Home Again!

Wow! It's been a month exactly since I last updated.  Might have seemed like I died, but I was actually on vacation.  This summer has been a good one, and I am winding down from all the excitement; tomorrow marks my first week of back-to-work, back-to-regular-practice, and back-to-school as well. Going to be one more little get together next weekend which should be fun, before everything completely gets back into grind mode.  For the rest of the year, the only trips I have planned are one short one to LA to visit my family, and possibly one to NYC at the end of the year.

This summer has been great.  I've had the joys of going to not one...not two...but THREE conventions!  That's definitely the most I've been to any year, but it was truly, truly amazing and I am grateful for all the experiences and memories that came along with it.

I was glad to have been able to make some amazing new friends...and of course, also spend time with the special ones that have been in my life for much longer :)

My adventures allowed me to spend some amazing time with my family in Shanghai, eating my favorite foods...

and doing all things Asian, such as...going to get groceries and carrying them home in my tote, and forgetting to put real shoes on when I left the house...

I'm also so happy that thanks to dad's great sleuthing, I was able to practice piano in his adorable little studio I took the subway to, nearly every day.  I had the best intentions of taking pictures to make memories of the cute location, but unfortunately quickly became too ill to return, and then we left, so the pictures never got taken :( Next time!

Then the family got to go to Hong Kong together for our second time...

and I was thrilled to be able to have another visit with this beautiful and friendly city! 

Well that's about it folks! I missed California SO much and was having some serious withdrawals, and actually felt tears well up in my eyes when the plane descended into my beautiful, perpetually-foggy, city by the bay.  I realized that though this is my 4th home, and in the past 5 years I've been to China 8 times, I've never once lived permanently anywhere outside of the Golden State.  And never will I want to, so long as I can help it! California girl for life :)