Madison is leaving :(

Madison is embarking on a new adventure today and it's killing me!!!! She is going to China again, except this time it's for 4 months and 18 days. She has been working hard and saving her money since she got her first job at the mall, Hello Kitty. She lasted there about a year and then worked for Tom quite a bit last summer along with her job at Emerald City making smoothies. This work along with her studies at the U have kept her very busy. It has also afforded her the chance to pay her way to China on two different occasions. The trip today is a volunteer position at a boarding school where she will teach English to 4-6 year old children. She has had some terrific support from friends and family donating school supplies that she will take with her to use for teaching tools. Her two gigantic suitcases are packed to the brim, each weighing 50 pounds. She said she is going granola while she is there, which means no makeup, no blowdryer. She did pack a razor, so we can all breathe a sigh of relief in that department.

She's not packing any makeup, but she is taking her Heroes poster, a Barbie customized by her friends, a dinosaur lunch box, a copy of Lord of the Rings, and her doll, baby Johnny. I gave her that doll when she turned a year old. She isn't too happy about leaving Aragorn, her six-foot tall cardboard boyfriend that Cookie is afraid of.

Madison is still smiling after getting her lunch eaten by cousin Lindsey, Morgan and Nathaniel at the bowling alley. Her average has improved greatly though. It used to be 35 and now she can proudly boast a 66 average!! *woot woot*

Madison was recently promoted third degree red belt in Tae Kwon Do. Hopefully she won't have to use her sweet kicking skills on any of those rambunctious five year olds.

Madison is such a great big sister. All the kids admire and look up to her very much. They fight over who gets to sit by her in church. They follow her example in so many areas of life, of which I am extremely grateful for because it's a pretty dang good one. We will miss her like crazy, but we are also excited for her. She wants to do this so bad and has not even flinched at giving up a semester of school to serve her fellow man. No class room can give you what she will gain while there in China.
Goodbye Madison, we love you dearly!!!