So here's how I celebrated my 26th birthday in China . . . (long post but a lot happened!)

"Happy Birthday to you . . ."

To start off my birthday, Amy and Brad took me to a newly opened massage place Friday afternoon.  We all had had an incredibly long, taxing week and a massage sounded like a gift from heaven, not to mention a fun way to celebrate a birthday.  The greeter (for lack of a better word) recommended the 2 hour foot wash/massage/body massage.  We agreed and were treated to the most amazing massage ever.  I had no idea there were that many way to rub someone's foot but it felt so good.  The package also included a paraffin wax foot treatment where they painted hot wax all over our feet, wrapped them up and then after the wax hardened it's taken off and your feet are so soft.  After foot treatment was full body massage.  Some of the ways we were pulled and stretched and jiggled (yeah, there's just no other word for it) would have been rather awkward in any other context, but our masseurs/masseuse (weird words) were quite professional and had a good sense of humor and were obviously enjoying having three foreigners to work on.  For the final part of our massage we got walked on!  You lay flat and your masseur holds on to these handles on the ceiling and proceeds to walk and slide up and down you back.  I was a little unsure how I liked it at first, but decided it felt good.  In addition to having a great massage, I've haven't laughed that much in a long time.  Brad's so tall that the girl who was giving him a massage kept laughing that she couldn't get him in the right positions.  Funny things kept coming up with us trying to understand the Chinese.  Such a great time.  And because it was afternoon, we got a 20% discount.  2 1/2 hours of massage therapy for only 70 yuan which is less than $10!  We think it's going to have to be a monthly or every other week event.

(when the massage was over, we had a little fun trying out the ceiling handle bars . . . here's Brad "walking" on me)

" . . . happy Birthday to you . . . "

Friday night Mary Beth came out from Yidu and joined us for supper at Pizza Hut.  Last year I had a big birthday dinner at the then newly-opened Pizza Hut so I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to continue the tradition.  We had fun eating and talking together and then came back to our house for Black Magic cupcakes (with cream cheese frosting . . . yum!) for dessert.  Mary Beth spent the night and it was fun to be able to just chat with her way into the night.

" . . . happy birssday, Miss Kim . . . "

My students were so sweet for my birthday.  The birthday wishes and started as early as Tuesday in my classes.  On Tuesday two of my boys gave a present.  I opened it to find one glove inside (a brown striped glove with a stuffed bunny head on the back).  When I asked where the other glove was they said it was coming with another boy in the Friday class.  On Friday, Steve presented me with the match.  They just did it to be silly which makes me happy.  One of my students crocheted me a beautiful scarf.  My Wednesday 4:00 class made a big card which they all signed and wrote notes to me on and left outside my door Saturday morning.  Their notes were so sweet and cute . . . I have to share one.  This girl had struggled with her speech the week before and I had had to talk to her after class and then have her give her speech again the next week.  Here's the note she wrote me:

Dear Kim:
Happy Birthday!  Also Happy everyday!  I love your sweet smile, your special teaching and your kindness.  There is an very important sentence I must tell you.  That is, I love you and thank you so much for encouraging me and not leaving me fall behind!  I will always remember you and love your classes.  ~Kelly

Sometimes the students are overly complimentary but a note like that from a student really is encouraging to me and helps me to know that I'm making an impact on these kids.

One of my funny students from last year sent me a text message at 12:01 Friday night/Saturday morning so that he could be the very first person to tell me happy birthday on my birthday.  I got messages all day on Saturday from students telling me happy birthday.  Two girls who came over Saturday morning to study gave me a tea set gift (yes, another one . . . they mean well but this is my fourth or fifth tea cup set) and an amazing card.  They used the word "happy" over and over to make the Chinese characters for Happy Birthday and wrote "happy birthday" in English, Chinese, Korean, French, and Japanese for me. 

 . . . happy birthday to you."

The night of my birthday, my friends put together a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.  We were all given a character and clues throughout the night and had to try to figure out who was the murder by the time dinner and dessert were over.  It was so incredibly much fun.  The setting was 1935 England and I was Lady Dianna Whittington whose husband was just murdered in their own house.  Our story had a dutchess, my mother-in-law the countess dowager, a famous actress, a world renown-author, a vicar, a tennis star, and Venetian detective and an unexpected guest in it.  We even tried (as much as possible) to dress our part and get the correct props.  In the end Amy was the murderer but Brad turned out to be a German spy who was guilty for a previous murder.  Thelma (a.k.a. Katie) was an actress in love with my husband and Jian was just out for my husbands money!  Scandalous!   

Here are a few pictures but if you want to see more you can go to the Facebook link at the bottom.

The dinner guests at Whittington Hall

How well do we pull of the 1920s-30s flapper look? . . . in China no less!  (um no, Katie didn't really take up smoking . . . it's a marker)


Dahling . . . did you hear?? . . . .


Collin, Thelma, and Daphne


Me, a murderer!?  Impossible!

For a present I got a crossword puzzle book (to go with the theme) and then I got personalized crosswords with funny clues made by Brad, Amy, Beth, and Katie.  Everybody went in and gave me a membership at the newly renovated gym in town which I had been wanting to join.  I also got a handmade wooden Chinese comb, earrings, a "cake" made by Kristy (out of cloth and personalized for me), and some great coffee.  After we washed all the dishes at midnight we watched the movie "Clue" (yeah, just like the board game . . . I didn't even know there was a movie) to complete the Murder Mystery night.

A big, big thanks to my amazing Yichang friends for throwing me such a great party!  I couldn't believe how much work and time and effort went into my party and my gifts.  You are all wonderful!

More Photos

And, of course, I must mention the wonderful birthday box I got from my family.  Mom, dad, Kara and John sent me fun food and new clothes, a great hat, and other fun little things from home.  I can't say enough how much I love and appreciate my family and am thankful for how much they care about me. 

Although "Happy Everyday" (as they like to say here) might be overly optimistic, "Happy Every Birthday" is definitely true in China . . . at least when you have the friends and family and students that I have!