I did it!!! In 2 hours and 29 minutes!!!

I ran my first 1/2 marathon - and lived to tell about it! Right now I'm laying on my couch - to tired to move, but feel such a sense of accomplishment! My time was 2 hrs 29 minutes - under 2 30 which was my goal! :) I'll post pictures of the race when I get them. It was easier running than i thought. Especially the last 1/2 - the first 1/2 was a bit challenging, then I got in a groove, and wasn't too winded by the end. Definetly was low on energy, but it was so worth it! I got a metal and certificate to prove I did it, as well as a bottle of soy sauce??? A bit random, I know. There were so many people there - over 10,000 runners- I guess the Shanghai Marathon is a bit deal - kind of up there with the New York Marathon...

Went to lunch at Element Fresh for an amazing salad - yum yum- and am getting an hour foot and and hour back massage tonight - it's going to be good!! :) I feel free knowing it's behind me - now I only have to run if I want to! :) Though I was thinking during the run about doing the Great Wall Marathon... not until May, so I have some time to decide ! :) It was be much more intense, but another fun claim to fame!

Thanksgiving Feast #1 in my classroom - all the mom's were there to help - it was a breeze. Complete with sushi, dumplings, and chicken nuggets! The closest thing to the real thanksgiving was corn and beans! :)

Thanksgiving Feast #3 at Angelia's Thursday night - it was almost all ordered in - an easy way to celebrate! I made the deviled eggs and they were delicious!!

My First Shanghai Tree! I bought it Carrefore last night for 130 rmb - it is a little small, but the lights look so great on it - and all the decorations that mom sent in my "open on thanksgiving package"!! I decided to go red and silver to match my room - and the packages under it make it look really great too! :) Christine came and helped me put it up - we had fun together, and then drank mango smoothies! :)

so blessed...

I am so blessed. I am sitting here in my living room - and it hits me... i'm living in china - china!! someitmes it just becomes a way of life I don't stop to think about how absurd and yet a reality it is. I had a most wonderful converstaion with my TA this afternoon - very heartfelt and so encouraging to hear her testimony. I am reminded of how Gd has us each here for a reason - sometimes we don't know it, or understand it, or want it to be like someone elses. But he has great things in store, and I feel like I'm waiting on the edge of a precipuse - in anticipation of how he will provide or guide my next step. The horizons are so big - the options are so plentiful here - it feels as though Gd could do anything through me, through our ministries here.


The feeling of peace from my parents visit is still hanging around. It was so confirming to have them here - to be the one to show them around my life, my neighborhood, to meet my friends and students - it confirmed for me that I do belong here, and that they support my ministry - and now know it to such a greater depth. I was so ecstatic about their visit - jumping up and down in the airport and for most of the first day - it was something i didn't realize would really happen until they were here in the flesh - I couldn't quite believe it for the first days that we were having a conversation not over skype -a nd could actually get out everything we wnated to say and discuss - and be in person! :) It was incredible. And I'm sitting here enjoying the fruist of their visit... a grilled cheese sandwich made on spelt bread hand carried on the plane with sheep cheese they packed frozen in their suitcases! Yum yum!!! :)

First weekend we went to Zhujajio - a place I'd been to before, and thought they'd enjoy. Got to test my bartering skills out - and they relied on me for my chinese - it was a good experience for me to see how I could function with my limited though growing vocabulary.
Sunday after service, a 9.5 mi run, and lunch with friends, we went on a cruise down the Huangpu rive r- something i hadn't done yet - and a ride up the oriental pearl tower. It was nice to have visitors so you're forced to be a tourist again! :) You can see all of Shanghai from the top of the tower - it was great! You can also see the JingMao tower - 5th tallest in the world, and the Bottle opener/Shanghai Financial Center - the 3rd tallest in the world after the one in Dubai opens.



















Momma hung out with me in my class all week - and was a great blessing. my students loved her, and she got to help out with many things - Native American story telling, crafts, games, and worked with students. It was a wonderful blessing, esp. during the busiest week of the year with Parent saturday(parents observe you teaching your class) with parent/teacher conferences in the afternoon. I'd never heard of anything like that in the states - but they have it here! :)

Mom even taught a lesson on the writing process since she is now an author of a ch. in dad's book. They enjoyed hearing her share. It was fun for them to experience other perspecitves and hear other people talk. My dad came in on Friday and did a talk about his book and his career. They kids had some pretty interesting comments, such as, "Man, my dad should read that book - he works too much!" Hopefully some of them will follow-up with that.




The second weekend we went to Century park and rented a 4 person bike and rode it around the lake there. It was such a blast! This is a pic of us standing by a rock that says... guess what? Century Park! :) Imagine that... :) We also went to Nanjing Dong Lu and saw the amazing malls they have there - one after another - all the lights, it was a fun downtown city experience.

This week was like a recharge of my battery - overflowing with blessings of time, felowship, memories, chocolate and food from the states! :) , i didn't want it to end - i just wnated to keep on experiencing it - but it revived my spirits and was a good motivator to keep pressing on through the holidays. I have two months without visitors, adn then Emily in January, Mom again in Feb, Micah in March, Nathan in April, and then jo's wedding in June - so i'll go by fast with all of the wonderful visitors! And I have my plane ticket home on July 1st ! I haven't bought my returning one yet... but I will be.





It has turned so cold here as of this last week - basically the day after my parents left. I don't leav ethe house without a scarf, gloves, and at least one coat. but even my winter coat isn't quite enough - and it isn't much below 40 farenheit - it just feels so cold here. i haven't quite figured out yet why... they don't have good insulation(or really any at all...they are all cement walls) and there is a constant wind. but it makes it feel like the holidays are here - i started listening to Christmas music yesterday! :) Yeah for the holidays! Can't wait to decorate my apartment! I'm off to sleep for as long as I want on a Sat AM - haven't gotten to do that in at least a month! :)

parents visit - the highlight of my month... or next few months...

Well, my parents headed home last night and I am sad they are gone... sniff sniff... but we had such a blessed time. It was just what I needed - the encouragement, connection from home and with things going on there, so confirming that the ministry and place I am here is where I'm supposed to be. Just to have them here and sharing in my every day life was incredible. I am pumped up and ready to do whatever comes my way this week!

We got to do quite a few things during the week, and esp. on the weekends - it was actually amazing what we were able to fit into a weeks time. The best part was getting to do it all with them, of course! :) My kids loved my parents - they thought they were so wonderful, and wanted to share everything with them. They even wrote them encouragement notes when they left... very sweet...

And I also am writing as they told me how many people are reading this... I always wondered how many actually take time to read the blabberings of my mind, and I guess there is quite a gathering? So here is a bit of an update to let you know I"ll post pictures and tell you about all the adventures we experienced... from my point of view... sometime this week. Stay posted... Thanks for your support!

Oh, and now my TV is surrounded by Christmas presents - screaming at me to open them.. and alas I have to wait for a whole month and a half!!! Yikes!

Catch up - on the last month...

Just got back from a very WET weekend in Hangzhou. It was such a blessing though! Julie arrived Friday early morning from Wenzhou, and visited my classroom in the afternoon to present on eye health and told the kids about her eye tools. They really loved having someone else come and present to them, especially Dr. Jochum! :)

That afternoon we left for Hangzhou. It was an adventure just getting on the train! We went to get on the train and found out we were at the wrong train station – didn’t even know there were two in Shanghai! So after a mad dash to a cab, a few frantic calls to someone who could translate to the taxi driver, and exchanging our tickets, we were finally on a train out of town! Our hotel was very nice – complete with an included hot breakfast. It felt fun to be in a nice hotel by myself with a friend – made me feel grown up and quite independent.

The time in Hangzhou was wet - we did shopping... drank coffee... more hsopping... drank tea. Visiting the tea farm and bartering was quite fun. Every day we were soaked and tired, but it felt like such a long weekend getting away. I need to do that more often. It made it feel like more than just two days off of school. I was tired getting back, but it was a fun trip.

Oh, and I got my 1st haircut in china today – it was a very pampering experience with a long hair wash, scalp, neck, back and arm massage, and then cut and style. It was a whole hour, and my hair turned out great too – I was a bit worried, but decided to try the cheap place – 2 USD – before going to the expat place – for 65+ USD. I’ve experienced many blessings in my classroom, and am truly enjoying my students. We’re learning so much together, and getting to have so many neat experiences. Sports day was a blast - had so much fun with my kids! It was tiring, but a good experience. We did our cheer to Beach Boys Surfin USA to keep with our classroom Hawaii Theme.