Some will associate eye masks with grannies trying to go to sleep, or the noisy snoring middle-aged man in row 15A on your fifteen hour flight.  However since I have moved to China and share a room with all three of my sisters, I have found value in these dark eye covers.  They really help me sleep when it is midnight and Rachel is so capture by her book to put it down.  They are actually quote popular here.  In almost any small store you can find them for 10¥ (about a dollar).  Well, after so many nights being forced to wear one in order to sleep they become very comforting.  Even without lights on, street lamps can really put off a glare, so I have become very appreciative of wearing one.  For my Birthday I really wanted a new one. (My old one had been dropped under the my bed to the dusty floor one too many times).  In the picture below you can see me modeling the one Maddie gave me:

In our city, we rarely get rain. The land has been experiencing a drought for a few years. When we do get a rainy day, it is so refreshing! However, Megan says it’s not as fun as in Texas where she gets to splash in mud puddles. Here the puddles are too contaminated, I won’t mention with what. Maddie and Megan heading to the bus stop on Thursday, our first rainy day in months.

We were invited to attend the wedding ceremony of our friends’ daughter. The bride and groom met in Canada while studying there. They returned to China to celebrate their marriage before their families. Here we are pictured with our friends. Also pictured, the bride presenting flowers to her proud grandmother, and Maddie “eyeing” the whole lobster that was served as one of the many main course dishes.

As a family tradition we always do extravagant decorations for each others’ Birthday.   When I was awakened by my mom on Saturday  morning (my birthday) can you guess what awaited me in the living room?  A garden party!  My siblings made at least a hundred tiny flowers and put them everywhere.  On the dining table was a checkered tablecloth and picnic-like table settings.  Bouquets of colorful flowers brightened the room.  On one of the side tables was a group of potted plants (my Birthday present); they bought me the most adorable soft fern you ever saw, two types of  budding cacti, and a miniature bonsai tree!  I was so surprised!  They could not have picked a better theme for the decor.  I love gardening, and sorely miss the one I enjoyed in my house in Kansas City.  I had a wonderful birthday enjoying all the decorations and plants.  If you also enjoy gardening you can imagine the fun I had re-potting my birthday presents, watering them, and keeping them up the last few days.  This morning I was pleasantly surprised to find two of my plant’s had bloomed.  I was thrilled and thanked God again for the joy I found in His beautiful creation!    

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.