It's almost time...

for me to go to China! On Saturday, my parents drove my cousin and me halfway to my sister's house. She met us there, we had lunch, said our goodbyes, and went on our merry way. The ride up to the halfway point was fiiiine. My mom and I were in the back seat of my little red Kia Rio (affectionately known as Nancy), and I was streteched out sleeping for most of the drive. After the halfway mark, however, there were seven people in my sister's minivan (which does not have a nickname...maybe Taxi), including me, my cousin, my sister, and her four children. They all wanted to come get us, but let me tell you: There is no better birth control than riding directly in front of three little boys who can't behave. There were feet in my ears, pillows thrown at me, and way more fart talk than I ever thought was possible. Don't get me wrong; I love my nephews dearly and the time I get with them as well, but when you've all been cooped up in a car for approximately 13 hours, everyone is a little strained.

 

I've been chilling at my sister's house for the past few days, doing homework and playing MarioKart, and it's been great fun. The only thing is that all this waiting and anticipation is amping up my anxiety. I've got to remind myself to take some deep breaths and relax. Everything will work out. Have some faith. I'm all packed up minus a few last minute things. I have my tickets and my passport (and some more homework :/ ); I am ready for this!

 

Tomorrow my sister and I will fly out of Detroit to Beijing (with a short layover in Tokyo!). If you want to see where we'll be going in China and when we'll be there, you can click on "The Current Adventure" tab at the top of the page and see a map. I should post again either from Tokyo or Beijing, depending on our schedule. Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the pictures! We certainly enjoyed the mustaches. :)