Getting to Taiwan

Before I can start about how lovely and marvelous Taiwan was, I must bore you with the details of the arrival to said majestic country.

Step 1: Board the plane.

Step 2: Arrive in Shanghai.

Step 3: Wait in the wrong line while everyone gets in the correct one, thus making the wait longer.

Step 4: Finally make it through customs.

Step 5: Freak out because you think your flight leaves in 20 minutes and you still have to check-in AND go through security, when in all actuality, it leaves in an hour.

Step 6: Run back and forth through the Shanghai airport because no one actually knows where the check-in counters are.

Step 7: Make it through security and board second flight.

Step 8: Wait an extra hour before second flight actually takes off.

Step 9: Make it to Taipei.

Step 10: Have an adorable man write a letter in Chinese stating how to get to my destination. 

Last step: BREATH!

Day one in Taiwan.

All of these are motorized scooters.
ALL. OF. THEM.

I met this girl on the train.  We couldn't communicate very well until she turned on a WiFi hotspot so we could add each other on FaceBook.  Then, we wrote messages on Google Translate for the next hour.  My heart was, and still is, super happy.

For all those independent women.

There's a super long story behind this photo, but in the end, he helped me figure out exactly how to make it to my hostel.

THEN, once I did arrive, this is what I found!

And this is only day one...

Stay true, stay real.

H.

Hanbok Day: Iris Edition

All the photos you're about to see occurred in the span of 45 seconds.  

And they're all awesome.

A more, ahem, serious representation of hanbok day will be coming your way in the coming days or possibly weeks.  I'm a busy girl.  

 I hope you enjoyed this installment of the Iris cam.  

I'm sure there will be many, many more to come.

Stay true, stay real.

H.

There's No Place Like Oklahoma

I clicked my ruby red slippers together and this is what happened..

After four months, I finally met the cutest human on Earth.

Kathryn Mae 

Cousin love.

Life long friends.

Just us.

Mom, dad and I.

Teaching her how to swim, 'cause that's what aunts are for.

Lane cousin lovin'.

Missing quite a few.

She made a friend.

At the zoo with this monkey.

These women give me laughing wrinkles.

Uncle Donnie and Kate.

Night out with the girls.

Mom and her 1st grade teacher.

LOVE these women.

I'm glad you are all apart of my life! 

Granna and Kate. 

The Lane King

Of course, no trip home would be complete without bloopers...

ROLL THE TAPE

Obviously it's our album cover.

Thank you all for making my trip home so wonderful.

Until next year.

Stay true, stay real.

H.