生日快樂親愛的業昇

生日快樂親愛的業昇 

Happy birthday, my dear Louie -

It’s your 11th heavenly birthday.  I’m writing to you from Taiwan this year and enjoying getting to use your Chinese name. I’ve always loved the meaning of 昇sheng, which means to rise or ascend. I cherish how it connects to your sisters' names (霞xia - dawn, 虹hong - rainbow, 崚ling -heavenly high) as they all point towards the skies.

One of the biggest privileges of our family adventure year is having time - life has slowed down for us. I’m attending a Bible study with 婆婆 grandma this year on the book of Revelation. Every week we study about the apocalypse. And your dad and I recently started watching The Good Place together, which is about the afterlife. So it’s a lot of reflecting about the end. While regularly reflecting on the end of the world and/or death could definitely be a “downer activity”, it’s not something that I avoid. While I’m certainly afraid of pain and afraid to leave our family on this earth, I’m not afraid for me in part because I get to see you again. 

There’s a song we sing at church that paints a picture of the end times (well the redemption part, not the wrath part). It took awhile to find as we sing it in English, but it's originally a song in Chinese. I wanted to share it with you.   

Verse:  諸天述說天父的榮耀 穹蒼傳揚奇妙的作為 張開雙手 萬物得飽足 萬口承認祢是我們的神 Chorus:  我們的神 坐在寶座上 聖殿充滿榮耀 萬民敬拜 全能的神 我們尊崇祢 聖潔榮耀 尊貴 能力 都歸於祢

Verse:  They heavens declare Your glory The skies proclaim, the work of Your hands With open hands, You satisfy us All will confess, You're the almighty God Chorus:  You are our God, seated on the throne Robed in glory, and power. We worship You Almighty God, We exalt Your name All the honor, and power, and praise belongs to You

We’re having a family adventure year that has been all that I hoped it to be - visiting new countries, meeting new friends, petting new animals, trying new foods, and making new memories.  It’s been such a wonderful year and yet… 

I wanted to let you know that I am even more looking forward to the day of our ultimate family reunion - a time where you are not bound by a little body with lungs that could not breathe and I was not bound to be on earth without you. There will be a beautiful family experience that is yet to come.

Until then, I miss you and love you. Happy birthday, my forever baby. 

Love, 

Mom

36 hours in Kyoto

Over the last decade, several people have told me that I’d love Kyoto, so was excited to finally go. My brother’s family joined for my adventure year trip and it did not disappoint. Even though we were there for 36 short hours, we had some magical moments.

Highlights: 

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

• Samurai & Ninja Museum 

• Fushimi Inari Shrine

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Walking into the forest felt like stepping into a movie, where nature was its own character. The rustling of bamboo in the wind was the perfect soundtrack for our stroll. The kids did not enjoy the “boring” walk, but we powered through nonetheless. When the snow started to fall against the sunny sky, it felt magical. 

Samurai & Ninja Museum

The kids enjoyed their hands on experience in the Samurai Ninja Museum. They were able to throw some ninja stars and blow darts. I enjoyed learning more about the history and culture.

Fushimi Inari Taisha: The Thousand Torii Gates

Early the next morning, we visited the vermillion torii gates before the crowds started. The kids enjoyed writing their wishes on the fox-shaped tablets that you can hang in the shrine.

Kyoto has this beautiful blend of ancient and modern, more than any other city that I’ve visited.  I would go back in a heartbeat although it would likely be better without young kids.

We've done a lot of travel in the last 2 months, so looking forward to staying in Taiwan for a bit. Our final trip is slated for either Hong Kong or Shanghai. Happy to hear recommendations on which Disneyland is better!

Upcoming family adventure year trips: 

✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)

✅ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025) (Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)

✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 

✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)

❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

*****

Family Travel Tips for Kyoto Arishimaya Bamboo Forest and Fushimi Inari Shrine:

• Itinerary: Everything is train accessible. We went early in the morning (before 8AM for the shrine and before 9AM for the bamboo forest) to avoid the crowds.
• Carrier/Stroller: Carrier is a must for the Fushimi Inari Shrine as it has many stairs. Stroller was fine for the bamboo forest. 
• Clothing: Nothing to note, but we went during winter, so it was quite cold (high 20s/low 30s). If I were to do it again in the winter, I’d bring hand/foot warmers.   
• Shoes: Comfortable walking shoes are a must—expect a lot of stairs and uneven paths.

Lunar New Year - Part 2

Part 2 of our lunar new year trip took us to Ho Chi Minh City.  It was a unique opportunity to see Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan during this holiday season.  We saw beautiful decorations everywhere and many spontaneous lion dances.  

Some Ho Chi Minh highlights: 

• Visiting and learning about the Cu Chi Tunnels
• Cooking class with Hoa's kitchen

The history of the tunnels was quite sobering. While it's quite commercialized now (lots of tour groups), it's still eery to be in the place where the war took place.  Our tour guide shared the ongoing impacts for multiple decades after the fighting stopped. Lexi was impacted by the stories of the war and nervous about the visit.  Ellie was engaged in the engineering behind the tunnels and the booby traps. We might have a STEM-kid in training.  

Our second highlight was a cooking class with a local guide.  We made pho-ga (chicken pho), spring rolls, and a coconut crepe - forgot .  It was a lovely way to enjoy the culture and of course enjoy a delicious meal. 

Our trip to Ho Chi Minh City was quick, but informative AND delicious. 

Upcoming family adventure year trips: 

✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)

❑ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025) (Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)

✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 

✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)

❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

*********

I'll be adding some practical travel tips for anyone traveling with younger kids. 

Practical travel tips for Cu Chi Tunnels (Kids ages: 3, 7, 9).

• Itinerary: Speedboat (1.5 hours) + Tunnels (1 hour) + Lunch (1 hour) + Return boat trip (1.5 hours).  
• Carrier:  We brought this, but no need. The tunnel tour is very little walking, so the kids were fine. 
• Clothing:  I'd recommend long pants since it gets pretty dusty while climbing the tunnels. If you take a boat in the morning, a long sleeve/jacket is a must. Even though the weather was around ~90°F in the afternoon, we were all cold in the morning due to wind of the 1+ hour speedboat ride. 
• Shoes: Kids wore their sports sandals which was fine. 

Lunar New Year - Part 1

Happy Year of the Snake! 🐍

The kids returned to school this week after the lunar year break.  We went to Indonesia (Bali + Komodo Island) and Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh).  Too much fun to pack into one blog post, so Part 1 is focused on Indonesia.

The first part of our Indonesia trip was a beautiful resort in Bali.  We swam, ate, read, and the kids went Kidz Club each day.  This was the first time Tori was able to join the big kids in the programming, so that was really fun to see.  These aren't the types of trips that I would have planned before, but have learned to enjoy them as a family.  

Bali highlights:

• Resort buffets - the resort had several great eats, but the kids (and I) most enjoyed the Japanese buffet where they cleared out all the salmon sashimi. I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the delicious food.  🍣
• Swimming - we spent A LOT of time in the pools.  The kids enjoyed the beach, by which I mean they enjoyed looking at the beach from the swimming pool.  
• Kidz Club - Tori, Ellie, and Lexi were all able to join the kids club together for games, arts & crafts, and definitely some video games.  Their favorite was the ginormous ball pit. 

Our big excursion during the Indonesia trip was an overnight to Komodo Island. This small island and the nearby islands have so much nature and beauty.  The guide said "welcome to jurassic park" when we arrived and it definitely delivered. Trekking to see the Komodo dragons would have been exciting enough for me, but there was so much more.   

(Optical illusion photo: we're really about 10 feet BEHIND the komodo dragon and there are lots of tour guides to keep us safe!) 

In addition to the komodo dragons, we visited a pink beach (from the red corral bits), Warren went swimming with manta rays, we saw baby sharks swimming nearby, saw a few dolphins, and experienced the vast beauty during our boat tour. 

Our very short visit to Indonesia was lovely and we're so grateful to get to see so many Asian countries this year. 

Upcoming family adventure year trips: 

✅ Warren: Bali & Komodo Island Indonesia for the Komodo dragons (Jan 2025)

❑ Mel: Kyoto, Japan for the cherry blossoms (Mar 2025) (Moving Kyoto to Feb 2025 with Michael & Richelle and will search for cherry blossoms in Taiwan)

✅ Lexi: Chengdu, China for the giant pandas (Oct 2024). She also voted for Komodo dragons. 

✅ Ellie: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam for the underground tunnels.  She also voted for Komodo dragons. (Jan 2025)

❑ Tori: Hong Kong for Disneyland (May 2025). She also voted for the mall. 🤷🏻‍♀️

*********

I'll be adding some practical travel tips for anyone traveling with younger kids, mostly so I don't forget when people ask me in the future. :) 

Practical travel tips for Komodo Island (Kids ages: 3, 7, 9)

• Carrier: I took Tori in a carrier given the uneven terrain. This was a definite must for a toddler.
• Clothing: Hats + bathing suits + shorts was fine.  It was very sunny and hot (85°F) when we went. I also brought a small portable fan, which the kids shared. 
• Shoes: Kids wore their crocs, which was fine.  If I did it again, I'd probably have chosen their sports sandals (Tevas) since we did about an hour of hiking with some hills. Our tour guide gave E a piggy back ride when she got tired. 
• Tour:  We would recommend a high speed boat as we were able to see a lot during our trip.  Some stops were between 30 mins to an hour away from each other.  We passed a lot of the slower, more cruise-like boats, which is different trade off if folks enjoy time on a boat. 

Holidays in Taipei

We had a lovely (and busy) time celebrating Christmas and New Year’s in Taiwan.  We are also awaiting our Lunar New Year break coming up in a few weeks.  

Warren’s little sister and my sister were able to visit during the month of December.  We were able to do some good eating and more Taipei sightseeing. 

A few highlights:

Jana (W's sister) in Jioufen

Mekong gondola with Megan's (M's sister) family

New Year's Eve with the Sturm & Kim (visiting from Korea) families

Now that we are into 2025, our adventure year is officially half over.  I knew the time would go by quickly and it truly has.  One of our biggest surprises (and delights) is the number of friends and family that travel through the area. We've been able to reconnect with so many people during our time here.  We feel lucky to be across the world and yet still connected. 

Next up on our adventure year in January:  Indonesia (W's pick) & Vietnam (Ellie's pick).

What do you do all day?

Before when I was working, I would sometimes daydream about what life would be like without a full time job.  After all, I was probably spending 50-70 hours there for the last decade.  Would it feel like a forever vacation?  Would I lose weight and be super fit?  Would I be exactly who I was meant to be with all this extra time?  Would I be the best version of myself? 

It’s been almost a year and the reality is lot more mundane.  Back in April, I wrote in my journal about “what I hope I will say” about my sabbatical year. And here are a few things I wrote: rest, be present, create core memories, exercise, learn something wildly impossible with a full time job.

So I started our Taiwan year with goals in the “Important, Not urgent” quadrant: my health and relationships. 

Stephen Covey’s Time Mgmt Matrix, which after some googling is said to come first from Eisenhower

The biggest shifts since I left working:

• Sleep
• Consuming content: books/TV/podcasts
• Exercise
• Household chores: soooo many household chores (Boy do I miss our nanny!)

And, of course I made a chart. :)

Even Apple is telling me I’m doing much better with sleep!  It was a very low bar, but getting healthier.

While I had hoped to get back to my pre-pregnancy Tori weight AND have my eczema in tip top shape, progress is slow. So I'll keep at it. There hasn't been a dramatic change to my life, but I will say that living more slowly -- hanging out with my parents as an adult, spending more time with the kids (higher highs and lower lows with this one) -- has truly been a gift. 

For those who are still dreaming of taking a gap year (or summer/month), I see you and hope you find a way to make it happen. 

Sports Day 運動會

Life in Taipei has moved into a predictable rhythm and thankfully the weather has really cooled off, so we can spend more time outdoors.  

Recently both schools had their sports day (運動會), which is common across the city.  It’s an official school day on Saturday where everyone participates in performances, games, and athletics.  What I enjoyed about it is that we were able to see the kids interact with their friends and meet some other parents. While there are some social activities here, there are far fewer than in the US. Sports day is an encouragement for the kids to develop habits in healthy eating, exercise, and sportsmanship. In general, I've found that a centralized system on health and wellness makes a lot of sense. The kids even get their flu shots, dental fluoride, and other check ups at school. Definitely feel like the US could learn some things that Taiwan has figured out.

Here are some photos of both sports days. 

Kuei Shan Sports Day (Lexi and Ellie)

Cheng Mei Sports Day (Tori)