Getting Ready For the Trip!

   Happy Martin Luther King Jr. day!

These past few days have been extremely busy for the Hettich family. We have been buying gum and snacks (a LOT of snacks) for the plane rides, toys and stuffies for Peter, electronics for Peter's education, suitcases and other travelling necessities, and a ton of medicine. We have also organized our money and traded in our worn-out bills for brand new dollars for China. Apparently they are very picky about the condition of money they take for exchange.

   Today we are finishing up our packing (and homework) before we board our plane! The long list of things to do is absolutely stressful.In our last few days of being in America, we have been thinking about all the things here we will miss.

  Pearl will miss several basketball games and practices while we are gone. She will miss her friends a lot too. She received a new camera for Christmas, so she is very excited to use it in China and upload a few blog videos. Her recent interests have been in video editing. I think you guys are in for a treat.

  Rose will miss a few more exams while she is away and will have to make them up when she returns home. She will miss all of her friends and going to school. School is an environment that makes her very happy and inspires her to get involved in lots of activities (that is, except sports). Seeing all her friends there as well makes the place even MORE enjoyable. She is currently involved in Relay for Life, the Junior High Science Club (co-director), GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) Club, Jazz band, InterAct club, FOR(Friend's of Rachel's) club (school violence prevention), and P.S. We Love You club (suicide prevention). When we visit the Great Wall, she will be representing her P.S. We Love You club by wearing a t-shirt with their logo on the Great Wall.

  Marco is very excited about the trip and can't wait to try all the new food!   He is looking forward to visiting the zoo in Guangzhou.  And of course playing with his new brother.