Day 15 (shopping With Ann, Dinner, Nighttime Walk Through Guangzhou)

We saw the sun, however briefly, this morning!  It was the first time we've seen it since leaving Beijing!  The girls are both doing ok, though their colds/coughs have not improved.  We are really hoping and praying that the antibiotics will kick  in quickly and the girls will pass their medical exams so we can come home on time.  A fever would prevent this, a cough might.  I am thinking that FLora Lin came to us much sicker than we thought, but hoping all of the evidence of that is wrong. Despite being sick, things are still going ok.

I had my own little adventure today in the form of shopping!  Yay!  THe girls both love Sam, so I was able to go by myself and shop with Ann of The Red Thread!  I was nervous about venturing out without Sam with a stranger, but one second after meeting Ann, and you know she's the sweetest person in the world!  I went shopping to get gifts for friends at home and for the girls as they grow up and when you shop with Ann, you shop wholesale!  It was much more fun than I imagined, and I wish I would have shopped longer.  I have no idea where we went (four or five different places, including the pearl and jade market), but I have never seen so much fun stuff and could have spent a lot more money than I did!  I wanted everything, but Ann moves fast and we stuck to my list.  The shops were colorful and packed with different items - everything you could think of!  Since I was the only foreigner (instead of a large group with a bunch of children) in a sea of Asian people, I really felt like I got to see the true culture a little more, since we didn't stick out so much.  Ann is sweet, wonderful and the happiest mother to be in the world!  She's a little over 3 months pregnant, but is about to burst with excitement and pride!  One of the things I really enjoyed about shopping with her was just getting to talk to her and hear about her life and the culture of the people around her.  If you have the opportunity to shop with her in Guangzhou, PLEASE DO IT!  I so enjoyed getting out, seeing the shops (I want to go back!) and talking with Ann.  She was very open and easy to talk to.  I learned a lot in a little bit of time.

I should have taken more pictures!  These don't do it justice at all!

Once I got back, the girls were up from their naps, so we went down to the play area to meet some friends for playtime!  It is always much more fun with friends!  I dressed the girls in outfits with white bows to match, abd our guide told me not to do that again because people will think they are going to a funeral...  as much as that doesn't really bother me (they stare anyway, right?), our guide is the kind of person you say, "ok" to and don't ask too many questions! : )

The girls with their "death" bows...  Their shoes make their feet look a little bit like pink potatoes, don't you think?  : )

She WON'T smile for pictures!

Little H and Flora Lin having a deep conversation.  The girls both have jackets on mostly because they have colds and culturally, they dress much, much warmer here.  They fuss at you if your children aren't bundled up, but I rarely wear a jacket.

In the evening, our guide took us to a Cantonese restaurant, which was very good!  Unlike our other guides, she and the driver sat and ate with us (which we enjoyed!).  Apparently, this province is a little more relaxed in different ways.  It might be that in the other provinces, culturally it wasn't appropriate for us to eat together?  Not sure, but either way, the food was very good again, and I don't ever eat Chinese  food in the US.  : ) 

After dinner, we walked around near the Pearl River and saw all of the beautifully lit buildings downtown.  It really is a clean and attractive city from what we saw.  The girls did great and enjoyed the time out walking. : )

THIngs I am glad that I Brought:

* Sanitizing wipes for those trips to the restaurant restroom!  C needed them!

* Silicone placemats for the girls - these have been GREAT and we take them everywhere and use them for every meal.  We never have to worry about the girls making a mess or the surface being clean

* Silicone bibs for the girls - they have a pocket to catch stray food.  When you are done you just wipe them out and reuse!  Super easy.

* My travel purse for the shopping trip - it has a place for everything and yet is still small

THings I Wish I'd Brought:

* Can't think of anything today! : ) Maybe a gift for Ann?  They LOVE scented hand sanitizer in the pocket size, BTW.  They can't get it over here.

Prayer Requests:

* travelling mercies for the families on their way home

* the girls are still struggling with coughs and colds - the back of FL's through looks terrible!  Pray they feel better soon and pass the medical exam on Saturday

* Sam is healthy (yay!) still and I am holding steady with a sore throat - pray we stay healthy this next week!

Thanks for reading!  Anything you'd like us to talk about more?  Questions?