"But you walk so Normal!"

 Laughing as I almost fell into the creek!

Hey ya'll
Thought I should update you on how life is going. For those who are on my list, I have a newsletter submitted and the communications department should have it printed and mailed hopefully by the end of the week..so be looking for one in the next week or three. For those who want to be on my newsletter list, shoot me an e-mail with your home address and I will put you on the list. It might not make it on this newsletter, but it will make it for my Christmastime Newsletter.

I just finished my October Holiday and it was glorious, restful, but not uneventful. Let's see, where to start?

Oh, so, I taught my first Saturday extra class before break. After class, I was walking down the stair and chatting with my students. Everything was perfectly ducky till I felt my feet go out from underneath me. It happened in a split second, but for me, it was slow motion of my hand desperately trying to grasp the hand rail to keep myself and my pride aloft. Alas, I failed. I ended up on my rear end on the stairs, my shoes at the bottom of the stairwell. Somehow, I missed two stairs and the impact of me hitting said stairs knocked my slip-on shoes off my feet. Needless to say, I was laughing like a hyena, barely able to reassure my very concerned students that I was fine. I was fine, but my pride...oh, my poor pride was shattered for good and ever I do believe. 

Fast forward to dinner on Tuesday night. I am eating with my team and a senior student named Grammar. He has become a good friend to all of us, is really funny and has excellent English.
Anyways, we were walking away from the dining hall, when lo and behold, the sidewalk decided to up and move on me and I....you guessed it, tripped. I kept upright, but it was still seriously embarrassing. After making sure I was okay, Grammar innocently asked me if I tripped often, to which my team mates replied for me saying I tripped over everything. I confirmed it by saying I was always pretty klutzy, even back in the States.
Then, he asked the funniest thing. Here is the conversation that occurred:

Grammar: "So, Hilary, what is your record for falling down?"
Me: "In like a day?"
Grammar: *snickers* "Yeah"
Me: "oh, 4. Down the stairs, out of a chair, up the stairs and out of a chair again." (that was back in high school, but I still remember it.)
Grammar: *looks me up and down as we are walking* "Wow. But, you walk so normal."
Thanks G. 


Life got better. Loads better.  Wednesday, I was down eating lunch with Hannah and I decided to return my dishes to my room. Hannah was kind enough to walk up 2 flights of stairs with me to return my dishes. In one hand I had my keys and the other hand I held my mug with my bowl on top of it. Wouldn't you know it, those stairs came up and tripped me, sending me sprawling across them. My bowl jumped off my mug and shattered, my knees slammed into the hard stairs, and my chin came within centimeters of also meeting the same fate as my poor knees.
 Naturally, I was laughing hard core, but this time, that fall actually hurt. I am fine, but I really liked that bowl. :(


Needless to say, I am keeping my team mates and friends here in China amused with my gracefulness....er, lack of gracefulness.

Here are some photos from my time at the Park in Changchun. I am so blessed to have a National Park so close to my home. Being a nature girl through and through, it brings so much joy to be able to spend time in His splendor and majesty!

-Love
Hil

Hannah and I at the Park!

Happy to be out in Nature again!

Such a beautiful place! My heart sang all day.