(Hong Kong bridges...at night they are all lit up)
NiHao,
Another week down and in the books.
Girls and I took our beloved neighborhood shuttle to Walmart (She Kou Wa Ma). Sophie said as long as we didn't go to the walmart across from H & M she would go--the smell of that one makes her feel sick. We got some drinks-sea salt lemonade-and headed, with our cart, up the escalator ramp. The girls went searching for school supplies (school starts today!), I gathered things from my list +++. Orange juice for smoothies, hangers, apples, bananas. I hurried to Decathlon to find a foam roller (my aching back and foot) while the girls sat with our groceries and ate ice cream cones at McDonald's. I think they have had more ice cream cones this week than all last year combined. It's so stinking hot and muggy, and the cones are so cheap, I can't say no. I was unsuccessful in the foam roller hunt for now. We had a family home evening lesson, enjoyed letters from the missionaries and ate Sophie's homemade pudding pie. It only got tipped upside down once while taking it from the fridge.
t-yao feng here, she's a great help. I spent most of the morning arranging the trip to pick up Ally and I'm still not finished-lots of details x 7 including estimating how much her suitcases *might* weigh at this point. The "bargain" airlines crack me up. Her three suitcases cost more than our whole family to fly. Girls went to the gym together. It rains off and on but we're wishing for a good storm. Todd is up early and working hard. This project has him running.
w-I was up around 4am, decided to go to the temple. I hitched a ride to the Shenzhen bay border crossing with Todd's driver on his way to work at 7am, bought a bus ticket, got through the border in 11 minutes and sat on the bus for about 20 before it was full enough to head to Kowloon Tong. I missed the 9:00AM session so I decided to go to the post office first. I took the subway to LokFu and found a whole new section of fun. A great department store with lots of bento things, kitchen utensils, art supplies etc, a new market, new grocery store and a post office in the mall. I mailed 5 packages internationally for $40. I love the Hong Kong post! Temple and then distribution center to pick up seminary supplies. We are only allowed one item/person, so I got one set only of supplies. I have 8 more to bring across the border. We will go Saturday so I can get six more sets and I'll have to go another time to get the remaining sometime before the end of August. I grabbed some lunch and shopped a bit at festival walk and bought another bus ticket at 2PM. I just missed the 1:50pm and had to wait until 2:50pm so it took until 4:45 before I got home, so tired. We ordered Indian food for dinner. Ashley and Hey Ho stopped by for a movie...they hadn't seen Nacho Libre, what!? We dished up a few American snacks and enjoyed the show. They are fun friends to have around.
th- I went to the gym and rode the bike while it poured rain outside and then worked on my talk for Sunday. When we came back to China we saw they ripped out the squash court and are using it for another classroom. Todd and Brigham had many fun matches on that court, they will miss it! (President Cox told us it's going to be a German classroom). I had a lunch date with Todd. We then stopped at the Jingshan leasing office to look at three more houses in the neighborhood. One is too far up the hill on a dark densely wooded road, the other two were in bad shape. They both would need a lot of care to make them feel like home, management said three months on their end before we could move in. One more option to look at Friday over by the Ho Family. We also haven't crossed off the sunny seaside 19th floor penthouse with a rooftop deck but not sure about the height thing. I think I would have nightmares about someone falling so we probably won't go with that one but we will see. Hoping to decide by Sunday night. We could also stay where we are. Brynn took a test four times, complete with tears...she kept getting logged out. Sophie dropped her laptop again, learned how to climb up the doorway like spiderman and all the kids have been walking on their hands multiple times today. Too hot to go outside for recess so....
Friday: Brynn and I scrubbed the walls in the stairways up to the third floor. It was too hot to do any more. We have a/c in each room but not in the stairway. The paint is so thin that to wipe dirt, the paint comes off too. Maybe not worth the time and effort, but at least I have my favorite cleaning supplies and got to listen to music. It just feels cleaner knowing we spent time on it, even if it doesn't look cleaner. Brigham and Sophie went down to eat noodles for lunch and wrecked on the scooter on the slick roads home. Sophie landed on Brigham but Brigham landed on the ground and has raspberries on his hip and knee and elbow. Even with the sores he and Todd went down to the basketball court to shoot baskets. We went to see the villa by the Ho Family. We rode the metro to the all city mall, picked up some things at muji and grabbed some random snacks at the grocery store...our favorite coconut milk, chewy rolls, water. We met over at the Hos and went to see the apartment. We love the location, and it was a nice apartment. It just was a bit too small for us with kids doing school at home all day, and a larger seminary class. We would have loved living by the Ho family. President Ho took us home in his fancy car. We appreciate their help and friendship. I filled out the immigration forms for our day trip to Hong Kong tomorrow. I almost have everyone's passport numbers memorized.
Saturday: Family trip to Hong Kong. David picked us up at 7am and we were at the temple at 8:30am. The girls and I headed out, in the rain, to find an new art supply store we hadn't been to yet, and Todd, Brooke and Brigham met us for lunch after the temple. While we were waiting by a light to cross the street a cute little man gave the little girls an umbrella and kept on walking down the street. So kind. Todd here: The temple president, President Wong, helped out with the baptisms. He is great and was a ward mission leader for Chinese members and investigators in Brisbane so we always talk to him about Chase. Very nice man and a great group of temple workers who are always so excited to see us (at least they appear excited). Todd, Brigham and Sophie went to a movie while we went to the Lok Fu shopping center for bento supplies and wash tape, fuji instant film, a laptop case and doritos. Across the street there was a park with some great backdrops for photos with nice lighting. Another wall had a breeze and we laughed for a while taking shots there. It really is beautiful here in this tropical climate, even though hot and sticky. We met back at the mall to meet the boys and Sophie, sore feet, headache and tired. Thomas drove us back across the border and we loved having Sanfords stay with us for the night! They spent Friday and Saturday in Macau and had some travel tips, restaurant recommendations, stories to tell, and shops to visit.
Sunday: Brooke and Alicia and I spoke today. (from Todd...they did great. Jane told a neat story about missing Chase the day before we came back to China. In a dream she had, we were driving to the airport and she saw Chase and his companion in their p-day clothes with name tags on doing laundry. Apparently I told her that she couldn't go say hi to him because it would be against the rules. But she went anyways and the little kids too. And Chase gave her and the kids a big hug that really left her feeling comforted. I, on the other hand, went to return the rental car :)....They both spoke on the priesthood. These ladies understand the self-less service of the priesthood better than us men. They also mentioned the separate responsibilities of men and women and the complimentary nature of our roles. They did great and didn't dance around the subject. Nice work ladies. )
I loved watching the branch presidency and President Cox smile as people would enter the church house. It is great to be reunited with friends who have been traveling, who are new, and who have stayed here this summer, holding the branch together I love in the fall when everyone gets back and the rooms are full of friends. We walked home, well all but Sophie, she rode her skateboard in her dress and helmet. At our front gate, her skateboard launched into my heel. Good thing I was wearing my clogs or it would have been my ankle, my favorite! No harm, no foul.
I'm guessing Chase's visa arrived. He sent us a quick note with his travel plans and when we get to talk to him this week from the airport. Ally sent a quick note letting us know she is in Lund with her friend Sister Morris and that all is well. Her new Pday is Tuesday. We had 8 friends for Sunday lunch-we love the company and meeting those who are here for just a short time. Branch members are our family here. We ended the day with some planning, leftovers, a little Mandarin study and raspberries & cream yogurt making for tomorrow. We have decided to stay in our neighborhood but move to a different house just down the hill from where we are. We probably won't move until October when the house is ready for us.
Have a great week! Keep in touch! Come visit!
Love from China,
The Taylors
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