Countdown to Heading Home Begins! from Ruthi

I forgot to tell everyone! I weighed myself today. Have lost 11 pounds... My jeans don't fit anymore! (sidenote from Nan - this means I might get to raid my sister's closet again! Yay!)

Today we started the day with me typing into the English to Chinese electronic translator, "Will you stop complaining?" They both shook their heads no and said no. At least they are honest. So I retyped it to say, "stop complaining." They then said ok. :) Today we went to a garden which was very pretty, then to eat at a resturant there. The pictures will say it all about the food. On the way out of the park there was a long incline, all marble, and I saw Gracie and Nia at the top of it and they acted as though they were going to run down it, but then stopped - then as quick as you can think - off they went. Gracie was doing great until just the last say 5 feet of the incline when she went down. The knees and the left elbow are both bruised. No crying at all, just toughed it out it seemed. We put cool water on it etc.

Elvin took us to the Beijing street market here where shopping is supposed to be great. We got Morgan a pair of jeans and a shirt, me a great leather bag and a couple of Chinese outfits for the girls when they are older. Gracie stayed here at the hotel with Nia and her father and little brother. They played computer games and had a much better afternoon than if they had been shopping.

We are in the room, Morgan is reading a book. She told me she likes books...tomorrow is a free day until 2:14 pm when we leave for the consulate to swear all info we gave is right...and then Elvin will get the girls' passports with the visas on Friday afternoon and we leave here at 5 pm for the airport. We spend the night in Shanghai, then fly out Saturday am at 10 am! Thank God Claude had been able to come over here and have the time off work, get an emergency visa etc. Otherwise Ii believe that I still would have been in Beijing. The weather there is horrible we are seeing, some reports are over 8 inches of snow. The offices still would not have heat in them until November 15th! Only those of you that have traveled this trip in the past can know how glad you are that it is finally only a few days until you get to fly home....the last couple of days have been very hard as far as homesick goes...food is finally unappealing here at all. Although, this trip I have ventured a bit more into the food than normally. The guides have done a great job ordering for us. Then of course there is Llucy's and the french fries!

I bought a few books for the girls today and hope to have the battery fully charged on the laptop for the games to be available on the plane. I think the way Morgan is when on the bus or on the last flight she may just sleep about the whole way. I worry about Gracies legs dangling the whole trip. I i have the one backpack that I will set on the floor and she can rest her legs on it to help. That's all for now...