Just a little over a year ago, Krista and I shared a wonderful week. It was a week to look back upon as one that set that tiny bit of snow rolling down the hill to collect more and more bits until the roller coaster ride was in full swing. That week, which happened to be Krista's birthday week, had three major events: the American School in Taichung offered us a job which we accepted, we sold Krista's home, and we decided to get married in the upcoming Spring Break 2010.
With all of that excitement, it was time for a celebration so we packed our bags for a winter migration south to the Tulum area of Mexico. There, we explored beaches, ruins and the jungle.
A few short months later, the bags were again packed as we left Portland for Las Vegas. It was time to get married! Early in the morning, we dressed and headed out down the strip to take a few photographs. The street blocks are super-sized! We were quite a ways down the Strip when we realized that it was past time to get back. Krista's feet were aching and the taxis would not stop to pick us up. We finally sprinted to the taxi rank at a casino and made it back to our hotel and car just in time to speed off to the wedding chapel.
We made it! By this time, Elvis was warmed up and ready to go and walked Krista down the aisle, stopping from time to time to cheese for the camera or to break into spontaneous song.
Walking out as a married couple, we quickly exchanged our shoes for sandals and began the drive towards the Grand Canyon. Destination? A little bit of paradise deep inside Havasu Canyon, an area managed by the Havasupai tribe. There was almost no one there as we finished the long but beautiful hike in.
Our trip to the sun was lots of fun but we were soon back in Portland where the rains bring beautiful flowers. My parents visited from France and we went to the tulip fields south of Portland.
Another day was spent at the Chinese gardens in the middle of Portland.
Finally, the time had come. The school year was finished, we had moved out of our apartment and were camping at Grammy's, and had said farewell to friends and family. All of our belongs fit into a cubic meter, a few bags for the airplane and a doggy crate. It was time to move to Taiwan!
In an attempt to make the travel as painless as possible for Audrey, we opted out of the ridiculous travel plan sent to us by our school and drove to San Francisco. The drive through the redwoods, coast and wine country was stunning. Here, we take a final photo as we wave goodbye to the US side of the Pacific. The next time we would see the Pacific would be at Thanksgiving from the southeastern shores of Taiwan.
After a long trip, a month of quarantine for Audrey and a quick start to the school year, we slowly settled into life in Taiwan. Each day it feels a bit more like a home. This park is on the daily schedule and has become Audrey's favorite location as she has become a feature. Crowds gather to watch her sprint, leap and return her tennis ball for another round of Chuck-It.
This past winter break found us in Thailand as we roamed through impressive temples, trekked the hill country, joined the throngs in Bangkok and spent Christmas Day working at an elephant preserve.
March 24.2011 - One year since Elvis sang for us. And where are we today? Um, well we're scattered. Krista is living in Zhuhai, China as she takes a one month course on teaching English as a foreign language, Audrey is loving life at Honey's Friends (a doggie boarding place) and I'm off to explore the Taiwanese mountains. It's been a great year! One of the things that is great about our job is the time we get to spend together at work. It is wonderful to see each other so much during the day so while we are not currently with one another, we've built up some solid bonus time and will all be back under the same roof soon.
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