Bollywood Birthday!

Our friend Becky turned 40 recently, giving us the perfect excuse to throw a surprise birthday party for her. The Bollywood theme was the mastermind of our friends, Lisa and Arlo, also the hosts of this event. I prepared several Indian dishes that afternoon, while Dart had arranged a local photographer to act as paparazzi - the "story" was that Becky (being driven to the party by Arlo) was a Bollywood star arriving at a glitzy party. So we all gathered in the dark, with a birthday sign, Sarah presenting roses and Ed, the crazy reporter internviewing her.

When she arrived we crowded her and asked for autographs on posters that Dart had made, photoshopping Becky's face into a hilarious Bollywood poster! Rose, one of the frenzied fans even pretended to faint at her feet, and Robb (the Director of our High School) had her sign his back in permanent ink.

We ate tons of great Indian food, and did henna on eachother's hands and had a great time. Becky was truly surprised (she thought she was coming to Arlo and Lisa's housewarming party!)

I figure, if you gotta turn 40, this might be the way to do it!!

Hong Kong

We had to go quickly to Hong Kong to get applications submitted for our Indian visas, since we are going there in December!!

So Dart and I headed in and had a lovely day of it, getting the visa apps in MINUTES before the office closed and then wandering around in Hong Kong for the afternoon.

We walked around Central seeing the old (but still in use) Justice building above. The skyline is wonderful, and we got some great views from Battery Park.

My favorite part was the gardens: they are so gorgeous, with a little stream winding through, beautiful flowers blooming and the peaceful sound of the water running through the tropical leaves. I could have stayed there all day.

But...we caught the ferry home in time to have a nice dinner with Jaya and Taj - a great day in all.

A Whole Month!

I realized one whole month has gone by since I blogged. In that time I have traveled to Florida for my father's funeral, spent 3 short days in Virginia and flown back across 12 time zones with my family here to China...I came back realizing that the most precious thing in life is friendship and family. Thanks to ALL of you whose love and support have made this time not a sad time, but more of a reminder that life is lived NOW, so live it well.

We had our lovely cat to come home to, and he seemed very content to have his family home again! He is growing so fast and now, he has enough notoriety that he's on Facebook! The Chairman is on the loose!

You can see more photos of the famous feline on Facebook!

And now...I hope to get back to more regular posts.