Spring Fever!!!

The weather is really warming up now! I think today was about 20 degrees! There are so many blossoming trees, that in spite of the pollution and dust in the air, the city is looking pretty :) This past weekend we had the chance to spend some good quality time with friends. Friday was a holiday, and besides hosting a fellow Holland Landing resident for lunch, the weather was sunny and hot! We spent the evening playing Cities & Knights with friends (thanks for sending it mom!) and then the next morning we took off for a hiking adventure.

There are many English books and websites about hiking around Beijing. Steven and Jodee have one of those, so he picked one he went on over a year ago, got a driver, and off we went. It took about 1.5hrs to get there by car (Buick minivan!). The hike was on and beside part of the Great Wall that hasn't been restored. The day was cloudy, but the weather was perfect temperature for hiking. The mountains were literally covered with flowering trees. And there were very few people. We were by ourselves, the 4 of us, most of the time. The higher we got, the steeper the climb was. The safest route was on a path that ran alongside the Wall. But sometimes we had to climb up rock. Thankfully there were guardrails to keep us from falling over the steep cliffs down into the river valley. With breaks and lunch at the top, it took us a total of 3. 5hours. We were exhausted when we got back. Thankfully Jodee and Steven have free passes to the Club at their place, so we all went to the hot tub, and then enjoyed the steam room. Only today have my calf muscles finally begun to feel normal again.

Sunday was another nice warm day. After lunch at our favorite pita place, Scott and I went to the Expat show, where our school had a booth set-up. We were too tired to stay for long, and went home after an hour. It's still hard for me to keep up with everything happening at school. We finish one thing, and another starts. Was it just last week we had our accreditation? Have I mentioned that yet? Anyways, it went very well. We don't really know the results for a month or more. This week I had parent teacher conferences on Monday. And this week is fairly regular as we preapre for SAT testing next week, and then Enrichment week after that! And then May holiday! phew! Time is passing far too quickly!

Thanks for all your support, love, and friendship. We still think of home, and miss it occasionally. But we know we have obeyed our lord , and so he continues to teach us and mold us.

much love,
SA