Special Days

Canada Day home-made burger buns

Being in China, a lot of holidays from home slip by rather silently. Easter, Thanksgiving, Labour Day, Victoria Day… if it wasn’t for Facebook updates from my fellow Canucks, I’d completely forget to even acknowledge the holidays with a nod. Such was the case when I woke up this morning and realized it was July …

July 1, 2013
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Five Years – Wood, Water and Wine

I have a hard time believing that it’s been half a decade since Maggie and I exchanged marriage vows with sand between our toes. But there it is, for five years I’ve been married to the most beautiful, most amazing, person I could ever hope to meet. She is my partner, my confidant, mother to …

February 16, 2012
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Chinaversary: Seven Years in China

As of today, I’ve been in China seven years. I’m officially a 7 Year Laowai. In contemplating what having lived in China for three-quarters of the last decade means to me, I find it interesting that in a lot of ways I feel less sure or informed about this country now than I did in …

January 10, 2012
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Nesat – our first typhoon

Waking up this morning and peeking outside, you’d hardly believe 150km winds were sweeping over us just a handful of hours earlier. Actually going outside, however, was an entirely different story. The first casualty of Nesat was our papaya tree, which had fallen before dawn yesterday. I say “our” papaya tree, as it’s right outside …

September 30, 2011
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What’s in store for Thirty Four?

Today’s my birthday. I’m 34. I think this is the first birthday I’ve ever said it, but I feel older. Not old, but older. Undoubtedly some, if not most, of that feeling of age relates to being a parent now. Nothing forces you to look at the world in more “grown up” terms than when …

July 16, 2011
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Hainan’s Red Detachment of Women Ballet

While later today Canada will be celebrating its own anniversary with fireworks, BBQ and a whole lot of drinking; in China it’s all about the Communist Party of China’s 90th anniversary. Not one to shy away from the spirit of things, I figured it was an excellent time to showcase one of Hainan’s most well …

July 1, 2011
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Casey’s 1st Birthday

I did all my jawing about being a dad for 365 mostly-wonderful days last post, but would be failing in my fatherly rights of overly saturating this blog with talk of my son. We ended up dividing Casey’s first birthday celebrations into two. For his actual birthday we hit the local park and took him …

May 8, 2011
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Father of the Year

Shortly after noon tomorrow I will have been a father for one year. Yep, Casey’s already one year old! I can hardly believe that we’ve hit his first birthday already. Oddly, at the same time, it feels like a century ago I was in that hospital room marveling at his wrinkly hands and unpracticed cries. …

May 3, 2011
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Homeless

As of 5pm Friday Maggie, Casey, Button and I became homeless. After a hectic few days of packing, we said farewell to our gear Friday morning as it left on a truck destined to eventually (hopefully) meet up with us in Haikou. Judging what the costs would be for shipping our stuff was one part …

March 27, 2011
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