Where Did September Go?

Wow...the year is already flying by.  We are trying hard to soak it in...and granted, many days seem to be long days, the weeks and months are going too fast.  September was a full month, full of lots of good things. I actually have my calendar out, just so I don't forget to include something important:)

The first weekend I was given the opportunity to go to Hoi An, Vietnam for a long weekend with some very good friends.  These are a group of ladies that I do lunch with once a month.  Each month we try a new restaurant...we have termed our group "Lunch Bunch" Last Spring, when I knew this coming year would be my last in Hong Kong, I brought up going on a weekend getaway.  My friends ran with the idea, and I basically did nothing but pay for my end of the trip, pack and get on the plane.  Besides a little miscommunication about the visa, we had a wonderful time.  Vietnam was beautiful, the rain held off except during our massages, and we ate unbelievably cheap and SOOOO good!!! One day we took a cooking class, we spent time by the ocean and the pool, and spent a lot of time talking.  I'm so grateful for the time to make special memories with these women that I have spent the last four years getting to know. They have been incredibly helpful, have made me laugh and allowed me to see parts of Hong Kong (and now Vietnam) that I wouldn't have on my own.

Emma Rose Puffenberger is finally a teenager.  I still can't believe that I am saying that.  We had a great time having some of her friends over for a birthday swim and dinner...and then just like Emma...they wanted to bake cookies.  Stephanie and Viann have been such sweet friends, and I'm glad that Emma had a memorable celebration. We were even able to have Stephanie's younger sister, Hannah able to come and play with Abby...a win-win:)

Our newest teenager

Emma with Stephanie and Viann

Later that evening, we also got some visitors!!!  Christy, Andy's sister, and Brittany (niece) were able to get away from their lives and stay with us for about 10 days.  We were so excited to have them come see our lives here and show them around this beautiful city that we have grown to love.  I feel like we packed it in...the Peak, Sai Kung, Stanley, Ladies Market, Jade Market, TST for dinner, Mid-Autumn Festival in Tai Po, Central elevators, Cloudy Hill hike, Big Buddha and Ngong Ping...as well as showing them our church and the kids school.  It was a FULL visit.  But I think they had a blast.  They certainly had beautiful weather, which was a huge blessing since it was supposed to rain.  My favorite part was just spending time with these two.  Having known Christy for over 20 years, and Brittany her whole life, we have never spent this much time together...it was such a gift:)

Love this...Brit skyping her dad and friends from the Peak

Brittany loved The Peak

On our way to Big Buddha

Korean BBQ

Adult dinner in East TST

Long Awaited Guests

I'm not sure that I even allowed myself to dream of the possibility...but that's the God we serve, God of the unimaginable.

When we left for Hong Kong four years ago, there was one major hurdle that we had to get past in order to go with peace...leaving our dear friends, the Marlett Family. Our paths crossed years before and we had been neighbors for years as our children became the best of friends.  But what bonded our families together was their special little girl, Lucy, and the major health concerns that she had...which brought on special needs for the family. We had been privileged to walk with them through their very difficult journey, and by God's grace, were even able to come back to the States in February 2014 to say goodbye to Lucy.

All the Marletts and Puffs...or the Puffletts:)

Waiting for pizza at the Peak

I remember having a conversation four years ago with Emma about the Marletts coming to visit.  In fact, it was a common conversation with Emma..."Wouldn't it be great if the Marletts could see where we live...if MEGAN could see where I go to school?" Of course, when we left at the onset, I couldn't even have dreamed of what would transpire in the next couple years.

Fast forward and the Marletts have moved to Asia!!

Drew works for the same company as Andy, and last spring they were asked to move to Japan.  So this summer, after putting their house up for sale, they moved to Kobe, Japan...which, of course, is a lot closer to Hong Kong:)

So after being on the ground for 48 hours, back from our summer in the States, the Marletts arrived in Hong Kong...and we were beside ourselves with excitement and disbelief.

We had a fantastic time showing them the popular attractions...The Peak, Star Ferry and Stanley...but it was also great to just be with them and show them our lives.  The kids got to show them their school and they went to church with us on Sunday. They met some of our friends, rode the train, and we did a great job of cramming in our car...yes, all 13 of us...maybe slightly illegal.

Stanley after church

My taxi buddies

Piled in the car

It was so so good to be able to share with them our lives in HK...it is such a gift to us when our friends have a deeper understanding of our time here.  They had only been in Japan for three weeks, but they needed some time away, so the visit blessed them as well.

The boys

The cabooses

Twinsies

Just like old times...typhoon day:)

Making guac!!

Now we are leaving in less than a week to see their home as we travel to Japan as a family...looking forward to reciprocating the gift:)

Landing For our Fifth and Final Year

If you would have told me four years ago that we were embarking on a FIVE year journey, I would have turned around and said, "No way!" But that's how God works.  He only shares with you what He determines you need to know, nothing more.  I think that is part of His compassionate character.  He knew that if I would have known it would have been five years, I would have said "no" and missed out on a crucial part of our family's lives.

As we return to Hong Kong after our last expat summer...exhausted and ready for stability and routine...we come back with mixed emotions. We have grown to love it here in HK.  It has become our home and we all have done significant growing in all aspects of our lives here.  We are changed.  I think we all have come to conclusion that our home in PA has changed, as well.  We have spent enough time during the summer to realize that people move on and change, as well. It is good. None of this is unexpected.  So as we prepare for the time following this year, our biggest challenge is to enjoy this year...take each day and soak it in.  It will be a year of "lasts" for us, and I'm sure I will always wonder, "Is this the last time I will do..., or be here?" But even though there has been some sadness that has seeped into my soul, it has also given me pause to open my eyes to this place...this amazing place that is rarely boring and so different than what I used to know.  It has challenged me in so many different ways and has offered our family a new realm of thinking and feeling and relating.  I am so incredibly grateful for this opportunity, and would encourage and challenge anyone, if given the chance, to live abroad.

Ran into our friend, Caitlin, at Newark Airport!

Landing in HK is always an interesting experience.  The contrast to our homes is just so vast, that I can't help but be blown away by the differences every time we land. This year I came with the kids by myself...which I have only done one other time.  And like I have told others...it's not traveling with five children by myself that is the hard part...its transporting all of the stuff. And this year was no exception...collecting 11 huge bags and boxes(each 69llbs) from check-in, making sure I kept track of five kids and their passports, and that they each had the 10 carry-ons we brought with us.  And this year was a bit more stressful than normal just getting to HK...the "ever so pleasant" attitude of Newark TSA, the rude United Club attendants, and the 2 hours of sitting at the gate after the 3 hour delay that was already planned because of the typhoon. So it was more than relief when we finally got through customs after waiting an hour for all of our check-ins, and saw Andy and Kendy, our taxi driver, waiting for us.

We didn't arrive home until after 2am.  This didn't make as much of a  difference to us...when we get back we are all messed up.  Our children slept great on the plane..Sarah about 3-4 hours,  Josh, Grace and Abby about 5-6 hours...but the winner in this category was clearly Emma...I kid you not...11 hours of sleeping on the plane!!  I even got more than I am used to at about 3 hours.  So when we landed, it could have been the middle of the day.  This is great when we need to be unpacking, but it does not help when trying to get over jet lag.  That being said, we powered through the jet lag and prepared for school.  This process was expedited a bit because we were about to have some long awaited guests....To Be Continued:)

Last Expat Summer

This past summer was our busiest, craziest, exhausting summer that we have ever had.  We have learned that when you are "visitors" for five to six weeks, living out of suitcases and traveling to different cities in the U.S., that's just how it is.  We really try not to complain.  We love reconnecting with our family and friends, eating foods we have missed all year, and enjoying blue skies and starry nights.  But by the end of it all...we are tired and ready to get to our home.  This summer reminded me of the phrase, "Go big or go home!"  Countless hours on the plane, our family separated, at one point, in three different countries, and too many states to count.  We could not have done all that we did without family...specifically my brother and his wife.  A huge shout out to Rob and Amy and their three boys, who we love and are so grateful for them.

We started our trek with our normal direct flight to Newark, NJ from Hong Kong.  A relatively uneventful flight.  But this time, instead of hopping on a shuttle for PA, we had a five hour lay-over and got on another flight for Ft. Meyers, FLA.  Andy's parents moved their last fall, and we were eager to spend time with them in their new community.  Our flight was a bit delayed, so we didn't get in until past 12:30am...but at that point, having traveled for more than 25 hours, we had no idea what time it was.

Our time in FLA was wonderful.  We were able to enjoy our time with Andy's parents, meeting their new friends, going to their new church, sight seeing Ft. Meyers, but also visiting other beaches such as Sanibel and Captivia Island. While we still had to get through some jet lag, it was a pretty relaxed visit, which we appreciated...and Andy and I were even able to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary kid-free! Such a treat:)

After ten days in FLA, it was time to fly back north.  Unfortunately, our routing took us back to Newark, instead of Philly, but our trusty shuttle driver, Ron, was able to meet us and bring us back to Newark, DE in easy fashion.  We checked into our hotel home for the next three weeks, and spent the next week jumping in with two feet...the older girls helped out with our church's sports and arts camp, the younger three spent lots of time with their cousins, I got some time with friends and did errands, and Andy got situated with work.  The following weekend, Josh and Abby went to Myrtle Beach with my parents, Gregorys and my sister for the week.  Then, Ron and Rebecca joined us for the week...doing errands, making some big purchases (Ron loves to spend Andy's money) and just talking and dreaming of future trips with them.  We also fit in a trip to Historic Philly, had a great dinner in Newark with some DE/PA friends, and did Hershey Park before they started home to Detroit.

In the midst of Ron and Rebecca's visit, another friend came to visit us...Isabella Conceicao!!! She had been in the states with another of Grace's friend, and flew into Philly to stay with us for a week before  heading west with Emma, Grace and I for YL Camp.  She was also able to do Hershey Park and Great Adventure with Grace, sparklers at a picnic, and lots of Mexican food:)

After the week Izzy stayed with us (and Abby and Josh were back from the beach) we were able to have a day with my parents, and then it was off to Seattle with the three older girls...our Seattle bound flight leaving at 6:00am.  We arrived in Seattle, and our friends Jen Gilday and Jodi Chesemore picked us up from the airport!  This was a planned special weekend to celebrate Jodi's big birthday.  We had a great time staying at the Gilday household with Dan and their two kiddos, Jack and Emmy.  But that weekend was all about catching up and talking...it was definitely what my soul needed leading up to the next month!

We enjoyed our three day stay, than Jodi flew home and Jen took us to Seattle Pacific University to meet our group from YLHK.  There we met up with over 120 others who were headed to Malibu Club in British Columbia and Creekside in Oregon.  But first...we spent four days touring Seattle..it was epic...Starbucks Headquarters tour, Boeing Factory Plant tour, University of Washington, Seattle Science Museum, Rock'n Roll Museum, Mariners baseball game...all jammed packed into three days.

Then on Friday morning, at 4am, the bus left for Malibu with 68+ high schoolers and leaders...12 hours later we were in one of the most gorgeous parts of the world I have ever been.  It is also somewhere I have only dreamed about going...ever since I was a freshman in high school!

Later that day, the middle schoolers and leaders headed for Oregon and Creekside for five days of awesomeness!!! When both camps were done, we all reconvened back in Seattle.  The Malibu trip getting in at 10pm...and Grace and Emma and I getting up at 4am for a very early flight back to Philly.

While we were gone for the two weeks, Andy spent the first week staying at Rob and Amy's.  Josh, Abby and Sarah attended their church's VBS.  Then that Friday, Andy had to leave for HK (needing to be in Shanghai the following week), leaving the kids under Rob and Amy's care.  Like I said earlier, Rob and Amy are saints and we could not have done our summer without them.

Finally, returning on that Friday evening, and being grateful to hug our younger children who I hadn't seen in two weeks, I slept hard that night...then woke up early to start a full day.  There were a few friends I needed to see, a couple of errands I needed to run, and wanted to visit my grandmother.  The next day we went to church and then had a great day visiting my parents, who had driven up for the day, enjoyed our last day with the Gregory's, visited Mom-mom one more time, and ended with a trip to the Creamery in Strasburg to meet my sister for ice cream. We woke up the next morning with the news of a three hour delay on our flight, so we weren't as rushed as we thought we would be...a gift. In fact, we even had time to squeeze in a quick visit with my aunt and uncle who had flown in the night before from San Francisco!

It was a packed summer...I'm exhausted just writing it all down.  We are so grateful for the memories and connections made, but we are also grateful that it was our last expat summer.  Next summer will be different, and I will probably be sad not getting on a plane to HK at the end of it, but it will be so nice not living out of a suitcase for five to six weeks...and it will be the beginning of our new adventure:)