A Note from Me

Dear Ch*na,

I've been here a week now, and there are a few things I think you need to know.

1.)  I <3 your food.  Every meal I eat here makes me want to stay forever.  Even Li'l Miss is starting to like it.  She asked for duck for breakfast yesterday.  Seriously.  Please teach someone where I live to make steamed dumplings.  And if they could sell them for $0.40 like you do, that would be simply awesome.  Thanks.

2.)  TP is not optional.  Nuff said.

3.)  The fact that all your signs are written in Chinese and English is oh-so-convenient. I love that we could ride the subway ourselves on our very first day in Beijing.  It's so easy to find things.  Plus your translations make me laugh.  Like the sign at the Great Wall that said, "No Naked Flames".  Or the one outside our hotel pool that says "Disinfected Pond".  Or this one.  (I promise I resisted the urge to pull out my matches in the fire-forbidden area.  Truly.)

4.)  I'm not three months pregnant.  I swear.  Wearing this stinkin' money belt just gives me a lovely little pooch.  Everywhere I go.

5.)  Those lines in the road?  And those red and green lights?  They're kinda' important.  Really.  I'd get a lot less carsick if your taxi drivers would at least take note of a few of them.  And I'd feel better about my kids not being in carseats...or wearing seatbelts.

6.)  Paper products are really not that expensive.  You could be a little more generous with your paper towels and your napkins.  Especially your napkins.  Eating with a four-year-old and a two-year-old usually necessitates the use of one or 200.  And the kind that are a little thicker than Kleenex are nice.

7.) Thank you for my son.  He's incredible.

Hugs,

Tonya

And since you all came for pictures, here you go...