So Luke and I have been looking at going to grad school for the past several months. We haven't talked much about it because I didn't want to jinx is for us - but.... we had a phone interview this morning with a woman name Sheryl at Concordia University in Portland and it went really well! She seemed really excited about the interview and said at the end that "I don't see any reason why you wouldn't get in and I look forward to meeting you."
I hope this is true because I <3 that school! Concordia is in Portland and I really would love to get my MAT there. Here is hoping, I am keeping my fingers crossed and we should know in a couple week if we are admitted or not.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
12.28.2009
12.03.2009
A Knitting Fool
Not too long ago, my dear husband came home and informed me that he wanted to start knitting. I proceeded to laugh, because, well... really? Anyway - he insisted that we start and that it would be a fun thing to do together. So I smiled and started to learn.
I was amazed at how I caught on pretty quickly (with the help of our awesome cousin Lili) and began to make my first scarf. It didn't take long for me to have to re-start it over and over again, but then I finally got it.
Luke on the other hand, still has yet to begin. He started right at the beginning but soon got discouraged when he saw what his looked like, versus Lili's. He is starting back up again and I believe has three rows done!
Sadly, I learned that my dogs also enjoy knitting, and by knitting, I mean taking my yarn and playing with it everywhere. This sadly has happened a couple of times, but luckily my scarf was not damaged.
I am hoping to get better and be able to knit things for all of my little baby cousins that are coming into the world this winter and spring. >.<
I was amazed at how I caught on pretty quickly (with the help of our awesome cousin Lili) and began to make my first scarf. It didn't take long for me to have to re-start it over and over again, but then I finally got it.
Luke on the other hand, still has yet to begin. He started right at the beginning but soon got discouraged when he saw what his looked like, versus Lili's. He is starting back up again and I believe has three rows done!
Sadly, I learned that my dogs also enjoy knitting, and by knitting, I mean taking my yarn and playing with it everywhere. This sadly has happened a couple of times, but luckily my scarf was not damaged.
I am hoping to get better and be able to knit things for all of my little baby cousins that are coming into the world this winter and spring. >.<
12.02.2009
Thailand Here the Martins come!
So it is official, Luke, Lili, Anna and myself have purchased tickets to Thailand. We will be leaving on Jan. 19th for tropical Thailand and staying there for... who knows how long. I am very excited to have the tickets bought and paid for.
We will fly into Bangkok and travel south to Krabi and spend most of our time being beach bums. While we are down there, we plan to visit Cambodia and Laos. I am so excited I cannot wait for January!
Just wanted to let you all know where we will be. >.<
We will fly into Bangkok and travel south to Krabi and spend most of our time being beach bums. While we are down there, we plan to visit Cambodia and Laos. I am so excited I cannot wait for January!
Just wanted to let you all know where we will be. >.<
11.27.2009
Fuzhou and the Flu
I know this is late but here it goes...
A little over a week ago, the school sent us on a trip with other teachers to southern China, where we went to Fuzhou and Wuyishan. We were under the idea that the school would fly us there, but boy were we wrong, a 24 hour train ride was in store for us on a fabulous Chinese train. We weren't too down in the dumps about it - until the train became very late and Luke and I both got sick.
Luke and I traveled with Lili, Jennie and RuJing down south, Rani was unable to make it because she was sick and Erick opted to stay behind with his wife and child. If only we had been so wise.
Fuzhou itself was not bad, except for the fact that I had been hit with a terrible fever and could barely walk 4 steps without being out of breath. It was not fun, but I managed and we went to the famous West Lake Park and to a book store to buy a book for RuJing. Other than that, the city itself did not have much to offer. It was very much like Zhengzhou and so we waited to head over to Wuyishan where we could get outside some more, away from the city.
Sadly, we had to get on another train when we did this and this time, we were forced on hard seats again, surrounded by smoking Chinese that had no respect for the others around them. I understand that I may sound bitter, but I was. I continued to break out in a fever, my head wanted to explode everywhere and it was too crowded to lay down. Oh well.
The next day we set off to climb Wuyishan. It was very pretty and we all loved getting back to nature - sadly though, I could still not walk more than one or two flights of stairs before breaking out in a coughing fit. I looked really great and all of the Chinese avoided me, I am sure they thought I had H1N1. I laughed it off and continued.
We not only climbed the mountain but were able to raft down the river. That was an adventure all together. It is no shock to us, that we, the Americans, are bigger and heavier than the Chinese. So at the ticket booth, we informed the man that we needed to only have 4 or 5 five people on our raft, versus 6, because we would indeed, sink the boat. Being Chinese, he waived us on, not paying attention to the laowais.
Sure enough - when we reached the boat, the two 'captains' informed us that we were indeed sinking the boat, and needed to pay an additional 10 yuan to receive passage down the river. I am not proud of how I reacted, but felt in my feverish state that it needed to be done. I proceeded to yell in English that he was crazy and we had told the people at the front about our 'situation' and he could kiss it where the sun didn't shine. Perhaps I didn't express myself as nicely as that, but I made my point and away we were, sinking ship and all.
Overall, it was a very pretty mountain and we were able to get really great pictures for our future home, wherever that will be. I sadly did not recover and still have a cough a week later, I am feeling better after going to the school doctor and getting some medicine. Hopefully I will get better soon. I am very fortunate to have Lili as my teaching partner, who was able to take classes for me so I could sleep and try to get better.
Photos are up on shutterfly so you can check them out. Enjoy.
A little over a week ago, the school sent us on a trip with other teachers to southern China, where we went to Fuzhou and Wuyishan. We were under the idea that the school would fly us there, but boy were we wrong, a 24 hour train ride was in store for us on a fabulous Chinese train. We weren't too down in the dumps about it - until the train became very late and Luke and I both got sick.
Luke and I traveled with Lili, Jennie and RuJing down south, Rani was unable to make it because she was sick and Erick opted to stay behind with his wife and child. If only we had been so wise.
Fuzhou itself was not bad, except for the fact that I had been hit with a terrible fever and could barely walk 4 steps without being out of breath. It was not fun, but I managed and we went to the famous West Lake Park and to a book store to buy a book for RuJing. Other than that, the city itself did not have much to offer. It was very much like Zhengzhou and so we waited to head over to Wuyishan where we could get outside some more, away from the city.
Sadly, we had to get on another train when we did this and this time, we were forced on hard seats again, surrounded by smoking Chinese that had no respect for the others around them. I understand that I may sound bitter, but I was. I continued to break out in a fever, my head wanted to explode everywhere and it was too crowded to lay down. Oh well.
The next day we set off to climb Wuyishan. It was very pretty and we all loved getting back to nature - sadly though, I could still not walk more than one or two flights of stairs before breaking out in a coughing fit. I looked really great and all of the Chinese avoided me, I am sure they thought I had H1N1. I laughed it off and continued.
We not only climbed the mountain but were able to raft down the river. That was an adventure all together. It is no shock to us, that we, the Americans, are bigger and heavier than the Chinese. So at the ticket booth, we informed the man that we needed to only have 4 or 5 five people on our raft, versus 6, because we would indeed, sink the boat. Being Chinese, he waived us on, not paying attention to the laowais.
Sure enough - when we reached the boat, the two 'captains' informed us that we were indeed sinking the boat, and needed to pay an additional 10 yuan to receive passage down the river. I am not proud of how I reacted, but felt in my feverish state that it needed to be done. I proceeded to yell in English that he was crazy and we had told the people at the front about our 'situation' and he could kiss it where the sun didn't shine. Perhaps I didn't express myself as nicely as that, but I made my point and away we were, sinking ship and all.
Overall, it was a very pretty mountain and we were able to get really great pictures for our future home, wherever that will be. I sadly did not recover and still have a cough a week later, I am feeling better after going to the school doctor and getting some medicine. Hopefully I will get better soon. I am very fortunate to have Lili as my teaching partner, who was able to take classes for me so I could sleep and try to get better.
Photos are up on shutterfly so you can check them out. Enjoy.
A Very Happy Thanksgiving
Sorry for the delay in updates. A couple days ago was of course Thanksgiving. Last year, Luke and I were lucky enough to be in the Philippines with our good friends Katrina and Mark, but this year we were also blessed to have family in the mix.
We decided that instead of going out, we would host a dinner and invite all of the foreign teachers. The task seemed large, but worth it to be with the people we care about. Luke and Lili were wonderful and traveled to Metro to get some supplies, and our families in America were really great to mail us some necessities (stuffing and cranberry sauce).
The two of them spent all day in the kitchen, and I was stuck in bed watching movies - not by choice, but because I was sick with the flu. It didn't stop me from enjoying the cheer. They made ham, apple crisp, gravy and plenty of other food. Everyone from both campus' came and brought a dish and we ended up having a pretty big Thanksgiving feast.
As is tradition, we went around the table and said what we were thankful for and then proceeded to gobble down all of the wonderful food. It was really great to be around so many people for the holiday.
But anyway - it got me thinking about what I was thankful for and here it goes:
Family (both mine and Luke's): I am really lucky to have two really supportive families behind me who help me out whenever I need it and will encourage Luke and I to always do better.
Health: I jokingly coughed my way through this one - but I am thankful that almost everyone in my life is healthy and or getting better.
Adventure: I am thankful that Luke and I have this opportunity to teach abroad again and will try to take as much away from it as I can, so I can always look back on this time fondly in my life.
My hubby: Luke is great and always there for me, so I am thankful for him.
My babies: I am thankful for my dogs and that they are still healthy and kicking.
Friends: I am so so sooo thankful for all of my friends who I can count on when I need them the most. They are fantastic.
There is a lot more that I am thankful for, but those are just a few of them. I hope that everyone stateside and international had a wonderful Thanksgiving and ate lots and lots of food.
True to form, the Christmas decorations are now up and we are preparing for my favorite time of year. >.<
We decided that instead of going out, we would host a dinner and invite all of the foreign teachers. The task seemed large, but worth it to be with the people we care about. Luke and Lili were wonderful and traveled to Metro to get some supplies, and our families in America were really great to mail us some necessities (stuffing and cranberry sauce).
The two of them spent all day in the kitchen, and I was stuck in bed watching movies - not by choice, but because I was sick with the flu. It didn't stop me from enjoying the cheer. They made ham, apple crisp, gravy and plenty of other food. Everyone from both campus' came and brought a dish and we ended up having a pretty big Thanksgiving feast.
As is tradition, we went around the table and said what we were thankful for and then proceeded to gobble down all of the wonderful food. It was really great to be around so many people for the holiday.
But anyway - it got me thinking about what I was thankful for and here it goes:
Family (both mine and Luke's): I am really lucky to have two really supportive families behind me who help me out whenever I need it and will encourage Luke and I to always do better.
Health: I jokingly coughed my way through this one - but I am thankful that almost everyone in my life is healthy and or getting better.
Adventure: I am thankful that Luke and I have this opportunity to teach abroad again and will try to take as much away from it as I can, so I can always look back on this time fondly in my life.
My hubby: Luke is great and always there for me, so I am thankful for him.
My babies: I am thankful for my dogs and that they are still healthy and kicking.
Friends: I am so so sooo thankful for all of my friends who I can count on when I need them the most. They are fantastic.
There is a lot more that I am thankful for, but those are just a few of them. I hope that everyone stateside and international had a wonderful Thanksgiving and ate lots and lots of food.
True to form, the Christmas decorations are now up and we are preparing for my favorite time of year. >.<
11.17.2009
Breast Cancer Awareness
All of you who know me know that I am big on breast cancer awareness. I do Race for the Cure and always try to promote women to be aware and safe. I am lucky to have a couple of breast cancer survivors in my family and hope that as we continue on we will find a cure.
I stumbled upon this video the other day and fell in love. It shows what great people we have in Portland/Oregon and make me love my home state even more than I already do.
I hope you enjoy it and feel free to share the love and promote Breast Cancer Awareness.
I stumbled upon this video the other day and fell in love. It shows what great people we have in Portland/Oregon and make me love my home state even more than I already do.
I hope you enjoy it and feel free to share the love and promote Breast Cancer Awareness.
Time to Sing Kumbaya
Well it sounds like Zhengzhou is making the news in America! I received an e-mail from my mom letting me know that our snow/ice storm made the Oregonian. I told my students about it and they were pretty excited that people in my hometown knew about Zhengzhou. It has been pretty bizarre and I guess they have not gotten snow like this for close to 10 years. Thankfully it is beginning to warm up again (we hit 28 degrees today!) and some of the snow is melting so I am actually able to run at a decent pace.
Randomly, we lost power yesterday. It was pretty strange considering it was only the school that lost power (no where else on the block) and there was no storm to accompany the outage. We made the best of it by getting together, lighting some candles, telling fortunes and bonding. Aside from the cold, it is one of my favorite China moments.
Tomorrow we are off to Fuzhou for a school sponsored trip. I am pretty excited because we are finally going to be part of a tour group that gets matching hats! If you have been to China - it is all about the matching apparel and we are finally going to get to walk around in one of those groups. Selfishly - I just want the hat, but oh well. We leave in the afternoon and then spend the next three days exploring a mountain and a coastal town. I am pretty excited to not teach anymore - tomorrow will be our 10th day of teaching in a row, so we have earned this much needed three day weekend. I will post plenty of photos for you when I return.
That is all for now.
Randomly, we lost power yesterday. It was pretty strange considering it was only the school that lost power (no where else on the block) and there was no storm to accompany the outage. We made the best of it by getting together, lighting some candles, telling fortunes and bonding. Aside from the cold, it is one of my favorite China moments.
Tomorrow we are off to Fuzhou for a school sponsored trip. I am pretty excited because we are finally going to be part of a tour group that gets matching hats! If you have been to China - it is all about the matching apparel and we are finally going to get to walk around in one of those groups. Selfishly - I just want the hat, but oh well. We leave in the afternoon and then spend the next three days exploring a mountain and a coastal town. I am pretty excited to not teach anymore - tomorrow will be our 10th day of teaching in a row, so we have earned this much needed three day weekend. I will post plenty of photos for you when I return.
That is all for now.
11.11.2009
Tis the Season
Well - it is officially winter here in Zhengzhou. We woke up this morning to a light dusting of snow that soon turned to a flurry. The ground is white and we are supposed to get another 4-6 inches tonight which will be really pretty.
Luke and I are pleased that we have snow this year, seeing as last year, we got one little dusting and nothing more. This year is looking up for freezing my tail off.
During lunch, there was a clearing and I was able to get my run in which made me very happy. I guess running in the winter motivates me (mostly to get warm). I did 7 miles today in 1 hour! I was really pleased with myself and averaged under 9 minute miles the whole time. I can tell that I am getting better and really excited to continue my work outs. I am nervous about running in the snow but I think I will just have to slow down a little. I am getting pumped for my half marathon in January and July. I know that I will do well.
Not too much else is happening. The school is sending us to southern China (Fuzhou) next week so we are all excited to go on another adventure. I will update you if anything else is going on.
11.09.2009
1/2 Marathon: Training Day 5
Well - another Monday, another training day. Yesterday I ran 5 miles with 4 sprints and felt great! I was able to average under 9 minute miles for all 5 and didn't die. I was pretty excited to see my time improve as much as it has. My goal is to run around 10 minute miles when I do my 1/2 marathon, but we will see how I feel.
The weather has made its turn for the worse and is cold cold cold. It is again winter in Zhengzhou with the wind and all. Poor Lili was not pleased yesterday when we ventured out to class and back. Being out of hot coco - I have moved back to drinking milk tea, which is delicious.
We also were very lucky to receive two packages this week from the M parents and Shirley. We are excited for all of the books and study material for the Praxis. I am nervous about taking another standardized test, but if I need it to get into Concordia then that is what I will do. I am determined to get into that school because I adore it.
For some odd reason, I have also been inspired to start listening to jazz music recently. So I have been hanging out with my good friends, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald - you know, the whole gang. I am not sure Luke is too pleased with this but he is a very supportive spouse.
Next week, the school is sending us on one of our first trips and we are going to southern China, Fuzhou to be exact. We are hoping to hop a ferry and get to Taiwan, but I doubt that the school will allow us to go that far away from the group. Fuzhou has a mountain though that should be very interesting. I am mostly interested in the warmer climate - especially now.
Tomorrow we start our Chinese lessons again. While Lili was in Chengdu, she came across an English bookstore and bough a couple of learning Chinese books - so we are planning on using them and having Rujing just go through the lessons with us. Hopefully that will kick us into Chinese learning gear. All of us really want to improve our language abilities and we will see how it works out.
Sorry this update is so choppy - it is cold outside and early so I am most likely not making the most sense. We miss and love you all.
XOXO
The weather has made its turn for the worse and is cold cold cold. It is again winter in Zhengzhou with the wind and all. Poor Lili was not pleased yesterday when we ventured out to class and back. Being out of hot coco - I have moved back to drinking milk tea, which is delicious.
We also were very lucky to receive two packages this week from the M parents and Shirley. We are excited for all of the books and study material for the Praxis. I am nervous about taking another standardized test, but if I need it to get into Concordia then that is what I will do. I am determined to get into that school because I adore it.
For some odd reason, I have also been inspired to start listening to jazz music recently. So I have been hanging out with my good friends, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald - you know, the whole gang. I am not sure Luke is too pleased with this but he is a very supportive spouse.
Next week, the school is sending us on one of our first trips and we are going to southern China, Fuzhou to be exact. We are hoping to hop a ferry and get to Taiwan, but I doubt that the school will allow us to go that far away from the group. Fuzhou has a mountain though that should be very interesting. I am mostly interested in the warmer climate - especially now.
Tomorrow we start our Chinese lessons again. While Lili was in Chengdu, she came across an English bookstore and bough a couple of learning Chinese books - so we are planning on using them and having Rujing just go through the lessons with us. Hopefully that will kick us into Chinese learning gear. All of us really want to improve our language abilities and we will see how it works out.
Sorry this update is so choppy - it is cold outside and early so I am most likely not making the most sense. We miss and love you all.
XOXO
11.04.2009
1/2 Marathon: Training Day 4
A new personal best! This morning I woke up at 7 am and decided to do my run, which ended up being 7.03 miles!
I had my personal best of 6 miles last week, and feel great that I continued on and kept going for the extra one. I did a loop down to the university, back to my campus, around an extra block, around the branch campus (on pavement) and then did the last two miles on the track. I did find that my legs were much more sore after running on the paved ground, but liked that there was a change in scenery, versus going the whole 7 on the track.
For a celebration, my dear husband, took me out to sushi for lunch and is making homemade pizzas for dinner. I am a lucky girl.
I have two days off and then another 4, which isn't too bad. I am pretty excited that I am keeping with my schedule and sticking to the mileage. I am pretty confident that on Jan. 14th I am going to be able to do my 1/2 marathon! I will keep you posted on my progress.
I had my personal best of 6 miles last week, and feel great that I continued on and kept going for the extra one. I did a loop down to the university, back to my campus, around an extra block, around the branch campus (on pavement) and then did the last two miles on the track. I did find that my legs were much more sore after running on the paved ground, but liked that there was a change in scenery, versus going the whole 7 on the track.
For a celebration, my dear husband, took me out to sushi for lunch and is making homemade pizzas for dinner. I am a lucky girl.
I have two days off and then another 4, which isn't too bad. I am pretty excited that I am keeping with my schedule and sticking to the mileage. I am pretty confident that on Jan. 14th I am going to be able to do my 1/2 marathon! I will keep you posted on my progress.
11.01.2009
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
The end of October is here, and the laowais of Zhengzhou Foreign Language School decided to end the month right - with a Halloween bash to be remembered.
It started a week ago, when we began the countdown to Halloween with different horror movies every night. This was mostly for our awesome cousin Lili who has not watched many thrillers in her day. We started with Nightmare Before Christmas and Dracula,and ended with 30 Days of Night. It was a fun way to lead up to October 31st.
On the actual day day, we went and purchased watermelons to carve (because there are no pumpkins here for some reason). We took it very seriously... (well, Luke and Lili did). I created a very...well...normal looking watermelon and Luke took on the challenge of Snape. Sadly, most people mistook it for a tribute to Benjamin Franklin. I of course started to sing songs from the Broadway classic 1776 - and Luke was not too pleased with me. Anywho...
After that - we put together costumes. Luke decided his about two weeks ago and went as Wolverine. He was very true to the character and lifted weights for two weeks, dyed his hair black/brown and even shaved chops. He decided to make claws and probably did one of the best jobs I have ever seen. He can be so motivated. : )
I threw my costume together at the last minutes and went as Alice Cullen. Mostly because, vampires are easy to do. I was pretty excited to help out with everyone's costumes though and we ended the night with Bellatrix Lestrange, a pregnant Bella Swan, Rosalie Cullen and Jane Fonda.
We all went to dinner in costume and had plenty of Chinese people laughing at us. We didn't mind and totally ate it up. Luke told the waitress that we were vampires and she stayed away from Lili and I for the rest of dinner. Oh well - we weren't that hungry - yet.
Overall - it was a great night, made great but wonderful friends. I am posting some shots here, but you will also find them on our shutterfly site. So you can check them out if you would like!
Love you and I will keep you posted with our other exploits.
10.28.2009
1/2 Marathon: Training Day 3
I am feeling pretty amazing right now. Yesterday, I completed my longest run of 6 miles in less then an hour! I am not going to lie - I was super nervous as I set out, knowing that I have never ran that far before. But I did it! No less, I did not stop once. >.<
I am excited to report that the training is going well and I am still doing yoga in my free time. I love being healthy and the high it gives you. Luke is also rocking the weights and has dropped a lot of weight as well.
More exciting news. We are excited to report that my cousins, Jon and Katie, are going to be having a little boy! He is due in March and very healthy and the parents could not be happier. Rumored names include Thomas Hunter and Hunter...something. Both of which I approve and love. So congrats to them.
Next week we have testing vacation from Wednesday to Sunday so Luke and I are going to attempt to head to Qingdao. Lili and Anna are heading to Chengdu to play with some pandas and Rani and Jennie are going to check out Shanghai. We still need to find babysitters for our little ones but we will see sooner then later if we can go.
I will update more later! More photos are also up on shutterfly so check them out.
XOXO
I am excited to report that the training is going well and I am still doing yoga in my free time. I love being healthy and the high it gives you. Luke is also rocking the weights and has dropped a lot of weight as well.
More exciting news. We are excited to report that my cousins, Jon and Katie, are going to be having a little boy! He is due in March and very healthy and the parents could not be happier. Rumored names include Thomas Hunter and Hunter...something. Both of which I approve and love. So congrats to them.
Next week we have testing vacation from Wednesday to Sunday so Luke and I are going to attempt to head to Qingdao. Lili and Anna are heading to Chengdu to play with some pandas and Rani and Jennie are going to check out Shanghai. We still need to find babysitters for our little ones but we will see sooner then later if we can go.
I will update more later! More photos are also up on shutterfly so check them out.
XOXO
10.26.2009
1/2 Marathon: Training Day 2
Well my second run happened yesterday and I feel better than ever! I ran 4 miles and was able to push myself to sprint at the end. I am still only averaging 9 minute miles - but I am not too concerned about that. My goal is to finish, so I am working on that.
Tomorrow I have my longest run ever - 6 miles! I am nervous but excited. I know that I can do this and am oober motivated.
On my days off, I am still doing yoga, which is really helping me out. I recommend it for anyone who has a lot of stress or is just tight. It is a great way to stretch and relax.
I will let you know how my run goes tomorrow.
Tomorrow I have my longest run ever - 6 miles! I am nervous but excited. I know that I can do this and am oober motivated.
On my days off, I am still doing yoga, which is really helping me out. I recommend it for anyone who has a lot of stress or is just tight. It is a great way to stretch and relax.
I will let you know how my run goes tomorrow.
10.24.2009
1/2 Marathon: Training Day 1
So - as you probably all know, the goal that I have set for myself this year is to run a 1/2 marathon this summer. I am one step closer to my goal now - seeing as how I have running shoes (yes).
Today was my first run - and it wasn't too bad. I went with Rani and Jennie and we did one lap around the school and moved to the track. Total I did 3.6 miles which isn't too bad for me.
Being the computer dork that I am, I went to Nike.com and started to track my runs in order to help me train for the 1/2 marathon. I have a day off tomorrow and Monday will be a 4 mile run. I am excited to work up to my goal and will keep you posted on how I am doing.
Wish me luck!
Today was my first run - and it wasn't too bad. I went with Rani and Jennie and we did one lap around the school and moved to the track. Total I did 3.6 miles which isn't too bad for me.
Being the computer dork that I am, I went to Nike.com and started to track my runs in order to help me train for the 1/2 marathon. I have a day off tomorrow and Monday will be a 4 mile run. I am excited to work up to my goal and will keep you posted on how I am doing.
Wish me luck!
10.22.2009
Shutterfly is back!
Shutterfly is up and working. Here is the new link to our photo website so you can see all of our photos.
http://mrandmrsmartin.shutterfly.com
I am also posting some from this summer.
Love you all!
http://mrandmrsmartin.shutterfly.com
I am also posting some from this summer.
Love you all!
10.17.2009
My poor Sooners
So sadly, yesterday, my poor Sooners lost to the dumb Longhorns. Oh well. It has not really been their year this year and I am willing to forgive them because, well, I am in China and cannot really watch the games.
However, the night was not a complete bust. We invited everyone over and had a good time talking and having a pseudo tailgater. Lili was really happy too, because it was good ole Wisconsin's homecoming.
Another happy event of the evening was when little Henry Li came down to hang out with us and surprised us with his Sooner outfit! (Of course I got him one) He looked oh so cute and here are some photos of my wonderful Sooner family.
10.16.2009
The longest week ever!
Luke and I just want to say that we made it. After 8 straight days of teaching we have finally come to our much needed weekend. Time for some rest and relaxation.
10.13.2009
10.12.2009
Paper Crane Update
Not too long ago – I told you all about Luke’s ambition to make 1,000 paper cranes. I last left you with the number 200 and I am pleased to update you.
Luke has reached and passed 500 cranes! Sadly, he ran out of string to tie them up so the project it at a stand still. He decided to also change the style of crane to look better as a decoration.
I will let you know more as Luke continues on his crane journey.
Happy October!
If you know me - you know that I love Halloween. I love being scared and watching thriller movies and most of all - trick or treating. Recently, I have found that photo editing pictures has been my Halloween outlet this year. So here are a couple that I have worked on. I hope you a genuinely scared and proud that I got that many people to actually pose for Halloween photos. Cheers!
10.07.2009
A 'Glee'k Moment
So - if anyone knows, Lili and I have been obsessed with this new show called 'GLEE'. I love the singing and find the humor pretty amazing. Lili was also able to tell me how amazing the cast was - being filled with Broadway stars and all... (no wonder they can sing)
Anyway - last week they had a guest star who is a pretty big deal. Rani, our resident actress freaked when she heard that she appeared. Her name is Kristin Chenoweth. I guess she is from Oklahoma (Boomer) and was in New York helping her friend move before starting college. When she heard there was an audition on Broadway - she left her friend and waited in line for 6 hours and auditioned, nailed it and has been on Broadway ever since.
I thought I would share this video with you guys so you could hear how amazing she is and how good the show is. Hope you enjoy.
Anyway - last week they had a guest star who is a pretty big deal. Rani, our resident actress freaked when she heard that she appeared. Her name is Kristin Chenoweth. I guess she is from Oklahoma (Boomer) and was in New York helping her friend move before starting college. When she heard there was an audition on Broadway - she left her friend and waited in line for 6 hours and auditioned, nailed it and has been on Broadway ever since.
I thought I would share this video with you guys so you could hear how amazing she is and how good the show is. Hope you enjoy.
My Bucket List
Over the summer - I was very lucky to travel with some of my best gal pals around China. While traveling we got to talking about any and everything and my friend Casey mentioned how she checked off a box on her 'bucket list' by coming to China.
It got me thinking about all of the things that I would like to accomplish before I go - and inspired me to start a 'list' of my own.
I will add as I go, but here is the beginning.
Cary Stussi Martin's Bucket List
1. Backpack Europe
2. Run a marathon
3. Skydive
4. Finish a novel (of course it does not have to be published)
5. Get my MAT
6. Get my PhD
7. Travel all over the world (this part of the list would be too long to break down)
8. Go to a World Cup football match
9. Go to every state in the USA
10. Inspire someone to do something great
This is my brief preliminary list - but I will let you know what I get done.
It got me thinking about all of the things that I would like to accomplish before I go - and inspired me to start a 'list' of my own.
I will add as I go, but here is the beginning.
Cary Stussi Martin's Bucket List
1. Backpack Europe
2. Run a marathon
3. Skydive
4. Finish a novel (of course it does not have to be published)
5. Get my MAT
6. Get my PhD
7. Travel all over the world (this part of the list would be too long to break down)
8. Go to a World Cup football match
9. Go to every state in the USA
10. Inspire someone to do something great
This is my brief preliminary list - but I will let you know what I get done.
10.06.2009
Team Laowai
Sports day is a pretty big deal here at Zhengzhou Foreign Language School. All of the classes from 5 grades get together and compete in track and field events to see which class will come out on top. This year was more interesting than the last and great fun to watch.
Although the students participate for most of it, at the end the teachers are expected to do a race as well. This year, Luke, Erick, Anna and I stepped up to the plate and participated in the 100 something relay. As you can tell – I may like to run and am training for a half marathon, but I have never done a track thing in my life. So, it was safe to say that I was ‘pee my pants’ nervous.
Last year the foreign relay team came in dead last and I was not eager to have my students watch me fail. So being brave (or chicken) I asked to go first.
We faired really well. We made it in second place and had a great time. My students were very encouraging and cheering very loudly for me. I had no idea how short the run would be – thank goodness for soccer sprint drills. We did very well and I am happy to share some photos from our awesome sport photographer Lili Prahl.
10.05.2009
A 20k hike and 32 hours on a train = an awesome holiday
Another holiday and another Martin adventure. After finding out that we only had a week to travel for the National Holiday in China – Luke and I decided to head to Huangshan (or Mount Huang) in eastern China. On all of the China lists, it is one of the top 10 things to do and constantly referred to as the most beautiful mountain in China. Seeing as how we had seen Hueshan and Emeishan – it only made sense to add another one under our belt.
We were pleasantly surprised when we learned that more people than just us wanted to go on this little adventure and soon found ourselves joined by Lili, Jennie, Rani, Anna and Fallon. So our small group of two jumped to seven. We didn’t mind though – the more people the better.
Because we did not find out the dates of our holiday until very late – we were left to buy hard seat tickets. Which are as cheap as they come, but not the best investment. What we anticipated being a 10 hour train ride, soon transformed into a 17 hour death train ride to eastern China with smoke filled cabins and little space to move let alone sleep. We found reasons to laugh and about 8 hours in most of the people got off and we were all able to stretch out and rest.
We arrived at the mountain later then we anticipated so we quickly hopped on a bus to Huangshan and took the gondola up. Lili, being the bright cookie she is, flashed her student ID and was able to get a huge discount on the park admission and we all soon followed suite. Thank goodness not everyone can read expiration dates. However, the gondola was nice and fast and we were able to get up to the top right around sunset.
We hiked about 10 minutes to our hotel and were pleasantly surprised to see how nice it was. We booked a 9 bedroom dorm at the Shilin hotel and discovered that the rooms and outward appearance were not the same as our cheap booked option. The woman had us follow a man to our room which was literally a bunk room like at camp. We didn’t mind until we found out that Luke would have to stay by himself a floor down and that in order to get into our room – we needed to call the front desk and they would send someone down. Again, we laughed at our adventure and rested well before waking up very early to watch the sunrise from the top of the mountain.
The sunrise was just as to be expected – overcrowded and lovely. We grabbed our bags and then proceeded to hike around the top of the mountain and then down the west side. At the top, it was jam packed with people, but as soon as we reached the west trail, we were one group of maybe ten that we saw. It was so beautiful – clear blue skies and breathable air. The hike took most of the day and was full of downward steps but worth every sore muscle the next day. It was great to hike through the mountains and to see all of the cliff faces and even some clean water.
The next day, our group split into two and Luke, Rani, Jennie and Fallon went ‘rafting’ and then to where they filmed Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (a fantastic film if anyone is interested) and Lili, Anna and I took the high road and went to the local hot springs. We like to say we had the better day, relaxing in springs that included the coffee spring, wine spring, alcohol spring and so on. We meant to only spend the first have of the day there – but did not return until after dinner.
When we got back to our hostel – we started talking to other travelers and ended the evening with a large group with people from Ireland, Germany, England, Canada, France and Holland. We did plenty of networking and are excited to meet up with these people later. Most, strangely, are students in Shanghai. Safe to say – we had an amazing time.
Returning was pretty much the same as getting there. Another 17 hours on a lovely hard seat. We survived and have returned. Here are a few photos in case you want to see and I will post more to Shutterfly when I get the chance.
Also - this month is breast cancer awareness - I hope everyone is doing their checks and taking care of themselves and the ones they love.
Miss and love you all!
9.26.2009
Making a Difference
It is amazing all of the opportunities that you can get by just looking different than everyone else in a town.
Today - my friends Rani, Jennie and myself were walking in downtown Zhengzhou to find ourselves being bombarded by another laowai or foreigner. It is always wonderful to see another laowai and we quickly got caught up in a conversation.
She asked us all of the normal questions, how long have you been in China, why Zhengzhou and all of that jazz. We in turn found out that she and her husband taught at a middle school downtown and also ran several orphanages in the Zhengzhou area. We exchanged emails and went on our way.
Later that afternoon - I received an email from her saying she loved running into us and hoped that we would see each other around. Rani, Jennie and I talked about it and decided that we wanted to help out and sure enough - after two or three emails, we have been invited to come and help with the children! I am so excited. Mostly we will be going to the orphanage and talking with the kids and taking them around to play. Most of the kids range from ages 3-6. She says that it is also important for them to get used to foreign faces, since it is foreigners who will most likely adopt them.
I know that I do not have as much free time this year, but I am extremely excited to volunteer and get to know these kids. I love to teach and leave an impact on these kids and I know that I will be able to help these kids who are looking for homes. I am excited to start but will most likely have to wait until after the holiday.
Here is the website
I will keep you posted on what is happening. I know I have joked with several of you about bringing home a Chinese baby so I will see if I can put in a good word or two for you guys to get you a little piece of Zhengzhou.
xoxo
Today - my friends Rani, Jennie and myself were walking in downtown Zhengzhou to find ourselves being bombarded by another laowai or foreigner. It is always wonderful to see another laowai and we quickly got caught up in a conversation.
She asked us all of the normal questions, how long have you been in China, why Zhengzhou and all of that jazz. We in turn found out that she and her husband taught at a middle school downtown and also ran several orphanages in the Zhengzhou area. We exchanged emails and went on our way.
Later that afternoon - I received an email from her saying she loved running into us and hoped that we would see each other around. Rani, Jennie and I talked about it and decided that we wanted to help out and sure enough - after two or three emails, we have been invited to come and help with the children! I am so excited. Mostly we will be going to the orphanage and talking with the kids and taking them around to play. Most of the kids range from ages 3-6. She says that it is also important for them to get used to foreign faces, since it is foreigners who will most likely adopt them.
I know that I do not have as much free time this year, but I am extremely excited to volunteer and get to know these kids. I love to teach and leave an impact on these kids and I know that I will be able to help these kids who are looking for homes. I am excited to start but will most likely have to wait until after the holiday.
Here is the website
I will keep you posted on what is happening. I know I have joked with several of you about bringing home a Chinese baby so I will see if I can put in a good word or two for you guys to get you a little piece of Zhengzhou.
xoxo
9.25.2009
Eric's Revenge
I took this photo at the sports meet yesterday for good ole cousin Eric who had to deal with Luke constantly taking photos of the top of his head.
I dedicate this photo to you cousin.
So excited for my new nano!
I just ordered my new iPod nano today and I am so excited. I ended up getting an older version that was refurbished because it was $50 cheaper. I figured I would go with the cheaper chicken.
It is hot pink and I also bought the Nike + iPod thing so I will be able to chart my runs and be able to train more accurately for my half marathon this summer. So far, I think I have narrowed my race to a half marathon around Crater Lake. It is called The Rim Run and my friend Barbie wants to do it with me.
I would like to thank not only my dear husband for this amazing birthday gift - but my rocking aunt Sandy who is sending it to me. I appreciate it a lot.
xoxo
It is hot pink and I also bought the Nike + iPod thing so I will be able to chart my runs and be able to train more accurately for my half marathon this summer. So far, I think I have narrowed my race to a half marathon around Crater Lake. It is called The Rim Run and my friend Barbie wants to do it with me.
I would like to thank not only my dear husband for this amazing birthday gift - but my rocking aunt Sandy who is sending it to me. I appreciate it a lot.
xoxo
9.23.2009
My dream shoes
Since turning 25 (as long ago as that was... just kidding) one of the goals that I have set for myself is to run a half marathon. As easy as that sounds, it is hard to train in China, especially when I have no running shoes. Seeing has how I have not been paid - I went to Nike.com to dream of what I could have, and here is what came of my dream.
I know that to most people - they think "ew - duck shoes" and I completely agree, but for some reason I am totally in love with the colors and have always wanted a pair of yellow running shoes. I am not sure why yellow, but it just makes sense. I know I can never have them, at least not until I get a real person job. But I wanted to share them with you.
I know that to most people - they think "ew - duck shoes" and I completely agree, but for some reason I am totally in love with the colors and have always wanted a pair of yellow running shoes. I am not sure why yellow, but it just makes sense. I know I can never have them, at least not until I get a real person job. But I wanted to share them with you.
Wedding Photo
I was just playing around online and decided to edit one of my favorite wedding photos. I liked how it turned out so I was wondering what you all thought.
A Nice Day for a Bike Ride
Two days ago - Lili and walked to class and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves greeted by clear blue skies. In China, especially Zhengzhou, it is seldom that there are blue skies - it is even more rare to encounter blue skies with little to no smog...but we were happy to find that there was plenty of blue without the familiar haze of pollution.
After teaching - we decided that it would be the perfect day to go on an adventure and grabbed Rani, Jennie and Luke and headed out on the bikes to Zhengzhou University to check out the sites. We took some photos and had an amazing time.
Half way through - Rani's bike pedal fell off, my knees got hit by a wall and I was constantly attacked by bugs, however, we had an amazing day. It made me think of Oregon for sure with the perfect weather and honestly made me want to be home. I miss hiking and being able to go on outdoor adventures without worrying about smog. Oh well - only eight more months until change.
9.21.2009
Bringing in the Quarter of a Century
Another year – another birthday… this year was none other than my quarter of a century old birthday which, I have to be honest; I was not too pleased to be celebrating. However, with the help of all my friends here in China, it ended up being one of the best birthdays that I could remember. It did not start out that way though.
In the morning I woke up around my normal time (645 am (what I am an old lady!)) and went to the computer to read my daily gossip from my BFF Perez Hilton when the computer did not want to turn on. I tried to turn it off and on and was only greeted by an evil blue screen that spoke to me in Chinese. I sighed and called Ru Jing (our new Zelda) but sadly the computer guy would not return until Monday so I was left with no computer. Luckily – I have connections and friends around here so I was able to get on a little.
Luke left shortly after I woke up which shocked me, seeing as how Luke is the supreme sleeper. He said that he was going to grab some breakfast and then head to class early. I smiled and went back to reading my book, which was getting very good and didn’t think anything of it.
Lili and taught together and I was surprised several different times with different birthday gestures (the kids breaking in and singing happy birthday, having it screamed at me in the hall and so on). I outwardly hung my head low but was very happy that they kids seemed enthusiastic about my age… 25 – they were all jealous.
In the middle of my lessons I got a call from Luke saying that he had failed. He left early in the morning to attempt to get me an iPod Nano for my birthday. I was so happy because that is what I really wanted. He said that he found one but it was more expensive and not the new one that I wanted. He gave me a choice that we could order the new one and someone send it over to us with a care package or get the older more expensive one. We talked about it and decided to wait but I was giddy anyway that I have such a wonderful and thoughtful husband.
After the day was done a group of Chinese and foreign teachers met at our apartment and then we went to dinner at the lamb place. It was great and so wonderful to see all of my friends. Many of the teachers are busy so to get everyone together is a rare occurrence. Sadly, little Henry Li, Jenny and Lao Lao could not make it out to dinner because of some ‘doctor’s orders’. He still owes me a birthday song whenever he learns to sing.
After dinner, a group of us went out dancing to close the evening. It was more than anything I could have asked for. I kept complaining about feeling old but I am choosing to embrace my mid-twenties and planning on making the best of them. My goals for twenty five include:
Sky-diving
Running a half marathon
Getting into grad school
Naming all of the countries in the world on Sporcle.com
Thank you for all of the birthday wishes and I miss and love you all!
Family Shot
It has been some time since the Martins have taken a family shot so I thought I would share it with you all. The dogs are not as excited about photos as they used to be but oh well. Wan Tzu will still do anything for a treat and Tofu has learned to just not react when Baba picks her up. Hope you all enjoy it!
9.16.2009
Luke's 1,000 Paper Cranes
About one week ago, I came home to Luke sitting on the bed, folding paper cranes. This wasn't too abnormal to me - as Luke tends to fold them when he gets bored, which is a lot of the time. But what was strange about this was the box that was quickly filling to the top of at least 60 paper crances.
When I asked him what he was doing, he informed me that it was his goal to fold 1,000 of them in order to get a wish. He proceeded to tell me all about the different stories of folding cranes and how if you fold 1,000 it is supposed to give you one wish. I smiled and went about my business thinking that after about 100 he would throw in the towel.
But the next day I came home to the same thing and another full box of cranes. It was then that I knew he was not joking around and intended to finish this project.
Yesterday, he hung one of many strings of cranes. This photo shows 200 cranes hanging from a kite that I purchased for his birthday last year. At least I know he is using it. I will keep you posted on his progress. Now if only I could get him to finish that graduate school application...
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