These boots are made for walking!

A few weeks ago our family made the decision not to have driver services anymore.  We loved Mr. Li and thought he was wonderful and always did a great job for us, however, after nine months of being in Beijing, we just didn't feel like we needed it anymore.  We get along great using public transportation and we were ready for the new challenge.  So, now, we've been walking a lot more, and NOTICING a lot more.  It's amazing when you are not riding by at higher speeds and you can just walk and smell the roses....or smog.  :)  Just kidding, it's been really nice and clear the last few days.

So here are some things I've been noticing or have noticed in the past and wanted to share.

Bunny shoes

Panda shoes

No, I did not purchase either pair....I'm not quite THERE yet.

Here in Beijing, there are a lot of "Chinglish" signs where the translation is a little bit OFF.  Some of them are hilarious and I need to be better at taking pictures when I see them.  This one is on a railing with a street down below.  It says, "Danger!  No clamber".  I think they mean, "Danger!  No climbing"

This one is hard to see, but the shortest person in the picture is the cutest, smallest little old Chinese lady who was pushing her rolling shopping bag.  I was on my bike at the time and scrambled to get my camera, so I was not able to capture her cuteness.

I have been taking the subway most places now which means I am using new lines, busier lines.  You really do have to push your way on and off sometimes.  I wear a shoulder strap purse mostly, especially when I am with the kids so that I can keep an eye on my belongings.  When I'm on my way to my internship, I carry a backpack and listen to my I-phone.  I fee so "local".  People smile, giggle, and talk about us when we ride the subway and bus.  They love seeing Jack and Grace.  We have noticed that more people will offer their seats to the kids on the bus rather than the subway.  The bus is the cheapest route besides just walking (we can actually get a lot of places by walking or riding bikes).  The subway is cheap too, taxi is the most expensive, so we try to save taxi trips when we are out later with the kids and they are tired. 

I thought this row of trees was kind of cool, soon they will start budding.

This dove painting is in one of the subway stations.  I immediately thought of the Holy Spirit always being with me, giving me hope and peace.