New Year's Eve - A Day Early

It is weird to know that in less than two hours it will be 2007 here in China, but only 10:00 a.m. in 2006 in Bowling Green. This International Date Line thing still boggles my mind.

Anyway, we had a great day in Guangzhou today. Jaycie met up with her friend from Beijing, and was able to travel with her to the bookstore and some other places today while we took Hannah to her medical appointment. That wasn't much fun, but afterward we were able to do some shopping and walk around Shaiman Island, which is the area of Guangzhou where our hotel is. We found some neat things, but Hannah made sure we got her something. We were looking around in a store full of baby clothes, and I was carrying her, and all of a sudden I felt warm and wet all at the same time. I knew what that meant. She had wet straight through her diaper. Needless to say we bought a new outfit on the spot (for her, not for me - I had to deal with it).

We came back to the hotel and let Hannah nap while Ashley and I ate Noodles in a cup. This is not a bad lunch, and is very cheap. We don't have microwaves, but we do have these machines that heat water to a boil very quickly, so these are a snap. I also found a coffee drink at the 7/11 store across the street (no, I'm not kidding - a real 7/11). It wasn't bad. I found a couple more coffee places, but I'm not too anxious to try them. I hear there is a Starbucks in Guangzhou, and a group of us is determined to find it.

This afternoon we walked around the island some more. We found many stores that were more than willing to show us their wares. The prices vary widely, so we are shopping around. I can tell if they are willing to bargain, because if I ask the price and then start to walk away, they come down a lot. This is a beautiful island, and the whole area is fairly nice. It is a heavy-tourist area, so it has a lot of Western-style things. We actually got Jaycie a grilled cheese sandwich the other day.

Tonight, for a group New Year's Eve celebration we went on a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. The buffet included anchovies fried whole (including the eyes), lamb, beef, bok choy, spicy pickled cucumbers, and boiled shrimp (also including eyes). I tried all of the above except the bok choy - even the anchovies. I wasn't doing too well until the sweet and sour something - steak or chicken - I couldn't tell. That was worth seconds. The cruise was great. Jaycie and Mia had a great time and posed for some silly pictures on the top deck of the boat. Hannah did well too, even letting Daddy hold her. She is very attached to her mom, and that is a very good thing. We would be worried if she wasn't attached at all.

That was our day. Most of our paperwork is done now, and we are just on vacation until our consulate appointment on the 3rd. We have made many new friends from many places, and now we look forward to the next CHI reunion in St. Louis. That being said, we miss home and our family and friends there first, and a close second is the familiarity of our house and our community, our beds and my coffee pot. We can't wait for you to meet Hannah and see her smile, hear her giggle and even hear her sweet cry. Only a few more days.

Let me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year!