The battle of the Keens VS Chacos

Today Mom and I went to the store to buy a pair of what I like to call Sport Utility Shoes. They are rugged and SO not feminine and something I never thought I would wear. But alas, we are heading to the South China Sea during Monsoon season, so we've been advised to buy some of these kicks.

After and hour of trying on several different styles, Mom went with a pair of Keens that her grand-daughter said reminded her of Tele-tubbies. They do have a bulbous look to them but apparently they are durable and can wick water away like no other. I kept staring down at my feet in disbelief. On my left I too had a Tele-tubby style clown shoe and on my right I tried a Chaco sandal. This is another hippie sandal that is known for being a great hiking shoe for hot and wet climates.

I had them put on hold. I have to sleep on this decision. I buy these shoes and what's next....Will I feel the uncontrollable urge to go purchase a Prius? Will I choose to eliminate meat from my diet? Will I watch Whale Wars and feel a tug at my heart for the Whales while eating my granola?

If anyone has an opinion on Keens VS Chacos, and has escaped the aforementioned fate, please let me know. I must buy one of the two.

Closing the loop on Jake's trip

So just in case you were wondering......

Jake made it home safely. We were all at the airport and craning our necks to see him come through the gate when I see this tall kid in a full-length black silk robe with a embroidered red dragon on it. Only Jake!

He spun tales for us into the night and easily had every bit of our attention. In short, he had a blast. So many funny things, like the "diamond" necklace he won from a scratch ticket that a street vendor (who was peddeling eyelid massagers and wouldn't leave Jake alone) gave him. Or the fact that the three 17 year old boys bought sleeper car tickets on the overnight train to Beijing and set up tours for themselves to go to the Great Wall and then got up at 5:30 to see the flag raised in Tiananmen Square-all by themselves-no adults! Trip of a lifetime! So glad he's home.

His friend that treated him to the whole trip is Ming. He is coming back at the end of July and will be our foreign exchange student next year. So I'll have 2 seniors in the house. It's gonna be a fun year!

1 Week to go!

The week started off with a bang on Monday when we found out that our plans would need to change for the trip. Because of unforeseen complications, the province that we thought we would be traveling to is off the table but thankfully, there was a backup plan. We will now be heading to Guandong province to a city that is just about as far south as you can get without completely being in the South China Sea.

I've checked it out online and am happy to report that there is NO WAY that we will ever be cold there, or thirsty. We will be in a sub-tropical location during monsoon season. That is something I never pictured myself doing-it's funny the twists and turns life can take you on! But I was down in New Orleans all week for work, and it has been so rainy here at home that maybe I'll be acclimated.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time on the phone on Monday re-routing our trip. I was able to use the Chinese travel agent that Jake and his friends used for their China trip. He found us reasonable tickets for short notice. So it's all coming together. I will say that I have to laugh when I think of the 2 hour bus ride that Mom and I will have to endure to get to our final destination. I'm picturing an old bus jam packed with weary Chinese workers heading home, and then Mom and me. I'll try to snag a picture to capture the essence.

So I am very excited to go. I have no idea what is in store for the trip-only my wild imagination. We have one week left. I put together a list of "to-do's" and it's pretty long, but my adrenaline is pumping so bring it on!