Important Information

Here is our updated information for our time in China:

EMAIL - keckyes@gmail.com

MAILING ADDRESS -
English:

No. 528 BINWEN RD, BINJIANG DISTRICT, HANGZHOU
310053 ZHEJIANG PROVINCE
CHINA

CHINESE CHARACTERS:
中国浙江省杭州市滨江区滨文路528号310053

You will probably have to put both the English and Chinese characters on the package/letter/card.  If you choose to send us any mail or email us anything, PLEASE do not mention the work we are doing there.  We could get in trouble and be sent back home if that happens.

BLOG - You're on it right now!  We will use the same blog while over there.

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Davis and I just got back from a week spent with my parents in Arkansas, for the last time before we leave for China.  We ran a few errands while there, including buying a pair of jeans (all of mine had holes in them), buying some gifts for our waiban and other bosses in China, figuring out what to do with my phone plan once we're gone, and buying fabric to make our cute and manly laptop computer bags.  We needed something to protect them while they sit in our backpacks on the plane ride over to China.  I didn't want something as bulky as a computer bag that's carried separately on the shoulder, and I didn't want to pay a lot to buy one of those cute little zipper bags that's made out of 'surfer suit' material.  So far, I have only mine completed.  This is the website I followed: http://www.skiptomylou.org/2010/07/29/laptop-sleeve/  I had to figure some things out on my own, as I'm not too familiar with sewing and didn't understand some of the sewing lingo on that website.  I also had a nifty mom to help me.  She been sewing since before I was a baby, if that gives you any idea how helpful she was.  Here are some pictures of the finished bag:

I found out that fusible fleece is fun to work with!  The four things I bought to make this were: 1/2 yard of patterned fabric, 1/2 yard of lining fabric (it is thinner than patterned fabric), 1 yard of fusible fleece, and a zipper.  Wa-lah!

So where are these aforementioned 'series of unfortunate events' you ask?  Well, last night it started at Walgreens.  Davis and I went to pick up a year long prescription that was called in by my doctor, but Walgreens said it would be more than $900 (and this was just 1 of the 2 medicines I have to get for a year), so I had to call my doctor back today to see about changing the medicine to something more affordable.  Another unfortunate event happened this morning when Davis and I had to leave for a doctor's appointment scheduled at 9:00.  We hopped in my car, tried to start it, and NOTHING.  Not a single sound.  Unfortunate event number three that could use a lot of prayers by all out there, happened at the doctor's appointment this morning.  My doctor was checking my thyroid and noticed an enlargement, which led us to the ultrasound room where he checked it more thoroughly.  The good news is there are no nodules or goiters, just an enlargement.  I have my next appointment July 15, 2013.  Please pray that the medicine I take for my thyroid will keep the enlargement from getting any bigger.  Another, but smaller unfortunate event that happened today was when Davis and I went to get our immunizations at Walgreens today.  We were scheduled to get typhoid and hep A shots, but we were told they didn't have the typhoid medication.  On the flip side, they said they could get it in as soon as tomorrow, and that we should take it a week before leaving.  

So the good news to end the day with....  

Davis and his dad fixed the car!  The grand total to fix it was $4.20 and a little hard labor.  It turned out that the cables connecting the battery to the car had eroded from acid.  The boys just bought replacement connectors and brought it back to life.  

My doctor quickly responded today and got my medicine changed to a different brand that is much more affordable.  

I got some Mary Kay from Davis' mom today!  

We baked some blueberry muffins for dessert and had a delicious dinner.

Psalm 16:8 

Made You Wait

Three weeks without a blog post?!  That's just crazy, and we apologize.  These last weeks have been nothing short of busy.  On July 28th, Davis and I moved out of our apartment in Stillwater.  We successfully moved all of our belongings to Edmond, Oklahoma for a few more weeks, until departure.  Here is a view of what it looked like as we slowly packed things up in our apartment in Stillwater:

 

All done!

Davis also sold his car:

Our friends, David and Kelsey got married: 

Then, we took off to Pagosa Springs, Colorado that night! :

We stopped at Santa Fe, New Mexico along the way: 

Drove to Mesa Verde National Park: 

We played mini golf, badminton, shuffleboard, and croquet in Pagosa Springs: 

We drove to Telluride, where we rode a gondola up the mountain.  We drove to Trout Lake, Ouray, and Durango. :

Trout Lake

I'm happy to be on this gondola!

Mountain Village

Mountain Village

Not very steep, so it was fun!

Ouray

And did I mention we saw a double rainbow across the sky?

This was the view from our cabin in Pagosa Springs: 

We also went on a hike about 30 minutes from Pagosa Springs: 

This trail was SO steep!  Hello, Rocky Mountains!

I should also mention that we had a not-so-little visitor 3 nights in a row at our cabin in Pagosa Springs:

Last but not least, we visited the sulfur springs in Pagosa:

So, that was our week in Colorado.  Fun?  Yes.  Eventful?  Yes.  Our week back in Oklahoma has been filled with moving boxes from the garage into Davis's old bedroom.  While doing this, we've been picking things out that we want to take to China with us.  3 more weeks until takeoff!  Oh, I'm so excited to see what our Father has in store for us there, and I'm looking forward to the 'house church' atmosphere with other Americans.  Most of all, I'm looking forward to working on my relationship with the Father while I'm there.  I know it was good for me the first time I went over there, so I am looking forward to that time with Him again.  Most MOST of all, I get to do all these things with my best friend in the world - my husband!  (Can't you tell I'm excited?!)