MONDAY, 11/17/14
Judy heads out to school feeling good. We’ve hit that time of the year when it’s cold in the morning, right around freezing, and then it warms up to the middle 50’s. There’s no wind, so it’s really comfortable out walking around.
I’ve got two jobs on my list today. One is to book our travel to Harbin, China in January. Harbin is the home of the ice sculptors who do the work at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine for the big ice display. There are several areas in Harbin where amazing ice sculptures are on display, including a “night area” with elaborate lighting. We’ve been waiting for the management team at BISS to make a decision on a Saturday rehearsal for the musical. The decision came this morning, so I get to start booking the airfare, hotel, and tours. It took about 3 hours to finalize the details but I finally got everything in place and confirmed.
After Lilly arrives and begins cleaning, I travel over to Metro for groceries. Metro is ready for Christmas. One section of the store is totally decorated and stocked with trees and holiday decorations. Even in Beijing, the stores gear up for the Xmas holidays really early.
Xmas items at Metro in Beijing.
TUESDAY, 11/18/14
Now that we have a permanent address in Ft. Worth, we can begin shifting our mail to our new address. It’s a time-consuming process, struggling with the various websites and all the usernames and passwords. I’ve decided to set a goal of at least two changes each day until I’m finished.
We’re also trying to follow up and make sure the condo is clean and ready for us when we arrive, and the movers are scheduled. Everything seems to be progressing and in place. I’m curious if it will all work out as it’s supposed to.
Today is a cooking day for me. I start late in the afternoon, putting the ingredients together we worked on Sunday. I get the cheesy potato soup ready about 30 minutes before we’re ready to deliver it to Anna and Javi. Now all I need is Judy.
There have been some bad traffic days for Judy here in Beijing, but today sets a record. It took over an hour for her to get home. The main road was blocked and when the driver took an alternate route, it was no better. We finally go the food to it’s destination, 30 minutes late. It was still hot, but they were probably beginning to wonder what was going on. Most nights, we’re not facing a timetable, but tonight, of all nights, the worst traffic ever.