Last Night in Taiwan!

James whisked me (and Joy) away for our "Date Night" last night.

We went to Macaroni Grill--which is a pretty "posh" place here in Taiwan.

It was so fun to have a reason to get a bit dressed up.

*Funny moment: On the way to the restaurant, Joy was thirsty so I gave her a bottle. The driver asked me what Joy was doing and I told him, "Ta he niao niao." Thinking, I said, "She is drinking milk." He stopped and went silent. James quickly explained what I really meant: "Ta he niu nai." Apparently, "niao niao" means Pee! Oh the joys of learning the language.

With no trustworthy babysitters--our date nights include taking darling Joy along... It definitely makes the date interesting. Most of our time consisted of picking up the knives that she tossed to the ground, stopping her from chewing up the crayons (for some reason she loves pointy things and the taste of crayons and soap), and keeping her in our view as she visits the surrounding tables.

Of course, most of the guests enjoy her babbling and fight to keep her attention on their table!

ps. The longer I am married to James, the more I am stunned I ever got him. How did I get so lucky??? I figure I must have either wearied Heavenly Father just too much with my prayers, or offered some massive bargain for him, or else Father just really really likes me.

the Lost Bathing Suit

I couldn’t find Joy’s bathing suit. I looked everywhere. For hours. No luck. I finally thought one of the hotel maids accidentally took it.

Then I thought: Christy-- you need to kneel down and say an official prayer. For surely, God knows where it is.

So I did. Literally, twenty seconds later, I put my wallet on top of my suitcase and then, not thinking, lifted up my suitcase lid to get something. The wallet went sliding down the case and landed behind the table. I was so perturbed. Naturally, some more of my bad luck, I thought.

I looked over to reach down and retrieve the wallet. What do you know! There was her bathing suit!

God works in mysterious ways.

Sometimes, what we think is some frustrating trial or event--is actually a blessing in disguise. We just have to trust in Him and wait.

He is more involved in the small things than we realize.

Joy's 1st B-day: Taiwan-Style!

August 16, 2011

Joy is ONE YEAR OLD.

It was so fun. The hotel employees made it so nice for us. We got a YUMMY cake.

Joy had almost three pieces...Only because I wasn't looking and James sneaked it in! The little rascal. (Taking after Daddy-- Joy is now a lover of meat, Sprite, and snickers...!)

Then we went to Outback Steakhouse--where they gave us ANOTHER cake. And yes, we ate that too. Joy was wired that night.

In Taiwan, there is a tradition for a baby's first b-day: they put a variety of objects that represent a profession around the baby. Whatever the baby chooses--means that will be his/her profession.

Joy is following after Daddy's footsteps yet again and chose a calculator: representing a "Businesswoman."

(I urged her to take the pen -- representing an attorney-- but to no avail :(

(The hotel employees are like our neighbors. All our other hotel "neighbors" end up leaving after several days. Additionally, most of the guests are male. Off-limits for me! So my social life is limited. But it is a blessing--it forces me to learn the language:)

Welcome to Taiwan! The City of Mopeds...

Here is a very typical view of our "backyard."

Few sidewalks...a wide expanse of gravel...cars and mopeds weaving in and out of the narrow streets/sidewalks.

Ideal for a child's playtime.

It is always an adventure when I get Joy in a stroller and breathlessly make it to the other side of the street...Alive and all in one piece!

But to be honest--I am loving this adventure. Maybe I have a weird sense of excitement from danger???

Paralyzed Neck

Great Timing. Perfect actually.

The night before the second day of the Utah Bar Exam....

Several days before I fly out with Joy to join James in Taiwan...

Then the neck injury happens to me.

It all began so innocently...Just doing a little backward summer salt to get my stress out after the first 7-hour testing day. And OOOUCH! I couldn't move my neck or hold it up. I was down. Flat. On my back the rest of the night. (You can imagine the faces of the test proctors and fellow testing comrades when I arrived at the test center that morning with a neck brace and pillows--in case I had to finish the test laying down on my back due to the pain.)

Let's just say--I have learned that my body isn't what it used to be. I am getting old. My body is clearly decaying...or something.

Thanks to my family (and Grandma Rowe's blunt words :) haha!--I moved the airplane trip to several days later so I could heal a bit more.

The flight was OK. Thanks to the flight attendants (yes--they were female. Males don't usually stop and want to hold Joy), I was able to rest my neck and Joy was able to walk around the aisles of the plane --talking and pointing to various passengers as she went. The screaming only lasted for 15 minutes here and there when she got too tired.

so WE MADE IT!!!!!! Welcome to "Ni Hao!"