Us in front of one of the emperial lions (the male one)
Monday, November 28, 2005
Beijing Day #2
Woke up this mornin’ feelin fine...something tells me I’m into somethin’ good...
I have that blasted Cheerios commercial running through my head. We headed down for breakfast with Liz and Brion around 7:00am. What an interesting selection of breakfast foods! Beef Congee, Puffed Roll with sweet BBQ Pork, Potatoes with veggies, and my personal favorite...RICE KRISPIES! Yes, finally something that I know is safe. Although...I did drink the milk...
Tracy arrived to take us to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven and we caught the Beijing Acrobatics show. PHEW!! It was a marathon day of sightseeing!
We drove for a few miles and then Tracy decided that the traffic was too bad and going much too slow, so we hopped out of the van and caught the subway. For this little northern town girl, the Beijing subway was impressive. Tons of people and very quiet. Very little sound from anyone. After transferring trains, we had made it to Tiananmen Square. This is one of the places that I wanted to visit most. In 1989 there was a student uprising and there were many people killed in this square. I remember very vividly seeing a man stand in front of a tank and watch in horror was the tank rolled right over him. We saw Chairman Mao’s mausoleum. The Chinese parliament building, and I think a judicial building of some sort.
Wayne and Brion did not bring decent hats to wear in the cold, so the first street peddler with 2008 Olympic hats got to sell them to us. 10 yuan for a nice little Olympic hat...There are 8 yuan in 1 USD. So, we paid just over $1.00 for the hat. The street vendors/peddlers are very insistent. Something that we here in the US are not used to. We saw a mother pushing her small child of maybe 3-4 years old to beg outside the Forbidden City. It was hard to see.
The Forbidden City was amazing. The history of the building is just overwhelming. Tracy told us many interesting facts along the way and I wish I could remember more about it. The city is where the emperors lived and conducted most of their business. At times there were as many as 3000 people living and working within the city. One interesting fact...some of the emperors had up to 300 concubines. Each of them could have up to 10 servants a piece. We walked the entire length of the city. There are way too many building to explore and one could get lost very easy. The city consists of 170,000 square meters...one word HUGE!!!!
After the Forbidden City we headed towards Lotus Lake. It’s a manmade sea. They call it a sea because the last emperor wanted to make it seem much bigger than what it really is. This area is now poplar with foreign tourists. There are many shops and restaurants that cater to Americans. Tracy took us for lunch at a very old restaurant. It has been in business for over 700 years. They are famous for their BBQ dish. It was awesome!! Wayne and I love Chinese food and were looking forward to getting to the chance to sample more traditional Chinese dishes. We had the best chrysanthemum tea. Beautiful yellow tea with white petals in it. We had snow peas pods, sweet and sour pork, chicken with peanuts, a corn mixture and it was all very delicious.
After the lunch we took a small tour of a pearl factory. I hadn’t planned on spending a lot on pearls, but...China is the only producer of purple and pink pearls. Wayne and I picked out 2 lovely strands of purple freshwater pearls for Anna and Julia (along with matching earrings of course!!). I wanted them both to have a set for their wedding day. Shhhh...so don’t tell them!! Liz also bought a necklace and an earring set in pink. They are very cool!
Now, it’s onto the Temple of Heaven. I had seen some really amazing pictures of the temple. However, they are in the middle of a major restoration. As is the rest of the city in the preparation for the 2008 Olympics. We were not allow inside the temple which was a huge bummer to me. Oh well! As of right now, I can’t think of what exactly all the uses for the temple are (it’s 2:30 am here in China!), but I will tomorrow!
Last but not least, we took in the acrobatics show. One word: WOW! That’s all I said over and over again. These people can do some fantastic things! I had a very hard time staying awake during the show. We walked a million miles today and I was super tired. We had a typical American dinner by having McDonald’s.
We hope everyone at home is doing well. Grams...take care of yourself. No more hospitals. Talk about stress!! Cameron and Anna, Mommy and Daddy wish you were here! We love you very much and hope you are having a good time with Aunt Theresa, Grandma Denise and Aunt Pam. Have you made any cookies yet? :-)
Well, I better get. It’s nearly 3:00am here and I need some more sleep. We are headed to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace tomorrow!! Love you all!!
I have that blasted Cheerios commercial running through my head. We headed down for breakfast with Liz and Brion around 7:00am. What an interesting selection of breakfast foods! Beef Congee, Puffed Roll with sweet BBQ Pork, Potatoes with veggies, and my personal favorite...RICE KRISPIES! Yes, finally something that I know is safe. Although...I did drink the milk...
Tracy arrived to take us to Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, The Temple of Heaven and we caught the Beijing Acrobatics show. PHEW!! It was a marathon day of sightseeing!
We drove for a few miles and then Tracy decided that the traffic was too bad and going much too slow, so we hopped out of the van and caught the subway. For this little northern town girl, the Beijing subway was impressive. Tons of people and very quiet. Very little sound from anyone. After transferring trains, we had made it to Tiananmen Square. This is one of the places that I wanted to visit most. In 1989 there was a student uprising and there were many people killed in this square. I remember very vividly seeing a man stand in front of a tank and watch in horror was the tank rolled right over him. We saw Chairman Mao’s mausoleum. The Chinese parliament building, and I think a judicial building of some sort.
Wayne and Brion did not bring decent hats to wear in the cold, so the first street peddler with 2008 Olympic hats got to sell them to us. 10 yuan for a nice little Olympic hat...There are 8 yuan in 1 USD. So, we paid just over $1.00 for the hat. The street vendors/peddlers are very insistent. Something that we here in the US are not used to. We saw a mother pushing her small child of maybe 3-4 years old to beg outside the Forbidden City. It was hard to see.
The Forbidden City was amazing. The history of the building is just overwhelming. Tracy told us many interesting facts along the way and I wish I could remember more about it. The city is where the emperors lived and conducted most of their business. At times there were as many as 3000 people living and working within the city. One interesting fact...some of the emperors had up to 300 concubines. Each of them could have up to 10 servants a piece. We walked the entire length of the city. There are way too many building to explore and one could get lost very easy. The city consists of 170,000 square meters...one word HUGE!!!!
After the Forbidden City we headed towards Lotus Lake. It’s a manmade sea. They call it a sea because the last emperor wanted to make it seem much bigger than what it really is. This area is now poplar with foreign tourists. There are many shops and restaurants that cater to Americans. Tracy took us for lunch at a very old restaurant. It has been in business for over 700 years. They are famous for their BBQ dish. It was awesome!! Wayne and I love Chinese food and were looking forward to getting to the chance to sample more traditional Chinese dishes. We had the best chrysanthemum tea. Beautiful yellow tea with white petals in it. We had snow peas pods, sweet and sour pork, chicken with peanuts, a corn mixture and it was all very delicious.
After the lunch we took a small tour of a pearl factory. I hadn’t planned on spending a lot on pearls, but...China is the only producer of purple and pink pearls. Wayne and I picked out 2 lovely strands of purple freshwater pearls for Anna and Julia (along with matching earrings of course!!). I wanted them both to have a set for their wedding day. Shhhh...so don’t tell them!! Liz also bought a necklace and an earring set in pink. They are very cool!
Now, it’s onto the Temple of Heaven. I had seen some really amazing pictures of the temple. However, they are in the middle of a major restoration. As is the rest of the city in the preparation for the 2008 Olympics. We were not allow inside the temple which was a huge bummer to me. Oh well! As of right now, I can’t think of what exactly all the uses for the temple are (it’s 2:30 am here in China!), but I will tomorrow!
Last but not least, we took in the acrobatics show. One word: WOW! That’s all I said over and over again. These people can do some fantastic things! I had a very hard time staying awake during the show. We walked a million miles today and I was super tired. We had a typical American dinner by having McDonald’s.
We hope everyone at home is doing well. Grams...take care of yourself. No more hospitals. Talk about stress!! Cameron and Anna, Mommy and Daddy wish you were here! We love you very much and hope you are having a good time with Aunt Theresa, Grandma Denise and Aunt Pam. Have you made any cookies yet? :-)
Well, I better get. It’s nearly 3:00am here and I need some more sleep. We are headed to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace tomorrow!! Love you all!!
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Who was the person that posted earlier???
Let’s try this post again...this time with a few more brain cells firing. :-) I was about half dead when I posted earlier. Sorry the picture never showed up. After being awake for so long, my head wasn’t functioning at full capacity. Although...after all this adoption stuff, I don’t know if my brain will ever function the same!!
We met Liz and Brion at the airport in Grand Rapids at about 8:15. Huge thanks to Aunt Pam and Uncle Mark for letting us park at their place and taking us to the airport. Who won the Grand Valley game by the way??
We left Grand Rapids at 10:20, seamless flight to Chicago with no troubles. Once in Chicago we decided to find something to eat and got small subs from Quiznos. After a small wait we boarded the large Boeing 777 plane...United flight 851 to Beijing. WOW! It’s really happening!!!
Our flight to Beijing was also seamless. No major troubles of any kind. Our seats were close to the aisle, close to the bathrooms and were near the back of the plane. The food! Oh my!! We had 3 meals. Let me back up. We had drinks and the standard airline pretzels. Within an hour they served lunch. I had lasagna and Wayne had a stewed beef and potatoes. Both were quite good. Then it was lights out. Like some sort of preschool in the sky...they fed us and then it was time to take naps. Sometime later they served beefy ramen noodles. Our first experience with chopsticks and eating on the plane. I think that we both faired well since we didn’t go hungry that meal! Just before arriving in Beijing they served another full meal of beef and noodles or manicotti. All the food was very good and all the flight attendants were very nice and friendly. Something that I can not say about Northwest flight attendants.
On the plane we met 2 other families that were adopting. One family from Wisconsin (who Wayne talked deer hunting with for some time...the wife was nice as well) and the other from Illinois I think. They were traveling with their 3 kids. UGH! No thanks! Cam and Anna, we love you, but there was no way that we could have had you sit on a plane for 14 hours. We did have our own TV screens with a selection of movies. Wayne watched ‘Bruce Almighty’ about 5 times. I watched a ton of Chinese culture shows. It was like the Chinese equivalent of The Discovery Channel.
After arriving at the Beijing airport we were herded like cattle to drop off 3 forms that we had filled out on the plane. One for health, one for immigration, and one for customs. I was worried about going through immigration and having them check out our passports. I have no idea why...I guess I just like to worry! All 4 of us made it through with flying colors. YAY!
Once outside the airport we were met by our guide, Tracy. Her Chinese name is entirely too hard for Americans to pronounce, so she has chosen an American name. It makes sense... We were then driven to our hotel which is ok. It looks a bit like Chicago outside our room when we stayed at a Comfort Inn. The hotel itself is alright. I feel safe.
I’m not sure exactly what the plan is for tomorrow, but I do know that it starts at 8:30am China time (they are 13 hours ahead of us, remember). OH! One weirdo fact about our hotel...you need to leave the keys in this little slot near the door to keep the electricity running. Liz and Brion pulled their keys out and lost power. Most strange!
Ok, I need to try to get some sleep and relax. Please continue to pray for us and for our family as we travel through China and for our family at home.
Here are the pictures that I wanted to post:
We met Liz and Brion at the airport in Grand Rapids at about 8:15. Huge thanks to Aunt Pam and Uncle Mark for letting us park at their place and taking us to the airport. Who won the Grand Valley game by the way??
We left Grand Rapids at 10:20, seamless flight to Chicago with no troubles. Once in Chicago we decided to find something to eat and got small subs from Quiznos. After a small wait we boarded the large Boeing 777 plane...United flight 851 to Beijing. WOW! It’s really happening!!!
Our flight to Beijing was also seamless. No major troubles of any kind. Our seats were close to the aisle, close to the bathrooms and were near the back of the plane. The food! Oh my!! We had 3 meals. Let me back up. We had drinks and the standard airline pretzels. Within an hour they served lunch. I had lasagna and Wayne had a stewed beef and potatoes. Both were quite good. Then it was lights out. Like some sort of preschool in the sky...they fed us and then it was time to take naps. Sometime later they served beefy ramen noodles. Our first experience with chopsticks and eating on the plane. I think that we both faired well since we didn’t go hungry that meal! Just before arriving in Beijing they served another full meal of beef and noodles or manicotti. All the food was very good and all the flight attendants were very nice and friendly. Something that I can not say about Northwest flight attendants.
On the plane we met 2 other families that were adopting. One family from Wisconsin (who Wayne talked deer hunting with for some time...the wife was nice as well) and the other from Illinois I think. They were traveling with their 3 kids. UGH! No thanks! Cam and Anna, we love you, but there was no way that we could have had you sit on a plane for 14 hours. We did have our own TV screens with a selection of movies. Wayne watched ‘Bruce Almighty’ about 5 times. I watched a ton of Chinese culture shows. It was like the Chinese equivalent of The Discovery Channel.
After arriving at the Beijing airport we were herded like cattle to drop off 3 forms that we had filled out on the plane. One for health, one for immigration, and one for customs. I was worried about going through immigration and having them check out our passports. I have no idea why...I guess I just like to worry! All 4 of us made it through with flying colors. YAY!
Once outside the airport we were met by our guide, Tracy. Her Chinese name is entirely too hard for Americans to pronounce, so she has chosen an American name. It makes sense... We were then driven to our hotel which is ok. It looks a bit like Chicago outside our room when we stayed at a Comfort Inn. The hotel itself is alright. I feel safe.
I’m not sure exactly what the plan is for tomorrow, but I do know that it starts at 8:30am China time (they are 13 hours ahead of us, remember). OH! One weirdo fact about our hotel...you need to leave the keys in this little slot near the door to keep the electricity running. Liz and Brion pulled their keys out and lost power. Most strange!
Ok, I need to try to get some sleep and relax. Please continue to pray for us and for our family as we travel through China and for our family at home.
Here are the pictures that I wanted to post:
YAY!!! We are here!!
Just a quick post to let you know that we arrived safely. The flight from Chicago to Beijing was about 14 hours and went very smooth. Sleeping was tough and now Wayne and I are super tired. I wanted to let every know that we got here ok. Here is a picture of one of the maps on the plane.
I promise to write more tomorrow!! We love you Cameron and Anna!!! :-)
I promise to write more tomorrow!! We love you Cameron and Anna!!! :-)
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
What does Harry Potter have to do with China?
Well, nothing really...although there is an Chinese girl in the new movie. :-) Wayne took me to see the movie tonight! I'm a super huge HP fan...love the books...love the movies. I had to see the new movie before we left for China. There's no other way to see those kind of movies except for in a theatre.
So...you came to the site wanting to know more about our trip. Well, we are in the process of packing, repacking and weighting our luggage. We are allowed one checked piece and one carry-on per person on the in China flights, so that's we are hoping to accomplish. Our one checked piece can only be 44 lbs. Ever try to pack for a 2 week trip to a foreign country taking gifts, new clothes, diapers, wipes for a 2 year old? Good luck!! It's not going all that well. I'm a compulsive over-packer. I like to be prepared for anything. It's hard to know what to take and what you can buy in China. Blah!!! Guess I really don't need 3 pairs of shoes...
We are now 2 days (well technically 3) away from leaving...It's almost surreal. We are less than 58 hours away from the most life changing event. How can this be happening?? We started this journey back in late March...here we are 8 1/2 months later bringing a new daughter into our lives. I will say that these past 8 months have been easier in some ways, harder in others than a real pregnancy. Physically, it's way easier although I have gained almost 10 pounds. Hahaha! Emotionally, it's harder knowing that your child is thousands of miles away and has no idea that her world is about to change forever. Wayne and I have never questioned our decision to adopt Julia. From the night that we told Mary Zoet that we wanted to put Julia on hold, we never looked back. Everything about this has just felt right. Liz and Brion (the family that we will be traveling with) made a statement in their journal that says: "is adopting a child at our age crazy or a calling? I think the answer is "both" ". Well, our age isn't in question, but we do feel as though it was a calling for us and a little bit of craziness. :-)
Thanks again to all our friends and family that have supported us (especially, my parents, grandparents, my sisters, Uncle Eric and Aunt Shell, Aunt Cheryl...). To all my cyber friends in the Late August DTC group and the WCC group, you are the BESTEST!!! You all made our wait so much more bearable. I can't wait to share with Julia and Anna the stories of tutus, how shopping in Target brings on TA's, how Sharon M.'s camper is now my shrine, and the wonderful friendships that I have formed with some of the most amazing women. Wayne and I know that without your love and guidance we may have not made it through with our senses of humor intact. :-) I truly am blessed by what you have all done for us.
Ok...I need to get some sleep. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and I will try to update again before we leave. G'Night!
So...you came to the site wanting to know more about our trip. Well, we are in the process of packing, repacking and weighting our luggage. We are allowed one checked piece and one carry-on per person on the in China flights, so that's we are hoping to accomplish. Our one checked piece can only be 44 lbs. Ever try to pack for a 2 week trip to a foreign country taking gifts, new clothes, diapers, wipes for a 2 year old? Good luck!! It's not going all that well. I'm a compulsive over-packer. I like to be prepared for anything. It's hard to know what to take and what you can buy in China. Blah!!! Guess I really don't need 3 pairs of shoes...
We are now 2 days (well technically 3) away from leaving...It's almost surreal. We are less than 58 hours away from the most life changing event. How can this be happening?? We started this journey back in late March...here we are 8 1/2 months later bringing a new daughter into our lives. I will say that these past 8 months have been easier in some ways, harder in others than a real pregnancy. Physically, it's way easier although I have gained almost 10 pounds. Hahaha! Emotionally, it's harder knowing that your child is thousands of miles away and has no idea that her world is about to change forever. Wayne and I have never questioned our decision to adopt Julia. From the night that we told Mary Zoet that we wanted to put Julia on hold, we never looked back. Everything about this has just felt right. Liz and Brion (the family that we will be traveling with) made a statement in their journal that says: "is adopting a child at our age crazy or a calling? I think the answer is "both" ". Well, our age isn't in question, but we do feel as though it was a calling for us and a little bit of craziness. :-)
Thanks again to all our friends and family that have supported us (especially, my parents, grandparents, my sisters, Uncle Eric and Aunt Shell, Aunt Cheryl...). To all my cyber friends in the Late August DTC group and the WCC group, you are the BESTEST!!! You all made our wait so much more bearable. I can't wait to share with Julia and Anna the stories of tutus, how shopping in Target brings on TA's, how Sharon M.'s camper is now my shrine, and the wonderful friendships that I have formed with some of the most amazing women. Wayne and I know that without your love and guidance we may have not made it through with our senses of humor intact. :-) I truly am blessed by what you have all done for us.
Ok...I need to get some sleep. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and I will try to update again before we leave. G'Night!
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Please add yourself to our map!!
I wanted to post our map again so people would know to check it out:
http://www.frappr.com/bringinghomejulia
Please add yourself to the map. :-) Thanks!!
http://www.frappr.com/bringinghomejulia
Please add yourself to the map. :-) Thanks!!
Flight Schedules--Part 2
So...we really didn't want to come home from China...Actually, our agency couldn't get us flights out with Liz and Brion on the 10th, so we are stuck in Guangzhou for an extra day. I'm really ok with it. We will get to hook up with the Baldwins and hopefully take a Pearl Rive cruise with them. I can't wait to meet their new daughter, Maddie. She is also 2 and a super cutie. We're hoping to get "red couch" pictures of Julia and Maddie together. It's an adoption custom to take pictures of the adopted children on the red couches at the White Swan hotel.
So what about the flight schedules? Here's the new plan:
Leave China at 9:20, arrive in Hong Kong, leave HK for San Francisco. We will have a 3 hour layover in San Francisco (boo!) and then we head to Chicago. We be in Chicago for a bit then it's finally home at least to Grand Rapids, at 9:12PM. Yes, 9:12 in the evening. Another BOOOO! I will be letting the school know that Cam and Anna will not be coming in on that Monday.
So, that's the latest news. We are hoping to get our intinerary on Monday and will have better details on the what/when/where we'll be when we are in China. :-)
So what about the flight schedules? Here's the new plan:
Leave China at 9:20, arrive in Hong Kong, leave HK for San Francisco. We will have a 3 hour layover in San Francisco (boo!) and then we head to Chicago. We be in Chicago for a bit then it's finally home at least to Grand Rapids, at 9:12PM. Yes, 9:12 in the evening. Another BOOOO! I will be letting the school know that Cam and Anna will not be coming in on that Monday.
So, that's the latest news. We are hoping to get our intinerary on Monday and will have better details on the what/when/where we'll be when we are in China. :-)
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Flight Schedules
I talked with Elli with Travel Intregue. We are now the proud owners of 2 tickets to China!! Here's our itinerary:
Depart Grand Rapids at 10:20am--Arrive Chicago at10:18am
Depart Chicago at 12:05pm--Arrive Beijing at 3:40 (No, that not a 3 1/2 hour flight, it's 13 1/2!!!)
Depart Guangzhou at 8:20am--Arrive Hong Kong at 9:05am
Depart Hong Kong at 11:35am--Arrive Chicago at 11:04am (SOOO not a 5 minute flight!!)
Depart Chicago at 1:05pm--Arrive Grand Rapids at 2:58pm
Phew...I can't imagine what I will look like after traveling that length of time! I will try to update our journal when we arrive in Beijing, although I'm not sure what they have planned for us. Tomorrow I should have a better intinerary of what exactly we are doing. Stay tuned!
Depart Grand Rapids at 10:20am--Arrive Chicago at10:18am
Depart Chicago at 12:05pm--Arrive Beijing at 3:40 (No, that not a 3 1/2 hour flight, it's 13 1/2!!!)
Depart Guangzhou at 8:20am--Arrive Hong Kong at 9:05am
Depart Hong Kong at 11:35am--Arrive Chicago at 11:04am (SOOO not a 5 minute flight!!)
Depart Chicago at 1:05pm--Arrive Grand Rapids at 2:58pm
Phew...I can't imagine what I will look like after traveling that length of time! I will try to update our journal when we arrive in Beijing, although I'm not sure what they have planned for us. Tomorrow I should have a better intinerary of what exactly we are doing. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Watch out CHINA, HERE WE COME!! WE GOT DATES!!
WWWWWWWWWWWoooooooooooWWWWWWWWW!!! Ready for this???? We leave on the 26th of this month! HOLY MOLEY! 2 days after Thanksgiving!!! Here's our tentative agenda:
Leave Grand Rapids on the 26th
Arrive Beijing CHINA on the 27th
Tour Beijing for about 2 days
Head for Wuhan, Hubei on the 29th
MEET JULIA ON THE 30th!!!!
Stay in Wuhan until the 7th
Leave for Guangzhou (gwun-joe) late on the 7th
Embassy appointment on the 8th
Swearing in ceremony on the 9th
Leave to come home on the 10th!
I will have a better itinerary later this week detailing what exactly we will be doing. Thanks to Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Shell and Uncle Eric and Miss Jenny for posting comments. We plan to print out the comments and my entire journal for Julia's life book. Thanks so much!!
Enough for tonight, Wayne and I have to look at flights!! Love to all!
Leave Grand Rapids on the 26th
Arrive Beijing CHINA on the 27th
Tour Beijing for about 2 days
Head for Wuhan, Hubei on the 29th
MEET JULIA ON THE 30th!!!!
Stay in Wuhan until the 7th
Leave for Guangzhou (gwun-joe) late on the 7th
Embassy appointment on the 8th
Swearing in ceremony on the 9th
Leave to come home on the 10th!
I will have a better itinerary later this week detailing what exactly we will be doing. Thanks to Aunt Cheryl, Aunt Shell and Uncle Eric and Miss Jenny for posting comments. We plan to print out the comments and my entire journal for Julia's life book. Thanks so much!!
Enough for tonight, Wayne and I have to look at flights!! Love to all!
Monday, November 14, 2005
It came!! It came!! Our TA!! TA!! TA!!
Ohhhh yeahhhh!! At 9:30-something, Mary called from AAI. Our travel approval arrived!! Yes....you heard right. Our travel approval arrived. As did Liz and Brion's and another family. I'm sure that we will be meeting them soon. Today was the day for TA's as of now, I think there are at least 12 on the WCC/lateaugust boards. Isn't that AMAZING. I mentioned CCAA getting the enema they needed to get the TA's moving and it flowing well now. We are now hoping for a CA (consulate appointment) on 12/12. That means we would leave on 12/1 and get home around the 14th. Hang on Julia, Momma and Daddy are coming sweety. It's getting so close!
I will let you know when we are scheduled to leave!!
I will let you know when we are scheduled to leave!!
Friday, November 11, 2005
Well, if I can't get to China, I will read about it!
Here are some links to websites that I've been checking out as we wait for our travel approval. Enjoy! We will start in Beijing, spending a few days there touring the area and seeing some amazing sites. The Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tian'anmen Square, The Forbidden City just to name a few. I'm hoping to take a pedicab ride as well. Mark K. mentioned the hutong tours I hope we get to take one of those too.
After we tour Beijing, then it will be on to Julia's home province. She is from Xianning City, Hubei. From other families that have traveled to Hubei, it's beautiful. Maybe not the cities, but the countryside is. We will arrive in Wuhan, Hubei. Wuhan is about an hour and a half from Xianning City. Julia will be brought to us there either at the civil affairs office or at our hotel. We will be in Wuhan for almost a week as we do much paperwork for the adoption. While there we plan to tour The Yellow Crane Tower, Hubei Provincial Museum and one of Mao's summer houses in Wuhan.
Once the paperwork is complete in Wuhan, it's on to Guangzhou. That is where the U.S. Embassy is located. Julia will have a medical exam and her visa photo taken there. There is more paperwork to be completed so her visa can be processed. We will spend about 3-4 days in Guangzhou where I've heard the shopping is WONDERFUL! :-)
Enjoy the links as you check out where we will be headed!!
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing.htm
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/hubei/
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/wuhan.htm
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangzhou.htm
After we tour Beijing, then it will be on to Julia's home province. She is from Xianning City, Hubei. From other families that have traveled to Hubei, it's beautiful. Maybe not the cities, but the countryside is. We will arrive in Wuhan, Hubei. Wuhan is about an hour and a half from Xianning City. Julia will be brought to us there either at the civil affairs office or at our hotel. We will be in Wuhan for almost a week as we do much paperwork for the adoption. While there we plan to tour The Yellow Crane Tower, Hubei Provincial Museum and one of Mao's summer houses in Wuhan.
Once the paperwork is complete in Wuhan, it's on to Guangzhou. That is where the U.S. Embassy is located. Julia will have a medical exam and her visa photo taken there. There is more paperwork to be completed so her visa can be processed. We will spend about 3-4 days in Guangzhou where I've heard the shopping is WONDERFUL! :-)
Enjoy the links as you check out where we will be headed!!
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/beijing.htm
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/hubei/
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/wuhan.htm
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/guangzhou.htm
Sunday, November 6, 2005
"...We don't know when we will be going..."
I've had to answer that question about one time too many! I know people are just curious but it seems as though the same people keep asking the same question!! ~sigh~ It's like being asked "When are you due?" or "Haven't you had that baby yet?" No, we haven't had the baby yet. She's still in China oblivious to what is about to happen. I've been praying for a smooth transition and for the foster family. I know they have cared for Julia since she came to the orphanage. I put a picture that Michelle took into a frame for the foster mom. We also just bought a ton of chocolate to take over for the officials. I know it's going to be hard on everyone.
Here's the timeline so far that I wanted to post awhile back and never did:
Late March...saw AAI website
April 4th...called AAI to request file for a little girl with no ear
April 5th...GOT THE FILE, She's even more adorable than we first thought! Her name is Lu Yin Gui and her birthday is October 14, 2003.
April 19th...attended International info meeting in G.R., Mary tells us that she is putting Lu Yin Gui on hold for us, we're doing it! Met Michelle for the first time.
May5th...send out prelim application
May 9th...had passport pictures taken
May 15th...Filled out full app
May 26th...sent our Letter of Intent to China to adopt Lu Yin Gui
May 26th...first home study visit with Mary Beth
May 26th...got fingerprint appointments from USCIS
June 2nd...2nd visit with Mary Beth for home study
June 10th...Mary sent new pictures of Julia! OH MY GOODNESS!
June 11th...Watched the video of Julia that Michelle took while in China
June 11th...Went to Kentwood for fingerprints
June 16th...Pre-approval! China says we are approved to adopt a little girl who is now know to us as Julia Renee YinGui
June 27th...last home study visit!!
June 30th...Got Julia's Finding Ad from Brian Stuy at Research-China.com
July 25th...sent home study to Officer Teske at USCIS
July 30th...got I-171H!
August 17th...Dossier sent to China!!
August 31st...Dossier logged into CCAA
October 11th...Brown Envelope arrived!
October 17th...Sent passports out to get the visa stamp
October 25th...Passports came back from Chinese consulate in Chicago!
So...that brings us to today. We are hoping that we hear from Mary at AAI tomorrow. I don't care if we don't get to China until December, I just want that stinkin' TA! :-) Enough for tonight. Please pray for a safe trip tomorrow for Randy and Michelle. They leave for China to bring home their daughter Avery. Avery is the same age as Julia. We can't wait to get the girls together to play. Of course we will invite Isaac to play too. He's only one day younger than Julia. :-)
G'Night!
Here's the timeline so far that I wanted to post awhile back and never did:
Late March...saw AAI website
April 4th...called AAI to request file for a little girl with no ear
April 5th...GOT THE FILE, She's even more adorable than we first thought! Her name is Lu Yin Gui and her birthday is October 14, 2003.
April 19th...attended International info meeting in G.R., Mary tells us that she is putting Lu Yin Gui on hold for us, we're doing it! Met Michelle for the first time.
May5th...send out prelim application
May 9th...had passport pictures taken
May 15th...Filled out full app
May 26th...sent our Letter of Intent to China to adopt Lu Yin Gui
May 26th...first home study visit with Mary Beth
May 26th...got fingerprint appointments from USCIS
June 2nd...2nd visit with Mary Beth for home study
June 10th...Mary sent new pictures of Julia! OH MY GOODNESS!
June 11th...Watched the video of Julia that Michelle took while in China
June 11th...Went to Kentwood for fingerprints
June 16th...Pre-approval! China says we are approved to adopt a little girl who is now know to us as Julia Renee YinGui
June 27th...last home study visit!!
June 30th...Got Julia's Finding Ad from Brian Stuy at Research-China.com
July 25th...sent home study to Officer Teske at USCIS
July 30th...got I-171H!
August 17th...Dossier sent to China!!
August 31st...Dossier logged into CCAA
October 11th...Brown Envelope arrived!
October 17th...Sent passports out to get the visa stamp
October 25th...Passports came back from Chinese consulate in Chicago!
So...that brings us to today. We are hoping that we hear from Mary at AAI tomorrow. I don't care if we don't get to China until December, I just want that stinkin' TA! :-) Enough for tonight. Please pray for a safe trip tomorrow for Randy and Michelle. They leave for China to bring home their daughter Avery. Avery is the same age as Julia. We can't wait to get the girls together to play. Of course we will invite Isaac to play too. He's only one day younger than Julia. :-)
G'Night!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Who is waiting for Julia?
Here are some of the folks and furry friends that are waiting for Julia! We are hoping that tomorrow is the day that we find out what is happening!! Keep us in your prayers!!
Here is a map that you can add yourself to! It's a pretty cool thing!
http://www.frappr.com/bringinghomejulia
Here is a map that you can add yourself to! It's a pretty cool thing!
http://www.frappr.com/bringinghomejulia
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Still waiting...
As you can tell by the title, we are still waiting to hear about our TA (travel approval). Michelle and Randy got their last Thursday. I was bummed. More like down right depressed. I cried and yelled. After the small tantrum I realized there is no rhyme or reason for why people get their travel approvals. It's just we had planned on all going together. Ah well. Melissa and Larry B. haven't got their TA either and we really hope we get to the White Swan together. I will post links of 2 of the hotels that we are thinking we will be at. I'm not sure of the one in Beijing yet. I do know that I want to stay at the Wuhan Mayflower Hotel. Michelle stayed here and loved it. It seems nice. I can't get a link to work, so I will wait to post pictures later. :-)
As for being in Guangzhou (gwan-joe), we will be at the White Swan. It's where most adoptive families stay on their way out of China after the Embassy appointments. Here's the link for the White Swan: http://www.whiteswanhotel.com/eng/Public/index.asp
So....we sit and wait to hear from Ming on Monday. Let's hope and pray that we get the word this week! :-)
As for being in Guangzhou (gwan-joe), we will be at the White Swan. It's where most adoptive families stay on their way out of China after the Embassy appointments. Here's the link for the White Swan: http://www.whiteswanhotel.com/eng/Public/index.asp
So....we sit and wait to hear from Ming on Monday. Let's hope and pray that we get the word this week! :-)
Friday, October 21, 2005
Let the PACKING begin...
Since we have now begun our approach to the final leg of this journey, I have started to pack. Yes, pack. Why you ask? Because I had no idea how much stuff that I would want to take!! All the gifts for guides, foster parents, for Director Lu. Julia's things...clothes, snacks, toys, the ladybug backpack for Gotcha Day. I have my LL Bean bathroom bag STUFFED full of all kinds of medicines, potions, lotions and pills that we may need for the trip. I need to recheck what the dimentions are for luggage and for weight limits. Ugh, this could be the typical Melissa pack job, OVERWEIGHT. (No pun intended!) Right now I have an entire suitcase full of stuff to take. Wayne is going to have to pack super light! Hahaha! I also have packed a collapsable duffle/suitcase for all the souvenirs that I want to bring back. I just know that everyone is gonna love their Christmas presents from China. :-) So as for the waiting...we are now day 51. I am so hoping for a less than 70 day wait. I sure would like to be in China for Thanksgiving. Peking Duck and tea for my holiday dinner, please. I am sad when I think of leaving the kids for 2 weeks. yikes. What is Anna going to do? Well, she will have her Grammy Darlene and Poppa Bill. Speaking of Poppa Bill, he had surgery today to fix his foot. I sure hope all is well. I haven't heard anything yet. Cam I don't think is too worried about us going. I need to find out when elementary basketball starts. He wants to play again. I'm researching phone cards and cell phone rentals for the trip. Wayne will need a cell for work and I think it's just a good idea to have one incase something happens to the kids.
So...let's summerize where we are at. Still no idea of when we will travel. Travel approvals have been coming any time after about the 60 day mark. Let's hope and pray that is the case for us as well. Our visas should be back next week, around Wednesday. YAY! Yet another step closer. I will keep everyone updated on the progress and once we pick a website to host our travel journal I will send that along as well. Take care!!
So...let's summerize where we are at. Still no idea of when we will travel. Travel approvals have been coming any time after about the 60 day mark. Let's hope and pray that is the case for us as well. Our visas should be back next week, around Wednesday. YAY! Yet another step closer. I will keep everyone updated on the progress and once we pick a website to host our travel journal I will send that along as well. Take care!!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Visas
I got an email yesterday from Denise Hope saying that she dropped off our visa applications and that they would be ready on the 25th. YAY! I'm still thinking that our TA will come on or around the 3rd of Novemeber. No idea why, but it works with the 17th date that I feel is the day we will leave.
We are now waiting to hear from Wayne's boss to see how much he is going to help us out. He previously had told Wayne that he could possibly cover the orphanage donation ($3000) and maybe more. Oh, if it only happens that way. I can hardly believe we are getting this close to the end. Could it be that in one short month from now that we will be in China??
We are now waiting to hear from Wayne's boss to see how much he is going to help us out. He previously had told Wayne that he could possibly cover the orphanage donation ($3000) and maybe more. Oh, if it only happens that way. I can hardly believe we are getting this close to the end. Could it be that in one short month from now that we will be in China??
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