The Hunt

On Monday, Natasha and I trekked out to Sham Shui Po in search of ribbon and lace.

 We're throwing a shower and bachelorette party in August, and we're trying to transform a blank canvas into something special.

 Oh. My. Goodness. 

 The ribbon market was incredible,

and had some of the most gorgeous patterns I've ever seen. 

 It was hard not to get overwhelmed by the selection, but I had visions of wrapped packages with the most perfect bows just shooting through my head. 

 I did go home with some, but I think another trip will have to be in my near future. 

 This cute little couple helped us with our selection. Don't you love the little hearts? Perfect for something special on Feb. 14 or an anniversary present?!?

If you live in HK and get just as excited about ribbon as I do, you must check out Sham Shui Po! 

(Many stores only sell wholesale, but there are some that will sell by the yard). 

Enjoy your hunt!

xx,

Lauren

Weekend Activities

Saturday morning hike to the Peak was spent here...

Sunday workshop on Apraxia was spent here...

Sometimes it looks like 2 completely different cities. 

xx,

Lauren

Adjusting

I've been back in HK for 3 days and am finding my routine again and slipping back into life as we know it here.

MP is still in the States and gets home tomorrow night. I'll be so happy to have him back...so will this guy!

Saying goodbye was hard this time. Of course, it's never easy, but stepping on that plane was not what my heart wanted to do. Living abroad is so wonderful and I'm so grateful we jumped at the chance to do it, but coming back is beginning to get harder and harder. 

For now though, we're continuing to relish Asia, have no regrets, and soak up the "expat" lifestyle....

(the first sunny day since I've been back...We've been battling typhoons all week!)

xx,

Lauren

Heading Back

My 24 hour travel journey has begun. I'm sitting in the Newark airport waiting on my flight to Hong Kong. 

Coming home is always so wonderful, and even though I was here for 3 weeks, I still feel like it wasn't enough time. We spent the beginning of the week in Chapel Hill while MP worked a few days. We made a pit-stop through Elon on the way up.

 It was just voted the most beautiful college campus and I could not agree more. 

 Of course, we stopped by our favorite local hangout :)

 We had dinner in Chapel Hill the next night with these kids and Katie was even "sick" on Tuesday so we could Spa it up here. I have great friends, don't I?

On Friday night, our friends, Amanda, David, and Caleb prepared a beer dinner for us. Check out their blog to read all about it. 

The menu was unbelievable and each dish was paired perfectly with a delicious beer.

It's such a huge effort to put on a dinner like this, and we are so grateful that we could experience it. 

 Thank you to our dear friends who made the effort to visit with us.
 Thank you to our families who were patient as we tried to squeeze everything in. We love you so much, and I'm already looking forward to the next trip back.
Now, I'm gearing up for 16 hours in the air...wish me luck!
xx,
Lauren

7 days left

I'm on week 3 of being back, and it has been BUSY!

 I was in Asheville 2 weekends ago to celebrate Josh and Devin. 

 My sweet parents made the trek with me, and we spent some time on Sunday taking in the mountain air. 

 We've spent some time with the Hendrix clan and are trying to get our fill of little Tate. 

 We've done lots of visiting with family. 

...and I'm enjoying spending time just hanging out on the porch. 

We made it to Greenville, SC this past weekend to see this cutie... 

...And, I'm now parked here, while MP is working the next 3 days. 

A far cry from HK, but I have no difficulty slipping right back into my suburban-girl shoes :)

xx,

Lauren