Flexibility

There are many situations in life that teach us that we must be emotionally and mentally flexible.

For example, I had planned on writing a wonderful post about Eslite, a fantastic chain of bookstores here in Taiwan that are known as the some of the best in the world. Zoë and I visited one earlier this week in preparation for this post. We both enjoyed it immensely.

Unfortunately, that post will have to wait until next week. If you had a chance to read my last post about Zoë’s febrile seizure (if you haven’t, you can check it out here) on Wednesday afternoon, you may understand why the Eslite post must wait. Zoë’s fever has continued and we have had to be hyper-vigilant to keep her temperature down in the normal range. So Chad and I are running on little sleep, much stress, and even more prayer. This momma is tired and I don’t want to write a “thing to do” post while my brain is running on low fuel. I am praying that Zoë is fever free as of today and that our lives will return to normal. If you would send your prayers or good thoughts that would be much appreciated!

One thing about travel of any kind, whether it is long-term or short, with or without children, you learn quickly to be flexible. This week has been an emotionally draining and scary lesson in flexibility. But in all the things that we experience on this trip, whether bad or good, I am still incredibly thankful to be on this journey.

Thank you again for following us along our adventures!

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Wednesday Write-Up: Horrible Adventure

Sometimes you get more adventure than you bargained for. Sometimes an adventure is not good at the time, but scary and horrible. We had one of those adventures yesterday.

Yesterday was Wednesday here in Taipei (yes I am a bit late in posting this article…you will understand why soon). Chad went to go work on his book at a nearby coffee shop. Zoë and I went to an awesome indoor play area, aptly named Playspace (their website here, you will need to use google to translate. Or you can find english information on it here ) for the second time in as many days.

Playing at Playspace
(c) andthreetogo

Zoë and I were both excited to go and play again. The day before we had played together with the wonderful array of quality toys and educational tasks for three hours. I was looking forward to letting her play in their amazing sand box as long as she wanted. It was supposed to be a enriching and fun time together.

We arrived at our destination and Zz played in the sand for a bit, but was a bit lethargic and cranky. She didn’t want to play with the other children and after 45 minutes she was ready to go home. We hopped in a taxi and she felt hot, like she had a fever. I texted Chad what was going on and that once we arrived at home, I was planning on taking her temp and giving her some advil if she indeed did have a fever.

I carried Zoë into the house and took her temp right away, it was 102.2 so I got out the Ibuprofen quickly and attempted to open it one handed as I held her.

That is when she went limp. I jostled her in my arms, calling her name and turned her head to me. Her eyes were open, but she was completely unresponsive. I called her name over and over, trying to wake her as I somehow managed to grab my purse and put on my shoes to leave for the hospital.

I remembered as I was almost out the door that I needed her passport. I ran back to try to find it… where the heck did I put it?!?! That is when she started to seize. She tensed up and twitched, making a clicking sound in her throat. I knew exactly what was happening, I have seen other children go through this when I worked in doctor offices, but I was still freaking out. I gave up on finding the passports and ran out the door with my unconscious baby mid-seizure, not even shutting the front door behind me.

I, of course, was out of minutes on my phone, but was still able to text Chad to “Call me mow” (its the best I could do while running down the hill). He called right away, I yelled, “She’s having a seizure, meet me at the hospital.” I do not know how I made it down the hill so fast, but I know that the whole time I was holding my still unconscious, but no longer seizing baby, screaming for someone to please help me. No one did, they all just stared, which makes sense since I was speaking english.

After I had run for about a quarter mile, a wonderful english speaking lady on a scooter stopped and gave me and Zoë a ride to the hospital. It was such a god-send, normally there is no way I would take Zoë on a scooter, especially helmet-less, but I was so thankful that we were able to get to the emergency room so quickly. I am by no means a runner, there is a meme that I love, it says “I would never run with scissors, actually those last two words were unnecessary.” It was pure endorphins that made me able to run so fast and far holding a limp 30 pound toddler.

I ran into the ER, screamed “She’s having a seizure” and was rushed right back to a bed, where a team of about ten people started her on an IV, placed her on oxygen, took all her vitals and got her history and information within 2 minutes of being there.

Chad got there about 10 minutes later, after Zoë had been treated for her high fever (103.6 F!!!) and was resting. Both of us were in shock at what was going on. Chad and I prayed together and alone for God to heal her and that the time in the hospital would not be traumatic for Z. The doctors informed us of the possible causes of the seizure, but definitely leaned towards a febrile seizure. A febrile seizure happens when a child, usually between the ages of 0-6 years old, spikes a fever so fast that their body can’t handle it and it causes a short seizure.

Despite the fact that all the facts pointed to a febrile seizure, the doctors still performed tests checking for any other possible cause as well as the cause of the fever. The care was excellent and efficient. The staff made a terrible situation into a manageable one.

Within two hours, Zoë had napped and woken up hungry and thirsty and ready to say “no” to everything we said. Our girl was back to normal! Thank you Jesus!!!

Eating Raisins and Chatting Away
(c)andthreetogo

We waited in the ER for the next 4 hours waiting for test results, then were told that the fever was probably caused by a virus, as they couldn’t find anything else wrong with her. The kind doctor said we should give her ibuprofen every 6 hours and if the fever got any higher to bring her back. With that we picked up a prescription for Ibuprofen and headed home.

Zoë slept soundly all night, although Chad and I were up often, checking her temperature and her breathing. Today, she is back to her normal self and cutely telling us “Mommy, Daddy, look ZZ’s tattoo (what she calls her bandage from the IV), see but don’t touch.” She is running around the house and imagining that she is Tinkerbell and is flying with her magic feather. She loves to mix and match Disney movies.

Chad and I are spoiling our little girl today and I started to say to her earlier, “What a lucky girl you are,” but I had to stop myself. We are the lucky ones, we are the amazingly blessed people that get to raise and enjoy this gift from God. We are so blessed to have her. We knew that before, but something about going through this together, gives me a renewed sense of love and responsibility.

My Little Family, I am Truly Blessed
(c) andthreetogo

Sometimes we get more adventure than we expected in our lives. Sometimes those adventures are bad in the moment. Regardless of the positive or negative nature of an adventure, we have them to grow and expand our lives. The adventure that all three of us lived through yesterday has given me a new realization of God’s true blessings that he has given me. God is good!

How precious is Your loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 36:7

Typhoons, Tailbones, and Time

So I have to admit that we did nothing this week that could be considered touristy. We lived a blessed life this week again, for sure. But I have nothing special to write about, as far as what you should see or do in Taipei. The “typhoon” (I use quotation marks because honestly I have seen far worse storms in California), my bruised tailbone from my fall down the stairs, and my subsequent paranoia about falling again in the rain prevented us from doing much this week.

When you travel long term, it is important to take time to do normal, real-life things sometimes. One cannot bustle around and be on the go all the time, especially with a toddler (I blame having a kid, but in reality, I need the down time more than her probably).

Despite the fact that we didn’t see any sights, or take any pictures of monuments, we did do some things that I do feel everyone should experience. They may seem mundane to you, but I feel refreshed and renewed for the new week because of them.

1) We had housecleaners come and do a deep clean of the house we are renting.

I have never had professionals clean my house. The house that we are renting previously belonged to three cats. Chad is allergic to cats and he has been suffering in silence. Yes, I could have done the work myself, but at the price of $20 an hour, we were both willing to let someone else do it for me. I am thankful that I was able to partake in this luxury. I know that in the States it is much more expensive, but I think everyone should enjoy this at least once. Especially all you hard working momma’s out there!

2) We stayed in and had a game night with good friends.

Last night after the babe went to bed, our friends came to our jungle oasis bearing gifts of hamburgers and fries (I know, awesome friends right?!). We sat and played the Battlestar Galactica board game until the wee hours of the morning (hence the lateness of this post). What a great time it was! I was the cylon and I ended up winning. I promise that is all the details I will go into about the game, Battlestar Galactica is not exciting to everyone I am sure, but I sure do love it!.

Regardless of what game we played, it was nice to relax and spend time with good friends. Last night I was Jenny, not just Zz’s mom, as she loves to call me lately. I think it is very important for every parent to take time to just be themselves occasionally. I know that it seems like that would go without saying, but I know many parents who never do so, or feel guilty when they do (I am totally pointing my finger at myself right now).

3) We spent a whole day in the house, just us three, and enjoyed each others company.

The typhoon day was such a blessing. Both Chad and I were nervous that many of the trees surrounding our house seemed like they may fall and break through our roof at the slightest breeze, but the Lord kept us safe in the wimpy torrential rainstorm. It ended up being a great day of togetherness!

Having Chad and Zoë with me all day, every day for the most part, I often forget to actually connect with each of them. I just end up going through the motions. I am so glad that there was a day that we were forced to stay in with each other, so I could reconnect with my two favorite people.

Make sure to take time and have a “typhoon day” with the ones you love too.

Next week I promise that I will write more about the wonders of Taiwan. Until then, what are some of the ordinary yet exceptional things that you would recommend that everyone do this week?

Wednesday Write-Up: Constants in an Inconstant World

There are few things that are constant in this world. It is always changing and evolving, and we are always trying to destroy improve the earth around us. But in each place that we live or travel to there are constants. In Santa Rosa, California, my home town, there will always be beautiful vineyards and inflated home prices. In Taipei, Taiwan there will always be a chance of rain and slick marble sidewalks and entryways.

I was reminded of these Taipei constants again yesterday. Chad, Zoë, and I were on our way to the local big box store called RT Mart (the Walmart of Taipei). There was a typhoon forecasted for the next day and we needed to stock up on food items in case we were unable to leave the house for a couple of days.

Typhoons often hit Taiwan this time of year, it is called typhoon season for a reason, but very rarely are they much to worry about in the actual city of Taipei. Usually the coastal towns, such as Hualien, are hit hard and then the typhoon fizzles out before reaching the valley that is Taipei.

It was raining here in Taipei, as we made our way to the abysmal but necessary RT Mart, and I had dressed accordingly in black skirt, dark shirt and flip-flops. Or so I thought. Chad and I dashed from the taxi that dropped us off into the entryway of the store. Chad was pushing Zoë in the stroller and made it down a ramp to the basement entry without issue. I followed, going slowly because I started slipping and sliding in my flip-flops on the marble sidewalk well before the I had gotten to the stairs.

It is common place for businesses to “dress-up” their entryway with marble or slick tile despite the possible accidents that could happen because of the constant possibility of rain. It is something that my foreigner friends and I used to discuss often about the lack of common sense that sometimes abounds in Taipei. The marble tiles are not new to me, I know that this is a thing here in Taipei and I thought I was prepared.

I was not prepared. Chad and Zoë (thank God) made it down the stairs safely. I did not fare so well.

As I stepped on the top stair, I felt my foot slip out from under me. I was so careful, but obviously my flip-flops were the wrong shoes to wear that day. I think I yelped as I landed on my tailbone and proceeded to fall down the flight of dirty, nasty, wet stairs in front of about five locals and Chad and Zoë. It was not my most graceful entrance, and I definitely felt that flight of stairs more than any other in my life (this was my first time falling down stairs).

I laid on the stairs for a moment while Chad asked me questions, making sure that I was ok enough to move. I slowly moved all my limbs and joints, trying to ascertain if I had broken a leg, arm, or my back. The locals didn’t move to help, but tried not to stare, which I appreciated. I was ok, I was still alive!

As I slowly got back on my feet, I felt intense pain in my tailbone. I must have bruised it. Chad and Zoë asked me if I was ok. I held back tears as best I could because I didnt want to scare Z and said I was fine, just a little sore.

I have bruised my tailbone once before in a scooter accident. I also bruised it when giving birth to Zoë, so I am not unfamiliar with the pain, or how to take care of it. I guess I am pretty lucky.

I hobbled around while we did our shopping and since then have been doing the best I can to be normal with a bruised rear end, unable to sit or bend over without some pretty excruciating pain.

In all of this though I am thankful. I am so thankful that Zoë was in the stroller and not in my arms when I fell down the stairs. I am thankful that the typhoon did actually hit Taipei and I have had an excuse to sit (or stand awkwardly) around the house. Mostly I am thankful that I made it through a fall down cement stairs without breaking my neck or dying. I am thankful to be here, with Chad and Zoë, in this wonderful rainy city with marble sidewalks.

I am going to go ice my bum now and listen to the sound of heavy rain falling on our tin roof (there really isn’t a more soothing sound). What are the constants in your area? I love to hear from you, leave a comment and let me know!

Terrific Day at the Taipei Zoo

Today we took Zoë to the doctor and got confirmation that she does indeed have heat rash (10 days now, I hate seeing my baby uncomfortable). The doctor gave Zoë a prescription of steroid cream that seems to be working well. Poor thing was up most the night last night scratching, hence the doctor visit. I love visiting a country where we can see a doctor and get a prescription for a total of about $25, but that is a topic for another day.

Since Zz was feeling better and her rash seemed to improve after applying the cream, we decided to take her to the Taipei Zoo.

When Chad and I lived here five years ago, we ventured to this wonderful zoo three or four times. We loved it and when we returned here, one of the things we were looking forward to was taking Zoë to experience it as well.

The Taipei Zoo is located in the Muzha district of Taipei, you can take the metro to the terminal stop on the Taipei brown metro line. The “Taipei Zoo” metro stop drops you off within a 2 minute walk of the zoo entrance. You can also take a taxi, but the metro is much cheaper and actually very comfortable.

We took the metro, or “choo choo” as Z calls it, and landed at the zoo this afternoon. It was raining at our house, but the weather there was beautiful and sunny. This is typical for Taipei, the storm clouds seem to pick one area and stick to it on any given day, I was glad that the storms left the zoo area alone today. We all needed some time out of the house.

Zoë was very excited to be going to the zoo, and became even more excited as she walked past the metal sculptures of animals on the way to the entrance.

Zoë loves the sculptures on the walk to the Taipei Zoo
(c) andthreetogo

We paid our admission fees (60 NT a person, but it was buy one get one free for adults, and children under 6 are free, so we paid about $3 to go to the zoo!) and entered the park.

The ticket window
(c) andthreetogo

Immediately, all three of us noticed the children playing in a fountain type water play area. We took Z’s shoes off and let her run around in the water for some time. It was a great way to cool her off before we started to walk around and see the animals. She had a blast. Not only did she have fun, but there seemed to be a Zoë fan club going on as well. There was literally a line of people waiting to take their picture with the little Wàiguó rén (foreigner). At first we relented and felt even honored, and then it got a bit crazy (probably dating myself, but think of the NKOTB fans and how they would have felt getting a picture with Jordan) so we stopped it. It felt a little like Zz was an animal in the zoo that everyone came to see and we both were worried that it would make her scared or something.

Zoë playing in the fountain

After we dodged the fan club, we started walking around the park. The wonderful and beautiful thing about the Taipei Zoo is that they have built it utilizing the existing landscape. The jungle that surrounds the zoo is part of the zoo. It is luscious and green and makes it fun to walk from habitat to habitat.

The park is large and we knew that we wouldn’t be able to see it all in one day, especially since we were being careful to keep Z cool and not exacerbate her heat rash.

We checked out the panda’s (which are way cuter in real life), the koalas, the elephants, hippos, tigers, and the list goes on. Zoë loved just stopping to watch the animals and also to pick up leaves and clean the ground with them. She definitely takes after her mama, a bit on the obsessive compulsive side.

Z hugging a panda statue (that was made to look as though it is marking it’s territory)

Zoë cleaning the handrails with a leaf
(c) andthreetogo

We left as the call went out that the park was closing. We left much of the park to see for another day, but with such inexpensive entrance fees, we figure we will take Zoë back numerous times during our visit to this great city.

As we left, we again had a crowd of people following us, asking to have their pictures taken with Zoë (Justin Beiber, you have obviously been replaced in Taiwan). We kindly declined the pleas as the line of people was getting rather long to get a snapshot with her. We ran to a taxi and headed home, the metro just felt too long a trip after running around all afternoon.

Whether you have kids or not, the Taipei Zoo should be on your must do list when you visit here. It is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, a day, or whatever time you can give it. I promise you it will be time well spent!

Zoë gives Taipei Zoo a thumbs up

Wednesday Write-Up: Welcome to the Jungle

One of our friends was leaving on a three month trip of his own, so he kindly sublet his home to us for the remainder of our stay in Taipei. And it is not just any home, it is an actual house home!

Taipei is filled with high-rise apartment buildings, one right after the other. Different apartments have different amenities, just like anywhere else in the world, but one thing that I never realized still existed in Taipei was actual free-standing houses. Well, now I know that they exist because we are renting one.

Our Taipei home is found by walking up a foot path about 3 feet wide, starting between two multi-story apartment buildings, up some stairs through the jungle type landscape and finally coming to a few one-story homes grouped together amongst the greenery. It is such a beautiful sight to see! I feel like every time we enter our walk way, we are disappearing into our secret garden. And every time we leave our little oasis, we are smack dab in the main city center, within walking distance to restaurants, shopping, and Taipei 101 (the third tallest building in the world). It really is a trip, I love it.

A real free-standing house in Taipei!
(c) andthreetogo

The view of the jungle from our front door
(c) andthreetogo

We have not been doing much in the way of tourist sights lately though. Zoë got a heat rash over a good portion of her body about a week ago. After researching, I found out heat rash (or prickly heat) is very common for children in climates like Taiwan’s. So we have been following the wise and all-knowing internet’s instructions and soothing Zoë’s itching with calamine lotion and keeping her out of the heat . This means that we leave the house only to eat lunch and dinner and to visit air-conditioned places. It also means that we have to take taxis everywhere, which you will not hear me complain about. I do love to walk, but it is nice to have an excuse to be lazy sometimes.

Please pray, send good thoughts, or what ever you choose to do, that Zoë’s heat rash will clear up soon. I hate seeing her uncomfortable. Also, if you know of any sure-fire treatments for heat rash let me know! I can’t wait to take Zoë to all the amazing places there are to see on this beautiful island. Here’s to hoping that she heals quickly and we can explore more of the city for my Friday post. Cheers!

The In-Betweens

The In-Betweens
By Chad (filling in for Jenny)

A thought occurred to me during our travels, one that had entered my head before, and one that I continue to have. It was a small nagging realization that the best parts of travel are not the monumental, nor the breathtaking, nor the phenomenal.

Instead the best parts are those that almost go unnoticed; the little moments that if left undocumented, probably get forgotten.

The chime of the 7-11 door, the blistering cold from the AC, and the sing-song sound of what sounds like “Good Morning,” but is in reality “Huānyíng” (欢迎), which means “Welcome,” was what stirred my memory. I had completely forgotten about this very mundane part of every day in Taiwan (trust me, every day in Taiwan is filled with 7-11 visits…). It was the greeting, the little sing-song sound, that made me smile and remember the conversations with fellow English speakers about it not being Good Morning… Especially in the middle of the night…

They are everywhere!

This moment gave me pause to reflect on all that we have done in the last few months. So many amazing moments, sights seen, and adventures had. So many moments that are forever etched into my memory, and will be shared with story and visuals on countless occasions until I am sick of telling them.

But what about those I had already forgotten, or the little memories that will come flooding back when least expected? I glanced through our picture collection, the many thousands of moments captured, and the select few that made up the blog, and the Flickr account. In-between all the pretty beaches, great castles, and Z’s smiling faces were the blurry nothings and the hastily snapped who-knows-what-they-were… But there were a few that brought back the memories already almost forgotten.

Germany airport playground.

Thankfulness for a children’s playground is something you learn quickly while lugging a toddler around the world. Somewhere safe for them to play, and to burn off their excess energy, while you sip a coffee and reenergize… well it’s more than a blessing, it’s a lifesaver. One of the first I was thankful for was the small little playground in Germany, in-between flights, and in the very clean airport. I had almost forgotten about Z in her little pajamas, so excited to see some toys after being locked in plane after plane…

Great Coffee, WiFi, Outdoor tables.

Fast Internet, good coffee, and being able to sit outside while working. These are three things I treasure on this trip and I almost take for granted. The ability to work in my pajamas on a bed is great, but I had almost forgotten how nice it is to sit outside and sit upright while getting the job done. I need to start doing that more often.

Jenny fulfilling a dream.

In-between the places we’ve loved are the places we’ve crashed for a night or two. The short stays where we don’t even bother unpacking our bags. This place was all right, the host was very nice, but it wasn’t much more than a bachelor pad. But it had this window, and it looked out over the sidewalks below… and you could hear the diners eating at the outdoor eatery, quietly chatting, glassware clinking, and light music playing in the background. Jenny had this dream to sit in the window, despite my panicky fear of heights, and she fulfilled her dream. It was almost magical, the wine, the alone time with Zoë sleeping peacefully. It was almost as if we were two young vagabonds with not a care in the world…

In-Between. The camera resting as it should.

These are three very in-between moments, of things that I fortunately had pics to remind me of… It almost makes me sad to go through my pictures and realize that most of what was visually captured are the moments I will never forget, despite the reminders.

I do want to remember it all, but the in-betweens are forgotten until something internal awakens them. The thought that a hidden treasure of memory awaits the right key to unlock it is like waiting for an eventual present. At any time a sight, smell, or a sound could bring these memories back. That is worth waiting for, and being truly excited about.

Wednesday Write-Up: And Now For Something Completely Different

Yesterday, we did something that was completely different from normal for us. We went and met with an international model agent to see about possibly getting some jobs while we stay in Taiwan.

Foreigners, especially those that are blonde and blue eyed, are desired for tons of advertising here in Taiwan. Many of our friends have done some modeling or TV work while living here , so we thought we would give it a try.

A friend of ours hooked us up with one of the agents that he gets jobs from. We emailed her some head-shots (poorly done ones we did ourselves) and she jumped at the chance to have us come in. Now, you may think that I am being conceited by saying that, but in all reality I doubt that she even noticed what Chad and I looked like. I would bet a million dollars that all the agent saw in that email was the picture of our two-year old blonde haired, blue eyed girl with rosy cheeks (someone recently asked me if I put makeup on her). Zoë may end up earning her keep after all.

The appointment was yesterday. We packed up our two outfits each (one casual, one formal) and took a taxi to Tienmu, a suburb of Taipei that is about a half-hour away drive from where we are staying.

I have to say that I was nervous. I am not the best in front of a camera, in fact, most of my good pictures were taken of me when I was unaware someone was taking a picture of me. But I was excited too, I love trying new things, and this was definitely new!

When we arrived, the agent, Penny, showed us to an amazing play room that had every kind of toy you could think of. Zoë was beyond elated! She played happily while Chad and I gave our information and had our measurements taken, then it was time for Zoë’s photo shoot.

I am not bragging, but Zoë is very photogenic. We rarely get a bad picture of her and neither did the photographer at the agency. Z seemed to have fun and certainly didn’t mind the attention.

Zoë’s First Photo Shoot
(c) andthreetogo

Chad and I had our photos taken and it was pretty uneventful. Chads pictures turned out fantastic (the photogenic gene comes from him). They kept asking me to pose and I instinctively wanted to do the typical Taiwanese pose flashing the peace sign, but I resisted. I just did some catalog type poses and tried to look natural, but I have a feeling that I just looked constipated uncomfortable.

All-in-all, it was a ton of fun for Zoë and us. There is a possibility that Z will get hired to do a high-end baby clothing catalog. Both Chad and I have some misgivings now about Zoë’s picture being used so publicly, so we are discussing and praying about what the right thing to do is. Whatever we decide though, we did try something very different yesterday and it was exciting to try something new. And who knows, this could be our big break…. The Mitchell modeling family.

Until then, I am going to continue on in my present employment, writing my blog and being a mom and wife, which I think are the best jobs ever!

How Many Photos is Too Many?

Now that we are settled in Taipei  for a bit, Chad and I are trying to get our flickr.com photo pages up to date and labeled. This may sound like a pretty simple task, but think about how many photos you take in a normal day (I mean who doesn’t post at least one picture of their kid or meal on Instagram each day)… now multiply that times a million and you know now how many photos we have taken on this trip so far. Okay, so maybe I exaggerate a little. All I can say is that I am thankful that they are all digital, I would probably drown in them if they were actually processed photographs.

We sit and go through each set of photographs we have taken and try to choose the best ones. We upload the ones that we think will mean something or be interesting to those that are going to be looking. How does one choose what other people want to see? I have no idea, and by the end each photo set, I really don’t care. I just choose the ones that look halfway decent.

Then there are the descriptions and titles of each photo. I am not a witty person, and trying to think of new and fun things to say about each photo, well, I just hope people won’t expect too much. Captions stating things like “Zoë and a boat” will probably be common. But who really needs a full description on each photo anyways, right?

The point of all this work, is that at least our photos will be up for the world to see and everyone can share in our adventure even more. The digital age has been wonderful for us on this trip and I am so glad that we can show people what we have seen and that people can read here on this blog about what and how we are doing. Thank God for excellent technology.

Here are some of the pictures that will make it up on our flickr page. When it is up and ready for perusal, I will make sure to give you the link ASAP! Now I am off to choose some more photos to upload… only another 328,798 to go.

Zoë, Goofy, and Jen at Disneyland April 2013

Willie Nelson Blvd. In Austin, Texas, April 2013

Chad and Zoë at South Beach, Miami, FL April 2013

Chad and Zoë checking out crabs in the water, Curacao April 2013

Lisbon as seen from St. George’s Castle, Lisbon, Portugal May 2013

Ready for the Ride! Disneyland Paris June 2013

City Park, Budapest, Hungary June 2013

The three of us at the Parthenon, Athens, Greece July 2013

Zoë playing at Taverna Agkyra Paros, Greece, July 2013

Zoë playing at Daan Park in Taipei, Taiwan, July 2013