An Update... just on life in general. No fancy title needed.

This post was not planned and it's 9 p.m., which means it might not make a whole lot of sense.  But, I just thought you'd want an update on day-to-day life.  

Update on the House:

We finally bought a lamp for our bathroom.  It's a very dim-lit bathroom, so now I can actually see when I put my make-up on and such!  This makes me happy.  We also bought a recliner/glider chair, although I haven't fallen in love with it yet.  Ben's not happy with it, but we bought it... now we have to like it.  And we are finally getting a rug!  My poor feet need to feel carpet again!  A staff member is giving away a rug, and we will be getting it soon.  Our Ayi starts soon, and she will be helping us out a lot.  It will be extremely nice to have a clean home when we come home.

Update on ME:

Now that we are getting an Ayi soon, it is easier for me focus on things I need for ME-time.  I’ve started running again, and I even have a running partner.  Jenny and I decided to run together… she just got to Qingdao 4 days ago.  She is a high school student teacher.  She’s in her last semester of college.  Her and I seem to have a lot in common, and it will be great to get back into running. 

Update on my Chinese:

I love my Chinese teacher... she's just adorable. Sometimes she speaks Chinese to me... and then I give her a blank stare, and she'll say something like, "Oh, I uh, like Chinese. But, uh, I will, speak English.  Sometimes Chinglish works, Okay, ...yes?"   I'm learning the pinyin (phonetic spelling of the Chinese words), but it is very difficult for me.  The Z and C sound very similar.  And the Zh makes a J sound that sounds the same as the J.  It's very confusing... but I'm learning, I think.  I should practice more, but at the end of a long day the last thing I want to do is try to sound out one or two syllable words for an hour!  

Update on Near-Future plans:

Each year, our school provides an all-expenses paid conference trip to Beijing.  This will be the first 5 days in October.  We are thrilled to have a break from normal life, visit another city, and see our friends that went to other schools in China.  After this conference, we decided it would be good idea to take a break from our city and do something else for the remaining 4 days of vacation.  Our friends that we met during orientation in New York, Tricia and Evan Dyson will be joining us in Beijing and then we will be going to their home in Tianjin (only a short train ride away).  After a few days with them, we will return to Qingdao.  We are excited for an opportunity to get away and enjoy time with our close friends who we have missed.

Also, we are hoping/planning to vacation in the Philippines over our winter break.  We're looking at the costs and hoping it works out... it's the only thing we really want to do, and we also have a lot of friends going on this trip as well.  More on that later!!  :)

Pr*yer Requests

I am beginning to see several High School girls on a regular basis, so please be praying for their hearts.  There is a large problem with seeing themselves as beautiful, smart girls that have something to offer.  They may be Likeminded, but they don't always feel G-d, or know how precious they are to Him.  Please pray that I can have wisdom as we have weekly conversations.

Thank you for all your support.   Our life is coming together quite nicely here in China.  This makes me S.M.I.L.E.  :)