Day 183 Home is where the heart is

I have covered thousands of miles in the last 30 days, quite literally.  My trek began on January 28th when I flew the OTHER way around the world through Doha, Qatar, on my way home to the States. When I first looked in to teaching abroad, I was very interested in Dubai, UAE.  I still would consider this part of the world on my next go around, if the opportunity comes up.  The culture is fascinating to me....like China, so many strange things to see, smell, taste, touch, and just experience.

There was a whole new language of twirlygigs to figure out!

Of course, most women were covered according to
tradition.  What I didn't understand was the GIANT
teddy bear in the Doha airport?!

I enjoyed the three hour layover...free Mac stations,
cool sculptures, a display of ridiculously expensive sports
cars, and shopping!  I scored on some yummy dates
which are native to the area...

...and a stuffed camel for my new granddaughter, Marley, who was just
days old when I arrived home.  So beautiful.  I was in heaven holding her :)

I loved flying with Qatar Airlines.  The food was delicious, the people were
interesting to talk to, and even though I was flying economy, we each got this
sweet goodie bag in addition to our blanket and pillow ;)  Though it was a longer
trip in all, (about 32 hours) it was a good trip- all things considered.

So many people asked me, "Is it good to be home?"  I really wasn't
sure how to answer that...I have no 'home' anymore in Middletown.
The log cabin was sold to a lovely family from our church
in December.  In that respect, I guess I am homeless.  What I
rediscovered this trip is that home is truly where the heart is.  I
must admit, my heart is in many places at the moment-
like with my oldest, dearest friend, Wanetta, and her
husband, Greg.  We celebrated a belated Christmas and toasted
 our friendship over margaritas and authentic Mexican food. YUM!!

I spent the first weekend with my daughter Emily, and
she was sweet enough to leave a little tree up for our
belated Christmas celebration.  

She knows me well :)

I was so happy to celebrate the Superbowl with Emily,
her boyfriend Cody, and all of his family.  They are
such awesome people, I really enjoyed myself.
The only way the night could have been better is
if the Patriots had lost- dang it.

The unexpected surprise was seeing my friend Stephanie's
son, Devin, at the Superbowl party.  Devin says, "Hi, Mom!"

Soon, I was back on a plane bound for Fayetteville, AR, to spend a few days
with my youngest daughter Ellen, her boyfriend, Brett, and....

Willis T, the sailor cat!  I missed the boy :)

Ellie also left her Christmas tree up for a belated Christmas-
so thoughtful :)  We had several days together to go
hiking, shopping, out for some BBQ, and Momma K got
to do some down home cookin' for her family.  On the hike,
as I caught a glimpse of a rainbow in the icy waterfall,
I was reminded that my heart is happiest in nature-
particularly in the woods or on the sea.

And my heart is always with my kids, no matter where I am in the world.

And soon, I was back up in the air again, bound for northern Indiana
to see my mother, grandmother, my brother, and his family.
We had another belated Christmas celebration, to which Kent
exclaimed that he missed getting his dress socks for work from
his little sister.  (It's a running joke between us)  And then,
he opened one of his gifts from me- socks from China!
We all had a good laugh about that one :)

I loved being with my niece, Kristal, and her family again.
I love this girl like my own daughter.  She has felt like mine,
especially that year she lived with us when she was a freshman
in college.  Kristal knows she has her Aunt Karyn's heart.

Whenever the Kiester's get together, there's sure to be music and
dancing :)  My heart is always with my grandmother, mother,
brother and his wife and kids, and their families.  My family may
 be small in number, but we are mighty rich in love.

After saying goodbye to my family up north, and spending
an afternoon holding the hand of my nearly 102 year old
grandmother, I was back on the road heading for 'home' yet again.
I squeezed in another visit with my daughter Emily, I
stopped in Middletown to see my dear friend, Sue, then I
was off to Pendleton to see my daughter, Jennessa, her
husband Andrew, my grandkids Ava and Eli, and the
newest addition to the family, baby Marley.  We also
celebrated a belated Christmas, I cooked for them, and
Ava, Eli, and I had a marathon reading session of Mr. Putter
and Tabby- only the best children's books. ever.
There was a lot of love and heart in this home, too.

I then went to Susan and Mike's place for a second visit.  Susan
and I also go 'way back'.  She's the kind of friend that though we
may be separated by time or distance (and we have been many
times in our adult life), we always manage to pick up where
we left off, and we never miss a beat.  Soon we were back to
laughing, hugging, and having more serious 'girl talk'. Why I
didn't take a picture of her this trip is beyond me, but I
got a picture of Mittens, her kitty, drinking from the faucet, lol.

By February 12th, I was back up in the air yet again, bound
for the Florida Keys.  Seeing the sailboat from my window
seat on the plane made me burst into a huge, happy smile :)))
I named the Keys out my window as we flew from Miami to
Key West. It only seemed fitting to return to the Keys this
time of year. Though I can no longer call myself a 'snowbird',
it still felt like 'coming home.'

My heart just feels at peace with the sea, ironically, in spite of seasickness, lol.

I could not help but think of my Creator as I looked through the heavens and out on to the water.

Anytime I can put my toes in the sand, my heart is happy.
Btw, this was not me kite surfing at Anne's Beach!

My heart is with this one, too.

We took a quick road trip up to the mainland to see some properties, and
as we drove through the sugar cane fields, I was reminded I am also
a country girl at heart.  I love the simplicity of country life.  It felt
good to be riding in a pickup truck, watching tractors work the fields.

The following evening, as we drove back down Highway 1, in to the
setting sun, I was reminded yet again, of how much I love the Keys.

A few days later, we went fishing and checked the crab traps.  My heart is
happy and full any time I am on the water with the sun on my face
and the wind in my hair.  

In spite of sunburnt shoulders, to come home and have a delicious dinner
with our bounty from the sea and a frozen margarita...well it doesn't
get much better than that...

Except, of course, to simply pause in the moment
and to toast the setting sun.

God is good :)  all. the. time.

And then, far too soon, it was time to say goodbye to friends, and
to turn my thoughts toward my other home.

In the 27 hours of travel back to Beijing, I had plenty of time to reflect.  While
it has been a long, strange trip this last year of my life, I have come to realize
that being at Beijing National Day School is also starting to feel like home.

As I walked to school my first day back, I was
reminded how much I love watching these
Chinese littles.  There is just something about
seeing grandparents walking their grandchildren
to preschool each day that makes my heart smile-
inside and out :)

                 

And on my first subway trip after my break, my
heart smiled again watching this little one
feed her momma Pringles seaweed chips.
(I have yet to acquire a taste for seaweed chips).

I know my heart is also with my students here in China.
(These are my A level kids who took a field trip to
the bathroom this week for their turn at learning
about depolarization and neural impulses :)
Oh, and I gave chocolate hearts to all of my kids
their first day back in class, simply because I <3 them all.

There's just something about the vastness of China that captures my heart.  From
the ancient temples to the Great Wall, from it's rich history, to it's red lanterns,
strange displays, and plastic flowers everywhere, it all just makes me smile-
most of the time, that is.

To see little children, or dogs, in split pants?
Really, I can't help but shake my head and smile...

...until I see either the kids- or the dogs- in their split pants,
shitting on the sidewalk.  (To your left are two grandmothers,
holding up their bare assed little ones in a squatting position,
while they do their business just as the dogs do.

,

 Oh China, in spite of THAT, you still have my heart...

G'nite, y'all!

Day 180 Flying halfway across the world

After a glorious month off of work in February, all too soon it
was time to make the long haul back to Beijing.  I have several
airplane pics in this blog for my little buddy Tayte.  This blog
will give you a glimpse at what it is like to fly half way across
 the world. I left Miami at 7:15am, on 2/28 bound for Canada, 
on Air Canada, no less.  :)

Four and one half hours later, I was landing in Toronto.

The long haul is Toronto to Beijing, but even taking the
'short route' far to the north and over the Arctic Ocean,
it was still a 16 hour flight.  In other words, it's
five movies and three meals. Geesh.

You know you're getting close to 'home' when they serve
you a cup o' noodles and a 'digestive biscuit' for a snack :/

Flying in to Beijing is really quite beautiful :)

The mountains are gorgeous, and I even saw the
 Great Wall as we began our descent.
Sadly, the pics of it were blurry :(

Add the twelve hour time difference, and I landed at dusk,
just after 7:00pm Beijing time, which was on March 1st.
I should have arrived closer to 5:00pm, but we were stuck on
the plane in Toronto for nearly two hours at the gate.  For
some reason the airport lost power and the final passengers could
not check in to board, nor could we push off from the gate.
Nothing like adding more time to an already d**n long trip :/
To add insult to injury, though I zoomed through Customs,
I waited over an hour for my luggage.  Add another hour
for the cab ride, and I was dragging my sorry carcass in to my
apartment after 9:00pm.  It was all I could just to shower, find
my medicine and jammies, and hit the sack by 10:30pm

In spite of two melatonin, I was wide awake at 1:30am, 3:30am,
and 5:30am. When my alarm went off at 6:45am, even though
I was greeted by a beautiful, clean air mountain view, I did
 NOT want to get out of bed.  It generally takes me at least a
week of fitful interrupted sleep until I can get my body clock
 adjusted once again. Circadian rhythms are real, people.

In spite of a turbo-charged Cuban coffee with hot chocolate,
I was still bleary-eyed as I did the morning juke and jive
through the crazy rush hour traffic.  Just look at all the
directions these cars are travelling!  In spite of my sleep
deprived state, I am now immune to walking in front
of, behind, and around moving vehicles.

Oh, the China.

How I wish I was saying G'nite, y'all...

Day 170 I will always look for fish

I left Beijing on January 28th, for a whirlwind trip to the States to see my family and friends. I am already halfway through my vacation, and I have covered thousands of miles along the way.  I have been all over my home state of Indiana, and made a quick run to Arkansas and back to see my youngest daughter.  For the first two weeks of my February vacation, I dealt with the cold, snow, and ice, as I made the rounds.

I had a beautiful spring like day in Arkansas, where I got to go on a hike in the woods.  I got to watch my youngest daughter do a 'live shot' of news reporting at the station where she is employed.  I got to celebrate a belated Christmas with three of my kids and grandkids.  I got to hold my newborn granddaughter.  I got to savor being in the comfort of my mother's arms, once again. I got to hold the hand of my nearly 102 year old grandmother. I got to sit in a high school gymnasium to watch my brother coach his high school basketball team.  So many years of my life have been spent in high school gymnasiums- I am a Hoosier, after all ;)

I got to enjoy all the Western foods I have been missing, and I got to feed my family some 'down home cookin', which I dearly love to do.  I visited with my three closest friends, Susan, Wanetta, and Sue, and I had a reassuring consultation with my kidney specialist.  The last order of business in Indiana was to file my tax return, then I was up in the air on a plane yet again...

There's nothing like that final leg of the journey, from Miami to Key West.
I love watching the Keys and looking for boats, from my window seat on the plane.

So, I have been in the Florida Keys for several days already, and it didn't take me long to remember why I love it down here.  I will admit, it has been very different this time around, particularly since I am here this time of year.  For the past four winter seasons, The Keys/Marquesa/Captain Donnie have all been synonymous to each other.   This winter, I am no longer married.  I no longer have my sailboat, Marquesa, with me.  Yes, it is very different now.  Moving to China and flipping my world upside down, has been a lot for me to process. But, by God, I'm still standing!  And most days I am still smiling :)

Having my morning Cuban coffee, and looking out over the Gulf of Mexico, as I have done hundreds of times before, has put me in a reflective mood.  As I look out over the water, and as I look down in to the water, I continue to work through being okay with myself yet again.  Later that morning, it was brought to my attention that I had spent an hour looking at some angelfish down in the water.  And in that same afternoon, as I was walking on the Long Key bridge, I stopped several times to peer over the railing to see if I could see more fish.

'More fish?!', I was asked.

'Yes, I want to see if I can see more fish.'

And in a restless night that followed, I got up and wrote the following words...  (Unbeknownst to me at the time, when I reread those words the following morning, and as I looked through the photos I have taken on my iPhone since I left Beijing on 1/28- it would appear that many of my thoughts already had illustrations to accompany them from my photo album.  It's funny to me how life works like that.)

I will always look for fish.

I will always look at sunsets and sunrises when I am given the opportunity.
(the view from Long Key Bridge)

I will always smile when I see small children...
(my great niece and nephew, Addison and David who I
visited with in Indiana earlier this trip)

...or when I see animals...
(Bukka is smiling at me in return as we both look for fish :)

...or when I hold a baby in my arms.
(meet my newborn granddaughter, Marley :)

I will always stop to admire a full moon, or a star-filled night sky.  (The stars are gorgeous here in the Keys. Sadly, I don't see many star-filled night skies in Beijing.)

I will always love feeling the warmth of the sun on my body,

or the warmth of a campfire,

or the smell of wood smoke in my hair.

I will always look for the beauty in my surroundings...
(taken on a hike in Arkansas last week with my daughter
Ellie and her boyfriend, Brett.)

...because beauty can be found anywhere...

...and everywhere, if I am open to it.
(taken yesterday on Conch Key)

I will always thank a service man or woman in uniform for their service and sacrifice to me personally, and to my country.  (I thanked an entire unit at the Indianapolis airport the morning I left for Key West.  They were getting set to deploy to Kuwait.  God be with them all, I prayed a silent prayer.)

I will always look for the good.
(As we were out checking crab pots yesterday, I stopped
to admire the beautiful sky.  The clouds are called "mare's
tails", and to a sailor, it signifies that weather is on its way,
As predicted, it has been cold and rainy most of today.)

I will always put my head in a waterfall.  I don't just want
to see it; I want to experience it.
(This was taken in an icy waterfall last week in Arkansas.)

I will always need music in my life...
(This was taken on Valentine's Day, before Len played
at a birthday party here on Conch Key.)

...and I will always dance in the rain, even when there is no one for me to dance with.
(We girlies were dancing in my brother's living room a week or so ago- my sister
in law, Kathy, my niece, Kristal, and my grand niece, Addison :)

I will always get excited when I see a deer, or most other wild
creatures (snakes excluded!)
(This herd of elk was taken after our hike in Arkansas.)

By the same token, I will always feel a bit sad when I see an animal dead by the side of the road.

And God forbid, if I ever hit or kill an animal while I am driving, I will always feel sick to my stomach and heartbroken.  I remember how upset I was by the Filipino that hit the puppy in the Jeep we were riding in back in November.

I will always try to build another human being up, rather than tear them down.  There is enough ugliness in the world as it is; I don't need to contribute to it.  I am most disappointed in myself when I slip in to ugly, as I have in this past year.  

I always prefer to love, all kinds of love.

Why will I always?

Because, for me, each day I have is a precious gift to me.  I do not know when my time here is 'up.'

So, I don't want to live my life by simply 'going through the motions'.

I want to experience life, and these are a few of the experiences in life that make me smile and feel happy inside.

And because I choose happy, I will always look for fish.
(taken yesterday in Conch Key while we were out crabbin')

G'nite, y'all!