Passings

My maternal grandmother passed away on Tuesday. We knew before we left the States that it would probably happen soon, as her health had been declining for some time. We saw her at Christmas for the first time in several years, and even then she had already changed so much - the grandma I knew was no longer there.

She was one of the spunkiest ladies I've ever known. She came to America from Austria as a young woman to work as a nurse, and met my grandpa soon after. She loved fast cars (but was an awful driver), had a quirky sense of humor that few (if any) fully understood, was an infamously terrible cook, and never lost that wonderful Austrian accent. She lived with Multiple Sclerosis for the last 30+ years of her life - she was a fighter through and through.

It's hard not being there with my family during this time, but I know this isn't a forever goodbye - I'll see her again someday, for we are not of those "who have no hope."

Live from Hong Kong...

We flew in to Hong Kong this afternoon, and right now we're sitting in a coffee shop, surfing the web and getting caffeinated. Can I tell you how awesome it is to be able to view my own blog without having to go all 'round about through a third party? And youtube - I can actually watch the videos! (It's quite frustrating how tight things have gotten on the mainland.) I've spent the last half hour catching up on some of Kristina Werners' videos over on http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/. Sigh. It's like a little bit of heaven, lol.

Our hotel is on Hong Kong Island, in the Wan Chai district. The first thing we did after checking in was walk down to the waterfront - we saw ferries, cargo ships, yachts, tugs... my dad would have loved it. (He was a barge-hand on the Mississippi in his twenties, and he loves anything to do with boats/ports.)

I didn't take my big camera (it looked like rain, and sure enough ended up pouring just after we sat down to dinner), but I snapped a few pics with my little point-and-shoot. Unfortunately, I left the cables at home, so I won't be able to upload any pics till next week.

First thing tomorrow we head to the visa office, then we'll head out to wander the streets - hopefully some good street food will be in order! Fingers crossed that it doesn't rain all day.

The Long Move is Finally Over

It's been almost two months of limbo, but this week our shipment finally arrived in Shanghai. We put it on the truck and said goodbye back in the beginning of May, and waited (im)patiently for it to follow us half-way around the globe. Now that it's here, it finally feels like we're HOME. I've spent the last four days unpacking spices, knick-knacks, books, clothes, craft supplies, kitchenware... I'm tired but oh-so-happy.

We've been back in Shanghai since mid-May; we've been having fun getting to know our new neighborhood and revisiting some of our old haunts. Prices are definitely much higher than when we left, and with the current exchange rate we have even less buying power. But bargains can still be found if you just look hard enough!

All in all, it's good to be home.

The Downside to Sending a Crate

Wouldn't you know, now that everything is packed and ready for the crate, I start thinking about certain craft supplies that have been painstakingly packed and are currently buried at the bottom of a tangram-esque pile of boxes and bags out in the garage... Yeah, I'm wondering if I could go dig just a few things back out (shh, don't tell Seth!). I mean, can I honestly wait 3+ months before I get to break open that brand new bottle of gorgeous Martha Stewart glitter? And what about my Slice? The one I've been envisioning cutting all those layered pp and vellum flowers with? It's in a tiny, tiny little box - that could fit in my carry-on, right? Of course it's not helping things any that I've been leafing through Creating Keepsakes, Paper Crafts, and Scrapbooks Etc. magazines, not to mention perusing the galleries at 2Peas and SCS. I see so many ideas that I'd love to try, but of course all of the cool techniques require supplies that are already packed away. Bummer. Oh, I suppose I'll show some restraint and leave everything the way it is. Except maybe that Slice...

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

The rubbermaid bins have been filled; the space-saver bags have been vacuum-sealed; everything has been purchased and packed, except for a few items I'm waiting on in the mail. Our crate is being built as we speak, and is scheduled to arrive on Thursday. We actually needed a much smaller crate than we had originally thought, which is always a nice bonus. It feels really good to know that the hard part (on this side of the ocean, anyway) is almost over.

We only have three weeks left till our departure (yikes, that's crazy/weird to type!), so we're coming up with our "list" of things we want to do, foods we want to eat, etc., before we leave. I think that really, though, we've already been stateside so much longer than originally planned, that at this point we're just ready to get back to our life in China - who cares about getting bbq or Tex-Mex one last time! Honestly, if we could leave next week, I would.

Almost there!

Oh. My. Word.

This book is amazing. It's chock full of vibrant colors and lush, lush fabrics. It makes me want to surround myself with fuchsia crushed velvet. Of course, I seriously doubt that Seth would go along with that. In fact, I'm pretty sure he'd hate it. But, hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Still packing; still loathing the packing. Our goal is to get everything packed this week so that we know what size crate to get. All that will be left out are some clothes and whatever household/personal items we'll need right away when we get to Shanghai. We have some things already there in storage (pots/pans, dishes, utensils, etc.), so at least we won't be starting entirely from scratch. What's great is knowing that we're planning to be in this new apartment long-term (long-term for us, anyway), so I can finally invest a little more time and effort into decorating.

The dog knows change is coming. He's seen the boxes and the luggage come out several times now in his short life, and as far as he's concerned it's never a good thing. This time he'll have to be in quarantine for a few weeks, which he's never had to do before. I just hope it goes by quickly; it won't be "home" until he's there with us. Like the saying goes, "Home is where your dog is!"

(Finally) Back on Track

After a little (3 month) hiccup, we're back on track and finalizing our arrangements for moving back to China. It feels REALLY good to know that in a few weeks we should be on our way and starting the next chapter in our life. The past week has been a whirlwind of sorting, (re)packing, taking inventory of what we have and what we still need, getting estimates for a crate, making arrangements for visas, etc. I've also been stocking up on a few last minute card-making supplies: inks, patterned paper, cardstock (all things I can't buy in China).

I really don't enjoy the whole moving process, but it'll all be worth it when we're in our own space again. I can't wait to decorate the apartment, and especially to set up my crafting area. I want to get this desk from Ikea:

And I just ordered this shower curtain:




Super excited about that one. I'll be waiting impatiently for it to arrive!