remember that one time....

often, I have little moments that you just know will make a good story later....

like the one time our taxi got in a car wreck on the way to church.

no worries - it was a mild hit (left bumper) ...and not our taxi driver's fault :)

 The taxi driver was super kind and flagged down another taxi to take us while he waited for the police to come and inspect the accident. The other taxi just so happened to have another young lady in it who spoke almost perfect English. Love how He orchestrates things - even in the midst of unfortunate circumstances.

or...

that one time our bus driver crawled out the back window while in the middle of the highway...

 ....yes, once again, we got in a car accident (not our fault!). A small car hit our bus as we were on our way to the Great Wall for a Monday Night Fellowship retreat. The car hit our bus right by the door of the bus, and I guess, legally could not move the car until after it could be inspected? Our brave bus driver subsequently climbed out the back window of the bus to talk with/settle accounts with the other car's driver. However, the funniest part of the story is that the bus driver also had to enter the bus again through the back window (??) after settling accounts with the other driver (not sure why?!?).

 The other driver ended up boosting our bus driver up in order for him to be able to get back through the window. Only in China, haha.

or

that one time I went for a run and while I was running and jamming out to Lecrae.....I noticed a man in plain clothes running beside me.
"Um, excuse me!" He yelled. I immediately stopped, thinking I had dropped something. "I know this may seem offensive, but can I have your phone number?"
Apparently, he wanted a foreigner to practice his English with.....I ended up declining him my phone number, but I gave him much credit for his boldness. :)

or

that one time I rode in the back of car for three hours while holding a baby chicken?

This past spring, I joined Taozi for a quick trip to her hometown. It was such a blessing to be able to see her family again and spend time with them all. However, our ride there was quite the adventure....

Taozi had purchased a baby chicken from our local farmer's market a few weeks prior (don't ask me why - I honestly have no idea). She wanted to take the baby chick to her family's home. We carefully packaged our little chicken friend in a box and first took in on the public bus, then on the subway (not sure if that's even legal), and finally in her brother's car for the rest of the journey to her parent's hometown.....

And yes, I'm happy to announce our little friend survived the journey.  :)

all that to say, life is sure interesting at times here. So thankful for all the memories - both silly and serious - that He's blessed me with this year. :)