We made it to Nashville--which means we made it to Andrew and Amy's house. When we drove up, Arick was out front sweeping the front driveway and he made it a point to tell us that he was not asked to do it. The kids have been so excited to show us everything. Brianna is quite the pianist. Ty is full of hugs. Arick told Andy a long story about what's been happening at his playground at school. Ella has been somewhat scared of us and is not sure what to think of the new strangers at her house. She's warming up to us though.
The drive was long. Again. I was pretty shocked to see how beautiful Arkansas is. It's too bad it doesn't have a better reputation. It was very green with a variety of flowers here and there.
We've started listening to a different book on CD, so we're pretty happy about that. We got word that my car was delivered to our house in NC today. So things are starting to fall into place.
Anyway, we made it and we're taking the day off tomorrow!! I'm very excited about that.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
It took forever to get here (thanks, in part, to that uber long book on tape) but we finally made it. We pulled into the hotel just as the CD/book ended (wahoo) at about 11pm. I didn't sleep well in Flagstaff (thanks to the trains that kept going by) but I made up for it last night. I'm feeling great now.
I need to be quick because the sooner we leave here the sooner we'll be in Nashville with Andrew and Amy's family (except for Andrew who will be at a conference most of our stay). I'm very excited.
The drive yesterday was LONG and BORING. The US sure is big. And flat. We did however notice that when we crossed into the central time zone (there was a sign), Andy's cell phone kept bouncing back and forth between 5pm and 6pm. That was exciting. But that's about it.
We're over 1,000 miles there.
I need to be quick because the sooner we leave here the sooner we'll be in Nashville with Andrew and Amy's family (except for Andrew who will be at a conference most of our stay). I'm very excited.
The drive yesterday was LONG and BORING. The US sure is big. And flat. We did however notice that when we crossed into the central time zone (there was a sign), Andy's cell phone kept bouncing back and forth between 5pm and 6pm. That was exciting. But that's about it.
We're over 1,000 miles there.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Flagstaff, Arizona
Well, after a crazy couple of weeks, we are on our way to North Carolina. Yesterday, we went to a couple BBQ parties. The first was the "Not-Quite-Annual Festival of Pork" which was put on by some friends of Andy's family. The last time we had the Festival of Pork (more than a year and a half ago) I was named the "Princess of Pork". Of course it was an honor to bear the title. In relinquishing my crown, I gave a speech and we voted and named a new "Prince of Pork". I will have to post pictures later. The food was great--lots of BBQ Pork and other pork-based dishes...mmmm. As soon as it was over, Andy and I went to another BBQ. This one was a bonfire at Huntington Beach. We helped Holly celebrate her birthday and it was nice to have a beach bonfire before we left California.
Today, we went to Andy's brother's house for a pancake breakfast (Andy's specialty) where his entire family was able to get together. It was so nice to be able to say goodbye to everyone and that everyone could be there. We then rushed off to church so we could attend sacrament meeting. They announced that we would be leaving and asked Andy to bear his testimony. Right after sacrament meeting, several people came up to say goodbye and it was hard to leave. I hope our new ward is every bit as great!
We headed off on our way to our first stop: Flagstaff, Arizona. We had purchased some books on CD to listen to along the way. The first one we started listening to is about the founding fathers. I can't remember the real title. Don't tell Andy, but I think it's pretty boring. It almost makes the drive longer. I wish it had more crazy stories about the founding fathers rather than a detailed analysis of what happened. Oh well. I'm excited to listen to Stephen Colbert's "I am America; and so Can You". Very Excited.
While we were driving, mom and dad called and we mapped out our journey. I decided that dad will be our human GPS. If we ever get lost or need some historical facts about a location, we'll be calling him.
I was pleasantly surprised that when we got within about 100 miles of Flagstaff, we started seeing a lot more trees and greenery. It really looks nothing like what I thought...anyplace in Arizona would look like. We got here at about 7:15pm--right on schedule according to Andy's spreadsheet. We ate at the Cracker Barrel (where you can borrow books on CD) and we rented 2 more books on CD; the Bourne Betrayal and a Dr. Laura book. Guess which one I picked out. :-)
Hopefully we will have Internet access at the other places we stay. So far, we're doing pretty well and we're "...making great time, Jerry" (Seinfeld reference).
(I have no idea where our USB cord is for the digital camera, so we'll be posting pictures later....possibly much later.)
Today, we went to Andy's brother's house for a pancake breakfast (Andy's specialty) where his entire family was able to get together. It was so nice to be able to say goodbye to everyone and that everyone could be there. We then rushed off to church so we could attend sacrament meeting. They announced that we would be leaving and asked Andy to bear his testimony. Right after sacrament meeting, several people came up to say goodbye and it was hard to leave. I hope our new ward is every bit as great!
We headed off on our way to our first stop: Flagstaff, Arizona. We had purchased some books on CD to listen to along the way. The first one we started listening to is about the founding fathers. I can't remember the real title. Don't tell Andy, but I think it's pretty boring. It almost makes the drive longer. I wish it had more crazy stories about the founding fathers rather than a detailed analysis of what happened. Oh well. I'm excited to listen to Stephen Colbert's "I am America; and so Can You". Very Excited.
While we were driving, mom and dad called and we mapped out our journey. I decided that dad will be our human GPS. If we ever get lost or need some historical facts about a location, we'll be calling him.
I was pleasantly surprised that when we got within about 100 miles of Flagstaff, we started seeing a lot more trees and greenery. It really looks nothing like what I thought...anyplace in Arizona would look like. We got here at about 7:15pm--right on schedule according to Andy's spreadsheet. We ate at the Cracker Barrel (where you can borrow books on CD) and we rented 2 more books on CD; the Bourne Betrayal and a Dr. Laura book. Guess which one I picked out. :-)
Hopefully we will have Internet access at the other places we stay. So far, we're doing pretty well and we're "...making great time, Jerry" (Seinfeld reference).
(I have no idea where our USB cord is for the digital camera, so we'll be posting pictures later....possibly much later.)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Empty Spaces
It's been a hectic few days...to say the least. It's hard to believe that in less than a week we could pack up an entire, 3-bedroom condo, load up a trailer and find renters for said condo. I'm amazed. If my back weren't so sore, I would have a hard time believing it myself.
We have been furiously packing everything into as many boxes as we could find. It's a good thing we live next to Del Taco and have taken it upon ourselves to recycle their boxes for them. Yesterday, I got to a point where I was just walking around amid the boxes not knowing what to pack next. All the random things that either don't fit into a box or logically don't go with the contents of another box were really getting the best of me. It really helped, however, when the trailer (an ABF, 28-foot semi-truck) arrived and we could start getting things out of the house and into the truck. Clearing the space helped clear my head and I was able to conjure enough mental ability to finish packing AND cleaning!! Andy will have to blog about the actual moving of boxes into the trailer because he is sooo proud of the manner in which it was done.
As their weekly activity, the Mia Maids were nice enough to come over and help me with some cleaning and then I took them to eat frozen yogurt at "Wild Berry" (a frozen yogurt shop that's within walking distance of our place). I'm going to miss that place!
We finished loading the trailer early this morning (I sure am tired) and now I'm waiting for someone to come pick up my car and the trailer. Once that is done, we'll be homeless for about a week or so. We'll be spending the next couple nights at Andy's parent's house. Thank heaven they're nearby!
We have been furiously packing everything into as many boxes as we could find. It's a good thing we live next to Del Taco and have taken it upon ourselves to recycle their boxes for them. Yesterday, I got to a point where I was just walking around amid the boxes not knowing what to pack next. All the random things that either don't fit into a box or logically don't go with the contents of another box were really getting the best of me. It really helped, however, when the trailer (an ABF, 28-foot semi-truck) arrived and we could start getting things out of the house and into the truck. Clearing the space helped clear my head and I was able to conjure enough mental ability to finish packing AND cleaning!! Andy will have to blog about the actual moving of boxes into the trailer because he is sooo proud of the manner in which it was done.
As their weekly activity, the Mia Maids were nice enough to come over and help me with some cleaning and then I took them to eat frozen yogurt at "Wild Berry" (a frozen yogurt shop that's within walking distance of our place). I'm going to miss that place!
We finished loading the trailer early this morning (I sure am tired) and now I'm waiting for someone to come pick up my car and the trailer. Once that is done, we'll be homeless for about a week or so. We'll be spending the next couple nights at Andy's parent's house. Thank heaven they're nearby!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Update
So I'm still at work....waiting for my laptop to be upgraded before I go across the country into isolation. I've just spent the day training someone else on how to do QuickBooks and on various organizational items that will need to be taken care of in my absence. Throughout the day, I kept thinking of how lucky Andy is to be making a clean cut. He gets to leave everything behind and start new. Me, on the other hand, I get to hurry and finish a laundry list of projects that "need" to be done before I leave and, I'm sure, once I get set up in NC, there will be a whole new list of things that have been awaiting my attention.
Yesterday was very difficult. In church, the Young Women made a big deal about me leaving. They made me and this other lady (who recently got released from her YW responsibilities) stand in front of the girls and then the girls sang a song to us, gave us aprons that they had signed little messages on and came up and hugged us goodbye. As a couple of the girls came up to hug me, there were tears in their eyes! I was both surprised and saddened. It feels like I'm not done yet--but then again, when will I be done?
We were able to get a lot of packing done this weekend--thanks to Andy's parents. They came over and helped pack and scrape off paint from doors that we painted when we first moved in. Note to self: ALWAYS prime doors before painting them.
We got so much packing done that we are going to have the trailer arrive a day earlier so it can leave a day earlier and arrive on a Friday rather than a Monday--which will make a huge difference in getting settled in. I can hardly believe that my days left in California are winding down so quickly.
Yesterday was very difficult. In church, the Young Women made a big deal about me leaving. They made me and this other lady (who recently got released from her YW responsibilities) stand in front of the girls and then the girls sang a song to us, gave us aprons that they had signed little messages on and came up and hugged us goodbye. As a couple of the girls came up to hug me, there were tears in their eyes! I was both surprised and saddened. It feels like I'm not done yet--but then again, when will I be done?
We were able to get a lot of packing done this weekend--thanks to Andy's parents. They came over and helped pack and scrape off paint from doors that we painted when we first moved in. Note to self: ALWAYS prime doors before painting them.
We got so much packing done that we are going to have the trailer arrive a day earlier so it can leave a day earlier and arrive on a Friday rather than a Monday--which will make a huge difference in getting settled in. I can hardly believe that my days left in California are winding down so quickly.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Head 'em Up Move 'em Out!!
Our trip to North Carolina last week for Emma's Birthday and Spring Break turned into a bit more than just a visit. We had been thinking of moving out to North Carolina but where thinking it would be another year or so before Andy would be able to find an internal audit position with a public company. We knew we'd have to be on the lookout for any good opportunities. Well, the day after we got back from China, Andy got a phone call from a recruiter who told him about a company that just went public and will need to pass their first SOX audit this year. Andy had an interview last week Thursday and after a lot of fasting a prayer, he accepted the job on Monday.
I, particularly, am very sad to be leaving California--especially on such short notice. I'm hoping that if we treat this like removing a band aid...quick and painless--I'll survive. I'm sad to leave the ward we're in, but we met with our bishop and he said that Lehi took his family into the wilderness when the Lord commanded him--not when it was a convenient time or season, so I'm trying to follow suit. I'm also sad that I won't be able to do more ceramics projects. I'll have to finish the ones I've started and that's that. I think everything will be OK in the end. I'm trying to focus on how much fun it will be to have a house without neighbors directly on the other sides of the walls. It will also be fun to decorate the place and have a garden. So I'm going to put on my big-girl panties and pretend that I won't have to deal with any negatives for the time being.
I told my bosses on Monday that we'd be moving and it went better than I thought it would. Once I told them, they acted as if keeping me and allowing me to work from NC was the obvious answer. So it looks like I will be working from home still. I'm glad that I will be closer to Andrew and his family in TN. They were planning on coming out for Father's Day weekend, but now, they may come out for Memorial Day weekend instead.
Any time we didn't have with Emma last week was spent looking at various neighborhoods and homes. Fortunately, we were able to look at several homes and found a couple good possibilities. Andy spent all day Monday getting pre-qualification letters from Wells Fargo and Bank of America to submit with our offer--thinking that it would sweeten the deal. We officially made an offer on Tuesday. We're thinking that we will have to leave here on the 27th in order to get out there in time for Andy to start his job on May 5th. Yes, that is very soon! The owners were being Nervous Nellies about letting us stay in the house before escrow closes (we included a leasing agreement with the offer). The wife's dad is an attorney and he came up with all these worst-case scenarios and now the wife is thinking that she will become a landlord and will have to worry about renter's rights and if the place doesn't close escrow on time she will have to evict us etc etc. Honestly, it was all getting very messy. We just wanted to avoid having to move our stuff twice!! Fortunately, Andy saved the day and got Wells Fargo to GUARANTEE him that they could close escrow in 10 days!! (What else are all those escrow companies and mortgage departments going to do in a market like this?!?) YAY!!! Now we need to focus on getting there by May 2nd in order to officially close.
Andy has been so good about staying in contact with people and trying to get things to work out. It makes it a lot less stressful for me. He's also good about getting things taken care of ASAP! He has a list of things that we'll have to do...like cancel utilities, register to vote, change the address on cell phone bills etc etc. He even listed our condo for rent on Craig's List on Monday and got several calls shortly thereafter and we had an open house Tuesday night and another one tonight. Anyway, we're hoping someone will rent our place...and soon! Wish us luck!!
I, particularly, am very sad to be leaving California--especially on such short notice. I'm hoping that if we treat this like removing a band aid...quick and painless--I'll survive. I'm sad to leave the ward we're in, but we met with our bishop and he said that Lehi took his family into the wilderness when the Lord commanded him--not when it was a convenient time or season, so I'm trying to follow suit. I'm also sad that I won't be able to do more ceramics projects. I'll have to finish the ones I've started and that's that. I think everything will be OK in the end. I'm trying to focus on how much fun it will be to have a house without neighbors directly on the other sides of the walls. It will also be fun to decorate the place and have a garden. So I'm going to put on my big-girl panties and pretend that I won't have to deal with any negatives for the time being.
I told my bosses on Monday that we'd be moving and it went better than I thought it would. Once I told them, they acted as if keeping me and allowing me to work from NC was the obvious answer. So it looks like I will be working from home still. I'm glad that I will be closer to Andrew and his family in TN. They were planning on coming out for Father's Day weekend, but now, they may come out for Memorial Day weekend instead.
Any time we didn't have with Emma last week was spent looking at various neighborhoods and homes. Fortunately, we were able to look at several homes and found a couple good possibilities. Andy spent all day Monday getting pre-qualification letters from Wells Fargo and Bank of America to submit with our offer--thinking that it would sweeten the deal. We officially made an offer on Tuesday. We're thinking that we will have to leave here on the 27th in order to get out there in time for Andy to start his job on May 5th. Yes, that is very soon! The owners were being Nervous Nellies about letting us stay in the house before escrow closes (we included a leasing agreement with the offer). The wife's dad is an attorney and he came up with all these worst-case scenarios and now the wife is thinking that she will become a landlord and will have to worry about renter's rights and if the place doesn't close escrow on time she will have to evict us etc etc. Honestly, it was all getting very messy. We just wanted to avoid having to move our stuff twice!! Fortunately, Andy saved the day and got Wells Fargo to GUARANTEE him that they could close escrow in 10 days!! (What else are all those escrow companies and mortgage departments going to do in a market like this?!?) YAY!!! Now we need to focus on getting there by May 2nd in order to officially close.
Andy has been so good about staying in contact with people and trying to get things to work out. It makes it a lot less stressful for me. He's also good about getting things taken care of ASAP! He has a list of things that we'll have to do...like cancel utilities, register to vote, change the address on cell phone bills etc etc. He even listed our condo for rent on Craig's List on Monday and got several calls shortly thereafter and we had an open house Tuesday night and another one tonight. Anyway, we're hoping someone will rent our place...and soon! Wish us luck!!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Xian
Once Andy and I had returned from Shanghai, we met up with Anne and she was kind enough to accompany us to Xian (pronounced She-on). She had recently been there to see the Terracotta Warriors and it was quite the ordeal because you have to take overnight trains to get there and back. We almost didn't make it to the train station because we had gone to silk alley (a great little shopping area that has changed TREMENDOUSLY since I was there 8 years ago).
We had "hard sleepers" on our way to Xian--meaning that our bunk beds were out in the open and there were three on each side of the wall. We were fortunate enough to have the "soft sleepers" on our way back which provided us with a door so we could shut out most of the cigarette smoke.
Once we arrived in Xian at our hostel, we inquired about the cost of seeing the Terracotta Warriors (about an hour away). We were so grateful that Anne had recently been there and could advise us to skip some of the side tours that were also available. We also heeded her advice and she was able to get a taxi cab driver who was willing to drive the three of us all the way out to the Terracotta Warriors, wait for us and then take us back to Xian..all for less than about $30 US.
The Terracotta Warriors are truly impressive! Pit #1 contains more than 6,000 soldiers in battle formation. Their purpose was to protect and defend the deceased emperor (the same emperor who built the Great Wall) in the afterlife. When you consider the attention to detail in creating each warrior--their uniforms, facial features, hair styles (indicating their rank), etc. were all unique, it's a very impressive sight. I can't imagine the time it took to make so many warriors or the size of the ego of the one requiring them to be made!!
We then went exploring in Xian. We went to the Big Goose Pagoda which included an amazing water fountain area and surrounding park that was full of people and was a great place to just take it all in.
The next day, we went to the drum and bell towers in Xian and then headed over to the Muslim Quarters for some shopping and snacks. We had a variety of tasty treats including a mochi-like treat and deep-fried sweet potato cakes.
We walked around so much that Andy announced that he wanted to treat us to foot massages. Anne opted for a manicure and Andy and I got foot massages. We couldn't help but laugh about how the young girls who massaged our tired feet had never seen feet as large as Andy's. I must admit that after a week of walking all over China, it sure felt good to relax for a while. Perhaps the funniest part was when Anne, toward the end of her manicure, practically got ambushed by the owner of the "spa". Without any warning whatsoever, she picked up a razor blade and some tweezers and started walking toward Anne with a determined look in her eyes. If Anne hadn't said anything, that lady would have just started plucking Anne's eyebrows and she wouldn't have known what hit her. As it turns out, Anne is very timid (to say the least) when it comes to inflicting pain on herself--which started an interesting conversation about the lady's intentions to pluck till her heart was content and Anne's inability to remain calm throughout the procedure. Ultimately, I think the lady's feelings were hurt as Anne decided not to let her go crazy on her brows, but it was entertaining to watch the whole episode play out.
Before we left Xian, we ate dinner at a well-known dumpling restaurant. It was certainly our most expensive meal of the entire trip, but I thought it was worth it because each round of dumplings (jiaozi) were shaped into the form of whatever filling was inside them. They had a sweet walnut dumpling that was shaped into the form of a walnut as well as several bird-shaped dumplings for the pigeon, chicken etc flavored dumplings. It was a very entertaining meal. We then headed to the train station to return to Beijing via overnight train. We were so grateful to have "soft sleepers" and the additional privacy they provided us.
We had "hard sleepers" on our way to Xian--meaning that our bunk beds were out in the open and there were three on each side of the wall. We were fortunate enough to have the "soft sleepers" on our way back which provided us with a door so we could shut out most of the cigarette smoke.
Once we arrived in Xian at our hostel, we inquired about the cost of seeing the Terracotta Warriors (about an hour away). We were so grateful that Anne had recently been there and could advise us to skip some of the side tours that were also available. We also heeded her advice and she was able to get a taxi cab driver who was willing to drive the three of us all the way out to the Terracotta Warriors, wait for us and then take us back to Xian..all for less than about $30 US.
The Terracotta Warriors are truly impressive! Pit #1 contains more than 6,000 soldiers in battle formation. Their purpose was to protect and defend the deceased emperor (the same emperor who built the Great Wall) in the afterlife. When you consider the attention to detail in creating each warrior--their uniforms, facial features, hair styles (indicating their rank), etc. were all unique, it's a very impressive sight. I can't imagine the time it took to make so many warriors or the size of the ego of the one requiring them to be made!!
We then went exploring in Xian. We went to the Big Goose Pagoda which included an amazing water fountain area and surrounding park that was full of people and was a great place to just take it all in.
The next day, we went to the drum and bell towers in Xian and then headed over to the Muslim Quarters for some shopping and snacks. We had a variety of tasty treats including a mochi-like treat and deep-fried sweet potato cakes.
We walked around so much that Andy announced that he wanted to treat us to foot massages. Anne opted for a manicure and Andy and I got foot massages. We couldn't help but laugh about how the young girls who massaged our tired feet had never seen feet as large as Andy's. I must admit that after a week of walking all over China, it sure felt good to relax for a while. Perhaps the funniest part was when Anne, toward the end of her manicure, practically got ambushed by the owner of the "spa". Without any warning whatsoever, she picked up a razor blade and some tweezers and started walking toward Anne with a determined look in her eyes. If Anne hadn't said anything, that lady would have just started plucking Anne's eyebrows and she wouldn't have known what hit her. As it turns out, Anne is very timid (to say the least) when it comes to inflicting pain on herself--which started an interesting conversation about the lady's intentions to pluck till her heart was content and Anne's inability to remain calm throughout the procedure. Ultimately, I think the lady's feelings were hurt as Anne decided not to let her go crazy on her brows, but it was entertaining to watch the whole episode play out.
Before we left Xian, we ate dinner at a well-known dumpling restaurant. It was certainly our most expensive meal of the entire trip, but I thought it was worth it because each round of dumplings (jiaozi) were shaped into the form of whatever filling was inside them. They had a sweet walnut dumpling that was shaped into the form of a walnut as well as several bird-shaped dumplings for the pigeon, chicken etc flavored dumplings. It was a very entertaining meal. We then headed to the train station to return to Beijing via overnight train. We were so grateful to have "soft sleepers" and the additional privacy they provided us.
Tibet
No, we didn't go to Tibet, but I had to mention something interesting. While we were in China, you may have heard that there was a little...tiff...of sorts in Tibet. While we were in our various hotel rooms throughout our stay, we found it interesting that the only station broadcast in English (CNN) would periodically black out whenever the events going on in Tibet were discussed. Hmmmm. Interesting indeed.
Shanghai
We spent about two days in Shanghai. The first day, we toured the city with a tour guide and Andy's aunt and uncle. We went to Yu Gardens where there's an old tea house, shopping plaza and a garden area. It was really pretty, but we must have arrived during a lunch break or something because there were tons of people there! We also spent some time admiring the skyline along the "Bund" (an English term for the area that used to be occupied by the English and French many years ago and which still has a European feel). I felt very much as if we were in Hong Kong. We took a cruise up the river to see the skyline.
On our second day in Shanghai, Andy and I were on our own. We went to two Buddhist temples--two too many, if you ask Andy. We also went to a very cool art district where there were several free galleries (unfortunately the gallery we had read about that had posters from the Cultural Revolution, had a totally different display when we got there). Then we went to the former residence of Sun Yat Sen--the 'father of modern China'. He played a critical role in trying to unite China after the fall of the last Chinese emperor and attempted to establish democracy. He also studied in Hawaii for a time, so I was interested in learning more about him.
It was fun to be on our own for a little while because we got to eat some real local foods (Simon, Andy's pet fish, was ordered by our tour guide--not me!) and we were able to get around on our own with the help of various taxi drivers and my limited Chinese. Andy and I also had a great time exploring everything from scary-looking alleys to nearby parks where people would come and do taiqi, dance and play badminton.
On our second day in Shanghai, Andy and I were on our own. We went to two Buddhist temples--two too many, if you ask Andy. We also went to a very cool art district where there were several free galleries (unfortunately the gallery we had read about that had posters from the Cultural Revolution, had a totally different display when we got there). Then we went to the former residence of Sun Yat Sen--the 'father of modern China'. He played a critical role in trying to unite China after the fall of the last Chinese emperor and attempted to establish democracy. He also studied in Hawaii for a time, so I was interested in learning more about him.
It was fun to be on our own for a little while because we got to eat some real local foods (Simon, Andy's pet fish, was ordered by our tour guide--not me!) and we were able to get around on our own with the help of various taxi drivers and my limited Chinese. Andy and I also had a great time exploring everything from scary-looking alleys to nearby parks where people would come and do taiqi, dance and play badminton.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Beijing - Part One
We arrived in Beijing early on a Sunday morning and met up with Jamie's friend, Anne, who is teaching in China. She took us to a few markets and helped us navigate the streets of Beijing. The next day we met up with my Aunt and Uncle and started our tour to Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Temple of Heaven. China was crowded, polluted, dirty, the people had no concept of personel space or lines, but the trip was fascinating. The next day we went to the Great Wall, and Ming Tombs. A collage of the pictures are below.
This is for Heather....
When Anne pointed out this storefront to me, I knew we had to take a picture of it for Heather because it's even the right characters!
Beijing Olympics 2008
The Olympics are going to be in Beijing this summer. In preparation for the momentus occasion, Beijing has made a lot of changes. Aside from building large, long walls in front of old, run-down villages that have probably been there for hundreds of years, they have built some impressive-looking Olympic facilities. We saw the swimming facility and the "bird's nest"--which is where the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field events will be held. The swimming facility looks REALLY cool at night--as if it's covered in glowing bubbles. I'm sure you'll see plenty of it on TV this summer. 
Dancing on the Great Wall
Andy's co-wokers invited me over for lunch so we could show them some of the pictures from our trip. The following videos were big hits:
Enjoy!!
Enjoy!!
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