So it's starting to get colder here and even though I'm from the Midwest and I know what cold is, after living in Florida for a few years my body has seemed to forgot about how it feels to be so cold. Although I am starting to think that it's just not something you get used to. I mean come on, who really enjoys the numb freezing feeling on your face when you're out running around and the best of course is then when you start to get hot in all your layers but you're face is still freezing!! haha Ok so anyway I think you get it, it's getting cold.
This past Friday my school went sledding for our field trip and oh my gosh was the sledding part fun! It hasn't really snowed much here though so we were actually sledding on fake snow but you would of never known if you didn't look around to the surrounding bone dry areas. Because our school has little 4-5yr olds they had to go down with either a teacher or an older student. This worked out perfectly for me because I got to have Kate as my sledding buddy. If there were to be one child that I could take home with me Kate would be it. She is the cutest little girl in the world and I love her tons. Lately she's been enjoying pointing out little things that I might have that are similar to hers and telling me "same Shawna Teacher" with the biggest smile! It melts my heart every time for sure. Anyway, back to sledding, we were able to go down 3 times together before we had to go but every time we would get to the bottom and she would stand up and look at me and say "one more time!" She loved it and giggled most the way down each time. It's been so long since I have been sledding that I'd forgotten how much fun it was and definitely forgotten how much kids love it. Even though it was cold that day I'd say that it ended up being a pretty great one.
Enough of that, Christmas is right around the corner for us all and man did that sneak up for me. I swear it still feels like at times that I've only been here a couple of months not going on over 5 months now! I keep expecting to wake up and have it hit me hard that I'm not going to be home for Christmas this year. I'm not going to be able to curl up on the couch with my mom and relax while watching the Grinch or something and then go have a nice Christmas get together with friends from back home. So far though nothing like that has hit me. I haven't been really sad and haven't even cried once. I do think though that when next weekend gets here and it's actually Christmas weekend that it will change but thankfully we have skype so I will be getting to unwrap presents with my mom on Christmas and at least still see her. Logan and I have a nice little Christmas tree up on our kitchen table that mom sent us and a few presents around it that helps make it feel like that time of year in our apartment at least. Two days after Christmas we are heading off to Hong Kong until the 1st of the year and I am so excited I'm about ready to burst. This will be the first time I'll be celebrating New Years in a foreign place and is also supposed to be one of the top places in the world to celebrate so that alone is reason for excitement. However, I am also super excited about all the shopping and all the different food as well as meeting his dad for the first time. Even though I am sad and miss my friends at times I really am so happy that I am here and getting to experience these once in a life time things.
I wish all of my friends and family a very very Merry Christmas and an amazing New Year and knowing me I will not be back to update until after Hong Kong.
Love to you all,
S
