May 2014 Happenings

Things got a little crazy end of April first part of May.  Donn had an Annual Board Meeting for K2 Energy, my Chinese Visa expired so I had to quickly return to the USA and apply for a new one and most importantly Donn had a hernia and had to come home for surgery.  We checked out the possibility of having it done in Shanghai and it would have cost us $17,000.  Since we have insurance in the States, we decided it would be better to come home and just pay our $5,000 deductible.   

It was definitely not an easy trip as Donn couldn't carry or lift anything more than his iPad.  We got a lot of strange stares as I plodded through the airport loaded down with two suitcases, a backpack, and my purse.  I am sure I looked like a pack mule and that my husband looked like a tool.  I guess it reinforces the scripture, "judge not, that ye be not judged."

Adam and Eric were participating in the Tough Mudder event.  Donn initially was going to participate with them as well, but the hernia changed that.  We followed the boys to as many of the events that we were allowed to and took video and pics.  It was a really fun day.  

Finish Line!!  Tough Day in the Tough Mudder

Our first food stop was for Mexican food.  China has great ethnic foods, but they don't do Mexican quite right.  This is Don Pedro's in St. George. I ordered my favorite stuff:  beef enchiladas and a chili relleno.   The chips and salsa were amaze balls . . . Yummy!!!

Blakely (Eric's daughter) was happy at this moment!!!

In keeping with a tradition Brittany and I started over ten years ago, I got to hold the little girls that were getting their ears pierced.  This first started when Brittany pierced Emma's ears.  This time it was Chloe (her second time) and Blakely.  We had pierced Chloe's ears when she was six month, but she pulled the earrings out and so Brittany let her ears grow back together with the promise that once she turned five she would be able to have it done again.

Blakely got so upset when they were putting the marks on her ears, that Eliza finally had to take over.  We are still counting it as keeping the tradition though. 

Had a bit of excitement at my parent's house while I was house-sitting. Every morning when I would go out their front door I would see all these poo droppings. At first I thought it was from a mouse, but it seemed too big. So I snapped a pic of the poo and headed to Lowe's. I showed the store clerk my pic and he just laughed at me and said he couldn't tell what it was by the droppings. So I bought two traps--one for mice and one for rats. After setting the traps and waiting for a couple of days without catching anything, I decided that something wasn't quite right. I also noticed that the windows now how some weird stains on them. I called and talked to my dad and he said, "I think it may be a bat. I have a bb gun in my closet, and I want you to check tonight and if you see a bat I want you to shoot it." Now that was crazy. I haven't shot a bb gun in 45 years. I figured it was a job for my "super man" Donn Nimmer. He was working in Vegas until the weekend, so I watched for bats but didn't see anything. Friday night Donn arrived and we headed off to the movies. It was a rainy evening and when we came back from the movies, I peaked out the side windows. I was amazed when I saw four bats hanging in the corner of their front porch. I grabbed the gun and called for Donn. He took down 3 of the 4 bats. It was a pretty crazy moment.


We had a great time and actually were there on the twinner's 2nd birthday.  (Crew is crying in the picture below because he tried to eat his candle instead of blow it out.  When Brittany yelled "no" it scared him.)  It was so nice to be home and see the family.

(Carter--top; Crew--bottom)

 One of the downsides of coming back to China is the air pollution.  The weather had been so nice, we'd kept our windows open.  One morning I jumped in the shower and then an hour later got ready to run some errands.  When I went to put my sandals on, my feet were black from walking on the floor.  My ayi had mopped the day before too.  Wowzers I can only imagine what my lungs look like.

Air Pollution on My Floor

Once back in Suzhou we celebrated Memorial Day with our Branch.  There were a lot of activities including hula hoops and a motorcycle with a side car.  It was a bit scarey, but Donn enjoyed my screaming.  I also surprised myself by keeping the hula hoop going for at least 30 seconds.

We continue our quest to lose weight and are now biking and walking daily.  One of Donn's favorite walks is through Central Park.  He loves the Old Customs Building.  I always enjoy the many sites including this small scooter/truck.  It always amazes me how much they can pile onto their vehicles and then how they can actually drive once they get everything piled on.

Old Customs Building

H U G E   Load!!!