Today...Have to tell you this!

A glimpse of what our days look like...at least today

After work we decided it was a good idea to go shopping.  That may not be shocking if you are keeping up!  We took off for the fabric market around 4:30.  We had to change trains a minute later and after listening to "someone" tell me the wrong train to get on (first time she has ever been wrong...even though she was SURE, it was the right one) we figured it out after about 10 minutes.  Got off the train.  Went to the right one.  Made it to the market at 5:30.  It closes at 6:00!  Still managed to purchase everything I wanted, three more shirts and three pair of pants (I didn't bring a lot of clothes!).

This is where it gets fun.  Christy had decided to go out of the way to get dumplings so we had a nice tasty treat as a side to our Ayi made dinner.  A great idea in my opinion!!!  We love dumplings!  However, it was on "THE ROAD" that Christy hates.  Nanjing road is crazy and crowded and a bit overwhelming at times.  This surprised me completely as we have been there twice and she has just about lost it both times (I believe in both other circumstances, I was blamed for "bringing" her to Shanghai!).  But this time, SHE choose to come down here and it was for FOOD!  I believe that to be the kicker!

Even though it was close to where the market was, it took us 20 minutes to get over there, then we had to walk a bit.  As we came out of the metro and into a throng of people, I just looked over waiting for the...OOPS, let's not do this!  It never came.  For the first time on that road she walked liked she owned it!  Running hobbling old ladies and young children off the road, She was on a mission!  Not one Sigh or...I'm gonna kill you look this time (except to the people who managed not avoid the woman on a mission)!  We ended up finding the place and after wandering for a few minutes we figured out the line we needed to be in.  It was chaos up there.  Multiple good cheap restaurants in a small area = congested chaos!

Normally, this would drive Christy up a wall and we would be out of there!  Nope, not when dumplings are involved!  She patiently (yes I said that) waited in a hot overcrowded line!  We eventually made it out of there and back onto the road.  Again, she owned it (this time on a mission to get home and eat).  The metro was closed, so our plan was messed up yet again, and yet again, no whining or complaining.  Just a hand in the air waving for a cab!

We made it back by taxi which was the best part.  We already wrote about the cab driver that loved to cuss at us in English because he only knew those words and he laughed and laughed about it.  This cab driver had on Celion Dion and was belting it out!  Christy started singing with him and both were giving it their all.  Christy couldn't be happier (I think because someone was actually a worse singer than her)!  The cabbie just loved having a partner!

The whole dumpling diversion ended up taking an extra hour at least.  We ate our meal, with...a side of dumplings.  And it was wonderful!  What a fun evening!