Taking Pride in the Little Things

Rob and I have become masters in the art of driving a scooter. By that I mean, Rob is very proficient at driving and I'm a dang good passenger. You may laugh at my seemingly inconsequential talent, but I will tell you it is a skill. I have been practicing driving the scooter with Rob on the back to prepare for driving around my mom on the scooter. I notice every time he wiggles on the scooter. I notice if he doesn't turn the right way or how quickly he reacts to my movements. I've silently celebrated my ability to be a good passenger because I try to stay still, move with the scooter, be aware of our surroundings and react accordingly, and anchor myself to the scooter instead of hugging onto the driver. The other day, I was paid for my exemplary skills when Rob told me I was a good passenger.

This compliment took me back to Rob's missionary farewell.... I had seen Tobin and Rob ride all around on the scooter before but I had never taken my turn. It seemed really fun, and for a girl of sixteen what could be more fun then to ride on a scooter with her ultimate crush. I had asked Rob before to take me on a ride and he was finally going to. Unfortunately, he was busy talking to others so Tobin took me instead. I am very fond of my brother so I did not mind too much. I was nervous for my first ride and Tobin was very quick to tell me I was doing it wrong and show me how to be a passenger correctly. Later, Rob did remember and offer to take me, but like an idiot I told him I had already gone. I regretted saying that for two years, but I can at least say that I owe my scooter riding skills to the brutal honesty of my wonderful brother, Tobin.

I'm glad that I got my second chance on a scooter with Rob. Driving around with Rob is really one of my favorite things :)

3 Magical Years

Time flies!

A couple of weeks ago I reminded Rob that our 3rd year anniversary was coming up and it sent him into a confused banter of wondering where the time had gone. I whole heartily agree with him. It has been a wonderful three years for us where we have made a lot of important decisions and come closer together. We really feel like we have the best marriage. I know that sounds silly, but we really can't get enough of each other. We keep joking about our acclimation back into America where we won't be working together, and we'll have to be apart for more than an hour at a time. It has been wonderful to be together so much and really see a different side of each other. I have found a new respect for Rob after seeing him teach. He really is a great teacher and so wonderful with the kids. After three years with him I am still learning new things about him, and I love him more and more.

We went to a wonderful dinner for our anniversary and Rob got me the best present in the world!!(next post)

The only normal sized mirror we have regular access to is in the elevator.
This is us giving duck faces to show approval/disapproval for the evenings attire. 

Our food was really good.

Look at that handsome boy!

Happy Happy Happy girl :)

3 Magical Years---- The Hobbit.

On Saturday we went to see The Hobbit. I have really wanted to see this movie because I love the book and The Lord of the Rings series. I think J.R.R. Tolkien built  fantastic world on paper. We decided to go to the theater early in the day in hopes of a matinee showing. On our way there we had a little bit of an accident. I believe I have written a post before on the craziness of driving in Taiwan. We were just driving along with traffic, not faster or slower, and out of no where a man on a scooter decides he is going to cut in front of all of us. He instantly realized he had made an error but instead of just hurrying on he stopped dead in the road. We just barely hit him while he was trying to say "pardon" in either Taiwanese or English. I can't really remember which language he was speaking. He sped away without another word and there we were with a scooter that wouldn't start again.

Rob pulled the scooter off to the side and soon discovered the problem. He was looking for a place to get a screw driver so he could fix the spark plug when a couple of guys came up to us. They really wanted to help us and one ran down to a mechanic down the road. The mechanic soon came back on his scooter and "pushed" us to his shop. Pushed= he motioned for us to get on the scooter and then he put his leg behind our scooter while still on his scooter and pushed/pulled us with his leg. I was so surprised by what he was doing I started to laugh out loud. We were on our way in ten minutes and the guy only charged us $5! Can you believe that? We felt very fortunate and thanked all those who helped us. It was strangely a wonderful experience to have.

When we finally made it to the theater at about 2 o'clock we found out that the only playing of The Hobbit with the 48 frames/sec was at 7:30. We had some time to kill. Luckily on the 17th floor of the mall with the theater was a book store. Perfect. While walking around the Literature section, I was thinking to myself how awesome it would be if I found some Bronte books. I have recently developed a little crush on their writing and I would love to find a box set of all of their work. That's when Rob handed me this, The Bronte Sisters Complete Works.

It was a perfect anniversary present. I ended up getting him some books as well, but nothing compared to this beauty. 

We had a great day of wondering around and exploring Taiwan. The movie was wonderful but I wish they were all just one movie. I rarely like endings in anything. We made it home safely and even found a new vegetarian restaurant that we love. Successful day and great anniversary.