When it Rains, It Pours

Well, it has happened again.  Our official move date has been postponed yet again.  Residency visas are taking longer than anticipated and we don't need to interfere with that process in any way.  I have cross stitch and needlepoint that is waiting to be delivered to the house and it is essential that happens as soon as possible.  I'm sure Mr. Wells would appreciate the dishes and pots and pans as well.  So, it looks like we will be making the move at the end of June after my youngest nephew's wedding.  Until then,  I've had to find other things to occupy my time.  So far that hasn't been a problem.

Enter New Decorating Project  - Crazy I know since we will eventually be leaving it behind.

I have been working on redoing my bedroom since it has been the official dumping ground since we moved into this house almost five years ago. I repainted the walls, found pretty things to hang and decorate those newly painted walls, and traded in my ironing board for a fantastic antique piece that I had been eyeing for some time.

 (Unfortunately, you'll have to look at it sideways because I can't get the picture to cooperate.  But isn't it lovely!)

As much as I love to make curtains, I was thrilled when I saw these.  They are perfectly lovely and I don't have to put a single stitch in them to make them mine.  I have a whole newfound appreciation for premade curtains.  I guess that fact  that I love them eases the store bought pain price.  And I had sweet talked my dear brother-in-law into hanging the equally lovely curtain rods for me.  Bless Him!

I've been working in my flower beds and watching everything bloom.  That was getting too hot so I had to find something to do inside.  Since my needlework is in China, I even sat down and started designing my own Heirloom Family Sampler that I started, according to the notebook, in 2009.  Now I have actually completed the pattern so I can stitch it once I get reacquainted with all of my silks and linens and scissors in Shanghai. Oh, how I miss all of those lovely bits and pieces of fiber and fabric.                                                         

The children have been taking art lessons and swimming lessons. They even started a chore chart to start earning an allowance. I've been busy taking pictures of all of these activities so daddy doesn't miss out on anything. ( Must give a shout out to Apple and Photo Stream here.  It is almost like daddy is here watching all of these things in person. )



See, we have been really busy around here. 






And that is when it happens.  Something that makes you shake your head and do something incredibly stupid like turn on a light switch while standing in three inches of water.  That is when you realize it is time to call in the professionals.

Things were going swimmingly until Wednesday morning.  I get out of bed, begin my morning routine and that is when it happens.  I managed to let the toilet run continuously for about 30 minutes.  Since then, I have been keeping busy flooding my bathroom and watching professionals clean up my mess.  I am stunned how much damage three inches of water can do to a  bathroom, bedroom, and closet!  Carpet has to be redone, new baseboards in the bathroom, and I am currently enjoying the glorious sounds of  a jackhammer tearing out my bathroom floor. The constant hum of a dozen or so dryers and dehumidifiers working hard to dry out every square inch of my master bedroom has become normal.  The silence will be deafening once all those machines are gone.  I've become quite fond of my ServPro friends and their daily visits and workouts of moving furniture.  I wish I had known them when my classroom has flooded a few years ago.  These guys are top notch.


So, you see, this was not exactly what I wanted to be doing my last few weeks in my Tupelo home.  I was enjoying traveling to antique malls and finding treasures.  I loved finding the perfect curtains at a retail store.  It's summer time, so I am suppose to visit Jimmy at the paint store.  It is what school teachers do in the summer.  All of this flooding mess definitely put a damper on my decorating Chi.

Or has it?

My superhero husband has stepped in from the other side of the world and has lined up a tile guy!  I get to go pick out lovely bathroom flooring now that the thirty year old linoleum is gone.  And he said I could get a new commode.  Normally, I don't get terribly excited about new porcelain thrones, but this queen of disaster is thrilled to pieces.  Who cares that I will only get to enjoy it for a couple of weeks? 

I guess there can even be porcelain linings in crummy old clouds.  It's all in the eyes of the beholder.

We're Moving, Moving, Moving! Rawhide!

What a week!  I've moved nearly twenty times in my lifetime and none of those moves prepared me for this.  I've never moved only part of my belongings before and I've never made an international move before.  Can you say Eye Opening Experience?  We have an air shipment and a sea shipment.  Both have different rules and regulations.   There are inventories and valued price lists, there are limits on weight and the types of items you can take, there are mounds of paperwork and packing paper, the movers have to pack everything twice and there are super secret seals that have to be signed and placed on all air freight boxes.  And then there are the duties that have to be paid on all these prize possessions of mine.   Who knew that moving abroad would be so complicated?


Thankfully, we didn't completely move out of our house or the poor movers would have been here all week.  What a great group of people Williams Moving and Storage has working for them.  Bless them.  I wouldn't want to do all that they had to do.  I wasn't real thrilled about doing all the inventories and organizing that I had to do to get ready.  I'm glad it's over and hope everything arrives safely in Shanghai.  I'll let you know how that works out.   In the mean time, here are a few pictures of the organizing and packing process. 


My house looks as though I am getting ready for a huge garage sale.  Selling only my most favorite possessions.  There are stacks of pictures, games, books, towels, blankets, pots & pans, dishes, and of course my cross stitch and needlework stash. 

I'm just waiting to see how long it takes the children
to knock over this precariously stacked pile of quilts,
blankets, towels, and pillowcases.

Answer:  Day 2 Emma Grace took the corner too
          quickly because she was mad at me.

I can't decide if I'm a pile away from becoming Sanford & Son or the next episode on Hoarders.

There use to be a kitchen table underneath this pile.

                                                                                 



This is also the first time I've only moved part of a house.  There is a lot of planning and preparation that has to go on in order to organize for not one, but two moving days.  The first day is the Air shipment and the second will be the sea shipment.  Whatever doesn't fit in day one will be added to day two.  Except for the books, still waiting to hear the fate of taking all of my children's books to China.  There are imposed limits on books.  Books can only be shipped if they are for work or study.  Reading for entertainment and joy is frowned upon.  I can write a really detailed letter explaining where I purchased these books, why I have so many books, the value of the books, and what I will be doing with all these books (Really, that isn't self explanatory?), and pay a sizable duty for having so many books and just maybe they won't take my books away in customs.  I always knew books were powerful little creations!



I'm waiting to hear if the piles of books are going to
get to come with us.

Book Update:  Only the air shipment had a limit of 50 books with detailed descriptions.  Heard from my mover in Shanghai that I could move 1500 books on the sea shipment.  Just have to make a note on the declarations page.  (That's the page that charges duties for luxury and high end items.  Yes, books are considered luxury/high end items.)






There once was a sideboard under this mountain of linen,
silks, and patterns.

If I find out there is some sort of limit on my cross stitch stash, I may just have to stay here in Tupelo.  I was trying to just pick out my favorite pieces to take with me and some holiday pieces and some sentimental pieces and my unfinished pieces.  Soon I realized that choosing just certain pieces was like choosing which twin would get to move to China.  There was no way to pare down to just my favorites.  They are all my favorites.  That is why I bought them.  So in the end, it is all going with me.  Heaven help any one if this shipment doesn't arrive safely at Wells Manor Shanghai.




So we made it through.  I got to ship all of my books, cross stitch, sewing machine, and scrapbooking supplies so I am thrilled.  The children got to ship all of their favorite toys and games.  I'm not sure what Rob got to ship other than clothes and a tool box, but he seems content.  I can see all of my tables and side boards again.  Fred and Lamont have moved on to somewhere else.  I have a feeling that I will be seeing them again in Shanghai.   Any volunteers to come help me unpack in about a month to six weeks? 

A-Hunting We Did Go

House - check
School - check
Ayi - check
Movers - check

Ready or not Shanghai, here we come!

What an awesome experience the past week has been!  We shopped for houses, previewed schools, worked out a plan for our ayi (housekeeper), and even managed to see a few sights in old Shanghai.  It was exhausting and exciting.  I managed my first meal entirely with chopsticks, took taxis from one side of Shanghai to the other, and participated in a traditional Chinese tea service.  I've discovered that I actually like tea, realized there is a method to the madness that is Shanghai traffic, and learned that phrase "western-style housing" is open to interpretation.



Shanghai is full of people, about 24 million to be more precise, and they all have to live somewhere.  There are apartments, townhouses, and villas (free-standing homes) and they are all tall.   Housing goes up, not out. They are also protected by gates and guards.  A reminder that you are not house hunting in the United States.  Our relocation specialist, Nicolas, was a great help in coordinating appointments and translating when necessary.

I have never seen so much four-story housing in my life.  And I trudged up and down every one of those steps.  I lost five pounds last week and I know those steps had something to do with it.   Sheesh!  You have to scale Mt. Everest every night just to go to bed.  In Shanghai center there are no gardens (yards).  You have to live in the outlying districts to have any garden.  The housing spreads out a bit there as well.  So after mucho searching, we decided to live in the Qingpu district.  Qingpu, pronounced "ching-poo", is in southwestern Shanghai. 

 We are about 20 minutes from everything we need and secluded enough to forget we live in a such a large place.   We have two gardens, and have access to a clubhouse, two pools, a beach, a basketball court, and a tennis court.  Our house only has two stories, heated floors, great outdoor   spaces, hidey holes in the attic for the children to play, and all the living space we could want.  So make plans to visit! 

While it is exciting to live in a foreign country, having the comforts of home are essential.  As a dear friend pointed out to me, we will be surrounded by Chinese culture so home needs to feel like home.  The children will have a place to play soccer in the back garden and they can explore the stream and waterfall in the front garden.  They will live in a compound with children from France, Germany, Sweden, and several other countries.  And ride their bikes on the streets without fear. 

Although the contract details are still being worked out, hopefully we'll have the house in early May.  Mr. Wells will be working in China for a few weeks until we can get there.  The movers are making their plans and I'm going to be extremely busy the next few weeks.  It seems as though the waiting is about over.  In a few short weeks, the Wells family will be Shanghai bound.

Tom Petty Was So Right!

Here we are sitting at home during Spring Break.  Daddy is on a business trip to Mexico and the children and I are still residing in the States.  All of us still waiting.  Waiting for a contract, waiting to find a house, waiting to register children in school, waiting for movers, waiting for everything it seems. 

So instead of waiting for life to happen, we have decided to make the most out of the time we have been given.   I have been busy cleaning out closets and making new friends at the Salvation Army.  There are some very nice people down there.  I highly recommend you meet them if you, like me, are waiting around the house to move to Shanghai and have too much time on your hands and way too much stuff in your closets.

I have been working in the yard and staying in touch with my favorite people at the local nurseries so that my houseguests will have lovely plants to admire once we actually move.  And come to think of it, more for them to water as well - sorry about that! 

Then there are the house projects that we normally save until we sell the house.  You know the ones, I'm talking about - painting, patching, deep cleaning, organzining, etc.   I never get my house the way I want it until I sell it.  At least this time, we aren't selling it.  We just won't be living in it!   I have been using my time sewing, painting, framing, and crafting.  Hope you like it Jennifer!


The peeps have been busy, too.  They have been busy with their school play, reading everything they can find, learning how to tie shoes, riding bikes without training wheels, and trying to lose some teeth. Now that they are six, they are suppose to start losing teeth.  :)   Not to mention we just celebrated their birthday and they were good citizens for the month of February - wahoo!  They are growing up so fast.  I can't believe the opportunity that awaits them in China.  And they are so full of questions.  What can we take with us?  When are we moving?  What will our house look like?  Will school be different?  Will we have homework?  Do they have Mac n' Cheese in their grocery stores?  Can we ride our bikes to school? 

                                         Why is this taking sooooo long?  I wish I knew babies, I wish I knew!

But there has also been some procrastination.  My relationship with Rosetta Stone is suffering miserably.  Go figure, the one thing that would most worthwhile for me to do while waiting has fallen by the wayside.  I really need to be a better friend and get back to chatting with her every day. 

Rumor has it that we will be house hunting in the very near future.  So while the waiting has been the hardest part, it looks as though it is about to come to an end.  This American Girl has got to kick it into high gear and get these projects finished so I can resume the sorting and packing and learning Chinese.

But for now, we will be enjoying our little vacation.  Sleeping late, wearing pajamas far too long each day, eating leftover birthday cake for breakfast, and squeezing in a little trip so the peeps can stay at a hotel, go swimming, and eat at 5 Guys.   Waiting isn't so bad afterall.  It lets us get on with life and do all the little things we love.  I love my life!

Happy Valentine's from the Equator

No, the Equator is not some flashy new Vegas-esque themed restaurant.  Yes, it is the actual equator.  The part of our beloved planet that remains tropical year round.  That equator that happens to run through Southeast Asia among many other fabulous holiday destinations.  And no, they don't celebrate Valentine's Day there. 

While I am normally not all wrapped up in Valentine hoo-hah, having my chosen loved one south of the equator in Palambang, Indonesia has brought a newly found sentiment for today and it's not one you would probably find on a card at your local Hallmark.  Well, if we still had a Hallmark store.

While Mr. Wells has been gone, he has dutifully sent emails and pictures from all of his locales.  With each passing day, I am more in awe of the world we live in and especially appreciative for the country in which I currently reside.  There is a great big world out there and much of it is underdeveloped, simplistic in it's basic needs of housing and transport,  and ill-equipped to handle even the most basic of technologies.   Valentine's Day is certainly not on their radar.

My family's livelihood is, in part, based on the numerous rubber trees and manufacturing facilities in southeast asia (that have never heard of OSHA by the way.) No tire manufacturer could exist without them.  It is easy to overlook the methods and materials needed to make those tires when living around the corner from the nearest megamart that sells the little black cylinders that enable us to rip and romp over our paved roads. On this Valentine's Day, I love those paved roads even more.  

The terms "raw materials" and "natural resources" have gained whole new meaning for me.   They aren't just lists of products I had to search for during my fifth grade social studies classes.  I now have more refined mental images and thank goodness I got to miss out on the smells.  To say the least, Palambang is both raw and natural.  Dirt roads, houses on stilts, muddy canals, tropical plants and trees, a powerful stench, water everywhere, and flat, flat, flat.  Delta through and through. Quite frankly, I don't know that I could ever live there, but it does hold a certain charm.

I find it fascinating that something can be both beautiful and horrifying.  Just depends on the eye of the beholder.  I suppose the same could be said for Valentine's Day.  Or as a dear friend likes to say "Happy Singles Awareness Day."

Happy Valentine's, Baby!  See you when get you back to this side of the equator!

One Step Closer Through a Flood of Tears

The last week was filled with well-wishes, hugs, handmade notes from students, and lots of tears.  Tears for lots of reasons.  Tears of sadness, tears of emptiness, tears of joy, tears of cleansing.  Tears have always been a cleansing experience for me.  Let me start fresh once the flood had subsided. Kind of the like the beautiful clear morning after a night of torrential rain.  I guess that is why I cry for every emotion.  Always have.  Always will.  On top of that, I am an ugly crier.  I have always been jealous of folks that can shed tears gracefully.  I've always felt that criers should have that trait, it would only be fair.

Saying good-bye to precious fourth grade babies hasn't gotten any easier over the years.  Their little innocent faces always left wanting.  And their little thoughts bleeding out all over the handmade cards, so fresh and free and honest.  What a good place to be.  I think that is what I love most about teaching children - their honesty.  These are the tears of sadness.  Then there is the love and support of the family that surrounds you.  The family that wasn't chosen or dreamed of, but instead, pieced or even thrown together my many different administrators. While we all have our own classrooms, no one teaches alone.  We rely on one another for support, guidance, counseling, venting, brainstorming, creativity, and building the best school possible.  How can you say good-bye to these folks that have been with you through the fabulous times as well as the tough times.  It feels like you are leaving them behind, one woman down in a fight for sanity, integrity, and honor. 

Then there are the tears for leaving a job that I LOVE.  Those are the tears of emptiness.  I was a teacher long before I was a mother.  I was actually a teacher long before I wanted to admit it all those years ago during college.  A teacher is who I am.  Not always the best in the eyes of some, yet always trying to do what was best for my children.  For I felt they were my children since I didn't have any of my own.  I always tried to provide a learning environment that I would want for my own children: tough, open, and honest.  A sense of pride and a sense of humor.  Characteristics that were actually quite similar to the students in my room.  I will miss building that learning environment every year.  Maybe someday we will meet up again in a new classroom, creating a better environment,  in a school that appreciates innovation, creativity, and something besides a number.

Tears of joy are my absolute favorite tears.  When I think of the opportunities that Robert and Emma Grace are going to have over the next few years, it just blows me away.  They are going to meet so many different people and get to travel to so many exotic places and take part in a culture that is thousands of years old.  I am so excited for them I can't even stand it.  We will get to visit places that my father trekked all those years ago during the Korean War.  We will get to stand in Tiananmen Square, walk the Great Wall, and see botanical gardens that are hundreds of years old.  We will be living in a global community with folks with passports from fifty different nations.  What an awesome experience.  My children will have stamps in their passports from places I only read about in fifth grade social studies.  God's most amazing blessings are the ones we don't see coming.  We just have to grab them and go in faith.  We are about to partake in one amazing experience.  I'm so glad that I can share it with you.

Enough with the tears.  Time to get on with this adventure.  One more round of shots, waiting to go back to Shanghai to get a house and pick out a school, movers, paperwork, more waiting, and finally getting to embark on an extraordinary chapter in the life of the Wells family.  I know my daddy is just shaking his head in disbelief.  He never would have dreamed in a thousand years that his little farm girl from Lincoln, IL would have such opportunities.  I just wish he was here to take part in this with his grandbabies.

The Name is Stone, Rosetta Stone

I use to joke about having Sesame Street Spanish skills.  Now I joke about having Kai Lan Chinese skills.  Problem is, Kai Lan skills won't help me much in Shanghai.  "Xie xie" (thank you) won't keep me from eating the duck tongue, quite the opposite I'm afraid.   Which brings me to the following confession (in my best Italian accent for some reason):  

         I donta speaka the language.  

Or even recognize a single character of the "alphabet", or tell the difference between a word and a sentence, or I tell when I am being blessed out for being an overweight American.   But hey, why let that little intellectual gap keep you from moving half way around the world?

This language barrier is truly the one thing, besides the drivers in Shanghai, that causes most of my anxiety.  It is a completely different ballgame than the Romance languages I studied in high school and college.  Thank goodness for the creation of Rosetta Stone Language Learning System.   Rob is sending the headset so I can start practicing from home.   Rosetta and I are going to become fast friends.  She is the cure to my language inferiority complex.   She has to be the person to keep me from eating duck tongue.   Actually, I figure that as long as I can tell my ayi that I don't want turtle, insect, or rodent anything for supper , I figure I'm in good shape.   I'm excited about getting started and filling in my intellectual gap.

Excusez moi, do you put duck tongue on your pizza?

I may even brush up on my French.  I may even get you to brush up on your french.  We could do this together, well separately.   Once we all have at least broken French, we could meet up in France, say Paris, and enjoy a cup of coffee together.  We could even have french toast, french frites, or even french crepes and speak to each other in our newly found French accents.  This is totally doable!  Get your passports, Chickies.  Allons-y!