I'm Not Ready To Be Done

I wanted to write more while I was in Taiwan, but time and exhaustion being what they are I just didn't manage to do it. So even though I've been home for almost a week, I'm not ready to be finished with the Taiwan posts yet.

We couldn't all go in one gondola, so here is the rest of our group.

The day we went sightseeing ended up being gorgeous! We rode the Maokong gondola cable cars up the mountain to this adorable little village with breathtaking views. We went to a restaurant that one of the ladies from the orphanage recommended and we all loved the food! Sitting out on a veranda eating delicious food and sipping tea looking out over the mountains with Taipei 101 in the distance was an experience I would recommend to anyone.

These candied strawberries were amazing!

They added tea leaves to most of the dishes.

Dragon beard vegetables 

We ordered a pot of tea and then requested a refill. The man carrying the tea pots just came and replaced our tea pot with a full one. When Gongzhan asked him what kind was in the full pot he just waved his hand and said, "It is the same!" It wasn't, but he obviously did not think the stupid Americans would know the difference.

The gondola we took both up the mountain and back down had a glass floor. Weirdly it wasn't as scary as it sounds, though it could be a little bit concerning if you thought about it too much. Mostly it was just awesome to see everything from that vantage point.

On our way back down the mountain we stopped at the Taipei zoo. It cost about $2.50 USD to get in and was so beautiful! There were orchids growing on the trees everywhere. We didn't have a lot of time there, but did see a few animals, including pandas, so it everyone was satisfied.

From there we took the metro to an underground market. By then I was so exhausted I thought I couldn't keep going, but I found some cute little socks to bring home to Annika, so that was fun.

The metro was really crowded!

It was the most tiring day of the trip and I almost skipped going and stayed at the hotel because I thought it might be that way, but I would have missed out on so much if I had.

Taiwan

I wrote this and didn't get it posted on Wednesday. I'm going to post it now, so that I can post  at bout the rest of the week without it getting too long.

It is Wednesday morning here in Taiwan. We spent Monday and yesterday in one orphanage and we will be going to the next orphanage tomorrow and Friday, but we have the day off today. We are planning to do some sightseeing and get caught up on work that falls behind when we are gone all day. I want to back up all of the photos and videos I've taken so far and answer a few emails.

But first I want to tell you a little about our first 2 days here. The trip here was pretty uneventful. I had a last-minute panic at home when I almost didn't get my prescriptions re-filled in time, but that worked out OK thanks to a 24 hour Walgreens close to the Newark airport. I've learned how to actually sleep on flights, so that makes the long flight so much more bearable. We arrived at the hotel about 8:30 Sunday night and needed to be ready to leave for the orphanage by 8:30 Monday morning.

We have a really nice team this time, it always varies a bit, and it always works just fine, but it is always good to get into it and have everything working smoothly.

I decided to bring my little photo printer this time and print photos for the kids. I used to do this in China, but it had been a while since I brought it. And I am so glad I did! Some of my favorite moments so far have been printing photos and watching their little faces as they see their pictures printing.

The other thing I have absolutely loved is the little makeup kit and the "create your own headband" kit we brought. It is so fun to let the little girls choose their makeup and fingernail polish colors and help them apply it, help them decorate a headband, then take a picture and print it.

Yesterday one sweet boy, who wants a family very badly, came into the room and got so excited to see me. He gave me a huge hug and my heart just broke. He really wants to be chosen. He will be 10 soon, the same age as my sweet little Eliana and he doesn't understand why other children have been chosen by families and he has not. I don't understand it either. We will certainly do our best to see him in a family!

Last night the orphanage directors and some of the staff took us to a wonderful Hibachi restaurant. I had steak, rice, cabbage, soup, and several different side dishes. Then they brought out dessert, which was this pancake filled with a purple sweet potato filling. It was different, but pretty good. They gave us gifts of pineapple cakes and some other kind of cookie/cake thing (hey kids, I'm bringing home pineapple cake!). They are always very gracious and welcoming to our team.

So we are going to head out in about 30 minutes. I'll post more later as time permits.

Birthday Party Day for Annika

We don't do a lot of birthday parties. We have done a few through the years. Last year we did a big one for Eliana, but let the other children invite friends too. It has long been one of Annika's wishes to have a real birthday party.

So we just up and plan it and pulled it off. We kept it small, but we tie-dyed shirts and had cupcake and I think it was a smashing success judging by the pictures!

It was one of those good, old-fashioned invite a few friends over for cake and ice cream parties and it reminded me how much fun a few little girls can have together for an afternoon. We played a few games and had a treasure hunt, but mostly they jumped on the trampoline and played outside. It happened that we planned it for one of the few nice days weather-wise recently, so we were very thankful for that!

I believe my sweet girl is turning 11 in style. It is her birth-week and there are more fun things to come.

Family Day in DC April 2018

On Sunday we loaded up the crew bright and early and headed out to drive to Washington, DC. We wanted to get to the National Cathedral in time for their 11:15 service. (Douglas had to stay behind this time due to a busy schedule. I know it is inevitable, but this mama isn't ready to have a child miss out on a family day!)

There is something about a beautiful, grandiose building that stills the heart and reminds one how small and insignificant we are and how glorious God is. I do believe that you do not need impressive buildings to worship in, but sometimes having a visual reminder of God's glory can make for a meaningful worship service.

They had a special service in memory of Martin Luther King Jr's final sermon there 50 years ago on March 31st, just a few days before his assassination. We sat and listened to a recording of that final sermon from 50 years ago and many challenges rang just as true today as they did then.

After the service we headed to the National Zoo. Our main goal was to see pandas. We were wildly successful. They have beautiful displays indoors where you can just watch the pandas right there. It was so fun! We also saw elephants and lions and lots of other fun animals. I had so much fun watching the girls rush from animal to animal, Casper snapping pictures, and Freeland pointing out unique things about the animals.

Our next stop was the tidal basin to see cherry blossoms. After some intense walking along the road with a wheelchair experiences we were happy that the blossoms were truly at their peak and gorgeous!

Part of what made the day successful was that we took my wheelchair this time. Keith and Freeland wheeled me all over the zoo, along busy streets, and to the Jefferson Memorial. I could never have walked the miles we covered that day! But I am not used to being pushed in a wheelchair either. There is this trust factor that enters in and it can be a little scary. At one point Freeland and Casper decided to race. Freeland was pushing the wheelchair. Let's just say I haven't moved that fast in quite a while!

The girls got a little turn in the wheelchair. Keith horrified them by taking it down step backwards. Poor girls! :)

It was such a good day the whole way around.

Bonus Snow Day!

When you have a snow day after the official first day of spring, it feels like a bonus. And when it is a big enough snow storm to actually close school for not only the four younger kids, but also for Douglas, there is great rejoicing in the Martin household. Add in Chick-Fil-A closing for the day and Douglas having the day off and it feels like a true holiday.

I laughed watching the dog running after Freeland, the snow is deep enough that running is pretty difficult, but they had so much fun!

Eliana was just free-falling into the snow. You can do that when there is a foot of snow to cushion your fall.

We are thinking that we can probably count on at least a delay for school tomorrow. We are hoping anyway, not bad for a spring snow storm...

What They Don't Tell You

As moms we pass the wisdom down from generation to generation...

Don't blink... the time goes so fast... before you know it he will be driving or she will be going off to college...

In our hearts we know it is true. From the sleep deprived days of sobbing into the newborn clothes as we put them away and pull out the next size, we know in our hearts that these days are numbered. 

No one tells you that in the middle of a busy getting-ready-for-school morning. The youngest will take off the "rainbow dash" shoes she decorated for herself with such pride last year and announce that they are too small and she wants older kid shoes now.

No one tells you that those little shoes will be left there on the floor, in front of the heater where she always gets dressed, as if it doesn't even matter that she is walking away from the rainbow dash days.

We keep trying. We try to prepare younger moms for these moments. We keep passing on the wisdom in hopes that the next mom will slow down a little more, soak in the moments more often, say yes a little more often. Because one of these days no one in your house will say that rainbow dash is their favorite color.

In Praise of the Normal

After a rough spell with blinding pain in my head for days then another week of recovery my life has returned to normal this week.

Yeah the normal of this week includes sick children and doctor visits and antibiotics for the 2 with strep. It includes trips to Walmart and juggling who drives which vehicle when and where. It includes the irritation of getting in the vehicle, a little late for an eye doctor appointment, to be greeted by the low fuel level warning and the phone dying as I attempt to send a not so cheerful message to the person who last drove said vehicle. It includes new driver training and looking at very sore throats with my phone flashlight in the middle of the night.

But normal is good.

It includes extra time with kids home from school. It includes chores done well by a proud 9 year old. It includes an early arrival home from work for Keith during tax season. It includes the end of basketball season and the beginning of more time at home for the boys. It includes laughing over the different options available when ordering glasses online with Annika.

It is a combination of the funny, the busy, the frustrating, the well, and the sick moments that make up my life right now. Normal is good. I cannot help but look around and praise God for the normal moments of this life of mine.