We're off...

Since we're supposed to have such a glorious weekend, we're heading off to go camping until Monday...south perhaps? Deception Pass might be our destination, but nothing is for sure. Enjoy the sunshine!

Since I've been enjoying the sunshine and taking few pictures, here are some from 1 year ago in equally as beautiful weather :) See any changes?!

Goals...

The goal now is to finish scrapbooking our US trip before starting China :) Slowly getting there...the ideas are there, but the sunshine beckons daily! Thanks for looking. Off to school now.

Markets in China

The markets in China are fascinating...each one is different than the next. Imagine a huge warehouse with floors and floors of shopping...each floor is (generally) dedicated to one or two items - clothing, purses and luggage, jewellery, touristy stuff, etc...Each floor is divided into countless little booths with individual owners/salespeople...Bartering is normal and expected. Words cannot describe these places, so hopefully a few pictures will help :)

The general appearance of most - narrow aisles, a lot of people, crowded displays - a bit overwhelming when you first step in

If you look closely, Breyden's pushing his stroller...the salespeople rave over the kids and it'd be impossible to lose either of them here - they know exactly where each one is!

The selection can be a little overwhelming...this is the shoe department ;)

A booth of swimsuits...all very decentA couple of the MANY booths of purses I went through to find Willetta's! I hope you really love it, W! :)

The change room! If you want to try something on, they'll whip out their curtain (really hides me, doesn't it) and pin it up for you. Nice to know I'd never see any of these people again ;) A fabric area in Erqi, where I got 2 skirts made...this area was absolutely HUGE!

This is Anchung (probably spelt wrong!), a large shopping mall, more like our malls, but also gigantic!

In the basement of Anchung is TrustMart, a branch of WalMart where Trichelle sometimes gets groceries.
This man was selling fresh (?) meats in one of the underground shopping areas by the qingway.And to top it all off, there's also outdoor markets when the weather is nice enough. This was in Qinghuangdao, just outside the McDonalds. The puppies were a real hit for the kids and the kids were a real hit for the Chinese :)

Another outdoor market area, selling mostly food...oh the smells!
The markets were an enjoyable part of our trip :) but I would get tired of bartering all the time for everything. In TrustMart and Anchung, bartering wasn't as normal, but in the other markets, you could get fairly good prices for many things. Beijing's markets (the 2 touristy ones - Pearl and Silk Markets) were a bit classier looking and a bit more organized, but the salespeople were pushier and more in-your-face as they knew some English. Beside the Pearl Market, we also stumbled upon a toy market called Toy City, a 2-floor market of toys only! Pretty neat. We learned quickly that toys are harder to barter for - the salespeople will not budge on the prices as they usually get paid what they want.
Hope this gives you a bit of an idea of our shopping time out there!

Picnics and sunshine

Hello from a beautifully sunny day in BC! The sun is shining after a couple days of rain, and I'm very happy to see it again! Life has returned to it's normal business, keeping me hopping. Tuesday I made a dessert for Doorway, taught French in the afternoon, and served dinner to 6 plus Chelsie. A rousing game of Monopoly Deal with Willetta and John finished off the day. Wednesday was Doorway day and it was good to be back. I enjoy the fellowship of my friends there as we prepare a meal for the moms and kids in the program. In the afternoon, Chelsie got her 18 month shots and then it was 2.5 hours of math tutoring - cosine or sine anyone?! After dinner, I had a good laugh. Brian had left with the Envoy so I decided to sweep the garage. Chelsie joined me in walking back and forth, up and down the front steps, etc. I was busy in the closet for a few minutes and decided to check on her. She was talking to herself, and I found her sitting in her stroller...a little hint for me! So off we went for a walk :)
Today I was looking forward to a day at home together with my sweet pea and that's what it's been :). After I worked for a couple of hours on French, we enjoyed a hotdog picnic lunch on the lawn. She was a little puzzled with the whole experience, but thoroughly enjoyed it too. She went inside and pointed to her high chair - dat! - as in, Mom, I need to eat in that chair! When I informed her we'd sit on the grass, she happily marched outside again :) She also wasn't too impressed with her freezie dessert...she's never had one before and didn't understand that it's good to eat! A couple of pics for you.Now I'm off to set up the sprinkler in the garden, plant some flowers, mow the lawn and get some more done before dinner and Bible study tonight. Thanks for reading :)

A holiday's hard work

Hoping your (holiday) Monday was a good one :) Ours has been busy so far. We spent the morning helping out at Mom M's with spring yard work - edging, trimming, weeding, cleaning out the shop, and washing lawn furniture...with most of the family helping, it turned into a fun morning.
The girls waiting for their wheelbarrow ride.

Swinging like monkeys!
"I'll help you, Papa."
Opa working hard...or hardly working?!
Hi Codes, how are you?
Edger ExtraordinaireChelsie with her friend, Mia.

Sam: "Hey, Auntie Leanne, how's it going over there?"
"Good, Sam, thanks for asking."
"I think I'll come help you out for a bit."
"Great Sam! Thanks!"
A few minutes later..."Hey Papa, how's it going over there? Almost done with those branches?" (He was looking forward to his ride in the wheelbarrow to keep the branches from falling out :)).
"Auntie Leanne, I'm a good helper, aren't I? You're doing a great job too."
"Yes, Sam, you're amazing! And thanks :D"
Such a sweet Sam!
A delicious BBQ hotdog lunch to finish our morning of work...

10 minutes after leaving...Whew, Mom, what a day! I'm exhausted :)

And it's back to work for me...thanks for reading :)

A crazy hike

A few pictures from a crazy but beautiful hike on Saturday. Melissa and I went looking for a hike for the intermediate students to do in a couple of weeks. We hiked up to Lindeman Lake, then kept going to Greendrop Lake...shortly after Lindeman we hit snow which eventually got to about 3 feet deep...you'd fall through unexpectedly and scrape your legs on the ice on top - not too fun! We never made it to Greendrop, turning around after hiking for about 2 hours past Lindeman. A couple of pictures of our morning:

One of the 6 or so rock falls we climbed over...

Some of the snow...without anything to scale it, the picture doesn't really do it justice. The tree mostly buried in the foreground was probably a 4-footer.
Wringing a 1/2 cup of water out of my socks on the return trip after we'd finished most of the snow.One of the log bridges.

The beauty of Lindeman Lake is incredible and was worth climbing the trail up to there.Another of God's beautiful places.

Back in the wack

Just a quick note to say we're once again blessed to be home safely. We had a long flight, and last night a long sleep. Chelsie and I slept very well from 8 pm to 11:40 am ;), with one washroom and cough syrup break. Brian slept from 9 to 2 and 5 to 11:40, but still felt somewhat rested. After getting groceries, I'm off to attack the house now - you know what unpacking is like! Be back soon :) Thanks for reading.
PS...Thanks to ...
~Dave and Trichelle for putting up with us and Breyden for sharing his toys ;)
~Willetta for getting the mail, keeping our plants alive, and even getting some groceries for us to live off of!
~John for mowing our lawn - looks great :)
~Mom M for bringing us and Dad L for picking us up
~Melissa and Mom L for the welcome home treats :)

Few words required...

Few words are required for this picture...it gives you the idea of Chelsie's attention from the Chinese :) This is at the Summer Palace last week Thursday.

More pictures of our time in China

One last update before we head home to Chilliwack tomorrow. We've thoroughly enjoyed our time in China and the Philippines, and are *almost* ready to come home. Here are a few more pictures of our time with the Beekes and I might add a few more of my favourites when we're back.

Enjoying the playground in Beidaihe...I'm not sure who had more fun - the kids or the guys!

Some time on the beach in Beidaihe...like many kids this age, Chelsie and Breyden played side by side, but not really together.

Enjoying the tulips in a Beijing Park...Chelsie was a major attraction to the Chinese too!

Outside Dave and Trichelle's home:

the kids walking together

the JinShitan beach...

a motorbike ride back to the apartment (about 200 feet)...

reading a new book which Chelsie gave to Breyden - Just Me and My Friend...

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! A surprise present brought from Canada and hidden until May 10 :)

We also spent some time exploring in the nearby countryside and market...

A farmer out plowing. He thought we'd understand him, so he jabbered in Mandarin, but we only caught a couple of words we've learned.

He was not thrilled to have his picture taken and was actually shaking his whip at me in protest in this great shot!

This couple was working together - he was plowing and she had a basket over her arm and was hand planting seeds right behind him.

This is in the local market - less than 10 minutes from Trichelle's house. Many things are sold there, including carnations, kelp, fresh fish, and other interesting things. The smells cannot be described.