Oh HELLLLS Yeah!

We only gots FIFTEEN more days to go until we leave for our first R&R, people! 


Which also coincides exactly with when school gets out for the kids!





 
We came to Chengdu last September. The kids started school six weeks late and loads behind. Not only did they have a ton of school work to catch up on (and not only was it their first time ever being in school AND first time ever being in a foreign country), they've also been sick (or injured) huge portions of the school year. Heck, we ALL have been sick constantly.


Since getting here, half of us pretty much haven't left Chengdu, and 75% of us haven't left China (you get one guess as to which one of us has left China). Matthew and I literally haven't left our tiny little slice of Chengdu but for one day, to go two hours away on a school field trip (See: squatty potties).


IN EIGHT MONTHS.


My family MIGHT have a dry erase board in our kitchen, which changes daily, counting down the days until we leave on our first R&R:






 My husband MIGHT update that dry erase board first thing every single morning so early that the kids haven't even left for school yet.


(I'm saying MIGHT, of course.) 


And, yeah, we're totally headed back to my Mom & Dad's house on the Florida beaches, where pretty much our whole family is gonna be all:




 


Of course, we're going to Florida during hurricane season, which is probably less than optimal. 


I know that Florida has already gotten tagged once this year, and hurricane season hadn't even started yet then. (Which doesn't bode well for the tone of this hurricane season, to put it lightly.)


Back in 2006, before James got hired by State and when we owned a house in Florida, that house of ours got directly hit by THREE hurricanes in a span of less than five weeks, with our electricity out for a week each time. So, yeah. We're not big fans of hurricanes.


The only amusement they add to the day is that about a hundred zillion lame-o weather people and news people line up on the beaches and do live news broadcasts in the hurricane-force gale winds while the hurricane is hitting, so you get to watch those people be IDIOTS: 



 

Which is always fun for us native Floridians, and which always adds a bit of levity to the situation.


Other than that, though, I would be MOST GRATEFUL if mother nature could steer her hurricanes (because there WILL be hurricanes, make no mistake about it) in a different direction, please. 

 
'Cause we all be needing some REST & RELAXATION up in here right about now!
 

Other than hurricanes, the only other thing that could mess with our fab summer break would be bidding. But I ain't gonna think about that right now...

 

Comments

[Dave Pernal]

Every time I read one of your posts like this, I'm always asking myself, "Where does she get all of these wonderful .GIFs?"

Then I conclude that you spend a lot of time on /r/gifs

[Nomads By Nature]

HA! Love the weather forecaster! Poor Holly, with her name plastered across the bottom to boot. It too amazes me every year why they send/people go out into the brunt of the storms -- some sort of sick TV studio initiation rite, maybe. Hope Holly got promoted at least.

I will pray for lack of hurricane in Florida for you. We are rolling the dice this year with the same, except later in the actual season and in North Carolina on the coast. Fingers crossed for us both!

Safe travels and happy reuniting with all things/foods/people loved and missed (not necessarily in that order).

[Sam]

So far just some normal rain here in Orlando. No big deal. So come on- the water's fine- with the exception of New Symrna's shallow waters - which have at least tripled in shark attacks since you've been gone. Some kid that was a friend of Tia's friend even got bit and all he could do was show off his "Gnarly wicked cool shark bite scar on his leg!" all over the local news stations...Nevermind that he could have lost a limb! So other than that. You'll have a great vacation!!!