Snowing in Suzhou

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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-