still me

back on beijing time (or trying)

So happy to be back ‘home’.  We sort of have to re-define ‘home’. I think that for now it’s where you keep your mattress! I thought it felt SO GOOD to be in my bed! I am not sure if it’s just the most comfortable bed in the world, and the most perfect pillow, or if I was just amazingly  tired, exhausted! Our trip home was really very smooth. I was quite impressed with our troops! It seems that we did a better job of getting through security, and onto the plane. The flight was really empty, so the kids could spread out. they gathered up all the extra blankets and created ‘forts’ over the seats! Don’t you wish you were sitting by us on an international flight? LOL. I am so dumb for not taking photos! it was classic! The kids were great travelers.  It was fun to pile everything back into our Jin Bei and cruise home. I did my best to get as much stuff unpacked. I only have one more bag to get all put away, and it will be done. sometimes I allow the unpacking process to last for weeks! now we are just dealing with the jet lag. I think it’s officially worse coming this way. none of us were able to stay up past 6 or 7, and the kids were all wide awake and ready for the day at 3am yesterday and 4am today. it’s weird to be making breakfast at that hour! I was lucky enough to sneak back to bed for a few hours this morning. I think I am starting to feel like myself. the weather has warmed up here CONSIDERABLY!! It’s been beautiful blue skies, and a balmy 50 degrees. I didn’t exercise once while at home, even though I had totally planned on it! so yesterday Kylee and I put in a mile or two. Felt great to get back out running. Luckily I don’t have a scales, so I don’t know how much weight I gained while I was home. I full-on ate onion rings like 4 times, without the least bit of restraint or guilt.  I figure you have to enjoy it while you can! (ok, maybe I took it to the extreme a bit).  Eating was a high point of being home, and to torture myself, I will list the things I enjoyed most, and will look forward to for next time:

Chips and salsa
Pizza bender
Large diet coke from sonic
Rotisserie chicken and premade salad mixes (esp from Costco)
Onion rings and fry sauce
Sugar cookies, peanut butter cookies and home made rolls from Elizabeth Banks (the friend who brought us texas sheet cake)
Grandma Sycamore white bread
Girl scout cookies
Movie theatre popcorn and raspberry icee

So back to ‘normal’.
I am not sure how my ‘normal’ got so ‘abnormal’, but it is working for us! You gotta go with what works!
Happy to report that Flat Stanley arrived, and we’ll be showing him the town!
Thanks to Mrs. Brown’s class! He says ‘hello’ and is loving Beijing so far!

i got a lot of great photos while we were home... everything from shows, travels, cousins, skateboarding, and just hanging out... i have to share this one...it's all the cousins on the Swapp side. both sides have 8 grandbabies - we still have the lion's share with 5! but eric and i are both the oldest in our families... so there is still time for our siblings to catch up! (right guys?) eric's mom's favorite color is RED, and she LOVEs hearts. so getting a little valentine shot was high on the pryority list. what you will notice is that we used the same tactic for the babies in both utah and arizona: suckers. see how well that is working? and luckily Susan had red and white ones on hand.  note to self, be sure when you are buying clothes for a family photo, buy suckers to match!

...on a more 'spiritual' note...

It’s after midnight, and of course the last thing I should be doing is ‘blogging’… but I want to get some of my more tender thoughts down before I board the plane and forget! Especially after I spend the 13+ hours of air travel wrestling with Capri!
Deep breath… I can hardly believe that we have been here a month the time has slipped by in an instant, just like I knew it would. I have spent the last 24 hours beating myself up about how far short of my own hopes/expectations of what I would accomplish I have fallen! I think in my mind I had 3 months worth of to-dos! All stuff I have basically put off, figuring it would be easier to get done here. I went through my planner, going over more and more notes and lists that I just didn’t get to. I sort of felt like every decision to do something, meant 4 things that didn’t get done. Maybe next time, I will be more realistic.
HOWEVER! One of the highlights of the trip happened yesterday. It was one my most anticipated things to do…and I think I am still overwhelmed with the impact it had on me. Every Easter, here in Arizona at the Mesa Arizona Temple… the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints put on an ‘Easter Pageant’ that reenacts the life of Christ. Its’ really cool to go to- it’s an amazing production… and open to any and everyone. It’s free. It’s outside on the temple grounds during the most perfect AZ weather. Anyway… this  year to go along with the pageant, a new exhibit was put together in the temple visitor’s center called ‘Reflections of Christ’.  A local photographer named Mark Mabry (the video about the 'angels' photo is on this link... holy cow, i loved this image!!) was asked to take some photos of some of the cast members for this purpose.  I am not sure all the details on how it all came about, but a group of amazingly talented people worked together to pull off this exhibit, and it’s like nothing I have ever seen…stunning.  I had heard so much about it, and was prepared to feel the impact others had talked about…but still, seeing it was so powerful. I had never seen photographs like this- depicting the life of Christ. And the perspective of the photographer is so fresh, and so real. Hmm, sitting here, I am trying to explain how it made me feel… and I am not sure that I can. At the end of the exhibit…there is a documentary film you can watch about the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff. I think that it was just as moving, and thought provoking as the images themselves. I keep finding my mind going back to the images...thinking more about them- and how they made me feel. The very reality of Jesus Christ.
My purpose in blogging about this is to invite anyone around here…and for those not within reasonable driving distance to check the site out online— it’s not a specifically ‘mormon’ exhibit. It’s about Jesus’ life. His role as Savior, Brother, Friend and Exemplar. Whatever your faith…it’s worth seeing. It’s worth sharing it with your little ones. Especially at this very special time of Easter and renewal. You can view pieces of the documentary online…on youtube. But I don’t believe the images are available to see online.
Of course being away… away from family, friends, convenience, and everything that we hold near and dear to our hearts has caused us to feel all the more grateful and conscious of the many, many blessings that are ours… experiencing that yesterday overwhelmed me with love and gratitude for my Savior.
As we head back EARLY tomorrow, I am so thankful that I was able to check that off my list…so glad we made it over there. Like I said… totally worth it. i hope you check it out.

sunny, blue skies, 70 degrees

ah, arizona.
happy to be back. there is NO WAY i can possibly catch up on all that has gone on. as usual, i look back and wish i would have been a better blogger. it's been almost a month, since we hit US soil, and it's been absolutely NON STOP! it's been so great to be back! so nice to see, do and EAT! mexican, italian, fast, thai, ...you name it. today was so beautiful! i drove to target with the windows rolled down! i bought easter stufft to take back...(totally feeling on the ball! it's MARCH 23rd this year in case you haven't looked! so early!) i got some glow-in-the-dark easter eggs. i think it could be on-going fun! i left target, and you guessed it! drove (still w/ windows down) to target and got a large diet coke for .88$- happy hour! (totally happy!) good stuff. i think that one of the best things about moving away, has been that increased appreciation for the little things!
everyone that i run into, or catch up with since i have been back has asked me the same thing: how do you like china?? and my answer is always the same: 'i love it'. i really do. that surprises me... just like it does everyone else. the following question is always the same: 'what do you love about it?' which then can potentially turn into a really long conversation... because there are so many things that i love about it. so much i have learned, so many ways i have grown, been stretched and pushed! to say nothing of the immense appreciation and gratitude for all that we have here. everything from the little things like the drive thru at sonic, and being able to get 'cash back' when i use my debit card! to the BIG things... FAMILY. my perspective is 100% different. in a good way. we only have a couple more days before it's time to climb back on the plane again...and i am starting to panic again, about  making sure i have gathered what i need, and that i am mentally prepared for the flight and ensuing jet lag (deep breath). but i am anxious to get back to our 'normal' which i realize is anything but 'normal'.  i saw something a week or 2 ago, when i was at my dentist's office...and i keep thinking about it. and i think that it sort of captures the way i feel about being in china at this time of our life. it was a board that read "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing".
i love that.
here are some photos of the last few weeks... they kinda manage to capture some of the moments that i want to remember!    

btw, i did add a photo album of CHA pics for your viewing pleasure. i wish i had taken more photos as usual! I have never come home from something and ever thought, i wish i didn't take so many photos of that... always the opposite!

and just as a public service announcement... LOCK YOUR CAR DOORS!!! even if it's parked in your driveway or garage. this is to serve as a reminder that it's NEVER a good time to have to cancel all your credit cards and get a new license. (so annoyed!) don't leave valuables or KEYS in your car. even for a few minutes.

stamp the passport with SLC

I would have blogged sooner, but I have been reading. I am so annoyed with my lack of self control. I am about ½ thru the 3rd book Eeclipse  and at this point, I just have to finish it because I can think of little else. It’s irritating me. I did have to get my teeth cleaned today, and was informed that it’s been since ’02 that I had been in for a proper cleaning! It’s a miracle that I didn’t have any new cavities! Cause for a small celebration of course…and I snacked on my current favorite: ‘archers farm black and white trail mix’ (available only at Target!) all the way home. Do you want to hear something pathetic? I tried to read while the hygienist worked on my teeth!! Not only am I desperate to rid myself of this overwhelming distraction, but thought it would keep my mind off of my LEAST favorite activity- teeth scraping. In any event… we are in SLC! We flew in last night. The original plan was to drive, but our car has been in the shop and the problem apparently still not fixed. We decided to cash in our precious sky-miles and get last minute tickets. Needless to say, the kids were delighted not to have 12 hours in the car… I was secretly planning on those 12 hours to get this book problem taken care of!
We had a great time hanging out today- catching up with everyone and terrorizing my mom’s house. We had pizza benders for dinner…always a  crowd pleaser. No matter where I go, where I live, how old I am…I think that a pizza bender from Italian Village in Murray, Utah will always be my favorite food on earth. It’s best when you eat it there…super hot.  A pizza bender is kind of like a calzone, but softer and instead of the sauce inside, you dip it in the sauce. If you live in the vicinity, and you haven’t been there…you should go. Beware of the wait. Tomorrow I have to get a ‘Big H’ from Hires… my other SLC fav. I used to be a waitress at Hires forever ago. I love the hot ham and cheese there too- so whenever I go, it’s this excruciating choice. The best part is the fry sauce. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I like to be sure we get fries AND onion rings. Again, I really don’t like the take-out version. I think that I am not a big fan of take out no matter what.
So I promised a few shots from my NYC trip! Here they are… the highlight of the trip aside from the 13 hours of interruption-free-sleep in a ‘heavenly bed’ was stopping at the Henri Bendel. So fabulous. The displays made me so happy. I didn’t get a great photo… I wasn’t sure if they would freak out with me taking photos inside. They had these mannequins that were painted the same color as the dresses they wore, and then were dripping with ultra-bright fabulous jewelry (can you see the red and purple ones in the background?).Mmmm. I LOVED it. they were having some kind of perfume event…and I had a perfume consultant help me pick out a new fragrance. I am still smelling my wrists.  As usual, very inspiring to be in NYC.
Things went very smoothly at QVC—result of a wonderful team of people that help to make sure everything is perfectly prepped and in place. It’s amazing to see that whole thing behind the scenes. I was so lucky to get a wonderful host (Pat) who made me feel so at ease, and really helped me get control of my nerves (after the bling kit) and I got a cute pink jacket out of the deal! Not bad. Great excuse to shop. (Emily took me to a brand new ‘forever 21’ that just opened in Gilbert, AZ right before I had to catch a plane to go back east - worked out perfect!)
… I am off to CHA tomorrow. I know the kids will have a great time playing here in the snow. I am feeling sad to be missing out on all the festivities! I keep reminding myself this is a ‘work’ trip, with the BONUS of seeing family and friends. I will try to post some pics of the show over the next few days.

what time (zone) is it??

i have on my regular 'nixon' watch that eric gave me for my birthday last year... it says it's 8:55. the clock on my bed side table of the sheraton in frazer, PA says 10:59 pm and the clock on my computer says 12:00pm. try figuring that out!  basically... it tells you that my body clock is really messed up as i have been in hyper-travel mode. i left my fam in phoenix for a couple days to come back east for QVC. i have to be on set in 7 short hours for my check-in. i did a short stop-over in NYC to browse through only my favorite stores from the top of 5th ave to SOHO...i took lots of pics to share, but i forgot my card reader, so that will have to wait. have i mentioned how much i LOVE LOVE NYC. great town. so inspiring. and the fact that it was only the low 40's, meant that it almost felt 'balmy' compared to the bitter cold of Beijing.  if i weren't so nervous about my QVC appearance tomorrow morning, i might be able to concentrate on the ideas that are swirling in my mind. that will have to wait for the plane ride home. well, maybe they will have to wait for me to finish 'twilight' (by stephanie meyer who is an az woman...) um, and this is precisely why i don't read... because then i get obsessed, and i can't put down the book and i don't get anything else done... and there are 2 more, and i had to buy the second one tonight, on the off chance that i finished it tonight, which i shouldn't, cause i have to be at QVC by 5am. (but i can't stand it). in fact, i wanted Janet (who is traveling with me) to be able to start it, so i ripped it in 1/2 and gave her the first part to get started...can you just picture us? 
anyway...watch for me on QVC at 7am eastern time (5am Arizona time-- ok record it!) i am first up! wish me LUCK!