China courage

After another day of Lily being very outgoing and comfortable and actually going out of our sight multiple times Melissa said "Lily left her courage in China 5 years ago and on this return trip has found it". Now we are hoping she will bring it back home with her. 

It is Sunday morning now, we are about to go try and get close to birds nest and water cube on our way to airport.  We fly to zhengzhou (gin-joe) around noon and this is our last day without Emma. 

So yesterday on our way back from Great Wall we stopped for lunch and our tour guide setup a birthday party for me.  In China if you see someone with noodle soup and an egg on it you know it is their birthday.  So, I had noodle soup and she got a big birthday cake with my name on it. The candle had a little flower that basically was like a torch, it blooms into four more candles and has little habby bday song in it.  Yeah... And the whole place sang to me and I had a little crown (sorta like burger king crown).

We got lots of pictures but won't be until tonight to get them posted. 

Driving back to hotel we got a glimpse of the birds nest, it is truly massive structure.  Paralympics opening ceremony was last night and lots of excitement around the games. We have seen the athletes in our hotel, at tour sites etc. and China is doing a really good job of hosting.  The chinese tv is showing touching stories of people who have overcome serious car accidents and battled depressiona and overcome to compete.  Very cool to see. 

Last night I got massage including foot... Very painful but very good idea after climbing great wall.  The family was a tower of support for me... Not!  They just made fun of me, no respect.  Melissa took the kids to mcdonalds (she had promised they could go once while in China... They are never allowed in usa) Jonah and I went for a walk and just sat and watched all the commotion on the streets outside the hotel.  It was really great to just sit and take it all in.  We walked over a bridge towards a mcdonalds I got a big mac with a vanilla sundae.

We woke up around 4 am to the loudest storm I have heard in awhile.  Strong thunder/lightning for a couple hours.  We watched some chinese looking discovery channel type of thing with huge wasps.  Then a chinese sit-com with kids over acting about some gross smelling soup.  It was fun, we made up what they were saying and had a nice morning hanging out together. 

Got a little breakfast. Lily had more of her "critter soup" and we are sitting in the lobby just hanging out. 

Gonna go finish packing for our travel day, cheerio.