London

October 1-5th:

New temporary residence for the next year

New York, New York!



The cousins reunite in NYC:



EP made a visit over Labor Day:



The view from the Student Union:

















I took this picture from a moving bus (I'm impressed with myself):





Reunion at the Peculier Bar:



Before they tore down the Stadium, Josh got us tickets to the game :)





Half of the PA crew:



My attempt to fix the current financial crisis:



Tailor:

Ode to Gabe

In typical little brother fashion, I have received numerous hints (à la Gabies himself) that he has not received the amount of blog coverage one would hope for.

FN1: Although please note previous entries regarding Beidaihe, Halloween and Yangshuo.

So wherever this blog entry finds you, please join me in raising a glass to Gabe! The tannest, funniest, smartest, most charming/in shape/cut person we all know.

He is the essence and moral compass of this group. Our sun rises and sets with him. Cheers!






























Sorry Justin and Derek...had to include these photos as well.



Kris, with a "K":



The morning after...he obviously just barely made it through the front door.



But back to Gabies...TO GABE!

Countdown: O DAYS!

After 2 years of watching the countdown clocks all around the city...8/8/08 @ 8pm FINALLY arrived!

Derek and I were fortunate enough to attend the following events: badminton, indoor volleyball, gymnastics, tennis, swimming, athletics (track & field), beach volleyball, table tennis, soccer and baseball.

Night of the opening ceremony in a little Xinjiang joint with our friends:



We visited the set of the Today Show the night before the Opening Ceremony. Me and my Olympic boyfriend, Matt Lauer:



Bob Costas and the boys:



The amazing Water Cube at night:



Ann Curry, aka--Steve's girlfriend, and the ladies:



Artistic Gymnastics:



Stuck in the rain at the Olympic Village:





One of our absolute highlights was soaking up the fans from all over the world. One World, One Dream.



Serena:



H.W.:



Apparently the person who took the photo was more concerned about getting a picture of me and Venus v. me and Derek.



Blue skies (YEAH!)...and extremely HOT temperatures:



Another Olympic boyfriend, Michael Phelps. Witnessing Phelps win two of his eight golds was our Olympic HIGHLIGHT. We almost missed his 200M Fly victory because my lovely husband knew of a "shortcut" in entering the Olympic grounds. Needless to say...there was no shortcut. Thank goodness for our relationship, we made it to the Water Cube with 5 minutes to spare.



200M Fly:





4x200M Free (please note Team USA at the turn...AMAZING):









Derek's Olympic girlfriend, Cindy! She looks even more stunning in person. Darn her.



Bird's Nest:







Tighty whities and China charms. This kid was having the time of his life!




Olympic visitors: Our friend, Geno, and Derek's brother, Kyle.

Men's Beach Volleyball--we were able to watch both Team USA and Team China compete.









I think the conservative Chinese fans saw body parts they had never seen before!









Zhongguo jiayou!





Table Tennis:



Track & field highlight--witnessing the US men take gold, silver and bronze in the 400M hurdles.



The epitome of an Olympic fan!



Doug Collins, Kyle, Derek and Jim Gray (who?):



Kyle with the 400M hurdles bronze medalist, Bershawn Jackson:



My second to last night in the Jing for a few months. Sooooo sad.



My last night in Beijing, the women's soccer team brought home the gold over Brazil.



The most eventful 2 weeks EVER! Loved it.

Summer Lovin Beach & Pool Style

Beidaihe Round II:







Every blue sky day = Pool party at our place:










Summer '08 is GRRRRREEEEEEAAAAT!

The Olympics are coming!

EEEEEEEEEEK! The Olympics have almost arrived. We are geared up for a full two weeks of celebration and fun.

Geno and Kyle...we are pumped to see you two soon!

Above photo: Complete strangers striking their Olympic pose along the Great Wall.

Mom Comes to Town!

July 10th-19th: Derek's mom, Michele, and family friend, Nancy, came for a visit! The trip went by so quickly, I can barely remember what we did. Fortunately, Michele asked that I compose a summary email for her about our many adventures--which now comes in incredibly handy for this blog entry. The magic of cut and paste.

"july 10th--thursday: michele & nancy arrive. we walked along the backroads of the hutongs around houhai, grabbed some 2 kuai beers and proceeded to dali courtyard for dinner (within a hutong). after our marvelous meal we headed lakeside."

Nancy and Michele paying homage to their husbands:



Dali Courtyard:



Mom really missed her baby boy--let the tears flow:





"july 11th--friday: hopped on the subway to tiantan (temple of heaven)--where there were performers singing peking opera, playing instruments, paddle dancing and playing hacky sack. met derek for lunch. then proceeded on to the llama temple."



"went to rumi (persian food) for dinner. out for a drink at FACE bar. midnight foot massages followed."



Michele and Nancy quickly learn we live a rough life out here :)





"july 12th--saturday: the great wall (mutianyu portion). derek took a spill. lunch at the schoolhouse. d went home to catch up on work...and the ladies got their nails done. japanese at hatsune for dinner--YUM! next stop: our friend's house (courtney, leigh and cara) for a rooftop party and tolly's delicious cookies."









"july 13th--sunday: went to panjiayuan (outdoor dirt market). hole in the wall dumpling shop for lunch. drove by the olympic venues and then on to the summer palace."



The Bird's Nest:





Lunch time:



Summer Palace:
















"july 14th--monday: flew from beijing to shanghai for brunch at M on the Bund (took in the skyline), hopped on an afternoon flight to HK via shenzhen. checked into the hotel...ventured to central/soho. proceeded to lan kwai fong amid a thunderstorm."

Shanghai--Could you do me the honor of taking a picture with me?



"july 15th--tuesday: took the subway to central. ate delicious bolobaos for breakfast. walked around the outdoor market of meat, fish, veggies and fruit. took the tram up to victoria peak. decided to do a last minute trip to macau. headed back to the hotel...grabbed our passports...and ventured to macau via ferry. saw the ruins of st. paul's cathedral, the Fortaleza do Monte and the venetian."

Gorgeous HK:



Macau:





"july 16th--wednesday: shopping at stanley market and enjoyed the beach side of town. thanks for lunch, auntie E. caught our flight back to beijing. another midnight massage!"



"july 17th--thursday: tiananmen square, the forbidden city and then jingshan park (which overlooked the entire city). went to the acrobat show...then facials...followed by dim sum."








Side note, the following photos are what make Beijing so charming--

(1) The People:


(2) Fashion:


(3) Little China Dolls:


(4) Lao Beijing:


(5) Crazy Foreigners:






(6) The Parks:


(7) Buttless chaps and umbrellas on sunny days:


(8) And eggplant!


"july 18th--friday: ate peking duck. went down wangfujing...and food street. michele and derek ate a scorpion or two."




Derek and Mom discussing the 5 love languages and his hectic work schedule:





Final night pub crawl--Derek won the walk off:



"july 19th--saturday: ate at xiao wang's in ritan park. from there we went our separate ways—nancy and michele headed to the airport and we caught a train to beidaihe."

As a words of affirmation person: a wonderful trip, indeed.

Thank you for visiting!

HK birthday party and then Sanya

June 12th & 13th: A trip to Hong Kong for a birthday celebration in honor of Ali. The gentlemen had to work, but we ladies had a fantabulous time in the city. Below: Yiqis (minus three key members).



June 14th-18th: Company Trip to Sanya.

Sanya (三亚) is the southernmost city in Hainan (海南) province. Known as the Hawaii of China, it's a popular getaway. Although short and sweet, it was a wonderful vacation.
















Wife incredibly bored with husband and his Blackberry: