The Final Countdown

We are officially under three weeks until the big day.  Now is the time for the last-minute details, like printing the programs (dealing with technology is always an *interesting* experience in my parents' house) and getting groomsmen measurements.  Meanwhile, Ben and I finalized our travel plans for getting our happy little married selves to China.  We will fly out of Atlanta at 1:45 on Saturday, August 27, and from there we go through Tokyo (Ben is thrilled!), Beijing (spending the night :/), and Zhengzhou.  Praise truffles, we got economy comfort seats for the 14-hour stretch, so Ben won't be smelling his knee caps all the way to Japan.  I have to admit, it was a little terrifying to commit to the "purchase" button.  But we've done it, and we are so excited!  We've been studying Chinese phrases in the car, repeating them to each other until they embed themselves into memory.  I think our favorite right now is Qing gahn kwigh, which means, Please hurry!  That's Ben's sentiments when it comes to the wedding day... Please hurry!  His feet are warm and ready to be married.  (Personally I think he's just itching to go to Disney World and walk around with Mickey ears on his head :p)

Coming In From Out of Town?

The date is steadily approaching, and Mal and I are getting more excited every day. We want to let everyone who's coming to the wedding know that there is a block of rooms reserved for guests at the Hampton Inn on Alcoa Hwy (right next to the airport). We have a guest rate of $80 per night. Just make sure you let them know that you're a part of the Leonard-Hurst wedding.

Off to China!

For those of you who haven't heard, Mallory and I were offered positions to teach English at a university in China next year. At the end of August, we'll be traveling to Kaifeng, China to teach English at Henan University. The University offered us free housing for the year, free flights to and from China, and a generous salary to allow us to live and travel across China.

Here's where we'll be!


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We'll be keeping track of our journey in China on a blog, and we'll be sending out email updates to all who want them. We'll let you know more about that as the time approaches. For now, we'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we prepare to enter an exciting chapter of our lives together (and try to learn a little Chinese!).

再见!