B.J.

B.J. was in Kindergarten when we first came to China. Obviously then he did not think much of girls. (1st pic)He is our explosion of joy and our connector with the Chinese. He loves to try out his Chinese and as he was telling a friend of mine the other day, when a Chinese person meets him they always say, :"WO SHI WAN NI DE TOU FA!" Which means , "I like your hair". Of course they always mention his eyes too. Blond curly hair and blue eyes always a winning combination here. Although in the second picture he was going through a daddy haircut phase.

B.J came in 2nd place in a bike race.

I love my big Sis!!!!

More B.J. pics

Eric

Eric loves to be outside. When we first moved to Shenyang he was in shock for about 6 months because he missed the forests of Sweden. Before we moved his favorite thing was catching frogs and insects with his friends. Then we moved to China to a city of 8 million and everything was concrete. We have found things to do here and we are blessed that Ric's job takes us out to the village and the countryside so the kids can still get out and get messy.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Eric.

Last year in Shenyang Ric found a way for the boys to enjoy the snow. The yellow rope is tied to the van. Don't worry there were no other cars on the road.

Eric on the ropes course. He is in the red shirt.

This picture was taken at our team retreat this fall.

Ping Pong Video

This video was taken last spring in the village.

A day out!

Mission: Leave home at 7:30 in the a.m. and arrive at an antique warehouse outside of Beijing 2 1/2 hours later. Sounds simple but fog, traffic, the call of nature, road blocks and a mean guard dog all made it just another adventure in China. We could not drive on the freeway because of the fog so we detoured though the countryside. About 2 hours into the trip one of our party decided that they needed to stop. The driver turned down a long driveway a few minutes later and we soon realized he had stopped in a Chinese graveyard. He assured us there would be bathrooms and so we got out of the car and sure enough there was. We were an attraction to the living that worked there. The dead could have cared less. Five hours after we had left the house we arrived at our destination. It was worth it!!!!

They burn incense in this building and the family and friends of the deceased gather in front of the picture depicting the year on the lunar calender the he/she was born and honor them.

We barely made it through! we would have gotten out and pushed if we had to! Nothing would stop us!

The lean mean guard dog!

antique dream

Wow, when we got to the warehouse it was amazing. Everywhere I looked was great stuff. Stuff I wanted to buy. I started pulling things off and making a pile. Then I realized I had better take a reality check and go slow. There were small things behind big things and dusty things behind polished items. It was like a treasure hunt. It was definitely one of the best outings I have had in China. And the prices! I'm sorry I can't tell you the prices because you would all be calling me and asking to stay at my house. Enjoy the pictures though! :)

They sell re-makes of antiques too. It is a family buisness so most of the workers live in small houses in front of the wearhouses.

treasure chests

In one warehouse on top of all the other furniture were beautiful wooden chests. The first two pictures are of camphor wood chests. Camphor wood is a very aromatic wood. Camphor chests were used by the early expats who lived in china because camphor's aroma safeguarded silks, and other materials from insects on long voyages from China to America or Europe. These chests were usually built in the "treaty Ports" of china where westerners were allowed to live by the Imperial Chinese Government.
















I don't know what kind of wood this chests is made of but it sure looks like it could tell some unique stories of where it has been and who owned it. I think that is one of the attractions of antiques. They can hold secrets that will never be told, only imagined.

So how did we get the logs down there?

The site is at the bottom of a hill. The logs were dropped off at the top of the hill. BIG logs! There is a group of guys who without their work we would not be able to show you pictures of the completed site because there would be not completed site. They have worked hard and have figured out logistics and have become friends. I think these pictures tell it all!

The ropes course

Some of you may still be asking so what is it you are actually doing in china. Let me put it to you simply. There was a piece of land out in the Chinese countryside where apple trees and pumpkins grew side by side. In the midst of that Ric and his team have built a ropes course for groups to experience and learn from. In the next couple posts we will walk you through the process. But for now here are a few pictures.

Brianna 2

Bria and Becca

Go Bria Go!!!

Chistmas 2006

Brianna

We are blessed with an amazing daughter! The changes have not always been easy for her but she has a good sense of humor and like a cat has an innate sense of how to land on her feet. The first picture was taken soon after we first came to Shenyang. the rest are pictures of friends she has meet along the way. By the way, in Shenyang she was the middle school arm wrestling champ and one day this fall when I was subbing at her school in Tianjin I heard her name being chanted in the lunchroom and I got there just in time to see her flatten the arm of her male opponent to the table. That's my girl!!!

Happy Birthday Boppa

The kids want to wish their Boppa a happy 70th birthday! We had a great visit with you last summer and thanks for all the fun times . Next time we will have our buckets of water ready! See if you can run fast enough old man! Love you!