Sunday Brunch.

We joined our friends Zander and Andrianna for brunch in Kennedy Town at Catch on Catchick Street. After a lovely breakfast of eggs, toast, and fruit, we all made our way down to Sai Ying Pun for some coffee at Winston's Coffee.

One Final Ride On The Wheel.

It's the little things in life that I love ticking off of my imaginary list. I have this list that I want to ride the sky wheel in each country that I've lived in. This is Hong Kong's lovely wheel that we've enjoyed riding. This summer, I hope to ride one in Canada.

The Alley Behind Our Apartment Building.

I mentioned that we've lived in Kowloon City for the past two years. While our apartment building was brand new and we were the first people to live in our flat, as soon as you walked out of the front door of our building, you realized that you were not living in a lovely modern bubble anymore, but you were indeed living in a very cultural area of Hong Kong. This alley which is the back of our building, and which we frequently used to cut through to avoid pedestrians on the main sidewalk, depicts how very local Kowloon City and our area actually is. And I love that. 

Moving Out Of Kowloon City.

Today we move out of what has been home for the past two years. We have loved living in Kowloon City and we will miss the relationships we have built with our neighbors and the shop owners in our community. There is the grocery store on the corner with the two friendly ladies that ring us up and bag our groceries for us. The local bakery that gives us free coconut buns and tuna buns and always has a big smile, hugs, and hello for the kids. The spa that I love to go to on a weekly basis for a relaxing massage after walking all over the streets of Hong Kong. We will miss the Thai restaurant on our block that knows our order as soon as we walk through the front door. It has been a fun two years of cultivating these special relationships. 

We chose to live in Kowloon City because it was within walking distance to my husband's place of employment. It's not typically an expat community, and we have loved the local feel we get walking around on the streets. Going from living in a small southern town in the United States to living in a metropolis with sky rises and millions of people crammed into tight spaces, Kowloon City was the perfect spot for us that offered the small town charm of knowing each other. My kids were safe walking around on their own, because everyone looked out for them and knew them. 

Thank you, Kowloon City for giving us such a wonderful home in Hong Kong.

Wedding Anniversary.

Today marks our thirteenth wedding anniversary. These past two years in Hong Kong have really brought us closer in our marriage as we've helped each other navigate life in another country. It's been stressful for both of us, but I'm thankful that it has brought us together instead of pulling us apart. These past two years have also seen great highs in our relationship. We've visited several countries together that we've never been to before. We've explored Hong Kong and taken full advantage of what this lovely country has to offer us. We've been able to fill in each other's gaps and seen each other grow in new ways. You are the Johnny to my June. 

Summer Watermelon.

The weather quickly turned sweltering and muggy in Hong Kong. We've started summer off eating my daughter's watermelon cake, and the leftovers that came with the cake making! Fruit salad on a hot day is always a welcome relief from the heat and humidity. 

A Date Weekend.

Both of the children were invited to spend the weekend with their Hong Kong besties and that meant that the husband and I got to spend some quality time together for an extended period of time instead of just a couple hours. It was lovely! We ate our way around Hong Kong, shopped, and watched movies. All in all, it was a perfect weekend. Here are some of our pictures of our time together. 

Eating At Maison Libanaise.

When life imitates art while you are waiting for your food to be ready! This girl sure is fun to live with! 

Some friends of ours told us about Maison Libanaise, and one Sunday after church, we walked over to check it out. It was beautiful redesigned from the previous Life restaurant and we loved the friendly service that took the time to learn our names and talk to us while we waited. We were there too early to sit down in the main dining area, so we ordered our food to go, but opted to stand at the open window to eat while we people watched the crowds going up the travelator escalator. 

At Kowloon Park With The Kids.

All the ups and downs that naturally come with homeschooling, sometimes I really do love spending my time with my children. It helps us when we get out of our tiny 400 square foot apartment. Sometimes the walls close in on us, but a trip to the park helps brighten our moods. 

Experiencing The Cat Cafe.

For the past two years, the apartment building we live in does not allow us to have pets (which I'm actually thankful for since I've heard of other people complaining about barking dogs on their floor). However, my animal loving daughter sure misses not having a pet in our home. 

For her birthday, we figured we'd surprise her with a trip to the Cat Cafe here in Hong Kong. I made sure that we ate before the restaurant, simply because I worry about cat hair and other germs in a place that allows the cats to climb everywhere in the restaurant. My daughter was indeed surprised and was able to enjoy a couple hours of petting cats, We did order a couple cat themed drinks for the kids and the husband. 

A Mother's Day Visit To JUMBO The Floating Restaurant.

With a handful of weekends left of our time in Hong Kong, we have been trying to take full advantage of our Hong Kong bucket list and knock things off. Paying a visit to the floating restaurant in Aberdeen has been on our list back in the United States when we realized we would be moving to Hong Kong and I made a hidden Pinterest board about Hong Kong. Two years later, we finally got on the bus that took us directly to the ferry that would shuttle us across the water to the restaurant. 

The different floors of the floating restaurant offer different menus. We opted to eat on the top floor and were seated right next to the window, providing us with a lovely view of the yachts and the water. We ordered several dim sum dishes and a couple items off the set menu list. As you would expect, the set menu list was a little pricier than the dim sum, but the dim sum was very affordable. 

Time With My Daughter.

I love spending one on one time with each of my children. I find that it's harder for me to accomplish since we've been homeschooling, since I am constantly with my children and when I get an opportunity to be alone, I would prefer to be alone. But I have remind myself that I am investing in the lives of my kids, and they greatly benefit from the time that they spend with one parent and the quality of the attention that they receive when they are out on a date with us.

Hanging Out In Chai Wan.

Our kids had a casting call in Chai Wan, so we arrived in time to find the place and then we walked around with some time to explore. The last (and only) other time we had made it out this far on the Hong Kong train line was when a high school friend of mine was in town and danced a flamenco show out here. There was an interesting art display that was free and open to the public so we perused that for awhile before we stopped in at Starbucks for a quick snack. The colors on the apartment buildings are always so swoony for me, so I had to snap a few pictures of them.

85 South.

Our family found ourselves on the island one Saturday around lunch time and we figured we'd pay a visit to 85 South for some authentic North Carolina barbecue and sweet tea. With my husband being born and raised right over the border in South Carolina, he loves him a pulled pork sandwich every now and then. This restaurant has Filipino's that work the front and back of the restaurant, so it's a perfect mix for our little family!  

Pictures In The Kowloon Walled City Park.

I really wanted to take family pictures to commemorate our time here in Hong Kong, but after inquiring what photographers charge to take pictures, I could not bring myself to pay five hundred USD for a product that my husband and I would not be satisfied with. So I decided to take my children to the Kowloon Walled City Park and try my own had at photographing them. 

Happy Birthday To My Son.

In our family birthday celebrations last all week long and into the weekend. We started my son's ninth birthday celebration in the Philippines and ended it in Hong Kong. In the Philippines we ate at the first TGIFridays that I ever ate at. Back in 1995 it when the restaurant chain made its way over to Manila, it was a big deal. Now there are so many western chains out in the Philippines that it's not a big deal anymore. The hotel we were staying at was right next to the Fridays, and we found ourselves at the restaurant on one of our final nights in Manila. 

Back in Hong Kong, my son got to have what he declares as his best birthday yet. He invited his best buddies and we took them all to see the movie Zootopia in 3D and then out to lunch. He ended his evening building his massive Lego set that he got as his birthday present.

The Philippines - Ayala Museum.

For one of the days I was in Makati on my own with my two kids, I took them to the Ayala Museum. My parents told me I've been there several times as a child, but when I was there nothing seemed familiar. The six story museum gave us great information on the history of gold in the Philippines, the influence of different pottery from China and surrounding Asian countries, and fun dioramas that depicted some of the history I got to live through. History in the 1980's with Ninoy Aquino getting shot and the EDSA People Power Revolution. My kids found it amazing that I got to experience it!

The Philippines - Greenbelt (Ayala Center).

Our hotel in Makati, the Dusit Thani, was within walking distance of the Ayala Center or also known as Greenbelt. Greenbelt is a mall spread out in five different sections with high end shopping, eating, a movie theatre, and a church. I was not really in the Philippines to shop but, the kids and I would walk over for lunch and eat at one of the restaurants with outside seating. It was the perfect spot to people watch.

The Philippines - Dusit Thani Hotel.

We finished off our last days in the Philippines in Makati because my husband had a conference he needed to attend for work. We stayed at the Dusit Thani hotel which was close to the major Edsa highway and in walking distance of the Greenbelt shopping center and plenty of other shopping malls. There wasn't too much to do in Makati except shop and the stores were big brands like Gucci and above my desired price point. 

My husband and I got a bit of a laugh when we checked into our single king sized room and the front desk (after seeing we had two kids with us) asked if we wanted to upgrade to an extra 200 square feet for an additional price. We declined the nice offer and were thankful when we saw that the room we were to be staying in for the rest of the week was actually a bit bigger than our apartment in Hong Kong. After living in less than 400 square feet, we know what small space living is all about.

The hotel offered a nice pool that was relatively empty of other people swimming around and we spent plenty of time out in the sun and in the water.