Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig!

Wow, it seems great to be home again!  I had to finish putting the rest of our trip on the blog at the same time as I finished them on the plane on the way home and saved them until I had the Internet.

It was so fun to see Eli and Julie, so recently returned from their engagement adventure in New York waiting for us with a poster..the one from downstairs from 30 years ago that has "They have something to share" and that goofy picture of dad and I that they used for advertising for our first book with Deseret Book.  It was pretty funny, given that we had been sharing quite a bit for the past few weeks.

I only wish I had taken a picture. They were so cute standing there waiting for us...with Julie being laden down with her new "rock"!  Fun night!   We had one day to unpack,  read the mail and figure out that almost nothing had been done on the big house, then two days in Southern Utah doing a youth fireside with Eli in New Harmony and then playing with the kids in St. George before we headed home with Jonah and the truck after his new disaster with the house and then we had one more day to get things rolling at the house and have a quick lunch with Chris and Hedy who were here for a short visit after receiving their new call the the TORONTO EAST MISSION! They are going to be absolutely terrific!  Aaron is holding his own and is taking responsibility for his life again.  What a wonderful answer to all our prayers and what an amazing kid that Aaron is!

The next morning we headed for Logan to do a presentation at the class that we have started at USU called Balancing Work and Family and to answer questions for a couple of hours on film so they can use clips for the class. We took Grandma Ruthie with us and then had a nice visit with her afterward.  She is working hard on her family history and says she is getting all our emails and blogs.  Dave (Josh's cute friend) has even taught her how to get pictures off of the Internet for the book!  How many 85 year olds do you know that can work their way around the Internet???

Today it was so fun to go back to church!  It was like having a lovely second family to welcome us home.  Wow, we have some terrific people in our ward!  So we're mostly over jet lag, having stayed up to see the movie Vantage Point  and now trying to catch up on all the blog stuff.  What an incredible experience we have had and what an amazingly blessed life we live....crisis and all!

Terrific Taiwan

I'm squished between two people on a middle seat in the back row of a huge, bumpy at the moment, airplane, flying home!  Dad is sittiing in a bulk head somewhere. he absolutely refused to be squished in this seat next to me for 11 hours so somehow he got this cute Chinese girl to change places with him. She seems happy and is sound asleep.
We had such a fun group last night but I must admit that we were both about to run out of gas after 5 hours of being on duty and twelve presentations under our belts.  We did a two and a half hour presentation and workshop first and then had dinner with them. During the break we found that it was the Dad's who needed some family laws!  They told me that they spend 3 or 4 nights every week with each other while their wives and nannies are home with the kids.  Their wives had tried to impose a curfew without success.  We tried to light a fire under them in the second session and they seemed to appreciate it!
Our hosts for the event who also owned the hotel we stayed in which was on the Four Seasons standard with a private butler and food down the hall 24 hours a day, was kind enough to lend us his driver for the day today. He picked us up and took us to a ward where we loved talking to the missionaries and then had one of them translate for one of the talks for us before we left.  It was heaven to be back in a church.  We have been either on a flight or traveling every Sunday since Melbourne where we heard President Hinckley's funeral. It was so fun to talk to the Elders who were fired up about the mission and so complimentary of their mission president.  One of them was from Gilbert, AZ and another was from San Diego and had been given his Patriarchial blessing by Julie's Dad!  How small is our world?
We liked it so much that we found that there was another English speaking ward right next to the temple, not too far from our hotel so we decided to try that too!  We had our driver first take us to the Royal Museum of Taiwan, which had some amazing ancient Chinese pieces that the Taiwanese took with them when they left China as well as a wonderful diarama of all the dynastys!  I loved it!  And then it was on to temple and a big stake center right next door which was literally bulging with Chinese members, mssionaries and ex-pats. Reminded me of the Hyde Park Ward. We met the Mission President and his wife in the hall and they immediately introduced us to all their missionaries and gave us a tour!  We ducked in to get the sacrament one more time...make up call...and then headed back for the hotel to pack up and leave for the airport.
We have learned so much on this trip!   Hopefully I'll have time to record everything a little more fully when we get home. I'm listening to the Four Seasons thanks to Eli and getting ready to finish my book...Three Cups of Tea...which Noah loved!
We might be talking before you get this but just wanted to get this memory down before I forgot it!  We're thinking that Chris and Hedy might have their call and are dying to get to LA to find out and to try to call ya'll!  We have a very long layover there unless we can get an earlier flight so we'll try.

Forbidden City Follies

 

Well, here we are at Tienaman Square, the site of the horrible student
massacre all those years ago. It is directly across the street from the
Forbidden City, which for some reason still has a big picture on Mao. I
guess there are some that still respect the guy! Anyway, we had a great
time at the Forbidden City which went on and on and on! Finally Dad
started doing his little jogging sideways dance because he can't walk
very far without his back bugging him. He was a pretty funny site
dancing through the Forbidden City. I mostly pretended that I didn't
know who he was, but we sort of stuck out in the crowd, especially Dad
with his purple Cadbury baseball cap which he bought at the world center
for Cadbury in Australia!
Beijing was totally choked with smog both days that we were there.
People are so used to it that they hardly even notice. It's like the
worse inversion day in SLC over and over and over. I don't know how
they can stand it! Even everything at the Forbidden City is covered
with a coat of gritty dirt, including all the windows. I think they
might spiff it up for the Olympics, but you never know! BUT this
morning when we drove to the airport, it had somehow all blown
out...maybe for the last day of the Chinese New Year last night when we
were treated to massive fireworks all over the city! It even more
amazing than Chiapas, Mexico on Christmas Eve!
We're now in Taipei and will send more tomorrow. It will be our last
full day before we get on the plane to come home. We are in a fabulous
hotel and look forward to our last presentation tomorrow which is a 5
hour workshop. The people are always so interesting and fun!

 

The Dream of a Lifetime!

Today I accomplished a dream of a lifetime...walking on the GREAT Wall.
A driver picked us up from the airport and surprised us by saying that
we were going straight to the Wall because we were already part way
there. My walking shoes were at the bottom of a suitcase but we just
went for it anyway! It took about an hour to get where we think Shawni
and Dave must have been because it was exactly as they had described. A
rickety little chair lift (which they had called a cable car so I wasn't
even worried until I saw them) and a crazy Alpine slide on the way down.
It was INCREDIBLE! It was 50 degrees and the sun was shining, after
these poor people having been in a deep freeze for weeks! The wall was
begun in 1450 B.C so we were walking on something that was started 3400
years ago. How in the world they did it is just beyond belief. Tonight
we had a very intimate dinner party on the 50th floor of a very famous
club overlooking the huge, beautiful but smoggy Beiuing with only 12
YPOers because many of their members weren't back from holiday yet and
they were a small chapter anyway. They were terrific but the best thing
was that they gave us a wonderful book about the history of the Great
Wall, signed by the author who had been one of their previous speakers
this year. I can't wait to read it and show it to you!
Our driver could speak VERY little English, but at least more that we
could speak Chinese. He kept talking about the Great War and we kept
wondering which war he meant until we finally realized that he was
actually saying The Great Wall! He was so cute though and a great
laugher. He MADE us get out a take a picture by this big rock that said
George Bush (Sr.) had been there in 1990. My battery died just as we
got to the top of a ridge but we got some good ones anyway. It was so
exciting to do something I'd wanted to do all my life. HOW did we get
so lucky? The only thing that could have been better would be to have
you here with us. This was a day to remember! We also drove past a lot
of the Olympic Venues, although those pictures are on Dad's camera since
mine died. This city is being turned upside down in rapid growth BUT to
show you how fast it's growing...only 5% of the growth is from the
Olympic venues. In contrast, Salt Lake growth during the run up to the
big event was 50% because of the Olympics.
Hope all is well wherever you are! We're headed for the Forbidden City
and Tianenaman Square tomorrow. More pictures of this great adventure
then!
Max and Elle, we're dying to know how you all got down from the
mountain. Did Claire ride down on the sled with someone or did she go
back down on the chair lift. How did you like it? Now that we've been
here, we're dying to hear the details again!
Love you'. You're always in our prayers!
US
P.S. So far we haven't seen any of the 9 million bicycles in Beijing.
...maybe tomorrow!

Sensational Shanghai!

Shanghai has got to be most of the most amazing cities on earth!  It makes New York look pretty old and pretty small....although it's still the funnest city on earth.  The skyscrapers but the ton would outstrip any city anywhere (Dubai might hold a close second)  It is so incredible what a communist society can do when they  are trying to compete with the world.  The infrastructure is just incredible!  They are having a world expo there in 2010 and have started a multi billion dollar project on the Bund to get ready.  The only problem is the pollution. Sure hope they figure out how to do something about that soon.  Just imagining what that city would look like without the smog is pretty incredible to think about!

Yesterday we went to the Urban Planning Museum of Shanghai. It was a
truly amazing panorama of the city of Shanghai which will be the site of
the world expo in 2010. It maybe even bigger than the Olympics. They
already started multi-billion dollar renovations of the city. Anyway
the museum and across the People's square, the Shanghai Museum was also
wonderful. Next we went to see the Laughing Buddha which is the oldest
temple village in China with the only Buddha in the world (we guess) who
is laughing. We went back in time a thousand years for a few minutes!
The evening brought a stimulating YPO group of people including a baron
from Holland, who they said was the richest person in Holland, and a
whole eclectric group of people from a huge short, plump down to earth
mom from California who had come from living in a palatial home in the
Philippines to Shanghai.... to a Mormon girl with six kids...three older
ones by a husband who had died and three younger ones (she had her last
one at 46) with a non-member but very supportive husband. She said the
branch is bursting at its seams in a home about an hour outside of
Shanghai (maybe this is where Shawni and Dave went). Anyway it was a
really terrific, interactive group...many of Chinese descent but who had
been raised or schooled in the US which added to the fun of meeting
people who are doing such interesting things!
I am loving learning about the traditions surrounding the Chinese New
Year, which is even bigger than Christmas is there! Exactly thirteen
days before the first day of the new year (it's different every year
according to the moon...this year it was February 7th) everyone begins
cleaning their houses. They throw out anything that isn't perfect or
isn't perfectly clean so they can start their new year with a "clean
slate". They also prepare special food for the 15 day holiday. On New
Year's Eve, it is a tradition to go to the home of the Father's parents
where they have a big dinner, watch and movie or play games. At exactly
midnight for good luck, they have eat dumplings (little flour balls
stuffed with good stuff that have been prepared in advance in boiling
water). There are coins in two of the dumplings and the ones who get
them will have an extra "lucky" year. On New Year's Day everyone has to
wear totally new clothes which must be good for clothing sales. One the
third day of the new year they go to the mother's family for festivities
and one of the days is reserved for the ancestors where they recall
their lives and leave feeling gratitude for them. I'm learning more
every day. Tomorrow is the last day of the New Year celebration and
there is supposed to be BIG fireworks and a lantern festival. We'll see
what happens!

Dad by the Pearl Tower

 

I must admit that the food is pretty darn weird!  The fruit is great BUT I just can't go for those goose claws!

Hong Kong and Shenzhen

 

As much as anybody wants to say about the "turnover" of Hong Kong from
English to Chinese rule, the good people of Hong Kong still don't think
of themselves as living in China! We made it to our session last night
with half an hour to spare and had such a nice time with a bunch of very
young parents in EO at a beautiful club in Hong Kong. All the women at
our table were pregnant with their first child. Two of them are with us
in the first picture. Compared to the big groups of 70, 80 and 90 in
Australia, this group and the one we did today in Shenzhen are much
smaller which is also really fun.
We learned a lot more about the one
child policy and how it has evolved. That restriction doesn't apply to
Hong Kong and if both parents came from the "one child Policy" in China,
they can have two. Also if the first child is a girl they can try again.
There are already some pretty serious ramifications from that one
child from the "one child policy" being the center of two parents and
four grandparents' lives and being really spoiled. We also learned that the
Chinese vocabulary is so complicated that there are different names for
each grandparent according to which parent they belong to (similar to
Sweden) and there are different names for uncles according to where they
stand in the family...there are names for old uncles and young uncles.
The most fascinating thing of the night was the fact that we happened to
mention that we are Christian and afterward, the cute Chapter President
for next year who owns a company that supplies most of the fish for fish
sticks in the world, told me that she and her husband are Christians
also and that they are able to "preach the gospel and teach
Christianity" quietly to about 3000 of their workers at a time. She said
they had to be careful but that people are so receptive. She said almost
all are immediately converted. She said she thinks that they are so
successful because there is such a void of religion and the faith is
what they yearn for...all over China. Hmmm...
This morning we woke up to this view from our window and groups of
people standing on the playing fields below looking like statues, but
actually doing their exercises! Our host Harrish (India) took us to
"The Peak" in Hong
Kong to see that the few little shanty shops at the top where we viewed
a very polluted Hong Kong four years ago has turned into an enormous
modern glass and steel mall with restaurants and even a pre-school for
workers and residents that overlooks a still very polluted Hong Kong!
After going to Harrish's home to pick up his wife and meeting his cute
13 year old daughter we drove about an hour and then across a new
enormous bridge where we entered China. There was a pretty elaborate
border control going out and 50 yards further, going in. The Shenzhen
Crowne Plaza where we are now is quite a hotel! It's enormous and is
directly across the street from something called Windows to the
World...kind of a Disney land deal..so our balcony looks out on "the
Eiffel Tower, the Arch de'Truimph and a huge world globe. .as well as a
cultural park that includes displays of an demonstration of Old China.
We had a lovely group of parents in a small new chapter of YPO this
afternoon in a 3 1/2 hour workshop. So many great parents and just
really good people! After our session (see picture) and an amazing
buffet, we saw a Las Vegas-esque show of Chinese culture and costumes
that made us think we have really got a treat in store for the opening
ceremonies of the 2008 Olypmics in Beijing. The show was nothing short
of spectacular!
We're off to Shanghai in the morning! The food was great in Australia
but it is to die for here! I've got to quit eating! We sure miss you
and LOVE reading your blogs! Thanks for keeping us updated you moms!
Isn't Charity awesome? The letters are such a joy! Thanks for
the pics Eli and Shawni!!!
We'll be home a week from tomorrow and will keep you updated as we go
along. It's a good way to have a permanent record of this
life-changing experience!
We sure love ya'll,
US
P.S. The most important thing is that "Rickey" gets a little nap before
we present every time. He sure is fun to work with...naps and all! I"ll
never get how he can just drop off at any given moment and wake up
feeling great! It's in the genes I guess!

Sydney!

Now we're in Sydney at a beautiful hotel Near Sydney Harbor. We went straight to the harbor to view the fabulous Opera House and a cute guy talked us into taking the OZ Jet Boat...which made the Shark in the New York Harbor look like an evening cruise! It was SOOOO hilarious. We went 80 kilometers in 30 minutes with crazy turns going 80 mph and spraying everyone as the driver did his very best to hit the wakes of all the big ships so we could get some air! They said that we probably wouldn't get wet because we had on these big slickers! Needless to say, I was soaked 1 hour before our YPO presentation. It was pretty fun but we were going so fast that we couldn't see anything! FUNNY! I'll send pictures of what we saw today in the next email. Today, we also spent an hour with the only person we know in Australia...one of Dad's old missionary companions. He's been a mission president in NYC (President Bailey) and it was so fun to catch up with him is his lime green car (he also has a Ferarrari in his garage...that was just his loaner car! It's almost midnight but we're missing you and love thinking about that cute little Eliza on her 5th birthday! Saren tell her that we've been thinking of her all day~! She is so adorable and we hope she had the BEST birthday ever. It's too late to call now. We'll have to call from China.

Australia Zoo!

In Brisbane we were picked up by a darling family with twin eight year olds and taken to the Australia Zoo...started by Steve and Terry Irwin. It was so fun to see their dream in action. Steve, the Crocodile Hunter, though he wasn't there in person was present everywhere. It was hard to believe that he is really gone. His family is carrying on with passion and dedication! The zoo was so clean and the habitats for the lucky animals were so amazing!

The lovely people we met in Brisbane were so fun and our group there very interesting..as always. Next we are on to Sydney!