Charlotte

We're in the hotel in Charlotte. They don't have wi-fi, so I'm writing this in the room, hoping to bum some ethernet in the lobby.

Bobby took us by Pal's on the way out of town. Razzie tea. Hot dog, no onions, add katsup. Score!

Our carry-ons were definitely too heavy to walk around with during a twelve hour layover. 'Barely made it up the elevator without falling on our backs. So when we got to our hotel room, we reduced the bare minimum of what we needed to a barer minimum. (In other words, I put some of my books in the check luggage. Painful.)

The sky was incredible on the drive over tonight. I'm not a huge airplane fan. (That's a huge understatement.) But tonight the clouds welcomed us like a soft, white-haired, great aunt at a family reunion. I actually found myself a little bit excited, so someone out there must be praying for unexpected graces. Thank you! Don't stop!

A friend lent us a cell phone that should work in China. We might have to get a new SIM card to make it work, but eventually we will be able to phone home with quick updates.

Better run. We have to wake up at 4:00 AM tomorrow to catch our plane, so we'll have to sleep fast tonight. Thanks so much for taking this journey with us.