Three Years and Counting…

It’s really hard to believe three years ago, my best friend and I started an adventure halfway around the globe that completely changed my world, as I knew it. 

It is amazing how much we have changed over the last three years.

The longer Chris and I stay in Shanghai, the faster the days fly by.  I am so thankful that we have had so many incredible adventures over the last year.

July

After we got settled in our new place, we had a great time visiting our family in the US.

I had a great time hanging with my nieces!

August

After we returned from the US, I had a great time exploring the sites around Shanghai,

and meeting my husband's colleagues at Qiandaohu.

We also learned how to make my favorite Shanghainese soup dumplings.

September

It was back to school on September 1st.

Unfortunately I lost my voice for most of the month, so I learned about Chinese remedies.

Fortunately I recovered in time for the Color Run.

October

October started in a very rainy Thailand,

and ended with a school wide Halloween celebration.

November

In November we celebrated Chris' birthday in Guilin,

and fed some water buffalo. 

We rounded out the month with a lovely Friendsgiving!

December

 

In December, we celebrated the holiday season with lots of pictures and the return of the man in the hat!

January

In January, we rang in the New Year in Shanghai.

We also had some fun in Harbin,

and learned what it felt like to be frozen.

February

After freezing in Harbin, we defrosted in romantic Bali in February. 

After we returned, we celebrated Lunar New Year with my parents.

April

In April we took a quick trip to Hangzhou for Qingming.

May

 

We celebrated May Day by exploring Kyoto, Japan.

May ended with a wedding crashing, birthday celebration.

June

In June, another school year came to a close and I said goodbye to my fifth graders. 

Now that we are fairly certain that Shanghai has a looming expiration date, I am willing myself to focus on the original reason why I started the blog.  When I started sharing our story, I was terrified and wanted answers.  I wanted to know what I needed to do to survive living in a foreign country.  I wanted to know which places we should visit, and what I needed to thrive professionally.  Most of all, I wanted to share my adventures in Shanghai.

Stay tuned for some big updates! Thank you for another wonderful year, dear readers!