images of china

 Last week Chris and I returned from China.

It was amazing and I would go back in a heartbeat.  I wasn't prepared to love it as much as I did and enjoyed every minute.  Chris was working in Shanghai during the first few days of the trip while I was visiting the sites with a guide, then we flew to Bejing to spend the last three days together.  Hopefully I'll get around to a day-by-day posting of my favorite pictures (I took a TON), but for now I just had to share a few from my phone . . .

One of the many bronze lions guarding the halls in the Forbidden City

Shanghai financial district (Pudong) along the Huangpu river.  This was our view from the restaurant one evening (one of the perks that comes with accompanying Chris on business :).

Bejing - outside the Forbidden City north gate.  

The pollution added just the right touch to this pic ;).

One of the many "lake rock" formations within the Forbidden City

The Great Wall of China at Mutianyu.  UNBELIEVABLE!

This was our turn around spot on the great wall . . . it was breathtaking.

"Jade Buddah" Temple (working Buddhist temple) in Shanghai.

I loved the incense burners and watching the believers burn incense and pray.

Kumning Lake - Summer Palace, Bejing

Tai Chi Master practicing along the banks of the lake.  This was really fascinating to watch.

About the coolest wall I've ever seen (Shanghai) . . .  a mile of FLOWERS!

The Forbidden City - in front of one of the grand halls.  

We were quite the tourist attraction for all the Chinese coming to Bejing . . . 

really, it seemed we were the only westerners visiting the city that day and garnered quite a few stares.

Forbidden City "Hall of Supreme Harmony"

Yu Yuen Gardens, Shanghai.  I loved old Shanghai and these gardens which are remnants of a noble family's home and gardens during the Ming and Xing dynasties

Beautiful "wish" lanterns at the Jade Buddah Temple, Shanghai

Charting our course on the wall . . . 

yep, climb that hill, traverse across the ridge and up to the next mountain range!!

Hopefully more pictures and tales from our adventures coming soon (but don't hold your breath - this may be it or follow my "instagram" posts - I uploaded a bunch while we were on the trip: username = juliecantera).

we survived

8 days

6 states
2 big cities
4 children
1 rental car
2 subway systems
2 hotels
3 airports
3 roundtrip bus trips
500+ miles on the road
15+ miles by sidewalk
30+ miles by bike
2.5 mile hike
192 hours of family bonding
2+ sibling arguments per day needing a referee
1+ incident per day that threw us into intense (make you pee), hysterical laughing fits
1 embarrassed 16-year old son (because of said hysterics by the rest of us)
7 new inside jokes to keep us going until the next trip
200+ pictures (at least)
2 exhausted parents needing a vacation from our vacation!

pictures to come . . .

after I sleep, unpack, and take a nap :-)

heading back

It's been six years since the older kids have been back east (and since I was a blonde ;-), and in a few days we're taking the whole crew.  We were looking at some pics from the last trip and can't believe how much Ryan (then 10) and Caroline (then 8) have grown and changed over the past few years - they were so little, and the same size to boot!

What we are looking forward to the most:

• Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square (especially the "Hershey Store"), FAO Schwartz, Museum of Natural History, MOMA, Rockefeller Plaza, American Girl Place, "Top of the Rock"
• Indian dinner and Ukrainian dessert in the East Village, breakfast bagels downtown, pizza in Soho, hot dog vendors, Serendipity frozen hot chocolate
• Knock-off purse shopping in Chinatown, browsing Tiffany's, wooden escalators in Macy's, the Apple store on 5th, Lincoln Center fountains, the Dakota and Strawberry fields, playbills!
• New England fall foliage, biking the historic Minuteman trail, Walden Pond, Louisa May Alcott home, Plymouth, Cape Cod, THE NO NAME, regatta on the Charles, the Freedom Trail, Italian in the North End, Cambridge, the Co-op, the Back Bay, Fenway.

some favorite pics from 2005 . . .

Times Square (on our way to see "Hairspray")

Rockefeller Plaza

Quintessential NYC

Caroline in heaven at the American Girl Place

The Lion King!

Central Park

heading out to Ellis Island via Statue of Liberty

walking the Brooklyn Bridge

gotta play on the FAO giant piano!

The Mayflower

chatting with the Pilgrims at Plymouth Plantation

Lexington Green

 Louisa May Alcott home in Concord, MA

 The Old North Bridge

 celebrating Chris' 40th at the No Name in Boston

 gearing up for the Red Sox game . . .

 Fenway

 Ryan hoping to get his ball signed

  future Harvard students?

The Old State House - walking the Freedom Trail

Well, it's back to work to get the house in order and start packing . . . here's to our adventure and creating memories for the little girls who had to stay home last time :-).

Our summer vacation

After a crazy summer when I had to wonder if the entire family had even been under the roof at the same time for more than a few days, we took off for sunny southern California for a week of uninterrupted family time.  It was just what we needed and since we haven't seen much of each other and we truly enjoyed every minute of our together time (I couldn't believe it either - the kids actually did LIKE being with each other!).  Our days were spent on the beach, in the pool, hanging out with friends (our good friends the Larsens were at their beach house the same week), playing tennis together, perusing surf shops, staying up late, and just general relaxation in that oh, so perfect seaside climate.

I made a little memory book last night and figured sharing this on the blog is a whole lot easier than downloading all those pics . . .

Southern California ~ 2011 | Make Your Own Book

FYI:

If planning a trip to SoCal with the family, I recommend staying here. It's our favorite place to stay - plenty of room for the family in the villa and just a beautiful resort.

For surf lessons in Huntington, call our new friend SAM - he was great, the kids loved him, and we all got up on surfboards!

If your kids want to see dolphins and even a whale, head to Dana Point and find Captain Dave's Dolphin Safari.  We sailed through a pod of literally hundreds of dolphins while they swam and played alongside the catamaran - we loved every minute - more fun than SeaWorld.

Don't forget running on the beach - Crystal Cove State Park is perfect and just across the street from the resort . . .

my pics from an early morning run

Livin' the DREAM

Cowgirl Heaven

Last week Sophie's dream of riding a horse for days on end and even participating in a rodeo came true.  If you are not aware of her fascination with all things HORSE that began at age 6, you can read about it here, here, and here.  Even her bedroom is decorated with a sweet horse quilt, a framed horse watercolor she painted, and plenty of "Breyer" horse collectibles and stuffed animals.

So, after a few years of riding lessons and realizing that we are obviously not ranch people nor will ever own a horse, I made a deal that if she discontinued the lessons she could have an entire week at "rodeo camp."  Sophie readily agreed, and after finding the perfect cowgirl hat, boots, rodeo shirt, and silver buckled belt, she was off to spend a week in breathtaking Island Park, Idaho with other kids who love horses as much as she does!

It turned out to be the stuff dreams are made of, and the morning I went to pick her up, she was begging to stay another week.  While she was at the camp, Liza and I had a mini vacation ourselves which is just what our neglected child needed - one on one time with mom . . . win-win.  I'm sure this will become a tradition because Sophie is already talking about next year and how she is definitely going back . . .

 Riding into the arena

 Watching her was pure joy

The kids even sang for us and line-danced too!

What a fun evening with my girls!

 Spying on Sophie and camp kids as they ride in from the lake

 Embarrassing Sophie as we check in while the kids are having dinner

Liza taking it easy at Mack's

 Heading out on a hike - such a trooper to stick with me for 5 miles

 That's my girl!

 We even enjoyed an evening of culture on the banks of the Henry's Fork - these kids were amazing! (my friend's daughter is in the center)

For more pics of our time in beautiful Island Park, click here.