There has been many changes in my life in the past year.  More than most people have in 10 years of their life.  Imagine taking all your belongings, picking the ones most important to you, and having a garage sale (At 6 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon) and watching things that you’ve had for a while go to people you don’t even know!  Then traveling around the country you live in and saying goodbye to your friends in family, not exactly knowing when you will see them again (at least we have skype!).  Finally flying as far away from your home as you have ever been in your life to a new and different country!  It as if you are standing on (what you think is) firm ground and then in a moment (or in my case, less than a year) your world is turned up side down and shaken vigorously!  Today, all of that seems so much like a day dream.  It is amazing how He gives one the ability to be so flexible and resilient.  Though when I think of all the challenges I have faced in this year of change I can not imagine it without my family!  My Mom, who is so resourceful and supportive.  My Dad, who is so encouraging and thoughtful.  My brother, who is so cheerful.  My sister, Rachel, who is so creative and considerate.  My fun, bright, sister, Maddie.  and finally our little joy, Megan.  Every member of my family He carefully and thoughtfully picked out to inspire and encourage me in my life!  I find that though the local grocery store here in Tianjin is not decked out with Thanksgiving decoration and food, it wouldn’t matter if we had not Thanksgiving decorations at all, it’s being together with my family that make the holidays seem special.  Especially this Thanksgiving, today, when I got to cook pecan pies with my mom.

Mom and I are making pecan pies.

At my school I have an art class twice a week.  For one of our projects we had to create and apply a Henna design on our bodies.  For those of you who do not know much about Henna, like me before the project started, it is dried ground leaves mixed with lemon juice that creates a mud like substance.  When you apply this to your skin it will slowly dry then crack off, much like normal mud.  Henna stains your skin, but it only stays for about a week.  People in the Middle east use Henna a lot, most popularly on their wedding nights.  Any way, even before I used it i loved it!  I think Henna makes such a natural beautiful look on your skin!  I soon found out that I loved making Henna designs and that I enjoy applying the on the skin.  God has gifted me with the talent of making pretty good designs.  One of my friends went on a vacation to Singapore and bought my a few tubes of Henna so because I had the Henna and a few of the teachers had previously asked me about it, I decided to invited my History/Geography teacher and two other high school teachers over to do Henna with me.  I got to do the Henna on them all.  I think all of the designs turned out really great!

Rachle and My hands after I finished putting Henna on them.

Rachel and I.

Miss Neumann, my teacher, and I doing Henna.

Another of my Henna jobs.

In my school the Middle School is divided up into four groups.  These groups are called Houses in which 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are put together.  The purpose of the Houses is mostly to create “unity” througout the grades and throughout the whole Middle School.  So each House has about six or seven kids from 6th, 7th or 8th grade.  I’m in House 3.  Each house has to come up with a House Mascot, Color and Name.  House 3 is The Flaming Phoenix, our color is red and our mascot is, of course, a Phoenix.  So any way each year Middle School goes to Fall Camp, a three day camping trip when all 4 houses play games to earn the House Championship Plaque.The Battle started, Friday, the moment we left our school in buses for our 3 hours drive to the Battle grounds (Don’t worry, the war didn’t start on the bus 🙂 ).  When we arrived we unpacked our armor and headed to the arena (the Sandpit, a large area covered in sand surrounded by bleacher-like seating).  The combat began!  I fought valiantly for my House!  After about three attacks (three games) it was time to rest our selves.  Many of my comrades mingled with the soldiers of enemy Houses!  Outrageous!  Ummm…. on the other hand I think I was guilty of that as well!  During our rest time I was seriously injured!  Well Maybe not seriously, but I did fall and twist my wrist and skin my knee and elbow.  [This was no undercover job by House 2 to take me out, thankfully. It was of my own doing, when I lost my footing.]  Throughout these three days the battle raged on!  Sadly, I was of less help to my House because of my injuries!  My house was not technically what you would call a strong army!  There were too many people wanting to be Generals (leaders) and not enough people wanting to be soldiers (followers) and I was stuck in the middle trying to hold the ranks together!!!  So my experience in war (the games) was not very positive.  There was one attack that I found VERY interesting!  All of the Houses had small lights (Glow Sticks) and when the lines were drawn we were to steal the other House’s flag all in the cover of night!!  (The game was Night Time Capture the Flag with Glow Sticks.)  I would sneak behind enemy lines and pretend I was one of them,  then I would try to edge toward their flag, but most of the time I saw a enemy soldier advancing towards me and I’d think they had detected my identity,  so I’d run for it!  All of these selected Battle days (All of Fall camp) was quite elating, but as the battle drew to an end Houses 2, 4 and (*Sniffle*) 3 were forced to surrender to House (*Sob*) 1!!!  But I will always remember how we fought with honor and tried our best; overcoming some attacks (winning some games) and  being defeated in others.  This is my Battle Tale.

Me and my cabin Mates: (Left to right) Abigael, Tae Eun, Ji Su, Ye Ji, Jenny, and ME!

House 3!!!

Bike relay

Paddle boat relay

Little car race

Sometimes I feel like I could perfectly fit into the role of the Cookie Monster on the children show Sesame Street. When it comes to Nestle’s Chocolate Chip Cookies I can’t resist! You could say that our family’s signature food is Chocolate Chip Cookies. When we were younger our Mom would make them with us, and while Rachel helped mix and bake them I would sit near by waiting for a chance to snag some cookie dough! (We agreed that the Chocolate Chip Cookie dough is almost as good as the actual cookie, no matter how many raw eggs are in it:) ). Rachel is our Chocolate Chip Cookie Queen! She has the Nestle’s Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe memorized by heart, and there is rarely a time that or cookies aren’t made by her! Ever since my Mom trusted us with cooking supplies we’ve made Nestle’s Chocolate Chip Cookies! In the fun of Summer I forgot the warm Chewy taste of Chocolate Chip Cookies, but yesterday when Rachel and I made some I think “How could I have forgotten!”

Today is my last day of SUMMER! It seems as if Mr. School Year never permits Summer to stay long, but on the other hand he lets Summer stay just long enough to be enjoyable! I had a wonderful summer! I got to relax and play a lot, but I can’t help but feeling like it was just last week that I got out of school. Since I have been Home Schooled all my life until now, it seems like I have never fully appreciated Summer because I didn’t have a strict schedule. Now that I have tasted the Sweet and Sour flavor of 9 and 1/2 months of waking at 6:30, home work, Science Fair, and schedules I believe I can now FULLY appreciate Summer! And I have appreciated her; long afternoons of laying on the couch with a book and not a care in the world or waking up at 8:30am and snuggling back down for another half hour! Now that Mr. School Year is looming right behind the corner I am kissing Summer good bye and grasping in vain at whats left of her! I am excited to see my friends again and to actually be busy in the day. I’m also happy to see all my beloved teachers again and to be able to participate in school activities! Though Mr. School Year demands the leave of my dear friend, Summer, I will look forward to seeing her next year in June!

When I was younger I always remember eating lunch then having to go to a nap.  I even tried to hide to get out from having my nap.   Well as you all know I am far from the age of taking a nap (even though sometimes I wish I had the time to!).  Here napping is a totally different story!  You are never to old to take a nap!!  Here in China at around 1-2pm everyone has a nap!  If you go to one of the out side markets you’ll see the people manning their booths just sleeping on their chairs.  You might also see a construction worker taking his nap on a bench!  It is pure culture to take a nap in the afternoon!  At school my Chinese class is at 1:30pm.   So when my Chinese teacher comes in he is usually yawning of stretching and he tells us, that he is missing his nap!

As you can see workers get some time off of work to take there nap!

Zzzzzzz....

On the 4th of July, starting around 6pm, we had a “picnic” (Really it was just every one bring something to share for dinner and you get your food and sit down in on folding chairs [preferably inside because it was so hot!])!  Amelia, a girl that just moved here, and her sister, she’s Maddie’s age, came with us to our school (that’s where the “picnic” was). After we ate a delicious dinner of various picnic-ish food Maddie, Josie (Amelia’s sister), and another of Maddie’s friends decided to wage a water gun war! Now you need to know something: I like playing some rowdy games, but when it comes to water fights…. just NO! I hate getting wet when I’m not in the proper mood; I am rarely in the proper mood for water gun fights! So when the the girls shot me I confiscated their weapons, took hostage their ally, and… made them promise not to get me wet again!!! It was a fun night all the same. Amelia and I got on the swings, raided the dessert table three times, and slapped carnivorous mosquitoes! When it got dark some of our friends set off fire works. It was a better 4th of July than I could have wished for!

Amelia and I

Me holding a sparkler!

In Virgina we used to live near by a bakery called Great Harvest.  My favorite thing to get there was their Black Raspberry Scones!  Well when we moved to Kansas, almost 3 years ago, Michael had a online class for Home Schooling.  Michael had woken up early for the class so when I woke up he was in the kitchen making scones.  He told me that he had had time to kill so he looked up a scone recipe on the computer. Well now we still use that recipe! I woke up to my Mom’s voice this morning asking if I would like to make scones with her! It was so nice! These scones always make me think of Great Harvest! Though they aren’t exactly the same taste I still enjoy them!

If you’d like to try them out for yourself, see recipe below:Michael’s Scones1 cup sour cream1 tsp. baking soda1 egg1 tsp. vanilla4 cups flour1 cup sugar1/4 tsp. cream of tartar1 tsp. salt2 tsp. baking powder1/2 cup butter (softened)1 beaten egg whitecinnamon/sugar sprinklesCombine baking soda and sour cream, mix well. Add beaten egg and vanilla, mix and set aside. Combine remaining dry ingredients. Cut in butter until mixture becomes crumbly. Stir in sour cream mixture until moist. Turn dough onto floured surface, knead briefly. Divide dough in half. Roll into two pie shaped circles about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges. Place on greased cookie sheet. Brush top with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake 15 – 18 minutes at 350.

A few weeks ago our whole family bought bikes from families that are moving away. I got a nice black bike that fits me well! Since then we have been going a lot of places on our bikes! Though riding bikes on a street at rush hour can be a little (VERY) intimidating the cars here are very aware of bikes. Practically everyone rides their bikes here! One of our friends said that they had a friends who had 4 bikes stolen in one year! So the popular idea is to make your bike look as trashy as possible so no one will want to steal it, but to make sure it still rides well!!! We keep our bikes in a under ground garage where our bikes are kept safe. One thing that surprised me when I first visited China was the talent of Chinese people on bikes! If you go outside you will almost definitely see a man riding a bike while the lady sits on the back or a women riding on a bike and her son/daughter siting on the back. I actually saw a grandpa riding a bike with his grandson on the back sleeping! This is quite a feet because though we have mastered the art of balancing someone on the back of our bikes it is harder than you think! When The person sitting on the back of the bicycle moves or shifts their weight the bike goes totally wacky and can dump you and your passenger right off like a dump truck! In the morning when I go to school I look out the window to see all the people riding to work and ALL the women are just peddling away in HIGH HEELS!!! That would totally brake my dad’s rule of ‘Nothing but Tennis Shoes on Bikes!’. In time I believe we will become Bike People as well.

The underground parking for bycicle!

Michael has mastered the art!

When I first came to China Erin was there waiting to greet me.  Erin has been here 6 years, but this year God called her family home.  June 15th Erin left for the USA.  I recently did everything with her, but one of our most popular things to do was buy Bubble Tea (Bubble Tea is a tea drink with gummy ball in it).  June 14th was our last time to get Bubble Tea together (at least for now).  I am very sad that she has been here all these years and this year is the year she has to leave.   But God is good,  He is sending another family to Tianjin.  So I will have a friend to play with!   I am grateful that God always reminds me that He has a plan that is best for me.  My new friend will be arriving here in a few days and I’m very excited to see how our relationship grows.Below: Erin and me getting Bubble Tea for the last time.