What can I say...this is the last blog entry for wallacewonderfuladventure. I'm full of emotions as I type. I remember freaking out when Todd asked if I would be interested in moving to China. That was in July of 2010. When we moved to TEDA in June of 2011 we were scared because of the unknown. Once our feet were in China we knew it was going to be a wonderful ride. We immediately LOVED the people and TEDA.
Never once did we want to go home. We embraced our new adventure and could not of had a better experience. The friends, the travel, the food, the new experiences (manicures, pedicures, naked spa, massages, cupping, etc) and the new life. AMAZING!
We have to thank my parents for taking care of our house and everything else for two years. We could not have done this adventure without their help. I'm not sure how we will ever repay them. It's also great that my job allowed me to take two years off from work and then gave me back a job I love. This adventure was meant to be because everything fell into place. We can not complain about one thing.
Now that all of our stuff has returned from China our adventure is officially over. It's time to say goodbye to this chapter of our life. The memories we will cherish and hold onto forever.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
A China Type Day
My school district decided to cancel school because it was too hot. Cameron had to go until 1:30 so I had the day to myself. What to do? I talked my cousin into cutting my hair off. I HATED my long hair and it was driving me crazy. Then I met Karen at K Nails. We had a pedicure. It was Karen's first time. She told the guy about me putting my feet in with fish in China. He told her she needed fish...big fish to chew on her feet. I said "like a shark?" He said "yes, you need shark".
Karen enjoyed it and so did I. It was much quicker than in China but they did a great job. We went to lunch next. We hit the new Los Agaves (Mexican Restaurant). We decided to have a Daiquiri. Lunch was delicious and the drink wasn't bad either. I felt like I was back in TEDA. What a great day.
Karen enjoyed it and so did I. It was much quicker than in China but they did a great job. We went to lunch next. We hit the new Los Agaves (Mexican Restaurant). We decided to have a Daiquiri. Lunch was delicious and the drink wasn't bad either. I felt like I was back in TEDA. What a great day.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Sea Shipment Arrived
Saturday at 8:45 my mom got a phone call. It was my Aunt Sharon saying the truck was at my parents house. My parents neighbor called Aunt Sharon when she saw it sitting at my parents. Aunt Sharon drove to my parents and then had the truck follow her to our house. Thank goodness my parents have a nosy neighbor.
It was a pretty big truck and it had a little bit of trouble getting into the driveway. Luckily the driver was able to maneuver around enough to get it back to the house. My mom had to run Cameron to his first soccer game. I was bummed I had to miss it but someone had to unload the truck.
There were 4 guys. They drove my stuff down from Chicago that morning. They opened the back and I immediately said "holy crap"...there was a ton of stuff. My dad got a little lawn chair and sat down. he was in charge of marking off the numbers of the boxes on a sheet. The guys started bringing boxes in and I started emptying them. We were on a roll. Some of the bigger things they were unpacking outside and then bringing in the contents. One of the guys said to me "Man, you are a fast unpacker". I was unpacking and stacking for the most part. I just wanted the boxes emptied so the guys could take them with them and I didn't want this project to go on all day.
At 11:15 everything was unloaded. 87 boxes. We only had a couple of problems. One of our pictures had the glass shattered. When I opened up our new glasses from IKEA there was only 5 instead of 6. One must have broke in China because paper was wadded up and stuffed inside the packaging. Funny. Nothing major so I was happy. I finished up the paperwork and the guys loaded up. By 11:30 they were gone.
Cameron was pretty bummed when he got home. He wanted to help open the boxes. He couldn't believe they were already gone. He got happier when he knew there were 4 boxes we hadn't opened yet. They were his toys in the basement.
My parents stayed to help. My dad helped hang some things and put things together. Cameron immediately started putting the 3 futons together. He was an amazing helper. He is a lot like my dad...he loves using tools and building things.
At 4:00 we went to church and when we got back we ordered pizza for dinner. By the time my parents went home almost everything was put away. It felt great to have things organized and have everything in its place. Sunday morning we finished the last few things. The house was really coming together. If only our furniture would arrive for the living room. At least we put the 2 recliners in there for now. We had been sitting on bean bag chairs.
It was a pretty big truck and it had a little bit of trouble getting into the driveway. Luckily the driver was able to maneuver around enough to get it back to the house. My mom had to run Cameron to his first soccer game. I was bummed I had to miss it but someone had to unload the truck.
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| The truck trying to get back to the house. |
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| Luckily the driver was good. |
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| That's a big truck. |
There were 4 guys. They drove my stuff down from Chicago that morning. They opened the back and I immediately said "holy crap"...there was a ton of stuff. My dad got a little lawn chair and sat down. he was in charge of marking off the numbers of the boxes on a sheet. The guys started bringing boxes in and I started emptying them. We were on a roll. Some of the bigger things they were unpacking outside and then bringing in the contents. One of the guys said to me "Man, you are a fast unpacker". I was unpacking and stacking for the most part. I just wanted the boxes emptied so the guys could take them with them and I didn't want this project to go on all day.
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| They had to put cardboard and rugs down to protect the floors. |
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| Mom, Aunt Sharon, and Dad supervising. |
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| The living room was getting full. |
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| Lots of things to unpack. |
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| Dad looked "special" marking boxes off. |
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| Garbage. |
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| Mike was acting like he was working. |
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| The other 3 guys were taking a break. They enjoyed the shade. |
At 11:15 everything was unloaded. 87 boxes. We only had a couple of problems. One of our pictures had the glass shattered. When I opened up our new glasses from IKEA there was only 5 instead of 6. One must have broke in China because paper was wadded up and stuffed inside the packaging. Funny. Nothing major so I was happy. I finished up the paperwork and the guys loaded up. By 11:30 they were gone.
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| Being very careful with the broken glass. |
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| Making their way out of the driveway. |
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| They're gone. |
Cameron was pretty bummed when he got home. He wanted to help open the boxes. He couldn't believe they were already gone. He got happier when he knew there were 4 boxes we hadn't opened yet. They were his toys in the basement.
My parents stayed to help. My dad helped hang some things and put things together. Cameron immediately started putting the 3 futons together. He was an amazing helper. He is a lot like my dad...he loves using tools and building things.
At 4:00 we went to church and when we got back we ordered pizza for dinner. By the time my parents went home almost everything was put away. It felt great to have things organized and have everything in its place. Sunday morning we finished the last few things. The house was really coming together. If only our furniture would arrive for the living room. At least we put the 2 recliners in there for now. We had been sitting on bean bag chairs.
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| My dad was supervising Cameron putting his desk together. |
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| Such a good team. |
Friday, August 30, 2013
The Heat Is On
The week of August 26-30 Cameron and I got out at 1:30 everyday due the extreme heat. It was definitely HOT in the classrooms. I bought bottled water for my kids and that really seemed to help. I might leave them in my room all year. They do not whine about needing a drink from the drinking fountain. Great idea.
Monday night we went to my parents house for dinner with my brothers family. Great to have some grilled food. Cameron started soccer practice on Wednesday. Funny how the kids get out of school but they are still expected to go to sports practice. Luckily it was only an hour. He was one drenched, sweaty kid. Friday Ian, Caleb, and Bryant went home from school with Cameron. My friend, Jenny brought the boys to my school for me. We went to the pool, ordered pizza, and they went back to our house for awhile. I took the boys home at 9:00. Cameron was so happy to have them all over and get some friend time.
Monday night we went to my parents house for dinner with my brothers family. Great to have some grilled food. Cameron started soccer practice on Wednesday. Funny how the kids get out of school but they are still expected to go to sports practice. Luckily it was only an hour. He was one drenched, sweaty kid. Friday Ian, Caleb, and Bryant went home from school with Cameron. My friend, Jenny brought the boys to my school for me. We went to the pool, ordered pizza, and they went back to our house for awhile. I took the boys home at 9:00. Cameron was so happy to have them all over and get some friend time.
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Soccer time. |
Sunday, August 25, 2013
CRAZY
Since being back in the States things have been very crazy. Not only were we trying to get things for the house but I was also trying to get my classroom in shape. I had a lot of help from my Mom, Cameron, Kelly, Grace, and my friend Karen. My two new teacher friends, Tiffany and Jennifer, also helped. I would have never been ready without all hands on deck. A HUGE thank you to all of them.
So I was feeling pretty good since my classroom was ready to go. I had a week of training. Monday and Tuesday were half days. Wednesday and Thursday were full day. My brain was on some serious overload.
Monday, August 19 I had to start work. Monday and Tuesday were full days of meetings. The air shipment arrived on Monday. Thankfully Todd and Cameron had a lot of it put away. We still had boxes and boxes of clothes to put away. Luckily they were in the garage and not in the house though. But, obviously it was bothering me subconsciously.
Todd had to be at the airport at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20. Cameron and I took him out there and said our goodbyes. Little emotional driving away. Cameron and I stopped at Walmart for things I needed for my classroom. By 5:30 a.m. we had a cart full and headed towards home.
Off to work I went and Cameron went to Scott's to hang with Griffin all day. I got off work at 3 but I stayed to work because we had back pack night at 5:30. From 5:30-6:30 I met some of my students and their parents. I was pretty excited. The kids seemed to be ok.
I picked Cameron up at 6:45. He was at my brothers for almost 12 hours and he had been up since 4:30 a.m. He was sad. I was sad. We both had hit an emotional wall. We got home and we were both bawling like babies. It is so hard to explain. Neither of us had issues we were just emotional. He gathered himself but I couldn't. I was in an almost full blown panic attack. I was shaking and I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I was completely overwhelmed with everything...stress of being a miracle worker at work, not having a clue what I was doing at work, not enjoying rushing to get everything done at work, my house was a mess, nothing seemed right. Cameron was so good. Talking to me like an adult, reassuring me the kids would love me and everything would be fine. Man I love that boy.
Wednesday went great. Cameron had his first day of school and it went well. He said it was kind of boring because the teacher just talked and talked but he was excited to get back to Seton. He had P.E. first thing in the morning so he didn't have to wear his uniform. He thought that was pretty cool. My class seemed good and things went smoothly. Cameron got out of school all week at 1:30 because of the heat. Not my district.
Thursday rolled around and honeymoon was over. My kids were crazy. I had to remember it was the beginning of the year and the kids would get better. It was just hard to remember that at the time. Every year has always started like this I had just forgotten. The worst thing was tennis shoes. I HATE shoe strings. All I did was tie shoes. I probably had a lot of mad parents because I tied them in tight double knots. Oh well.
Friday was better again. It will be fine. It's nice to get back into teaching. However, the emotional craziness continued even through the weekend. I checked with Ileana and Kerrie Bounds and they (and the kids) were having the same emotional problems as we were. I never thought the reverse culture shock would be an issue. It was/is. It is extremely hard for reasons unknown. I can't even explain it. But I'm hoping and praying in a few weeks Cameron and I will look back and laugh that we were so sad and emotional. The main thing for us to remember is that we are SO happy to be back home with family and friends. The rest will pass.
On Friday Cameron and I ran down to the Iwireless Center to pick up our race stuff. We were running in a 5K on Saturday. There was some cool stuff on sale to help us look funky when we ran. We got our shirts, sunglasses, socks, headbands, and color packets. We headed home. My parents came over and we decided to have a yard sale. My parents came over and we hauled everything we wanted to get rid of over to my parents house. I sat and priced everything. Cameron and I headed home around 8:00.
Saturday morning we arrived at my parents at 6:15 a.m. We put everything out on the driveway or on tables. The yard salers were not out. I was worried that we weren't going to sell anything. Thank God my parents didn't mind selling our stuff for us while we went to the run. We can't thank them enough. My brother picked Cameron and I up at 8:00. We were off to the Color Me Rad run. Grace, Cameron, and I were running. We got down to the Iwireless Center (Our civic center in the Quad Cities) and people started coloring each other with their color packets. We decided to do it too. The 3 of us threw color at each other. Cameron decided to lay down on the ground to roll in the powder and Grace and I dumped more on Cameron. I then put a huge hand print on Grace's back. We couldn't believe how big my hand looked. It was creepy.
The race started. We were off. We got to the first color station and we were covered. Then we reached the liquid station and guess what? It wasn't working. Bummer. We continued running. We made it to the half way mark and then walked for about a block. The kids needed a break. Started running again and made it to another color station and a liquid station. We were looking awesome. We walked one more time for about 2 blocks and then we finished strong. We crossed the finish line and grabbed some water. Then everyone gathered by the stage. A man dressed in a rabbit suit made his way to the middle of the crowd. He started shooting color out of a fire extinguisher and people were throwing packets of color. It was one big foggy mess. When it stopped we were completely covered in color. Good times. My brother put down sheets in his van so we could get home.
We made it back to my parents and there was still a lot of stuff. Luckily for us a couple of the right people showed up and got some really awesome deals. By the time we closed up shop we only had one little tub I dropped off at Goodwill. Cameron made $263 so he was super excited. Thank you Mom and Dad for running the sale.
We went to the pool for the rest of the afternoon.
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| No frogs were hurt during decorating. |
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| My room. |
So I was feeling pretty good since my classroom was ready to go. I had a week of training. Monday and Tuesday were half days. Wednesday and Thursday were full day. My brain was on some serious overload.
Monday, August 19 I had to start work. Monday and Tuesday were full days of meetings. The air shipment arrived on Monday. Thankfully Todd and Cameron had a lot of it put away. We still had boxes and boxes of clothes to put away. Luckily they were in the garage and not in the house though. But, obviously it was bothering me subconsciously.
Todd had to be at the airport at 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 20. Cameron and I took him out there and said our goodbyes. Little emotional driving away. Cameron and I stopped at Walmart for things I needed for my classroom. By 5:30 a.m. we had a cart full and headed towards home.
Off to work I went and Cameron went to Scott's to hang with Griffin all day. I got off work at 3 but I stayed to work because we had back pack night at 5:30. From 5:30-6:30 I met some of my students and their parents. I was pretty excited. The kids seemed to be ok.
I picked Cameron up at 6:45. He was at my brothers for almost 12 hours and he had been up since 4:30 a.m. He was sad. I was sad. We both had hit an emotional wall. We got home and we were both bawling like babies. It is so hard to explain. Neither of us had issues we were just emotional. He gathered himself but I couldn't. I was in an almost full blown panic attack. I was shaking and I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. I was completely overwhelmed with everything...stress of being a miracle worker at work, not having a clue what I was doing at work, not enjoying rushing to get everything done at work, my house was a mess, nothing seemed right. Cameron was so good. Talking to me like an adult, reassuring me the kids would love me and everything would be fine. Man I love that boy.
Wednesday went great. Cameron had his first day of school and it went well. He said it was kind of boring because the teacher just talked and talked but he was excited to get back to Seton. He had P.E. first thing in the morning so he didn't have to wear his uniform. He thought that was pretty cool. My class seemed good and things went smoothly. Cameron got out of school all week at 1:30 because of the heat. Not my district.
Thursday rolled around and honeymoon was over. My kids were crazy. I had to remember it was the beginning of the year and the kids would get better. It was just hard to remember that at the time. Every year has always started like this I had just forgotten. The worst thing was tennis shoes. I HATE shoe strings. All I did was tie shoes. I probably had a lot of mad parents because I tied them in tight double knots. Oh well.
Friday was better again. It will be fine. It's nice to get back into teaching. However, the emotional craziness continued even through the weekend. I checked with Ileana and Kerrie Bounds and they (and the kids) were having the same emotional problems as we were. I never thought the reverse culture shock would be an issue. It was/is. It is extremely hard for reasons unknown. I can't even explain it. But I'm hoping and praying in a few weeks Cameron and I will look back and laugh that we were so sad and emotional. The main thing for us to remember is that we are SO happy to be back home with family and friends. The rest will pass.
On Friday Cameron and I ran down to the Iwireless Center to pick up our race stuff. We were running in a 5K on Saturday. There was some cool stuff on sale to help us look funky when we ran. We got our shirts, sunglasses, socks, headbands, and color packets. We headed home. My parents came over and we decided to have a yard sale. My parents came over and we hauled everything we wanted to get rid of over to my parents house. I sat and priced everything. Cameron and I headed home around 8:00.
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| He didn't quite get the bandanna on right. |
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| Little Red Riding Hood? |
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| We were ready. |
Saturday morning we arrived at my parents at 6:15 a.m. We put everything out on the driveway or on tables. The yard salers were not out. I was worried that we weren't going to sell anything. Thank God my parents didn't mind selling our stuff for us while we went to the run. We can't thank them enough. My brother picked Cameron and I up at 8:00. We were off to the Color Me Rad run. Grace, Cameron, and I were running. We got down to the Iwireless Center (Our civic center in the Quad Cities) and people started coloring each other with their color packets. We decided to do it too. The 3 of us threw color at each other. Cameron decided to lay down on the ground to roll in the powder and Grace and I dumped more on Cameron. I then put a huge hand print on Grace's back. We couldn't believe how big my hand looked. It was creepy.
The race started. We were off. We got to the first color station and we were covered. Then we reached the liquid station and guess what? It wasn't working. Bummer. We continued running. We made it to the half way mark and then walked for about a block. The kids needed a break. Started running again and made it to another color station and a liquid station. We were looking awesome. We walked one more time for about 2 blocks and then we finished strong. We crossed the finish line and grabbed some water. Then everyone gathered by the stage. A man dressed in a rabbit suit made his way to the middle of the crowd. He started shooting color out of a fire extinguisher and people were throwing packets of color. It was one big foggy mess. When it stopped we were completely covered in color. Good times. My brother put down sheets in his van so we could get home.
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| Hanging at the yard sale waiting to go. |
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| Cameron looked awesome. |
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| Three of the coolest people. |
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| RAD! |
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| Cameron getting his color on. |
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| My giant hand print. |
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| Nice face Grace. |
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| Ouch and Ooooooo. |
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| LOVE this picture of the kids. |
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| Getting ready to run. |
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| It's go time. |
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| Color corn starch in the face. |
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| No, don't get me. |
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| Liquid station. |
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| More color. |
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| The finish line was in sight. |
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| We did it! |
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| So cute. |
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| Nice make up. |
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| I didn't get colored as bad. |
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| The color party with the rabbit. |
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| More colorful after the color party. |
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| A picture for Todd. |
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| Cool. |
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| The ride home. |
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| Grace looked like she had a purple bullet hole on her forehead. |
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| Look at that head. |
We went to the pool for the rest of the afternoon.
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