Summer has arrived to Shanghai with a vengeance. Today the thermostat is reading 106F/41C, with a “real feel” of 119F/48C. And twice this morning the power in my office has shut down due to overheating. The heat is real. Growing up in Seattle, we experienced heat in the summer and cold in the winter, but …
I started writing this post more than a week ago with the intention of publishing it last Wednesday. With a toddler, a full time job, and my mom in town, I should have known better. But now I have found a few quiet minutes to write about our Sunday afternoon trip to M50, Shanghai’s (mostly) …
This weekend is a busy one, Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer in the U.S., is typically full of family picnics, and outdoor play. But, it’s not the only holiday that we’ll be celebrating this year. Like most people, growing up I loved having a Monday off and spending time with my family. …
At the end of March, I returned to Jordan for the first time since leaving Peace Corps. It was a whirlwind few days, but I am so happy I got to see some of the most important people to me, even for only a short time. I arrived late Thursday evening and spent the first …
This installment of “Hey! Aren’t you…” takes us to a Staples in Maryland. In search of a CD burner for my most recent trip to Doha – the manager: stated “I saw you guys come in again, and heard what they were asking for, I was thinking – they KNOW we don’t sell CD burners…” …
It was 60 degrees in DC this past weekend. So, of course, we decided to go to Maine – where there is still over a foot of snow on the ground. Did I mention it’s snowing again? Yesterday and today. Yep. As I will be heading back to Doha for the month of March, I …
Erin is constantly being “recognized” as someone else. This happens at once every couple of weeks. We have decided to keep a log of “recognitions” for humor’s sake. Here are some of the most recent and most amusing examples. 1. Menomale, a pizzeria in Brookland, DC: recognized as the owner of a local bakery. Nope. …
We were welcomed back home Monday afternoon by sunny skies and nearly 60 degree weather. By Tuesday afternoon, it was like this: Note: the patches of sidewalk are a result of nearly an entire bag of de-icer! Last summer I was visiting with a friend who grew up out here, we were talking about how …
The clock is ticking on 2013…We are ready to ring in a new year, and have big plans for 2014! Still, I am thankful for this past year, as it is the barrier between 2012, a year that I had been ready to see in my rear view mirror. While 2013 certainly handed out its …
On December 1, Erin and I celebrated 1 year in our house! To celebrate, I thought I’d do a before and after of some of the work we’ve put in the past year. We still have a lot we want to do – but I think we’ve gotten a pretty good start! Starting from the …