Kansas sunsets really are the prettiest.

Greetings from China!

Yes, we are here and settling in, but before I talk about that, I feel compelled to talk about our hectic, brief summer in the U.S.

We knew this summer would be unpredictable.  International moves always are.  I’ve learned by now that the visa process is usually one big question mark until it isn’t.  It makes it difficult to plan much because everything has to revolve around the visa timeline and (of course!) you can’t make appointments.

Amidst the chaos of moving from Turkey to the U.S. and then packing again for China, 5 weeks of rapid couchsurfing around Kansas, and going to Chicago for our visas, we did manage to enjoy ourselves a bit.

Indulge me as I go through the highlight reel:

Hanging out with my grandma’s adorable cats!

Eating my grandma’s peanut butter pie!

Enjoying a beautiful Chicago summer with my partner in crime while we waited for our visas to be processed

Trying aerial yoga for the first time (loved it!)

Childhood treats

Reminiscing

Drinking wine in the Flint Hills

Drinking more wine…this time from the wine box we sealed at our wedding.  As it was our 5th wedding anniversary, we got to open this bottle and replace it with another (to be opened on our 10th.)

Saying goodbye (for now) to the U.S. and hello (or nihao, rather) to a new adventure.

So there you have it.  A very brief recap of an all-too-brief summer.  More to come on China soon!