Day 4 and 5

Day 4
Saturday, Jan 28

We went to a nearby mall about an hour away (is that really nearby?) and went shopping. I took her to an outdoor mall and thankfully the weather was pleasant. She really wanted Chinese soup for lunch so I punched in Chinese food in my GPS and it took me to one nearby. The lady at the Chinese restaurant was born in Hong Kong but grew up somewhere else.

Dorothy likes a certain style of clothes. She doesn't like mature clothes; she prefers the style that young people wear. So, I took her to Rue21 and Gap. I took her to other places like Dillards and JC Penny, but she thinks those are too expensive. There are no Gap stores in mainland China, but one just (or soon to be) opened up in Hong Kong. At the Gap, Dorothy found some clothes that she really liked and they were on sale; 2.99 (plus Tax)! She bought 4 tops.

We stopped by Best Buy to buy mom a new camera. I found a decent inexpensive camera that came with a bundle (case, sdcard, and extra battery). It was a Saturday, so it was somewhat busy. I had to wait for about 10 minutes before they ran and got the camera for me.

We headed home and I can't remember what we did for the rest of the evening, I think I was quite tired from running around for most of the day. I don't even remember what we ate, but I know that I passed out after dinner. Oh yes, I was still so full from lunch that I didn't eat dinner. Mom cooked onion soup, ham, and fried squash. Dorothy really like the fried squash. Also, Dorothy learned how to use the washing machine.

Day 5
Sunday, Jan 29

I guess we're finally recovered from jet lag. I have somewhat normal sleeping hours. I usually get tired around 9pm and wake up at 5am.

This Sunday, I took Dorothy to a Dollar Store. Dorothy said that it looks similar to the store near her house in China. Then I washed my car at one of the public car washing places. Then we bought some groceries for lunch.

I cooked Native American Frybread for lunch. I taught Dorothy how to shape it for me and she made some silly shapes and faces. She also used some leftover dough to make Chinese New Year bread. Along with the frybread, we had pinto beans, roast chicken, and mashed potatoes.

Then we went over to Aunt Pam's and Uncle Jim's house. Some of my stuff was still in Uncle Jim's closet, so I went over there to clean it out. While I was cleaning it out, Dorothy looked at pictures with Aunt Pam.

Finally back at home about 9pm. I was tired and tried to stay away another hour but I fell asleep and woke up at 5am.

This week, we're off to TN to visit some family and friends and to show Dorothy my hometown!

Day 3

Day 3
Friday, Jan 27

We rested all day at home. I wanted to take Dorothy to a mall about an hour away, but she took a long nap after lunch, so we didn't go.

Dorothy made a Chinese dessert called double skin milk. It has somewhat of a custard consistency. She sad it was her first time making it.

I saw a squirrel in the yard and Dorothy was excited to watch it jump around; Dorothy really wants to see the squirrels nest.

Mom has some clothes to give away. So, I had Dorothy try on some coats. They were really old, but good quality coats. They don't make clothes like that anymore.

We used Facetime to talk to Reuben and Lala and let Papaw talk to them.

Dorothy made fried rice for lunch. For dinner Mom cooked taco casserole and Dorothy tried some jalapenos. She wants to take some to her dad to try, but I know it won't get through cutsoms, so I'll have to find it in Hong Kong.

Before bedtime, Mom showed Dorothy some pictures from the past. Mostly random pictures from the late 80s to early 90s of our family.

Day 2

Day 2
Thursday Jan 26

Dorothy tried some snacks that we bought at the grocery store. I had her try a MoonPie and Oatmeal Cream Pie. She said they were both really good.

For breakfast, we had bacon, eggs, biscuits, and gravy. Dorothy enjoyed those as well.

I taught Dorothy how to use the washer and dryer. She was amazed at watching the clothes spin in the washer.

We took a trip to the Atlanta Aquarium. I had never been there before. Reuben told me that there was whale sharks there and I really wanted to see one. We saw some albino alligators, piranhas, penguins, and many many more. We ate lunch there and had a HUGE slice of pizza. Then we watched the dolphin show. Dorothy really enjoyed that and commented that her mother would enjoy the dolphin show too.

On the way home, Dorothy really wanted Chinese, so we stopped by Panda Express. Dorothy wanted to ask the server lady if she spoke Chinese; but she asked in English. The lady was from Guangdong. She spoke Chinese to me too. She said it tasted just like the Chinese food from China; but I don't agree.

Day 1

Day 1
Wednesday Jan 25

We bought some gifts for some family and a few friends. I wanted to buy a special gift for my Mom's and Grandpa's caretaker, so Dorothy helped me choose a beautiful gift (photo 1 and 2). It is Jade and called 如意 ruyi; it means 'may all your wishes come true'.

Aunt Pam came over for a quick visit and we gave her a necklace (photo 3). It's called BaGua or Eight Trigrams.

Mom said that they first thing Benny did was check to see if Dorothy and I were still at the house; the was running around looking for us.

We ate the leftover dinner for breakfast.

We relaxed most of the day. Dorothy and I went for a walk on the property. I posted some pictures on Weibo (China's version of Twitter) and her siblings enjoyed the countryside view (photo 4).

I went though some boxes to find some clothes. I also scanned some old letters that my Dad wrote to his folks.

We went grocery shopping and Dorothy was amazed at everything (photo 5 and 6). Mom made roast for dinner and Dorothy ate two plates for dinner. It was delicious!

After dinner we were really tired and went to bed at about 8:30pm. And I woke up at 1:30am. We're still recovering from jet lag.