A few weeks ago Zachary and I joined an impromptu trip to the flea market. It was the last day for 3 weeks that it would be open, so we jumped on board, excited for a chance to buy things photograph things. Let me just tell you that if you add "Chinese" to anything, it's a picture worthy moment. (Not racist, it's just Chinese malls, food shops, beaches, events, etc. are so different from our malls, food shops, events, etc. Therefore, picture worthy and interesting. :) ) So, a Chinese Flea Market sounded like a good time to take out the camera. (Or borrow the camera of a friend, because yours is at home, time. Same diff.)
Ella and I on the way to the flea market! Ella was excited. Cheap toys and a date with her dad?! Heck yes!
Ella caught the memo about bring a camera, so she was sure to bring her trusty pink Vtech.
Sweet Potatoes. LOVE this street food. You can guarantee where there is street food for sale, this healthy, non-rat meat, snack will be there! It's a safe food as far as street food goes. They say to take off the skin, but I eat it anyways. I can't help it. It's just so delicious and full of vitamins!
Another delicious and healthy street food often available in China-melon on a stick! Loooove it.
Tons of Chinese style jewelry, coins and Buddhist prayer beads for sale.
There were tons of clothes and shoes! I'm not gonna lie I tried on some of the shoes! There was one guy who had 4 to 5 pairs of super cute boots for winter that were my size! I rarely find my size in China. In another life, where God had blessed me with non fat muscular calves, I would have must definitely walked away with 4 very old & worn new pairs of boots for next to nothing. And it would have been awesome. But alas, me and my big calves had to walk away.
Jackets, coats, shirts, jeans! Oh My!
Just one of those perks of being Chinese and living in China, it's totally normal, and comfortable to take a nap anywhere. Ain't nobody care!
This lady was the sweetest and had the biggest smile. She kept miming things to me in Chinese. This is pretty rare, the miming, because so few Chinese people use or know how to use hand motions. We had a good laugh together.
You would think that we were in a toxic waste, hazard zone by this picture (okay, let's be real, by a lot of these pictures) but no, just another normal site in China, face masks, but not the super cool kind like a I fashion. If someone has a slight cough, it's not unusual to see them wearing a face mask. We also saw this in Korea. Or maybe we were in a toxic waste zone, perusing all the unwanted, probably dug up from the trash dong-xi of China. Maybe we should have taken note from this lady and brought out the head scarves, masks and gloves before taking the trip to the flea market.
There were several outdoor eating tents. One had this delicious looking and I'm sure highly flavorful goodness floating in a HUGE pot. I asked what it was but had no idea what she said. Tons of people were ordering it so apparently it must have been good.
The famous infamous hot dogs on a stick. Just upon the smell of one of these dogs I gag. They're bad. Chara, naturally, LOVES them. Super smelly-score!
Fresh sugar cane for sale.
$1.50 sneakers for sale.
Sweaters in all shapes and sizes.
These people were getting fancy with tables, instead of blankets, to display their stuff on. I imagine these are people with actual shops.
Baby clothes.
Spices & Seasonings
"Fresh" meat for sale. No way in heck I would ever buy meat from the flea market. Do you see all the dirty buckets?! And there were tons of flies. It was bad. Okay. Ya. Let's move on.
Ah. That's better. Bags of nuts, in their shell. Clean and safe.
Mr. Mosby enjoying the flea market.
Wouldn't you love to join us on our next trip to the flea market?! ;)
Her birth into this world, was a difficult one. Her life, from the beginning, has been marked by miracles and by God's grace. Lola's (her Chinese name, which means Violet) umbilical chord was tied in a knot in the womb, which meant that she only received 1/3 of the food, the amount that could get through, that other babies get. The first 2 weeks or so of her life, she had to stay at a baby hospital here in China, away from her parents, so that the doctors could make sure she was taking enough food and gaining strength. That week was agony for Amber and CJ, but allowed God to build a friendship between us, that we will forever cherish. We spent a lot of that week with them praying, crying, trusting, re-trusting, speaking words of truth, worshipping, and just seeking to lean on God, and be strong for our friends who were doing what seemed like the unbearable, leaving their baby girl at the hospital, where they weren't allowed to see her. Violet miraculously pulled through and started eating well, keeping her food down and growing. 99% of children who are born under the same circumstances as Violet are born with down syndrome or similar problems, but Violet is 100% healthy. Praise be to God!
Amber and CJ are some of our closest friends now, and since Violet's birth, we've had dinner together almost every week, giving us nice spouts of time to watch, play with and admire Violet. 
Every where Violet goes, she spreads joy. She's filled with the joy of the Lord! She's just awesome, you guys! And oh so cute! I mean, look at her!! Everyone loves Violet and we were so excited to celebrate her special day!
