun group and we laughed all night.

The group photos

Apple cobblers..... before

Peach cobbler...... before

Cobblers......after

Yeah....I'm pretty sure that no where in America would 21 people come for dinner and leave any cobbler remaining. I can attest that it sure tasted good but the Chinese just aren't big on sweets. We've been enjoying the leftovers for a couple of days now so I guess there are worse things than your guests not liking dessert.

And here is a picture because I wanted to show you how we entertain here in China. I absolutely INSIST on only the best.

The funny part is that these "napkins" were super thin and left me wishing for some Bounty. :0

Chat with ya later~

Happy Camper

2010-08-20T19:52:00.002+08:00

Yep today I am one happy camper. I have spent a great deal of time over the last 5 weeks preparing the necessary mountain of paperwork and documentation to update our home study and renew our approval from the US Immigration office (it expires every 18 months) for our second adoption. I was aware that our move to China would require us to do "some" paperwork and have a new social worker come and give our home a seal of approval but my expectations proved to be about 1/10 of what was actually required. Well, after a couple of days of just being plain overwhelmed (and sending out an urgent prayer request) I began tackling my mountain in true Everitt fashion.....I made a list. And let me tell you I worked that list and I begged, borrowed and stole (well I didn't actually steal but work with me here, ok?) from every person that could help me with any one of the 17 documents I had to gather from South Carolina, Texas and even a police clearance report from the local Chinese officials. {It was clean by the way}

So....I had to gather all these documents while the social worker was simultaneously creating a document proving that indeed we are STILL fit and STILL stable enough to bring an additional child into our home. (can you detect a hint of sarcasm). But, the LORD was gracious and sent the sweetest, Christian woman to be our social worker here in China (she works for a US agency) and we so enjoyed our day of interviews with Emily. In a nutshell, I had about 5 weeks and I needed to get all those documents created or completed and in my hands and then to the social worker's agency in Tennessee; the sw's agency needed the documents to complete the home study update; my adoption agency (America World) in Virginia needed to read and approve the home study update; and then all of those things had to be matched up with our application to the Immigration Services in Dallas. I'm telling you there were a lot of hands that had to touch these documents. Oh yeah......did I mention that it had to all be received by the Immigration Service on or before August 20 or else we would have to pay a hefty $700+ fee to get back on track.

Well as I'm sure you can tell from the title of my post today.....it all got signed, sealed and delivered and I have a fed ex confirmation to prove it. And, I might add, with one day to spare. I was one happy camper this morning when I tracked that package and got my confirmation. WooHOO!!!!

So....you might be asking yourself, what does this do for our process. Well- the short answer is not a darn thing. We still have our place in line (we've been here a year now) and we are still anticipating a long wait to receive the next member of our family. We know the LORD's timing is absolutely perfect b/c I have a precious little daughter who is sleeping soundly in her princess bed just one room away. We will continue to trust Him and walk where He leads but I have to be honest.....I'm sure hoping He leads us to my little girl soon. My arms are starting to ache for her.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for me during this particular part of our journey as well as those many, many who have supported our passion for adoption. God is good and we just get to go along for the ride.

Chat with ya later!

Oh the things a good friend will do for you......

2010-08-12T21:24:00.005+08:00

I had a pleasant surprise yesterday when my doorbell rang and a Chinese man began speaking very rapidly and looking to me for a response. I smiled a sweet smile and in my best southern accent told him that I didn't understand a thing he just said but I'd be happy to give him a glass of sweet tea and we could wait for someone to translate (I'm kidding) He actually returned my blank stare and then he held up this.

Oh goodie.....I thought....what on earth is this and then I noticed the return address and a grin covered my entire face. Not only did my friend love on me a bit but she packaged it up and sent it all the way to China.

It was so stinkin fun to unwrap each little thing and I oohhd and awwwd over each one like it was a little piece of heaven. I'll share my moment with all of you and you can also take time to enjoy the love sent to my by my friend.

First....there were these. She had taken pictures of Xan and her bestie Eva before we left South Carolina and here was a bulging envelope with all these beautiful prints. I admit it....I cried.

Next I uncovered this little gem. Now I understand that not everyone would get as giddy as I did when I realized what piece of literary genius was in my hands but hey......a good southern girl needs her Southern Living fix and this one had peach cobbler on the cover. I promise you I will seriously read every single inch of this here publication. Oh the love I was feeling :).

I could actually smell this one when I opened the box. My friend introduced me to this sweet smelling candle a couple of years ago and we have shared a love for it ever since. Oh my house smelled good this morning!! (it's cranberry pomegranate......get it at walmart for $3.00....best ever!!)

Then, because she is such a good friend that she loves on my husband as well, these were also included. Stan was one very happy man I tell you......very happy indeed. (Xan too...he gave her 3).

There was one tragedy that occurred during the love package's journey over to me here in the Middle Kingdom and it made me quite sad. Apparently 3 rolls of bubble wrap and peanut packaging aren't enough for the trip 1/2 way around the world. The coffee however, made it just fine and I will be enjoying it for several days to come.

Thank you Heather! You made me feel incredibly special and loved.......I hope we can enjoy some coffee together sometime soon. Just call me when you are on your way and I'll make a fresh pot. Love you friend!

Living like the locals

2010-08-11T20:04:00.001+08:00

Ok...Ok....I hear you. I know that 2 months is way too long to go between blog posts and I could go into all the excuses I have..... like the month long trip to United States which was wonderful, returning to China to receive, unpack and put away our shipment of personal belongings-also wonderful, and then updating our homestudy for adoption #2- LOTS of paperwork that I wasn't expecting but will be wonderful when the goal is reached and our next little one is in my arms. (I won't get all mushy on you already but just know that the very thought of holding her is what got me through the small mountain of paperwork required to let the US govt know that we are now living in China and still wish to adopt and that we still have a suitable home and that we still have a stable enough relationship to bring another child into our family.........can you detect just a hint of sarcasm.. :) But I won't go into all those excuses, that would be tacky- I'll just get started.

My mind is bubbling with ideas for blog posts and I thought I'd just jump back into sharing our daily life here in the Middle Kingdom.

We've done several things this week that certainly wouldn't have been activities we would have done before living here. There are so many day to day things that seem so different at first but then you get accustomed to them and actually begin to realize what a good idea some of them are. You begin to realize that the locals really do know a thing or two about living here. For example, the Chinese people do not want to have dark skin....at all....I mean they are serious about this. The skin creams they buy even have "bleaching" or "whitening" elements in them to help keep their skin pale. We've been told that the reason for this is if you have dark skin then you are looked upon as "poor" because you've probably been working outside as a farmer or laborer.....neither of which gains you much clout in society. You will see women with umbrellas all the time...some more decorative than others {read tacky}....but lots and lots of umbrellas everywhere and the sun is shining as bright as can be. Well, like I said, this seemed odd to us at first but we too adopted this practice this past week. We found that protecting ourselves from the beaming sun actually helped to keep us a bit cooler (novel idea huh?) and we want all the help we can get in that department. It is very hot and humid here in Suzhou. (in fact Stan just told me that it is 94 degrees and feels like 101 and it is 8pm) Here is Xan modeling her sun covering fashion for us.

We were on our way this particular afternoon to find a tailor that Stan had been made aware of by his Chinese tutor/teacher. We were armed with an address, some money, and our umbrellas and off we went for an Everitt family adventure. After a couple of phone calls to Stan's secretary to talk to the cab driver and give more instructions (apparently the address we had didn't make sense to him) we were dropped off right in front of this little shop. I stress little here because the place was seriously no larger than most of our living rooms. The walls were lined with all kinds of fabrics and a few mannequins modeling some of their craftsmanship scattered near the window and a salesclerk who spoke a bit of English and was extremely willing to help us with our selections. We went with the thought that we would just look around and get some ideas but we quickly got caught up in the "coolness" of the whole experience and before we knew it Stan had ordered 2 suits and a dress shirt all to be tailored for him. We chose the fabrics and the shop attendant made a quick phone call and about 2 minutes later 2 more people walked in. The woman who appeared sat down and wrote down every number the man blurted out while wrapping his tape measure every which way around Stan. They asked if we were in a hurry for these garments and Stan replied, "No, not at all." Ok they said....these will be ready next Tuesday then (8 days later). WOW...I wonder what they could do if we were in a hurry. :) The prices were incredibly awesome too and I'll let you know about the quality of the finished product next week after we pick them up.

Here are a few pics I snapped with our phones during his first date with the tailor.

Another wonderful little activity that we've adapted to quite nicely here in China is the availability and affordability of massages. Stan has even gotten a membership at the massage parlor that is located at a little shopping center here in our apartment complex. That sounds so sleezy...massage parlor....but I don't know what else to call it. It really isn't sleezy at all. Anyway, my point is that Stan frequents the establishment and actually has an employee that he prefers. They don't go by their names, only numbers- seriously, their name tags just have a number. Stan is fond of #16 and she apparently likes him too. He goes in for a massage about once or twice a week and this last time that he went in she was telling him that his "internal body temperature" was off. Yeah...your guess is as good as ours as to how she knew that from rubbing his back but she did and he didn't argue with her. She then removed this small stone from a rope necklace she was wearing and began rubbing his back with it. He said it felt like she was lightly scraping him but it wasn't painful or anything. She finished her scraping and then finished up with his massage. He came home and was telling me about this and then took his shirt off. Let's just say my mouth flew open and I didn't know what to think. Here is what I saw.

Now mind you, this was only about 20 minutes afterwards. He said it wasn't sore or tender to the touch at all but it sure looked awful. Apparently this is called gua sha (pronounced gwa shaw) and the Chinese believe that is removes toxins from your body ???? Ummm.....OK.

Today (3 days later) it still very much looks like he has been attacked the hickey fairy who thought it would be funny to mark him with some secret writings about his internal body temperature.....which by the way he says feels much more "normal" now. I'm sure #16 will be pleased.

Well I did it, jumped right back into the blogging world and I gotta say it's good to be back. I've got lots more to share so I'll be back soon.

Chat with ya later-

Goodbye #3...The Final Farewell

2010-05-31T21:03:00.014+08:00

I saved this farewell for last because quite honestly it was the most difficult. Please indulge me and let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time in a small southern town there was a little girl with dark black hair and almond shaped eyes who had just taken her first steps about a month before our story begins. There was a dinner party one evening and her little world got just a bit brighter. You see God saw fit to bring a little blond headed girl with big sweet brown eyes to that same small southern town and the love affair began at just 15 months old. The two quickly became best buds and went from playing alongside each other to being inseparable. The contrast of the two of them in pictures is just about perfect. The milestones that these two little ones experienced together can quickly take you through the life of most 2, 3 and 4 year olds but something about them experiencing them all together made them that much sweeter.

Toddling, walking slowly and finally running......only to fall and get skinned knees, flip flops, pigtails, water sprinklers and big swimmie diaper hineys.

Hand mime dances, immunizations, making it thru Sunday School and Church in the nursery because the other one was there, temper tantrums, first baby doll strollers, and birthday parties with balloons.

Moving to big girl beds (ok....at least one of them actually moved to hers), ice cream cones, Chick-fil-a kids' meals, big girl panties, transitioning from Vacation Bible School "mascots" to actually attending....but only because the other one was there too, being silly, being serious, yucky sicknesses and countless boo boos.

Hurt feelings and kisses to quickly make up, crying when had to leave each other, squeeling with great gusto to see each other only 2 hours later, adopting each other's grandparents as their own, playdoh, puzzles, tricycles and then onto bicycles.

Big kid Sunday School and big church, footie pajamas, silly faces, and halloween costumes....in april, sparklers, imaginary friends, becoming big sisters-- in their homes and in their hearts, bathtimes together and blowing bubbles. Board books to big word books and fun trips to the library.

Most of these things that these two experienced wouldn't be considered extraordinary or unusual for the normal American toddler but that is where this story is a bit different. You see these two have something very special. God chose to knit their two little hearts together as the first "bess friends" they ever had and it was a beautiful thing for those of us that were around to watch. These two had oh so similar yet different enough personalities that allowed them to play for hours and hours on end without so much as a cross word and when they did then the apologies were quick to come so that their friend wouldn't be sad anymore.

Now there is another part of this story that makes it sweet. You see the black haired little girl had a mommy and the blond haired little girl had a mommy and they became the best of friends during this story too. They walked through some pretty major milestones of laughter and rejoicing, grieving and crying, playing and praying, eating and cooking.....all while watching and praying for those two little ones as they grew. Isn't that just like God to give a mommy an extra special friend that makes play dates fun for her too. Their daddys also enjoyed being together so their families were often found eating or playing all together....they intermingled quite nicely.

Well, the story hit a bit of a bump in the road when one of those little girls had to move away from that small southern town with her mommy and daddy. They had to say goodbye and it was sad. The little girls, that blonde one and the other one with almond shaped eyes....well they haven't hugged each other in over a month now......their mommies haven't had a cup of coffee or discussed any pioneer woman recipes together either. It is sad.....but as the girls in our story know, it's ok to be sad but it's not ok to throw a fit or act tacky so ......we will move on before anyone gets into trouble.

These two little girls still get to talk to each other a bit but now they use the computer and it's just not the same. It's bedtime for one when it's breakfast for the other and bathtime isn't as fun when your friend doesn't giggle at the bubbles you blow on her nose. So for now, we will bring our story to a close, or maybe we should just pause it, as we are certain that God isn't finished writing this sweet love story that He chose so graciously to begin in the hearts of two little girls who couldn't look more different or love each other any more.

We miss you Eva!

This story was fondly recalled by the mommy of the little girl with dark hair and almond eyes and lovingly dedicated to the mommy of the sweet little blonde with big brown eyes.

Painting Rocks

2010-05-31T20:38:00.004+08:00

Saying Goodbye--#2

2010-05-21T10:48:00.001+08:00

My girlfriends.......oh my sweet, dear girlfriends. I miss you terribly every day and pray that God will see fit to give me friends here in China that would love me only a portion of the amount you all did.

I want to take just a moment to try and express what my friends in Aiken have meant to me. I know that I won't be able to fully express all that is in my heart but I feel I must at least try b/c God really deserves the glory for what He did for me through all of you. We moved to Aiken and I knew only 2 people there and He just poured His blessings on me with wonderful, Godly, women of all ages and backgrounds to surround me and love me through the 7 years we were there. I have come to realize, as I have gotten older, how precious it is to have true friends that you can laugh, cry, rejoice and grieve with. I have that in you and I'm so very grateful for that. I do not take it lightly that God allowed me to have that season of my life there with you all. It was a precious time for me and your friendships are priceless.

I was given a great going away dinner one evening in downtown Aiken at Tako Sushi with many dear friends in attendance. I had such a wonderful time and felt very loved! Thank you Danielle & Emily for getting us all together.

We laughed and laughed and then I cried a bit when they presented me with a very special gift. I have always admired my friend Emily's necklace with special little drops for each of her girls and that night I got my very own. I absolutely love it and will fondly remember that night and all that it represented with each of you being there to make me feel so special. It was really a neat evening for me as well b/c my mother-in-law, Ann, was in town and got to be part of the evening. I was so blessed to have her at the house with Xan and I for 3 weeks and I know that she fell in love with my friends just as they did her. It was just a really great evening.....thank you!!

Again....I have lots of pictures from that night so I've put a few here and a link to the rest. It was such a good evening.

Kimberly and Susan

Amber

Trig

Emily

Eilleen

Ann

Angela

Amanda & Teresa

Thank you so much ladies.....it was wonderful!

Here are the other pictures.....

Flat Stanley

2010-05-14T14:59:00.009+08:00

Dear Kenley,

Ni Hao (pronounced Knee-How and means hello)

Thank you so much for allowing Flat Stanley to come all the way to China to visit us. It takes a very long time for mail to arrive here and return to the United States so I decided to write you an electronic letter so you would receive it sooner and be able to share it with your class.

It was a very long trip for Flat Stanley because he came all the way to Suzhou, China. That is pronounced "Sue-Joe" and is very near the large city of Shanghai, pronounced "Shong-High". It is thousands of miles between Texas and China so he flew on an airplane for almost 20 hours to get to us. Suzhou has approximately 3 million people that live here and China has over 1.3 billion people compared to the United States which has 307 million. The city of Suzhou was established in 514 BC so it is over 2,500 years old. That sure is a lot of history isn't it.

We did some fun things with Flat Stanley while he was here and should he come back he should bring clothes just like you are wearing in Gail right now. Our climate here is very similar to yours with the exception of the humidity. We are relatively close to the ocean so it is more humid here than you are used to so he would probably think that it felt hotter here than in Texas.

We took some pictures of him during his visit with us and we wanted to share them with you.

We do not have a car here in China so we walk or take a taxi most of the places we want to go. That seems very strange to you I'm sure since in Texas almost everyone has at least one car and you would never think about walking to the store or taking a taxi to eat at a restaurant. Well, it is a bit different here because everything is somewhat close and there are many, many stores and restaurants that are only a 15 or 20 minute walk away or a taxi fare of only $2 - $3. This was Flat Stanley's "car" while he was here with us. He seemed to not mind it too much and always had a smile on his face.

Now many people do have cars here in China but many more people travel by bicycle....both the old fashioned, pedal-to-make-it-go kind, and a more popular kind, electric bicycles. Some look exactly like a regular bicycle with a little motor on the back and others look more like small motorcycles. They plug them into the wall at night to recharge them for the next day and they are very quiet and good for the environment too because they don't pollute the air. We are thinking about getting one for our family but they drive kind of crazy here so we may wait a while longer before doing that. Here is a picture of the bicycles parked outside of a local bank. You can see what we mean that there are literally millions of them on the streets here.

I mentioned earlier that China has a whole lot of people and because of that they do many things that we would do with machines in the US with people and very basic tools. For example, there are people whose job it is to make sure that the streets and sidewalks are kept clean and swept daily. This sweet woman works near our home and we have seen her before so she was kind enough to hold Flat Stanley while we took their picture. That broom in her hand is what she uses to sweep the sidewalks and the streets every day. That would be a tough job don't you think.

Speaking of home, we also took a picture of where we live so you could see where Flat Stanley stayed while he was here. We live in a high-rise apartment building on the 11th floor. We have 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms a kitchen, living room and office.....just like houses in the US except that we are all built on top of each other. Here are some pictures of Flat Stanley pointing to our home and then looking out onto our courtyard from our balcony. We held onto him very tightly and he didn't act scared at all to be so high. He is very brave.

His left arm in pointing right at our building.

Looking out from our balcony. Suzhou is known for beautiful gardens and you can see in this that they really are pretty.

We also took Flat Stanley to our local neighborhood market where we buy a lot of our groceries, or at least our fruit, vegetables, eggs and some meat. It is very similar to a farmer's market in the US except for the live fish, snakes and other creatures. The produce is just wonderful and we have had a lot of fun picking our new fruits and vegetables to try. Here are some pictures from our trip there.

You just pick out the fruit that you want to purchase and they weigh it and then add up your total. If you need vegetables then you go to another area and do the same thing. They are usually very nice and are kind to help me understand.

We don't buy our eggs in cartons here (you can get them that way at some stores) but these are very fresh and taste very good. You just pick out the ones you want and they bag and weigh them for you. You can actually purchase almost any kind of bird egg you wish.....some are very large and others are very small. We have only purchased the chicken ones so far. The only problem is getting them home without breaking any. We lost 4 of 12 on this particular day due to an unfortunate stroller tipping incident. Xan and Flat Stanley were both fine but the eggs didn't fare so well.

Flat Stanley was quite popular at the market and several onlookers wanted to have their picture made with him because he was from the USA. We were happy to let them pose with him. Flat Stanley didn't seem to mind at all.

Now here in this market you can also purchase fresh cut meats (mostly pork), and dried beans, rice and grains too. The most interesting part of the market though is the fresh seafood area where it really is fresh...it's still living. Here are just a few of the items we could have if we wanted them (but we haven't and I'm not sure we will).

eels

crawfish

We also attracted the attention of a little boy while out that day and he wanted to examine Flat Stanley pretty closely. He held him and then when I asked him to show him to us he struck this pose. I guess the language barrier is just as big for him as it is for us.

Isn't he just so cute. You know that your cousin Xan was born in China so she looks very similar to most of the people here and they are always very kind to her. The hard part is when they try to speak to her and they think she knows Chinese. She usually just smiles at them and says "I don't speak Chinese". They usually smile back and nod like they understood...we don't know if they do or not. People respond very favorably when we are able to communicate to them that she is our daughter and that we adopted her from China. We are all going to be learning the language so hopefully we will all be able to speak with these sweet people soon.

This is our friend Fu Wong (we would say Wong Fu but here in China they say the last name first). She is our ayi (pronounced "ahh yee") and she comes to our house to help us and sometimes watches Xan. She doesn't speak any English and since we don't speak Chinese yet we do a lot of communicating with sign language and a translator on our computer. You would be surprised though that a smile is the same in any language and she always has a sweet smile for us. She was also excited about Flat Stanley coming all the way from the United States.

Well that seems to be it since our visit with Flat Stanley was so brief but please allow him to return someday and Kenley, maybe you and your family could come with him. We could visit the Great Wall and some of the other beautiful things here in China.

Here is one last picture of Flat Stanley on his way back from China. He wanted to take our book with him so he could practice his Chinese but we talked him into leaving it here for us-we still need it a lot. He will see you soon and may have a little treat in the envelope for you.

Zai Jian (pronounced Zigh Gee inn)

"Goodbye"

Love

Stan, Megan and Xan

Saying GoodBye-#1

2010-05-12T10:36:00.000+08:00

I have needed to give myself a couple of weeks to get used to the idea that we really have said goodbye to some wonderful friends in Aiken and Augusta and that although we will forever remain connected, our daily lives will no longer intersect in the oh-so-sweet way each day and week that I loved and enjoyed. We moved to Aiken in 2003 and for 7 years these folks acted as our surrogate family and loved us so very well. I'm going to take a couple of days to recap some of the sweet things that were done for us as we were preparing to leave and head over to China.

Digestive Specialists
I worked for a total of almost 5 years for a great group of physicians in Augusta and had the pleasure of working alongside some great women. I enjoyed my time(s) there deeply and the Lord certainly blessed me and my family through their opportunities for me. I consider it both an honor and a pleasure to have known these men and women and am confident that my heart will always have a soft spot for Digestive Specialists.

I was VERY BLESSED when these folks planned and hosted an incredible going away luncheon for me complete with Chinese decorations, some of my favorite food, a poem written and recited just for me and one of the most incredible strawberry cakes ever. It was an emotional afternoon for me as it was the first of my goodbyes and I was very attached to these people. I shed a few tears for sure, it was more than just a job you see......I enjoyed a very rare mutual respect with the physicians--I knew their wives and children, the ladies in the office had shared their lives with me and I had prayed for and about them and their families for 5 years. I had been abundantly blessed by their relationships ....Saying goodbye was tough!

I have said many, many times how generous these guys were to me and they showed it again that day. I received an incredible Canon SLR digital camera and lenses from the physicians and the girls gave me a great carrying case for it plus some neat keepsake items to take with me (they even had a very special cookie for Xan). I was so excited to receive such an incredible gift and am going to put it to very good use here in China. I have free time and a great camera.....watch out!!

I have many pictures of that afternoon so I'm posting a few here and then a link to the rest of them. Thank you DLDS.....you will be missed!

If you want to see more pics from that day here's a link

Pics for Digestive Specialists

Chat with ya later.....

It's the Big Things

2010-05-11T08:14:00.004+08:00

So......today is my 13th anniversary and I'm pretty sure it's the "big things" I do for Stan that keep him around. For instance, he has been in China now for 2 months and has been really wanting this particular "thing". I have been on a mission to gather the necessary supplies for this "thing" and last night I completed my project. It took trips to 3 different places to obtain all I needed and I just know that I will now most certainly be all the envy of my new friends.

Some of you are probably thinking that I might be referring to Stan's Skittle addiction but don't worry he found those on his first day here. I'm sure we would have had to totally renegotiate our package in order to accommodate an import fee for skittles if he hadn't.

Anyway- I chronicled this little project with a few photos so go ahead.....scroll on down and check out his anniversary present and try to contain your jealousy.

Keep goin......you are going to love this!!

No....your eyes are not deceiving you! That is a nice glass of sweet, iced tea. The pitcher was my last necessary item and that was obtained last night (after looking at several stores for one....they just don't use them here or something)

Now at home I would prefer some decaffeinated Luzianne family size tea bags but I just haven't been able to spot those (hmmmmmm). I decided to trust the good ol' yellow box and Mr Lipton and we were happy to discover that although there is a bit of difference in taste of the "yellow label" tea it wasn't bad....in fact, it was quite tasty.

I knew we weren't in the States anymore when I couldn't purchase sugar in anything larger than these little bags. They probably hold about 2 lbs or so......guess I'll be purchasing those in large quantities once my bakeware arrives and knowing we can now have sweet tea anytime we want.

Now I'm sure that this post isn't near as exciting to all of you as it was for my husband but let me tell you....when he took a sip of that refreshing goodness I might as well have handed him the keys to a new Land Rover. The man was happy I tell ya!! So.....mission accomplished and Happy Anniversary Stan......hope I can keep making you smile for many more years to come.

PS...I would like to go on the record that I can indeed retain my "southern lady" membership because really....anyone worth her salt better be able to make sweet tea for her man regardless of her geographic location.

Chat with ya later.

A Girl and Her Nana

2010-05-09T16:25:00.006+08:00

I know that I've mentioned before how incredibly blessed I am to have a wonderful friend who just happens to be my mother-in-law. She really is a treasure and I value her friendship more and more each year. We are very close and we have shared many hours of wonderful heart to heart girl talks. Her wisdom is such a blessing and her generosity to love on me is simply amazing.

Speaking of generosity....how does leaving her home (and Grandaddy) for 3 whole weeks and coming to help me get ready to move around the world. She did just that....gladly and with a very warm heart for me and all that I had to get accomplished so that Xan and I could join Stan in China. We had to prepare for an estate sale, sell 2 vehicles, pack 4 huge suitcases, say lots of goodbyes and sell a house after going through pretty much everything we owned during that 3 weeks. Oh yeah....a small detail that is important to note...I worked full time for about 1/2 those 3 weeks so she also had Xan with her all day. Amazing I tell ya!

She was such a huge help and knew just what I would need before I needed it. If I needed to veg on the couch for a night and "just talk", or drink coffee till 10 in the morning and "just talk", or stay up until midnight going through childhood memorabilia and cry or "just talk"....she did it right alongside me. She also got to really know some of my closest friends.....she had certainly met them all before but b/c she had so much time with us this time she was able to really know and love them like I do (and they her). This was good and bad for her because although she LOVED it I know that since we aren't in Aiken anymore she won't have the opportunity to spend time with them. Thank goodness for Facebook :).....I think it's pretty cool that my friends want to be her friend and vice versa.

I know that Ann didn't mind getting to clean and organize and pack with me but the highlight I'm sure was the intense, one on one time that she had with Xan. They really hadn't ever had that much time with just the two of them and the mutual adoration was so apparent. They had a ball and created their own sweet memories that I am so grateful for. I got a few pictures of the three of us on Easter and then some of the two of them before Ann left. Xan really didn't quite understand why Nana wasn't just going to go to China with us. It just made sense to her. :)

Thank you Ann.....I love you and so does our sweet girl.

My Little "Rock" Star

2010-05-09T10:01:00.007+08:00

Well we finally have internet at home now so I should be able to update the blog regularly. I took these pictures the day before we moved into our apartment and had such a good time watching her strike some poses.

Many people that don't really know Xan think that she is very shy and reserved, which is quite true a lot of the time, however she can also be a little ham as these pictures prove.

These artsy rock structures were all along a path that we took during a walk and she definitely enjoyed them.

By the way--today is Mother's Day and I am OH SO BLESSED by the little one that calls me Momma. Thank you LORD for choosing me to be hers!

Chat with ya later......

P.S. Here are some more pics if you are just dying to see more rocks or rock star poses.
http://gallery.me.com/everitt_stan#100116

Our Wednesday

2010-04-28T20:36:00.009+08:00

Today was a bit busy for us but fun......I tried to take a few pics along the way to help you feel included, I like for everyone to feel included....it's just my nature. :)

We started the day at a new playgroup and made fast friends with some ladies from England, Ireland and South Africa. They all had children a bit younger than Xan but she was very excited to be with other kids and just play. The indoor play area was really nice and I even did one of the things I thought I'd never do......allow her into a ball pit. (gasp!!). Oh well.....when in Rome. We finished up playing, enjoyed a quick lunch together and then pointed our strollers in all different directions---it was naptime for most of the little ones.

Here are some of our new friends.....Colleen and her twin 3yo boys Aiden and Edward (Eddie). They are from England but had spent several years in North Carolina just before moving to China.(her husband works for Caterpillar). She said my accent made her all "warm and fuzzy" b/c she loved NC and hadn't wanted to leave.

Next on our agenda for the day was some shopping for a few basics for our apartment. We get to move in on Thursday and since we don't have a vehicle I thought it best to begin making some of the multiple trips required to get all that we will need. Today's goal: basic bedding and a few items for the kitchen. We went to a place called Carefour (just think superwalmart but bigger and with a bazillion employees). Xan graciously napped in the stroller and I was doing ok until I got to the sheets and then I required some major assistance from my iphone as well as the attendants working that aisle (yeah...there were 4 on that aisle alone.....the staffing here is definately abundant). I have a language translator on my phone that is won-der-ful!!

I finally got my decisions made and was trying to get everything into my buggy when I realized that we had attracted quite a little crowd. No kidding, there were 7 people including 2 sets of grandparents with their g-babies, and 3 others that were following us and just staring. I was a little unnerved at first and then just decided hey......I'd probably stare at someone in walmart in the US that was trying to buy live snakes so ....have at it folks.... glad we could make you smile today. By the way....you can't buy sheet sets in china...nope....you buy 3 piece sets that include a flat sheet, a pillow case and a duvet cover....no fitted sheet or top sheet. Then you buy a "summer quilt" that goes into the duvet cover. This is the setup that we have here at the hotel and it's actually kinda nice. It's warm but not hot and light weight enough to still be cool. Let's just hope that my sizing is correct......our beds are 1.8 and 1.5. I typed that into my iphone calculator and the ladies showed me a some items so I guess we'll see tomorrow how we did.

After checking out, realizing you have to purchase your bags (even plastic thin ones), lugging an entire buggy of stuff up a moving escalator (made for buggies), while carrying a stroller and holding onto Xan.......my precious little one mentions to me that she needs to potty. Well.......whatcha gonna do? I wheeled that buggy right on into the bathroom and immediately Xan said, "Mommy....don't say Praise the Lord". This cracked me up b/c ever since we arrived if we used a public restroom and it was western style (as opposed to a sqatty potty) then I'd say..."Praise the Lord". heehee. This one was obviously not a "prasie the Lord" kinda setup. She made me laugh ....then she laughed with me...she squatted....I held her ......& we were off again.

A quick taxi ride and I got everything back to the hotel room. We headed out again, but this time on foot for a stroll and to get a snack. The area of town we were headed is only about a 15 minute or so walk from our hotel and we've enjoyed getting out and doing that several times. We have our little routine.....she lounges and deejays the iphone music for us.....I push and we sing as we go. I'm sure the locals get quite a kick out of us bee bopping our way down the street while belting out "all right, all right......I got all I need....and it's all right by me." (darius rucker would be so proud)

We had worked hard and needed a little snack and some good Cold Stone Creamery sounded like it would do the trick.

We finished our outing at the local bakery and made our selections for dinner....we had decided to just have some fruit and pastries in our room since we'd been out all day. This place is DIVINE I tell you.....the flakiness will just about do you in. I don't even want to think about the calories I had this afternoon/evening between the ice cream and then pastries.

I wish you could just smell this place. yyyyuuuummmmmmmmy!!

We returned to our hotel about the time Stan was arriving and after a bath for Xan we sat down for our picnic and then time to start heading for bed. We had a really good day and although there were somethings that could have frustrated me (the audience at walmart, taking 45 minutes to determine that sheet sets don't exist, or that you don't just get bags with your purchase) I think I'm just going to look at it as a day that the LORD has made and I will be glad and rejoice in it.

Chat with ya later.....

Sweet Dreams

2010-04-27T16:24:00.001+08:00

Good, Bad and Just Different

2010-04-27T07:45:00.005+08:00

One of the things that Stan and I discussed before coming here was the difference in things being "bad" and things being "just different". We were preparing ourselves for things we knew we would encounter in our new home and the attitude that we wanted to work on having. There are of course good things....which are just that....good. There are also bad things and some things are truly bad. However, although it is easy (or lazy) to stick things in the bad category we wanted to challenge ourselves to question our judgement and ask...."or is it just different from what we are accustomed to?" This seems to be a prevalent attitude among many of us-if it's not the way we are used to then it's bad or wrong.
So in the interest of our attitude adjustment, here are my first categorizations after 1 week here in China.

Good: Smelling and then seeing a Subway Sandwich Shop--yeah for lunchtime!
Bad: Opening Xan's bag of cheetos to discover they are steak flavored (see.... that is just bad).

Good: Discovering wonderful pastries at a local bakery (the Chinese don't bake at home so bakery was awesome!!)
Bad: Discovering that said pastries are way too cheap.

Good: Finding the neighborhood market where the locals shop.
Different: Realizing the locals don't really see a need to refrigerate large hunks of meat accompanied by a meat clever....help yourself (or did they see the need to separate it from the produce......yep...right next to the apples)

Good: Meeting new friends from all over the world.
Different: Being humbled by the fact that I only know one language....seriously these ladies were each fluent in at least 3. (and their kids in 2)

Good: An apartment with great furnishings, an oven and western style bathrooms.
Different: The crazy amount of paperwork involved. (81 page lease)

Good: The view from a 27th floor hotel room....amazing.
Bad (yes just plain BAD): Realizing the Chinese don't see that locks on windows are necessary. (I truly had a meltdown moment on this one. I had to go into the bathroom and cry b/c Xan had been playing all around this wall of windows and the "could have's" overwhelmed me and literally made me sick to my stomach) Thank you GOD for your protection!!!

Good: A job for my husband that doesn't require his presence before 9am. :)
Different: A company car and driver coming to get him and bringing him home each day.

Good: The thoroughness of the physical exams Stan and I received, compliments of the Chinese govt, in order to obtain the proper Visas allowing us to remain in country for extended time period.
Different: The rapid succession/various rooms/number of people used to complete those exams. Seriously....we each had xrays, ekgs, sonograms, blood work, and eye exams in less than 40 minutes total.

Good: Taking a taxi to "the walmart" here in Suzhou.
Different: Discovering that it was on the ground floor of a 4 story shopping mall and that the meat department contained live snakes and dried fish (smelled yummy as I know you can imagine) :)

Good: A new friend's advise on which milk to purchase.
Different: Purchasing it in chicken-stock type boxes from the non refrigerated grocery aisle. We haven't tasted it yet but I'll keep you posted.

So.....here's to continuing our attitude adjustment. I'll keep making notes on the differences and share them with you. I totally plan to include pictures when I can. I'm hoping that our internet connection at our apartment will be helpful with that process as opposed to the connection we have here at the hotel.

Talk to ya later--
Megan

Here's a picture that I'm sure the grandparents have been hoping for. This is on the playground equipment outside our apartment.

pictures

2010-04-23T06:26:00.004+08:00

Well....here is my attempt at sharing some pictures. I've uploaded them to a website called mobile me. Hopefully this will work. These are of our apartment (or it will be sometime next week).

http://gallery.me.com/everitt_stan#100108

Time Zone Hopping is a Killer

2010-04-22T12:31:00.003+08:00

So Yes we are alive over here.....awake is a whole other story. It's now Thursday about noon here in China so we've had 2 full days here. We spent Tuesday sleeping in and then had a late breakfast. Xan and I slept for quite a while that afternoon and then we headed out to the local wal mar? for some sight seeing and just to get out a bit. We had dinner at burger king and it was familiar so that was nice. The 4 story shopping mall that contained both of those places also had a hair salon and Stan was in desperate need of a haircut so we stopped in and had that experience. He got a really good haircut but it was a bit different. The guy washed his hair with a bottle and no sink and then gave him a very precise scissor cut followed by another wash and style. Let's just say that Stan was not a natural for the blow dry forward look that the salon stylists were all so fond of. :) That night we had a little trouble sleeping and Xan and I were up till about 4am. We did get about 3 hours that night and then up for breakfast again here at the hotel on Wednesday.

Stan had taken Tues off and so he went back to work on Wed. He asked Xan and I to come to the club to meet him for lunch and to get to see it. We ventured out all by ourselves and thanks to English speaking hotel concierge desk we were able to get there and back with no problem. The club is very nice and I'll dedicate a separate post to that very soon. We made the mistake of taking a long afternoon nap and therefore were awake for a good part of last night as well. Today we are going to try and stay awake at least until the early evening and then go to bed at a decent hour. Hopefully we can get our bodies back on schedule. We went this morning to have some passport photos made for the club to work on our visas and then to get me a cell phone. That was an adventure but Carol, Stan's assistant, was a life saver. She did all the talking and just asked us the pertinent questions and we nodded our heads and then signed the papers. I could have just purchased a car for all I know. This afternoon we are going to meet up with another expat wife here that Stan met last week -she volunteered at the golf tournament at his place. I'm going to do my best to keep us awake until bedtime.

I'm still having trouble with uploading photos so please forgive me. I promise I'll get them out here as soon I can get it all figured out.

Ni Hao

2010-04-20T21:02:00.002+08:00

Ni Hao (hello) from China. Xan and I made it into Shanghai last night at about 9:30pm (our last flight was delayed getting out of JFK) and then we had to claim our luggage, go thru customs and then make the 2 hour drive to Suzhou. We got to the hotel about midnight. The flights went well and we didn't have any major snags. The biggest hurdle we had to jump was Xan's dvd player dying after only 1 hour into the long flight. I hadn't let her watch anything up until that point so she was very excited about watching the new movies that Nana had gotten her. So....you can imagine her disappointment (and mine) when it quit working. We just made the best of it and made good use of the backpack full of goodies that Danielle had given Xan before we left. We colored, and doodled and colored some more and then tried to sleep some on the plane. Xan did better than I did with that but overall I would call our journey a success. I'm pretty proud of making an international trip with 4 (very heavy) suitcases, 2 backpacks, one carryon, a stoller and a great 4 year old.
Stan was waiting on us when we arrived and we were both very happy to see that familiar face. He and his driver loaded all our baggage and off we went. I have been battling a cold and then got a little car sick on the airplane so I was glad to let someone else take charge and lay my head down for a minute.
The hotel is very nice and I will not mind at all having to spend a couple of days here letting someone else do the picking up and eating in the hotel restaurant. We are on the 27th floor so the view is nice too. This morning we had a late breakfast and then back to the room for a morning nap. Today was rainy and a bit foggy but we ventured out for a bit this afternoon. Stan had set up an appointment with the realtor he has been using to show us the apartment that we will be moving into. If everything goes as planned then we could be in later this week or weekend. Stan had told me that I wouldn't be disappointed and he was right. The apartment is very nice and we like the furnishings too. There is a playground just outside the front door that will be a frequent stop for us I'm sure. Xan was so excited to go see it but fell asleep in the car on the way over. I took some pics to show her and she was very happy when she saw them too. Pictures........did I say pictures......why yes I did. I know that all of you are just dying to see pictures of where I'm going to be living for the next 2 years. Well--unfortunately I'm having trouble getting them to upload. I've spent about an hour and keep getting an error. I'll try again tomorrow and maybe when I've had a bit more sleep I'll be more "with it".
Thanks for all the well wishes and kind words....I'm feeling your love!

Welcome Back and Goodbye

2010-04-18T10:46:00.005+08:00

Welcome back to the new and improved blog..... all just to tell you goodbye. Well, it's just goodbye for now. Xan and I will board the plane tomorrow morning for our long (23+ hour) journey to meet up with Stan in Suzhou, China(pronounced Sue Joe). I'm looking forward to posting regular updates as we begin this adventure. Stay tuned--I'm pretty sure God is going to do some really cool things and I'll want to share them with you!!

I have lots of sappy goodbye types of things to say but to be honest I just can't go there right now. So for now ~ all of you wonderful people in Aiken and Augusta who have loved on me and my family please know that you will always, always have a tremendously special place in my heart. God bless you. To our family and friends in Texas and Oklahoma--thank you for loving us through this crazy life we have chosen to live. Your unconditional love and encouragement are priceless and to know we have you on our side is just plain awesome.

Now I've got a plane to catch.....my man is waiting for me 1/2 way around the world and I can't wait to be in his arms.

Greeted by a Princess

2009-07-14T21:19:00.003+08:00

I got home from work yesterday and was greeted by this sweet little princess wearing Belle's dress, Cinderella shoes and Snow White's headband. She was also adequately accessorized with a necklace and earrings. In case you hadn't noticed....she is very "girly".

However, she is also a gum lover and had a huge piece of watermelon bubblegum in her mouth (which aromatically reminded me of those oh so awkward junior high years).

She has a very strong opinion about the placement of her crowns and in this case headbands. They do not go on top of your head....they are worn like a headband and there is no convincing her otherwise. (her placement choice reminds me of a bad decision related to prom headwear in those oh so still awkward high school years...but I digress).

Have I mentioned lately how crazy I am about this little person?

Feeling the Love

2009-07-12T00:13:00.004+08:00

So to completely understand this post you need some background information.

Background Point # 1
I have wanted (read coveted, pouted about, strongly desired, been jealous about others) a KitchenAid stand mixer for about 5 or 6 years now. This may not seem like something worthy of such strong emotions but for me…..I WANTED ONE. However, God is in infinite wisdom would gently steer me away from them each and everytime I was at the store drooling over them and contemplating charging one on the credit card. (bad I know but hey…I told you they were strong feelings).

Background Point #2
I discovered Pioneer Woman’s blog sometime ago and she has frequent contests where she gives away some really neat things……some of which have been kitchen aid mixers (and even multiple ones on several occasions). I shared my find with my Aunt Freddi and she too has become a Pioneer Woman fan. If I saw one of her contests with a mixer as a prize I would call/text/ email/ hunt down Freddi and ever so gently encourage her to enter (b/c I can only enter once…..the nerve). Of course, I would also remind her that since she already owned a very nice KitchenAid mixer that her dear, sweet, loving niece in South Carolina would gladly take the prize should she be selected as a winner. She was always so gracious and promised to comply with our little agreement. (It may also have something to do with me mentioning all the secrets that I have from her but maybe not...just a thought).

OK-No more background, here is the actual post.

This past Wednesday the UPS man drives up to my door about 6pm with a delivery. I don’t usually get too excited about these things b/c Stan is an Amazon junkie and we receive book deliveries for him on frequent occasions and Xan has received boxes of goodies from her grandparents. So when I saw this large box being toted to my door I assumed it was for Xan.

Oh to my surprise….it was addressed to me. OH…yeah baby….now we’re talking!!
I danced around the entry way singing "Momma got a present…Momma got a present". I was so excited and I didn’t even have a clue what it was…..could’ve been a big ol box of Styrofoam peanuts but I didn’t care cause...."Momma got a present".

Then I saw the return address……Williams & Sonoma. Now, being the appreciative stalker fan of KitchenAid mixers that I am I know that W&S just happen to carry them ……I’m smart like that and I just know things -ok-don't judge me.

After I got through the brown shipping box I discovered a beautifully wrapped gift box that I removed and lovingly stared at it for several hours just to make this whole “Momma got a present” phase last a bit longer.

Yeah Right! I tore that box open like a 5 year old at Christmas who knew there was an Easy Bake Oven in there. HEE HEE I was having fun. And then I saw it……those lovely words….that glorious box with the full colored picture I had dreamed of for so many years. KitchenAID…….aaaahhhhhh.

Stan and Xan didn’t completely understand why I was showing so much affection to this particular piece of cardboard but they had heard me mention my desire for said mixer about a thousand times so they politely rolled their eyes and went away to leave me alone in my happy place for awhile.
I did have to call him back into the kitchen to assist me in getting the oh so heavy thing out of the box and then of course to take my picture. I had to have a record of this day….this special, special day.

Now-Did I mention the color…..OH MY…..it is a color that screams Megan Lyn. I choose green every time….no matter what the choice - clothes, eye shadow, vegetables, wall paint, dishes, etc…you get my point. I love green and this mixer is the cutest granny smith apple green ever.

So you might be wondering…who was it that made my day. Well let me just share the note with you.
SURPRISE!! YOU WIN THE PRIZE FROM TWO PEOPLE WHO LOVE YOU VERY MUCH! ENJOY! POP & KK

My dear Aunt Freddi and Uncle Butch were behind this little surprise and oh how happy they made me. They are two of the most kind and generous people I know and on this day I was the object of that affection.....but rest assured that it was only one of many, many days that I have been fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of God's grace and love through these 2 people.

Freddi & Butch- Thank you so very much and I love you!

Strawba ba ba ba berry.....Strawberry Shortcake

2009-07-11T20:30:00.005+08:00

Anyone who has a little toddler girl has probably had the theme song to the Strawberry Shortcake videos stuck in your head at one time or another. Our whole family walks around singing this one....Strawba ba ba ba berry....Strawberry Shortcake. Xan loves her and those "movies". Well.....you can imagine how excited this momma got when I saw that Strawberry Shortcake was going to be at our local library one day this past week.
I didn't tell Xan about it until we were on on way and then made her guess what special person from the movies she liked to watch would be there. After she guessed God [No baby...we aren't in Sunday School...there are other correct answers :)] and then Elmo I began to hum the theme and after about 3 notes she smiled a big smile and asked tenatively but with great big eyes, "Strawberry Shortcake?". I told her she was correct and she got very excited and then the wheels started turning.

"Momma, is she going to be big or little?"
"Well, Xan, she will probably be big...is that ok?"

pause for effect.....she was thinking.

"Yes maam..I'm a big girl now too............ but how bout you hold me?"
"Ok baby-I'll hold you". [momma grins and thanks God for her baby]

So off we went into the library to see the famous sweet named character. I think I was almost as excited to see her as Xan was. I had my heart all set on something like this.

Well.....let's just say when the door opened and she walked in I was a bit disappointed. It was the regular storytime girl with a red wig and pink hat and some nice pink blush. BUT- my girl could have cared less. She thought it was great and was so excited to have Strawberry Shortcake read her a story. Xan wanted to take a picture with her and then went back up to her to shake her hand.

Moral of this story: The expression doesn't have to be elaborate or perfect for a 3 year old to feel loved.

Independence Day

2009-07-07T21:42:00.003+08:00

Just a few pics of our family and from our day with our friends the Spencers. Stan had to work that day but we had a great dinner and the girls did sparklers and glow bracelets. Low key but relaxing and fun.

12 years

2009-05-12T00:10:00.001+08:00

Today is our anniversary. We were married on May 11, 1997-- 12 years ago. It all started with a blind date and he pretty much had me at hello. He romanced me unlike I had ever been romanced and he also showed me the love of Christ in a relationship setting like I had never experienced. It was a special time of getting to know each other and I have very fond memories--I recall one particular date not very long into our year long relationship that he took me to the park and asked me to do one of the most intimate things we could do together….He took my hands and begin to pray. Ladies, you know what this did to me…sent me straight to tears. I don’t even remember what he prayed about because I was so overcome with emotion that he was a big enough man to be that real and vulnerable with me and to lead me in that way. WOW! Another time while I was traveling with the job I had at the time he sent me flowers and a devotional that he had read that used the phrase ‘unspeakable joy’. That has been a theme throughout our marriage. God has blessed me with an unspeakable joy in my dear husband. Our 12 years have been like other marriages with hot spots and issues that we had to work thru but never, not one single time, did I question that I had heard God correctly when HE told me that this cute boy from Idalou was the one. I just can’t express how grateful I am about the LORD’s calling on my life to be Mrs. Stan Everitt and the mother of his children..
Now that we’re parents it brings a whole new dimension to our relationship. We have been given a common passion with our love of adoption and growing our family in that way. (Hello…we are “one” in God’s eyes so why wouldn’t he give us a common passion—I just love when you can see HIM so clearly). To see my man with my little girl is one of the most amazing things ever. I watched them just this morning while I was curling my hair as they just cuddled and talked to each other about what they were going to do today. Nothing really special or out of the ordinary and you would think that talk about a nap and lunch together wouldn’t be an emotional journey but then you probably aren’t the wife of a man who adores, absolutely adores, his little girl. On a whole different note….I also think it’s kinda sexy to see him be so sweet and tender to that little person but this is a G rated blog so I’m gonna stop there. 
I respect so many things about Stan but I’ll mention a couple that are most prominent on my heart today;
His desire to provide for Xan and I both financially and with his physical presence. I am so thankful to have a hard working, ethical, responsible man that wants to come home to us each and every night. I do not take this for granted now and I pray I never do.
He also has an insatiable desire for learning. He spends countless hours (and always has) reading and researching the topic that he is most interested in during a particular season. I, on the other hand, can spend countless hours doing things that benefit me very little but he has been a good example for me.
I also respect him greatly for his unwavering temper and emotion. He can be in the midst of something huge and horrible and most people would never know it. He can just deal with things in a way that puts people at ease and without a lot of drama. He has taught me many lessons both as a person and as a manager in this area. I’m glad that is the kind of personality that is leading my family.

Well...that is my diatribe for the day. Thanks for indulging me and listening to me walk down memory lane and brag on Stan for a bit. I’m happy that he is mine and I am his and I pray that the LORD would be pleased to continue to use our marriage as a blessing to me. May we have many, many more years of unspeakable joy.

I love you Stan…..today and forever.

12 Years Ago today in Jamaica

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:13:00.005+08:00

Today is Mother's Day.....a day that seems to always bring a bout of mixed emotions for me. I'm pretty much always a "my cup is bubbling over" kinda girl and even today I'm not bogged down in sadville but I do find myself reflecting more and feeling a bit melancholy. There are lots of factors that play into it and I know that God is so good and faithful and so I don't tend to dwell on the why's of the things as much (notice I didn't say ever) but today I guess I just have somethings I want to say.

I love being a mother and am grateful beyond description that God allowed me to be Xan's mom. It is so amazing and the miracle of adoption can send me into the "ugly cry" quicker than most other things. It just moves me.....I highly recommend you get involved in some way (not everyone is called to adopt but we are all called to care for orphans)-ok...I'll preach more at another time. The way that little person can melt my heart is just incredible. I never knew it was possible but can't imagine life without it now.

Other adoptive moms will get this so if you aren't or you don't then just indulge me and think outside the box for a moment. I truly love and respect the woman that carried and birthed my daughter. It is a deep, deep appreciation that is sometimes overwhelming. I think of her often but especially today and on Xan's birthday. I really can't imagine the turmoil and pain that this very dear woman experienced. Although I will never have an opportunity to tell her how much I love her and what joy I get from the sacrifice she made- I pray that God will give her a peace that is beyond understanding. I find great comfort in knowing that one day I can tell Xan her story that is wrapped up in an unconditional, sacrificial love that, to be honest, most people just don't get.

I also spend a fair amount of time on most Mother's Days thinking about my own mom. Today, as happens every couple of years, is also her birthday. It is also the 24th Mother's Day that I haven't had my mom--she's been gone since I was 12. It still makes me sad and I guess it always will. I don't understand why she made decisions that she made and this side of heaven I won't get to ask her (and then when I'm there it probably won't even matter). I wish I could know her as an adult. I wish she could know her son-in-law and her granddaughter. I wish she could spend one day with my sister and witness what an awesome Mother she is. I wish she could see my brother and his family-oh how proud she would be. I wish she could just answer a phone or walk through my door.....I just wish I still had her. I'm not nieve enough to believe that it would be all "leave it to beaver" with her around....she was a complicated woman and had many issues but today I'm gonna focus on the things I remember about her that make me smile. She was very thoughtful and kept little things as mementos....I've often referred to her as an organized pack rat. She gave very sweet and thoughtful gifts. She liked Holly's french fries. She LOVED sunflower seeds (my brother and sister and I all 3 do as well). I think I got my love of reading from her....she always had a book in her hand. She liked for our hair to be clean. I remember her always wanting us to wash our hair. She was thin...a little too thin probably. She had a lot of wrecks....thankfully I didn't get that little trait. She looked really pretty when she wore makeup although she didn't often wear it. She taught me how to iron and I still enjoy it.
She came to know the Lord in her late 20's but I believe that it was real. I need to believe it was real. I know that she loved me but that she didn't really know how to. I know that I miss her or maybe I just miss the way I think it would be if she were here.

All that being said, I also know that had she always been here then I wouldn't have the wonderful relationships that I have with so many other women that God saw fit to plug into my life. ABUNDANT is the only way to describe the way HE has loved me thru those women and it continues today. I promise you....I would put my mother-in- law up against any mom...any day. That woman loves me and not just in a "married to her son" kinda way.....she loves Megan Lyn- the good, the bad and the ugly. She loves God and her desire is to love Him back and because of that I get to catch some of that overflow. I'm telling you people....God is good and Ann Everitt is a living, breathing proof. (If she's reading this then she's probably wiping her tears and giving God the glory...that is just how she is)

Finally, (forgive the randomness...but hey it is MY blog) I want to remind you to pray for those birth moms that are hurting today because they don't know how or where their babies are. They were brave and courageous enough to place them in an adoption but that doesn't remove the love that will always churn deep in their being forever and often surface on days like today. Please God pour the salve of your peace on their hearts today.

Thanks for listening to me today....I guess I just needed to get it out.

Here are a few pics. The ones of my mom are pictures of pictures (sorry for the poor quality...we don't have a scanner)

Momma and her "oldest"

Me and mine

She had broken her foot (I think) so that "kinda??" explains the wheelchair.

Me and my girl today at church.

"We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the others said, 'What amazing things the LORD has done for them.' Yes, the LORD has done amazing things for us! What joy." Psalm 126:2-3

Torture

2009-04-30T03:42:00.004+08:00

I was looking thru some of the blogs I follow and came across this post about this cool store called Anthropologie and it's not the first time I've read wonderful reviews of the establishment. This particular post included several pictures of things at the store and how well they do displays. Well I was all over it until I saw this picture. Those of you who know me will understand......PURE TORTURE I TELL YOU.......PURE TORTURE.

(Be sure to click on it to zoom in and get the description)

I have a thing for wooden utensils...particulary wet wood. It wigs me out big time. I do not own a wooden spoon and it is the one thing I will leave while doing a sinkful of dishes at someone else's house.(just ask my aunt Freddi) I just can't handle the texture and the thought of putting it in my mouth.....AAAAAHHHHHHH! I think having to eat with all 3 utensils of wood would send me over.

Well....you may all now consider yourself a bit more educated on the finer points of the girl that is Megan Everitt--weirdo quirks and all.

Really.....is there anything sweeter?

2009-04-22T01:31:00.003+08:00

Missing!

2009-04-18T01:06:00.005+08:00

Please be advised that we are on the look out for a missing head. The subject has a dark complexion....actually it's more of a milky complexion with longer than normal ears and some small beady eyes. The missing head was last seen in the Everitt family cabinet and had been there since Sunday. If you have any information about this missing head please notify us immediately. We have a little Everitt who is quite disturbed by this recent disappearance.

Ok....I'm sorry people but the little beady eyed thing has been sitting up there in my cabinet right next to my coffee mugs (which I open multiple times per day) since Sunday. Sunday people.....come on I held out for 5 whole days and I promise you it ALWAYS called my name even louder during Xan's nap time. Chocolate bunnies are known to not show any mercy in the "luring you in" category. So.....keep this between us ok.....I don't want my kid to think her mom's really into mutilating furry little cuties.

And....lest you think I'm totally horrible and have no self control....here is a look at my latest reading material. I'm trying to get a plan together to make a change. More to come on that subject....I will be needing some accountability soon and will be couting on my bloggin friends to keep my real. (I have a sinking feeling that chocolate bunnies aren't anywhere in there either).

Special Deliveries

2009-04-16T03:45:00.005+08:00

We had two wonderful packages arrive at our house today. Now I don't know about all of you but I LOVE getting packages and really any type of mail. There's just a little bit of excitement seeing something with your name on it show up in the mail box that doesn't require a payment of some sort. So when I went outside and had these today.....well let's just say Xan and I both were pumped.

Xan was so excited to have a box to open when she got up from her nap today.....VERY EXCITED! She is now the proud momma to "Sweetie" a stuffed Cheetah who sleeps not so quietly and drinks her milk ever so slurpingly. You will be happy to know, however, that Xan has already mastered the art of multi tasking....she was able to feed Sweetie while also devouring several of the Starbursts that were in her package. She loves candy and she comes by that very honestly......I snagged a few myself. :) (If you care to see more there is a video below of her explaining her gift.)

Now this may not look like much to most of you but to me it's pure wonderfulness. (pardon the making up of my own words but this situation requires it). This signifies the end of a long road....actually it's not really the end but more like the beginning of the next stage. This is the seal that is given to documents sent to the Chinese Embassy

We sent 11 of the 13 documents required for our next adoption to the "next to last" and then "last stop" in the paper chasing process. We sent them to the US Secretary of States office where they are certified and then they send them over to the Chinese Embassy where they certify that the US Sec of State is ok to certify them.......of course all these stops require a fee. This little package cost us about $300 in fees but hey...whose counting. Anyway.....here are the documents we received back today. The top page you see on each one is from the US Sec of State and then the sticker/seal you saw in the pic above is placed on the backside of each one by the Chinese Embassy.

We are now only 2 documents away from being finished with the paperwork. Unfortunately one of those 2 takes about 80 days to receive so we're still waiting but God is good. His timing is perfect as is so evidenced by the little starburst eating momma that is my Xan.

Once we get the final 2 documents completed and through all the various certification processes then we will send it all to China and that date is referred to as your DTC date which stands for Dossier (pronounced doss ee aa) To China and is a very big day. Everything really begins moving thru the Chinese system on that date and you calculate the anticipated wait from that date. We will throw a party.....you will be invited....we will celebrate.....we will dance.....we will jump up and down.....we will be oh so happy.....I will probably cry.....we will throw a party. That being said, we will also begin a very long wait. The current wait time is over 3 years from DTC date to getting our child. AAAHHHHH....just thinking about it saddens me but again I look at Xan and am comforted by His adorable, sweet, little Asian reminder of His sovereignty.

Enjoy the video. Love you Nana & Grandaddy!

Easter....past and present

2009-04-13T08:43:00.006+08:00

This time last year our family was in the middle of a crisis that we could have never imagined and certainly not desired but even now when it is all still so fresh and far from officially over we can so clearly see the hand of God throughout every part of it. On Easter Sunday 2008, our nephew Caed was about 20 days into a life threatening condition that had him hospitalized for 70+ days, 3 surgeries and their family being away from home for 9+months. He is doing amazingly well today (although still a sick little boy with a condition that will follow him the rest of his life). If you want to be blessed be sure to check our my sister-in-law's blog http://www.curiousaboutcaed.blogspot.com/. The Lord has blessed her abundantly with a gift to share her heart and what HE is doing and has done throughout the ordeal. It is well worth the read but I warn you....kleenex alert.

Anyway....couldn't help but think about where we were and how God has blessed and protected our family this past year. WOW...truly amazing. So here a just a few pics to represent God's goodness to us on this wonderful holiday when we get to praise and worship HIM for the ultimate gift that HE gave us.--Redemption and Reconciliation because HE CHOSE TO DIE for us and hallelujah.....HE IS RISEN.

Caed---Easter Sunday 2008

Caed ---Week before Easter 2009 (check out their blog for a great Easter story 2009)
http://curiousaboutcaed.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-story-part-1.html

So while we going down memory lane.....look how my baby has grown.

Xan---Easter Sunday 2007 (she also took her first steps this day. There are pics and videos on our old website. http://www.stanandmegan.com/

Xan----Easter Sunday 2008 http://everittfamily.blogspot.com/2008/03/happy-easter.html

Xan --Easter Sunday 2009

Stan and Xan 2009

Palm Sunday

2009-04-06T02:36:00.003+08:00

Xan got in the car waving her hands last Sunday and telling me she "do it without her mommy". I wasn't sure what exactly she had been learning in Sunday school and tried to figure out what the pageant wave was all about. Finally on the 4th or 5th time she started waving her hands and shouting Hosanna, Hosanna. OK...so I was a bit slow but I did get it at that point....they had been practicing their march into the sanctuary for today's Palm Sunday service. So very sweet to hear your 3 year old yelling Hosanna, Hosanna-even if she doesn't have a clue what she is saying.

So today was the day and they all did great. All the kids were so excited and were such excellent little palm wavers. What a sweet memory we made today......preparing for a wonderful week of reflecting on what exactly our Savior did for us....for me! The magnitude of it is often overwhelming. This verse has stood out to me lately,

For God was pleased to have ALL His fullness dwell in Him(Jesus), and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19&20)

Seriously....the creator of the universe was PLEASED to have ALL his fullness come to earth, suffer and die to pay the debt for me. WOW!

Ok.....thanks for letting me digress just a moment. So here are some pictures from this morning. As is often the case, I'm reminded why I am not a photographer. Oh well the memory was captured....just not too artistically.

Sunday Morning Cutie (with a goofy smile)

Cutie doing the BOP (actually she was running from a bug :)

Most of her Sunday School class (l-r) Elizabeth, Eva, Reese, & Xan
They were all patiently waiting in the vestibule for their time to wave the palms.

Here is a lovely shot of the group and please notice the well mannered Asian child
giving the crowd a nice peek of her Dora undies. (that is her friend Anna Grace beside her with the pink bow and deliciously cute curls)

Ther rest of the group......still waiting.

All that and I didn't get a shot of the actual event. Oh well.....I warned you there was no artistic stuff going on here.....but I promise there were palms and sweet kiddos carrying them.

Proud Mama Moment

2009-03-29T07:50:00.003+08:00

OK...I shouldn't be so proud rather I should be thankful but if I'm honest then I'm both. Today after being cooped up in the house for a couple of days (no sickness...I just didn't want to fight the rain) Xan and I ventured out to get a few groceries. We were driving along and out of the blue this was our conversation:
Xan: Momma
Me: (after turning down the radio) Yes, Xan
Xan: I love God.
Me: (Smiling) Me too Xan...and He loves you too.
Xan: Just like my Bible says Momma...I love Jesus.
Me: (Tearing Up) Yes....just like the Bible says. We love Jesus because He loved us.
Xan: I love you Momma.
Me: (Silence and adjust the rearview mirror so she doesn't see her weak mother crying over this ordinary drive to Walmart.)

Have I told you lately how blessed I am to be this little girl's momma.

Why?

2009-03-28T06:38:00.003+08:00

I have been asking myself this question lately... WHY? Why do I like reading about other peoples lives so much on their blogs. I keep up with my most fav's thru an application called bloglines that list them all in one place and tell me when there are new posts. Yeah...pretty cool huh....well I have 40 blogs on that list. COME ON....do I really need to keep up with that many people (most of whom I don't personally know and probably never will). Why am I so interested. I most recently discovered Pioneer Woman and have probably spent no less than 15 hours reading all over that blog. I won't go into detail here..you can get addicted for yourself....but she is a real woman living on a ranch in Oklahoma, homeschooling her 4 kids, cooking and photographing her way thru an isolated way of life and she is hilarious to boot. I have enjoyed it immensely but it has got me to thinking...WHY? Why do I care what these other people do from day to day and more importantly WHY am I not out there making my own life instead of wasting hours reading about others? I don't know the answer and to be honest....not sure I care enough to change my horrible habit. AS long as my DH and DD are fed, have clean underwear and we can at least walk thru the house without tripping over anything then I'll probably keep it up. The one good thing (well I guess it depends on how you look at it) it has encouraged me to try to be a little more frequent with my own posts and not worry so much about each one being some model of literary or pictoral perfection (as if---haha).
I'm not even going to proof read this so if you find a typo then just chalk it up to my new found "blogger" freedom of just doing it. Later-

Happy Birthday Nana

2009-03-26T07:41:00.005+08:00

Here is a singing bday from Xan to Nana. Enjoy and know that we love you and miss you terribly.

Thank You for my Valentine Presents

2009-02-19T09:38:00.003+08:00

Xan had a great time opening her Valentine presents.....thank you Nana & Grandaddy. We love you and miss you.

My Baby is Three.

2009-01-29T03:47:00.006+08:00

Wow....2months since my last post. No excuses...just going to jump back in.

Xan turned 3 years old on Monday and I can't believe just how fast it goes. It seems like yesterday that we were watching her learn to roll over or take her first steps. She is an absolute delight. She loves to dress up in her princess dresses (thank you Reagan and Aunt Lori) and is very into the disn*y movies with any kind of princess. "Cinderetta" is her current favorite but it has also been Ariel, Mulan and Belle. She was running thru the house the other night just playing by herself (in full princess garb) while Stan and I were working on something together. After she ran by about 3 or 4 times I finally stopped to see what she was doing. She would run and "accidentally" loose one of her "gwass swippers" while running away. When I finally caught on I interupted her fantasy moment to tell her I had found a glass slipper and I would love to see if it fit her foot. She was SO excited and gladly sat down, propped her little leg out there and pointed her toe for me to gingerly place the shoe ( that is at least 3-4 sizes too big) onto her foot for a perfect fit. It was a neat moment for both of us.

We celebrated her birthday while we were visiting in Texas...she actually got to have 2 parties due to an untimely occurrence (and reoccurrence) of the stomach bug and she loved every minute of both of them. These are some pics from those parties.

Princess Party - Take One @ Nana & Grandaddy's House in Idalou

The girl loves accessories.....she changed crowns, lost the dress and put on all the bling.

Princess Party - Take Two at Aunt Amanda & Uncle Stephen's House in Lubbock

Yet another crown.......

We celebrated on Monday with just the three of us and it was a good day.

Elmo balloon and three dollars too......I like this birthday thing. It just keeps going and going and going.

They brought the dessert and were singing to her but she wanted to sing too......so she did. One round of Happy Birthday and it's a party to her. woohoo

I've got more dress up pics that I'll try to post later this week. (Hello Aunt Judy.....hope you hadn't given up on me.)

Me & My Fwend

2008-11-15T11:56:00.002+08:00

Here are some shots of Xan and Eva recently.

After the Fall Festival we hit Burger K*ng and got some burgers and crowns.

We had Eva one evening while her parents enjoyed a night out and after the girls had their baths they played ride the horsie with Stan and giggled for 1/2 an hour.

....and the horsie pooped out and dropped his riders. more giggling

Good Times

2008-11-15T11:50:00.003+08:00

Just some random pictures from good times we've had recently.

Helping out in the kitchen....she loves to taste whatever I'm making. Tonight she asked if she could lick the beaters after I mashed potatoes.

We went to a fall festival and they had face painting which might have been ok but the lady doing the painting was dressed up like a black and white spotted dog and had her face all painted black and white so Xan was a tad bit nervous. I tried to convince her it would be ok by getting my hand painted but that backfired b/c then she just wanted her hand painted. Oh well......

We made a day trip to visit Anderson University with our friends Teresa and Amanda and we had a wonderful time. Amanda keeps Xan one/two days a week while I work and Teresa is often there too. Xan LOVES Miss Manda and Miss Teesa and they LOVE her too.....which makes this momma very happy. Here she and Amanda are being silly together.

Yes....that is a giant coffee that I'm allowing my daughter to drink. Actually it was a "Javalanche" that these three enjoyed at Anderson Univ while we were killing some time. Sad to say but yes...Xan likes coffee almost as much as she likes Diet Coke--which is, by the way, one of "Miss Teesa's" favorites and she and Xan often partake of that beverage together.

Trick or Treat

2008-11-15T09:15:00.007+08:00

Ok...I"m a little late getting these pictures posted but better late than never. Xan was a golfer and Stan was her caddie. I was pretty proud of myself for crafting his smock using green material and white duct tape. :)

We went over to the Spencer's to T or T and take a few pics.

"OK....enough with all the pictures....where's my caddie? These things are heavy!"

Xan and Eva weren't too sure about T or T at first but they quickly warmed up

and had a good time....but then have fun together no matter what they are doing so I guess the

night was really more for us mom and dads than them.

Sunday Morning Cutie

2008-11-15T09:11:00.001+08:00

Masters 2021

2008-11-02T20:35:00.003+08:00

Camera issues are prohibiting me from uploading the pics I took so I stole this one from Danielle's blog. I'll post some more later.

Sunday Morning Cutie

2008-10-20T08:43:00.002+08:00

Bandaid Drama

2008-10-20T08:36:00.003+08:00

We went to the cabinet to get a bandaid for her finger, which really was injured.....bleeding and all, however in the process we (ok...I) hit her head with the cabinet door. It was very mild and barely brazed her forehead but the finger was forgotten and the bandaid used elsewhere. She insisted on "do it myself".

Please note....I did not ask for this horrible "frown" below.....she came up with that all by herself. I think she was still angry with Mom for trying to take her out with a door.

Momma, "PLEASE XAN.....can Momma please have a smile?" She humored me.....sorta.

Makeup Artist

2008-10-20T08:28:00.004+08:00

Yes.....she is using my makeup brushes on the dog. (And, I might add, enjoying herself in the process.)

I wuv ya.....

2008-10-14T18:58:00.002+08:00

Guess what Xan's new favorite song is?

Sunday Morning Cutie

2008-10-13T08:55:00.003+08:00

This was the cutest pic but then it got messed up when I tried to upload it.....something funny is going on with our card reader. Anyway..couldn't resist leaving it up. She is even cute when she's blurry.

Gotcha Day

2008-10-10T08:35:00.009+08:00

Can't believe we've had Xan two years now....well as of Sept 18....I'm a little late posting but who really notices. (only those few who have sent me oh so subtle hints about updating my blog--haha). We will always celebrate that day in our family as it is such an amazing story for us. God continues to bless us beyond imagination with the sweet miracle that is Alexandria Mei Everitt. Her Baba got her golf clubs and a golf bag--pink of course and complete with her monogram to celebrate the occassion and then we went out for dinner. Here are some pics from that day. If you want to check out the Gotcha Day history....http://everittfamily.blogspot.com/2007/09/sept-18-gotcha-day.html

Tiny Hiney

2008-10-10T08:30:00.000+08:00

Is there anything cuter than a 2 year old hiney? (confession: I don't really know how to spell hiney but you know to what I am referring). She was sitting on the counter while I was cooking dinner one night and then I turned around and this was her posture.....couldn't resist snapping a couple of quick pics.

Ole' in Atlanta

2008-10-10T08:05:00.004+08:00

Here are some pics of a recent trip we made to Atlanta for an adoption conference. Xan loved the nice big bed and pillows at the hotel but wasn't sure what to think of the Mariachi band....or the view she had......you just gotta hate yellow stretch pants in mass. :) enjoy!

Ole' in Atlanta