Ni Hao, Shanghai!

the year-long Shanghai adventure has officially begun!

not going to lie, I cried the first day here. and maybe the second day too... and the third. we felt so blessed to be sent off in prayer by our family and friends, but so sad that we had to say goodbye. things that made the initial transition even harder: 

not having a fur baby to cuddle with

not having a working VPN to keep in touch through facebook/instagram/blogs

the total absence of California sunshine.

but now that we've been here a few days, I think we've adapted a little bit.

we've had our first...

 xiao long bao 

metro/bus/taxi rides

sighting of babies who don't wear diapers (just pants with strategically-placed holes)

panda visit at the Shanghai zoo

stroll along the Bund

bootleg DVDs

Chinese Coffee Bean/Pizza Hut/McDonald's/Starbucks

apartment visits...

this week has been a whirlwind.

i'm so thankful that Dave and I have each other

and the most supportive family & friends we could ask for.

even though I oscillate between homesickness and awe,

i'm thankful to be here.

ni hao, Shanghai!

Goodbye for now, California. (We'll be back).

Gosh, I can't believe that at the beginning of this week, we were in sunny and beautiful California surrounded by family and friends. Now we're in Shanghai! (We've actually been here since Wednesday, but VPN issues prevented me from posting). We sure do miss the beach, sun, sand, and sunsets, but we have started to settle in a little bit. Pictures of our adventures thus far will be posted soon! In the meantime, I'm catching up on Facebook, Instagram and the blogosphere. Xoxo!

The Pre-China Bucket List.

A month from today, we'll be in China.

It's unreal.

So, besides the boring packing/selling/storage of our stuff that has to happen in the next two weeks (oh, and you know, getting our visas and important things like that), we have lots on our bucket list and no days to spare.

The Abbreviated List:

kayaking in the Back Bay (again)

Disneyland (although there's always one in Hong Kong if we don't make the original)

homemade salted caramel ice cream

beach camping at San Onofre

brunch at Plum's

dinner at Bouchon (or at least some extra-large macarons from their Bakery)

sushi at Nanasan and/or Sugarfish

the drive-in movie theater

the truffle burger at Umami Burger

Pizza Port

bonfire at CDM

walking food tour of Laguna Beach

sunset happy hour at K'ya's rooftop lounge

Drybar/Manhattan Beach

Yo-Yo Ma at the Hollywood Bowl

And a couple things we've checked off:

times moves too quickly, but we plan on maxing out our California time while we can.

This is my summer.

I should be working on my mini lesson plan right now, but I'm not, mostly because I'm depressed at the amount of schoolwork I have before our impending move.

School has taken over my life.

I shouldn't complain because I signed up for a one-year program, but...

Am I allowed to say that group work is the bane of my existence?

That working from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 7 a.m. to midnight is a horrible summer schedule.

That projects over the weekend kill my soul?

I'm feeling so out of balance.

I started off the summer waking up at 6:30a to go on a run with Winston, make a healthy breakfast, and sip coffee on the patio before class. And now? I wake up at 5a to drink a gallon of coffee while feverishly working on assignments and simultaneously trying to get my brain to function. If I'm lucky, I have time for some cereal before I run out the door.

Oh, and our apartment has to be packed up and empty in two weeks. TWO. 

And what do I have packed? A box (small) of books.

Rant complete.

It doesn't sound like it right now, but I really do have a lot to be thankful for.

I'll have good things to say later.

For now, I'm off to go teach fake students how to express themselves.

Three years.

Three years of marriage has gone by so fast! Since we'll be spending most of our next year in China, I'm especially glad that we got to spend extra time in the area. We had the best time celebrating our anniversary at the Highland Springs Resort (Cherry Valley, CA). Even though throughout this weekend I was waking up early and staying up late working a presentation for grad school, the whole weekend was so relaxing. I felt like we had stumbled upon a rustic oasis in the middle of nowhere. Our little cottage room was simple (no TV, no blowdryer), but it was so refreshing and felt like we were finally disconnected from the city. The lavender festival was going on at the same time, so we sipped lavender margs (I could drink those all day long), lavender lattes, and lavender lemonade while listening to live classical music, ate lavender-marinated brisket on the tree-surrounded picnic tables, and I even rewarded my hard school work with a scoop of lavender-honey ice cream. We woke up early to stroll through the lavender fields, brunched on pastries and coffee in the bar overlooking the fields, lounged poolside, and had filet mignon and cake ordered from Martha Green's (some of the best cake you'll ever have). I still can't believe that Highland Springs is only 30 minutes away from my hometown, and I had never known about it. This place will definitely be added to our list of local favorites.