This week we celebrated Chinese New Years at our home. I am not sure that it was such a big deal in the orphanages that our children came from, but it is a big deal for most Chinese people, so we try to do something special every year.
Kelly started by decorating the kitchen New Years Eve night so that when the kids came down the next morning they were surprised.
Kelly also made small gifts of candy and a notebook that greeted each child as them came down New Years morning.
She even put a special piece on her decorative plate in the kitchen.
That afternoon the kids went to a small homeschool co-op at our church and they did various Chinese crafts and activities including a chop stick race and cutting out goat pictures because it is … well … the year of the goat!
That night Kelly cooked Chinese food and we were supposed to go out with good friends of ours, Paul and Una, to light Chinese lanterns. However, it was a very gross night and we decided to postpone the additional festivities until Friday.
Last night we loaded up the van and met Paul and Una at China Cottage, a nice little restaurant just up the street from our house. They gave us a large round table, which was big, but maybe not quite big enough! We had to squeeze around the table pretty tightly. And, as happened last time we ate there, we have a table full of Mandarin speaking individuals and we get the one waiter in the restaurant who is white and only speaks English! And just because he has a Taiwanese girlfriend doesn’t count!
We decided to head down to the levy in Middletown because, as Paul explained, these lanterns are typically launched over a river and we are rather land-locked in our city. So we made the trek down to the river. It was a BALMY 17 degrees with a windchill that I am sure dropped things close to zero. But, it was an adventure! Paul had stopped and picked up some traditional Chinese cookies and candies and he splayed them out over the trunk of his car for everyone to enjoy.
Paul then unpacked one of the lanterns and had everyone write something on it. Some wished for a happy year, some to pass their driving test, and some just put well wishes down.
(Side note: these pictures were taken solely off the light from an iPhone. Those things can put out some lumens!)
Ali wrote hers in English:
While Riley wrote hers in Mandarin:
AndLuke just hoped his hands would stay warm enough to finish his off!
We walked up onto the levy and Paul tried to light the lanterns. It was a little tricky as the wind was brisk and his hands were freezing, so it took some doing. He finally had to get everyone with blankets to block the wind so that the lantern would light.
Finally, the first lantern lit and we prepared to launch it.
It really was beautiful watching it gently rise into the night sky, peacefully floating higher and farther away. We watched it until it died and then got out the one that everyone had written on. This one lit much more quickly! Paul was becoming a pro…
Here is one with a flash so that you can actually see who is there!
We launched this lantern off and watched as it started to float up into the sky also.
However, the hot air had not had a chance to build up enough and the lantern slowly started to descend down to the river. We were a little worried about its demise, but Paul had faith that it would save it self and sure enough, with inches to spare, it reversed course and started heading upward.
It truly was a lovely evening with lovely friends! Farther away from home, our two oldest boys at college were also celebrating in different ways. Zachary and his girlfriend Sam went to Oral Roberts University Homecoming. There is no question that these two people love life to the fullest. It is hard not to smile just looking at their picture.
And closer to home, Jacob and his girlfriend Hannah attended the 14th Annual Colonel Charles Young Memorial Military Ball at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. At the ball they announced Jacob’s recently awarded ROTC scholarship and the colonel spoke highly of Jacob’s commitment to the program. These two are very determined and will accomplish much.
In all, a good week for the Bernadsky household.
We continue to look forward to our travels to China in April to bring Katelyn, Ashley and Charlie home. You can continue to follow that adventure at:
http://journeytoashleyandcharlie.bernadskyfam.com/
Have a blessed week!
Cameron