China-Bound Today!

It's Departure Day!!! I'm all packed and ready to go. Packing was a 2-day event; it was so hard to keep my stuff pared down to a manageable level AND take Michael a few things AND 200 or so handmade cards for Michael's students AND about 40 bead bracelets that a local girl scout troop made as a service project.

Can you spot the baking soda? A request from Michael who loves to bake cookies for his friends and has trouble finding some things in China. The Chinese really don't "bake," so baking soda, chocolate chips, that kind of thing is hard to find. I've also got cheese hidden away in there!
Paperwork (including the all-important Chinese Visa which took 4 trips to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to get!) and my carry-on duffel bag.
Some of the pretty bracelets the girl scouts made. It's going to be fun to give these away! Scout supervised the packing. She might (wrongly) think that by getting into a box she will be able to go along. She hates it when I pack my suitcase!
Jack decided to check out just where in the world China is. I don't think he knows his geography very well!

So it's time for a quick bowl of cereal, a last-minute check that I haven't forgotten anything, and we'll be off for the airport in San Francisco.

Take care, everyone, and I'll post updates to my blog as often as possible!!!