ICE CREAM!!!!

Highlight of the week - I found a new ice cream at City Shop this weekend... chocolate peanut butter rice dream ice cream. It's so delicious - creamy, chocolaty, yummy! I'm eating it one spoonful at a time to reward myself for getting stuff clean around my apartment. And for 60 RMB - almost 10 dollars for a pint! - i need to spread it out as long as possible! (i was going to post a pic... but thought that a little extreme...)

I also am now the proud owner of a toaster oven - and have made oatmeal cookies and banana bread in the two days since I got it! :) It's been such a blast, and I feel like i have so many options open to me to make gluten free stuff now. I'm still thinking about a bread maker, which would be even easier! Now if I could just show my ayi how to use it...it would be even easier! :) just kidding! :)

Emily gets here tomorrow - i'm stoked and can't wait for our adventure to begin! Looking forward to sharing tons of pics and stories with you after Chinese New Year! In honor of Chinese new year (jan 26th), you can give your kids money (hint, hint mom and dad!), and eat nuts and dumplings with your family! Oh, and shoot off lots of fireworks (since the chinese invented them! :) ) I'm looking forward to experiencing my first chinese new year, and most of all grateful it means three weeks off of school! :)

Just finishing a great book today at Sbux with girlfriends - Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I'd totally recommend it - gives a great inside look to life in Pakistan/Afghanistan pre- and post- 9/11. It was quite inspiring. I'd recommend it - showing that one life can make a huge difference. Though not from a biblical perspective, it encourages me that all of the things we do in life have an impact, and may that be for his honor and for his plan! Amen?

Harbin part 3...

Two more days of school... then break is here! :) Emily arrives next Wednesday, and we're off to Beijing, Xi'an, and then Emily goes home and I'm off to Taipei, Taiwain for 6 days to visit with Rachel's family. I'm so looking forward to three weeks off of school - and then coming back to be refreshed and ready for the 2nd semester! :) Can't believe how fast the year has gone by! It's crazy.

Thanks for all of your christmas cards and letters !I've seriously had at least 2 cards a day for the past month - it's been such a blessing to know that I'm thought of, and ot have bits of you in my daily life here! What a treasure and support it's been through my first christmas away from home! Gd has been faithful, and I've enjoyed making the most of these opportunities, no matter the different traditions that we're starting... it's been a good experience for me to truly focus not on the what we "normally do" but on what He's done for us.

Here are my last bit of pictures so that i can put new ones up from my next trip in a week! :)

Stalin Park - complete with an ice slide, inner tubing, etc.

Woohoo!!! We love jumping shots, and Harbin too!!

We were so famous - everyone wanted pictures with us...

An interesting Buddist temple we popped into just in time for a few pictures.

Such a quaint part of town.

The biggest golden Budda I'd ever seen before.

A closed down amusement park that gave us some great pictures...

An amazing slide we found at the ice park!

We went to Beijing on the way back from Harbin...

The view of the ice scultures was to die for...

St. Sophia's Church - it was beautiful inside!

Hargin part 2!! :)

Alright - more of the 594 pics we took in Harbin! Hope tha tyou enjoy them! I look back at these and can't believe all we saw! :)

These ice sculptures were amazing - a whole city of them. We loved the slides the best... stay posted for video coverage! Don't you love how I blend into the snow and ice? I was the friendly snowbunny on the trip!

We had fun doing the jumping pics - though it seems like i never have legs...

In honor of the year of the ox - coming up in just 13 days !

This is actually constructing the snow sculptures - quite intricate!

This was the whole group we went with to some of the tours - Stella, Vicki, Kendra and Rosemary stayed at a different hotel, but we met up a couple times. Oh - Vicki is taking the picture of us... these snow sculptures were incredible! couldn't believe all they made from the snow!
Tiger Park ---
The female lions devouring a chicken... the highlight of the trip, besides being stranded in a breeding tigers cage and watching some tigers escape from the cages.

This one was jumping at my camera - didn't like his picture taken to close! But it was worth it for the shot! :)

The tigers were so beautiful and powerful!

He was stalking our car when we were stuck in the mature tiger cage...


Picking goofy's nose... this ones for you momma! :)

Playing my ice piano - the notes actually made noise.. though not anything in any melodic order, but it was a kick none the less!