We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. - T.S. Eliot

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Monday, August 8, 2011

A Bump In The Road

We did spend a wonderful night at the Sheraton thanks to our flight's "mechanical issues."

Try loading and unloading all this luggage 10 times!


I’m not sure if I should laugh or cry! Moving day came and went, and here we are back at my sister-in-law’s house in Tennessee. Hugs, tears, and desperate sadness preempted a 40 minute drive to the airport. Upon entering the airline counter we were met with news that our flight had been cancelled due to mechanical errors. So there we were, 7 moving boxes, 5 large suitcases, 5 carry-ons, backpacks and children, all ready to begin the adventure of a lifetime, only to be told “Sorry, your flight has been cancelled.” Holy Cow! After another hour at the check-in counter we soon realized that we hadn’t obtained work Visas for the children. Who knew our children needed work Visas? Apparently not us! Could it get any worse? Don’t ask! $1000 to obtain the children’s visas by Wednesday. Yikes! Just as I thought I was about to cry, Phillip remarked, “Mama I don’t like this adventure.” I had to agree, but who said it would all be fun! It wouldn’t be an adventure without a few bumps in the road. All in all, everything will be fine and we will get to China. Our new flight is scheduled for Friday morning. The good news is that we get to spend more time with our family! I’m not sure what we would have done without them! It makes me realize what really matters! My mother-in-law, sister-in-laws and brother-in-law are thrilled and we will cherish every last moment with them!

Friday, August 5, 2011

Final Goodbyes

Placing Chrysanthemum petals in drinking glasses

Going-Away Party

Grandma's House (couldn't figure out how to make it scratch-n-sniff)




I’ve been told the olfactory sense, the sense of smell, is the most potent in regards to memory. Nonetheless, my grandmother’s house smells like childhood, Thanksgiving, Easter, and Christmas compressed into a single odor. My husband’s flared nostrils announced the pure enjoyment he experienced upon entry through the front doorway. I should have foreseen, from the moment we entered her home, that the night would be an emotional rollercoaster. It was the second of two going-away parties my grandmother had hosted for us Indiana.

My grandmother, a women I haven’t decided if I should thank or blame for my crazy notions that life should be experienced, has inspired me in more than one way. The second of which, I will explain later. This vibrant, red-haired, 73 year old still travels outside the country on a regular basis. Turkey, Germany, France, New Zealand, Greece, Australia… You name it, she’s visited it! She travels for pleasure and enjoys exploring different locations.
Thanks to grandma, I’ve also indulged in another extra-curricular activity… Facebook.

Yes, it’s official I now have a Facebook account. I vowed not to give in, but Zuckerberg, ultimately, succeeded in sucking me in. You might be wondering what the link is between my grandmother and Facebook. Well, not only is grandma a world traveller, but she is also a proud owner of her very own Facebook page. As I was speaking these very words aloud to my husband, it dawned on me “Why not?” I mean I didn’t protest Apple products because of Steve Jobs and let’s face it he’s not exactly a completely moral entrepreneur. Nor did I quit using Microsoft products because Bill Gates set out to monopolize the computer software industry. Honestly, I suppose my objections to Facebook permitted me the ability to retain my anonymity. I’ve never been very good at “friend maintenance.” Whatever the case, be it grandma’s influence or my own selfish reasons, I bit the bullet and did it! I’m afraid social networking has now, effectively, taken over my life. Between Twitter, Google+, and Facebook, who has time for going-away parties? Well, WE have successfully survived two!

The first, held the night before our 15th wedding anniversary, was very endearing. My husband, a man with the soul of a poet, never refrains from completely taking me by surprise with some kind of a wild, over-the-top, declaration of love. His endearments surpass every characteristic little girls imagine their prince-like husbands to possess. My prince charming arranged, with the help of my sister, for a single, red, Chrysanthemum to be placed at the end of the table in a clear box. Near the conclusion of dinner, he stood, removed the flower, and pledged his love and commitment to me, our new adventure, and my family. Quoting Aristotle, and making reference to various endearing moments in our lives, he eloquently delivered a beautiful, heartfelt monologue. He explained that the Chrysanthemum was a flower we would encounter quite frequently in our travels throughout China. The Chrysanthemum is a flower of great symbolic meaning in ancient China that conveys luck and happiness. He then removed petals from the flower and as he placed a single one in my parent’s, sister’s, grandmother’s, aunt’s, uncle’s and cousins’ drinks, he explained that, according to the Chinese, if you drink from a glass with a Chrysanthemum petal at the bottom, it would bring you luck. He is truly a beautiful man!

The second began on a much lighter note. We laughed, talked and reminisced with cousins, aunts, uncles, my parents, sister, and grandmother. I had so much fun and indulged in all the wonderful foods my mother, father and grandmother had prepared. Hamburgers, chicken and dumplings, chess and pumpkin pies, blueberry cheesecake… As the evening ended, the tears began to flow. What started with a tearful goodbye from my aunt left my sister and I sobbing in each other’s arms. People say to me all the time, “I would never be brave enough to move to China.” It’s not the move itself or China that frightens me, it’s leaving my family. While, my heart broke as I embraced my sister, I knew that saying goodbye to my parents would be one of the most difficult things I have ever done. I realize I will see them in a year, but that’s a far cry from monthly weekend visits and multiple phone conversations with my mother that can last hours a day. I was right! I still have a knot in the pit of my stomach. My mother cried and my father tightly embraced me expressing his pride.

Although I knew goodbyes would be the most difficult part of our journey, the opportunity to delight in my family was wonderful! Bittersweet, yes, but wonderful!

We are back home in Tennessee spending the last couple of days before departure with our family. My mother-in-law flew in from Charleston and we are sneaking as much time in as possible with my sister-in-laws and brother-in-law. It’s obvious from recent somber moments, Marisa’s excessive picture-taking, and the look in my mother-in-law's eyes that the next two days will be heartbreaking.

Tomorrow we will continue goodbyes with Casey’s family during a family reunion and Sunday we board a plane and begin the adventure of a lifetime.

"Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk."
— Dalai Lama XIV