A Little of This...

...And a Little of That

I read a quote that I LOVE.  If I had a car to put bumper stickers on, I might just put this on it:

It is against my relationship to have a religion.

Haaahhaaa!  I love it!  Thought-provoking, pithy, and clever!  And totally true!!  Does anyone else love it as much as me?

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Baby Update!  We are 32 weeks.  I'm increasingly uncomfortable.  The baby moves all.the.time.  Seriously.  I don't think the child ever sleeps.  This does not bode well for our future.  My doctor said I'm her healthiest patient, which I promptly learned how to repeat in Chinese as a handy retort to all the aggressive "helpful" old ladies who offer instructions "suggestions."

Thank you to all who tell me I look nice while pregnant.  It makes me feel good.  Really.  Did you see the post I did on the FH blog of the cute kid stories regarding my ever-expanding-belly?  The kids also make me feel good.  They are too sweet for words.

I promised to tell you what the dominant guess has been in the "offline" world.  It's the same as it is online, though to a much higher degree.  EVERYONE says it will be a boy.  I truly don't care and am not sure if I have a "gut instinct" about it myself or not.  I think I will be surprised if it is a girl, but probably just because everyone says boy.  Thank you for playing along... it makes the wait more interesting.  :)

I need to post some new pics.  Will try to do that tomorrow.

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A few weeks ago, Stefanie from Ni Hao Y'all tagged me in this 'lil Q&A circulating around.  It's been a long time since I did one, so I thought I'd play along.  It took me a ridiculously long time to do it because I had no idea I was tagged until last night.  I was out of town when she tagged me, and I clearly am not quick about getting through the backlog in my google reader.

Anyway, she said such nice things about those of us she tagged, I couldn't not play along.  Honestly, I find her life a whole lot more inspiring than my own... I don't know how she does it with all those little ones, a thriving business, and a ridiculously popular blog.  I certainly couldn't ignore the tag.  :)  So, here's some more talk about yours truly... the subject I know best.

1. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Spitting. Honking cars when there is clearly nothing that can change in the traffic ahead. Pushing. All three of these are fairly unique to China.

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
hmmmm... I honestly don't know. Not to get all philosophical, but I truly believe that location isn't what matters most.  Last year I wrote this, and it still rings true:

I've learned that while we like to ask God location questions, and He likes to ask us heart questions. Heart questions are the hardest questions. We've grown to understand that whether we're in Beijing or Boston, God wants one thing from us. He wants us to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with him. (Micah 6:8) We can do that anywhere. We have spent a considerable amount of time asking God where?, waiting for some lightening bolt to fall from heaven and provide us with a specific zip code. But it seems that in the last couple of years, we've learned that God just wants us to fully bewhere ever we are...

But, if we were just talking about places that might be fun... I'd say somewhere in the Pacific NW, a beach in Thailand, or maybe in Tibet.

3. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Nope. I have almost been arrested though.

4. What is the one thing on your mind right now?
Probably how our life is going to change in about 2 months. And there are some other big decisions brewing... in short, I spend a lot of time vacillating between trust and fear.

5. Favorite song right now.
I truly love music... it is hard for me to narrow it down to one song.  And I probably have totally uncool music taste.  Before long, I'll be wearing baggy t-shirts and floor length-denim skirts.  It's just what happens to people who live abroad too long.  I digress.
Marchin On by OneRepublic
How He Loves by John Mark McMillan

6. What talent do you wish you had?
I think I'd like it if I could play a musical instrument really well... like the piano, violin, or guitar.

7. Favorite drink.
A mojito.  (I take "drink" to mean what I'd order at a bar, so there you have it.)  At Starbucks, I like a carmel frappuccino in summer or carmel macchiato in winter.  And at Jamba Juice, anything that involves raspberry or pomegranate (and is totally fruit-based; no yogurt ice cream or dairy in my smoothies, ThankYouVeryMuch.)

8. In one word, how would you describe yourself.
Today, I would say: Transparant.

I think I'm supposed to tag 8 people... This is hard.
1 - My sister-in-law and one of my closest friends, Jane.  (Who also happens to be a ridiculously funny writer.)
2 - One of my favorite bloggers, Tara.  She and her family work in Haiti... right now they are in TX, but Tara writes with great authenticity and transparency.
3 - Walking to China.  A blog of another American in China.  She has a great heart and has an adorable foster baby.  And - bonus - she actually remembers to regularly blog about what makes life in China interesting.  That's something I forget to do all the time.
4 - I have no idea if Rachel reads my blog or not (so she may never see this), but I read hers, Small Notebook, and LOVE her take on a simple life.
5 - Valerie.  Just because I love her heart and she always is willing to go above and beyond for her bloggy friends.  Have you seen what she's heading up to help the Rippees with their adoption?
6 - Rita.  She's my co-worker.  You should read her blog if you want the low-down on a houseful of crazy beautiful girls.

I think I'm going to stop at 6.  Because I'm tired.  And lame.  And this blog post has taken a ridiculously long time to write, especially when you consider I've said very little.