This Is Where We Lived! Life In China#2

Hello Dear Friends, And welcome back to Life In China Part Two!

Today I am going to show you where we lived for almost a year....

We were fortunate to live in a small complex that had places for us kids to play and run around in, 

and just down the road was the bus station and a big pond where we could go for walks!
So the Lord really took care of us♥

Here are some photos of our complex and the outside of our apartment building~

Most of the buildings in China are really high some of them even 30 to 40 stories...we were fortunate to live in a building that only had 6 stories!

These were taken on the roof of our apartment building^

Outside our apartment building^

Us kids made a club house and there were many 'secret pathways' to explore!

Around our complex^

And now for the inside of our cute apartment:

Our lounge:

Our lounge was spacious and comfortable, there was aircon, a big flatscreen TV, and a small balcony where we hung our washing and my Mom planted flowers!

Our lounge balcony^

The tot room:


At our front door was a biggish open space, which we made into a tot room for Caleb~

The three little ones playing bus in the tot room^


The kitchen:

Our kitchen was also spacious with a small balcony, where we stored all of our washing equipment.
There was no built-in oven so we had to use the tiny oven my Dad had bought to cook and bake in, which was a bit of a challenge.  That poor thing worked really hard to feed our big family!

The two little girls having tea on the kitchen balcony^

The dining room:

Our dining room was also used as our school room, we later put up lots of maps and posters which gave a cozy feel to the whole apartment♥

Us doing an art project in our dining room/ school room!^

Our outside area:
Outside the front door of every apartment was a long, rectangular space to store your outdoor equipment, and get to the lift and stairs.
In this space we stored our shoes, toys, bikes and our scooter~

Caleb standing next to 'Mantis,' our scooter, in the space outside our front door^

So! That was our apartment and I sincerely hope you enjoyed the 'tour'♥
We were very happy in our cozy apartment during our stay in China!
I hope you will have a blessed weekend dear friends♥

Blessings~Gabrielle♥

Father...

The Greatest Hero

This world has many heroes, some you know by name.
They give their best at what they do, so they deserve their fame.
But among all the heroes, this world has ever had,
There is not one admired more, than the guy that I call Dad.
Perhaps he's not like others, he doesn't look for praise.
He's heroic in his special way, in his thoughtful, caring ways.
Perhaps he's not as famous, as the others that you see,
But he's everything, and so much more, than heroes ought to be.
He keeps his word, it's as good as gold, on this you can depend.
He's honest and he's loyal too, he's also a true friend.
When I hear about a hero, and the great things he has done,
It reminds me of my Father, and he's the greatest one!
Unknown

Dear Dad I love you so much!
You are the best father in the whole world♥

Thank you for being so strong in the Lord, and for teaching us to love and serve Jesus!
Happy Fathers Day!

Blessings~
Gabrielle♥

Our Journey To Hefei, Life In China#1

Photo was taken a few hours before our departure...

It's not many 13 year olds that can say "I spent nearly a year living in China!"
The whole experience was AMAZING! Everything in the Chinese culture is completely different, and for the next few weeks I would like to share with you what it was like living in a Chinese city!
 But first let me tell you about the journey from South Africa to Hefei, China.

It was August 24 and our flight was due to depart at 19:45 pm.
There were all sorts of emotions going on inside of me as we sat in the little restaurant overlooking George Airport. I was excited, nervous and sad. Sad because that was the last time I would see my two older sisters for many months!
 A few minutes before we had to board we stood together in a little group and prayed, not one of us had dry eyes as last goodbyes were made,
 but as we rounded the corner, excitement overtook my sadness and I gazed eagerly around me, taking everything in.
I was the first one on the airplane and everything felt so strange {this was the first time us kids had ever been on an airplane...a big experience!}
Dad showed us our seats and we got comfortable while we waited for the plane to take off.
Nothing can describe the feeling when the plane shot down the runway and into the sky...it was like magic!
The flight was only two hours long and we arrived in Johannesburg exhausted!
We stayed at The Cockpit Hotel which was conveniently close to the airport.

This was the bedroom Rebekah, Beth and I stayed in at the Hotel...

Next morning we were fresh and ready to continue our journey into the unknown!
Our time spent in Johannesburg airport doesnt have the most pleasant memories... my Mom was feeling really sick and it was a miracle that she was allowed to board the plane!
The flight from Johannesburg to Hong Kong was really long, but exciting!
Then we caught our flight from Hong Kong to Beijing and then from Beijing to Hefei.
We were all extremely tired and overwhelmed by everything and just wanted to go home.
It was arranged that a school bus from the school Dad worked at, was to pick us up and take us to our apartment...the drive took an hour!
We arrived at our apartment at 12:00pm and only woke up at 14:00 pm  the next day!
The few days that followed are a complete blur to me, but I do remember that it was hot and humid~ worse than anything I had ever experienced!

So!  That was our journey to China...but there are many more things I want to share with you, {don't worry, they won't all be as long as this post!}
Until next week dear friends♥

Blessings~
Gabrielle♥

A Birthday For Bekah!

Happy June everybody! 

My apologies for not posting anything for a little while...life has been very busy for us lately!
On the 3rd of June a certain little Gray girl celebrated her 11th birthday with a woodland themed party!  Everything was simple but special, and we made lots of memories whilst going on the scavenger hunt and eating the delicious food prepared!
Please join me as I share some photos of the little lady and wish her a happy birthday♥

Eagerly awaiting the scavenger hunt to begin...

We each got a brown paper packet with a list of items we needed to find in order to win our lunch.. I was horrified to see that a bug was on the list!

Searching...

Caleb happily munching his 'trail mix' that came in the bag...

Found everything on the list, except a feather...yes I even got a bug!

Lunch time!

And cake time!

Photo credit for the above photo ~Kelly~Anne

I am wishing you a birthday

You never will forget,

A day packed full of pleasure,

Your very best birthday yet.

And when your birthday's over,

I'm wishing quite sincerely,

That happiness and joy and fun,

Will fill your birthdays yearly!

Joanna Fuchs

Happy Birthday dear Rebekah....I hope you have a lovely year, and many more to come!

Blessings~
Gabrielle♥