Quick update

Not much to report, but I thought I would just check in.

• We are still waiting for our passports to get here. Then, we can get our Visas.
• Great Grandmommy and Papa got to come down for a week. It was a really nice visit for everyone, and I ate way too much!
• Nathaniel's mom, Granny, will be here in about 2 weeks for a week long visit.
• We are going to the beach with Nathaniel's dad, Gpa for a week.
• We are still hoping to be packed up by July 1 or so.
• Our weekends are way to busy. I am having a hard time finding a balance of keeping the kids happy and busy and getting done I need to get done.
• We are planning a visit to Syracuse, Boone, and Charlotte before we head out.
• I want a girls weekend with my friends, but don't know how that will happen. This makes me sad.

House Hunting continued...

Well, Nathaniel got to look at our housing options in Hangzhou. Overall, I think that he was pleased. There are a few things that will take some getting used to, but I think we can handle it. Nathaniel took some pretty good pictures, and I will share those as well.

One of the things we love about Bloomington is our neighborhood. Max and Isabels' school is less than 1/2 a mile away, which means we often walk (except for recently, stupid rain). Also, there are so many great fami

lies in the neighborhood. The kids are never at a loss for someone to play with. We decided that these are 2 important things to try and keep intact in China. For those reasons, we have decided to focus our home search around the school area. I believe that we will be moving into an apartment complex across the street from Hangzhou International School. I am very excited about this. I get anxious wh

en I think of the kids at school 40 minutes away from me in a place where I can't get to them without a lot of help. What if they needed me, and I couldn't tell the taxi driver how to get there?

This picture was taken from one the apartments that Nathaniel looked at. The school is the group of buildings in the middle of the picture.

The big draw back is that Nathaniel will have at least an hour commute each way. Here in Bloomington it is approx. 5 minutes. So, we will be seeing less of him. All is not bad, however! Nathaniel will have a driver, which means he can work in the car. This is probably the biggest hurdle, and it will be a challenge for all of us to see Nathaniel less, but at least he will be in town, unlike now.

Another drawback is that there is not a large grocery store near us in this part of town, but I don't picture myself do

ing the shopping alone during the week. I expect that we will go as a family on the weekends. What a great way to learn Chinese!

Finally, the things that I wanted in the apartment:

Oven - nope No ovens in any of the apartments. We will have to ask the landlord to purchase one that will fit on the counter.

Dishwasher- nope The apartments to have dish dryers which uses heat to sanitize them, but I (Max) will have to wash them first.

Dryer- nope We

will be hanging our wash to dry, or taking them to the cleaners...

Gym - Yes! The specific complex we are looking for has a pool and a gym with at spin room and group exercise rooms. It also has treadmills and weight machines. This make me happy!

Playground- Yes! The kids will have a place to play outside and ride their bikes.

Pictures:

←Kitchen There is a balcony at the far end.

←View of one of the apartment buildings

←I can do my

laundry and you know...