Levi's Day

Levi had a good day on Saturday -- his 8th birthday. He decided to have a bowling party at Tiger bowling. He invited a few of his friends and the whole family. We had a great time -- pictured above is Levi and one of his many strikes!!

English Camp!!

A team from the United States (nine from Iowa and one from NC (Maghan Spencer) have been here in Taiwan at Morrison for the past two weeks. The first week they helped out with the youth at TMF (see previous posts). This week they are hosting an English camp for local high school Taiwanese students. Both weeks have been a huge success. Thanks for remembering this team and those they are working with.

July 4th!!

We did celebrate July 4th by shooting off some store bought fireworks and eating homemade ice-cream with several families. Pictured above is Hunter with one of his good friends, Mathias.

Conference this Week!!

This past week we had an island wide conference at Morrison with like minded folks. We had a great time of fellowship. We were challenged by being reminded that we were created to make God look good (bring Him glory). We were especially busy as we (Keith and Page) took care of all the logistics from determining which families would stay in which dorm rooms to what classrooms different workshops would use. Our kids also had a great time as two teams from the States put on the youth and children's programs. Maghan Spencer, from High Point, NC, is here and helped with the youth!!

Our Crate Arrived!!

We shipped out our crate on May 7th from High Point, NC. Today (June 29) we received all of our stuff!! It will take us a little while to get it all into place but it all looks like it made it in good shape.

Milly's Birthday!!

Last Saturday we all celebrated Milly's 15th birthday. She wanted to go to Friday's (yes the same Fridays you have in the US). So we ate lunch there and she opened her presents. She had a good day.

Page's Birthday!!

Thank you to everyone that made Page's birthday special. She received several phone calls, e-mails, and lots of facebook messages. We celebrated her birthday by going out to one of her favorite restaurants here in Taichung -- "Bollywood". Bollywood specializes in India food.

Now it is Hot!!

Last post, we talked about how the rain was keeping things cool here in Taiwan. Well, the rain has stopped and now the temperature and humidity has risen!! This is the Taiwan weather we are used to. Thankfully, we do have air conditioning.

Raining!!!

We don't mind an occasional day of rain but it has been raining a lot since we arrived in Taiwan a little less than 2 weeks ago. The weather forecast looks like more of the same until Wednesday and then it looks pretty good. One good thing about the rain though -- it has kept the temperature way down!! Pictured above is the view of the rain along with our van. Morrison (where our kids go to school and Keith works) is pictured in the background.

Meeting Up with Friends

Saturday night we had Nick and Gloria and their two kids (Zach and Amelia) over. (Sorry, we don't have a good picture of Amelia but she is super cute!!) They brought us Chicken soup as a welcome back gift. It was good to catch up with them and we look forward to spending more time with them in the months to come.

Welcome Back!!

We could post a lot of goodbye pictures with our family and friends in the States. However, too many to post so we decided to show you what was on our front door as we arrived at our house in Taiwan. We were excited that we were greeted with these signs. The bottom sign says "Welcome Back Curlees". It has been good seeing old friends here in Taiwan.

Back in Taiwan

We made it back to Taiwan!!

Our plane trip was long but uneventful. We left our house in High Point around 11:30am on Monday, May 31 and arrived at our house in Taiwan at 8:30am on Wednesday, June 2 for a total of 32 hours of traveling.

We are in the process of unpacking and settling in!!

Last Post in the US

At least for awhile. We leave on Monday, May 31 for Taiwan. Our plans are to stay for three years. So we will back in summer of 2013 for another stateside assignment. We have a had a great stay for these last 10 months. Thanks to all of you who have made our stay GREAT!! Please stay in touch.

What we will miss the MOST!!

The countdown to leave the US and go back to Taiwan is less than a week now. Often we are asked what we will miss the most. We often tell people that we will miss family, friends, and food the most. The three F's!!!

We are also asked how do you feel about leaving the US and going back to Taiwan for three years. We tell people that we are real excited to go back but we are also real sad -- in particular because of the first two F's mentioned above (missing family and friends). Is it possible to be sad yet happy at the same time??

End of Year Programs at HPCA

No matter what school kids go to -- there are a lot of end of year events taking place. I think this week we have been to the school each night. Pictured above is Milly and Wade before a band concert at HPCA. Only 6 more days of school left!!

Happy Late Mother's Day!!!

We hope all of you mother's out there had a great day on mother's day!! Over the last few days we have had the opportunity to spend some time with Nana (Page's mom), Gommy (Keith's mom), and Kaykee (Keith's step mom). We are thankful for being able to see them this year!! Picture above is of Page and all of her kiddos.

Crate going out

It is certainly hard to believe that we only have 3 1/2 weeks left here in the States. These 10 months have gone by fast. Tomorrow, we ship out a lot of our things on a crate -- like a few pieces of furniture, winter clothes, bikes, food we can't get in Taiwan, etc. Our crate is supposed to arrive at our house in Taiwan in about 6 weeks. Above is a picture of Keith and all of the stuff that we are taking. As you can tell, he is thrilled that we are taking this much stuff back.

Trip to the Mountains!!

This last weekend we took one final trip (for awhile at least) to the mountains to spend sometime with Nana and Papa (Page's folks). It was a nice weekend. On Saturday, the girls shopped and the guys played at a nearby creek and did a little bit of fishing with Papa. According to Hunter, "It was a pretty awesome day on Saturday." Above is a picture of Hunter and Levi on top of a big rock with their "beaver" sticks.

Page and Ann!!

Recently, Page was able to spend a whole morning with one of her best friends in the world -- Ann Boyd. Page and Ann both graduated from Converse College and have been good friends since their freshmen year. It was great to catch up and spend some quality time with Ann.

Grandparents Day at HPCA!!

Last Friday was Grandparents day at HPCA. Levi and Hunter both were excited to have Pa and Kaykee along with Papa and Nana come see them at school. They were sad that Gommy and Gompy could not make it. Above is a picture of Hunter, Papa and Nana.

Spring Football Game!!

Yesterday we went to the NCSU spring football game. We had a great time watching the action and spending time with Pa (Keith's dad) and all the boy cousins (Sam, Ben, Cooper, and Myles) on that side of the family. We also got to go on the field and get a few autographs and throw a little football.

Milly is playing soccer at HPCA!!

Milly had a few friends who convinced her to play varsity soccer this spring at HPCA. She is having a great time and has improved quite a bit. Milly is hoping that this experience will help her when we go back to Taiwan because she plans to play soccer at Morrison. Pictured above is Milly sitting on the bench with a few of her friends.

Chinese friend in NC!!

We have met a few Taiwanese and Chinese friends since we have been back in NC. Pictured above is one of those friends. Her name is Lin Ya. She is from Beijing and is a student at HPCA. In this picture, Lin Ya is cooking us a great Chinese dish. Page and Lin Ya have had an opportunity to get together each week to talk since Christmas. We are thankful for her friendship.

Levi plays Upward BB

Levi has fallen in love with basketball this year. Not only did he play at the YMCA this year but he participated in an Upward league as well. Finally, the hoops season is over. Levi is hoping his dad will start a basketball league for elementary kids when they get back to Taiwan.

Hunter turns 10!!

Looking back on our blog we forgot to mention that Hunter turned 10 on March 13. He had a great birthday where he celebrated at Laser X. Page was sick so a good friend, Jeanne, helped Keith with all the details.

At Southeastern this Week

I (Keith) have had a neat week at a GIC (Global Impact Conference) at Southeastern this week. It has been cool talking with students and hearing what is going on around the world. We have had a great line-up of speakers too -- David Platt, Jerry Rankin, and Ed Stetzer!!

Back from the Beach!!

We had a great time at the beach. The weather was awesome and it was nice to spend time with Keith's dad/step-mom and family over Easter. Above is a picture of Pa and Kay-kee -- along with the 13 grandchildren.

Headed to the Beach!!

We are headed to the beach to spend Easter weekend with Keith's dad and sisters, etc. It should be a lot of fun!! Finally, the weather is what we are used to here in NC -- sunny and in the 80's!!

Dallas Pics

We were reading back over our blog and realized that we forgot to post Keith's pictures from his trip to Dallas. Above are a few pictures of Cowboy stadium and the NBA All-Star rookie game that Keith, Richard, and Mark went to. Cowboy stadium is huge. Of course, "everything is big in Texas!"

Tickets purchased!!!

It is certainly hard to believe that we have been in the States for 8 of our 10 months. We found out the other day that we will be heading back to Taiwan on Monday, May 31 -- a little more than 2 months away. Our airline tickets have been purchased!! We are all ready to get back but we do have mixed emotions in leaving again. Saying our goodbyes to our family and friends will be very hard.

Fun Time at Disney!!

We just returned from Disney. We first went to St. Petersburg, Florida to visit with Keith's mom and step-dad and then we all went to Disney World for four days. We had a great time and for the most part the weather was great.

Headed to Florida!!!

All of us are headed to Florida tomorrow for a week to see Keith's mom and step dad. They live in St. Petersburg so we will spend a couple of days there then drive to Orlando to Disney World. We are looking forward to some nice warm weather. We will post some pictures soon!!

More Snow!!

Hard to believe but it is snowing again here in NC. It has snowed at least 5 times this year. We have been told that we have gotten more snow this winter than all the other 4 winters that we were gone. We are all ready for SPRING!!

Pictures from San Antonio, Texas

Keith, Page, and Levi went to San Antonio, Texas last weekend to visit with Page's sister's family. We had a great time hanging out and visiting with the Clements. The top picture is of Levi and his two cousins at a rodeo. The bottom picture is us (of course) with Elizabeth (Page's sister) and her husband, Justin.

Headed to Texas (Twice)

Keith went to Dallas, Texas last week with a friend to see an old friend and visit a Christian school. He had a great time hanging out with his good friends. They took a tour of Cowboy stadium and did some other fun things. They also witnessed history as Dallas had the most snow in over a century -- over 1 foot!!!

Keith, Page, and Levi are headed to San Antonio, Texas this Thursday to see Page's sister and brother-in-law. Justin and Elizabeth, along with their three kids, have lived there for over 7 years. Justin is a campus minister at Trinity University.

We will post pictures of the two trips soon.

Winter Wonderland!!!

On Friday night and Saturday morning we had a winter storm hit NC. We received around 7 inches of snow -- which is big in this part of the US. The kids have enjoyed it and look forward to another day of sledding. Church was canceled today and we think school will be canceled tomorrow. The picture is of our backyard.

Spirit Week at HPCA

This last week our kids participated in Spirit Week at High Point Christian Academy. They had a great time. Levi and Hunter's picture is on green and white day while Milly dressed up for team day and Wade dressed up for tin foil day.

Milly loves this week at all the schools she has attended. This year she won Freshmen most spirited girl!!

Fun to Be a Wolfpack Fan

Well, not always but this week it was pretty good as the Wolfpack beat Duke in hoops. Keith went to the game. Pictured above is Keith giving the Pack sign while the students stormed the court in the background after the game.

Wade's Day and Hoops

Last Saturday Wade celebrated his 13th birthday. Keith and the boys went to the State - UVA basketball game. It was fun although State did not win. Above is Wade making the "Wolfpack" sign right before he is about to open his presents. It is hard to believe but we now officially have two teenagers in the house -- (see picture above). Wow!!

Also, Keith is enjoying coaching Wade's middle school game. Above you can see Wade in action on defense. The team has a couple weeks left in their season. Thus far they are 4 - 3.

One of the best things about being in America is.....

College football!!! (at least for Keith and the boys). They have all enjoyed the numerous games and are a bit disappointed that the college football season comes to a close tonight.

We are hoping for a good game but are pulling for Alabama -- as we have some good friends that are Crimson Tide fans.

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year!! We had a great time with all of our family this Christmas and New Year. Most recently, we spent a week in the mountains with Page's family. We tried to color code the picture so folks could easily recognize the different families. We are dressed in blue, Page's parents are in green, Page's brother and his family are in red, and Page's sister and family are in orange.

We hope you have a fantastic year!!

Merry Christmas!!!

We have enjoyed our Christmas here in the States. On Christmas Eve we went to Keith's Dad and step mom's house in Southern Pines. Today, Christmas Day, we went to Keith's mom and step dad's house -- which is near where we live in High Point. On Saturday we will head to the mountains to spend some time with Page's family.

Above are some pictures of our Christmas -- Keith reading the Christmas story (notice the glasses -- the Bible had tiny print), Page modeling her new scarf (notice the haircut), and finally the kids awaiting to see what Santa brought.

Merry CHRISTmas everyone!!

Five Inches of Snow!!

We did get snow here in NC. Our kids were so excited. We went to the Murrow's (good friends of ours) last night and went sledding. That was fun. Today, we messed around in it some more. It was a tremendous blessing to see snow again. Pictured above is Keith with Hunter and Levi. They played some tackle football in the snow. Wade went sledding with a friend while Milly went down to the local park. Page decided to stay inside.

Snow on the Way??

One thing that we hope would happen while we spend these 10 months in the States is snow. Well, today we woke up and all the forecasters are calling for 90% chance of snow!! Hunter and Levi were especially excited. We will post some pictures if indeed it does snow.

Excellent Video

This video does an excellent job of explaining the spirtual state in Taiwan!!

Great Thanksgiving!!!

We had a great Thanksgiving and enjoyed being with Page's family in Clemson, SC. We also enjoyed State's victory over the Tar Heels. It has not been a fun football season for Wolfpack fans but Saturday's victory was a nice way to end!!!

Visit from Family

Page's brother (Will) and his family (wife - Missy and 4 kids -- Webb, Mary Campbell, B, and Maggie) came to see us this past weekend. They are big time Clemson fans so all the boys went to the State-Clemson game while all the girls stayed in High Point. Unfortunately, the Clemson family left happier than the State family.

We are still here!!

I know that you have not heard from us lately but we are still here in NC -- busy as ever. Hunter and Levi finished up their upward football seasons. They both loved it and had outstanding seasons. Wade tried out for the middle school basketball team and made the "B" team. Milly is working hard in school and is trying out for a drama production. We (Keith and Page) continue to share almost every Sunday about Taiwan and how folks can be involved in our ministry. We will post some pictures soon!!