how much for your outfits?

My students are the best. Even when they are being little terds they are still the best.

I have been blessed this year.

After my photo shoot with my class we headed to dinner. And you just never know what you are going to find on the street.

Trunk load of toilet paper. Does it look like I'm going to the bathroom. Because that was the look I was going for....

And.....

THE MOST INCREDIBLE MATCHING COUPLE OUTFIT I HAVE SEEN.

MATCHING DRESS/SHIRT COMBO!

How do you think Marshall would feel about that look?

Walking down the street makes me so happy.

And these 2 make me so happy.

Sci-Tech + NDH WILL be reunited in Oklahoma SOON. Thanks to this girl!!!

kisses.

Three's Company tooooo

Tonight we went and ate dinner.

Mmm.... Di San Xian. I dream of you everyday.

We ate with the FLC leaders. Hunter, Cancy, and Nancy Simon. They are incredible students with hearts to serve.

They have done so much for us and for English Club.

They are fun, precious, excited, and their English is pretty rockin' too!

They gave us gifts...

Kevin with the typical Chinese decor.

And us...

With these awesome hanging lanyards cat animal zipper pouch things.

You better believe when I step off the plane that thing will be around my neck!

I am going to miss these people.

kisses.

party pants but no time to party

You know what's a shame? Robin working so much that I don't get to hang out with him during my last weeks in China.

That's a shame.

I haven't seen him in so long but I finally saw him today. He was wearing new pants.

His party pants.

I wish I had a matching pair.

I also wish I could do his work for him so he could relax and eat some watermelon with me.

That's my wish.

kisses.

overweight baggage.

Winter came over to hang out today. I was practice packing. But I learned something new about her.

That girl can roll clothes like a pro.

Can I take her home with me?

Please.

Kisses.

and I'm proud to be an American

Tonight we headed over to NDH for a few late hours of hang out time and to watch USA kick some butt. Tim and Kara leave for AMERICA tomorrow morning.

That means ALL of their crap has to be packed. And these 2 have been here a while, and are coming back, so they really had their work cut out.

We took a time out photo break with Tim's incredible USA gear.

If I owned this, I would wear it on the plane home.

Anyways...

Back to work for them.

We found ways to entertain ourselves while they worked.

Kevin sang some tunes.

I brought my computer over.So we could watch The Bachelorette! Justin and Jessica were so into it. I knew I could count on them. Tim was of course mocking it the whole time. But who cares.

Ali kicked off the mute awkward guy just in time for the game to start.

It was a beautiful deserved win and the best way to say goodbye.

I love The USA.

p.s. Random cry of the day: I was watching 24 season 8 and President Taylor said 1 sentence about Americans and I started to tear up. I'm a bit emotional these days. I love my country. And I'm leaving a country I love.

kisses.

say eggplant.

Yesterday was our last and final Sunday morning family time with the whole team.

We gathered and shared encouraging, uplifting words about each of us. It took about 5 hours, but we could have kept talking all night.

It's just so crazy to think I'll go back home, I won't come here, and I won't see these people till who knows when? I read Kara's American blog last night and it took me back to a time where I didn't even know these people.

Our 1st team pic- We were all so awkward and uncomfortable around eachother. We didn't know what we could or couldn't say.

Flip ahead 10 months...

Well... we are still awkward. But that's what makes us so great.

I have been blessed with such an incredible strong team here. They have changed a part of me. They are my family. And I will never forget them.

kisses.

Happy Father's Day!

I know everyone thinks they have the best dad. But I KNOW I have the best dad.

Seriously. Just look at him. He rocks.

Everyone be jealous that your dad isn't as cool as my dad.

Happy Father's Day Daddy! I love you soooo much, thank you for raising me. You can open your present and card today. And special bonus... I get to see you 14 days!!

kisses.

p.s. ALL dads are important. Happy Father's Day to all the amazing dads in the world!

Lifetime. China.

This place is random. If you read my blog then you know this place is just random... well today was no different.

First Xiao Fei shows up with gifts for Kylie and I.

Fans! They are actually pretty awesome. Good job Fei Fei.

Next random event.... There was a movie crew at our school filming a movie this evening. Not just like a student with his camera. These people were from Beijing, and had cameras, and lights, and make up on the actors.

And it is going to be played on CCTV channel 6. The movie channel.

Okay so it was probably more like a Lifetime movie. But still. It was pretty cool. When we had a student ask one of the guys if they needed foreigners in the movie he looked at me and made a face... I must have been too beautiful for the scene.

So that was the excitement of my Saturday. I sure am going to miss days like this. Movies being made outside my window kind of days.

kisses.

USA USA

Jessica's mom, dad, and grandpa are in town visiting. We met up with them tonight for dinner

Hey grandpa is one of a kind. Seriously, this man is great. He LOVES Glee, Betty Boop, and all things spicy, he talks a mile a minute, and he carries a picture of his wife around in his pocket. She passed away a few months ago and he wanted to bring her to China. It's so sweet.

It is fun getting to know my teammates family. It helps us connect all the dots together.

But with her grandpa... you would think he was related to Justin!

But then her dad stood up, and we realized where Jessica gets her legs from.

That's a tall man.

For those of you who live under a rock, or just don't care, USA played tonight.

And we were pretty excited to cheer our country on. Notice, red white and blue.

We headed to where else but Beer.Coffee. Tea. for some World Cup action.

It is so fun watching in this country because they actually love the sport here.

Robin brought his bestie from college. We taught them that word 'bestie'. I told Robin he was my bestie and he said he would love to be.

Ughhh. That man. It hurts already.

Anyways... his bestie...

He can open a beer bottle with his teeth. Impressive.

We watched , we cheered...

And we were proud American's tonight.

Go USA!

kisses.

garage sale day

Today we had a garage sale. A good ol' fashion throw your shiz outside and let people come and take it away. When the students graduate and leave the school they set up their stuff outside and let the underclassmen come and riffle through it. Why can't we!?

Except we weren't just going to take their money. That's just not nice. We were going to do a raffle and give away big ticket items. Including....

Our halloween costumes the Titanic and the iceberg, a skateboard (Marshall's skateboard), and my bike. Pretty awesome giveaways.

They would get a ticket for how many items they got, they wrote their name and number and put it in whatever prize box they wanted. Sounds easy right? Not to the students.

But...

If you build it, they will come.

And they did.

Troy purchased my old bag.

Not sure why. I did wash it though so it wasn't as nasty as his face indicates.

We demonstrated the woopie cushion.

The crowd laughed.

We had tons and tons of magazines. Both girls and boys were loving them.

Loving them so much they kept just sitting and reading them. We said to them "This isn't Barnes and Nobles, keep moving" Don't worry. They didn't understand.

We had quite the turn out. The cafeteria workers came in shifts, old people we have never seen before, the security guards, kids that came from who knows where, and the students. They all wanted to win that bike.

But then we had a few older peeps that just wanted to watch.

These 3 never got anything. But they thought that we should just give them the bike anyways.

Kevin came and brought us food.

And then everyone stopped and just watched us eat. They are still amazed that we can use chopsticks. Which amazes me.

And then after the crowd stopped, and we were just tired, we did the drawing.

Alice won the costumes. She was 1 or 5 that put her ticket in the costume box. She didn't even go to the Halloween party last semester, she just liked Titanic she said.

Hebe, my student, she won the skateboard. And rod off into skateboard heaven.

And then the big one. The BIKE! I needed a moment.

It's my bike. It holds so many memories for me.

But these girls will love and cherish it. They are freshmen so they have a couple good years ahead of them. They will make new memories with 'ol orange.

I wish I could have given every student a bike. The joy on their faces was priceless.

Garage sale day = success.

kisses.