Life Here is Splendid

Oh, what a wonderful day I've had today.

1. Class was great. My post-grad students are showing improvement.

2. I GOT A PACKAGE FROM HOME!!!!!!!! I am so excited. I have the best dad in the world. :) Included in the package: pants that fit. Since coming to China, I have lost quite a bit of weight, and my pants were getting to the point of being unwearable. Now, I have pants that fit!

Lovely, lovely, package!

3. Our MCS (member care specialist) is here! She has been staying in my apartment, and that has been very nice. She took Erika and I to town today, and we had such a nice day. First, we walked for a bit around downtown.

Hanging out on a random city street. And, new pants! (well, old pants, but new to China!)

4. We went to the DIY Baking Store. What a happy, magical place. :) I got chocolate chips, a whisk, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cupcake holders, parchment paper, brown sugar, and some coconut. Oh, and I got a muffin pan that can fit in my oven. My oven is teeny-tiny. This muffin pan is for six small muffins/cupcakes. :) So exciting! Now, I have everything I need to make some cupcakes and cookies!!!!! Oh, happy day!

Erika with some chocolate chips!! (FYI, chocolate chips are IMPOSSIBLE to find in China, so our finding them was absolutely amazing!

5. Then, we went to Starbucks, had a drink, and knitted for a while. What? Did I just say that I sat at Starbucks in China and knitted? Yes, I did. Winter is coming, and I need a scarf! Also, it's relaxing. This was my first trip to Starbucks in China, and I must say that it was great. It felt like I had walked through a door into America for a couple of hours.

6. After Starbucks, the rest of our team (Vince, Mark, and Theresa) came to join us in town. We tried to go to a jiaozi restaurant, but found that it had been torn down. So, we ended up at a hot pot place. We had a night full of stories and laughter. I thought this sign on the stairway at the restaurant was hilarious:

7. Last, but certainly not least, I am currently rereading my absolute favorite book: the biography of Oswald Chambers. Tonight, I read one of the quotes from his journal, and it echos my sentiments:

"Life here is splendid, so that I feel very grateful indeed. I can never doubt after this that the Father rules in the minutest affairs of the everyday life of the individual."