Farewell to "2009"

The year came to an end as we shared the holidays with our wonderful Paris family -- little Max was loved and adored every minute of every day -- nine to be exact. He was a trooper, a real "city boy" who adapted incredibly well to the sightseeing adventures of his parents and grandparents. We feel so blessed to have had them here -- and they fell in love with Hong Kong!

At 10,000 Buddhas, Max felt right at home with the statues, and the "other children." His 9-month birthday was celebrated while in Asia.

Grandpa became a "fast favorite" with Max and he was always happy when Grandpa was nearby.

Ashley, senior secretary to the Area President, is a dear Chinese friend. She offered to join us for lunch and ordered our "dim sum" from the menu -- good thing she was there, as there was no English spoken or written. We thoroughly enjoyed every item brought to the table -- Dave and Les are great with chopsticks, and Max will certainly learn before too long. He'll surpass his grandparents in "chopsticks ability," we surmise!

Max was tended by one of Grandma's friends while the adults attended a session at the Hong Kong Temple. It was a treat for our kids to be so close to a temple (about 20 minutes by bus) since they travel to Bern, Switzerland; Frankfurt, Germany or London, England to attend the temple. Someday there will be one in Paris!

This little guy is willing to explore in stroller or on the back of his dad. The markets are definitely colorful and interesting for his little eyes!

It seems that there are things to buy everywhere, and mom and son have serious decisions to make. With Chinese New Year not far off (February 14 this year -- the latest possible date according to the lunar calendar), Leslie will be preparing a celebration for the French and Chinese members in Paris. She found a few things to add pizazz to her decorating theme.

The sights of Hong Kong -- the crowds and the overwhelming presence of people, confirm that this is the most densely populated city in the world. Dave and Les were surprised at the concentration of people everywhere!

These two little ones are only about a week apart in age. Max' little Chinese friend is a cutie -- her nanny is a member of the church from the Philippines and brought her to the party on Christmas Day.

The women in our "group" couldn't get enough of little Max. He was hugged and fussed over by many "would be" moms. Several of the women have little ones far away back home, and it was especially meaningful for them to see Max.

The tradition of "new PJ's" for Christmas seemed to dictate a pair of Chinese jammies. The smallest size available was still too large, so Max will have this "suit" for quite some time. He was happy to find Monchichi in his stocking -- the same little "monkey" that was a favorite of Dave's 30 years earlier.

A very different Christmas Eve was enjoyed in HK. Crossing the harbor via the ferry, we stood with thousands (tens of thousands) of people to watch the laser light show. There was definitely a feeling of New Years/Mardi Gras rather than Christmas Eve. We were happy that families were together, but we wondered if the reading of Luke 2 was even considered as part of their celebration.

The fishing village of Tai O provided a backdrop for three generations of Arnold "men" -- perfect weather helped our Parisians enjoy their time here.

With the Big Buddha in the background, Max and grandpa complete the 6.2 kilometer cable car ride (along with the rest of us) and explore the monastery (vegetarian lunch was the fare -- not wonderful food, but acceptable) and Big Buddha.

Max (left) and Leslie are perfectly "dressed" in traditional Chinese garb!

If you are in a big city, you have to get around -- and the MTR (subway) is the method of preference when traveling a bit longer distances. Sometimes they are incredibly crowded and you are obliged to "stand" and hang on (as above); other times you might be lucky enough to get a seat (grandma likes that!!)

Upon their arrival, Dave, Leslie and Max "hit the ground" running, literally, and were fantastic house guests. Times Square is a short distance (5 minutes) from our apartment, so we ventured out to see what we could find for Max to eat -- their suitcases took three days to arrive! Challenges, yes, but adaptable people make the best of any situation!

While at Times Square, we saw the crowds enjoying a performance given by small Chinese children. They were singing all sorts of Christmas songs (in English) and were delightful!

The airport was highly decorated -- Dave, Leslie and Max arrive in Hong Kong on December 22 -- sans the luggage. Fortunately, Les was wise and packed a bag with some essentials, but they didn't last "forever."

Grandma Arnold meets her 14th grandchild -- Maxwell David Arnold. He was smiling and seemed happy to become acquainted!

On Sunday, December 20, our branch choir (I accompany on the piano) performed a cantata. Pictured are the women of the choir (we have only two men, who were elsewhere when the photo was taken) and they worked for several months to prepare. The performance was excellent and the spirit of Christmas was truly felt by all in attendance.

Sandy and Andrew Lai hosted a very fun Christmas party at their mansion. The Christmas tree was 20 feet and covered with more ornaments than you can imagine. A collection of more than 100 creches as well as many other decorations on the five floors of their home made for a very festive event. Several of the senior couples attended -- wonderful turkey and ham dinner, great opportunity to socialize, and laughs with a "white elephant game" made for a special party. The following evening, the senior couples and Area Presidency had a dinner at Elder & Sister Watsons' home. We enjoyed eating in the atrium, singing Christmas carols, being entertained by a very musical family and the reading of a favorite Christmas story, "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey."

Brian Frederick and his friend Matt Broadbent came to Hong Kong (and subsequently to mainland China) on a 2-week "spur of the moment" adventure. We were happy to see them several times during the week they were in HK -- Brian was one of our Rostov missionaries, and we are always thrilled to reconnect with those with whom we shared the Russian experience. They loved Hong Kong.

A Senior Missionary Conference was held in late November -- the morning was spent in wonderful meetings, lunch was provided and the afternoon was spent at Hong Kong Park, aviary and zoological gardens. Perfect weather made for a great day!

The monkeys performed royally for all to enjoy.

Hong Kong Park is a perfect oasis of peace and tranquility surrounded by city skyscrapers.

By special assignment, I was asked to provide the makings for Christmas cards (300 in total!!) so that our Filipina women could have a creative opportunity to make something special to send home to their families. Lots of cutting and stamping ahead of time made it possible for things to run smoothly. It was fun to see their excitement as they each made three or more cards.

A Saturday afternoon in mid-November was made more pleasant by a visit to 10,000 Buddhas -- a place we decided we will certainly bring guests. The monasteries at the top house the many Buddhas.

A birthday dinner (don't you just love those birthdays???!!) at Dan Ryan's in Pacific Place was really enjoyable -- we wandered around the mall briefly and noted "Max & Co." -- we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of our "MAX" from Paris!