Time Zone Hopping is a Killer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.