ThisSide.... Now: New Things DAYBOOK

Outside My Window

still sweltering!

I'm Thinking About

babies. It's official. MacSlarrow Number Three - on the way!!!!! (it's a BOY! 👏 👶 💙 🙏 )

I Don't Want To Forget
the way those who leave us - change us. RIP.

I'm ~~Learning~~ Trying

to ignore that to-do list more often and rest up.
to quiet down the steady stream of endless plans and lists in order to BE in the moment.

I'm Hearing

the air-con - because "outside my window"!
oh - and renditions of "Symphony" and "Despacito" by my 4 & 9 year olds.

I'm Reading

The Power of Play - by David Elkind

Decent read. Good stuff. Great topic. Not incredibly well written.

Not My Father's Son - by Alan Cummings

Fabulous. Very impressive writing style and quite the memoir!

Textbook Amy Krouse Rosenthal - by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Sis - you MUST get this book in your hands, stat!

A Wrinkle In Time - by Madeline L'Engle (reading aloud to ABear)

Around The House

Still settling in. At a snails pace, it seems. We moved into school housing - so my commute is a dream (an elevator ride!). The space is great. Location is more amid the bustle of life, which suits me, but still very "southside" (aka expat and green). We have a 10 minute walk to the beach. I mean - c'mon!

Arrived from the airport of our crazy summer to THIS. Welcome home.

checking out the closets (and emptying alllll the clothing boxes) Addie-style

a room of her own

and hers -- aren't those pom pom curtains divine??

At Work

Still settling in. Yep - I just wrote that AGAIN. New building. New students. New colleagues. New New New. This lower-primary building is gorgeous. Purpose-built .... this is the cream! Feeling so lucky to be here for this grand opening and to be teaching in this incredible space.

photo cred: HKIS - yes, the children made that backdrop!!!

photo cred: HKIS - our magical doorway into the library

rainbow stairs - main stairwell

photo cred: HKIS - entrance

playground on the 7th floor (our family goes often in the evenings for a romp after dinner)

made to look like the famous Hong Kong Star Ferry - unique climbing structure, water feature under construction

view from the playground at sunset

My classroom space - a work in progress

Eating Out (confession - I'm never in the kitchen anymore)

We turned "back-to-school-night" into a date night so we could actually see each other :) Stuffed ourselves silly with fish tacos, spicy prawns, and vietnamese crab salad last week. Also - a Japanese-Peruvian blend restaurant?! Don't mind if I do!!

So Very Hong Kong

personal space. not so much. So about that new baby.... did you know that maternity wards in HK are shared rooms? Yep - I'll be just a pull-curtain away from several other new mothers (could be up to 20 depending on the hospital) when the little one is born. I was feeling a little uncertain about this "sardines in a can" deal... though trying my best to maintain game face... when a local friend lamented that a room by yourself can be so isolating and depressing... way to spin it! I love it. I'm holding on to that! Support and solidarity in numbers, baby. Bring it.

One Of My Favorite Things

pedicures.

A Less-Than Favorite Thing
Bad air-quality. Typhoons.
A fire alarm at 5:30 a.m. on a school day with a 9-floor walk downstairs in pajamas.

I'm Thankful

for my husband. He's a rock. A really handsome, heart-of-melted-chocolate kind of rock.

I'm Planning

Baby!!! Making lists of names, moving the crib all around to see where it fits, collecting hand-me-down baby clothes, reading up about public hospitals in HK, prepping the girls for the chaos and beauty that is about to take front-center here.