We went in this line anyway...

at a bus station ticketing counter.....

just because.....

he's soooo stinkin cute! i miss this little kid!

terracotta warriors

in december, a couple of friends came in from out of town. it was such a nice treat. we also had a short visit to see the infamous terracotta warriors. this was absolutely stunning. it is estimated that in the three pits containing the terracotta army, there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried. the terracotta warriors were first discovered by well-diggers in the late 1970's. first emperor qin shi huang had this army buried with him to protect and help him rule another empire in his afterlife! isn't that wild?

winter wonderland

we have had several snowy days this winter, which has been so great! the only problem is that transportation is a nightmare on snowy days. my roommate and i had to wait in the snow one day for about an hour and a half!!!

catching a cab is usually uneventful, except if you are needing one during rush hour or on snowy days! it kind of can be summed up like this.....you wait, try to flag down a cab as they drive by only for them to tell you that they aren't going in the direction you need, so you wait, then somebody else comes up next to you in need of a cab and they stand on the side of you that if a cab were to come along they would get it, so they get a cab and you end up having to wait some more! this can get quite frustrating.

anyway, a couple of weeks ago, my roommate and i were waiting for a cab in front of our apartment on a snowy day. after waiting for about half an hour in the freezing cold, we were not about to let anyone cut us off and get the cab that we so deserve. sure enough, two korean men walked up to the curb to the left of us. my roommate went over to them and did the talking for us. the conversation went something like this...

LP (my roommate): hi, we have been waiting for a cab for the last half hour. (in chinese, of course).

man: ting bu dong ("i dont understand" in chinese. he did not speak any chinese or english).

so my roommate proceeded to think of other ways to tell the man that the next cab belonged to us.

LP: chu ju che....(taxi)

man: (still a look of confusion)

LP: da di ..... (call a cab).

man: da di?

LP: yes. da di.

man: da di? (one hand pointing to himself, the other waving no).

at that point my roommate realized that the man might be thinking that she is saying "daddy." she gave up and walked away towards me. couple minutes later, the men left and went back to their homes, i think. i can't help but laugh at what they might be thinking? is she asking me if i was a daddy? is she asking me if i want to be a daddy?

gosh, it is hard not to be able to communicate clearly! haha.

we didn't get a cab for another 10 minutes or so. :(

catching up

dear friends,
i apologize for not being in touch (blogging) often since i left the states in september. it has been a roller coaster ride-for the most part. please know that i have thought of you often. and so often, i have thought, "oh! i need to blog about this!" or "_____, would love to hear about this one!" i just never got to actually sit down and blog about it. :(

i will attempt to write several blog entries this weekend to catch you all up.

another reminder that i am in a foreign land...

My Prayer for this Morning

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness,
and it has both satisfied me and made me thristy for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee,
so that I may know Thee indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me."
~A.W. Tozer

hot air balloon ride!!

this was one of the most amazing things i have done in my life. not just that i was able to go on a hot air balloon ride, but that i got to do it in one of the most beautiful places on the planet!



to see bigger pictures, go to the actual album! enjoy!

some reminders that i am in a foreign land....

dried cuttlefish instead of peanuts on my flights....welcome aboard!!!

beautiful mountains like these....
movers carrying huge pieces of furniture on their backs up and down 6 flights of stairs...

first two weeks of school=military training for all first year college students...

home, sweet, home! and the journey ahead.....

i apologize for not keeping up with my blog. thanks to you faithful readers that keep coming back, even though i have done horribly at keeping you in the loop.

i have been back in country now for a little over 2 weeks. my time at home was a whirlwind of a time. i wish i could have had the time to see more of you...time was definitely too short. as busy as it was, i enjoyed so much being HOME! i loved meeting and being with my adorable nephew. i loved driving my car. i loved the variety of good western food. i loved sundays at Sandals! i loved seeing my Sandals peeps! i loved seeing my friends! i loved time in the california sun! i loved being with the ritzes in TX! i loved meeting all my friends' new babies (christian, julia, ava, ethan, ava f, phoenix, jayden, and jaden)! i loved the flores' guest bedroom! i loved staying with the Jovens! i can go on and on!

it has definitely been harder transitioning in the second time around. one of the realities of living overseas is the "revolving door" issue. people come and go so often. the first couple of days back, i had to say goodbye to a friend on my team, who was following L's leading back in canada. this next week, one of my roommates will also be going back to the states. it has been really hard for me to accept this reality. good, close friends are hard to find. my roommate, chrissy, has been one of my biggest cheerleaders and support this last year. there may be several days of tears after she leaves next week! :(

it is hard for me to look ahead in the midst of all of this change and transition. i am choosing to trust and follow hard after Him, clinging on tightly to the Truth and Love that has been given me!