Sean had to work late and met us after dinner at Mc Donald’s for ice cream. Then Sean, Megan and I headed across the street for him to get a hair cut. Megan entertains the Chinese hair stylists by making funny faces at herself in the mirror.
Each year our school hosts a Dad’s day for fathers to come and join their students in class and for a free lunch. Another nice feature is they take a photo for each dad with his kids. I guess next year it will be daddy and all his girls in the photo
Sean planned a trip away for us to Guilin to celebrate our 20th anniversary. It was nice to get away together, alone. Guilin is located in one of the most scenic places in China, with beautiful karst mountains, the Li River and two ancient pagodas. The cold and rainy weather put a little damper on our time, but we still were able to take a bamboo raft ride down the peaceful river. No troll motors on the boat, just our guide using a cane pole to propel us.
During our recent trip to Guilin, China to celebrate our 20th Wedding Anniversary, Sean was persuaded by the street vendor to buy us matching watches. And what better brand to get in China than Rolex!! Guess how much they cost?
As you probably know, this year I was voted class president. One of my jobs as president is to help prepare for our banquets and parties. As spring approached so did the Spring Banquet. Most often the banquets are held in hotels, however this year, we thought that a great way of saving money, and changing it up, would be to hold it at the school. However, we didn't know what we were signing up for… It is a big job to transform the school auditorium into a "ballroom"! After much deliberation we settled on a theme, Board Games. As we started to brainstorm, the ideas came together very nicely. However the execution is a whole different story! Over half of our decoration ideas included the use of styrofoam. For almost a week we couldn't find styrofoam anywhere. The week before the banquet we found a place that would print on styrofoam! Preparation for the banquet that week was a mad scramble! I stayed at least 2 hours every day after school to paint, cut, and tape. The day of I spent ten hours, from 8:30am to 5:00pm. When we were finished, all the hard work was worth it! From the hanging cards on the ceiling, to the Giant face card paintings, to the 5ft candy cans and lolly pops (for the Candyland board game), to the awesome center peices (made by yours truely); it was amazing! It was a ton of fun to prepare for, (surprisingly), and even more fun to host. Many of the older grades told me it was the best banquet they had ever had.
As you probably know, this year I was voted class president. One of my jobs as president is to help prepare for our banquets and parties. As spring approached so did the Spring Banquet. Most often our banquets are held in hotels, however this year, we thought that a great way of saving money, and changing it up, would be to hold it at the school. However, we didn’t know what we were signing up for… It is a big job to transform the school auditorium into a “ballroom!” After much deliberation we settled on a theme, Board Games. As we started to brainstorm, the ideas came together very nicely. However the execution is a whole different story! Over half of our decoration ideas included the use of styrofoam. For almost a week we couldn’t find styrofoam anywhere. Finally, the week before the banquet we found a place that would print directly on styrofoam! Preparation for the banquet that week was a mad scramble! I stayed at least 2 hours every day after school to paint, cut, and tape. The day of I spent ten hours, from 8:30am to 5:00pm decorating. When we were finished, all the hard work was worth it! From the hanging cards on the ceiling, to the giant face card paintings, to the 5ft candy cans and lollipops (for the Candyland board game), to the awesome center pieces (made by yours truely); it was amazing! It was a ton of fun to prepare for, (surprisingly), and even more fun to host. Many of the older grades told me it was the best banquet they had ever had.
Living in what I call the "desert city", because of the usual lack of rain and abundant dusty layers, I have learned to live with trees, plants and, well, about everything, being covered in orange-ish dust. However, this being my second spring here in China, I am amazed once again with the new life. After a very long and cold winter, I walk outside one day greeted by warm weather and, to my great surprise, green leaves! I am shocked by the delicate light green leaves on the bushes that slowly uncurl, fresh and clean. Then around the corner I turn to find a little tree, no taller than 8 ft, that is bursting with little pink blossoms. The whole winter I stared at the bare twigs of that tree, and today I find it covered in the sweet little buds. It absolutely astonishes me when I see the foliage all around me turn from orange-ish color to vibrant greens, white, and pinks! Isn't HE amazing, and so kind, to bless us with such unexpected surprises?!
Living in what I call the “desert city”, because of the lack of rain and abundant dusty layers, I have learned to live with trees, plants and, well, about everything, being covered in orange-ish dust. However, this being my third spring here in China, I am amazed once again with the new life. After a very long and cold winter, I walk outside one day greeted by warm weather and, to my great surprise, green leaves! I am shocked by the delicate light green leaves on the bushes that slowly uncurl, fresh and clean. Then around the corner I turn to find a little tree, no taller than 8 ft, that is bursting with little pink blossoms. The whole winter I stared at the bare twigs of that tree, and today I find it covered in the sweet little buds. It absolutely astonishes me when I see the foliage all around me turn from orange-ish color to vibrant greens, white, and pinks! Isn’t HE amazing, and so kind, to bless us with such unexpected surprises?!
Susan arranged this bamboo raft — picture worth a thousand words!
