30 Days Until

We go from this...

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/165296248798556788/

... to this. 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/165296248794608061/

Speaking of moving...

As much as we were looking to get out of our place, these guys are adamant about staying put.  

Thanks, Jill!

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It's all in the little details...

And there are so many details to share. Tomorrow...

Moving Day

We're trading in our hotel-like, high-rise, three-bedroom apartment for an awesome, classic, one-bedroom gem. Yes, really. I'll share more soon (photos, too). 

I've also been busy with a few projects for the magazine, including writing copy for ads. Just call me Peggy Olson. 

And for those of you who are interested in receiving a Shima update: She's chewed on an UGG slipper, a Rainbow flip flop, and a Formula One ticket stub. She can sit, lay down, and stay; we're working on roll over and shake. 

"Home"

We're in our Shanghai home! It's been an exhausting day, moving more than seven pieces of luggage from the hotel to our new apartment and communicating in Chinese at a one-year-old's level. And did I mention Mike is on his first business trip to Hong Kong and Beijing? Off to shower and snooze; more tomorrow. 

Starting Things Off

San Francisco was one of those life goals; I had this gut feeling I needed to be there.  It was something about the city, about how I felt when I visited friends.  And on New Year's Eve 2010, I made it.  A year and a half later, I'm now living across the Pacific Ocean in Shanghai, China.  It's a ball of crazy anxiety and excitement all rolled into one.

That ball got rolling soon after I got laid off from my last job.  They say these things are usually blessings in disguise and they couldn't be more right.  It wasn't easy though.  When Shanghai was a decision waiting to happen, I was made an offer for my dream job.  And I had to walk away.      

So here I am starting a blog, thinking this may be my outlet in a foreign everything.  And I can't tell you the amount of mental roadblocks I've had to overcome to actual sit and write this.  I kept thinking -- Why would someone read my blog?  Am I important enough to have a blog?  Will people judge what they read?  What will they think?  But I'm taking the plunge and sharing my journey -- even if my mom's my only reader.