The next crazy 5 months

Well a LOT has happened since I last wrote on this blog......  don't worry, it's all good!

Friday morning Matt and I will be heading to the courthouse downtown for my oath ceremony where I will become a US citizen. Matt believes I am ready for this, as the last 2 times we were in Vegas at the Bellagio fountains I teared up when "I'm proud to be an American" was played.

I'm in my final stretch of my last semester teaching at Tri-C.

Next month we move out to Las Vegas Baby!! My wonderful mother-in-law is going to look after Penny and Lucy while I'm in China for the year. Matt is also going to use her place as a base between all his crazy travelling while I'm gone. So we're heading out to stay with her until I leave.

Joshua will be joining us in Vegas for the summer and so Sheila has very kindly volunteered to vacate her room and go stay with a friend so that we don't need to rent an apartment for the summer. She'll spend her days with us but head to her friends to sleep.

While Matt is at work during the weeks (where ever that may be) Josh and I will explore Las Vegas and the desert/mountains around it. We plan on taking a road trip with Matt up the west coast in July.

Josh will head back to his Mom late July. Mid August is when I will leave for China.

I have a training course or two that will take place in the ancient city of Xi'an (home to the famous terracotta army) before I make my way to the 'small' city of weinan to start my year of teaching English.

Life never takes you on the path that you see in your mind's eye, not for me, not for anyone. Sometimes you find yourself in 'why me?' moments, or looking for that ever elusive window that was supposedly opened when a door was slammed in your face...

I'm so excited for this next chapter. If you'd told me 3 years ago when I was living in Omaha in my large suburban house with the minivan parked outside that I'd be going to spend a year in China I would have thought you were crazy. I would have also been upset that I didn't think I would ever get to do something this awesome. But here I am, getting ready to spend a year in China. I am so freaking excited!!!!

Needless to say, I will be blogging when I am over there :)