Ohio!

Wide open skies!

Trees, trees, and trees!

Grass! 

I'm cold!

But I am still so glad to be here in Ohio! Even if the high Sunday is projected to be in the low 70's. I didn't pack for " winter" weather.

I have a boat load of thank you's.....

Everyone who prayed for our family during the illness and passing of Carl's mom.

Matt and Susan Strange for the Sunday morning lift to the Taichung bus station.

Everyone who prayed for safe and comfortable traveling for the kids and me.o

My mom for housing all 6 of us with no advanced planning.

Jerry Poff for emotional and spiritual support for Carl's family and preaching an amazing service. God has continually blessed Carl and I with a pastor who truly loves us and cares for us!

All our Faith friends and family who came to the calling hours and funeral to offer us support.

Carl's previous coworkers from Nationwide.

David, Ann, Sarah, and Becca Grissom for support, friendship, and FOOD!

Todd, Barbara, Olivia, and Maddy for giving us their home for the next three weeks while they are in Ecuador.

God has surrounded us with friends and family who continually shower us with love through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.  Our cup overflows!

Thank You!

1,987,200 Seconds

23 days

552 hours.

33,120 minutes

or

1,987,200 seconds.

Any way you look at it, its been a long time since my last post. 

In the last 552 hours, I have...

Had the last day of the 2012/2013 school year.

Watched (and cried, of course) as Nick graduated.

Moved.

(and all that happened in a three day period)

Cleaned, organized, and closed up my classroom.

Helped friends move.

Cleaned, organized, and opened up our new home.

Cleaned the old apartment for final inspection.

(no wonder I am feeling worn out)

And said goodbye to Carl!

It was not how we had planned, but God is in control. And His plan is always better than our plan. On Friday, June 7, we received heartbreaking news that doctors were only giving Carl's mom a few days to two weeks (just two days shy of our scheduled departure) to live. Twelve hours later, Carl left for the airport.

We didn't know, but God did!

Knowing the dog-eat-dog world of airlines, I feared the worse- forfeiting Carl's original already-paid-for-ticket and paying for a brand new one! Yikes! But after 

 being on hold for over an hour, and in discussions for 30 minutes, it all worked out, for a small fee, of course.

Before leaving the school (our internet and phone service had not yet been transferred so all these calls had been made from school ), I realized I had not been to my mailbox in over a week. Inside was a note from friends left a week earlier, AND the exact amount the airline charged Carl for changing his flight. 

So before we knew, He knew....and He provided.

Thirteen days later, Carl's mom is still holding on. Earlier this week, we had the opportunity to Skype with her and  other family members. Her victory is near and she is ready! Sad for us, but not for her!

The kids and I leave Sunday morning. Approximately 36 hours later, we will be reunited with Carl.

And
I
am
ready!

The entrance to our gated community!

Our new street!

Our entrance/patio/garage!

The view from the front door- living room, dining room, and kitchen.
Steps go down to a basement, which we use as the tv room.
Behind the kitchen in an enclosed porch with the washer, dryer, and stove.

Steps going up to the bedrooms.

Traditionally, Taiwanese kitchens do not have a stove.
The school provides us with  one brought over from the states.
We decided to put it on the back porch to keep it from heating up the
entire house when in use. That allowed us to "harvest" the
cabinet next to the fridge from a house about to be demolished!

Looking up from the kitchen!
 There is a total of five levels in our house- lot's and lot's of steps!

 Looking down from the third floor. Jake is looking up!

My Second Graders!

I love these guys!

(Yes, they drive me crazy but they are blessings in my life)

Nick's Last Day of School

Nick's last day of school.

It started out with a senior prank...

A great prank, I might add. There was no permanent damage, no one was hurt, and no ones' feelings were hurt in the process. And the younger students, including the second graders, greatly enjoyed the tangled mess!

I can't imagine how long it took the seniors to create this maze. Or how many it took. When asked if he was part of it,  Nick only smiled and refused to answer any of my prying questions. I can only guess that working the nighttime guard shift during Chinese New Year came in handy! Obviously, we need a dog to guard our front door at night!

The school day ended with another senior tradition- the releasing of balloons! 

Graduation is Thursday, May 30! 

Field Trip

I heard the whispers.

I heard the questions.

I wanted to do it, but I just didn't know how.

Confusion and denial accompanied me  throughout my waking hours.

Every class takes a field trip. Its the highlight of the year for most elementary students. The kindergarten class took two, or was it three? But those poor second graders. No field trip for them. First grade parents were concerned. When their children became second graders, would they be tripless also? Meanwhile, the second graders waited expectantly, patiently, hoping that their new teacher would somehow come through at the end.

Which she did. 

Barely.

Field trips aren't difficult.  But imagine trying to plan a field trip in a country you can't speak the language, or read it either.

My first stumbling block was where to go. All the good places already seemed to be claimed by the other teachers. You know- the zoo, The Flying Cow Ranch, the cardboard factory, and the old fashion train ride. I had no idea what was out there. And no way to find out. So I asked my parents for advice. Then waited for suggestions to come flying in. They didn't.

Eventually, one mom took pity on me and my quickly tarnishing reputation as a cool teacher. She did a little research, a little phone action, and boom. We were in business.

Now on to the permission slips, collection the entrance fees, renting the bus, ordering lunches, arranging for the first aid kit......

Finally the day arrived..

And there was great rejoicing!

What second grader couldn't smile at....

Animals

Butterflies

King size swings

Plants

Dirt

Then there was this little fellow. Cute isn't he?

Believe it or not....

I just couldn't pass up this once-in-a-lifetime
 (or maybe last-in-my-lifetime) opportunity!
The spider was actually spinning its silky web
 as it crawled up my arm!

By Land Or By Sea

Life, as it is for most breathing, heart-beating adults, has been action packed,  jammed full of  responsibilities, parental duties, and the occasional recreational diversion. Or in others words- 

 Life has been crazy! 

So much to share with you, but so little time to make it happen.   

Today's blog is a collection of pictures spanning several weeks, as well as thousands of miles. From the shores of Taiwan to the modern city of Seoul,  South Korea. 

First, by sea........

So, I really do live on an island! This is a beach close to Taichung. Once upon a time, it was a swimming beach. It was closed after several accidents were caused by the strong undertow. 

PFO (Pre-Field Orientation) buddies- Jennifer, myself, and Grace. Jennifer and her husband, Scott, teach at the Morrison campus in Taipei. Long time friend Grace teaches in Taichung and is Jacob's Chinese teacher. Jennifer and Scott came to Taichung to visit. One of our stops was at the fish market- definite proof that Taiwan is an island!

Our meal at the market- abundant with seafood!

And afterwards, a little shopping....

Squid and octopus!

Sea Cucumber

Assorted dried fish.

And now by land.....

 

Last weekend, I had the privilege to travel to South Korea to attend a literacy conference. What an amazing time of learning. Most of our time was spent attending the conference, but the evenings were free for a little exploration. One night, we found ourselves at a traditional Korean barbecue. Seated on the floor at a  low table, you chose from an assortment of meat (beef and pork) that you wished to grill. And... its all you can eat.

Now, if you know me, you know meat isn't one of favorite things to eat.... 

After going to the buffet to select the meat, you would grill it right at the table. Along with sauces, pastes, and other spicy condiments  (kimchee), the cooked meat was wrapped in lettuce leaves. I liked the sauce and it adequately covered the taste of the beef.

Neither Katie or I eat  meat on a regular basis, but we we survived our meat-eating binge!

The following evening, while exploring a trendy shopping area, we came across this interesting street offering.If you think that's a potato, you are right. Cut a little thicker than an American potato chip, it was quite delicious and satisfying.

This blog has been about food.

 Unfortunately, it is making me hungry........

Junior Senior Banquet 2013

It started several weeks ago.

  The planning. 

The buying.

The excitement.

Not a prom, but its equal, if not superior.

The Junior/Senior Banquet!

Caitlyn and Nick