Clip show...

You know how on TV shows the writers get lazy and just paste together a bunch of previous material?  Well this is kind of like that.  Just upload some old pictures, and pass it off as a look back through what's happened during our time here.

Our goodbye party....alternatively titled "how an Ahrens ages"

Some respite in CA before the big adventure

but no escape from Chinese tourists...even in the US

The only way to pass the time in a Chinese hotel

The meat department in a Chinese WalMart

Yum

Now you know why we ate Skippy for a whole month....

Now for some bright spots.  We made friend...

Posed by some touristy statues

More touristy statues...

Enjoyed the sunshine...

The tropical breeze....

Found some grass....

And some clover.....

Don't know what we did here, but I'm sure it was fun....

Took our first scooter ride....Started learning to crawl by ourselves...

Started learning ride a scooter by ourselves...

Started learning to poop by ourselves...
Learned to crawl better....

Still played cowboy...

And monkeyed around...

And made glorious messes...

Found tiny cute friends...

And even cuter (not so tiny) brothers...

Went to Hong Kong, only to find the food was even weirder...

Did some more touristy poses...

  And touristy photos of the Hong Kong harbor....

But mostly sat in a Hong Kong hotel waiting for the rain to stop...

Cohen should caption this one, since apparently he had something important to say....

At least Hong Kong had clean water...

And Cuban cigars........

.
 Which we naturally smuggled back into China...

Life here pretty much goes on as usual....

Still have to do our everyday chores....

And keep an eye on this guy....

We have our bad days...

But overall, we're pretty blessed.  And we have chopsticks galore...

In Loving Memory

Apologies for not keeping people up-to-date.  Like John said, we have had several moves and are just now getting settled into our new apartment and new schedule.  More than that though, I felt a bit unsettled chattering on about our day to day life without saying something to pay at least a small tribute to our Grandma Joan, especially since we were not able to be at home and celebrate her life with the rest of our family...

Grandma Joan was the quintessential grandmother.  From her closely cropped curls, to pot roast dinners, she embodied the stereotype of what a grandmother ought to be.  She was a "grand" mother, by the strictest definition.  Even if she barely stood taller than my shoulder, I can't help but think of a "Grand" Admiral, or a "Grand" Vizier, a  master of their domain; someone who has, through years of patience and practice, reached some sort of pinnacle of their calling.  As a mother, my calling mostly involves ensuring my children survive until bedtime and, hopefully, until next week.  Mothering is "don't jump in the pond!" and "you just ate 5 minutes ago!" and "how the did you get on the roof?!?!?"  Grand mothering is "would you like me to read another book?" and "sit right here in my lap," and "how about another cookie?"  Grandmothering isn't just keeping children clothed and fed, it is hand crocheted blankets and that extra cookie after dinner.  

And part of me thinks that this would be impossible to emulate.  By my reasoning, I'm too worried about making sure my children aren't eating the poop that's mysteriously smeared on the floor to worried about "extras."  By a grandmother's reasoning, what child in their right mind wants to eat poop when there are cookies?  I haven't had the opportunity that age gave Grandma Joan to realize that what I think are "extras" are really essentials.  That when you pare away life's clutter, you let go of anxiety and achievement in favor of love and laughter and extravagant nurture and tulips and daffodils and chocolate chip cookies.  

And so, I hope I can emulate her in some small ways.  That I can smile brightly, make easter baskets, grow a garden and open my heart and my home to others.  That I can age gently and gracefully; that my face can melt into laugh lines framing lively eyes, and that I can give so much of myself to others that, when I am gone, my daughters and grand-daughters will know what it means to nourish and nurture and will pass those blessings on again to their children.  And, John hopes, one day I may come close to baking her world-class cookies.