Moving Day

We are starting to feel settled in our new apartment. Moving day was
Thursday, April 29th, so we’ve been in a little over a week. It was
raining that day and I was returning late from a business trip, so I
really didn’t want to try to gather our suitcases and rush to the
apartment (the 29th was the first day we could move in).

However, Simon at the Plaid office said that 4/29 was a very lucky day
to move based on the Chinese lunar calendar, and it was very important
that we at least start the process that day. In the cab on the way
back to the hotel from the airport I told another coworker, Kathy,
that I thought it was too late, too dark and too rainy to move that
night, and we would wait until the morning. She was very concerned,
saying something along the lines of “if Simon said today is the day –
I think you might regret it later if you don’t move today.” How could
we argue with that?

In addition to being a lucky day, Simon recommended we light a fire at
the hotel and bring it with us to the apartment to light the stove.
Huh? We weren’t so sure about this, although I did enjoy a chuckle at
the thought of Matt carrying an Olympic torch-like device down the
streets of Shenzhen.

After digging deeper, we discovered it is a tradition when you move to
a new home to light a fire in the fireplace of your existing home
before you leave. You then take some of the burning wood - or maybe
just smoldering wood - and relocate it to the fireplace in the new
home to light a fire.

In modern times, and apartments without a fireplace, it’s seen as
acceptable to light a candle in your old home and move it to your new
home while it is still lit. I was curious about how you do this while
riding in a cab or car, and Simon explained that you set the candle
into another container and watch it carefully throughout the ride to
make sure it doesn’t turn over.

We did not have a candle on hand, but my coworkers were not worried.
The opposite natural force of fire is water, so it was seen as
acceptable to take water from the hotel to the new place and sprinkle
it in all of the sinks. The water had to be from the SINK at the hotel
– unopened bottled water would not suffice since it came from a source
outside of the hotel we lived in for 2-1/2 weeks.

We were also instructed to drink tea the night we “moved” into the
apartment. Matt bought a bottle of Lipton iced tea and we all took a
swig of it (Dean included) that night. I doubt that’s the kind of tea
he was talking about, but since we’re from Atlanta, we figured it was
a good compromise between cultures.

After walking around the apartment in awe (it is so beautiful!),
dumping several boxes on the floor, sprinkling water in the sinks, and
drinking tea, we headed back to the hotel for our last night.

The next day we checked out and officially moved into our new home. It
was late in the afternoon, so by the time we finished, it was
dinnertime. We took a cab to a place called “Seaworld” (more about
that to come in another post) for a family dinner together - just Matt
Emily & Dean.

When we got home it was around 9:30, and we realized we didn’t have
any sheets for the bed. Eek! We’d packed a few beach towels, so we
slept on the mattress without sheets using the towels as covers.

On Saturday, May 1st, we headed out exploring. We walked to the
closest grocery store, about 15 minutes away. The place is like a
small WalMart, and we were able to purchase a fitted sheet and pillow
shams. They don’t match and they look like something sold in the 80’s,
but we were more concerned about function over style at the time.

The grocery store is filled with so many mysterious and new things.
Some are a little scary and will take some getting used to, especially
the meat aisle. So far we’ve been pretty successful deciphering what
is inside the package we’re buying. Don’t worry mom and dad – we’re
NOT going hungry.

In fact, we have all fallen in love with Chinese food, especially the
noodles. Dean’s new nickname is “noodle bowl baby.” He’ll scarf down
so many noodles that his little “Buddha belly” pokes out.

Little noodle bowl baby is down for a nap right now, but will be
waking soon. We’re heading out for a Saturday afternoon walk when he
gets up. There’s much more exploring to do in our new neighborhood.

THANK YOU

The last two weeks are truly a blur. What’s crystal clear though is that we have so much - and so many people - to be thankful for in our lives. We are safe in China and our household goods are tucked into a POD storage facility due to the help of our friends and family.

We wanted to take a minute to say THANKS to all the people that helped us make it to that plane on Monday:

Mom and Dad Adgate thanks for taking care of Dean, taking in our kitties, packing up our FedEx boxes, telling us to walk away from the condo even though we knew everything wasn’t quite finished (by the way - we didn’t get the fridge cleaned out…) and driving us to the airport… we really might not have made it through security without your extra sets of hands.

Tic Toc and Granddaddy thanks for taking care of Dean - especially the Wednesday before when he had a Dr. appointment, preparing a crucial bag of toys for the plane, and an amazing last meal on Sunday with friends and family. We already miss your home cooking TONS!

Will thanks for helping Matt move all the heavy furniture and keeping him focused (to the best of your ability of course). Also for our snacks - the hot pickled sausages and chocolate bars made it to China a-ok.

Brian thanks for helping us pack up, sorry again that ‘ole Blue bit you on the way out. Hope your thumb doesn’t need to be amputated. Leanne - take good care of it!

Lutz thanks for packing up the kitchen. We don’t know where anything is, but we know it’s safe due to your mad packing skillz. Thanks also for the going away party. We SOOOOOO appreciate it!! It was great to see everyone before we left.

Andy & Jade thanks for bringing us dinner to fuel our packing and for helping us get the odds and ends into boxes. We’d probably still be trying to figure out what to do with the stuff in the office and the junk drawer in the kitchen if it weren’t for you. Jade - thanks again for the sister-in-law intervention on the pants. You were right, I didn’t need them. Can you help us unpack in a few years and donate things to charity??

Kim thanks for all of the moral support in the weeks leading up to this move, and especially for the helping hand with Penny. Thanks also for being a hotel our last night in EH… your guest bed was very comfortable for the three hours we spent in it!

Leslie thanks for being there, and for calling and emailing often to check in. Your friendship and support means more than I can put into words. You are amazing and I love you like a sis!

Leigh & Richard thanks for the swim trunks for Dean. They are awesome!! Also for the wonderful food/dessert on Sunday. YUM.

Will & Elizabeth thanks for entertaining Dean and for drawing adorable bunny rabbits on his Easter placemat. He misses you two a lot already, and can’t wait to see you again soon.

Chad and Mel thanks for taking in Miss Money Penny. We miss her, but know she is in good hands.

To the Brighton Point crew Lisa/Ryan/Kien/Tif/Lisa/Dave/Kim thanks for cheering us on and cooking out on the 2nd. Hope to see you at a cookout in a few years!

Aunt Sally thanks for playing taxi in LA during our long layover, and for taking the time to visit with us, especially Dean. We love you and appreciate the many ways you have helped us and taken care of us over the years.

Grandma and Grandpa Adgate thanks for a wonderful visit and an amazing meal. That peach pie was so delicious!!!

The Plaid family in Atlanta - thank you so much for a wonderful luncheon meal on the 7th and for all of the moral support and cheering on you gave me (Emily) in the weeks leading up to the move.

The Surfaces team at Plaid - miss you all already!!!! But we will be in touch of course. Thank you so much for the beautiful bracelet and the moral support. I love you guys!

The Plaid family in China - thank you for welcoming us with opening arms and smiles on your faces. We are so happy to have this time to learn about your culture. Matt is embracing the noodle bowls with a big smile on his face… and you’ll be proud, he even tried chicken fingers and pig ear at breakfast yesterday.

Countdown - 5 weeks to go

I can now say the packing has officially begun! We're stashing our "stuff" into boxes, then loading them into a POD to be stored for the next two years.

I learned last spring through the help of two good friends with a lot of patience that it's ok to let go of things, but it's very hard for me. Dani and Devon, I am still in debt to you for helping me clean out the spare bedroom to make it into a nursery! However, I may need your help again, as I had to talk myself out of unpacking the Goodwill box in the middle of the night.

Dean is at my feet now, still learning to crawl. He scoots pretty well, but sometimes gets frustrated easily. You can see the determination in his eyes as he stares down a toy he wants near him on the floor. I've already been thinking about how best to entertain him on the 24 hour journey to Shenzhen, China. He'll turn 9 months old the day we depart. Any suggestions?