I am home, in China. Safe and sound. It was probably our most uneventful and smoothest long distance trip ever. Thank you to those who lifted up prayers on our behalf.
All our luggage — all 12 checked bags!– arrived without one problem. Yes, you can imagine we had a doozy of an overage charge at the airport. But it was worth it. We have two years worth of homeschool curriculum not to mention new shoes, clothes, spices, and more. And believe it or not, the overage on an airplane is cheaper than mailing things overseas. (The USPS has done away with international surface mail. All international mail must now be sent airmail. A 50 lb. box costs over $300 to mail! An extra piece of luggage weighing the same amount is only $130 with United Air. It’s actually cost effective for someone to buy a plane ticket and come visit with goodies versus mailing packages!)
Here is a shot of some of them. Do you like the hodgepodge assortment of cases we have? Except for the red carry-on bags, each suitcase was given to us or bought second hand at a thrift store. I love our quirky collection — each one distinctive and with a story.
We have learned to travel with only hard luggage. It’s the only way to protect your things from water and hard knocks. Hard luggage, besides being hard to find, is quite expensive. So each time I visited a thrift store during our time in America, I’d peruse the luggage options. The most I paid for one bag was $7. Some were as cheap as $3.50. Of course, most of them have no wheels. They have to be carried the old fashioned way. But when flying, you really don’t have to handle your baggage too much. So we feel that the protection offered by hard cases is worth the trade off of some inconvenience.
And I have a special treat for you. This is my mom with me and Sprite.
She gave me permission to post her photo. I finally came clean with her and revealed to her that I have a blog. I was keeping it a secret because I thought she’d be upset, but she was actually impressed with my little spot over here. So now I’m relieved that Mommy Dearest knows about my blog. Of course, that also means she’s reading it. So I’d better be careful. (And, Mom, calling you Mommy Dearest doesn’t imply that you would beat me with wire hangers, okay?) We had a great time together, laughing, shopping, visiting an art exhibition, eating, and ranting.
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Hi, I'm Jimmie, and this is my online collage -- a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but mostly homeschooling with a loosely Charlotte Mason style. You're welcome to poke around and leave a comment if you desire. 
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