Ni Hao Everyone!
Monday: Hong Kong with Chase. First stop was travel services. The rep we had taking Chase's visa application was doubtful he would even get a two entry visa-he was so sure, he was set on not even applying for anything but. I convinced him to try. We left him our packet and headed to the church office building in Wan Chai. It is a beautiful building. We spent the next hour with mission travel services getting his Australia visa application packet ready. I can't believe the paperwork! The file is about an inch thick.Next we headed to lunch at Times Square, post office and nike and apple store, bank. By this time it is raining and freezing cold with the wind coming off the water. We order two big hot chocolates from Starbucks and decide to walk back towards the metro with the hot chocolate to keep our hands from freezing. I could only finish half of mine. It was way too sweet. Chase had a hard time finishing also but decided to press on. He drank the whole cup and immediately thought he would throw up. For the next hour he was moaning and complaining and acting strange until he drank a full bottle of water. He already had a marshmallow shake, giant kit Kat, Swiss chocolate bar, cherry cola and gummy worms. He usually eats pretty healthy so he really shocked his system. It took him until we got home to feel better. We rode up one of the steepest, longest escalators I've ever been on. I couldn't look up or I was immediately dizzy. About six thirty pm We got the call from the travel agent and I almost couldn't believe it when he said "we did it, we got the six month multi-entry visa". A miracle really. Said a prayer of gratitude in the bathroom, hurried to the office, picked it up and headed home. Letters from Ally on the ferry ride home. Long day and good to be back with the family. We are appreciating the "bonus time" we have been able to spend with our teenagers. If we were at home they would come home for a snack after school and be off with their friends. Here, we eat dinner together most every night, don't have to rush anywhere, we see them so much more and often find them spending time together, laughing and goofing off and fighting too. Thanks to Todd for taking my seminary class today. The rest of the family worked on their classes, ordered Indian food and watched the Ed Sullivan show.
Tuesday: So cold! In the 40s. Fun to go back to Chinese class and see my friends. They drink wine and I drink my warm water (always served the warm water) and eat chocolate covered almonds. I walked home after stopping at the produce store and bank and my hands were like ice. Jeff Sears gave us the next two episodes of American idol and we ate Thai food and watched that the rest of the night.
Wednesday. Hot chocolate for seminary. These kids are troopers for coming early in the cold rainy weather this morning. No plans but school and staying warm today. Todd had to go to meetings downtown. Movie night for scouts and for Brooke. The scouts were here. The girls and I hung out upstairs under cover. I fell asleep around 8pm for the night. I need to do that more often!
Thursday. Another cold rainy morning. Can't get warm in these cinder block walls with space heaters. After seminary Todd was in the room working so I turned on the heating pad to warm up my frozen limbs. I felt the heating pad "puff up" so I pulled it out from under the covers and it was smouldering and smoking. We threw it outside in the rain and it had burned a hole through the heating pad cover, the sheet and into the mattress pad while my legs were on it. Got lucky there! The rest of the day we all spent in comfy clothes and beanies. Still raining. Chase is teaching the other kids Chinese class so it's fun to hear their conversations. Making up a scripture mastery game for Valentine's Day and the girls have been crafting little surprises all day. Sophie got grounded from her skateboard for riding outside without a helmet. Sad day for her. We had a big produce delivery today--takes a while to wash it all in the veggie wash. We will miss the fresh fruit, vegetables and bread everyday when we move home. I fell asleep around 10. At 11:30PM we had a call from the Nashes. They needed to go to the ER (their son swallowed an earring) and needed help with their little ones. They dropped off their kids at 12:45AM and took care of things at the hospital and went home to sleep.
Monday: Hong Kong with Chase. First stop was travel services. The rep we had taking Chase's visa application was doubtful he would even get a two entry visa-he was so sure, he was set on not even applying for anything but. I convinced him to try. We left him our packet and headed to the church office building in Wan Chai. It is a beautiful building. We spent the next hour with mission travel services getting his Australia visa application packet ready. I can't believe the paperwork! The file is about an inch thick.Next we headed to lunch at Times Square, post office and nike and apple store, bank. By this time it is raining and freezing cold with the wind coming off the water. We order two big hot chocolates from Starbucks and decide to walk back towards the metro with the hot chocolate to keep our hands from freezing. I could only finish half of mine. It was way too sweet. Chase had a hard time finishing also but decided to press on. He drank the whole cup and immediately thought he would throw up. For the next hour he was moaning and complaining and acting strange until he drank a full bottle of water. He already had a marshmallow shake, giant kit Kat, Swiss chocolate bar, cherry cola and gummy worms. He usually eats pretty healthy so he really shocked his system. It took him until we got home to feel better. We rode up one of the steepest, longest escalators I've ever been on. I couldn't look up or I was immediately dizzy. About six thirty pm We got the call from the travel agent and I almost couldn't believe it when he said "we did it, we got the six month multi-entry visa". A miracle really. Said a prayer of gratitude in the bathroom, hurried to the office, picked it up and headed home. Letters from Ally on the ferry ride home. Long day and good to be back with the family. We are appreciating the "bonus time" we have been able to spend with our teenagers. If we were at home they would come home for a snack after school and be off with their friends. Here, we eat dinner together most every night, don't have to rush anywhere, we see them so much more and often find them spending time together, laughing and goofing off and fighting too. Thanks to Todd for taking my seminary class today. The rest of the family worked on their classes, ordered Indian food and watched the Ed Sullivan show.
Tuesday: So cold! In the 40s. Fun to go back to Chinese class and see my friends. They drink wine and I drink my warm water (always served the warm water) and eat chocolate covered almonds. I walked home after stopping at the produce store and bank and my hands were like ice. Jeff Sears gave us the next two episodes of American idol and we ate Thai food and watched that the rest of the night.
Wednesday. Hot chocolate for seminary. These kids are troopers for coming early in the cold rainy weather this morning. No plans but school and staying warm today. Todd had to go to meetings downtown. Movie night for scouts and for Brooke. The scouts were here. The girls and I hung out upstairs under cover. I fell asleep around 8pm for the night. I need to do that more often!
Thursday. Another cold rainy morning. Can't get warm in these cinder block walls with space heaters. After seminary Todd was in the room working so I turned on the heating pad to warm up my frozen limbs. I felt the heating pad "puff up" so I pulled it out from under the covers and it was smouldering and smoking. We threw it outside in the rain and it had burned a hole through the heating pad cover, the sheet and into the mattress pad while my legs were on it. Got lucky there! The rest of the day we all spent in comfy clothes and beanies. Still raining. Chase is teaching the other kids Chinese class so it's fun to hear their conversations. Making up a scripture mastery game for Valentine's Day and the girls have been crafting little surprises all day. Sophie got grounded from her skateboard for riding outside without a helmet. Sad day for her. We had a big produce delivery today--takes a while to wash it all in the veggie wash. We will miss the fresh fruit, vegetables and bread everyday when we move home. I fell asleep around 10. At 11:30PM we had a call from the Nashes. They needed to go to the ER (their son swallowed an earring) and needed help with their little ones. They dropped off their kids at 12:45AM and took care of things at the hospital and went home to sleep.
Friday: A driver took the Nash kids and me back to their house around 11am. I got dropped off at CoCo Park and met Todd for Valentine's Day lunch at SimplyLife. It was nice to meet him in the middle of the day for a date. We stopped off at Holiday Plaza Apple store and signed up for One to One classes. Also went to Ole-the international store to get chocolates for the kids. I requested cheese, cause nothing says Valentine's Day like a hunk of smoky gouda and a lovepoem. We exchanged little gifts with the kids and I even had a poem from Chase on my pillow. Big day...I finally learned how to order from the Sam's Club China website. (thanks to google chrome for translating pages for me). Too bad most of their products are Chinese. They showed up with produce and milk and new sheets. Tried to get a nap but couldn't sleep. Rhoda drove over and we rode down to Coyote for our Valentine's Day dinner date. Our branch was eating there together to support our friend who sings in the mariachi band. It was good food and fun with friends. If you can believe it, there were still fireworks going on this evening. My Chineseteacher said today is the lantern festival, the official, official last day of Chinese New Year. Home, chatting with the kids for a while and off to finally sleep.
Saturday: Brynn, Brooke and I quickly walked to the subway and rode to Holiday Plaza for our final cut pro computer class. Brooke already knew most of what the teacher was talking about but did learn a few shortcuts. She goes again Tuesday for a Motion class. She uploaded a new video with Sophie and her skateboard. Our neighbor Mike from Mesa, traveling in Asia on business, was able to stay with us and give us a little Mesa recharge boost. He and Todd hiked the mountain and we crossed paths as they were heading down to eat at Brigham's favorite joint--Muslim Noodle Co. (bare butt baby restaurant). They walked around Sea World, watched Ender's Game and American Idol. Mexican salad for dinner, Ping Pong. He came bearing gifts from home, much appreciated, thanks for putting that together
Linda! Chase and the boys spent the afternoon playing basketball with a group of 10 guys. Chase went back out tonight to make videos of friends doing embarrassing things for their school assignment.
Sunday: Great talks in church today on tithing...Hey Ho and the Raygozas spoke. Granatas told us, sadly, that they are moving home in May. Blacks are also moving home in March. This really is a revolving door here. You get a small window to do some pretty amazing things and then it spits you back out and you are on your way. Elder Holland is coming to Hong Kong to speak next Sunday. Our youth group is going to Youth Conference in Hong Kong Fri/Sat. at the Wan Chai church office building, so they may have a guest speaker, but it has not yet been announced, just a guess. We will try to get there Sunday to hear him as well. Today after church we had Shane, Dusty (back from their southeast Asia tour), Mike, our neighbor, and another guy Nate Graff here on business, over for Spaghetti Sunday.(Miss you Kesters!) They also announced in church that the Dongguan Branch now has a permanent place to meet for church instead of rotating in member's homes.
Well that's 31 weeks down! It's going to get pretty busy soon, which will make the time pass even more quickly. Chase's farewell and Sophie's baptism were announced today on the program. They will both be on Mother's day. Maybe Ally can even skype in for the event since it will be Mother's Day! Check your schedule Ally, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana and Papa!
Have a great week everyone!
Love from China,
Jane & Family
"You can choose to live your life with the joy of the front row or the solemness of the third row. "
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