A Cross Town CrossFit Voyage

Everyone hold onto their seats.  I have a shocking announcement to make:  Our third full day in Hong Kong did not begin with noodle bowls and 7-11.  We like to shake things up a bit every now and then.  We're crazy like that.

Copeland's milk holster?

We woke up at the crack of dawn to venture across the bay for a 6 am CrossFit workout for Ryan. Please note here that this was for Ryan , as I would never be so crazy to actually work out while on vacation (and at 6 am!).  My vacation goals:  eat, sight see and learn something new, purchase souvenirs.  Anyway, I digress.  The night before the scheduled CrossFit appointment, we had mapped out the subway times and route, we had mapped out the walking route on iPhone maps, and we had planned to arrive a bit early.  Everything was going smoothly.  Copeland was awake and super happy, the subway system was on time and super easy to navigate, and we were right where we needed to be based on iPhone maps.  Except, iPhone maps was wrong.  We thought it quite strange that the CrossFit gym would be in the middle of a park...  Well, after finally using a different map function and harassing a few building security guards we showed up to CrossFit a bit late.  It was actually not super easy to find because the entry to the building was about halfway down a little alleyway and the building itself is not that big.  The gym was on the 10th or 11th floor and it took up the entire floor.  Once the elevator doors open, you walk right into the workout area, which only seemed big enough for 4 people.  There were already 3 people there working out and the manager was super understanding about our adventures.  Of the 4 people in that class, only one was Asian and only Ryan was not currently living in Hong Kong.  I don't why I thought that was interesting or why I needed to share, but there you go.

Copeland messed around with weights while Ryan was working out.

I think he looks like a CrossFiter here

He quickly got bored with that and wanted to join in on the action.  That would be incredibly dangerous so we had to exit the building and find somewhere to hang out.  That is not easy at 6:30 am in Hong Kong.  As I've mentioned before, I couldn't even find a Starbucks open at that time but, I could find a Burger King!  So we went to Burger King and I ordered some breakfast for Copeland.  I found it interesting that all the breakfast sandwiches had ketchup and mayonnaise on them.  It was quite tasty.  I mean, that's what Copeland told me anyway.

After CrossFit we had noodle bowls.  :)

We also did a little shopping:

Later that day I got to go with my Mom and Grandma to get a Chinese acupuncture massage.  I did not receive any acupuncture and the massage did not feel like he was poking at acupuncture spots, but that is just what they called it and it is supposed to be very healing.  First we had dim sum:

And then we went to our massages.  It started with an herbal foot soak and then foot reflexology.  The first thing he said to me when he touched me was "Oh, you must suffer from a lot of back pain."  And I do!  I had actually just been to the doctor and chiropractor in the weeks before the trip and am still going to the chiropractor and physical therapist.  At one point during the foot reflexology, my head started tingling and I asked him what part of the body that part of my foot was associated with.  You guessed it:  my head.  I think that sort of natural healing and the ability to be that in tune with the human body is amazing!  After my foot reflexology, I had another couple hours of massage.  About an hour for my backside and an hour for my front.  During this time he told me his observations and the craziest thing is...they were all spot-on.  Every single thing he told me was unprompted by me and was an issue that I have always dealt with (weak respiratory system being one...what other massage therapist would know this about you after just one massage?)  I swear I did not tell him anything beforehand or during and his observations were not canned responses because he found different things on my Mom and Pau Pau.  He really was just that knowledgeable of the human body.  Such a cool experience.

While I was gone Copeland and Ryan were doing this:

Later that night our nuclear family had dinner right across the street from our hotel and Ryan finally got to have some duck.  He loves duck and I don't so much, except for some reason I like the duck we get in Hong Kong.

Also later that night, Copeland stole my soy milk.  This resulted in more 7-11 visits to quench our thirst for delicious VitaSoy.

Hong Kong trip continued

I have to get something off my chest:  I sweat.  I don't glow or perspire or sparkle.  I sweat like a hairy lumberjack in Florida during August.  So, imagine my chagrin when I used the last of my deodorant the morning we left for Hong Kong.  You might ask how could I not know I was out? Well, we are Costco shoppers and always have excess toiletries, rice, air fresheners, etc. on hand and I was sure that I had extra deodorant.  I was wrong.  And I was getting ready to travel across the world to an extremely humid and slightly warm environment.  Once we landed one of my first order s of business was to find deodorant.  Mom was convinced that I couldn't find any suitable deodorant in Hong Kong because "Chinese women don't sweat like that" but alas, I found Rexona.  Pish Posh "Chinese women don't sweat like that".  Hmpf.   

Rexona is amazing!  For all my gal friends out there that are sweaty like I am and are super picky about deodorant (I know you're out there), give Rexona a try!  I haven't seen it in the US before but upon further investigation I found out this is a Unilever product and allegedly sells under the brand names Degree and Sure.  I've used both of those before and don't recall loving them as much as Rexona but perhaps I need to give it another try.  Anyway, thank you for your rapt attention about my incredibly appealing tidbit of personal information.  And also, sorry.  Ryan is such a lucky guy, don't you think?

Ok, on to more pertinent stories about Hong Kong.  (Although I might argue that a quest for personal care items when you're halfway across the world is pertinent.)

Our second full day in Hong Kong predictably started with noodle bowls and 7-11.  Ryan's meal came with some fish, which Copeland ate most of.  And I ordered buns covered in butter and condensed milk.  Why don't I used condensed milk more?  This is the same question I asked myself the last time we were in Asia.  

I liked seeing Chinese names on the Coke bottles

Later, we had Korean food for lunch.  It was delicious!!!  I need to have more Korean food in my life. I used to go out for Korean food with a college friend and always loved it but I never paid attention to what he ordered so never knew how to order for myself.  Now I do!  We did Korean BBQ where they bring out several meats that you put over the hot grill yourself.  My cousin also ordered several other dishes and each meal comes with a bunch of little appetizers.

Pork, beef tongue, sauces, and various appetizers

The veggies were wrapped up in the rare beef and we dipped them in a sauce.  Delish!

This is raw beef.  I am usually slightly picky about meat but this was my FAVORITE dish!

Because Copeland does this in restaurants:

Ryan and Cole played with him for awhile in an out of the way section of the restaurant:

After lunch, we headed to a street market for some souvenir shopping.  On the way we saw one of the protest encampments:

We didn't shop for too long because we needed to get back to the hotel for Copeland to nap.  He loved the subway because air rushes through it when you're moving and he thought that was so funny.

His nap, which started at about 2-3 pm, lasted until the next morning.  Yikes!  Tired kid!  So we missed another family dinner and instead had some disappointing room service.  

Hong Kong 2014

We once again went to Hong Kong with my Mom over the Thanksgiving holiday, but this time we were joined by Mark, Wendy, Kya, and Cole.  What a special time!  We prepared by getting Copeland's hair cut:

and packing:

I think we packed more for Copeland than we did for ourselves:  milk, several types of snacks, diapers, wipes, SO many outfits, toys, sippy cups, etc.  We ended up using pretty much everything we packed except some of the snacks because he always stuffed himself on noodles at all our meals and didn't want to snack much.  :)

Our flight left around noon on 11/23.  Instead of driving to the airport and parking, we drove to the bus stop park and ride station and hopped on the A line, which is a service that runs from Arvada to the airport every hour.  It was so convenient and very nice to be dropped off right at check-in so I think it will be our go-to until the light rail is completed in Arvada.

Once at the airport, we waited for my family to arrive from Kansas City and then boarded for our 2.5 hour flight to San Francisco, and then our 13.5 hour flight to Hong Kong.  Copeland was a fabulous traveler who slept most the time and had only a few small outbursts.  I should add that this time we upgraded to Economy Plus and it made a WORLD of difference.  While a 13.5 hour flight is not an amazing time by any means, we felt so much more comfortable this time and the flight seemed to go by much more quickly.  One thing I liked less about this flight than two years ago is that on United we didn't each have our own entertainment centers like we did on Cathay Pacific.  So we weren't able to choose the movies and/or tv shows we wanted to watch; instead, there were three screens at the front of the cabin that alternated playing movies and tv shows.  None of the movies or shows interested me but it's probably okay because when Copeland was awake I was too busy entertaining/feeding him to watch anything. 

Best family selfie ever?

We arrived on 11/25 at about 8 pm Hong Kong time, which is 5 am Denver time.  First order of business was to eat and then...sleep.  Of course Ryan and I were up the next morning at the crack of dawn when nothing was open so we walked around for awhile until we could get some breakfast at 7am (the earliest anything opens - even Starbucks is closed at that time!).  We were SO excited to finally have noodle bowls after two years!  Copeland really liked the food too.  Then on to our daily routine of stopping by 7-11 for soy milk (for me) and Hello Panda (for Copeland) and whatever else we deemed necessary.  I don't know why but I must stop by 7-11 every day when I'm in Asian countries.  I never go into 7-11 in the US!  Maybe I need to start.

We were so happy to be back in Hong Kong!  Because we stayed close to where we did last time everything was familiar to us and it was so easy for us to get around.  

When everyone else was finally up we went with  my cousin Mo Ching for dim sum.  YUM!  No pictures from that.  Later we had a short visit from my youngest uncle (uncle 8 - Bot Gau Foo) and then we walked around Tsim Sha Tsui with Mo Ching and rode the Star Ferry to the Hong Kong island side.  

I love how several buildings light up for the holidays.  I remember this from when I was a little girl.

Copeland got tired early so we had to skip a big dinner with more family and instead grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed to bed.

November in Review

The first weekend of November we went to Breckenridge for our condo HOA meeting.  We only stayed at the condo for one night because we wanted to be at home for Halloween night, but we still enjoyed time our time in the mountains by walking to a park to play and then enjoying a relaxing evening.  The only pictures I have are of my hot toddy (hot apple cider with Tuaca) and of Copeland sticking his fingers under the bathroom door in an effort to get to Daddy.

The next weekend we went to Miller Farms for their CSA day.  We have been a part of the CSA for the past two years and it is fantastic.  We love picking up our veggies at the farmer's market every week during the summer and enjoying the fresh produce, as well as enjoying throughout the year the items we've canned or frozen.  When you go out to the actual farm, they take you on a hay rack ride out to the fields so you can pick your own vegetables.  We picked sweet corn, Indian corn, cabbage, carrots, kale, potatoes, and onions. They also have all kinds of other activities for kids, such as climbing on hay bales, big tires, feeding ducks, etc.

Last weekend it snowed.  So we snuggled.

On Sunday we went to friend's house for chili and company but I didn't get any pictures.

14 months

My little man is over 14 months old now and he has changed like crazy in the past couple of months. He:

• can say several words including ball, banana, Diana, Brenda (his two favorite teachers), milk, water, thank you.  Also, signals like crazy (shaking his head no, pinching fingers for more, moving entire hand in a come hither motion when he wants food) even though we never taught him any actual sign language.
• has perfected the word "uh-oh" by making his mouth into the tiniest little O shape when he says the "oh" part.  This is unbelievably adorable.
• understands much of what we say.  He definitely responds when we ask him to come to us, give us something, or if he wants some milk or a banana.
• has started throwing temper tantrums.  I thought we had some time until the terrible twos.
• walks extremely well and kind of even runs sometimes.
• is in size 4 shoes and 18 month clothes.
• has FINALLY taken interest in books!  Mommy is celebrating!  He will pick up a book and then bring it to us and sit in our laps.   
• very, VERY fond of baths.  I once read that toddler bath time is like an episode of Wipe Out.  I've never seen the show but I think that sounds pretty accurate.
• is becoming much more independent.  He will wander off farther and farther away these days.
• likes sushi.  More Mommy rejoicing!
• is not a fan of meat.  Ryan wonders if this has anything to do with my extreme aversion to red meat while I was pregnant.
• LOVES Dairy Queen! 
• prefers to brush his own teeth even though we make him let us do the first pass.
• is becoming cuddly.  He never was as a baby but now he comes at us full tilt with arms out for some major bear hugs and snuggles.  
• rearranges the house.  We have found his cobbler mallet in one of my jewelry drawers, various toiletry items out in the main room and in my jewelry drawer, dirty shirts pulled out of the laundry and strewn about, and various toys in his pirate ship.
• thinks pivoting on his foot in circles is a really fun time.  This almost always ends in him getting dizzy and falling but he doesn't seem to mind.
• accompanies Daddy to 5 am Cross Fit often.  I hear from Ryan and the owners of the gym that he spends his time either repeating Dada loudly or sleeping peacefully to the blaring music.  
• likes to stick his fingers in my lip gloss.  See exhibit below.

Ryan and I:

• have realized that Copeland always wants several bites of our food even though it's the same as he is eating and even if he told us he was already full of his own food.  Ryan hasn't eaten an undisturbed breakfast in a couple months.
• don't even blink about eating stuff Copeland hands us.  Even if it might have been slightly chewed or squished.  We have reached a new low.
• continue to talk excessively about bodily functions:  "my he is pooping a lot lately!"; "I stepped in human poop today."; "he peed on me.";"Wow, look at that booger I dug out!"  I'm not proud but it's the real deal.
• love him more than words and couldn't imagine our lives without him.