Sunday, June 29, 2014
50
Todd gets to come back! There was a question because he had important meetings but they were pushed back to mid-July. Yesssssssss.
Monday the Brooke and Brigham worked on school from morning til night. We took a lunch break and dinner break. I woke up at 3:45am and Brooke was at the hotel desk working on Algebra II, trying to finish. Brigham is doing essays on Anne Frank and reading The Hobbit.
Met Angela and our cousins at Gecko Grill. The cousins went the Mill street for ice cream sandwiches and photo shoots. Angela and I went shopping then Sophie and I vacuumed the car. We met the kids and got dinner at three different places. At the hotel we packed as much as we could for our California trip with my family tomorrow and fell fast asleep.
Wed. Put on my compression socks (neon green and lovely!)and off we went to California. Brynn got a package from Aunt Jane, evidently we left a swimming suit in Nebraska. Brynn read the note out loud and a smile gradually appeared on her face as she read it...something like this.."has someone been swimming in the nude?" Brooke, Avery and Georgia rode with Grama and Grandpa (always a treat!). Sophie finally had her chance in the front seat with most of the older kids away. Brigham was kind to let her sit where she wanted for once. Liz and Ryan and boys caravaned with us also. Melissa, Pete's wife, and I walked down the beach, trailing our kiddos who are having the greatest time. We saw two men exercising. One would do boxing moves at the base of a hill while the other sprinted up the hill and jogged back down. Our boys joined them for a few rounds, sans shirts just like the guys, before we headed to dairy queen. We also walked the pier a ways. Now the teen cousins + Brynn are playing spoons down in the hotel lobby.
Beach day! My favorite weather for the beach, sunny, warm with a cool breeze so you could stay out forever. Mid day we took a lunch break and alternated with the pool at our hotel. Ran into the Perkinson clan in Oceanside. Played catch with a football with my daughter and two teen aged nieces. A few minutes into playing catch, I had the ball ready to throw and they were doing handstands and cartwheels and forgot we were even playing catch so I went back and sat down. Everybody helped bring all of our our beach stuff back to the hotel and we went to the night market. Brigham and Tammy's family arrived tonight. Brynn and Sophie stopped at the second restaurant booth we saw because they had green papaya salad. The man made it fresh, just like Pon with a large mortar and pestle. Brynn requested spicy and then with Sophie agreed on medium.Our lips were on fire. Pon's tastes better so we will have to get back to China to enjoy the dish we've been accustomed to having. We purchased a skim board for Brigham. Brigham and Tammy, Mom and Dad came to the hotel lobby and with all the cousins we made up a new game...coin pitching. Thirteen of us, on a slick 16 foot table, took turns shuffle board style, sliding our coins down the table, trying to get the closest to the edge. Winner of each round kept the coins. Very fun. Some tears from those who didn't win any rounds, and fist bumps for Grandpa from all the kids and grandkids when he finally won a round. I'm sure we will play that again! Todd is on a plane.
Friday: Todd arrives tonight. I haven't seen him since I dropped him at the SLC airport June 2nd. It's the longest we've been apart in our 22 years. To the beach for a bit and then I drove to LAX to pick him up. He's feeling sick darn it! Kids stayed at the beach and most cousins were sunburned by the time Todd and I got back and walked down to the beach.(Note to self: target sunscreen spray in the white can with orange lid spf 30 didn't do the trick, they applied multiple times and still got burned, buy lotion.) Family dinner and singing "Happy Birthday" to Melissa at Old Spaghetti Factory. While we were eating, Jake sent photos of the new baby. Congrats to Jake, Kelly, Ross, Jane, Sam, Joey & Tommy on your new baby/brother! The cousins painted "happy birthday" cards for Melissa and had lots of hot chocolate before bed.
Saturday: Todd was up around 4 am, went running and worked while we slept. V G donuts in Cardiff and then to Kobey's Swap Meet. Purchases included: baseball gloves and balls, sunglasses, sno cones, rings, cherry lemonade, mini-donuts, paint brushes and a hat. Phil's bbq for lunch, See's chocolates, Carlsbad outlets, beach and then a big family game night (23 of us) in our lobby...speed and coin pitching again. Ironing our clothes for church and getting ready for an early church meeting...8:30am at Camp Pendleton with Costellos and Allens and Beesons. Todd took a long nap, catching up with jet lag.
Sunday: Church at Camp Pendleton was at 8:30am. There were approximately 20 marines and my friend Lori's brother was in charge of the sacrament meeting program. They had several musical numbers that her sister-in-law wrote and their children sang and we were lucky to hear Michael Costello speak once again. They did a nice job making the servicemen feel appreciated and loved and thanked them a lot. One of the men was going to be baptized after the meeting. During the announcements, they told the men that there was to be no letter writing or sleeping during the service. If they felt sleepy, they could stand up by the wall. It was especially great to be there the Sunday before the 4th of July. One of the Elders there was a missionary from our Mesa stake, Elder Day, so Todd sent a text/photo to his parents. It happened to be his mom's birthday and she appreciated seeing a photo of her son serving. We said a quick goodbye to my brother's family and my parents as they headed back to AZ. We visited the Costellos for dinner at their Carlsbad condo to end the night.
Safe travels to everyone this week! So thankful to be in USA for the 4th of July, one of my personal favorite holidays before we lived in China, and even more so since living away for a year.
Be safe!
Love from China & California,
Todd Taylor Family
"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God." John F. Kennedy
49
Today the girls and I went with my mom to Scottsdale while Brooke and Brigham worked on their school work. Brynn lost a tooth. Molly and Todd took Brigham, Brynn, Sophie and Riley to the Phoenix Mercury game. They had a great time in the suite, brought back bobble head dolls and drank way too much coke. I think Sophie had 4, and I hope she is able to sleep tonight. Fun memories. Brooke/Mom/Dad and I went to dinner. We picked up Avery to "help with algebra" and all i can hear is laughing. I didn't know math was soooo funny! I'm glad they are having a good time with cousins.
Temple day with Avalon ward relief society and then lunch afterwards. Sophie got to play with friends in our neighborhood. She didn't want to get in the car to go home. Lily is a sweet friend. She bonked her nose on the pool steps and has a bruise. Got a letter in the mail from Chase today! First handwritten note. More packing up supplies for China. Late night drive to sonic with my parents and kids + Ruby. Dad was jamming to Creedence Clearwater-Down on the Corner. Chatted with Brig and Tammy as a spitball war ensued. Pretty soon I look over and my dad is ripping off some tissue paper and loading his straw. Awesome!!
Friday: Checked out of the "Mom and Dad hotel". Thanks Mom, for doing our laundry and for the comfy beds and home cooked meals. Always nice to be "home"! Off to Mesa, algebra final for Brigham, dentist for me. School counselor for Brooke. Brynn stayed with cousin Ruby. Numb mouth for hours. Sophie had a great day full of friends at the Stratford's. We picked her up and dropped off Brigham then headed to Liz's for her delicious smoked pork dinner, swimming and dominoes. Thanks Liz and Ryan!
Saturday: swimming while Brigham and Brooke worked on school. Shopping for pool toys,sauce for dinner ( kid with really great hair-see first pic above), gym, more school and finally BED!! We also stopped at the Goodwill for books. Who knew they had the greatest songs and entertainment wrapped into one? Sophie played with crutches for about 45 minutes. Brigham found a football and another nerf ball to keep him busy, Brynn found a working shower radio and Brooke was fixed in the camera section in-between breakout dance sessions. She has perfected her moonwalk (a skill they learn before leaving our home) , with a spin, thanks to all her new sandals with smooth, slick soles. At one point I was going through the books. I didn't know where she was but the song..everybody dance now, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. I said, "break it down, Brooke" and off she went dancing in the tiled open area between the electronics and kitchen appliances. Meanwhile, Todd has Raygozas and Jonsons and Shane staying at our China house. I'm sure he's loving the company, and Shane is always a bonus. He's a hoot to be around.
Sunday: Todd hosted dinner in China by himself-I'm so proud. He had Shane and his parents, Raygozas, and Bro. Long. Enjoyed Blake Timothy's farewell and Sue's RS lesson on missionary work and following up. She always does a great job and I miss hearing her lessons from when we worked together in Young Women. A couple of things on that...being in China where we can't voice our beliefs without strict guidelines makes us appreciate the opportunity elsewhere. And using the "Preach My Gospel" manual as a personal study guide in your family can help them be prepared when situations arise where people have questions about the church. The home is the new MTC, and if the kids know the manual before entering the MTC, they can focus on learning the language (if necessary). Knowing the manual also helps by being able to "bring all things to our remembrance" when needed and is a huge advantage in the mission field and in our other callings, I'm sure.
President Turner asked Brooke and I to speak next month. The joys of being in a small branch, lots of opportunities to speak. I appreciate the opportunity to dwell on a topic and gain more understanding and testimony.
Naps! Todd still working away in China. Hopefully we will see him on Friday.
Hope you are having a fun-filled summer so far. Let us know how you are doing too!
Love from AZ/China,
Todd, Jane & family
48
Monday-I can't seem to get an exercise schedule while traveling, but jumped rope with my sis-in-law Shannon on the shady side of the house before the kids awoke. We collected the EFY cousins, bought some pretty great can't-get-in-China snacks and drove to the BYU Marriott Center via the MTC. Teared up and waved as we passed Chase at the MTC. Checked in to EFY and collected the t-shirt, wristband, lanyard, backpack and room key. They are staying in the nice new Heritage Hall dorms. The boys, Boston and Brigham, were giddy. Brigham's two pals from AZ, Sam and Peter, were also there. Chase wrote during his pday time as we were dropping them off..."Tell Brig to worry more about the Spirit than the girls." Good advice, Chase. Letters from both missionaries today. I've always loved Mondays, but now they are over the top when we get the missionary letters x 2. We went to lunch, before dropping off the kids, at 180 tacos-the worker described it as food truck food in a bigger space. Also stopped by Riverwoods for a minute and then back to get the kids. Now while we were running over to Provo, the little girls and their cousins went to see a dog who just had 16, yes 16 puppies. Visiting them along with making up dances took up their day until 4:15 P.M.. They are loving running around with a pack of kids this summer. Impromptu visit to orange leaf yogurt and we walked in to see Holli and her six little ones happily eating yogurt. Their smiles lit up the place. We took our yogurt to go as we were meeting some of our friends from China that moved back to Provo in December, the Palmers. They have the cutest little cottage like house in Provo. Erica went with us and directed us to Lincoln Beach for some boating on Utah lake. The water was warm as we wake surfed (or tried to), tubed, ate subway sandwiches and watched Kindell wakeboard in the sunset. Such a nice visit, thanks Palmers! (The man eating mosquitos escorted us back to the freeway, inside and outside of the car.)Grateful for all the friends we have made in China. Talked to Brigham on the way home. He said it was an OK day and he had chicken and mashed potatoes for dinner. Their counselor's name is Shelton. Back to Taylor's house for prayers and story time with Cory for the kiddos.
Tuesday: Kids are having so much fun they hardly know I'm here. I had to look Sophie in the eyes and say, "Hey, remember me? I am your mother." They had fun at cross-fit kids with their cousins. Aunt Kelly reported that the boys are doing good at EFY. Brooke is doing more school, I ran errands and got a package mailed off to Chase, some family pics in a small album, mints and a tie. Lunch at cafe rio with girls. Outlet mall with Brynn and Brooke--apple pie caramel apple, chocolate covered frozen cheesecake on a stick and an ice cream cone. YUM! Beautiful sunset-pink, purple and orange.
Wednesday-a half-hearted run (missing my running friends) on a nice trail in Highland. Shannon rallied the troops (about six cousins) for a "power hour" or approximately 16 minutes of weed pulling. After that I vacuumed our car. When I came inside it was super quiet and all the kids were reading books on the couch. I drove Brooke and walked her in to find a cubby to study in the library. Sophie and I then had a quick date--Rumbi and Michaels. She and Brynn were complaining of sore legs from cross fit yesterday. The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming at the Burr's pool with 17 kids. Shannon made Dutch baby pancakes with marion berry syrup, strawberries and whipped cream for dinner. They were a hit. More playing outside for the kids and packing for me. Couldn't figure out why my things weren't fitting in our bags. I remembered that Todd took four bags home to China, the contents of which are now in piles on the floor here. S.O.S.! In China news, our favorite restaurant, Simply Life opened up in Seaworld, a fifteen minute walk from our house. Missing Todd.
Thursday-Packed in the morning and had a girls' afternoon. We call it a girls' day, but really that's all we have left, so it's girls' day all day everyday, until Saturday when we pick Brigham up from EFY. (Poor guy in a car full of girls-dynamics have certainly changed!) We have a good time and there's always a treat involved. At one point we were in our awesome rental car stopped at a light. I was teaching them how to lead music to a pop song. Pretty soon we had all sorts of arms waving and heads bopping to the beat. Brooke turned up the music and the guy next to us started playing some air drums out his open window towards us while smiling at us. We laughed at ourselves all the way home. Anyone else want to join our band? Sophie carries her new book with her wherever we go. She wants to sit in the cart and read. Shannon and I met Candy, Holli and Heather at the temple and then out for dinner at Wild Zucchini.I've been online friends with Lila Teller, a fabric designer, for 7 years and I finally met her waiting in line at the restaurant. Cory, Tyler & Shannon then set up an outdoor movie for the kids who watched on blankets in the yard while eating popcorn.
Friday: 6:30 AM call with Todd. He will call me back when he wakes up. Getting a package ready for UPS to deliver to Chase at the MTC. I'll miss not being right here close to have next day and same day delivery. Shannon dropped that off with some donuts and Grandma and Grandpa Hansen sent him a box of popcorn made fresh in the movie theater machine in their living room. That's sure been a hit with the grand kids. They always send visitors off with a ziploc bag or two of popcorn. Thanks to everyone who sends things to my missionaries. I know they appreciate your efforts and kindness. Today we packed up the mess upstairs. Packing for a two month vacation takes some logistics and when I add in what we are taking back to China it gets a bit hairy. The little girls went to yoga with their cousins. Brooke and I ran errands and Brigham is living it up at youth conference. I'm sure he will sleep a good part of the ride to AZ tomorrow. We had a nice walk around temple square. One of the missionaries there was a trainer to a Swedish girl Ally knew from Malmo, AND, she served part of her mission in Mesa near Val Vista and McKellips. Small world. Next we were talking to a cashier who lived in China and the lady next to us said she lived in Hong Kong for 18 years and is now in Singapore. She knows quite a few people that we know. So many connections! Dinner at red iguana, chick fil a and sbarro. Candy and Jerry and Carsons came over to tell us goodbye and Cory packed all of our things in the car and topper. He also made pancakes at 11 PM and then had story time with the five cousins. It's been fun here in Utah! And good eating...we all gained a few LBs. this week for sure. Todd had a busy morning exercising with Shane (and Jeff?)...biked up a mountain, swam laps in the pool and then lunch at the new Simply Life. Sure miss him but he's getting a lot of work done while we are apart.
Saturday: Going to pick up Brigham at 6:15AM today. Breakfast at Provo Bakery, a quick stop at Costco in St. George, lunch in Henderson NV, bathroom break in Wickenburg and to get new church pants and shirt for Brig in Peoria. Pretty drive with a bit of construction. Brooke was our DJ/movie girl and I listened to an audiobook. She also worked on some of her videos. I can't wait to see what she has in the works. Love the Joshua tree sections of the drive on that route. Today while driving was the first time I was ok with being back in China. It took a month and probably has to do with Todd being there, but I was hoping a desire to go back came at some point before it was time to head back.
Mom had dinner waiting for our arrival. Went to the mall for a little while and then to bed. Congrats to Tommy on his baptism today. It's nice to be home for a bit.
Sunday: Thanks to Sears and Turners for feeding Todd lunch and dinner today in China. My brother Brigham is speaking in church today so Mom & Dad and my family went to his ward first, and then we went to our ward in Mesa to hear Spencer Duncan's farewell and Michael Costello's homecoming. All did a nice job and we love to see our friends in our home ward. Todd called and got to speak to all of the kids-sure miss him on Father's Day. He's off to another work week already. Lucky to be here to spend Father's Day with my dear ole dad! My Mom has it all fancied up downstairs, ready for the celebration. Cousins should be here in a bit. Great celebration, everyone gone now, watching TV with my parents.
Happy Father's Day!
Love from Utah/Nevada/Arizona, & China via Todd,
Taylors
47
I sat on a backless barstool in the Taylor kitchen. The sunlight streaming through the blinds was blinding my right eye as I watched Todd fix his breakfast, half a lemon squeezed into warm water, grape nuts with sliced banana and an apple. He walked around the counter and sat down beside me, blocking the sunlight so I could see his face. This is the part of summer we dreaded, the separation. I took him to the airport hovering to see if the 3 bags were going to make the limit, 50 lbs. First bag, 71 lbs of Costco items. We emptied a few out onto the sidewalk, strawberry jam and maple syrup. The skycap says, never mind. You've been bumped up to first class for the first leg, 70 lbs, 3 check-in bags for free. Phew! We stuffed the items back into the suitcase. He tipped the man and was off to China. ( I hope the jam jar doesn't break over all the other contents in the suitcase.)
I dislike saying goodbye to people.
I drowned my sorrow with a cinnamon waffle with raspberries and cream. Feeling sick now. Packing and cleaning up the Taylor house for our departure tomorrow. Brooklyn and Brigham are trying to finish school in the office. Brynn is whistling around the house. Sophie is playing "the coolest game ever". Waiting for word from Chase on Missionary training center life through his eyes. I typed a list of questions and said please hit reply and fill in the blanks to make it easy for you. We will see what he sends back. Just talked with my Grama Mary, we will see her tomorrow! Shannon and I bought tickets for Maleficent and had lunch at cafe rio. We packed our party into two cars between loads of laundry and were on our way. Fourteen cousins and five adults and many snack packs filled the middle row. Back to the cul-de-sac for scooter and bike riding and pizza and breadsticks. more packing for our road trip in the morning. Thanks Cory and Shannon for hosting the madness. Chase did write today, so both my missionaries have Monday p-days.
Tuesday: we left by 7:30am, hopefully not waking too many sleeping Taylors. Went to chick fil a for breakfast and Brooklyn threw up from car sickness. Gassed up and headed out on I-80 to Colorado. The roads were not crowded and views were spectacular. As we drove through flaming gorge we happened to have "August's Rhapsody" playing. It was the perfect fit for the scenery. We stopped for tacos and drinks and gas along the way. We made it to Ft Collins and headed to Aunt Jan's where we met Grama Mary, Uncle Joe and cousins Gini and Kate, their husbands and Kate's five cute children. Jan made a salad served with bagel chips, lemonade and rhubarb cream cake with strawberry ice cream. After dinner Joe showed some slides of Kate and me as babies. Carina showed us some of her dance recital and kids played volleyball. It was a quick visit but well worthwhile. Thanks Jan!
Wednesday. Slow start. A nice drive to North Platte. I can totally feel the midwest vibe of my youth. So familiar. We stopped in Sterling and then in Ogallala for Valentino's pizza. Forty five minutes later we were at Jane and Jim's (my aunt and uncle) and Jeff and Pam's (my cousin). Maggie(cousin's daughter) was there too, a great surprise. Maggie, Jeff and Pam spent the next couple of hours taking the kids knee boarding and wake boarding on their lake. Then we were treated to watching Maggie on a trick board. She has some fancy moves-360s both ways, skiing backwards and jumping over both wakes. She also ran her slalom course. Aunt jane had dinner waiting for us when we were finished with boating. We had Uncle Jim's famous spaghetti with sausage and meatballs, salad and garlic bread.
Thursday: Back to the lake for a day of skiing, boating, gun shooting, watering the garden, motorcycle riding, swimming and lounging in the boathouse on the dock. Lola the dog is also getting lots of attention. The weather was perfect. Maggie and Jeff are excellent ski teachers and had Brooklyn, Brigham and Brynn up skiing on their first tries. Pam joined us after she got off work and is a great cheerleader.Sophie spent the day riding in the front of the boat. Jane fed us sandwiches and Nebraska relishes for lunch and ham/potatoes/green beans/salad for dinner with peach pie for dessert. Traditional midwestern meal, delicious! Jeff then took Brooklyn and Brigham driving around the lake while the rest of us had fun in Aunt Jane's craft room. She has oodles of stamps, paints, markers, glitter, ribbons, paper, water color pencils etc. I loved that the adult to kid ratio was equal and that the Tierney's took so much time to teach my kids new things as we went throughout the days. They gave them their undivided attention and the kids ate it up.
Friday: Today is cooler. We ate fresh fruit, cheese sticks, crackers and pepperoni at Jeff and Pam's house. We read through my cousin Jill's genealogy book. Jane and Jim are off to a doctor's appointment. On to Cody Go Karts, it's been there since I was child. We did the same courses I rode with my brothers, the slick track, speed track and bumper boats. Jeff then took us to his favorite slurpee shop-12 flavors to choose from, then Pioneer Park. The park had llamas, peacocks, elk, ducks, geese, deer and buffalo. It started raining and lightening as we were leaving. Pam cooked dinner and I learned how to make her bbq ribs. Brigham took one last motorcycle ride around the path Jeff mowed for him through the trees and fields next to the lake house. There was a great storm and we had the perfect spot to view the whole thing in their loft at lake house. Sheets of rain were causing white ripples on the lake. Patio furniture slid from the west side of the porch to the south porch. We ended the night chatting, crafting and playing a loud and crazy game of dominoes. So sad to say goodbye. A highlight of our summer vacation for sure. I appreciate the time they all took to teach my kids so many things these past few days! Great people and I'm glad they are family.
Saturday: Laundry day at the hotel. As I sat in the laundry room I remembered the cold day in Nauvoo, at the Main Street laundromat, mid-cross country train trip, when Chase and I did loads of laundry and played Ticket to Ride while we waited. Breakfast and then on to meet Grama Mary in Sutherland at Great Aunt Betty and Uncle Blaine's house. A quick tour of their nice home and then off to the Johnson Family Reunion in a hunting lodge by the North Platte River. Well, that location was changed as we were driving to the river. The new location was the Hershey Methodist Church. I saw lots of familiar faces and we had a nice time chatting with my mom's cousins, aunts and uncles.--Jane/Bob, Betty/ Blaine, Bonnie, Ruth and Huebners. They had a potluck that looked straight out of a "Taste of Home" magazine. A relative named Tim showed gave me information on how to get to the family farm in Sweden for when we visit in September. (Jonskoping). The girls had fun taking photos in the cornfield and playing with a brand new kitty. Brigham played basketball across the street. It was great to see family. We said goodbye inside and then to Grama Mary in the street by a cornfield (another hard goodbye) and off we went to Cheyenne, Wyoming. There it was 50 something degrees and raining. It felt so cold-we had slush on our windshield. We shopped at Frontier Mall and Target (Grama, I found the socks!) and called it a night. Meanwhile in China, Todd got to go to Hong Kong, the temple and Simply Life. He also cleaned the baptismal font with Shannon and Shane for the two baptisms in China tomorrow.
Sunday: In the car for another fun filled day of traveling and sunflower seed eating. Aunt Jane gave me a new Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD so we started the day listening to that. Rainy in patches, windy and hail in other parts. When we drove into Utah it was blue skies and sunny. I love that drive through the canyon. We all talked with Todd on the way home too. Back at Taylor's house...Boston and Brigham are packing for their week at BYU tomorrow. The girls are trying to get Koda to do some of Lola's tricks. Brooke's working on videos and Cory and Shannon are whipping up a meal. Trying to get our plans for the week in order. Congrats to Christina & Ian Ho, sad we missed your big day! Safe travels everyone!
Love from Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah (and Todd from China),
Jane and family
I dislike saying goodbye to people.
I drowned my sorrow with a cinnamon waffle with raspberries and cream. Feeling sick now. Packing and cleaning up the Taylor house for our departure tomorrow. Brooklyn and Brigham are trying to finish school in the office. Brynn is whistling around the house. Sophie is playing "the coolest game ever". Waiting for word from Chase on Missionary training center life through his eyes. I typed a list of questions and said please hit reply and fill in the blanks to make it easy for you. We will see what he sends back. Just talked with my Grama Mary, we will see her tomorrow! Shannon and I bought tickets for Maleficent and had lunch at cafe rio. We packed our party into two cars between loads of laundry and were on our way. Fourteen cousins and five adults and many snack packs filled the middle row. Back to the cul-de-sac for scooter and bike riding and pizza and breadsticks. more packing for our road trip in the morning. Thanks Cory and Shannon for hosting the madness. Chase did write today, so both my missionaries have Monday p-days.
Tuesday: we left by 7:30am, hopefully not waking too many sleeping Taylors. Went to chick fil a for breakfast and Brooklyn threw up from car sickness. Gassed up and headed out on I-80 to Colorado. The roads were not crowded and views were spectacular. As we drove through flaming gorge we happened to have "August's Rhapsody" playing. It was the perfect fit for the scenery. We stopped for tacos and drinks and gas along the way. We made it to Ft Collins and headed to Aunt Jan's where we met Grama Mary, Uncle Joe and cousins Gini and Kate, their husbands and Kate's five cute children. Jan made a salad served with bagel chips, lemonade and rhubarb cream cake with strawberry ice cream. After dinner Joe showed some slides of Kate and me as babies. Carina showed us some of her dance recital and kids played volleyball. It was a quick visit but well worthwhile. Thanks Jan!
Wednesday. Slow start. A nice drive to North Platte. I can totally feel the midwest vibe of my youth. So familiar. We stopped in Sterling and then in Ogallala for Valentino's pizza. Forty five minutes later we were at Jane and Jim's (my aunt and uncle) and Jeff and Pam's (my cousin). Maggie(cousin's daughter) was there too, a great surprise. Maggie, Jeff and Pam spent the next couple of hours taking the kids knee boarding and wake boarding on their lake. Then we were treated to watching Maggie on a trick board. She has some fancy moves-360s both ways, skiing backwards and jumping over both wakes. She also ran her slalom course. Aunt jane had dinner waiting for us when we were finished with boating. We had Uncle Jim's famous spaghetti with sausage and meatballs, salad and garlic bread.
Thursday: Back to the lake for a day of skiing, boating, gun shooting, watering the garden, motorcycle riding, swimming and lounging in the boathouse on the dock. Lola the dog is also getting lots of attention. The weather was perfect. Maggie and Jeff are excellent ski teachers and had Brooklyn, Brigham and Brynn up skiing on their first tries. Pam joined us after she got off work and is a great cheerleader.Sophie spent the day riding in the front of the boat. Jane fed us sandwiches and Nebraska relishes for lunch and ham/potatoes/green beans/salad for dinner with peach pie for dessert. Traditional midwestern meal, delicious! Jeff then took Brooklyn and Brigham driving around the lake while the rest of us had fun in Aunt Jane's craft room. She has oodles of stamps, paints, markers, glitter, ribbons, paper, water color pencils etc. I loved that the adult to kid ratio was equal and that the Tierney's took so much time to teach my kids new things as we went throughout the days. They gave them their undivided attention and the kids ate it up.
Friday: Today is cooler. We ate fresh fruit, cheese sticks, crackers and pepperoni at Jeff and Pam's house. We read through my cousin Jill's genealogy book. Jane and Jim are off to a doctor's appointment. On to Cody Go Karts, it's been there since I was child. We did the same courses I rode with my brothers, the slick track, speed track and bumper boats. Jeff then took us to his favorite slurpee shop-12 flavors to choose from, then Pioneer Park. The park had llamas, peacocks, elk, ducks, geese, deer and buffalo. It started raining and lightening as we were leaving. Pam cooked dinner and I learned how to make her bbq ribs. Brigham took one last motorcycle ride around the path Jeff mowed for him through the trees and fields next to the lake house. There was a great storm and we had the perfect spot to view the whole thing in their loft at lake house. Sheets of rain were causing white ripples on the lake. Patio furniture slid from the west side of the porch to the south porch. We ended the night chatting, crafting and playing a loud and crazy game of dominoes. So sad to say goodbye. A highlight of our summer vacation for sure. I appreciate the time they all took to teach my kids so many things these past few days! Great people and I'm glad they are family.
Saturday: Laundry day at the hotel. As I sat in the laundry room I remembered the cold day in Nauvoo, at the Main Street laundromat, mid-cross country train trip, when Chase and I did loads of laundry and played Ticket to Ride while we waited. Breakfast and then on to meet Grama Mary in Sutherland at Great Aunt Betty and Uncle Blaine's house. A quick tour of their nice home and then off to the Johnson Family Reunion in a hunting lodge by the North Platte River. Well, that location was changed as we were driving to the river. The new location was the Hershey Methodist Church. I saw lots of familiar faces and we had a nice time chatting with my mom's cousins, aunts and uncles.--Jane/Bob, Betty/ Blaine, Bonnie, Ruth and Huebners. They had a potluck that looked straight out of a "Taste of Home" magazine. A relative named Tim showed gave me information on how to get to the family farm in Sweden for when we visit in September. (Jonskoping). The girls had fun taking photos in the cornfield and playing with a brand new kitty. Brigham played basketball across the street. It was great to see family. We said goodbye inside and then to Grama Mary in the street by a cornfield (another hard goodbye) and off we went to Cheyenne, Wyoming. There it was 50 something degrees and raining. It felt so cold-we had slush on our windshield. We shopped at Frontier Mall and Target (Grama, I found the socks!) and called it a night. Meanwhile in China, Todd got to go to Hong Kong, the temple and Simply Life. He also cleaned the baptismal font with Shannon and Shane for the two baptisms in China tomorrow.
Sunday: In the car for another fun filled day of traveling and sunflower seed eating. Aunt Jane gave me a new Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD so we started the day listening to that. Rainy in patches, windy and hail in other parts. When we drove into Utah it was blue skies and sunny. I love that drive through the canyon. We all talked with Todd on the way home too. Back at Taylor's house...Boston and Brigham are packing for their week at BYU tomorrow. The girls are trying to get Koda to do some of Lola's tricks. Brooke's working on videos and Cory and Shannon are whipping up a meal. Trying to get our plans for the week in order. Congrats to Christina & Ian Ho, sad we missed your big day! Safe travels everyone!
Love from Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah (and Todd from China),
Jane and family
FAMILY: I'll post the rest of the pics on Facebook
46
Photo from tonight:
Woke up to a kiss from a dog ( I LOVE DOGS). Guess he thought my nephew Boston would be under the covers. Todd had a good laugh watching that. Todd off mt biking with his family. Todd heaven. Chase and I are finishing up missionary supplies. Chase is getting rid of all the little things he won't need any longer. Brigham and Brynn are perusing the stance socks website. Brynn is at her twin cousins' house. We traded her for Lucy. Nice that everyone lives super close here.
Todd and his brothers and a couple sister in laws went mt biking. There may have been some giggling out of Todd. Chase and I went shopping. Got new ties, shirts, batteries, razor, a five guys burger and headed back for the Memorial Day festivities. We swam in the Burr's pool with beautiful views of the mountains and Utah summer beauty. BBQ at Cory and Shannon's. My cousin Sam & Sarah Beeson came by for a quick visit and we celebrated Todd's brother Shea's birthday. Rocky was there with two other dogs having a great time in the park and with all the cousins.
Tuesday: off to the Provo temple. We were able to talk to Elder Costello II and snap a few pics. He gave Chase some tips (the delicious chocolate milk will make you fat. Stay away from the eggs and orange juice,) and they planned a meeting spot for the next devotional. Glad to have someone watching out for him there. Sandwiches, Costco, a hair cut and eye appointment. Hang time with cousins (a trampoline place). Last dinner at spaghetti factory and then a backyard devotional. Chase shared his testimony with some of the cousins. Brian and Pam stopped by (their son is in the same mission). Sophie was sick to end the day. Fever and throwing up. Shannon gave Brynn a haircut.
Wed am: Sophie still burning up with fever. Other than that it's peaceful and calm around here. Chase is packing and dividing his last belongings. Sophie had a haircut and braid, we took some family pictures and went inside for one last family prayer. Jdawgs for lunch and then a quick stop at the temple for a few pictures and our goodbyes. (Rip your heart out!) Into the waiting line. As we got out of the car, the welcoming Elder had a Mandarin name tag and is going to Scotland, Mandarin speaking. Chase asked if he knew elder Salazar. Salazars were members in Shenzhen and they used to hold church in the house we currently live in over in China. He replied, "He's my companion!" So a little tender mercy right there to start things off. He gave everybody another quick hug, one last family picture and he left and didn't look back. Sad not to see Elder Costello again but I'm sure they will find each other soon. We went over to BYU to see Todd's sister Kelly at work and as I watched my shrinking family walking down the sidewalk, I was super sad. My new normal. I quickly replaced the thought with that of eternal families. How lucky we are to live together forever. There is a feeling of peace after dropping off a missionary. I felt it with Ally and I recognized it again with Chase.
Todd and his brothers and a couple sister in laws went mt biking. There may have been some giggling out of Todd. Chase and I went shopping. Got new ties, shirts, batteries, razor, a five guys burger and headed back for the Memorial Day festivities. We swam in the Burr's pool with beautiful views of the mountains and Utah summer beauty. BBQ at Cory and Shannon's. My cousin Sam & Sarah Beeson came by for a quick visit and we celebrated Todd's brother Shea's birthday. Rocky was there with two other dogs having a great time in the park and with all the cousins.
Tuesday: off to the Provo temple. We were able to talk to Elder Costello II and snap a few pics. He gave Chase some tips (the delicious chocolate milk will make you fat. Stay away from the eggs and orange juice,) and they planned a meeting spot for the next devotional. Glad to have someone watching out for him there. Sandwiches, Costco, a hair cut and eye appointment. Hang time with cousins (a trampoline place). Last dinner at spaghetti factory and then a backyard devotional. Chase shared his testimony with some of the cousins. Brian and Pam stopped by (their son is in the same mission). Sophie was sick to end the day. Fever and throwing up. Shannon gave Brynn a haircut.
Wed am: Sophie still burning up with fever. Other than that it's peaceful and calm around here. Chase is packing and dividing his last belongings. Sophie had a haircut and braid, we took some family pictures and went inside for one last family prayer. Jdawgs for lunch and then a quick stop at the temple for a few pictures and our goodbyes. (Rip your heart out!) Into the waiting line. As we got out of the car, the welcoming Elder had a Mandarin name tag and is going to Scotland, Mandarin speaking. Chase asked if he knew elder Salazar. Salazars were members in Shenzhen and they used to hold church in the house we currently live in over in China. He replied, "He's my companion!" So a little tender mercy right there to start things off. He gave everybody another quick hug, one last family picture and he left and didn't look back. Sad not to see Elder Costello again but I'm sure they will find each other soon. We went over to BYU to see Todd's sister Kelly at work and as I watched my shrinking family walking down the sidewalk, I was super sad. My new normal. I quickly replaced the thought with that of eternal families. How lucky we are to live together forever. There is a feeling of peace after dropping off a missionary. I felt it with Ally and I recognized it again with Chase.
We went to the bookstore and then headed back to Highland to get ready for our next adventure. Keeping busy seems to help! Thanks to all who sent well wishes today. A friend we met in California through the Jorgensens, said she welcomed Chase and gave him his name tag. She said he was "darling and happy". Todd took Brooke, Brigham and me to the airport. I took the kids to their youth conference and went with Lori to get things for the kids' lunches. Thank you, Lori! After that I headed to my hotel. I was completely freaked out at the hotel. It was a villa with two levels, lots of cubbies and closets and non-sufficient locks. Thanks to Costellos for housing Brooke and Brigham for their early departure in the morning. We had an email from Chase tonight and in his words, "I'm so happy its just nuts."
Thursday& Friday:kids off to youth conference. Todd off running with Tyler. Little girls swimming at Alpine Country Club with cousins. Jump rope and resistance bands. Tyler grilled Hawaiian chicken and coconut rice. Temple, Art Museum, pool, reading books and painting.
Thursday& Friday:kids off to youth conference. Todd off running with Tyler. Little girls swimming at Alpine Country Club with cousins. Jump rope and resistance bands. Tyler grilled Hawaiian chicken and coconut rice. Temple, Art Museum, pool, reading books and painting.
Saturday: Niece Lucy's baptism and a mountain bike ride for Todd. BBQ at Carson's house celebrating Jaxon's graduation and mission call to Paris France, Oct. 1. Volleyball in the backyard.
Sunday: Nice to sleep in! Church wasn't until 1PM. Fast Sunday. Shannon made quiche that came out of the oven when we walked in the door. So delicious. Dinner at Taylor's in the grove, trampoline and playing with Rocky, visiting with family. S'mores and home videos the finish out the night. Todd flies back to China tomorrow. The kids and I are headed to Colorado and Nebraska for some family reunions and visits.
Missing my Ally and Chase!
Happy summer everyone! We miss you, our China branch friends-congrats Kesters on your new baby!
Love from UT,
Jane & family
Here is Chase's addressEMAIL: taylor.chase@myldsmail.net Elder Chase David TaylorJul30 AST-BRI2007 N 900 E Unit 19Provo, UT 84062And Ally'sEMIAL: allysun.taylor@myldsmail.netSweden Stockholm MissionSyster Allysun TaylorEnebybergsvägen 38182 46 EnebybergSweden
45
It's been good for us to reflect on how good things are here in the USA. Family & Friends. Religious freedom. Driving a (non-smoky) car. Clean, open spaces. Blue skies. English speakers. Variety of people. Freedom of speech. Toilet paper and paper towels in the bathrooms. Drinking water from the tap. ICE. Fresh air. Very little car honking. Costco & Target. Comfy beds.
Some of the things we did this week:
Visit to Tucson
Brooke's learner's permit
AZ Mills
Passport renewal
Dog grooming/pick up
Track down the cap and gown order
El Pollo Loco
Taco Bell
Family Temple session at new Gilbert Temple
Cafe Rio-taco tuesday (hello Butlers!)
Seminary Graduation-great speakers.
Venezia's with Grandparents
MVT Graduation
Graduation party
Smash burger
Swimming with cousins
Birthday parties
School visits
Last day of school pool party
Butcher Jones lake day
coin star
Basketball
Jamba
Hot tub
Taxes
Flancer's
Culver's
Athleta shopping with sister
Flower Child
Chase setting apart
PeiWei
yogurt land
Friend visits
Mission supply shopping
packing/cleaning/laundry
Rental car switching
I'm missing the #nappersinchina, just a little. Nobody naps in public here.
Thanks Ryan and Liz for hosting us with our crazy schedule!
Saturday morning we packed up, cleaned up, picked up Rocky and headed to UT. It was quiet with no music/movies with a missionary in the car. We loved the drive, the views, the rain, the treats and more frequent stops than usual with the dog.
Sunday: Celebrated Todd's dad's birthday and lunched with Shea and Heather after visiting our old ward. Rocky was the hit of the night being loved by all the cousins.
Here is Chase's address after Wednesday afternoon.
EMAIL: taylor.chase@myldsmail.
Elder Chase David Taylor
Jul30 AST-BRI
2007 N 900 E Unit 19
Provo, UT 84062
Here we go with round 2!
Have a great week. I have to say there's better material when living in China! It's been soooooo good to see you in person.
Love from UT
,
Jane & Family
44
My dad said, "I missed your letter this morning!" I had forgotten the time change. I was going to write on Sunday night as usual, but I guess I usually write on Saturday USA time. Anyhow, here's this week's update. Delete as you wish!
Long, busy week. So glad to be on American soil. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I got back. It's going to be hard to go back to China, but we must finish what we started.
Mon: I got to have one last lunch with my friends Jordana and Christine. By the time we get back they will have moved back to the states, and Christine will be on a visit to Canada. After our lunch we went to pay the bill and the owner said he was buying our lunch. Nice! Christine's driver took us to the grocery stores and then home. For Family Home Evening, we went to Pon's house with the Turners and Tovars for a delicious Thai meal. The girls and I had gone over earlier to roll about a billion egg rolls. I thought we would never get to the bottom of the bowl of filling. Pon started to cook them and then her propane tank ran out. This was our cue to go home and get ready for dinner. The kids played pool and apples to apples and we had a nice evening.
Tuesday: Lots of packing and laundry and trip preparation. Met our friend Sherley and her daughter London to get our nails done so we could see them one more time. The place was packed so the service was bu hao. (not good). We also got a refund for the Olympics that were cancelled and walked a lot around town. Dinner at the Youse house was delicious-followed by a piano concert- Joyce and Shannon. Very impressive and loud and expressive. We met Todd at home and madly finished packing. Thirteen bags and 7 carry-ons later, we tried to sleep but were too excited. Chase's friends were streaming by to say good bye until after midnight. They all wanted to say good bye to all the other kids too. Nice group of boys. I think Chase was able to be such a good influence on them and they helped his experience here in China.
Our driver came just before 5AM and was a little miffed at all the bags. We made them fit just fine and we were on our way to Hong Kong. We exited the van and went into immigration. When we came out the other side it was pouring rain. We were cutting it close on time but made it just fine. Uneventful flight to Tokyo. Had a few hours layover so we got to look around. I'd love to go back. Next flight was the long one, Tokyo to LA. Luckily we had a space between our seats and the window. We piled up pillows and took turns napping. Lots of good movies and ok food and we were there in bright and sunny LA. Our eyes were all squinting. We hadn't seen the sunshine since March. Lines in the LA airport were ridiculous. We had a three hour layover and only had about 30 minutes to spare after all the lines. They had lines to get in lines to wait in lines. On to PHX. When we arrived the pilot welcomed the Taylor family from China--Ryan, my brother in law works in the air traffic control tower and happened to be on shift. My mom had on a Chinese farm hat, a sign and a driver sign with our name. It was pretty funny. My dad and sister's family were also there to greet us.
We got rental cars and went to Chick Fil A, first stop. Next stop, target and at&t store, Tempe camera.
Jake and Kelly's family stopped by. We picked up Brigham from the church playing basketball and then headed to see our dog Rocky. Thanks Allreds and Hatfields for watching him for us!
Todd had a mountain bike ride with his buddies. He was in heaven, he misses that so much. Kids are loving their options with so many friends to catch up with and so many cousins to see.
Busy visiting friends, eating good food, going to church and getting Brooke and Chase ready for Prom/mission. Chase gave a quick testimony/talk on experiences in China in church today and had his final mission interview. It's all happening so quickly. We are really going to miss having him around. His companion will be lucky to have a clean, organized, hardworking, smart and funny guy to pal around and work with.
Dinner at Mom and Dad's tonight. All cousins except Ally were there. A rare occasion. My cousin Rachel was there as well. Fun to see her.
It's been great to be back. Busy, but great. Hope we get to see all of you over the next couple of months. Congrats to all the graduates this week!
Love from all over the place,
Taylor Family
43 Mother's Day, Chase's Farewell, Sophia's Baptism Day!
momma jane from brooke taylor on Vimeo.
Monday: mandarin tutor for chase and kids madly trying to finish school. traveled to Luohu to meet with the tailors. Not much sleep, lightening lit up the house through the night. For fhe we went to coyote Mexican restaurant with the Tovars for cinco de mayo. Walked to Baskin Robbins and home in the rain.
Tuesday: Brynn finished her coursework! A final tomorrow and she's a fifth grader. Hallelujah. Pon and Sydney came over for dinner. Still rainy but I stayed home all day and did many loads of laundry, started packing and de cluttering drawers. Where does all the junk come from? Todd had meetings all day at different locations. His last meeting was at 8pm on the squash court. Prepared my last seminary lesson of the year.
Wed: taught the last seminary class. I have learned more in this calling than any other, I think, and have appreciated that. I won't miss getting up early and pressure each day to do the next day's lesson. Tomorrow we are having a class party/breakfast. Chase's tutor is coming again and the little girls are going to the primary president's house to do an activity this afternoon before tennis. Yw New beginnings /evening of excellence is this evening. I'm heading to the gym!
Thursday: Breakfast was a success. Chase and I took a taxi to the border. We were planning on going to the temple one last time here in Hong Kong. Chase got detained at the border. We forgot that he has to exit and re-enter every 30
Days, we missed it and he overstayed by three days. The guard assures me they will let him through but I can't see him and he's on one side and I'm on the other. Last thing I saw was a guard leading him away. Good thing we didn't run into this problem Wednesday when we are trying to catch our flight home, I guess.
All ok. They gave him a warning and sent him through. Picked up the seminary completion and graduation certificates and then went to the temple. We talked to some missionaries and headed to lunch at simply life. That's our place. We love to eat there. The desserts are like art. Did some mission supply shopping-pants, passport holder, and treats to bring home. Still very rainy. We hopped on a bus and headed back to the border. Chase went to dinner with a Carina, a date! They had pizza and ate it in the rain...I guess it got all soggy.
Friday: Stayed home all day. The guys went to Spiderman with friends from the ward. The girls stayed in and ordered pizza.
Saturday: Brynn found a snake just outside our window. I saw just the tail. Todd threw some rocks at it but couldn't find where it went. YUCK. To the gym and stinky man was there and wouldn't leave. He was there before me and was still there when I was finally tired of waiting for him to go. I can not run with him in there because I can't hold my nose and breathe through my mouth while running. Todd and I went to the pool with the girls before it started raining again. I met Shane and Brigham at the wet market (always an experience!) Went to the mall...there was some celebrity at KFC, lots of crowds, lights, cameras, etc. Too bad I don't know who it was! Home to make macaroni and cheese for the branch party. Todd and Brigham went down to set up for the party. "Dancing Through the Ages" was the theme. They served appetizers, KFC, mac and cheese, salad, fruit salad and ice cream sundaes. The committee did a nice job. Its fun to see personalities come out on the dance floor.
Sunday: woke up to pouring rain. When Brooke, Brynn, Shane , Brigham and I were leaving for church there were no umbrellas in our house. We own like 50 now so I don't know where they all went...anyhow. I put on flip flops and a rain jacket, Shane went to fetch some from the church and off we went. I arrived a bit late. Chase gave a really nice farewell talk and Todd did a nice job on his, as well. Seems he always has to speak on Mother's Day, a difficult task. Chase's friend Abel came and Todd's work friend Anders and Ulrike from Sweden also came for the meeting. It rained all through our church meetings. Sophie's baptism was next. Ally was able to call in and give a talk. It was great to hear her voice and testimony. Brynn also spoke. After the baptism the men prepared a lunch for the branch. Home for naps, dinner and a skype from Ally. Joyce and Shannon, Raygozas and Shane were here to celebrate Mother's Day. Still pouring rain, thunder and lightening.
We are busy packing and getting ready to fly HOME. We are beyond excited to see everyone, eat, see blue sky and sunshine and smell non-stinky things!
Love to my MOM, Todd's MOM, our GRANDMAS, SISTERS, SISTER IN LAWS, FRIENDS, AUNTS, DAUGHTERS and all other WOMEN in our lives. Your examples help us to be and do better. Thanks for your service to our family.
See you soon!
Love from China,
Taylor Family
42
Youth conference:
China-wide Youth Conference 2014 from Hey Ho on Vimeo.
BRIG:
BROOKLYN:
CHASE:
Monday
Tuesday. 9 am breakfast call. Made it there just before 10 between laundry loads. Smoothie king for the ones who can't stomach noodles for breakfast. Even the cold cereal was served with warm milk in a coffee pitcher. We went shopping and to the drum tower and the bell tower. There was a drum show (quick, just 3 sets). A little more walking around the Muslim quarter market where we met artist professor Ding. Nice, talented man. He kept pointing at pieces saying "my work". I love the vendors that sell their own talent or provide a service. There were a string of ladies near the bus stop that were mending clothes, some while they were still worn by the customer. One guy had a cigarette burn in his sweats and a lady was sewing them up right then and there. The girls bought some ceramic earrings that the seller hand painted and fired. I'm a fan of the paper cutting art also. We headed back to the hotel and took our van to the Xian airport. Pizza Hut there before our flight to Chengdu. Shane will meet us there at the airport. Our group will be up to 11, and then twelve when Todd arrives tomorrow afternoon.
Wednesday:
Up early to check out by 730 and be on the bus by 800. We were heading out of the parking lot by 805 when Sophie realized she left her iPod in the room. 20 min later we were on our way. Leshan was our destination. Here we hiked with many, many other Chinese to see the giant Buddha carved into the mountainside.
Black taxis to the entrance of the mountain. Beautiful hike to two different temples up in the mountain. Back down to the bus station, lunch at the witty monkey hotel, noodles, rice, beans, Kung pao chicken. A bus ride up the mountain and back down. Walked through the city hoping to find something besides rice but no luck. Back to the hotel. Snacked and chatted, a few card tricks and then to hotel restaurant for
In hired cars now for the 2.5 hour drive to
The largest gathering of LDS youth in China to date.
China-wide Youth Conference 2014 from Hey Ho on Vimeo.
BRIG:
So Youth Conference was probably one of the most fun things I have ever done. It was an awesome experience. I am so glad I got to go to this trek. This trek was the first ever trek in China and I was apart of it. It was pretty sweet. I think the best part was when we did trust exercises with our families. There where also a couple of dances/hoedowns. Overall this was a very good experience and I am very glad I was able to be apart of it.
BROOKLYN:
Youth conference was so fun! Before we went I kept complaining that I didn't know anyone that was gonna be in my trek family but it ended up being so much better than I thought! I met tons of cool kids. The trek wasn't as intense as the treks in America... I think we only walked 6 miles total (which was totally fine with me). We played tons of fun games and there was just so much work put into it! Each family even got a fake baby (which was a sack of rice) that we had to carry around, and then at the end we found out if our baby died or not based on stories that actually happened in pioneer times. My baby BOY named LUCY died:(. Other than that.... It was super fun and went so well especially considering it was the first trek to ever happen inChina!!
CHASE:
Trek was coooooool. The first night we got there one of our family's tents was flooded so we squeezed 4 boys in a 2 man tent. It was awesome. The handcarts had little poles on them, so when you set the handcart down it doesn't fall over. The problem was that whenever you tried to turn the handcart it would dig into your ankles. Half the young men left trek with minor limps. The food was good. Testimony meeting was great. It was cool to see other members my age going through the same situations.
Monday
:
Xian China, Ascot
Hotel where we are staying, is under construction. Smoking allowed everywhere. Hard, small beds, a little larger than a twin. Bathroom smells like an outhouse. It's so interesting traveling inChina and seeing what you get when you check in. Sometimes twin beds are big, sometimes small. A rollaway costs almost as much as the room itself. B
reakfast at the hotel, you know, the usual, boiled lettuce, fried rice and noodles, salad with mayo for dressing. Steamed mystery dumplings. Hired a big van to take us and the Tovars to the terra cotta warriors. "Sophia" was our guide for the day. Her English was tough to understand. Chase said he already finished school and checked out. Brigham counted 117 times that she said "yes". Little Sophie kept running off. There were three buildings with "pits" inside them. This is where the soldiers were all lined up and they are still actively uncovering them. They have been digging for 38 years. The first pit was long, like a football field or so. Amazed that each one had a different face. Warriors are a three piece work. The feet are solid. The bodies are hollow. The heads are a mix some of them hollow and some were solid. We shopped in the market for a bit afterwards and then went to the nearby village where nearly every house was a restaurant. They took us upstairs for lunch to a private room with a round table. We shut the door and Chase said a prayer that we wouldn't get sick from the food. Ernesto played his Chinese music and we ate and regrouped for the next adventure. The underground palace was a huge disappointment. I do not recommend. It was like a really bad diorama. Heads were falling off, mannequins tipped over, main event was six ladies guarding a tomb. It took about 15 min to see the whole thing. The best part was the hallway leading to it with low ceilings and cave like feel. Back to the hotel for a nap. We then walked via the bell tower to the City Wall. Rented bikes for a couple of hours and rode around the whole thing which was 13.7 bumpy brick km long.Chase and I were on tandem bikes each carrying a little girl. Brooke and Brigham were on mt bikes
. 
b
y the time we were finishing up, all the lanterns and pagodas were lit up beautifully. Ate pineapple on sticks and watermelon and blackberries
that turned our teeth purple,
from paper cups. On to Muslim quarter for dinner. One of the craziest, loudest, most colorful markets we have seen.
Neon flashing signs everywhere. Crowded.
Muslim shops making noodles, beating cracker dough with huge mallets and hot fire woks burning, ready to make your dinner. The shop owners all doing something to get the attention of those passing by...singing, yelling, wildly twirling long strips of dough. We turned down a side street and found a table for ten, ordered 28 skewers of meat for a boy to grill over coals, walked to the shop across the street for some wide Muslim noodles and then ate over 10 bottles of orange soda (only choice besides homemade drinkable yogurt) with little straws.
The place was filthy, blood dripped on the floor from the meat preparation area, dirt and vegetable leaves all over. Sticky tables with leftover spice and chili oil from previous eaters. Somehow we didn't mind and ate there anyway. Oh, and there were two buckets of chopsticks on the table. I pulled out some that were wet. Evidently there was a "clean" and "used" bucket. The "clean" bucket happened to all be wet wooden chopsticks also.
Shopped a bit on the way back through the market down a back alley as they were closing down. Took three tuk
t
uks back to our hotel and sat in the lobby and planned out the schedule for Tuesday. Brynn feeling sick with cold and sore throat in addition to her sore bum from the fall down the stairs. Sophie getting tired from the constant go go go. There were spilled drinks and a few tears shed at our 9pm dinner. Missing Todd. Tuesday. 9 am breakfast call. Made it there just before 10 between laundry loads. Smoothie king for the ones who can't stomach noodles for breakfast. Even the cold cereal was served with warm milk in a coffee pitcher. We went shopping and to the drum tower and the bell tower. There was a drum show (quick, just 3 sets). A little more walking around the Muslim quarter market where we met artist professor Ding. Nice, talented man. He kept pointing at pieces saying "my work". I love the vendors that sell their own talent or provide a service. There were a string of ladies near the bus stop that were mending clothes, some while they were still worn by the customer. One guy had a cigarette burn in his sweats and a lady was sewing them up right then and there. The girls bought some ceramic earrings that the seller hand painted and fired. I'm a fan of the paper cutting art also. We headed back to the hotel and took our van to the Xian airport. Pizza Hut there before our flight to Chengdu. Shane will meet us there at the airport. Our group will be up to 11, and then twelve when Todd arrives tomorrow afternoon.
Wednesday:
Giant P
anda
B
reeding
B
ase preserve was our first stop after breakfast. Three taxis to get us there. The red pandas, which look like raccoons, were up sleeping in trees, walking right over our feet and enjoying their brunch. Giant pandas were also feasting on bamboo, peeling them to eat and putting their trash in a nice pile. Brigham found "icy mint" sprite so we had to try that out. Back into the city, all in one minivan and to Burger King/mcdonalds/KFC for lunch. Shopping in Chengdu at the square and Korean market. Sophie got her ears pierced and was so giggly about it.
Back to the hotel via crazy Tuk tu
ks
to rest and wait for Todd's arrival. Dinner at a
Sichuan
Chinese place. I never knew the difference between Cantonese, Taiwanese,
S
ichuan
etc. but now I'm learning.
Si
chuan is basically
spicy and
a bunch of meat parts you wouldn't ever want to eat. We had one dish, chicken with bitter asparagus. I took a breaded piece of chicken. When I bit down all I could hear was crunching. It was a bunch of bones. Just had one bite of that! Next we went to a famous street,
J
inli, where upscale artists and clothing boutiques were lit by red lanterns. The kids shot cross bows and the girls a
t
e cotton candy shaped like hearts and flowers. Back to the hotel to pack up for tomorrow's adventure.
Chase finally asked someone to prom also...with the help of some friends.
Up early to check out by 730 and be on the bus by 800. We were heading out of the parking lot by 805 when Sophie realized she left her iPod in the room. 20 min later we were on our way. Leshan was our destination. Here we hiked with many, many other Chinese to see the giant Buddha carved into the mountainside.
(71 meters tall, 28 meters wide)
The line to the bottom was hours long so we stayed up by the head, had some ice cream bars and went back down. It was pretty amazing, I was shocked when I first saw it and how huge it was. Favorite part was the weeds growing in the humongous ears. We couldn't find any lunch in Leshan so we headed to Emeishan, checked into the hotel and ate at the hotel restaurant. More Chinese food. No other choice. Our standby is fried rice and green beans. We went to the hotel lobby and they opened up a private room for us. We played games for hours and had a good time.
Parents let a little boy pee in the hotel fountain pool. Hotel is lacking...wallpaper peeling, mosquitos, towels feel damp, hard beds, smaller than a double and only two pillows for four of us. Phone doesn't work, heater doesn't work. Walked to the Paradise hot springs...there were lots of pools...purple water, two with red water, yellow, green, brown and the normal blue. Naked Chinese babies. Men taking naps in the shallow water. Interesting!
Black taxis to the entrance of the mountain. Beautiful hike to two different temples up in the mountain. Back down to the bus station, lunch at the witty monkey hotel, noodles, rice, beans, Kung pao chicken. A bus ride up the mountain and back down. Walked through the city hoping to find something besides rice but no luck. Back to the hotel. Snacked and chatted, a few card tricks and then to hotel restaurant for
more fried
rice.
We are all SO OVER RICE AND NOODLES.
Jamba Juice and Tia rosa sound really good right now.In hired cars now for the 2.5 hour drive to
C
hengdu airport. Our choice
s:
car no 1
smoky
. Car number 2 gasoline fumes. We will all be feeling sick when we get to the airport. The drive, however, is beautiful. They farm nearly every piece of available land including on/off freeway ramps and bases of billboard signs. Houses dot the hillsides. Many, many shades of green and tree varieties. Terraced mountainsides. Bundled stocks of grain, tall corn.Chinese farmers with straw hats and baskets on their backs working their land, mountain tunnels, greenhouses. Patches of mist. Red dirt hills. Abandoned buildings with windows knocked out. New buildings with cranes on top of them. Smoke stacks.
So nice to be home and sleep in our own (soft) beds. A special thanks to Ernesto Tovar for putting this itinerary together. It's not easy and he did a great job and things went very smoothly.
An uneventful flight back to Shenzhen and a good day at church today. A big week planned. Mother's Day, Chase farewell, Sophie baptism, Ally Skype for Mother's Day....and preparing to come back to AZ and UT for a much anticipated visit. We can't wait to see everyone. It will be great to get a recharge from being around all of you. You are great examples to us. --Todd
We will be back to our home country in 10 days! Getting excited around here. Last week of seminary, a temple day in Hong Kong, cleaning and packing, getting ready for the farewell and baptism and thinking of all the great mothers in our lives. Have a great week everyone!
Love from China,
Jane and Family
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