OPPOSITES

I have just had a hard time getting back into our blog. Maybe it's because there is so much going on in our hearts during this transition that it's makes blogging about our daily life seem trivial. I know that writing about what we're up to is not trivial, but it feels that way, considering all that our hearts and minds are processing. But here's my best shot!

We are for the most part, settled into life here in Orlando. Emma Grace has been learning about opposites lately. The opposite of day is night, the opposite of dark is bright, etc. So I've been thinking about opposites a lot too. In some ways our life here seems so opposite from our life in China, and in other ways, it's been surprisingly similar. I thought I'd share a few:

Here are a few ways our life is similar-

We still live in an apartment, which is very comforting rather than alone in the suburbs

Emma Grace's room overlooks the apartment complex pond just as it did in China.

The buildings in our apartment complex are the same color as the ones in China.

My kids still prefer Asian foods.

Our home is in walking distance from stores that carry most of what we might need. (though the walking part and the stuff we need part are similar, the prices would be in the opposites category!)

We have Asian neighbors right next door

We have a rainy season here and it's raining everyday!!!

Opposites:

We live in walking distance from tons of American restaurants

The prices at said restaurants and grocery stores

We don't have any mosquitoes here but we do have lots of lizards

The opposite of riding with uncle Wang everywhere we went is driving around in a car that we own!

The opposite of spending 2 hours a day washing dishes is having a .....DISHWASHER!!!!

We came from a place where lots of people really knew us. Now we are in a place where almost no one really knows us.

Those are just a few of the things of the small things I've noticed about our new life here. Andy starts work next week and I'll be back on my own with my two little ones! It's been such a gift to have some time to settled in and get A GAZILLION things done-everything from buying pots and pans to putting up curtains, learning how to grocery shop, buy cars, get new licenses, and a million other little things! But I'm back to being on my own with two little ones on Monday!

To Blog or not to Blog

Before coming home to America, I was on the fence about whether or not to keep up our blog. We started it for our families who were so far away. Both our friends in China and our families here have encouraged us to keep blogging. And just the other day Andy and I were trying to remember where we went on one of our anniversary trips. Neither of us could remember but we were comforted by the fact that we could look back on the blog and figure it out. So, I've decided it's worth the time and effort to keep it up for our US family and friends who are still somewhat far and our Asian/ex-pat friends who are now really far away and also just for us. For recording the big details of today that will be almost forgotten memories a few years from now.

Now that I have my computer back up and running and we have Internet in our home, hopefully we'll get back to normal on the blog.

What have we been up to since we fell off the blogosphere? Mostly just settling in to our new life here in Sunny Florida. Everything is new to us-a new routine, new (to us) cars, new grocery stores, new church, new faces who will hopefully soon be friends, new house, new foods, especially for the kids. The other day EG asked me why there were so many American flags here.

Her favorite thing about America, she told me, is the pool. This girl is a fish.

Jack mostly just raids people's bags and finds stuff to throw in the pool. Toys, sunscreen, bark...watch out for your cell phone.

Because almost every aspect of our lives is new and different, I have felt really removed from China. Almost like I just woke up from a 7 year dream or something. I am really thankful to have my computer back up and running so we can be more connected to our friends there and that life. It really happened EA. You really did eat green leafy vegetables stir fried in garlic most days of the week. You really did have awesome neighbors who did this:
Jack and EG certainly haven't forgotten our life there! Check them out imitating the K's!

In our free time, we've been enjoying the local parks, the library and stalking all Asians. I am really trying to find some Chinese friends. So far I have met some Japanese people, found out our next door neighbors are Vietnamese and successfully invited myself to the Asian market with a worker at the local Chinese restaurant. Hopefully we'll make lots of new friends, including some 中国人！（Chinese people) But I can already tell we are losing our Chinese. Sad. Really sad. EG has stopped talking to us in Chinese and asks if we can speak "Anglish" when we try to talk to her in Chinese.

One thing that's surprised us about where we are living is many people here speak something other than "Anglish" as their first language. We expected to hear lots of Spanish, which EG has been asking to learn. But we've been surprised by how international this city is! We hear french, Creole, Vietnamese, some Chinese, and lots of Spanish. One day in Walmart a few weeks ago, I noticed that I was in the minority, being an Anglish speaker.

I am entering the world of couponing. America grocery bill=expensive! This week I bought the Spanish Sunday paper since all three stores I went to were out of the Anglish ones. Looks like it's pollo for us this week. Maybe I'll learn a little Spanish this way.

In all seriousness, thank you so much for your prayers for us throughout this transition. We need them so much. We are just starting to settle down and enter the "life" phase of this process. Please continue to pray for us, especially for God's peace to rule our hearts and our family as we continue to learn a new life here.

2 weeks in the US=

4 really happy grandparents

2 kids who really love their aunts and uncles...I mean really love them!

7 Trips to Walmart

10 nights to get over jet lag

1 Wedding

37 family members hugged

3 Fish caught

4 scrapped knees

1 water balloon toss

1 really fun 4th of July bash with family

3 calls to China

6 new lamps picked out by my mother-in-law

2 Husson's Pizzas

3 great meals from Chef Tim

1 night of staying up til 2:30 to talk with my mother-in-law

1 teary eyed reunion with my brother

4 visits to Chick Fila

1 visit to Chick Fila dressed as a cow

9 visits with old friends

1 botched cupcake attempt

787 miles on a UHual

2 new cell phone numbers

1 new apartment

1 really grateful family!

Jet Lag 4-Huffmans 1???

We are continuing to find interesting ways to entertain ourselves between the hours of 1 and 5 am. Thankfully 3 out of 4 of us slept through the night last night. Jack was up for several hours but he had aunts, an uncle, and a Kacki taking care of him in our stead.

When our waking hours and daylight have coordinated, we've been spending LOTS of time outside. EG caught three fish with Papa Dan!
Jack has been getting back to his redneck roots. Here he's sporting the almost mullet while driving a lime power wheels.


My parents went only slightly overboard with stuff for their grandkids. Included in their purchases-a sprinkler and a sandbox. EG made a bubble snake with Mama Nette
Jack is obsessed with this piano. Pano and A-tar (guitar) are two of his favorite words. He asks me to play the a tar about 10 times a day. (I can't play and I always tell him we'll have to wait til Dad gets home. He says, "Ok" and then asks again about 5 minutes later!) He now also asks to play the pano just as often!

We've enjoyed our time so far, but we are really looking forward to getting over jet lag and enjoying America in the daylight!

Jet Lag 2-Huffmans 0

It's 9:03 am. So far this morning we've read books, gone to the 24 hour Walmart twice, were the second customers in line at Biscuitville this morning at 5:30am, played outside for an hour+, had 1 1/2 baths, watched cartoons, had second breakfast, and now we're getting ready to go to the Library. At one point this morning about 4 am I found EG squatting on top of my parent's potty like she was using a squatty. It was a funny reminder that we are in no way adjusted to life in America just yet! The best part by far has been seeing my parents and having them enjoy time with our kiddos. So good to be loved by family.

Our trip went well overall but it was by far the most exhausting route we've traveled in the many years of flying back and forth. The 7 hour layover at JFK went by fairly quickly but at that point I started feeling really dizzy and nauseous like you do when you've stayed up all night at a friends sleep over. Our whole family took a 6 hour nap yesterday and totally bombed the "get over jet lag quickly" plan. Oh well. Today, though we got off to an early start, we are feeling a lot better and really hoping to get back on the beat jet lag bandwagon.

Today EG told my mom that her body still feels like it's in KC (our little town in China). It's so true. Our bodies and our hearts are still there really. In moments of silence on the plane or riding in the car I've felt deep sadness rising in my heart as I think about the life we are leaving behind. I am excited and hopeful and really grateful for where God is leading us, but I know we will never really "get over" China. I've just been trying to nestle down in the love of God and remember neither place is my home and remind myself that he's the one leading so I can be content and trust him, and enjoy where he has put us! So now I'm off to enjoy where he's put us...MEBANE PUBLIC LIBRARY HERE WE COME!

Our Last Week

Our Last Week has been a mad dash to the finish line! I've been really thankful for the sweet fun times we've had with friends these past few weeks. I'm also really thankful the packing up part is over. Wow. That was a lot of work. Here are a few pictures of our last week! Saying goodbye to friends

Andy took some amazing photos of the University where he taught English!

The sky was just amazing that day!

We had an insanely fun time playing putt putt golf with Matt and Laura and some local friends. This place felt so much like Myrtle Beach! I managed to only beat a couple of our local friends, who had never even heard of mini golf until we took them to play!

I spent a good bit of time using my golf club as a pool stick,

trying to get my ball out of weird places.

Andy won the first course and was crowned King of Mini Golf!

One last meal at McDonald's with every other foreigner we know!


We've said many goodbyes. Wang Shu Shu, one of our favorite drivers.

Si Ran and her parents


We attended a Fancy Nancy Party for Kayleigh's fourth birthday.

Cuteness abounded.

At the party Xiao Li met the family she will be working for after we leave. I am so thankful for them and so glad God is providing for both them and for our sweet Xiao Li. Saying goodbye to them was the hardest. Lots of tears.

We spent about 3 full days of the past week packing up everything we own, selling/giving it to our friends and then sleeping on a mattress on the floor one last night. The walls are all repainted white, in Chinese fashion. We took the kids back to see it and say goodbye. They actually loved running around the empty apartment!


We of course had to holler out the window at Milky G one last time!

One last photo with Milk G and Ye Ye.Goodbye with sweet Julianna.

This is how EG and Zhu Zhu feel about saying goodbye.

After a moment of sadness, silliness ensued.

Jack saying goodbye to the La Jiao (hot peppers). He is the biggest Chinese food eater in our family! He's going to have a tough adjustment to western food.

We're getting on a plane in just a few hours for almost 2 days of travel!

REMEMBERING CHINA 60-THE GRAND FINALE

Group Picture? I'm outta here

Our Neighbor's Minivan

This country is obsessed with little dogs. (and so is EG)

Rainy season is back! Praise the Lord for rain!

What to do when you forgot the kids' spoons

College laundry- Hand wash then hang to dry

Mi Fan

What happens when we go on a date

Milk Gmaw's Retiree Performance

One of our vegetable sellers

The only place in China where they line up

for buses happens to be in our town!

(this is true)East meets West

Love the blue skies here

Date night with friends

(to see what Jack and EG do while we're gone, please see above)Scenes from the Market

Night Market

Not so wheelchair friendly

Keeping Dry

Where Pier One gets its goods

Peaceful

Made in China