Here it is! While there have been countless discussions, scads of questions, and seemingly never-ending planning regarding our move to China, this is the first official written documentation. So, welcome to a birds-eye view of the craziness that is our life at the moment. There are days when you may find our family blog to be informative; days when it may make you laugh or cry; but in the end, it is my hope that it will serve as a detailed journal of what will be the adventure of a lifetime. Visit often, I will try to journal regularly...

Here is what is what I know today, September 30th, 2008:

Mike and I will be traveling to Dalian on October 10th. I am looking forward to this trip - we will be choosing our house, finalizing Emma's school registration, and spending time with our friends, Yukiko and Damon. You will hear about these friends often. We met them on our trip in July '07 - they will move from Oregon with their two kids at the same time we move. Since we met we have considered our two families a "package deal" with regards to housing and travel schedules. We feel so blessed to have met them!

The latest and greatest news to share is that I will be entering the world of "temporary retirement" on November 26th - this is about 3 weeks sooner than the original plan. There is simply too much to do to get ready. Working and preparing for the move/Christmas/Erin's birthday would result in me in a straight jacket bouncing around a padded room somewhere!

We will be leaving for our new home on January 5th, 2009. Many emotions are tied up in this impending date - when people ask me how I feel about the move, I often reply, "Excited AND terrified". That pretty much sums it up! The girls are definitely excited - they can't wait to have their own rooms and maybe even a house with stairs! Ahhh...to have such simple needs.

That's all for now! Check back in soon!