Monday - Visa is a Go, Oath moved to today

David took our application for the Visa to the Consulate today and called to say everything went well. They have moved our oath ceremony from tomorrow to this afternoon. David is picking us up at 2:45. We had to be in our room from 11-12 for David's call so this has been a lazy, lazy day so far.

We had breakfast in the hotel this morning. We are down to a routine now. Lunch was "junk" in our room. We have left over pizza but Alison isn't interested in that so we are just snacking. She had picked up a couple of things over the course of this week. The first was a bag with mushrooms on the outside. It turns out to be a small cookie stick with a chocolate top on it and it looks like a mushroom. There was no English on the package at all but it sure looked like a mushroom on the packaging. I didn't know what to expect but when she opened it, I ate one and it is cookie w/ chocolate. Yesterday when we were out, she asked for a yogurt looking container (only taller). She just went for this and it is a package of cookie sticks and some icing dip. The cookies look like a stick pretzel only a little fatter and some pink stuff to dip it into. I would probably say an icing kind of thing. Yup, my child likes junk food. She has eaten crackers and peanut butter and some Pringles. I also brought dried fruit and she isn't much into that either...just junky stuff. We will work on this later after we get home. She hasn't had too much of a chance to eat a lot of junk so far... until today. I guess one meal won't spoil her.

After Alice in Wonderland, we went out to do a little shopping. Lynn hates when I say that. We bought 2 T-Shirts for her, 10 tops (toys...don't tell the kids), chop sticks, a dragon, 4 scarves... oh, and we picked up her Christmas stocking with her name embroidered in Chinese on one side and English on the other. Ok, no snickers from those of you who know I have an embroidery machine and could have done this myself... well, I might make another and I have a pattern to go by... how is that? I don't think Lynn thought about the fact I could have done the embroidery. I will just act surprised when he comes to that realization. Oh yeah, he will probably read this too.

We also bought this stupid, gel filled, rubberized blob with a long rubbery (almost yo-yo like cord) string. Well, you should see this girl play with it like a yo-yo. Do an around the world on her finger and generaly just about knock everyone with this thing as we walk down the street. She just is so easily entertained but I would be too with this silly thing. Oh, it lights up to. The ones I have seen in the states don't light up (looks like a round blow fish with porcupine spines but everything is rubbery).

That has been our day so far. We do the river cruise tonight. I hope we don't freeze to death. More later.... Brenda

OHHH the super bowl. Lynn found it on the internet. Someone said it was on TV but I searched from 8 - 8:30 and didn't find it. I am glad a Manning was the winner of the superbowl at least. Sounded like a good game. Anyone at home tape it?