Xiao Zhang continues to amaze us with her cooking skills. Tonight she made our favorite cabbage salad and salmon. It was delicious and cooked just right. A few nights ago she made a noodle dish with chicken from a weight watchers cook book.


I am afraid that our table manners have slipped while living in China. We have adapted some of the local manners like eating off others plates and slurping our noodles.

And...eating with our fingers!!! Oh my...we have a lot of re-training to do!Abi has been busy with "Yeah! School is out parties" and movies and lunches. This morning she and I went to breakfast and then got our "services". We each had a pedicure and a manicure, did some shopping, and then took Tim to lunch. Ah...such an exhausting morning!

Just one more day until we get on the plane for home! We are all very ready to be back in America and experience some "normality".....or at least what we think to be "normality". I am sitting in the window of our living room tonight and the smog has cleared and the city lights are all on. Even the bridges are lit tonight....who knows why....(this is Monday night....I am not sure what is special about Monday...but who cares!)...it is really beautiful. It is like the city is trying to seduce us into returning after our home visit! I think it will be fairly easy to return after we are renewed this summer knowing that we are on the down hill slide. We have exactly one year remaining in our commitment to China. And...I know this next year will go by very quickly as Abi finishes her senior year of high school. There are many things on our "to do while in China" list and now that I think about it....I feel there might not be enough time to get it all done. Ah....What an adventure we have been on!