Great Weather and Good Times

We've had great weather during the last week, fairly clear skies, the sun's been out, and the temp. is back up...a relief for us from the cold (but then, I did spend a month in the warmth of the Philippines and Thailand, so I can't complain). A friend is in town visiting, and tonight we went and got massages together for a little break from the routine. In a couple weeks I'll head back to Chengdu for an engagement party for two friends that have recently gotten engaged, so I'm excited about that. Our Bulldog crew is planning a trip together at some point, too. Anna, Beth, and I have been running a lot at a nearby campus, so I'm trying to get back into shape after a semester of adjusting to a new culture, one that I've come to love love love. At the new campus last week we had a party with some friends to celebrate one of their holidays, Women's Day. We played a game of making a dress out of toilet paper and tape and judging which group makes the best one. The girls got into it SO much, they had Anna and I in awe of their creativity and enthusiasm. One group even made their model a purse out of the toilet paper! It was great, we really enjoyed seeing them have such a good time. I got to play some ping pong this week too since the weather is better. One afternoon I played for two hours. I'm not very good because I've not played much before, but I improved during my time. My friends told me I might be better off playing an American though! Ha! Even if they claim they're not very good at it here, they'll still wipe your plate no doubt. So pretty soon we'll start having some Easter parties! Yay...my favorite holiday!!! Not much else to report, I'm busy as ever and thriving during my time here!