Nothing a little hike can't fix

My dear grandmother turns 80 on October 30. A surprise party was a must, so my mom planned one for Friday night at the club. Family drove in from Pittsburgh and friends flew in from Florida. It was going to be a pretty big shin-dig, so of course, I wanted to be there for the surprise! We decided I would get up Saturday morning around 8:00 am to Skype in for the party. I really was so excited! I got up early, put on a fancy shirt, a bit of makeup, and even brushed my hair for the occasion. After waiting 45 minutes for my dad to log onto Skype, I arrived (fashionably late, but nonetheless!)

Oh, I lasted about 5 minutes. As soon as I saw everyone in the room, I just lost it. I proceeded to sob for the next 10 minutes on the computer. My hair was a mess, my makeup was off, and my eyes were puffy. It was a hard day. Email, blogs, Facebook, and Skype make it feel like we're really not living in Asia, but special times like 80th birthday parties are a harsh reminder of how far away we really are. I miss you all so much...our daily/weekly chats, meeting for dinner, going for a walk, fall football weekends, complaining on the phone about how "nothing is new". We are so grateful to be living in Hong Kong and are just loving it, but we do remind ourselves that we are giving up alot by being here...weddings, Thanksgiving, Christmas, time with our new nephew, special family get-togethers. I think some of those feelings just hit me at once while seeing my whole family together. Amanda is coming at the most perfect time and I can hardly wait! A little bit of home is exactly what will do the trick...that, and a hike!

After my sobbing fiasco, Michael and I went to hike the "Dragon's Back". There are so many hiking trails in Hong Kong, and now that the humidity is dying down a bit, the hikes won't be so unbearable. Here are some pics from the trail...it was just beautiful!

xx,

Lauren