Taking a break from Facebooking...

I'm back in the United States for our annual summer trip. It's really nice to be home for a while and be with my mom and Wayne and go to our favorite restaurants and shops.

If you're wondering why I never blog anymore, it's because of Facebook. Blame Facebook. It's just so easy to fill in quick little blurb about what's going on rather than trying to be clever and informative all at once. Yep, I'm getting lazy.

Kroger. Target. Sam's Club. In China, when you get your food, you're either at a wet market, a small grocery market (small.) or at Walmart, which is nothing like the American Walmart. It's a challenge to find the things I normally bought before moving to China. It's a hassle to track it down, the store may well be out of it even if they carried it a few days ago, and you generally have to settle for something SIMILAR but maybe not exactly what you're looking for. You learn to let go and make do with what you can find, and chances are pretty good you paid way too much for it. That's eating like an expat in China. Part of life. Here, in Kroger, or Target, or Sam's, it's overwhelming to look around and see all the things that are impossible or difficult to find for me in China, with many different choices of brands, sizes, and features. All stacked up, endlessly, shelf after shelf in a bright and shiny mega-store. It's truly overwhelming. All the things I want to box up and send to China for when I need them. Right there, for the taking (well, buying). I tear up, sometimes I get knots in my stomach walking through the aisles.

Faith Lutheran Church. It's seriously like a cool drink of Gatorade after running a few miles through a desert. The singing, the humor, the laid-back-ed-ness, the people. I had so many nice smiles and hugs this morning - Pastor Matt stopped in the middle of another announcement when he saw us to welcome us home. It was really like coming home. Food for the soul, for the heart.

We stopped by the boys' (and mine!) old tae kwon do school to visit. Master Eun asked us to come to class while we're here. So all 3 of my kids are "AI!"ing and punching and kicking twice a week. I'm jealous - I used to LOVE taking tae kwon do. I would take the adult class but it's Monday and Wednesday evenings - family time - not the best time to be gone. Ah, well, when we get back to the States for good I'm going to earn that black belt!

I miss my dogs - I'm very worried about them. It's so hot in Shenzhen right now. I know they're being taken care of but I do miss them so much. Lovable little guys - they're so sweet and so happy.

This week my boys will be at day camp - I'm looking forward to hearing about their fun days. Then we go to Wisconsin for a week. One more week of camp, then a half week later we'll be back to China. It's really whipping by quickly.

It's nice to be home.