Too much change!

Life is crazy here, but a more scheduled crazy which is good. This time of year is always really hard because its the end of the school year, and people leave, and you find out that some students are leaving and not coming back. Most of the time it doesn't bother me so much; our core group of friends has stayed the same and well, this life makes you a little hard and closed off to a lot of new relationships because of the inevitable goodbye. But this year is hard because we are losing some really close friends. Teecy, a super dear friend is moving back the US. My coworker, the other music teacher who I have worked in tandem with for the last four years is also moving, to a small school in China. This one is really hard because our lives are very intertwined . She is the music department head and handles all the budget and inventory details, setting up riser details, awards, programs...so all of these things will be falling on my shoulders next year. She is also incredibly skilled and talented as a musician, much more than I am and so we are losing that aspect, too.

Other friends of ours also just announced they would be leaving Taiwan after their summer vacay in America, which means we will only see them for the next 2 1/2 weeks. This is a super hard one because they have been Gemma's best friends this whole year; her first real friends. Before last year Gemma didn't have any real close friends who she saw regularly and interacted with. They opened her eyes to what life with friends is like. And for me, this has been my first Mommy friend. Someone who has kids and I see regularly, and who I had good connection with. Nt to mention are biggest blessing in babysitting; they were always willing to take Gemma for the day or night or whatever. They were the ones who watched Gemma when Guinness was born. They are the cousin experience that Gemma is missing from home; eating together, fighting together, bathing together, playing for hours... So of course this is breaking my heart. But that is life. You have to put your family first (which is what they are doing) and I totally understand that. It just is hard.

I am back at work. It is exhausting. We are moving next weekend. Uggg. Nate comes back June 3, school ends the 5th, we'll be home on the 8th. Not to mention I turn 30 on Tuesday.

See you soon!