What We’ve Learned as of November 2nd

– Chinese construction begins at 5:00 am, even. on. the. weekends… argh!

-Blue sky and puffy white clouds NEVER get old…

– If you give my husband a few drinks and an umbrella, he will provide you with endless entertainment!

– Maneuvering 2 bikes and 2 people into an elevator is tricky!

– Biking to and from work each day is refreshing and surprisingly addictive (except for when it rains!)

– Not every taxi driver knows how to get to the arrivals section of the airport (and if you are unlucky enough to get one of these drivers your experience will be hellish!)

– There IS a number you can call with English/Mandarin translators to speak to your Chinese taxi drivers while they’re busy getting lost at the airport (oh, if only we’d remembered this during the 90 minutes of frustration we spent trying to pick my poor mom up!!!)

– Din Tai Fung has delicious dumplings, but it is too far away!

– Losing your wallet stinks, getting to the bank during their open hours is a pain, but replacing your lost bank card is quite simple- the bank issues you a new one right then and there

– Bill Evans music is ah-mazing!

– Soothing Bill Evans music, paired with flickering candles and our snuggly couch, creates the coziest setting for chilly fall evenings

– Um, did we mention Bill Evans?!

– If you purchase a large pumpkin (say, for Halloween), Chinese people will follow you around the store, gawk and point at your pumpkin, and talk about you

– It is critical to have copies of your house key made to distribute to your friends, because you are bound to forget your key at home (or your door may blow shut while you’re out in the hall- doh!)

– Adjusting to closed-toe shoes is difficult (and painful!) after 4 years of non-stop sandal wearing!

– Making homemade ravioli is time consuming, but oh-so worth it! Yum!

– You can buy roughly 50 fresh wonton wrappers (perfect for ravioli!) for approximately $0.30.

– A house truly does not feel like home until you’ve slapped some paint on the wall (and, mustard yellow is a surprisingly beautiful wall color!)

– Nothing stays on the wall… makes decorating a wee bit difficult

– A house without pets may remain a little cleaner, but it is much emptier=(

– We love IKEA even more than before! Is that even possible?!?!?

– Isaac has fallen in love with chocolate milk all over again- says it brought him back to his childhood (picture that scene in Ratatouille when Anton Ego first takes a bite of the ratatouille and is transported back to his country home, sniffling over his scraped knee and being comforted by his mother)

– You can purchase gorgeous fresh bouquets from the Thursday market for approximately $7-10.

Some of our lovely floral purchases from the past few weeks…