We just returned to China after a two-month visit in the USA. As we drove up and down the east coast to spend time with family and friends, the road was a common sight:
We drove 7650 miles, quite a change from zero driving in China. One of the highlights of our trip was to spend Christmas in the mountains of Virginia, nearby Timothy’s birthplace of Waynesboro. It was our first Christmas all together in two years:
It was also very special to be in the States to enjoy our grandson, Elijah’s, first Christmas:
As you might imagine, there were “exciting” Christmas presents, like this “Pleasant Goat” shopping bag from a Wal-Mart in China:
In keeping with family tradition, we spent a lot of our time together playing board games:
We also enjoyed hiking in the beautiful mountains:
After Christmas, we passed through Washington, DC (Mark’s birthplace):
While in DC, we were able to see Mark’s brother and his family and connect with a former student who is now attending graduate school in the US. Of course, we ate in Chinatown:
Timothy’s friend Caitlyn joined us for a visit to Laurie’s house in PA. Among other random things, we went down the road to take a tour of the Herr’s potato chip factory:
Of course, it was good to spend time in the south, too, where we enjoyed some great American food, like Krispy Kreme donuts:
While in the States, Susan was especially blessed to spend an extended amount of time with her mother (who was in and out of the hospital):
We will really miss her now that we’re back in China. We’ll also miss spending time with Elijah, and are thankful that we can at least watch him grow from afar via Skype:
Great family pictures! The one of Tim jumping in the air has to be an illusion of some sort, it looks as if he is jumping off of a cliff! It took my breath away when I first saw it. And I remember going to the Herr potato chip factory in grade school when we lived in Delaware! I remember the chips tasting sooo good. But maybe that’s because we hardly ever got to eat chips as kids. ha!
Aww, I love that picture of dad and Elijah! We cherished all of the time spent with y’all.
my friend Caitlyn. haha, nice!
Tim’s photo surprised us too – he really got some air on top of that mountain! Of course, it’s important to bend your knees at the right moment to make the jump really look high..