guei shan

back in taiwan. i was just telling mom it feels a lot different than it did when i got here in june.
this time, dan from latini's was there waiting for me when i got off the plane, everyone was milling around the dorm when i got home, and my room was full of my stuff. it feels much better. i still have a little bit of the heartachey feeling that i think comes with being jetlagged and fresh from being home, but i'm happy to be back.

it's almost 1am here and i feel kind of floaty and tired so i'm going to see if i can fall asleep. night!

international update

i didn't realize i didn't mention that i was flying back to taiwan!
my flight to atlanta left yesterday at 7am, i think i got there around noon and then i flew back across the US, up through canada, over russia, and into south korea. this airport is sooo beautiful. i have about an hour to spare so i grabbed some [japanese, unsweetened] green tea and now i'm happily catching up on my computer.

i don't remember who i sat next to on the first flight, but my long flight was beside an american man who was probably in his 60s who had done the peace corps when he was my age, went to get his PhD and worked on malaria research in Malaysia for his whole life. his wife, who was with him, is Malaysian. so that was interesting.
we were seated in this magical exit row with no seats in front of us, so we could stretch out our legs and we had special tv screens that pulled out from the side of our seat. the only downside was that we had to keep all of our stuff in the overhead bin, so i just crammed my purse, a couple of books, a scarf, a sweatshirt and my blanket into my seat with me. it was a little squishy.
the seoul airport is really beautiful. i can't find a good picture online, but it seems very new. i'm sitting in a leather chair with dark hardwood floor underneath me and my tea is on a granite table thing.

my airport experience the second time around has been much more pleasant than the first. there have been no tears and no freakouts. this time i'm going back to friends and kids who i have a routine with.

that's not to say i don't super miss being home. i did everything i wanted to do, saw everyone i wanted to see [except brian levy and glinkowski], ate everything in austin, and had so much fun. it was just what i needed to make it here another 6 months. i do feel like a stronger, more independent, more wordly version of myself. so, good day in asia.

he makes me happy

there was a short pause in blogland while i went to marble falls for my friends jillian and zach's wedding!
she walked down the aisle to 'you make me happy' sung by miss piggy. and since they aren't particularly partial to any religion, they incorporated parts of all different cultures into their ceremony. i love jillian.
jill and i met during RA tryouts our freshman year in college and then we had a math class together the following semester so we used to do our homework together, and the rest is history.
we lived together when she was an RA our junior year and i had been in england for a semester and then i moved into her room in the spring. i remember when she brought over this guy gordon, who she was sort of dating, and his friend zach. i told her zach was way cuter and that she should switch, and she did. they dated for the next 2 years and then they got married yesterday :)

below are valerie and her boyfriend, scott (i think). she and i had a poetry class together and we used to try to keep each other from giggling the whole time.
what a pretty reception!
dave and i worked together at the daily texan. we speculated about the wedding cake and exchanged witty banter all night.

this is chelsea, jill's best friend. she is so warm and fun to talk to. i guess i haveee known her for years, but no matter how long you've known her, she makes you feel like you've always been friends.

i'm so happy for them! their wedding was beautiful and they're so well matched. and it's exciting when two of your friends get married. much easier to keep in touch that way.

we wish you a merry christmas

christmas! here's what happened at tapadero drive.

the white presents before they were touched. we always start with these.


aftermath.
majjy got a new christmas tree shirt
jammies #1. jammies 2007
jammies 2.
jammies 3. and matt wearing his new guei shan jr. high shirt with guei shan elementary jacket
matt slept on that couch from 10am until 5pm today

we spent literally all day watching the 'little people, big world' marathon on TLC. a solid 6 or 8 hours of it.
jeffy in guei shan elementary uniform with school bag from my school
jeffy got a fancy guitar stand
we got these creepy masks in our stockings.
jeff wore his for most of the day. it made you shudder to look at him, it was so creepy
ripley needed a little butt skirt trim
it was hilarious.
roast beef, creamed spinach, cauliflower au gratin andd potatoes. delicioussss.

merry christmas! thank everyone for everything. hope yours was just as merry

the [day]/night before christmas

took a family trip to el lago this afternoon.
this is the view from the porch. it was such a pretty day.
ripley loves to be at the lake.

get this-- it was so hot out today that we were eating popsicles on the porch. we actually went home because it was too hot to sit out on the porch in the sun after a while.

maj hasn't taken this silly santa hat off all week.






we went to the melting pot tonight for dinner. mannn it was so tasty but now we're all grumbling in pain from being so full. we took matt's girlfriend, janette, as tradition dictates.







time for bed before santa visits. i might have one more glass of wine before bed. i have the hardest time falling asleep on christmas eve!

o christmas tree

it's looking christmasy around here because we managed to get the tree up yesterday.




made this in first grade. some sequins are still hangin on.
jeff found the santa earrings mom made some time in the mid '90s. he wore them all day until we went out to eat and matt asked if he was seriously going to wear them in the restaurant.
matt's all excited about this hoodie he ordered online.
maj's ornament from 1955.





merry almost-christmas!