Today we let the boys sleep until they woke up on their own, around 7:30. That kind of put us behind the 8-ball, though, because there were several things we wanted to accomplish. We finally got to breakfast at 9:00 because we were still monkeying around finishing packing; the tone for day was set. (Passive voice, I know....it's a blog. Grammar doesn't count!) After breakfast, I ran out with Emily to do some quick last-minute shopping. I needed a new teapot and some tea. Emily needed some new toys for the plane ride. It was pretty fun. We mingled with the locals. ;) When we got back, I was adamant that I get to go get a message. I got one at the hotel, so it was expensive. $25 for an hour. :) After the message, it was lunch time with our Changchun friends. We ate at a locals' restaurant, and it was pretty interesting. I loved it; some of the others just thought it was ok. Aiden even made a friend for the day. It was so cute!
Afterwards, we had to go swimming for a grand total of 20 minutes because I had promised Aiden. Both he and Ethan love the pool, and I get the feeling Ethan has been in a pool before because he seems to know how to kick his feet and likes to lay back in the water among other things. The best part? Even though they would have loved to have kept swimming, neither pitched a fit when we had to leave after such a short time.
We almost ran back to our room, threw our stuff into the suitcases, and dashed down to the lobby just in time for the Holt group photo. A lot of pretty amazing people were on this trip!
We didn't have to wait too long before our van service arrived to pick us up. It was a pretty nice trip...door-to-door in three hours. It was WAY better than last time on the train. Nice, cool, comfortable. Customs was a breeze and we didn't have to pick up luggage after clearing customs at the train station, then take a bus to our hotel and wait for a bell boy to take the luggage to everybodys' rooms. Oh. And I way prefer the SkyCity Marriott to the Regal. Super nice. But apparently this has been a rough day for everybody...
It's almost midnight here and a long day awaits us tomorrow. So, it's lights out. We'd sure appreciate it if you could pray that we make it back home safely. Next post? On American soil! (God willing!)
I have loved following your blog while you guys were in China! Here's hoping for a smooth, easy flight home! I'm sure it's going to feel great to be back in your own home as a family of four. :-)
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