Whether it was a good year or a bad year, 2012 is almost over. Here are some highlights of my year.
January
The year started off on high note, that’s for sure. In the span of four days in mid-January, I booked a ticket to Hong Kong (first time to return since I left my expat life there 14 years earlier) and signed with an amazing literary agent after a four-year search. Cathay Pacific sent me this cute stuffed animal to celebrate their special Year of the Dragon airfares.
February
My mother started her year traveling to Africa. In February, the kids received postcards from her. Here’s a stamp from Senegal, one of the countries she visited.
March
My daughter Rachel celebrated her 5th birthday in early March. For her actual birthday, she asked to go out for dim sum. Here she is, crown and all.
April
Two words:
Hong Kong.
May
My oldest son Jake finished middle school. In May, after months of hard work, he also finished this Chinese-style quilt. He also did well in his academic subjects, but they won’t keep me warm during our Chicago winters. Ha ha.
June
Jake graduated from middle school at the local high school, where he started in August. Here I am with my youngest, Martin, after the graduation.
July
My age–or disorganization–showed one Sunday afternoon when I took the family to Chinatown for the dragon boat races. The only problem was that we had missed it by a day. The park was empty, so the kids played for a while before we headed back home.
August
We headed back to Chinatown for dim sum and to buy mooncakes for the Mid-Autumn Festival in September. The kids ate all the mooncakes before the end of August.
September
For the first time ever, all three kids are in school. To celebrate, I bought them a dragon fruit, something I ate in Hong Kong on my trip in April.
October
Time for another vacation! You’d think I did this often. My husband’s two sisters and I headed north to Montreal for five days. As luck would have it, the botanical gardens had a Chinese lantern fest in October. Year of the Dragon!
November
I took my son Jake to the opening night of the Hong Kong Film Fest in Chicago. It was so much fun and what a treat! I returned with a good friend the following month for the closing night. Another fabulous night out.
December
My sisters-in-law (the same ones I went to Montreal with) and I and my two youngest kids went to the Peninsula for lunch in early December. Here I am with Rachel after a trip to their posh bathroom (and the gift shop).
A happy and healthy 2013! May the new year bring joy and peace to us all.
That dragon soft toy is still awesome!
I wish you well for the new year ahead.
Thanks so much! A very happy new year to you, too! I wish I had been able to get a second soft dragon toy. The kids are still very much attached to it, but my 3 year old just mentioned that it needs to be sewn up on its seam in back.
What a great post! I’m glad you had such a great year. Dragon years are the best :).
Thank you so much, Shannon! It was wonderful to meet in person back in April. I feel like I need a dedicated post to recap that trip! I do have a dragon post in mind for just before CNY. You’re lucky there are so many great dragon items. That’s not so much the case with dogs, but it could be worse.
It all looks and sounds really good, but you left out the part where you got interviewed by some crazed guy in China… http://rastous.podomatic.com/entry/2012-10-16T18_15_27-07_00 .
I hope your agent doesn’t take another twelve months to find you a publisher, and I wish you all the very best for you and your family in 2013.
Thank you, Sir! I didn’t forget that amazing interview, but it happened the same month as Montreal. I’m afraid I won’t have a chance to go on holiday like that for a long time.
I have been working like a madwoman on revisions this year, so there’s no reason to think that 2013 won’t be everything I hope it will be. Time will tell! All the best in 2013 to you, Ellen, your family back in Aus and your in-laws. Have a fabulous holiday back home!