When the Mama came to China

Two weeks ago, my mother came to China and I saw what life in China looked like through a little emperor's eyes...and it is hard to go back!That's not the point of this story though...

The day that Angelyn and I returned from Paris (a trip to be blogged about at a later date, I promise), my mother and my second cousin-possibly-once-removed-but-its-all-very-confusing Jeanie were also on a plane to Beijing for a 10 day tour of my home. Well, to be factual, Jeannie was on a plane to Beijing, and my mother was on a plane to Tokyo, which would be something to complain about if not for the miracle of flight. (Thanks Lucy, funny!) They both arrived eventually, and began a whirlwind 24 hours in Beijing. We stayed the night in a hostel that looked a bit like a pink light palace to my mind, but delighted them with tiny doors and China dogs. We traveled to the wall, and though Jeannie was incredibly sick she managed to at least sit on it - dream fulfilled. We walked around Tiananmen square, and I got to watch my delighted mother get hit on by a Communist guard. But time was up, and I had a guy I was anxious to get home to, so we boarded the train to Shiyan.

Only my mom story: I had warned my mom and Jeannie that on a China train, and any public restroom in the country, there is no seat to greet you, but a hole in the ground which you have the pleasure of squatting over. These women were troopers, and were all for experiencing China in all its glory. For my mother, that meant nearly peeing in a drainage hole in the corner of an open sinkroom in front of a train attendant! Luckily, she was averted but in her defense, there was "a hole in the ground"!

We arrived in Shiyan to 5 days of rain and cold, not the best weather for everything we had wanted to do, like exploring the city and climbing Wudang mountain. I was disappointed, but it ended up being the perfect excuse to stay inside and spend more time chatting with each other, and having in depth discussions with all my wonderful Chinese friends. They got to meet our Chinese family, my favorite class, friends like crazy Christina, and most importantly to any China experience, Florance. They played mahjong with Mike, got to help teach class at Trent's school, rode a crazy bus, and nearly died in a freak hot pot explosion. They got to spend time with our foreign friends, including Xiangfan Carie, and have their hair and nails done for ridiculously cheap. And my mother finally got the wish of her heart fulfilled when she got to see split-pants in action.

Thursday night we took the overnight train to Xi'an, one of my favorite cities in China...and not just because they had a Starbucks...where I was spoiled from hostels forever when I discovered there are hotels in China with BATH TUBS. We spent two days there, going to the Terracotta Warriors (no LingLing boys, one pyramid sighting) and exploring the Muslim Quarter. As expected, they went a little crazy with all the bartering, and I was running around like a crazy person, shouting "How much?", "Too much", and "Make it cheaper!". Trent and I received our first engagement present, a coveted Terracotta Warrior Chess set, though at the time I had no idea what it was intended for as I was still wearing my girlfriend label - that came off Saturday night.

You know the story, but what you don't know is how fantastically my mother exercised her acting abilities to help pull off the proposal. She lied about having my ring, convinced me she didn't know a thing, and actually pulled out tears for a fake goodbye to Trent in Shiyan! She got me dressed nicely for night on the town (though still couldn't convince this wanderer to wash her hair!), and then she and Jeannie dragged me through a sea of at least 4,000 Chinese people to stand in a spot where Trent could find me. The woman deserves an Oscar.

It was so incredible to show some of the people I love my home. And I was SO proud of my family! They were the perfect guests, reveling in China's unexpectedness, eating and loving everything they could get their hands on, and really embracing our Chinese friends' personal stories. They were intrigued, full of questions, and ready to experience everything...and giving out hugs like candy to everyone who said they looked young! There was no McDonald's on their agenda, no Western toilet requirements, and no complaints. I was bursting with pride, and so sad to say goodbye! Love you crazy Ladies!

God's Sense of Humor

As my fiance would say, "He's a jokester"

I know I am far behind on blogging, and there are a million things I would like to catch you up on...my European vacation, the new semester in China, my mother's visit to Shiyan...but all of those things of the "past" kind of fade into the back ground when you are looking at the rest of your life.

Last weekend, Trent asked me to marry him and, of course, I said YES!

STORY
My mother came to visit last week and unknown to me, she brought with her a gorgeous ring that he had picked out for me. (I know everyone says their ring is beautiful and we all think...uh huh...but mine really is...). She and my cousin visited for a week, and at the end of the week I took her for a few days in Xi'an, an ancient city in another province that is one of our favorites. Trent had told me he couldn't come because he had to teach a class on Saturday morning.
We spent two days there, and the last night we were going to this big musical light show that happens every night in front of a pagoda outside of town. There is this enormous square fountain with multicolored lights and water that comes out in patterns to the music playing - I had never been and from what I saw of it, it was really beautiful. We went there, and my mother eventually manipulated me into standing in the middle for a photo. ...and there he was. I was shocked, but managed to hear his incredible words, watch him go down on his knee, and squeak out a yes!
He turned me around, and all of our friends from Shiyan were there - cheering and preparing the champagne...they had all made the long trip from Shiyan to celebrate with us, which was so special to me. To have my mother there, my China family, and the man I love asking me to spend my life with him - it was perfect.
So inevitably, you will all want more details...of which I have none. Eventually I might have some photos of the night from Angelyn (I was understandably preoccupied) I have no news on weddings, life plans, or even location for living - our lives are very up in the air right now! But I can tell you that God has a sense of humor. To take two people, who knew each other in every other way than romantically for years, place them in countless situations together and keep them blind, and send them to the opposite ends of the earth, only to bring them back together in the most unlikely of places...to see something different in each other, fall in love, and choose to stay that way...He's pretty clever. We are very happy, and trust it because you can see His hand.

More Proposal Photos

Pure Exhuastion

Four weeks in Europe.
Four countries, if you include a touchdown in Russia.
Too much money down the drain.
Too many memories made not to be worth it.
Over 1,000 photos taken.

Less than one week back in China.
One mother in the country.
One cousin in the country.
8 billion water drops from the sky
Too much laughter.

16 teaching hours on the horizon.
16 weeks of repetition ahead.
Too little sleep submitted to jet lag.
1,000 butterflies anticipating something incredible to come...
So much left to be said...another time...