handsful

So our internet access at the hotel in Beijing is . . . well, bad.  Slow connections, bandwidth limitations, and an apparent aversion to loading images.  Long story short, we are behind in posting and will try to catch up when we get to our new digs in Zhengzhou.  Everything is going great, outside of some cold/sinus problems, and we can’t wait to share it.

Today was very busy, and jet lag is hitting full force…but, I’m gonna blog at least some of our trip now because I know my audience is waiting. heh. Truthfully, my “gotta blog the trip” mentality won’t let me NOT blog. So…

This was our quick self-portrait as our flight left Atlanta for Seoul, Korea. See how happy we were?

Here we are after arriving in Beijing. Still happy, just worn out from ~ 18 hours of flying!

Today was our first day of touring in Beijing. We went to to the local Hutong neighborhood and met a couple who live in a large courtyard home. We learned that the wife was born there, and the house had originally been owned by her grandparents. Her daughter, son-in-law, and grandson also live with them. The property is worth 3 million american dollars. They have indoor plumbing and own a car. By China’s standards, they are doing well.

Our CCAI guide, George, translates for her as she tells us about her history and then answers our questions. She was very sweet and gracious.

The husband’s hobby is raising racing pigeons. Yep, you read that right. He’s won trophies and everything…here he is, trying to keep them off the roof. Most of the others were in cages.

The wife used to be a biology teacher and is now retired. Her ancestors were calligraphers, so she and her son-in-law continue the practice. We purchased one of the son’s works.

Okay, I’m stopping here and will pick up where I left off tomorrow! We’ll be at the Great Wall, Jade Factory, visit the Olympic games buildings, and then the acrobatic show. With all that coming up, I’ve gotta get some sleep! Night :)

We have arrived in Beijing :) My mind is mush, after being awake for the last 30 or so hours, so this will be short. Our flights went well, uneventful with the exception of a miscommunication with the Korean counter rep at Korean Air. Apparently when we asked for a window seat, she heard that we wanted NO window. It was all good, though. International airlines truly put American airlines to shame. We were fed 3 full meals across 2 flights. The last flight was only 1 1/2hr long. You MIGHT get peanuts on that flight in the US. I digress…

We’re at a lovely hotel downtown, the Traders. We’ll be up early for touring of the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, and we’ll take a rickshaw ride inside a traditional Hutong neighborhood where we’ll be invited inside someone’s home to learn a little bit about their lives. This was one of our favorite parts on our last trip.

More details later, going to crash on our not-so-soft beds. (the Chinese don’t like pillow-tops like us American’s do) I don’t think it’ll matter, given how tired I am. :)

Abbey, Marley, Payton, Ethan, and Lainey – being away from you is even harder than we thought it would be. We love you, and we’re thankful that Skype allows us to see each other and talk everyday. Hugs and kisses!!

Here it is, minus Randy’s computer bag. One of the larger duffles is full of donations for the orphanage. I can’t take credit though, friends and family bought and made wonderful things for the babies at Luoyang! We are so thankful.

We fly out at 7:10am. It’s 10:45 now, and I’m not sure when I’ll hit the sack…gotta spend some time with the kids who are also still up. Hoping I can sleep on the plane :)

Next post from Beijing!

Virtually no time for words here, but wanted to share our evening. We attended the Carolina Christmas at the Charlotte Motor Speedway…huge drive-through light show with music and tons of other fun stuff. Given we’ll be gone for half of December, we wanted to make some Christmas memories early.

We stopped the car so the kids could run out to the sign and pose.

I only had our point and shoot camera, but you get the idea. It was really pretty!

Of course, we looked at race cars.

Lainey found one just her size.

There were ponies to ride.

And animals to feed.

And, a first. A smiling Lainey with Santa. She still didn’t want to stand or sit by him without me, but it’s progress!

There was a lot of food. Delicious fudge, cinnamon almonds and pecans, and funnel cake. Lainey decided the powdered sugar shouldn’t go to waste.

And, what happens when you eat too much sugar? Crash! Sorry, it’s blurry…

So, what does this picture of our morning milk remind you of? Our Gotcha Day for Dylan, of course! I’m off to do more packing…

As Lainey would say.

We have 2 more full days to get ready for our trip to Dylan. Gracious. Thankfully, our master “to-do” list IS shrinking. Tomorrow, we take care of financial things, finish cleaning the house, and some last minute paperwork checking. Oh, and we should probably pack. Other than a few things in Dylan’s bag, we’ve not packed anything.

My mom is hyperventilating right now. Sorry, mom.

To make things even MORE interesting, we’re throwing in some early Christmas celebrating. We’re going to Carolina Christmas at the Charlotte Motor Speedway tomorrow night…huge drive through light show, Santa (which Lainey says she WILL sit on his lap…time will tell), and other Christmasy things. Then, on Tuesday, we pick up Gram at the train station and go directly to our downtown Christmas parade. Normally, I’m TOTALLY against doing anything remotely Christmasy before Thanksgiving. But, this year, there are no rules. Gotta celebrate when we can :)

Until the next post…maybe I’ll have time for a picture tomorrow? Of packed luggage maybe? Nah…

Our wonderful crew of kids…waiting on the last crew member.

We took our last ride out on the boat this past weekend, then pulled her out of the water. She’s at the shop, being winterized as I type. Something we never had to do in Florida!

I wonder what Dylan will think of the boat? Lainey was a little wary at first, but it didn’t take her long to love it. Dylan has no clue how his life is about to change. Sometimes I look at Lainey and think about the kind of child she’d be if she were still in that orphanage. I watched her run down the driveway the other day, head back, arms and legs flailing and laughing the whole way. Pure joy. I cannot WAIT to see Dylan living his life the way he was meant to. The way all kids deserve to. How I wish all of the orphans in China could have that.