Help bring Paisley home!

I just donated to my friend, Renee and her husband Steve who are adopting a little girl from Russia. Read all about their journey and if you can, please donate to HELP BRING PAISLEY HOME:
http://chasing-moonlight.blogspot.com/

Xin nian kuai le! (Happy New Year!)

I just got off the phone with my Chinese teacher (Ding Yi) and former ayi (Tian Mei) in China wishing them a Happy Chinese New Year! This is the year of the RABBIT.

Even though we would have had probably 1 1/2 to 2 weeks off for Chinese New Year and gone somewhere fabulous, we DID have yesterday and today off due to ice and cold weather so it is kind of like celebrating Chinese New Year.

It is hard to believe we have been back in the U.S. for over 6 months. I have installed Chinese characters on my computer and am trying to continue studying Han zi (Chinese Characters) although I am not attending Hai Hwa this semester due to teaching a bunch more this semester. I hope I can keep up with my studies even without being in the classroom per se.

Happy New Year to you! And remember, Chinese New Year can give you a second chance to make a New Year's Resolution!

Study of Chinese characters! I'm BACK!

I am so excited because one of the students at UTD, Ying, just got me set up on my computer to use Pinyin to enter Chinese characters. I am sad because I am so busy this semester that we decided that I cannot study Chinese on Sundays, but excited that I will be able to practice typing and I hope get better with Chinese characters in 2011. So here goes! I will keep everyone posted!

A Thankful Heart

I have something I wanted to share and a feel an exciting opportunity to help not only a dear friend of mine and her family, but a precious little girl with some special needs in Russia whose #1 need is a family to love and nurture her who knows and loves Jesus!

My heart is truly thankful right now! God has blessed Jeff and I to help my friend, Renee, who is adopting a little girl from Russia. She has three young sons at home and both her husband, Steve, and her desired to have a daughter.

I would ask you to prayerfully consider a tax-deductible donation to the Tam Family. You can find out more details on her blog http://5cajuns.blogspot.com/ which is also attached to my blog. Renee has been baking cookies every week, saving in everyway she can, but they need prayer warriors and supporters to bridge the gap. I have talked with Renee and Steve about this and they both feel strongly this is God's will for their family. God knows their heart for this precious little girl!

For now, I can help my dear friend, Renee find her daugther, Paisley. And for that, I am thankful!

You've been BOO'ed!

Apparently, BOOing people must be a Shanghai thing only or something from one of my American friends that is not from Texas that lived in Shanghai!!! We had so much fun doing it in Shanghai, that we wanted to try and do it here (assuming that it was probably a trend that started while we were over there and we would be in the "know" about something. Finally)!!!

Grant, Josh, and Coby and I boo'ed about 6 different families, and not a single one of the families put the BOO sign up. Not a single word from any of the families like "do you know what BOOing means?" I checked Facebook, I did drive-bys to most of the homes. No one mentioned it.

I hope none of our friends thinks the candy or the act of BOOing was something that a scary stranger would have done?! I hope no one threw the candy away deeming it unsafe. We didn't just BOO neighbors we could walk to, we BOO'ed some not so far away friends.

Has anyone heard of this? Perhaps we will have to try this again next year and see if people catch on then..........

My privilege and right, but also my responsibility

Voting is a topic I feel very passionate about. Having lived in China, I think I cherish this opportunity even more. We even absentee voted from China!

I was happy when my Pastor Richard Dunagin shared in the pulpit we as Christians need to vote our hearts. I think that if each of us went out and voted our heart and what we believe is right, we can make a difference. I am a Christian. I believe in the sanctity of marriage between a husband and wife, I believe that abortion kills a human being, I believe our country is not being fiscally responsible right now with all that God has given our country. This doesn't mean I don't love and respect all people, I do! But, I have no choice. I HAVE TO VOTE! I have to vote my heart. I hope you feel the same way and if you are in Texas in around the same parts as me, I have posted this to help you get out there, too!

SO PLEASE POST A MESSAGE HERE TO LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE VOTED OR THAT YOU PLAN TO! LET'S GO!

You can vote at a variety of locations early, but can only vote in the precinct in which you are assigned on Election Day. I always EARLY VOTE and don't have to wait which is always nice and consider voting my privilege, right and responsibility. PASS THIS ALONG.....

Early Voting begins Monday, October 18th though October 29th. See you at the polls!

November 02, 2010 General Election
Early Voting Dates, Times and Locations

Denton County Elections Home: http://elections.dentoncounty.com/go.asp?Dept=82

Election Day Polling Locations: http://elections.dentoncounty.com/go.asp?Parent=1185&Link=1187

Sample Ballots: http://elections.dentoncounty.com/go.asp?Parent=1185&Link=1190

Voter Registration Database Search: https://elections.dentoncounty.com/goVR.asp?Dept=82&Link=292

Before Election day, you may vote at ANY of the following convenient locations. On Election Day, however, you must vote at the location at which your precinct is assigned. You may call the Elections Office at (940)349-3200 if you do not know your precinct number. Or, you may use our convenient Voter Registration Search to determine your precinct.

Check back for Election Day polling locations and times.

Early voting by personal appearance will be conducted at the following locations, dates and times ONLY:

October 18 – 22…..8am - 5pm
October 23……….. 7am - 7pm
October 24.............1pm - 6pm
October 25 - 29......7am - 7pm

Locations:
Copeland Government Center
1400 FM 424
Crossroads

Lake Dallas City Hall
212 Main Street
Lake Dallas

Frankford Town Homes
18110 Marsh Lane
Dallas

Joseph A. Carroll Building
401 W. Hickory
Denton

Carrollton Public Library
4220 N. Josey
Carrollton

Justin Municipal Building
415 N. College
Justin

Highland Village Municipal Complex
1000 Highland Village Road
Highland Village

Flower Mound Police and Court Building
4150 Kirkpatrick
Flower Mound

Lewisville Municipal Annex
1197 W. Main Street
Lewisville

Heritage Lakes Clubhouse
3949 Village Blvd.
Frisco

Argyle Town Hall
308 Denton St.
Argyle

The Colony Government Center
6301 Main Street
The Colony

Denton County Administrative Complex - Health Department
535 S Loop 288
Denton

The following early voting locations will ONLY be open the dates and times listed:

Sanger First Baptist Church
708 S. 5th Street
Sanger

October 18 – 22…..8am - 5pm
October 23..............7am - 7pm
October 25 – 26…..7am - 7pm
October 27…………7am - 5pm
October 28 – 29…...7am - 7pm

Corinth City Hall
3300 Corinth Pkwy.
Corinth

October 18 – 22......8am - 5pm
October 23 ………..7am - 7pm
October 24 ….........1pm - 6pm
October 25 - 26…...7am - 5pm
October 28 - 29.…..7am - 7pm

Trophy Club MUD
100 Municipal Drive
Trophy Club

October 25 - 29…....7am - 7pm
First Baptist Church Roanoke
209 N Pine
Roanoke

The slow boat from China is here!

This week we are dealing with our sea shipment. Already found my "Great Wall" bowl broken and my red jewelry chest has a chip out of the wood. Crazy week this week!

It is bittersweet getting our shipment in. It means that China is really over. I guess it was really over for me and the boys on 7/7 when we got back to the US, but getting all our stuff and it somehow not being in China or on the "slow boat" makes me a bit sad.

I am excited about all the new adventures here and getting reacquianted!

Will keep you all posted!

We're back...kind of

We are back in the US and adjusting very well for the most part. Coby told me yesterday he wants to go home and when I said "we are home" he said, no, I want to go home (he meant China). He misses our ayi (Tian Mei) greatly. He said, "Yes, I miss him". Tian Mei is a lady, but in Chinese "Ta" means him or her. There are some downsides to him learning 2 languages, and this is one of them. He has learned some (really bad) Chinese from me and some equally bad English from Tian Mei. I am sure he will be able to correct all these things with time, but I really want us to keep up with the Chinese language in Dallas. We have found the Chinese Overseas School and will plan to go to lessons there. Josh woke up this morning at Grandmommy and Granddaddy's crying. He said, "I am sad because I will miss America", I said "We are in America". Then he said "I mean, I will miss China". So we are all a bit turned around.

I too will miss China greatly, but had many, many photo albums made of all the places we visited, people who visited us, the "REAL" China, everyday things we did in Shanghai, and even one so we can treasure the time with Tian Mei (that we also gave a copy of to her). We are back, but China will hold a special place in all our hearts. I pray God gives us opportunities to go back to China in some way!

My Taxi Driver stood me up!!!

So it was raining outside today so I took a taxi to bring Coby to school. My short taxi rides drives my English friend, Chailey NUTS. Especially the drives from my house to Starbuck which is really only 1 block away (but a REALLY BIG city block). So I asked (in Chinese) for the driver to please wait as I walked Coby in. Then I realized he needed a new diaper so I changed it rapid speed. Went outside in the light rain and the taxi was gone. Gone. And I hadn't even paid him. I walked down the road and then I spotted him!!! He was letting a Chinese guy in the car who had luggage. That means the airport (most likely) and the airport means big "cha ching" taxi fare of about 150 RMB vs. my 13 - 15 RMB for my round trip. So he stood me up! But he didn't get my fare. I am so surprised that he would do that. But this is China. Things don't always work as I expect them to!

Life in my China world over a cup of green tea

At a coffee shop right by my house drinking a cup of green tea. I am SUPPOSED TO BE grading papers, but avoiding all that. I am really sad about leaving this place. I have such a heart for China and have made some good friends here. I hope that I can incorporate China in my life somehow going forward. It will be nice to be in America which I think is the best place in the world to live. It will be nice to run in the grass and have clear skies and hot weather and swimming pools, family and friends who I have known for years without having them leave months after I get to know them like is what happens here in China so often. I have learned so much about myself in living here - such as - how to make friends rapid speed and what that takes, that I am capable of learning a foreign language, that I can live in a foreign country, and how much my faith and a community of believers means to me. To not have that like is the case here in China is hard. Really hard. We have a place to worship, I have bible study friends, but as a family, we do not feel a part of a united church family AS A FAMILY.