Good Evening/Morning! I hope that this blog finds you in grand spirits. It is 2126 on Thursday, April 16. In a few hours my baby girl will be 5. It is hard to believe that just 5 short years ago on a Friday night, we were hanging out (as was our very common practice on each and every Friday night) with Randy and Jill Jarman when Mare started having the labor pains. I am thinking that it was about this time 5 years ago that we left Laurel and Aubrey with the Jarman's (which saved Jill a trip to Tulsa) and headed back to house to start our ritual of walking to speed up the labor. Now, 5 years later, I just got back from walking with Mare and Gentry to a Chinese bakery to order her birthday cake.
The Cards and Cubs start a four game series in 4.5 hours. I really don't like the Cubs. I wouldn't say hate because that is such an angry word. But it is close.
So the title of the blog.... well we were out of milk so Gentry and I decided to run down the the Korean Store that is open 24 hours.... we can get ramen noodles whenever we want... or so I thought.... they were closed at 7:00 a.m. I guess they were closed or trapped. Anyway, there was a padlock on the inside of the door. So we had to settled for a case of bagged milk from the corner store where we usually buy trash bags and rice cakes.... yep rice cakes. Aubrey said that the bagged milk tastes like American milk that is watered down. But they drink it.
I climbed a mountain last Thursday. Men night again. This mountain has granite steps in the side that lead up the side to a pagoda from which you can see all of Yantai. There is one granite step for each day of the year (it takes a little over two years of steps to get to the top....at least once the steps start, you have to walk up a road by the zoo before you get to January 1.) They have an important world or Chinese event for each day of the year. I have a picture of me on May 4 and with another American teacher here on July 4. After we climbed the granite steps, we went down the backside (no steps.... not much of a path) to get to the restaurant.
I am so thankful for the ability to share what is happening in our adventure with you. The Internet can be a dark place but I am thankful that it allows me to communicate with friends and family. I am also thankful that it allows to me to have some of the experiences that I have always enjoyed like Mike Shannon on the radio (I miss Jack Buck) and listening to a great friend, Jeff Matthews (and Lisa Fischer, who I am friends with now via Facebook) on the radio (Internet). Check them out at www.b98.com, 5:30 a.m - 9:00 a.m. each morning. You can listen live. I really am thankful for Skype, since it allows me to talk to my friends and family. It was also so cool to see Jerry Yester, formerly of The Lovin' Spoonful, at my favorite coffee place, Uncommon Grounds (thanks Laurie). He was playing on a Friday Night and I was able to see him via skype.
I guess that is enough rambling for now.... Mare, Laurel and Aubrey are headed out on Secondary Student Spring Trip next week. G and I will be holding the fort down. I am hoping to get more pictures and video uploaded so try to check back the middle of next week. If you enjoy the blog leave us a comment or send us an email at sneedfamily5@yahoo.com.
In the words of the great broadcaster Jack Buck.... "Thanks for your time this time until next time so long."
Brad
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Men's Night
by Brad
So we have men's night every other Thursday Night. Each of the men on faculty and staff are responsible for planning a night. So far we have had pizza and a movie ("The Great Escape" Steve Mc Queen is so cool); bowling and pizza; pool and Japanese food; and badminton and hot pot. There are actually indoor badminton courts here. You can rent a court for 15 RMB (a little over $2) for an hour. On a given Men's Night we will have a Korean, a Canadian, 2 Chinese, a Russian, and four Americans (North Dakota; Oklahoma; Missouri/Oklahoma & a Razorback WOOOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOOOIE!). So far after a lot of hard fought competition, the Canadian teacher has won the pool and badmitton. I did OK at bowling during two games but I stunk up the third. I won the first game out right and was beat by the Canadian once and the Korean once. Pool was a mixed bag because we started out playing a round robin, but some people were so bad that their games were taking too long to play so we gave up and just played whomever was available. I think that the only activity that the Americans can have claimed to have won outright was the movie, just because Steve McQueen was so cool. But as I think about it..... he did not escape and the Canadian did.... dang Canadians.
I went to Qing Dao last Saturday with Laurel and Aubrey. We were on a bus with a couple of other families from the school. Laurel was getting some prep work done for her braces and to complete the root canal that was started last month. Aubrey went because..... she likes bus travel. We ate a cool restaurant called "The Diner". I had a cheese burger with french fries. I had been craving one of those. It was nice to have a real burger.
Well lots to do and tell. we have some video to upload. We will try to do that this weekend. We hope that you are enjoying the blog. Leave us a comment if you get the chance. It let's us know that you are reading the blog.
So we have men's night every other Thursday Night. Each of the men on faculty and staff are responsible for planning a night. So far we have had pizza and a movie ("The Great Escape" Steve Mc Queen is so cool); bowling and pizza; pool and Japanese food; and badminton and hot pot. There are actually indoor badminton courts here. You can rent a court for 15 RMB (a little over $2) for an hour. On a given Men's Night we will have a Korean, a Canadian, 2 Chinese, a Russian, and four Americans (North Dakota; Oklahoma; Missouri/Oklahoma & a Razorback WOOOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOOOIE!). So far after a lot of hard fought competition, the Canadian teacher has won the pool and badmitton. I did OK at bowling during two games but I stunk up the third. I won the first game out right and was beat by the Canadian once and the Korean once. Pool was a mixed bag because we started out playing a round robin, but some people were so bad that their games were taking too long to play so we gave up and just played whomever was available. I think that the only activity that the Americans can have claimed to have won outright was the movie, just because Steve McQueen was so cool. But as I think about it..... he did not escape and the Canadian did.... dang Canadians.
I went to Qing Dao last Saturday with Laurel and Aubrey. We were on a bus with a couple of other families from the school. Laurel was getting some prep work done for her braces and to complete the root canal that was started last month. Aubrey went because..... she likes bus travel. We ate a cool restaurant called "The Diner". I had a cheese burger with french fries. I had been craving one of those. It was nice to have a real burger.
Well lots to do and tell. we have some video to upload. We will try to do that this weekend. We hope that you are enjoying the blog. Leave us a comment if you get the chance. It let's us know that you are reading the blog.
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