Monday: Basketball practice for the boys-Brigham had a good shooting game, 5-3-pointers. He was happy about that. Joyce, Rhoda and I went shopping at Sam's and Ikea and Metro for Lina's wedding shower group gifts. We ate salmon at the ikea cafeteria. It had some green sauce on it and I can't tell you one ingredient that was in it because it was the strangest tasting stuff. It was a bit sweet and that's all I know. I'm usually pretty good about deconstructing recipe ingredients but this one had me stumped.
Tuesday: Wedding shower for our new friend Lina. She is from Brazil and was a translator for the church until she moved here. She married Roy Greenland in our ward. He knows Todd's uncle and grandpa from American Fork. At Chinese class our teacher told us to get prepared for an exam in a couple weeks. I bought produce and couldn't find a taxi so I walked all the way home. The weather is getting muggy already.
Wednesday: Hiked Nanshan Mountain to the first pagoda with Rhoda, Cherie and Joyce. We hadn't been in a few weeks so it was slow going. Always good to chat, however, and the time goes quickly. Cherie told us about meeting LL Cool Jay in Italy. She's a good time. Next off to lunch with the IBM wives. Sue moved in a week ago so Anita arranged a lunch with Jenni, Jordana and myself. We met at Gypsy's and told her all we could. Probably scared the bejeebiesout of her, rather. At lunch Chase sent me a text with his BYU acceptance letter. He also booked a trip with his friend Matthew and his family (dad works with Todd at IBM) to Boracai,Phillippeans, for SIS spring break.
(From Todd)... Good Chase day today....acceptance to BYU Provo and taught another discussion to a family investigating the church. I was able to teach the discussion with Chase. Pretty awesome having the opportunity to be companions with your son for the day. Who gets to do that? They need to implement a Dad Day or Mom Day in the mission field. It was great. He ran the show, taught every other principle of the lesson, bore his testimony, set up the next appointment, etc... He's going to be a good one.
Girls had tennis with Carina and Sophie's skateboard got taken during her lesson. She was not a happy girl. She's already asking how to earn some money for a new one. Her usual job is washing the produce and putting it away. She'll never be out of that job here in China. Carina, Sydney, Shane all came for dinner. While I was cooking dinner, I turned to look at my recipe. I saw something fall on the floor, right in front of the stove. Possibly the onion peel? I reached for it and it moved and then scampered towards the dishwasher...it was a little gecko. I found the broom and scooted it all across the kitchen and dining area to the side door. As I flipped it out, it's tail came off. It sat squirming by the baseboard until Brigham came and took care of it for me 20-30 minutes later. STILL SQUIRMING, just the tail. GROSS!! I still don't know where it fell from...the hood? Counter? Behind the stove? Anna came over with Jade and Gregson while the kids were at mutual and activity days.
Thursday: Chase went with me to the Relief Society Temple Day. Joyce picked us up via taxi, helped us buy bus tickets, waited for us as we crossed the border (She's a Hong Kong native and crosses in the express line), and walked with us to the temple. Afterwards we ate at SimplyLifewith Kathy, Carrie and Joyce. They were giving Chase all sorts of advice. A quick run through the grocery store where our female cashier's name was WING MAN. We got a kick out of that one.
I need to get better at defensive "walking". People here are so attached to their phones it's unreal. They'd walk right into an open manhole, or smack into you. One of the recordings at the Hong Kong MTR says, with a British accent, "Don't keep your eyes only on your mobile phone."
After lunch, we went to the police station to get fingerprints for Chase's FBI clearance paperwork for his mission. One more thing checked off the list. Mailed Ally a little package, bought a few groceries and home on the ferry. Taxied home from the ferry. As I walked in the door I realized I left my bag in the taxi. I walked outside quickly and the taxi driver was going through my bagthat I had zipped shut. I tried to take a photo of his nameplate and he kept putting his hand in front of his photo. I got his license plate number but I think everything is in my bag. Here's a tip for the guy...How about ringing the bell and giving my bag back! My plan B was to call the management and have them hold the taxi at the gate.
Got a text from the tennis teacher that another one of his clients had Sophie's skateboard in their trunk. They thought it was theirs and picked it up. Skater Girl is happy again.
Everybody but Chase went to the gym and now off to bed. At the gym I realized how super curly Brigham's hair is getting and how tall he is growing. He's a new man. He's going to be really outnumbered when Chase leaves. The ONLY boy!
Friday: I was picked up in a bright yellow car by Mr. Green and headed to Luohu with Cherie,Sherley and Adi. We shopped for fabric, they all got fabric for sheets, duvets, shams and dresses. I got Vera Bradley for cloth napkins. There was an extra spot at tennis class so Todd went with Brigham and is learning to play left handed because his right shoulder hurts so badly. Tonight we went to Shenzhen Children's Hospital to pick up the Nash boys. They found something in Jade's throat via xray that needs to be removed. It looked like a coin but ended up being a battery. She had it lodged in her throat for over 2 weeks and it had burned her insides. OUCH! After many trips to the hospital, worrying and relying on good old mother's intuition + promptings, problem solved. Now she can recover. She has to have a feeding tube in her nose for a week or so and wants to drink her bottle, but she's not allowed. Chase and Brooke went on a double date with Milani and Hey HO today. Ice skating and yogurt and home, just like that. Chase went to watch a soccer game and out to eat at the Red Lantern.
Saturday: Chase is off with the Young Single Adult group to an amusement park a few hours away by bus. Should be a fun day. Laundry and packing for a vacation this week. We still have the Nash boys until tomorrow. Todd and I ran down to get tickets for the ferry and exchange some cash. He was leading me through all kinds of bushes and alleyways.
Brigham met a friend at Sea World and ate lunch and then played at the field. Work party tonight at Todd's colleague's fancy 24th floor apartment. We stopped by Coyote for chimichangas for a quick date before the party. We both ordered ice water. They brought one in a glass, almost too hot to drink with ice cubes completely melted before it got to the table. The waiter said "solly sir, no more glass cups, plastic is ok?" The chips and salsa are baby sized here, like 10 chips. I laugh every time. Then on to the party. They had a professional chef cooking when we got there...bruschetta, salmon and shrimp bites,pasta,gumbo and tiramisu. I finally got to put faces to names from Todd's work--Ice and Alice, Fiona, Josephine, etc.
Sunday: Heading to Brisbane to check out Chase's mission area. We will meet the mission president on Tuesday, attend the temple there, take Todd's cousin Chase Hansen out for lunch (also in the Brisbane Mission) and hopefully see some koalas and kangaroos! Next week's letter might arrive on Monday if I don't have wifi in Australia.
Have a great week! Miss you all,
Love from China,
Jane & Fam
photos: Battery Jade swallowed
Wing Man (woman)
Lina's wedding shower
Chase and me at Hong Kong Temple
No comments:
Post a Comment