A Good Day

With the onset of fall has come the renewal of fall clothes. Finally I can pack away those awful summer clothes, and begin to wear clothes that fit appropriately. Now, I am no fashionista. Please allow me to explain.

I dedicated last summer (the summer of '07) to losing the baby fat. I reached my goal at the end of the summer, within a few short weeks of our move to Shanghai. The consequence of this was that I bought no new summer clothes for my new frame. This summer we stayed in Shanghai, where the average women wears a size 2. I have bought precious few new summer clothes over the last few months. This means that I have been wearing the same clothes I wore at the beginning of last summer. And allow me to remind you that sweltering summer heat and humidity lasts from mid-May through to the end of September in Shanghai. Those clothes are fit to be burned.

But this morning, with a cool breeze fanning through the new screens on all of my windows, I pulled on my jeans (and I feel I must mention, these were my skinny jeans last year, and they now fit perfectly) and a cute new shirt. Over the summer, I bought clothes that fit rather than clothes than fit the season, and so a few new fall shirts sit on the top of my drawer. This fall shirt fits to a T and I feel better than I have in months.

In addition, the landlord had a new washer-dryer combo machine delivered on Saturday. The company installed it on Sunday. The new machine runs a load through the washer and dryer, leaving my clothes perfectly clean and dry in under 3 hours.

I noted above that we have new screens on our windows. This after waiting 4 weeks, and sending requests and reminders nearly every day. The timing couldn't have been better, because as of Friday we want to spend every waking minute in the fresh, crisp autumn air.

We enjoyed a BBQ with our friends from Pudong last night, and are planning a trip to a cabin in the mountains with them in a few weeks - out of Shanghai, away from the crowds, and where we can view a sky full of stars at night.

Dave's brother and sister-in-law arrive this afternoon for a week in Shanghai. We've not seen them for over 2 years, and they have never met little S--. We are in giddy anticipation of their arrival.

As if all of this weren't enough, today marks the beginning of a week long holiday. Offices are closed and schools are locked until Monday, 1 week from today. Dave will check in once a day for no longer than an hour, I have been promised. This in celebration of the birth of the People's Republic of China just over 50 years ago.

What a lovely holiday!