Oh, Christmas Tree...OH! THE CHRISTMAS TREE!!!

Well, every family needs some good holiday memories and we already created one this year. We brought our artificial, prelit Christmas tree from the USA when we moved since we didn't know what kind of Christmas decorations and trees would be available here.

So, Saturday was filled with excitement because we were going to "put up the tree"! After dragging it out of the garage and putting it together, we plugged it in and started getting out the ornament boxes. The bulbs looked much brighter than usual and so remembering the computer that we blew up by plugging it directly into the 240v system when we were in Hong Kong we quickly unplugged the tree and plugged it back in using a transformer. The lights were not near as bright, but at least we wouldn't blow out the tree. The next thirty minutes went something like this:

Dan: Do you smell something?

Sam: No, what does it smell like?

Dan: Like plastic.

Sam: Nope, I don't smell anything?

A little later...

Dan: It smells stronger

Sam: Still don't smell anything.

A little later:

Sam: Yeah, I smell something now.

From the direction of the tree: FZZZZZZ...SHHHHHHHHH...POP!...followed by lots of smoke!!

Evidently the 500 twinkle lights on the tree were pulling too many watts through the transformer and destroyed it. The above picture is the nice black spot it left on the floor.

After, throwing the transformer outside in the rain to cool it off, we decided to plug the tree back in and just see how things went. About three hours later, the lights started burning out section by section on the tree and the girls were devasted because now we had a tree with no lights and could not put the ornaments on.

So, off to the store to find some lights.

We found some great multi-colored, blinking LED lights (much to Samantha's dismay!) She's more of a white lights and no blinking kind of girl.

Things got better. With the lights on the tree, the girls could now decorate!

And we ended the day by watching...of course...The Grinch.

November Daze

Hey Everyone, sorry we have been silent for a few weeks. Everything is going well and here are some pictures to catch you up.

In order to make the timing work, Caroline calls her best friend from home, Audrey Ana, before she goes to school.

We actually found authentic Texas BBQ!!! A guy from Texas started this restaurant a few years back and it is good! It was a nice slice of home to be sitting at a wooden table, eating BBQ and listening to Merle Haggard playing overhead. We almost thought we were back home until we glanced out the window and saw the 3-wheel bicycles and mopeds going by.

Samantha and I were able to get tickets to the ATP Masters Cup (tennis) and had a great time.

Here's a shot of a Chinese concession stand at the stadium...hmmm....radish cake or glutinous rice....decisions, decisions.

Benny has some good days and some bad days. Last Saturday, Sarah Jane must have had enough of him nipping at her toes because we walked into the living room and found this!!

From Pit Stop to Princess

Well, we have run the full range of activites this week. Caroline and I went to an outdoor go-cart track on a daddy-daughter activity with our church on Saturday. I had no idea that China even had such a thing, but it was a great time! You have to love all the safety rules here, we had to sign a waiver and one of the rules was "do not drink alcoholic beverages and smoke while driving"! I guess before and after is okay, just not in the cart!

Caroline did great! At first she was a little timid, but once they propped her up on some cushions and put her helmet on she was ready to go!

Joe, our driver, stayed and watched. I'm pretty sure that up until Saturday he assumed that we did not know how to drive because when we got ready to leave, he smiled at me and handed me the keys to the van. He obviously had been overwhelmed with my keen and cunning go-carting abilities. So...I couldn't refuse an offer and drove for the first time in China.

On the other end of the spectrum, Wednesday was "Parents Observation Day" at Sarah Jane's dance class. She is definitely alot more relaxed than her older sisters when it comes to these things and she kind of dances to her own beat.

A Day at the Soccer Field

Caroline is playing soccer this fall and last Saturday was the first "real" game. Alot of the things are the same as they were back home...parents and siblings line the side lines, all the players clump around the ball and kick each other's shins, etc.

But then there are some differences, such as catered burgers and hot dogs...not too bad!

And of course Benny was a big hit with the girls...

More Trip Pics...

Kayaking on the lake...

Old shrine on the way up the mountian.

Really cool statues inside the cave...

All these animals were made with tiny shells from the lake!!

5th Grade Trip

Sydney just returned from a 3 day trip with her class to NanBeihu (nawn bay who) which is a 3 hour bus ride to the South-SW of Shanghai...hats off and a big thanks to the teachers and chaperones who went with the near 100 5th graders!!

The purpose of the trip is to challenge the students in ways that would not be possible in the classroom both individually and in teams. Some of the activities are repelling, walking a high wire, rock climbing, "Leap of Faith" from a small platform to a trapeze and kayaking.

Sydney had a great time and would love to do it all over again! Everything wasn't easy and several of the challenges were down right scary, but she participated in them all and learned that she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her.

Below are some pictures she took with her comments...



My friends and me on the bus!



That's me in the orange. When the other girl and I almost reached the end we bounced up and down. It was wobbly!




I made it to the top!

Morning Ride

Now that we're settled in, we are starting to explore our surroundings a little more. We found that it doesn't take long to get outside of the ex-pat "bubble". The other day we took a ride along a canal that is just behind our neighbor hood, within minutes we were riding through countryside and fishing villages.

Get your fresh bananas, grapes and chickens!

One of several modes of transportation...

These 3-wheel bikes are all over...

Quite a contrast, you can barely see the tallest building in China in the background on the left, with the rubble of an old factory that was torn down to make room for new construction in front.

A brother for Max

Most of you know we decided to have Max, our beagle, stay with my dad while we are in China. We were having a hard time finding an airline to transport him and he would have had to be quarantined upon arrival. So for now he is living the good life chasing cows on the farm! When we got here we soon realized how much we missed him and having a pet (Caroline, especially!) So we decided to " just go and look" at puppies. Well, meet Benny! We did everything wrong-you are told not to buy pets at the local pet stores-they aren't always healthy-and he did have a few problems at first but I am glad to report he is healthy now and a great addition to the family! He is a Yorkshire Terrier and only weighs 4 lbs but he doesn't seem to know that!

It Must Be Crab Season?!

Well, this morning our driver, "Joe" rang the door bell and had a bucket of fresh and snapping hairy leg crabs. He doesn't speak any English and we do not speak any Chinese, so it was an interesting charades session of how to cook and eat them!

Sarah Jane Lost Her First Tooth!

Sarah Jane lost her first tooth! She was quite excited! She got 30 bucks for it, well actually 30 RMB, which is about 4 dollars.

Boompa's Visit

We just completed a wonderful visit with Boompa-Samantha's daddy. He was able to come and stay with us for about a month. We really enjoyed his visit and tried to convince him to stay longer. I don't know why he would want to go home?! It was really neat to have him here for so long, he was really able to be apart of our daily lives. Here are some of the highlights.

"Born to Ride" - Boompa bought an electric bicycle to get around!

Beautiful day in Zhujiajiao, a nearby "water town"

A great Chinese dinner on the Bund

Settling in Shangahi

Hello Everyone!Well we made it! We arrived in Shanghai at the beginning of August and have settled in pretty well. The girls started school the 1st of September and are adjusting well to their new surroundings. Our sea and air shipments arrived with a few broken legs, some broken glass, and a few missing parts but it is so nice to have our own stuff, even with the bumps and bruises.It is amazing how a huge city of 17 million people can seem so small. We live in an area called Jinqiao which has a large expat community with one main grocery store, a few schools, two churches, soccer fields, etc. so you keep running into the same people everywhere you go on a daily basis. It is kinda crazy!We are sorry we haven't written sooner and hope that we will do a better job from now on. It just seems like it takes a little longer to do the normal things here. For instance, going to the grocery store is the major event of the day. The best analogy I can come up with is that it is like walking (nothing new, stuff you have always done) but now you are walking uphill. It just takes a little more effort and you are tired when you get done. Since we have been here we have all passed around a virus with a high fever and two rounds of lice! Yes, lice! Nothing like washing all of your new bedding in a washing machine the size of a gerbil's wheel! It has been fun! We had to find a pharmacy because they don't sell lice shampoo at the grocery store-nothing like playing charades with the little man behind the counter, acting out lice-we got a few other things before we finally got the correct shampoo. We think it must work, well at least we know that it takes the skin off your fingers when you use it! Oh well, hopefully we are done with that.We feel very blessed to have this opportunity to live here and experience the Asian culture. It is great. We love you all and pray that you are doing well. We truly miss you! And look forward to hearing from you.love,Dan, Samantha, Sydney, Caroline & Sarah Jane