Are you kidding me?!?

I was thirteen years old the last time I did the Superbowl shuffle. Jim McMahon, Walter Payton and Refrigerator Perry were icons of my childhood. It was one of the highlights of my early teen years and it was the season that firmed up my fandome. If you lived in central Illinois at that time you didn't dare pledge allegiance to any other team. I have never been a fairweather fan. I am a firm believer in once a fan always a fan but that was the point in my life when who I would cheer for was still being formed and the 85 Bears made it clean and clear. I would be a Bears fan. What an amazing year!

And since then they haven't won a single game! Ok . . . that's a little harsh and not very true but still . . . TWENTY-ONE YEARS I have waited for the Bears give me something, anything to take me back to January 26, 1986 and year after year after year . . . nothing. AND NOW . . . the year I leave the country . . . are you kidding me?!?

So think of me while you're sitting in front of your enormous, flat screen television licking cheese dip and dorito powder off of your fingers. It will be 7:00 am here and I'll check the final score at lunch. Go Bears! and then Go Cubs! (why not?)

My wife . . . Queen of Crossing Cultures

For many years I have known that if I had to be stuck on a deserted island with any person in the world I would want that person to be my lovely wife. It has now been overwhelmingly affirmed that this would be the correct and only logical choice. Apart from other, obvious reasons I now know that my wife has inherent survival skills that match those of Tarzan, MacGyver and thousands of baby sea turtles. First let me say that China is not exactly the African bush and we are not living on twigs and grubs. We are thrilled to have reasonable access to a number of foods and goodies imported from the West, East, North and South. However, as is to be expected any time you cross cultures, there are certain tastes that we often took for granted at home, which are now less accesible if not impossible to find . . .

Enter LaWanda. We have enjoyed a plethora (10 points for a good word) of treats that are just not found in our part of the country thanks to the incredible resourcefulness and ingenuity of my wife. For example, Mexican food . . . my wife made her own tortillas, fried them and made chips to dip in her homeade salsa and then . . . (this is the kicker) . . . made her own sour cream! I didn't even know you could make sour cream but she did and it was good. Her other conquests include curing her own ham, potroast, cinnamon rolls (the ooey gooey kind), banana bread and King Ranch chicken. I've seen her menu for the next month and let's just say I'm looking forward homemade bubble gum and dehydrated astronaut food.

Although you really have to zoom out for China to be considered and island AND it is the polar opposite of deserted AND we're not exactly stuck here, still, since there is one person I get to go through this with . . . I'm really glad it's my wife!

Potato skins smothered in cheese with bacon, homemade salsa and sour cream.

School Days!

That's right . . . our three year old is off to school. Rachel began kindy/kindergarten/preschool/Chinese language training this week. She's pretty excited about being a school girl . . . much more so than either of her parents. Actually we are excited about the chance for her to play with some other kids and work on her Chinese a little. Right now she's just going for a couple of hours three days a week. Her teacher said she is a quick learner. Next week they begin Calculus in preparation for advanced aeronautical engineering.

Mom and Ra on her first day of school.

A much more accurate picture of mom and Ra on her first day of school.

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it Snow!

This week brought our first and potentially only snow of the season. It only lasted for a day but we made the most of it. Rachel made her first snowman which was followed by her first snowball fight which was followed by her first set of frozen, red, swollen hands because she was having too much fun to notice that it hurts to stick your hands in the snow for extended periods of time. What a blast!

High five!

Frosty finished!

Some of my students came out for the party

Happy New Year!

This post has been moved to make me feel less silly about the horrific order in
which we have blogged our holiday festivities . . . sorry Shandi!

Christmas Dinner?

For lunch on Christmas Day our Chinese supervisor from the Forestry University where the Language Center operates took us all to lunch . . . for STEAK!

I was skeptical at first . . . but it sure was a pretty good piece of beef!
And then . . .

I was offered the choice piece from the chicken platter . . . and in interest of saving face and building lasting friendships . . .

Interestingly enough, the guy in the background is probably the most quickly enculturated foreigner we have met . . . although it makes a good picture, I am sure his expression has little to nothing to do with what was going on beside him . . . especially since it was HIS chinese girlfriend who offered it!

"What WAS that gushing out when you took a bite?"

Ahhh! Remeber how wonderfully this meal began? With the cute little bunny tomato garnish? Oh how quickly things can go awry!

Merry Christmas!

Rachel is at a great age for Christmas Traditions . . . We lit Advent candles each week while reading through the story of the miracle birth, We made sprinkly cookies to share with our friends, We attended Christmas parties, We told our friends about the True reason we celebrate Christmas, We drank hot cider and hot chocolate with christmas marshmallows, We all got new Christmas PJ's and opened stockings on Christmas Eve . . . and she was like a three year old on a constant sugar high . . . oh, wait! She WAS a three year old on a constant sugar high! Over all, for our first Christmas in China, we couldn't have dreamed it any better!

Here are some pictures from our holiday celebrations . . .

One of Jerry's Cross-Cultural Classes over for a Christmas party . . . hmm . . . Rachel at the center of attention? Imagine!

At the LDi Christmas party the paparazzi were out catching pictures of all the foreign teachers! I at least know three girls in this picture . . . there are many pictures of me floating around China with girls I have never met!


At the LDi Christmas party we were graced with a wide variety of performances. A favorite was the beautiful sound of our dear students singing "Silent Night" by candlelight.


Christmas Eve Stocking!!



Christmas morning with hommade cinnamon rolls just like mom used to make!
the grin is because they turned out like they were supposed to, whew!



The much sought after baby stroller! Six stores and lots of sign language later Rachel is the proud owener of her very own baby stroller . . . (and come to find out the word for "stroller" is "baby car". Would have saved alot of headaches if we had known that!)

and hey! what about those stylin' rain boots? wore those the whole day . . . just look!

Ready for church! Let's Go!


Christmas Eve Lolipop . . . mmmm!

CHRISTMAS TIME FUN!

Yes, I'm hugging the tree . . . so!?!
Finding this tree in China was like a great big bear hug from the Lover of my Soul . . . so just retuning the sentement in my own strange way . . . after you spend Christmas in a non-western country, THEN you can laugh!! OK, you can laugh now 'cuz we sure have this season! Thank goodness we know Dad has a great sense of humor!

Nothing more fun at Christmas time than sprinkly cookies!

"I look just like Mary!"

Miss Kathy came from Florida to visit us for three weeks, it was like having christmas everyday for the first two weeks! Each day she would bring a few things to share with us . . . and if you know me, it couldn't get any better than that! Cards and notes from friends and family, Christmas letters and pictures, gifts of the "sweets" persuasion . . . Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Hot Tomales and Candy Canes galore!!! Thank you all so much for your thoughtfulness in sending things with her to brighten our holiday! We were a family of three-year-olds for nearly two weeks getting two or three new things each day . . . I'm not sure if it was on purpose of just jet lag, but Kathy sure knows how to make the most of a Christmas visit!!

Rachel's first reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

When things are unavailable to you, it is amazing how exciting even cupcake holders could be (to mommy AND Rachel) . . . and in grand tradition, each one had to be pulled apart and set out . . . we had quite the tea party with these yummy "cookies".

"Look, Mommy! MORE candy canes!"

One of the few Christmas displays around town . . . this was a
particular favorite since Santa was playing an instrument!