'National Day' is Chinese for Party Time

Mare and Doug threw a party for National Day and it was the perfect excuse to get together and eat and drink and meet all their friends. Firstly, they know how to throw a great party. Mare made pasta (another one of my requests prior to arriving in HK) and everyone brought all the appetizers I've been craving for months. Olives, cheese, artichoke dip, bruschetta, red wine (ok, not an appetizer), and homemade chocolate chip cookies! I was in heaven.

Mare put her lovely ikebana skills to work. See the flower arrangement centerpiece that symbolizes fireworks. She used those same ikebana skills to model for a calendar. Both Mare and Jeanne are Calendar Girls! They did a benefit for breast cancer while living in Tokyo and Jeanne (her now next door neighbor in HK, believe it or not) went over to her place and brought back the famous calendar.

It was really great to talk to these people who have spent so much time living in Asia. A few of them have been to Chiang Mai, telling me how beautiful it is. (I couldn't agree with them more.) It was a delight to hear about their travels, their work, their experiences living all around Asia. The seemed impressed that I was doing something similar on my own at my age. I say, "Yeah. Some days I ask myself if I'm out of my mind. Then I snap out of it and assure myself, 'This is exactly where I should be.'" It was nice to have a little something in common with all of them.

After the delicious dinner that I ate way too much of, it was time to take the party outdoors. Oh yes! We stormed through the mall. (Remember they live above a shopping mall.) This was fun! We were a sight to see, I'm sure. You know that hootin' and hollerin' in a shopping mall is just the beginning of the party...