We are pressing forward with the kitchen remodeling. It has had a lot of very frustrating moments along the way, but no problem has overcome us to this point. It does continue to be a challenge though, especially with the electricity and plumbing.
We have a new wall oven/microwave combo and a new cooktop, both of which we scored for half price from Sears. Our microwave and oven has been in and out of its area of the wall multiple times. It has had power for some of our renovation days, which has helped break up the chore of eating out all the time.
Last week, Pastor Alex finished his series called “Wired,” that was about our personality gifts that God gives each of us. He said at one point that the gifts were divided into two broad categories: speaking gifts and serving gifts. My top two were speaking gifts.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27
Have you considered adoption? If you are like most people I know, you have adopted, or considered adoption of a furry companion, but have not seriously considered adopting a child.
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.
- Hebrews 3:1
By the time we got to Sydney, we were both very done with traveling. It is a beautiful country, there are beaches and palm trees and shops and restaurants… but really, we were ready to go home.
We spent our days walking around Darling Harbour and Circular Quay. We saw the Sydney Opera House, and the Botanical Gardens. We visited the Governors House inside the Botanical Gardens, which was neat. It’s interesting because the governor doesn’t live there currently, but still uses it for meetings and formal events.
From the heat of a tropical island, we traveled to Christchurch, New Zealand. There it was the beginning of winter. It wasn’t below freezing though, but it was chilly.
We got our Jucy car rental and our GPS, and entered our destination. We were staying at a rental house in Akaroa, a small coastal town away from Christchurch. We started driving and the sun started setting. Before too long it was very dark. Then the road started to rise and twist, and fall again. And suddenly we were in the mountains.
Ah… tropical paradise. It’s hard traveling so many places, with so many things to see. Vacation should always include a bit of sitting on the beach and doing nothing. Ahh.
Josh and I arrived in Guam, and checked into our room at the Hilton Guam Resort. It is awesome. For the first time in our whole trip we had a soft bed. It was heavenly.
We flew back to Shanghai again, and rode the Maglev into the city at 430 km/h. Pretty stinking fast.
Back in Shanghai we tried to check out a few of the common sites to see before we headed out. We visited the Shanghai museum first. Inside were a lot of Chinese historical items: pottery, bronze work, porcelain, painting, calligraphy, jade, stamps, coins, and furniture. We did see a piece of money the size of Josh’s hand… I wouldn’t want to carry that one around, eh!
We arrived in Xi’an, the city known for the legendary Terracotta Army. We got a nice hotel inside the old city wall, which was a great location. We were able to find a lot of things to see and do in the very close vicinity.
We walked everywhere we visited inside the town. We went to the famous Drum Tower, where they used to signal to the city from for various reasons. Inside was a whole collection of drums from China. There was also a drumming demonstration, which was very fun to watch.
To get out of Dawson’s way while he needed to study, and to see more of China, Josh and I flew to Hangzhou (HANG-joe) and then later to Xi’an (SHE-ahn). Hangzhou is a city that has a scenic lake, and is nearby mountains, I believe.
We got a hotel that was supposed to be right by the lake. We walked to it the first afternoon we arrived and discovered that it was about 2 miles away from the lake. We walked around the lake side area, and it was so nice. There were parks and trees and boats and a lovely dancing fountain display. For the first time in several days I felt like I was breathing in oxygen again (on account of the trees, not on account that it wasn’t smoggy in Hangzhou, unfortunately).
We arrived in Shanghai and met Dawson. He met us at the airport and we drove back on a bus to his apartment. We tried and failed to hail a taxi to take us from the bus to the apartment, so we just walked.
The first day there we went to the Yu Yuan Gardens and the marketplace that surrounded them. The gardens were beautiful, with interesting rock formations built out of lots of smaller stones, fountains, pools, and lovely trees and flowers.
Thanks for stopping by. My name is Charlotte Glaze, and this is theGlaze.com.
By day I run my freelance graphic design company, Meira Design, for which I do graphic design, web design, illustration, photography, and more. I am also a preschool teacher for Kirk of the Hills Preschool.
I don't just work all the time though! I love reading, watching movies, and cooking my favorite recipes. My husband, Josh, and I love to travel, too! He's an airline nerd... constantly haunting the airline gossip forums. We take frequent trips, both for work and fun.
On this site you will find our recent travel adventures, random musings about life and business, and many photos and other fun things. Please make yourself at home! And don't forget to subscribe to my RSS feed.
