Mom's visit - the roller coaster ride of the week

My mom arrived on Friday evening. I was SO excited to have her here, that every person who slightly resembled her coming out of the airport terminal gave me butterflies. Of course, she was one of the last ones out. She told me she loved me, but didn't want to travel that length again! haha.

Once settled into my apartment for the evening, we had time to unpack and chat. She brought some suitcases for me with all of my winter items. She also brought me some goodies for school, as well as some treats from home. Circus Peanuts are the bomb!! :) We took it easy on Saturday, since I knew she would be jet-lagged. We went shopping around my area, then met up with some of my friends for dinner. After dinner, I treated mom to a foot massage. It is really a full-body massage and it is amazing!

Here is mom, kicked back and enjoying the evening. :)  I will be making the massage a regular thing for myself.   Then, Sunday, we headed to Hong Kong for the Autumn Festival and to enjoy the "big city". Wow, they like their signs there! We had fun, but mom was sick, so she didn't get to enjoy as much as I would have liked. We bought some good deals at the Temple Night Street Market though, which was right near our hotel! 

The top two pictures are from the Lantern Festival that was going on. It was so pretty to see so many lights. We also tried mooncakes here. I was the only one who liked them. Haha. The bottom picture is a very typical street view - signs everywhere! And at night, they are mostly lit up. It is quite interesting. With medicine, mom seemed to be getting a little better. 

Once back to China, where I live, she took a turn for the worse again. :(  We managed to go to Window of the World Amusement Park though, which mom said was her favorite part of the trip. There, they have miniatures of so many things from around the world. We go to "visit" Italy, Holland, France, Germany, and so many more countries!! We had a good time. 

Top to bottom: My foot inside a dinosaur print; Mom and I checking out the Native American totem poles; Mom chillin' in Rome. :) There is so much to see here, that we didn't even see it all in our nearly 3 hours there. We left to go to the fabric market, so that she could get some material to make scrub tops. 

The following day, we went to the Artisan's Village in Dafen. Mom got some great artwork, neither of which I have a pic for. :(  However, I got some other great shots....

You can buy dishes off of the sidewalk, out of the back of vans..whatever happens to be the case that day. I may get some next time I go back if they are out and about. They were not the first visit. 

Notice the outfit? Particularly the pants? Hahaha....they have crotchless pants to help potty train their kiddos. Most do not wear diapers. They just pee and poo whenever and wherever (in malls, etc.) they need to go. This is a tough spot for me on my feelings. I like the idea of not adding waste to landfills with all those diapers not being used, but then again, all of that feces just being distributed to the ground I walk on and wear into my apartment. Ugh. I definitely take my shoes off at the door here.

This is the piece of artwork I bought. Mom and I hauled this to the metro, only to be told it was too large to get on. So we had to take a taxi home. It is very heavy and the extra trip to the metro was our workout for the day! Haha. This is a hand-stitched/embroidered piece, framed in a mat with gold trim and a very heavy wooden frame. I love it. But, need help to hang it. Right now, it is still sitting on my couch.

Mom is now back home and I have to go back to work tomorrow. So much for vacation. It was fun while it lasted, despite my mom being so sick. Love you mom!!! Thanks for coming to China to visit me!