We Are Off to Travel China!
we are currently seated at the airport, anxiously awaiting to take off! we are in seattle and head to beijing, china next! we have both shook on it that we need to spend at least 2 hours (of our 12+ hour flight) on going through our presentations together. my husband is speaking more than 13 times-hot dang! makes my one presentation seem like a piece of delicious chocolate cake.
isn’t it neat that my butt/hip can pop out like that? there’s nothing in there…i’m just happy to see you.
look at our little baby airplane for the 32 minute flight from portland to seattle!
in those 32 minutes, we got snacks and had some beer from horizon air for FREE. take a hint frontier airlines. we also practiced our chinese.
i really don’t know how people part with their kids. my heart felt like it ripped in two when we dropped off our pup (sugar). we know she’s in good hands with ‘uncle camp’ (aka our friends who take good care of her and she gets to play with their massive american bulldog, lily). but seriously…how do these animals climb into our hearts like this?! i never thought it’d be like this but alas, here i am.
please also be impressed that i ate all my mac-n-cheese with chopsticks! it was stone cold by the time i got to the last little shell but success! i then had to massage my hand for at 15 minutes because apparently these muscles aren’t used to this strenuous activity.
my mom is the best and sent us some Halloween goodies to indulge in before we left. how amazing are those napkins for my very Texan husband?! we can’t stop saying “boo y’all!” in the most southern drawl you can imagine. i instantly ate half the bag of pumpkin spice almonds. wife approved.
i mostly spent the weekend getting our home prepared to be empty for 17 days (don’t even think about breaking in because you will find nothing) and then ready for us to recover from the 15 hour time difference once we return!
oh and what better way to depart america than to exercise my right to vote?! remember how women and people of color couldn’t vote for many many years???? use you right, use your voice and vote everyone! thankfully oregon has mail-in ballots so we got our filled out and dropped them off in the mail on our way to the airport this morning.
i was trying not to be so vain while looking at the photos candidates decided to include but a few are very questionable. one guy looked like he was going to come out of the book and stalk me and i’m pretty sure someone else straight up took a selfie. in order to be less of a jerk…i will not include the photos but if you live in oregon…you know what i’m talking about.
yesterday also included calling our families and telling them ‘talk to you in 17 days’ and i found myself a little bit rolling my eyes after hearing for the fourth time “okay you guys be careful please. pay attention to your surroundings, be safe, don’t eat things you find on the ground, etc” as i was getting ready for bed, i realized how amazing it is to have a family and friends that care what happens to us. i realize not everyone gets that in a family…thank you for caring about us! we will be safe and i’ll only eat things that are securely still in their wrappers.
with those rambles, we are off! please wish us minimal bickering between us and around us, smooth travels and good TV options on our flight. i wish you a happy monday and that you find some sort of delicious candy you didn’t know you had in the back of your desk drawer!
i’m sure i’ll be ‘gramming it up so hopefully we are buds on there if you want more up to the minutes travel photos and me eating strange food. *UPDATE: instagram is currently blocked over here but am trying to pull some tricks out because i’m sort of addicted to it! thanks for letting me know rachel!
questions:
1) how bad does your heart hurt when you leave children and/or pets?
2) what is your favorite candy at Halloween?
3) last trip you took?
Rachel G
October 27, 2014 at 5:05 pm
Instagram has been blocked for the past few weeks here in China! We all suspect it’s due to the HongKong protests, though things seem to be quieting down a bit and maybe Instagram will be back up soon! What’s blocked and not blocked changes constantly. Last trip I took was to Malaysia, and next trip I’m taking is to hong kong for our anniversary (strangely enough, that kind of mirrors your trips, doesn’t it?)
Rachel G recently posted…Missing Milestones
chelsea
October 30, 2014 at 2:27 am
i am SO glad you told me this rachel-i was ill prepared to be faced with the lack of social media!
so funny that our travels are close to the same! we are actually spending 1 day in shenzen now i think around november 7 so i hope we run into each other (mostly kidding since i know it’s large) but i’m keeping my eyes peeled!
have fun in hong kong for your anniversary 🙂
Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties
October 27, 2014 at 5:27 pm
HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!!!!! I can’t wait to hear all about it- you better instagram a LOT! also– mac n cheese with chopsticks? That makes my hand hurt just thinking of it.
Ashley @ Saving Money in your Twenties recently posted…6 reasons why you should use a french press coffee maker
chelsea
October 30, 2014 at 2:30 am
uggggh dang instagram is blocked for the time being and i feel like i’m going through withdrawal! at least the blog still works for now and having a grand time so far!
Lindsay @ The Newlywed Notebook
October 27, 2014 at 5:53 pm
How FUN!! Have to admit I’m a little jealous. 😉 Can’t wait to see lots and lots of pictures and hear all about it! And yes – last time we left our puppy for just a week pretty much required 6 months of therapy upon return (just for me, I was totally traumatized and the dog was totally cool with it).
Lindsay @ The Newlywed Notebook recently posted…Winter 2014 Trends | And How to Find Them for Cheap
chelsea
October 30, 2014 at 2:32 am
haha i feel the same lindsay about these dang dogs! what the heck?! ridiculous. i’m taking WAY too many pictures and we are having a blast!
Debra
October 27, 2014 at 6:21 pm
You all are in trouble if leaving your little puppy causes you distress. Leaving your child will be super distressing. Enjoy and have a safe and fabulous trip. Ps….love your mom’s Halloween goody bag gift!
chelsea
October 30, 2014 at 2:33 am
i knoooooow! we talk about this frequently and need to invest in some separation anxiety therapy perhaps, debra 🙂 i’m pretty lucky to have the mama I have!
Dave
October 28, 2014 at 12:53 pm
[b]1) how bad does your heart hurt when you leave children and/or pets?[/b]
I’m over it! 🙂 I did watch a 3 year old break down, the other night, because his mom was coming out with us for dinner. THAT was heart-breaking!
[b]2) what is your favorite candy at Halloween?[/b]
I like little Mounds bars because that is one of those candies I NEVER eat throughout the year, for some reason and I really do like that combination of dark chocolate and coconut!
[b]3) last trip you took?[/b]
Just got back from a wedding on Long Island. High school friends. Wonderful ceremony and great fun to see some faces I hadn’t seen in a long, long time!
chelsea
October 30, 2014 at 2:35 am
oh good i’m glad it’s possible to “get over it” david and that terrible feeling! this is encouraging for me 🙂 mmmm i haven’t had a MOUNDS bar in ages but they are pretty tasty!
glad you had fun with at your HS friend’s wedding! i love me some weddings!
Emma Lincoln
October 28, 2014 at 4:39 pm
I have no problem leaving pets behind! 🙂 no eye contact, run for the door…that’s my strategy.
Does anyone celebrate Halloween in China? What kind of candy do they have there?
Emma Lincoln recently posted…Movie snacks – cheap date fix or unethical?
chelsea
October 30, 2014 at 2:37 am
haha love it emma! i think it was totally the eye contact that got me! we actually got invited to a halloween party last night but had an event so couldn’t attend. when i asked if they celebrate it regularly, the woman said some people do celebrate the American holiday but not widely!
Christina
October 28, 2014 at 8:59 pm
So I just realized how amazing your eyebrows are. Just wanted to get that out there…
1. I don’t really miss my kitty when I’m away, but when I get back I delight in all her cute and quirky behaviors and I think to myself, “how did I live without this little ball of fluff-n-love for ‘x’ days/weeks?!” Fortunately, the hubs and I have brought Mo with us on the few trips we’ve made to visit family “back home.” Besides a little accident here and there she’s a pretty good passenger!
2. Butterfinger. The initial taste is worth the hours it takes to brush and pick the sticky gunk off of your teeth.
3. Home (Ohio) for a week. Spent a lot of quality time with my mom and a few close friends.
Looking forward to hearing about all of your adventures in China!
Christina recently posted…Sweaters, dresses, and leggings–OH MY!
chelsea
October 30, 2014 at 2:39 am
that is SO nice of you to say that about my eyebrows, christina! i never know how to control these bad boys so thanks new BFF 🙂
glad you can handle time away and happy to hear Mo is a good traveler!
ravery and i were just talking about how we used to LOVE butterfingers the best on halloween but those dang sticky teeth don’t feel so worth it anymore (let’s be honest-i would still eat it)