This is our Paris

I write this with a great fear of getting my hopes up. You see, because in this wonderful job Nate has, nothing is certain. I am quite superstitious you know. I "knock on wood" frequently, but mostly I try to keep my mouth shut. I have been snake bitten too many times by saying things like, "My kids never sleep in my bed," and now I have two little boys who are in my bed every night. Or, "I'm really good at driving in this parking garage. See!" This was said a day before I scrape the right side of the car on a wall as I make a turn. I even monitor what thoughts are in my head! I can never think, G could really use a nap, but he is being so good, because at that moment, he won't be. It happens to me a lot. Even as I am writing this, I am starting to second guess the wisdom in continuing. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that one little silly blog post can't really change a decision that has already been made. The decision can change, yes, but not because of this. Can it?

Since Nate isn't speaking Chinese while at his first post, he has to speak it in his second. We got information regarding this, and a bid list about a month ago. He had to bid on all the Chinese-speaking posts that fit his time frame. That was 6 jobs, 4 cities. Not very much variety, but it made the research really easy. The four cities were Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Taipei.

You can imagine our joy and delight when we see Taipei on the list. Why were we so happy? Well, Nate has been talking about Taiwan almost every day for over 12 years! (He probably even talked about it for a couple more before that, but I didn't know him.) He has been telling our children about Taiwan since they were born. That is where he served his mission. He loved it. Because he loved it so much, and loved the people and the language, he even got his degree in Asian Languages. Which, by the way, didn't really come in handy until a year or so ago. We eat Taiwanese breakfasts, we celebrate Chinese New Year. He has wanted to go back ever since he came back. He has never made it. He has put other priorities first. Mostly jobs, wives, and babies. (Yes, he only has ONE wife. Wives just sounded better.) I have never been there either, but I already love it. The kids already love it. So that means it was an easy choice, right? Not really. There are so many more things to worry about. Schools, timing, job, career track, what that means for the 3rd post, money, housing, weather, commute, etc. etc. etc. It was actually a really hard decision. Those other 3 cities are awesome. Lucky for us, we couldn't go wrong with any of those choices. AND sometimes it doesn't really matter what you want. You'll go where "they" need you to go. But, since we have to make our choices whether it matters or not, we did. And after thinking long and hard, and watching videos, and researching, we decided on this order... 1) Taipei 2) Chengdu 3) Guangzho 4) Beijing. It was hard too because we haven't even started yet! It was hard to know what we want or what we WILL want. Jakarta is populous and polluted, so maybe we would want a change? We are talking about China here, so those two P's aren't going anywhere. Everything said and done, we thought Taipei would have the easiest living conditions. And it has the sentimentality. There is a great Mormon community there, and it has a temple. Chengdu sounds like a wonderful post. Everyone loves it there. It has pandas! If we would have gotten our second choice, we would have been pretty happy. Guangzho has great schools, and church. Oh, and Hong Kong is close by, which I've heard is cool and has a temple. We would have been happy here too. And Beijing is amazing, of course. We just thought it is huge, and we might want a break from that. And I think we would like it more when our kids are older and can take advantage of the schools. But again, if we would have gotten our fourth choice, we would have loved every minute of it.

But we didn't. We got our first choice. This is our Paris. Only better! We can take our 5 kids there, and the people will love them! And it has such a strong sentimental pull for my husband that it makes it the coolest place on earth. And not only do we get to visit there, we get to live there! We get to see and do and taste and smell (for better or worse) everything that Nate has been telling us for so long.

Nate told me when I was on my way to Costco. I wasn't sure what he was telling me at first. I was like, I know I know you want to go to Taiwan. Then he said something about an email. I thought, wait, an email?!! Yes, he got an email confirming where we would live in 3 years. Weird. But cool! I didn't really have anyone to call who would share my excitement, so I just started shouting at all the Chinese people I saw. "Hey! Hey you! Are you Taiwanese? Because I'm going to live there. Cool, huh." They thought I was crazy. I texted Nate like 3 times even though he wasn't responding. They were really dumb texts. I think one was just, 'oh my gosh.' This whole time I was dying to tell my daughters. I spared the boys the confusion. I've just barely got Mads to understand that Washington DC is still in the United States, and that Virginia is a state, and Utah is another state. Indonesia is such a fantasy place to him, I didn't even want to bring in Taiwan. But, of course, I couldn't tell them because they were in school. I decided to tell them as soon as they got off the bus. I wish I would have thought to write down my predictions of their reactions. I would have been dead on.

B.A. - Squeals, jumps up, and gives me a much-too-long hug.

Rhon - Barely smiles. And when asked why she's not excited, "How can I be excited when it is 4 years away?" Very logical, but it's only 3 years away, Smartypants.

Dare - Gives a big smile, tells me cool, and then immediately turns to her friend to share the news. "After Indonesia, I'm moving to Taipei! Then I can go to Taipei 101!"

Turns out, we do have people who are excited for us. It was really fun telling the moms at the bus stop. And, of course, Liz. And Nate's family is thrilled for him. And the Patch family wanted to celebrate with us. So we got ice cream. And went to the park. I got 10 more mosquito bites. I better get used to it. And hot weather. And rain. Do you know how much it rains in Taipei? MORE than in Jakarta. I didn't think it was possible.

Toon Link

If there is a piece of paper, and a writing utensil handy, Mads will be playing Tic Tac Toe. He loves it. And he's good. He has beaten me several times because he knows how to trap you between wins in 2 different directions. Sometimes he just draws a Tic Tac Toe board with random x's and o's on it for fun. At the library, he was supposed to color a fish. He drew a Tic Tac Toe board, three x's down the side, and a line through them. He was done. It's like his trademark or something.

*****

Anytime I ask Mads to do something, he replies with, "Aye aye, Captain!" He says it about 35 times a day. He means no disrespect, and he is not sarcastic at all. He just thinks it's fun to say. I don't mind. I love it. Every time, it makes me smile.

*****

Mads' new thing is to tell me there is good news and bad news. There is never just good news. There is never just bad news. It is always good and bad. And that's the way he tells me too.

while in the tub...

Mads - "Mom, I have good news and bad news."

Me - "Oh yeah. What's up?"

Mads - "The good news is, I'm right here. The bad news is, is that G keeps splashing me."

If I haven't heard good and bad news in a while, I can just ask him, "What's the good news and bad news?" He will always come up with something. He doesn't even have to think. It's like it is already in his head, he was just waiting for the opportunity to tell me.

This is also something that I hear a lot during the day. I love it too.

*****

Mads started a co-op preschool last week. I didn't really talk to him about it because I wanted to be sure I was definitely doing it before I got his hopes up. So I just told him right as I was dropping him off the first time. The teacher told me that at about 10 or 20 minutes in he says, "Oh man! This is just like school. I just want to go home and play games!" Yes, he really likes games. I think he likes preschool too, but it just takes a little more motivation.

I really like having this kid around. I won't say he's my favorite, because you all know he is.

: (

I'm feeling kind of sad today, so I thought I post my Wesley post that I have been putting off. You know, because it's sad.

He's gone. We found a new home for him. Not too long after we found out we were moving to Indonesia, we decided he would be happier with nice people who could give him what he needed. Which is attention, room to run, frequent walks, a playmate, and cooler weather. I went back and forth for a few weeks. He is seriously the coolest dog on the planet. It was really hard giving him away. But we knew he would be happier, and it would be less stress on us as we prepare to move to another, not so pet friendly, country.

I recently got an email from his new owners. Here it is...

Just wanted to email you and let you know how Wesley is doing. Since he has been here, he has adjusted so well. He loves his new home. it works out great with our schedules because we rarely have to lock him up, so he is constantly doing something with us. Wesly gets along great with everyone he meets. I have brought him to a couple of family events and everyone can't get over how well behaved he is. He sleeps in bed with me most nights but loves sleeping on the hardwoods and he LOVES the backyard. At first he didn't like to go out there without me, and now we have trouble getting him back in! He loves running around with giant sticks in his mouth, and he loves chasing squirrels. I attached a photo of Wesley and Riley. They are like best buds! Wesley is always so excited when it's time to go to the office to see Riley. They love to run around and play until they are both exhausted. We, of course, have two pens set up for them, but as you can tell, they love to be together. Wesley also loves going to the dog park. He did so well with the other dogs and made lots of friends! I know now why you loved him so much. He is a wonderful dog and we are so happy we found him! So thank you for giving us a wonderful pet. He really is our new buddy. Thank you again and tell the kids Wesley says hi!

It makes me really happy knowing he is having a good time. I love that he carries around big sticks. I love picturing him doing that. The picture was cute. She cut all his hair off, which made me cringe because he is such a beautiful Wheaten. He deserves to look like one. But, it is probably much more practical since he is running around and playing all day. At least she kept his name.

And since we left Paris in Arizona, we are now petless. I never wanted to be petless. It breaks my heart. Paris is now with someone who loves her too. But I really wish she was here with me. That's all I have to say about that.

ps - I didn't edit the letter.

Locals

The first day of school this year was extra exciting. New city, new state, new school, new friends, EVERYTHING! It went amazingly smooth. And the girls loved it.

Everything was different than we were used to. The main thing is that B.A. and Rhon go to a different school than Dare. I don't love that part, but it seems to work in this little town, so we go with it. Another thing that is different is that they take a bus. Dare's school is too far to walk, and the streets around her school get too congested for it to be safe and efficient to drive her.
Dare and Bronte were already great friends before school started. This was such a blessing. I was glad she had someone she knew since her sisters weren't there with her.

I wish I had a picture of Dare by her school. Her school is so cute. I'll get one someday.
Then it was the other girls' turn. They take the bus too, but they can also walk. Which is what they have been doing because the weather has been so nice in the morning. It is really fun. They have a big group of kids who live in our building that all walk together.
But this was the first day, so this is a bus picture.

They all love it. They are really happy. I am very happy they can jump into something new and find joy in it. It can't be easy, but they do a good job, and it makes me proud of them.

Shunny Day

We decided to cram one more road trip in before school started. First we went to Hershey. I think this was way more entertaining because we had a cool family hanging with us. The kids thought Chocolate World was the greatest place on earth. I thought it was funny that it made me want to spend money buying chocolate that I could get at Target for less money. But we did get extra long Twizzlers. Of course it's all still sitting in the bag.

Totally got suckered into buying the ride photo. I loved how they all made funny faces. It's worth it. They'll love this picture for many many years.

Then we went to check out Amish country. That part of Pennsylvania is beautiful.

Hartland

We went to the farm to pick our own fruit again. This time we were able to pick raspberries. They are not easy to pick. We realized why they are so expensive.

That's G's new way of smiling for the camera. Yay for me.

Peaches.

Since he only had one hand available, I got the tongue sticking out instead.

Those are apple trees. Picking apples was a little trickier. You have to know what they are supposed to look like when they are ripe.

Parking Garage

Sometimes you just have to take a picture.

Of Nate's huge muscles, that is.

Linear Equation

We sold our bookshelves. It wasn't a big deal at first because we have none of our books either. Until we started going to the library and getting 50-ish books every time. The books were being stacked on the coffee table and it was becoming a messy problem. So we decided to go buy a bookshelf. Just a cheap one, to help keep things organized.

I'm sure glad we did...

Now the books are so orderly. It's $40 well spent.

Philly

Road trip! We decided last minute -- like make reservations for a hotel as we are leaving our house last minute-- to drive to Philadelphia. We are so excited about the fact that we have places to drive while we live here.

Well, we spent the first hour of our trip, to a cool new city, driving around a sketchy neighborhood. Not on purpose. We were looking for the (pronounced thee) Philly Cheesesteak place. We made it. Was it worth it? Umm... let's just say it was a good experience.

We totally did the touristy bus tour again. I am a huge advocate of the bus tours! Love them. I'm pretty sure I will do it in all the big cities we visit. Other than being a little hot, we had a great time.

I was a little slow on the picture taking, so the first picture I have is of the ice cream place we went. We didn't know it was cash only, so we only got a couple things and shared.

Then we stopped at Independence Hall. The grass was way more fun than the tour. Running and cartwheels could not be avoided.

And of course, we had to see the Liberty Bell.

Cityscape.

Apparently, in Philadelphia, the 2nd most visited place under the Liberty Bell is the Rocky Steps. I thought it was hilarious that people lined up in front of this statue to get their picture taken. There are also the steps that people run up because that's what Rocky did. This isn't a picture of the statue, it is a picture of the people taking pictures. Hilarious. Was 'Rocky' really that good? I'll have to check it out...
I loved all the murals. Philadelphia has 3000-ish murals. I loved the old streets. I loved the art museum and wished I could go inside. Maybe next time when the kids can wait for me.

National Cathedral

We decided to take a drive one day when we had a little time. We thought we would check Georgetown out. I think we found Georgetown, but kept driving. We ended up at a little park right by the Potomac. The kids spent about 15 or 20 minutes throwing rocks into the river. Seriously, if you ever have a bored kid, give him a body of water and some rocks. Greatest fun on earth. So, when we were done with that, we started driving around some more. And we just happened to run into this...

The National Cathedral

We didn't even know we could tour it, or if it was even open. But we thought what the heck, and parked anyway. We got in, and it was really cool. Definitely worth the stop.

It was the first time my kids have been in a Catholic church. I think it is great for them to know there are different religions out there. Not something that you encounter much in Utah. Needless to say, we had to explain a lot. Like why each chair had a pillow. No, not in case you needed a quick nap. Although I might be tempted, and I know Nate would.

The girls loved the stained glass. It really was impressive.

Sushi and Gelato

This sushi restaurant is in the middle of the mall we usually go to. The kids ask if we can eat there every time we see it. I think it is because it looks really fun. All of the food goes around the restaurant on a conveyer belt type thing. And it is bright, and lively looking. I am cool with the idea of them eating sushi, but it is not always universally loved, and it can get expensive, so we've always said no.

This time we decided to let them try it.

It was fun! I made the mistake of telling them to just pop it all in at once. They were pretty small, but not small enough. B.A. almost didn't get down the first one she tried. She kept gagging! After that we decided to cut them all in half. They all liked it quite a bit. Even B.A. was able to give the next few varieties a try. They all had a great time. This wasn't the best place to get sushi, but it was an easy way to try a few kinds for a snack. The weirdest thing was that G was the biggest fan. He kept eating and eating. He never eats! Not unless I feed him anyway. He loved it. Rhon and Dare loved the fish eggs that topped some of the sushi.

That called for some gelato...

Pitango. It was wonderful. Some of the best gelato I have ever eaten. Every flavor was amazing. The girls loved the raspberry. Mads is all about the lemon. I don't think G cared. He was in heaven. Nate got cardamom. He was thrilled with the variety. I got pistachio, hazelnut, and dark chocolate. Of course. Me + pistachio gelato = true love.