Wednesday-Friday,
February 24-26, 2010
TRAVEL DAYS
Greetings from China!
Now we have only done this twice in our lives, but there seems
to be one common theme when you are going to China for 17 days
to adopt a child! When the door on the plane closes it is a
relief! There is nothing more you can physically do to get ready
for your trip. No more lists, no more Target runs, no more
weighing bags. It is a great feeling of exhausted accomplishment
and excitement for what is next in the journey!
We had a nice travel schedule for this trip. I was able to take
Ruby to pre-school and drop her off. She skipped into her class
more excited about the “Share Bag” she had been assigned, than
the sad Mom who was leaving her for 17 sleeps. We had a fun
Mommy/Daughter morning where we talked about “Camp H” and Sienna
Grace. I asked her if she would like to “Skype” with us while we
are in China. She said, “Maybe!” But, I might be too “Busy,
Busy, Busy!” (After the wonderful pictures we received from
“Camp H” today, that might just be true!)
When we got to the MSP airport we were pleasantly surprised that
we could check our bags all the way to Changsha! A huge blessing
to not have to pick them up in LAX and re-check them all in.
Thank you Lord!
Our flight to LAX went very well! When we arrived, my Blogger
friend Debbie was waiting for us with her precious Lily. It was
such a highlight for us to meet them in person. Thank you Debbie
for thinking of us!
Our flight to Guangzhou did not depart until 11:50pm. So, we
found a lounge to relax in for a while. Ainsley proved to us she
can sleep anywhere! Waking her up to go to our next destination
took a while. Well, it was 2am for her body! We were blessed
with a very un-eventful flight to Guangzhou which is exactly
what we had been praying for! We were blessed to meet up with
another Great Wall family in our group. They are traveling with
their five-year-old daughter, Avery to adopt her little sister.
The hours passed quickly for Ainsley and Avery as they
immediately hit it off! We were so proud of how well Ainsley did
on this very long trip. We know she is going to be a huge help
with her new sister!
We ended our almost 22 hours of flying time landing safely in
Changsha!
And we were thrilled to see that our bags traveled the journey
with us! Thank you Lord!! We were then picked up and escorted to
our beautiful hotel downtown.
I can’t end this first post, without sharing the beautiful
surprise I got in the hotel lobby. A hotel employee came up to
me with the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers, wrapped up like
they were for Miss America! When he gave them to me, he said
friends of yours sent these. You will see their note and more
when you get to your room… When we walked into the room there
was also a lovely bottle of wine! They were from two of our
favorite families! Thank you Kim & Jill!
Tomorrow we will venture out and enjoy the Chinese New Year
Celebration that is still going on here. It culminates on Sunday
with the Lantern Festivals. The decorations are everywhere! The
lanterns are so beautiful!
From the bottom of our humble hearts, thank you for your
faithful prayers that are lifting us up! Just know they are
being felt as we prepare to meet our little “Spicy Girl” that is
just three hours away from us! Sienna Grace, we can’t wait!
Blessings from Hunan,
~Diana, Jeff & Ainsley
Dear “Camp H”
Thank you for taking care of our precious Ruby Mei! It is beyond
meaningful to see her so happy in your home! Luke & Jake – thank
you for being such great big brothers to Ruby while we are away.
Not every brother would have a tea party with a smile!! And, to
our sweet precious Ruby, you look like you are having way too
much fun! We can’t wait to rub noses with you soon!!! Take care
of Miss Liz for us! We love you all! |
Ready to leave MSP
Debbie & Lily bless us with a visit in LAX
Excited to be on her way to China!
Loving the Slippers that were waiting for her!
Our Professional World Traveler! |
