Update from Austin

Hello from Austin!

It's been awhile since we posted, so we'll try and catch you up.

The milkweed we planted over spring break provided a lot of entertainment as the caterpillars devoured every leaf on the plants and grew from a few centimeters to over two inches. Only one caterpillar decided to make its chrysalis where we could see it. It never even occurred to me that they would choose a place outside of our yard to transform :). I may get a butterfly cage for next season so we can see more of the transformation take place.

James and Carola (our sister-in-law) ran the Longhorn Run in April. The windows to the right of James' head are the windows to his office. Not for long, however, as he will be saying good bye this coming Tuesday and moving into a new office when we return from Shanghai. The school of social work is taking over the historic building and admissions is joining other related departments in another building.

May brought the end of school and of course spring trips and performances. The beginners performed at the Round Rock Public Library for toddler time, which was all sorts of fun. We provided sound effects for books like Sheep in a Jeep and How to Bathe Your Little Dinosaur. We played songs that they could sing along with like Twinkle and Are you Sleeping. To finish we invited the kids to come up and pluck the instruments, which they did hesitantly at first and then wanted to pluck them all! After performing, we went to a local amusement park and had fun riding go carts and playing mini golf and lazer tag. 

In June, we drove to Houston to apply for our Chinese visas and stayed long enough to eat a few really good meals and try a few local breweries. We also went to the Butterfly Center, which is awesome!

This is how the butterflies are sent from butterfly farms to the Butterfly Center. After they finish their transformation, they are released into the viewing area.

Here is one of the butterflies in the center. I'm not sure what type it is, though. Does anyone know?

Now that it's summer, I have tried pickling a few new things :). I've enjoyed pickling jalapenos and carrots, so this time I tried cucumbers and beets. We used the pickles on our grilled bean burgers a few days ago and they were pretty good!

For Father's Day and a family vacation we all convened in Minnesota. There is nothing quite like being on the lake. We enjoyed paddle boarding, kayaking, riding on the jet ski, sharing meals, and relaxing together!

Sunset

Sunrise

It's rare to have everyone together these days, so it was nice to grab a family photo before we split ways.

After Minnesota, I stayed in Chicago for a few days. I was able to see Mary's work on The Cher Show, where the costumes are incredible, and look who happened to be in the audience the night I saw the show! She was sitting in my row, five seats away!

I had a blast hanging out with Andy, Katie, Theo, Mary, Aunt Pam, and Aurora!

James and I are flying to Shanghai to visit Josh (the best man from our wedding) on Wednesday, so we'll post again soon with a few pictures from China!

Love to all,

Hannah and James