Wow, Thanks!

Gee, everybody, what can I say! Cathy and I really appreciate the kind thoughts from everyone. We are very touched and grateful to have such good friends. Thanks so very much.

Cathy was amazed when I started sending out the "announcements" to everyone. She just couldn't believe that I was still in touch with so many people from so long ago. She's very excited about traveling to the US and visiting my old stomping grounds and meeting all of you. You've already made an impression on her. Thank you very much for welcoming her into your hearts.

Mostly because I need to update the profile section of the blog, here is another picture of Cathy and I taken this summer down near the river here in Ningbo. Truth in advertising moment: Cathy isn't quite that tall, at least not without standing on the lower rung of a railing.

You might remember the last picture in the profile section over to the right, a shot of me standing at the end of famous Nanjing Lu in Shanghai. There's also one of Denny at the end of his second post. Well, Cathy and I had to go to Shanghai to get a Certificate of Marriageability from the US Consulate, which gave me the chance to take yet another picture of a loved one in that same spot.

Cathy had not been to Shanghai since she was a little girl, so it was a relatively new experience for her. It IS a very impressive city, even to these jaded eyes of mine. I highly recommend it to any of you thinking of taking a long-distance vacation. (Although I've never been there, I've heard that it is much nicer, more cosmopolitan than Beijing, even though Beijing is hosting the Olympics in 2008).

Speaking of getting married in China, I think in the next post or two I'll walk you through the process in case any of you are of a mind to do that. It was interesting and different (a common occurrence here) to say the least. But, yes, it IS official, and yes, I AM married. I even have the little red book and the ink-stained finger tip to prove it.