getting there...

so... i've never really done countdowns until now.

13 days.

the purpose of this is to remind myself of how many days i have left to pack, rest, prepare, hang out with family and friends and slowly let reality drop in... instead of a bombshell surprise...

i'll be honest. i'm quite nervous and scared at the same time.. am i ready? will i survive? i've never been away from home or the US of A for this long nor have i ever taught English to 50 or so university students!! ... i guess you can say the "pre-traveling jitters" have finally entered my body. haha..

i've decided to make a list of many things i will officially miss here in southern california aside from the obvious of family and friends whom i will miss dearly (by the way, there is a point to this):
-perfect 75 degree breezy beach weather
-miyakos crunchy roll
-driving
-my bed
-avocados
-speaking spanish & diversity
-yogurtland
-have ice in my water
-kmart photo booth
-going to the beach
-seeing my other "family" at ccc and sbpc weekly
-and surprisingly i can't think of much more at the moment...

now the point of all that was to to put it into perspective. sure all those things are great (and i love them very much).. but they are also a part of my comfort zone and familiarity that i've had for so long.. my friend paul once said "but whatever was to my profit (in this case- comfort zone) i now consider loss for the sake of him... i consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing my Father, for whose sake I have lost all things.."

if "loosing" all these things while i'm in China is what it takes for me to know him better, then so be it... nothing is greater than that! i hope that you may be encouraged as well to seek to know him better with me these next 10 months, even if it's at a cost.

i'm a visual person and LOVE pictures, so here's a few pictures i found on the web of my soon to be hometown :)

a water park fountain something.... apparently it rains a lot there...



















the 3rd largest ferris wheel in the world.... a city shot of my city :)