Day 565 Antiques and Temples in the 'jing!

I took a group of new and returning teachers
to Tracey's Antiques warehouse where she
gave us all a lesson in Chinese history and
culture through their collection of artifacts-
like these rice bowls.

A prayer bowl

Driving on a hard bargain on
some beautiful cabinets.

So many interesting things to see, so
many interesting stories to listen to.

Like this traditional Chinese medicine cabinet
that held many kinds of teas and herbal concoctions.

Shoes from Inner Mongolia

In case you're in the market for a camel
saddle or camel bells :)

  

Or this guy?!  He's available too, ladies :)

Brandon and Maria's 'new' cabinets look
beautiful in their home.  Love them.

From there, we went to Temple of Heaven for
an afternoon stroll around the park.

The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests is an impressive building.

And the backdrop for many 'fake' wedding pictures.
It's the Chinese way.

Me and pictures with doors;
It's a problem.

It was a beautiful day in the mid 60's,
lots of folks were out enjoying the sunshine,
blue sky, and clean air :)

More 'fake' wedding photos in the doorway on the left. 

They aren't faking their smiles very well, if you ask me.

This tree is reportedly over 700 years old.

 We strolled through the park, and made our way to the Alter of Heaven.

I patiently waited my turn, then jumped in to
the Chinese madness for my chance to stand
on the Chinese Heavenly Stone.
Feeling better already :)))

Irish Tom by the cauldron for incense burning.

This baby girl makes me smile :)
Brandon and Maria, you make a beautiful baby girl.

An impromptu concert from Les Mis

They all sang with such gusto! They were not a theater troupe,
but simply people wandering in the park who would stop and
join in on the singing. I have seen this many times before.  I
do love that when the Chinese (who typically are quite shy) go
to a public park, they will sing, dance, and play their instruments
with reckless abandon.  Many times I have joined in with a
group of folks who are dancing, just because I can :)
I was enamoured with the Chinese accordion player <3

This dancer, though, was a bit too much!

Still, I admire his style ;-)

It was a glorious day in the 'jing!

G'nite, y'all

Day 564 The Big Lebowski in Beijing

What better way to end a busy work week then a trip to a
local bowling alley after the last bell rang on Friday.
I didn't know there was a bowling alley on our side
of town- actually in our neighborhood.  It's in the basement
of a hotel; who knew?!

Only Khim, this Thai beauty, can turn
a game of bowling in to a fashion
statement! Well played, Khim :)

Rob and his tribute to the Big Lebowski!
Where's the White Russians?!

I love Miss Rici; she is adorable, and the
sweetest young lady.  She is our Espanol teacher.

Santosh was using his Physics
knowledge to bust the pins!

It was BYOB and snacks, and we had the whole
place to ourselves- so much fun!
There were a few wipeouts, but fortunately
no broken bones or lane rash :-)

I learned something today- Canadians
play five pin bowling.  Ray had so
many pins he didn't know what to
do with them all, lol.

Milan had the craziest curve ball I have ever seen.

Carlos and I were chasing each other
for first place, lane for lane.

Momma K, aka 'Mind Bender' prevailed!  I don't even
know what happened.  My highest game ever was 129,
but tonight I rolled a 161. What did I just say?!  161???

What an awesome group of people :)
A good time was had by all!

And just for prosperity's sake, I came home and mixed myself

a Malibu and Coke Zero  (no fixin's for White Russians) and I

watched The Big Lebowski for the umpteenth time.

Gotta love the Dude!

G'nite, y'all 

Day 563 Chirp! Chirp!

Look who was attending the BNDS College Fair-
my alma mater, Ball State University!  Chirp!  Chirp!

John and I had a lovely conversation- it was
so good just to talk with someone who knows
some of my OLD profs, and my old stomping grounds.
Naturally, I teared up as the slightest taste of home.

I think Ball State would be a GREAT school
for some of our kids :)

Go Cards!

Nearly 50 colleges and universities visited from all over
the world for the two day event.  Our juniors are now
beginning the process of shopping for schools. They
will make 10-15 applications to their top choices. Filling
out all of those applications, writing all those essays,
and continuing to retake the SATs, ACTs, and TOEFL is
a full time job in itself when they return in the fall.
Most will apply for Early Decision, to lock it down :)

And then, to my surprise, I ran in to IUPUI, too!
My eldest, Jennessa graduated from there, Carissa
attended there (but graduated from Ball State)
Michael graduated from Purdue, but graduated
from IU's Law School in Indianapolis, and my
Emily (also a BSU alum) served her master's level
 internship at the IUPUI Student Counseling Center
 last year.  Only Purdue was missing or I would have
had all of my kids covered here in the 'jing!
It was so much 'taste of home' that I had to
step out into the sunshine and collect myself.

There is still a definite chill in the air, but
you can finally begin to feel the warmth of
the sun.  Look at the gorgeous blue sky!

A PE class was out enjoying the school's
rock climbing wall- I am waiting to scale it
when my grand kids get here next month.
It's five stories tall!!!

As if the day couldn't get any better,
I got a laptop, working VPNs, all my
software, and all of my files back today!

I'm one step closer to happiest girl in China :)

G'nite, y'all!