We are home!!

We arrived home late Friday night, 5/25/07. We were so glad to be home. We really loved our trip to China and I definitely will be going back, but we are really glad to be home. We are still trying to get our sleeping worked out. Angel is still sleeping during the day and awake at night. Hopefully, we can work it out in a couple of days. My mom and sister are here and have been a big big help, buying groceries and cooking. We had a welcome home group meet us at the airport, which was so sweet since we got in pretty late. I really thank them all for coming out to greet us. It really meant a lot to me. Here is a picture of me and Angel arriving, our greeting group and a picture of Angel with my Mom and sister. Once we finally got home around 1:00, we were all wired. We finally got to bed around 4:00. I decided to go ahead and put Angel in her bed. By that time, she was really tired. Well around 7:00 am, I hear her crying. I go out of my bedroom and see her standing in the hallway outside of her room – in her pajamas WITH her shoes on. She had woken up and put on her shoes before coming out. Those shoes must really be a security item for her. I brought her into my bed and we slept almost all day the following day.
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Hong Kong

We took the train from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. We stayed at the Airport Hotel, which is pretty far from the train station. The next day we went to the Peak. A trolly car takes you up, up, up to the top of this mountain. There are restaurants, shops, etc up there. Best of all there is a magnificant view looking down on the harbor and these buidlings.

Consulate day

Yesterday was the consulate appointment. Daniel, our guide, told me to wait by the phone in case there was any problem. As some of you know, the families don't usually go to the actual consulate appointment. Anyway, sure enough, I received a call from Daniel saying there was an issue with my 171H. It was showing up as expired, which was wrong. I called Stefani and they were already on the case, but Daniel suggested I go to the consulate anyway, to try and sort out the issue. So Angel and I got in a taxi and went to the consulate. The person there did understand what the issue was and said they were working on getting it resolved. I think everything will be ok. We leave in a few minutes for the Oath, so hopefully I will be able to get Angel's visa then. Wheeew, that really got my heart rate going!!!

Six Banyan Temple

Today, after a wonderful buffet breakfast at the White Swan, we went to the Six Banyan Temple. It was very beautiful. The monks were performing a special blessing, which was very interesting. After staying there awhile, we went to the electronic market place. We bought a few DVD's. Josh was hoping to find some great deals on video games, but we weren't so lucky or we just did not go to the right area. It was very crowded. Afterwards, we came back to the hotel and Angel actually took a nap. We then went to dinner at Lucy's, which serves American food. The food is quite good but it was very busy tonight, so the service was not great.

Angel has discovered how much fun it is to take a bath. She would stay in the tub for hours if I would let her. I am glad she likes it, because she was really scared of a bath initially. She is still doing really good and seems to be attaching to me and Josh.

Medical Appointment and Pearl River Cruise

Today Angel had her medical appointment. She was a trooper and took it all in stride. As some of you know, this is a pretty big deal and we always hope for no surprises. Later, we took a dinner cruise on the Pearl River. It was alot of fun and Angel LOVED it. She loved looking out the window on the boat. She was probably seeing things she had never seen before.

We are in Guangzhou

We arrived in Guangzhou last night. Angel did so well on the flight. I was worried that she would freak out but she was a brave little girl again. We had her medical appointment this morning, and then Daniel, my guide, helped me complete the paperwork for the consolute appointment. Tonight we went on a dinner cruise down the Pearl River. We all enjoyed it but Angel loved it. It seems that she has a passion for water and fish. We are staying at the White Swan hotel, which has a beautiful waterfall in the lobby area. There are these huge fish in the water and she just loves looking at them. Tomorrow we go to the Six Banyan Tree Temple and then to do some shopping.

Gotcha Day!!

Yesterday was Gotcha Day!! Of course I was a nervous wreck but as soon as I saw Angel walking up the steps, I just knew everything would be ok. She was with a nanny from her orphanage and was being so brave. They had prepared her for what was going to happen and she began calling me Mama right away. However, once we left the building and tried to get in the van, she decided maybe this was not what she wanted. She cried all the way to the hotel and for about 10 minutes after we got to the room. She then calmed down and started to eat a candy that our driver gave her. She then started playing with all her toys, laughing and smiling. Later we went to the restaurant in the hotel, where she ate tons of rice. She did not want me give her a bath, but she did sleep soundly. She woke up in a good mood and did really well when we went back to the civil affairs office. She is a sweet girl who has stolen mine and Josh's hearts. She is amazed at all of the things she sees and is so easy going. She is doing amazingly well for all that she has been through. I know there may be some rough times ahead, but for now was are doing really good. God had blessed us greatly.

Chengdu and Panda Preserve

We left for Chengdu Sunday and when the guide picked us up at the airport, she informed me that Angel would be coming on Tuesday instead on Monday. Naturally, I was disappointed and worried that something would go wrong. I just put it in God's hands and tried not to worry too much. We decided to go to the Panda Preserve on Monday, to pass some of the time. If you ever go to Chengdu, this is a must. We really enjoyed our visit there and spent quite a while watching the 7 month old panda cubs in the Panda Kindergarten. They were so cute!!!

The Great Wall!!!

Today we went to the Great Wall. This was very exciting to me and Josh. He just studied about the Great Wall in school, so this was especially interesting to him. We actually ran into some people from our home town, and later found out that one of the guys we ran into works with a friend of mine. What a small world!!!

We have arrived!

We arrived in China on 5/10 and immediately went to the hotel and fell asleep. On Friday, our guide picked us up early and we went to the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Forbidden City. Our guide said she never saw a family do all of this in one day. It was wonderful, especially the Summer Palace. It is right beside a lake and was so peaceful. China is an amazing place. There are so many people here, millions in each city. I can believe how many people ride bikes here. There are as many bikes as cars. I can't believe there aren't more accidents.