Sunday, December 27, 2009

A few moments from our Christmas

Feshya took this photo on the ferry on the way to Christmas eve candle light service

mall decorations.......and the crowds

no lights on houses, but plenty on skyscrapers

more city views

Christmas eve at midnight after getting home from a candle light service

because big red shiny shoes have so much to do with Christmas right!!??


candle light service

more city lights

views from the ferry on the way to the Christmas Eve candle light service



Sammy captured a wonderful moment of me and hubby

our gingerbread house

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Embracing it all


Christmas. I wonder how many blogs have been written about this. Well, I have been doing a lot of thinking about Christmas.
To me it is cold noses and hot chocolate. Baking and more baking. Tobogganing and classic Christmas movies. Gathering with Friends. Being with family or wishing you could be with family. Remembering old memories and making new ones. Turkey and being stuffed with stuffing. Avoiding the malls yet buying wonderful gifts. The smell of a real Christmas trees. Driving around looking at Christmas lights.......
So, now I move across the world.
And Christmas comes.
And I realize how much emotion is attached with the season.
How much my senses have to do with me 'feeling' like it is Christmas.
There is no snow falling outside.
No oven to bake peppernuts in.
Not many Christmas parties to got to.
No turkey to roast.

We have set up a tree (fake, but I am determined to buy a real one next year!). We are drinking hot Chocolate with candy canes, and watching most of our favorite holiday classics on youtube or youku (the Chinese youtube). The kids are having a blast secretly buying gifts for each other. And because our little island is so safe, they can even go and buy them all on their own. We are going to a candle light service on Christmas eve with friends. Christmas music is the always playing.

I have gone back and forth between loving this new experience in this season, and wishing with all my heart that I was in Canada with friends and family right now. That I was were all is familiar.

Then the other day I remember how I had longed and longed to be here. This is all a part of that. New experiences. Enjoying traditions and creating new ones.
Embracing that and not being frustrated with it.

Not just trying to recreate old ones.

The kids love for me to tell them my memories of growing up and how we celebrated Christmas. Tonight I laughed with them when I told them how one day they will snuggle with their kidlets all cozy in their beds and say

"I remember that one year when we lived on a small island in Hong Kong and we................" That made me smile!


Merry Christmas everyone!!

Monday, December 7, 2009

all those things I should be doing

There are so many things I should be doing right now. People to phone, emails to write, things to plan, homeschooling books to organize and on and on it goes.

The kids are sweetly sleeping, all cozy under their blankets. Quiet.

I love the quiet of night time. I do.

This morning I skyped with family and friends. I cried when it was all done. I miss you all so much. My children were also feeling very sad after the visits as well. Christmas is sneaking up. I am excited to have our first Christmas here! But I wish I could package everyone from home, put a big ol stamp on them, and ship them all over here.

Went to check up on the house progress today, and there is no way we could be in there for Christmas. Nothing, nada, zip has been done in the last week. So that has me down as well. I had begun to get my heart excited about being in for Christmas, so please ask for peace for me and the family to be content where we are.

Today my two oldest kids went shopping for family members all on their own. So sweet! Although, they used the change from the laundry that I had asked them to take in. With out asking first. Oops!

But, great news.
I found a little tiny shop, well, more like a ground level house that sells coffee/bread/cheese/whole wheat flour/german bread mix, and did I mention cheese! Oh yes, and to top it off, she also runs a bit of a second hand book store. I am so excited. It is a Philippino lady who speaks perfect English.

Plus, just to top it all off. I was telling her where we were moving to (yes the big pink house and she knew exactly!!!). She asked if we happen to be wanting a dog with our big yard. Nefeshya's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. A family has a golden retriever that they need to give to a new family! We will go this week to have a 'meet the family' time and see if we pass or not.

There is a sweetness about knowing that 'you' are being taken care of isn't it. And yes, finding a used book store that sells homemade bread mix and cheese is a most definitely 'being taken care of'.

Now, go smell your Christmas tree and think of me.