Downtown Austin

Hotel San José on South Congress

The room...I love their bed covers

The writing deskÂ

Climbing through Christmas Trees at Zilker Park

Big Top Candy Store....I recommend the taffy!

The Texas Capital Building from the outside

The Capital Dome

Climbing through the Train Tressel near 2nd Street

The Cathedral of Junk in South Austin

The Salt Lick...good BBQ!

Sunset at Mount Bonnell....I liked this view best

Galveston Pelicans

Railroad tracks near the Carnival Cruise terminals

By the time we made it to the water, we were quite pleased with ourselves

Little orange house by the Gulf

Little white house about to fall in the Gulf

The Jetty

Itty Bitty Seashells

North 146....on the way back to Dallas

Nik joined me in Tennessee

to listen to the wind-chimes

before walking around the block.

We went to the circus,

and visited Paducah during the worst ice storm of the century.

We cruised around Nashville in the Pontiac,

I ate the best cinnamon roles ever,

and flew to the other side of the world...

We had arrived at our new home. Shanghai, China.

I purchased a Giant...

to explore like a local.

While Nik was at work, I explored the flower market,

a Chinese Garden,Â

and a few out of the way places.

While Nik wasn't at work, we explored construction sites,

railroad tracks,

and highway overpasses.

and ate all-you-can-eat dinners with friends.

we started thinking of this as home,

saw the sights of a tunnel on the Bund,

found my favorite coffee shop,

celebrated 3 years,

took a day trip to a water town,

and played polo on bikes.

We took a trip with the boys,

biked around the city every chance we had,

found my solitary place,

and got out of the country...

by riding the 18-hour train to Hong Kong.

I payed attention to the little details of the city:

Like laundry,

ladies wearing white sun-sleeves,

house numbers,

and construction signs.Â

I took a pottery class,

hid under a bridge during a thunder storm,

took a few bike ferries,

and discovered the antique markets.

I indulged my sweet tooth,

more than once.

I made a couple pieces I was proud of,

conquered my fear of taking photos of people,

and Nik and I went to Jingdezhen to see...

clay bashed so that...

it could be worked...

into pots that would be shipped around the world.

Then I turned 28!!!

I locked our love in Seoul,

commuted every day,

and taught 80 high school students how to fold origami cranes....and math.

I was too preoccupied with teaching to take photos,

so I stole these from Nik!

Nik proposed at the top of a mountain in Seoul!!!!!!!

I said yes, and the rest of the month was a blur of happiness and throwing around the word "fiancé" every chance we got!

I tagged along with a few students on a trip to the Yunnan Province,

explored Shanghai with Nik on foot one last time,

said goodbye to good friends,

ate my last breakfast in Apartment 1835,

temporarily said goodbye to my fiancé,

and officially said goodbye to Shanghai, the place I called home for 2009.

From there, I made it home just in time for Thanksgiving dinner,

and a family portrait.

Keisha, Mom and I took New York by storm,

Mimi told me all about quilts, dresses, and the old days,

we played an epic game of Pictionary,

and my sister made Christmas brunch.

Then Mom and Dad drove me down to Dallas...

so that Nik and I could take them to the Sky Room,

and introduce them to my future in-laws.