This is the granite etching that Garry had done at Sherry's Place. You can get them elsewhere on the island, but not the same quality as you get from Sherry! These are both of my girls' Chinese passport photos. Hope is just about a month older than Claire in these pictures. Seems like yesterday...

Speaking of feeling like it was just yesterday...today is the third anniversary of Hope's Gotcha Day. Wow...I looked at her today when she was eating her lunch and all I could do was cry. She is literally the reason God placed me on this earth. Daddy feels horrible that he is missing it. I told him that what he is doing is certainly the best and only excuse.

They had breakfast at The White Swan Monday morning and then shopped! He's got everything on the list save one thing he couldn't find...and he was going to go out again Tuesday to pick up a couple more things. Yes, we spent a lot of money...but how long is it going to be before we get back there? The prices are too good to pass up. We saw some of the exact same items at The China Pavilion at Epcot and the mark-up was unreal...not just because it was Disney, but also because they have to pay all manner of import tax on the stuff. TAKE LOTS OF MONEY FOR SHOPPING! ")

I guess Sherry has told Garry that he will forever be known as "The Man Who Bought Five Wedding Boxes." Hey, there are worse titles. AND she even told him how to say "I am Mama" in Mandarin so I can let Claire know who I am right off the bat. Dang these TEARS!

A special thank you also to Amy, who is traveling with Garry. Her baby has already outgrown most of the little outfits that Amy had brought with her. Amy generously gave them to Garry for Claire. We are literally humbled by her generosity.

And finally, Edna, if you are reading this, I am NOT angry or upset with you in any way, shape, or form for holding Claire! I understand COMPLETELY that you just wanted to help and hey, I'm not going to be able to restrain myself from holding her the minute I lay eyes on her! God bless you, Jim, Roxie, and the girls for being there. Garry speaks of you every day. You are BLESSINGS!

Until next time y'all!

You know, and I'm going to mention God here, so run if you wish...

Apparently I've gotten too far from God's side lately. I know this because He's allowing the evil one to poke and prod at me. As I said to a friend of mine, "Satan is playing fast and loose with my family." God's done this before...you'd think even a stupid human like myself would've learned by now. DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO AVOID THE PAIN. He pulls me back in one of two ways...my stomach goes haywire, or one of my cats goes haywire. Last Friday it was my stomach...this Friday it was Humphrey. I'm not going to go into any details...if you want to know and you don't already, just email me. In any case, I'm about as stripped bare as I can be and still function...so all of His messages are coming through loud and clear!

Right now, He's blessed me with the most perfect peace. I don't know how long it's going to last, and I don't have the words to tell you just how sweet it is.

I miss Garry so much it hurts...we talked for over two hours this morning. Garry and I are "Binars"...pronounced "by-narz". Again, if you don't get that reference and you want to, email me. If you do get it, you watch too much TV just like I do. We function as one...when we are separated we start to weaken.

You know what? I don't even have to GO to China to lose weight! It's just like being there! I'm about 8 pounds lighter than I was when he left. And no, I haven't hit danger weight yet. I've got 3-4 more pounds before I need to worry. Today I took Hope to McDonalds for lunch. I figured it will either cure me or kill me! I ordered a cheeseburger and when we got home it was a double cheeseburger. I devoured it. I think it was from Him...I think I was SUPPOSED to eat it! LOL I've had a lot of good burgers in my life, but this one was fabulous...even from McDonalds. I just kept thinking about Ali when we got back to Chicago from our first trip to China. She hit the airport McDonalds as soon as she could and sat there cooing, "This is the best hamburger I've ever had!"

What's tomorrow going to bring? I don't know...and right now I don't care. This is a feeling I would LOVE to hang onto. God can worry about tomorrow. Today, I'm going to lay on the floor with my oldest daughter and put stickers in her Lilo & Stitch sticker book. Maybe we'll play Princess Dominoes...or Go Fish. I'm going to write in Claire's journal and tell her how much I love her even though I've never even held her yet. I'm going to curl up and read The Chronicles Of Narnia. I'm going to let the housework pile up and NOT worry about it. And I'm going to thank God for taking such good care of my family.

So what's going on on the other side of the world? They are safely in Guangzhou...shopping like fiends! LOL That part...I miss! Garry said Claire screamed the entire hour and forty minutes on the plane. Please pray she does better on the endless flight home! The babies had their medical exams this morning and their visa pictures taken after that. I believe Garry said they had their pictures taken at 10:20 this morning, and by that time, the total number of baby visa pictures just for that day was FORTY? After that shop, shop, shop! He's doing such a phenomenal job...I am so blessed to have him in my life!

He hit Sherry's Place with a vengeance. Take note first timers, DO NOT MISS SHERRY'S PLACE! She greeted him as soon as he entered and said she remembered him from our first trip. Now, I have no idea if she did or not, but what a wonderful thing to say! She is an absolute treasure...and her shops are FULL of even more treasure! I had sent him there for wedding boxes, so on top of everything else he bought from her, he asked her for wedding boxes. She showed him what she had and even talked him out of a couple different styles as "They not make the trip home!" There were only four of the other kind...and I wanted five. She said she could get it no problem. Then she told him to go back to the hotel and she would bring the fifth one to him...and she did. He's also having a zodiac chop and a granite etching done there. He says she calls him, "Garry with 2 r's!" LOL She asked to see a picture of Hope and me, said she remembered me as well. Again, just a genuinely sweet thing to say.

While in Guangzhou the group is staying at The Victory Hotel. This is the "old" Victory...the "new" Victory is around the corner and that's where you go for breakfast. The "old" Victory has had quite a few renovations and additions since we were there in February of '04. Everything is brand new...a coffee bar in the lobby...and a faucet for DRINKING WATER in each room!

Claire is doing MUCH better. She's had I believe two days in a row with no barfing! YAY! She's still just a laughing, giggly, gorgeous coconut. Ohhh...I really want to hold her!

Tomorrow is confusing to me. Zhou's intinerary says one thing, Garry says another. I'm going by Garry right now. Tomorrow is a museum and then the pearl market. OOOOO! I LOVE THE PEARL MARKET!

Until next time y'all!