The Great Wall

The highlight of our day today was our tour of the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall.  Our guide, John Yellowcar, picked us up at our hotel at 7:00 am.

He was a great driver and lots of fun!  It was about a 90 minute drive to get to the Great Wall.  We left the big city of Beijing and traded the heavy traffic and smog for the beauty of the countryside.  We went through several small villages and loved seeing all of the people, young and old, riding scooters and bicycles through the small towns.  The roadsigns were often a bit amusing....

We arrived at the Great Wall about 8:30 am.  John helped us buy our tickets and we were on our way. This section of the Great Wall was constructed during the Northern Dynasties period (386-581) and was restored by Ming emperors between 1368-1644. It historically provided a northern border to Beijing.  It stretches 1.4 miles and has 22 blockhouses and watchtowers.  

We rode a chair lift up to the wall.  All I can say is that I really did not know I could be THAT scared of heights!  It was really, really high and had no straps to hold us in, just a bar that seemed really far away.  Josh kept asking the entire way if we would die if we fell out...ummm, yes, and please stop reminding me!

The scenery was amazingly beautiful.  Climbing all the stairs was great fun, but exhausting!  It ended up being quite a workout!!  We climbed up to five watchtowers...the last of which had no real stairs and we had to actually climb over the rocks....that was the last one for me.  While we climbed, Anita stayed at the first watchtower and had her photo taken with various groups of Chinese tourists...I think they all wanted to be photographed with the American!

We were able to add our "Lock of Love" to the Great Wall.  This is a tradition where couples, family members, or close friends take a padlock and lock it on a fence, pole, or metallic chain alongside the wall at a public place.  This symbolizes that their relationship is locked forever.  The keys are thrown over the edge of the wall.

Instead of riding the chair lift back down, we took the toboggan slide.  This was so much fun!  You could control the speed with the brake in the middle.  We all loved this!

We met back up with John Yellowcar and he took us to lunch at a local Chinese restaurant.  We had fried rice, dumplings, and beef noodles plus four cokes....all for under $10.  This included his meal as well.  We then drove by the 2008 Olympic Park where we saw the famous Bird's Nest. 

Next, he took us to the Summer Palace.  Long ago, this is where the emperor would spend his summers since it was cooler there than in the city.  It was very crowded, but interesting to see.  We all took one and only one bite of our first green pea Popsicle (yes, you read that correctly!) and then we rode the dragon boat back to the entrance.

After resting a bit at the hotel, we met up with the Meineke family from Kentucky and went to Snack Street.  This is the one thing that Josh has been waiting for....starfish on sticks!  We did NOT eat anything, but it was truly something to see.  And I won't even begin to tell you about the smells!  

We left snack street and headed to a cathedral....

...and then ended the night at this five story shopping mall.

Then back to the hotel to get to bed early, with hopes of actually sleeping though the night tonight!

We made it!

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are in China!  It is a little surreal to me that we are actually here!  We left Albany Thursday morning at 6:30 am and drove to Atlanta.  We parked our car, gathered up all the bags (which by the way, I am already convinced we brought too much stuff!), and rode a shuttle to the airport.  We checked in, ate lunch at the airport's branch of The Varsity, and then went to find our plane.  Will and Josh were quite impressed at the size of this airplane!

All in all, Korean Air was great!  We boarded at 1:00, they fed us lunch or dinner at 3:30 and then the entire plane (except for us and the crew!) went to sleep.

In flight entertainment was good....the plane had cameras on the front so that you could watch the takeoff from the pilot's view and cameras on the bottom so you could see what we were passing over.  The boys watched the feed from these cameras for a while and then switched to video games!  I watched the episode of "Friends" where Ross gets the  spray tan....one of my favorites!....and then watched "Safe Haven".  We tried to sleep...Anita and I actually did sleep some, but the boys were never convinced that it was time to sleep because it was still light outside.  We flew west the entire time, so the sun never set!  

We finally arrived in Seoul, Korea, and made it through the temperature sensors (thank goodness no one was quarantined!).  We had to go back through security and then we finally found something to eat.  But this time, I was feeling a bit nauseous from the flight so I just wanted to sit and eat something to try and settle my stomach.  We found a KFC and a Burger King...not exactly sure that BK was the best thing for my queasy stomach, but it was what we had.  We paid and finally found a seat in the extremely crowded food court.  Just as we started to eat, we heard an announcement saying "last boarding call" for our flight to Beijing!  So much for a peaceful meal!!  We carried our food with us and hurried to the gate.  We got on the flight with very little time to spare.  I don't want to think what would have happened if we had missed this flight!

This flight to Beijing was easy, only two hours, so we were landing before we knew it.  We made it through immigration, found our bags, cleared security again in customs, and then found our guide from the travel agency.  

The guide drove us around Beijing for about 45 minutes on the way to our hotel.  Beijing is big with lots of traffic.  It really reminds me of Atlanta.  Our guide helped us check into our hotel.  We hope to get in bed early because John Yellowcar, a favorite guide of adoptive families, will be meeting us at 7:00 am to take us to the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, and the Olympic Bird's Nest.

Thanks to everyone who is sending prayers up on our behalf!  Keep them coming...we can definitely feel them!  We are so thankful for all of the support of our family and friends back home.  The emails and Facebook comments have been so encouraging.  We love you all!

On our way!

We are sitting at the Atlanta airport, waiting to board our flight!  Seems completely unreal that we are about to leave for China!  The boys are really excited and are enjoying watching the planes.  The next time I update, we will have that long 15 hour flight DONE!

10 Days to GO!!!

The countdown has begun....10 days and counting! Flights have been booked, hotels have been reserved, and we have officially started the packing!

Our itinerary looks like:

Thursday, August 29 and Friday, August 30 --> Our flight leaves out of Atlanta at 1:30 pm on Thursday, arriving in Seoul at 5:15 pm on Friday.  This first flight is 14 hours and 45 minutes!  After a short layover, we will then leave from Seoul at 7:00 pm and arrive in Beijing (blue dot on map) at 8:05 pm. The second flight is just over two hours.  We will check into the Novotel Peace Hotel in Beijing and try to get some rest.

Saturday, August 31-->. Our guide will pick us up at 7:00 am and we will tour the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, the Summer Palace, and the Bird's Nest. If we are still awake that evening (which may be doubtful!), we plan to walk to "Snack Street" so Josh can see the starfish and grasshoppers (on sticks, I might add....he is not allowed to eat them, but he can look!)

Sunday, September 1 --> Our hotel is within walking distance of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square...if we are up to it, we may do a little more sightseeing.  Sunday afternoon, we will board the Bullet Train (ask either of my boys how fast this goes...they are so excited!).  We will travel to Tiayuan (see the map) which is the capital city of Shanxi Province. 

Monday, September 2 -->  GOTCHA Day!  Today is the day we meet Abigail!!  Due to the time difference, this will happen while all of you in America sleep Sunday night.  So please, pray for us before you go to bed Sunday!

Tuesday, September 3 --> Today we sign paperwork making the adoption final.

Wednesday, September 4 --> Free day.

Thursday, September 5 --> Free day.

Friday, September 6 --> Abigail's passport should be ready and we will leave for Guangzhou (last blue dot on the map).  Our flight leaves at 11:25 am, arriving at 1:55 am.  We are staying at the China Hotel (Marriott).

Saturday, September 7 --> Required medical check for Abigail.

Sunday, September 8 --> Free day.

Monday, September 9 --> Free day.

Tuesday, September 10 --> Consulate appointment at the U.S. Embassy

Wednesday, September 11 --> Receive Abigail's visa

Thursday, September 12 -->  Once we have Abigail's visa, we are ready to go.  Our flight leaves out of Guangzhou at 12:40 pm, arriving in Seoul at 5:05 pm.  We then leave Seoul at 7:15 pm, arriving in Atlanta at 8:05 pm.  Even though this last flight seems short, due to the time change, the flight is really 13 hours and 50 minutes.  Once in Atlanta, we have to clear customs and immigration, find our car, and then drive back to Albany.  It will be an incredibly long day, but once finished, we will be HOME!!!

Questions....

It is interesting to talk to people about adoption.

Especially interesting when I find myself telling someone that our family is about to adopt a child from China.  

Especially interesting considering that I am a single mom, with two children.  (And yes, when I bring Abigail home, that will make three!)

I have found all of these conversations to be quite similar, almost to the point where I could predict the questions.  You'd think with so much practice, I would be good with the answers and yet, I never feel like I express myself quite right.  

The simple truth is....I am adopting this child because God told me to.  

And being obedient to God is exactly where I want to be, every second of every day.

Do I think it is going to be hard to raise three children?  Yes.  

Am I worried about the adjustment of a child who has spent eight years in an orphanage?  Definitely.

Am I concerned that she does not speak English?  A little bit.

Am I concerned about her medical needs?  Absolutely.

Am I brave? No....more like scared to death.

Is she lucky?  Not really.  Lucky would mean that she was born to parents who could raise her.  Lucky would mean that she did not have to spend eight years in an orphanage.  Lucky would mean that she would not have to give up everything....her language, her culture, her heritage...just so that she could have a family.

Are we lucky?  You bet!  After all, adoption is something that is very close to God's heart.  God has adopted each of us and made us His children.  By adopting Abigail, I learn a little more about God's love for me.  And I catch a glimpse of how God longs for us to be at home with Him just as I long for Abigail to be at home with us.  

Read All About It!!!

We will soon be on our way!!  Plane tickets have been bought..we leave Thursday, August 29!  We fly out of Atlanta and then 14 hours and 45 minutes later (!!!), we arrive in Seoul.  From there, we take another plane and finally arrive in Beijing!  

We meet Abigail on Monday, September 2nd!  Absolutely cannot wait!!!  Our Consulate Appointment is Tuesday, September 10th and we fly home on Thursday, September 12.