Beijing Day 3

Well, we did not have our guide with us today.  It was a free day.  I thought that would come as a relief to be on our own schedule, but our guide and driver are awesome.  We have the same driver and guide all week and have really come to love them dearly.  I almost cried when we said goodbye.  So, we ventured out on our own.  We wanted to see the Temple of Heaven, so we managed to find the subway and make it to the right stop.

We found a Pizza Hut for lunch. It's not exactly the same food as an American Pizza Hut, but close enough that it was a much needed escape from Chinese food.  We went to the Pearl Market and Toy Market.  The girls loved it.  If you have never been to a market that you have to get feisty and dicker with the prices, put that on your bucket list.  It reminded me of the streets of Tiajuana Mexico.  Jeremy loved it and got us some great deals. When we left, the girls said "Those people are crazy!".  It was great!

Then to find dinner--on our own.  Let me remind you that everything is in Chinese.  We can't read street signs, menus, much less ask anyone.  So we decided to go to a place we were taken the night before.  This is where it begins to get crazy and I know that me telling this story is not as funny as it really was.  You would have had to be there.  Imagine a huge crowd of chinese people outside this restaurant.  We go inside and hold up 5 fingers.  She gives us a ticket--in chinese.  We have no idea what it says and it is a long note.  We find the number 54 at the top and assume that's our ticket number.  Even if it is, we have no idea what number they are calling.  We began to laugh hysterically. What have we done? I get out my trusty cheat sheet and look up the numbers 5 and 4. Woo shur shu. Great, everything they say sounds like woo shur shu.  We decided that when they called a number, we would just see if anyone acted like it was their number.  If not, it must be us. We waited and waited. Just when we were about to give up, we heard 'woo shur shu' over the speaker. We all screamed, that's us! The lady behind the desk started laughing at us. After being seated, we just pointed at want we wanted and everthing worked out. Great memories.  P.S. It's my dads birthday today. I'm sure he had a good laugh too.

Beijing Day 2

So, yesterday was a full day.  Our feet hurt so bad when we got back to the hotel that we didn't even go out for dinner.  In the morning we went to the Summer Palace.  Built in the 1400's, it's a place where the Emperor would spend the summer to escape the heat of Beijing.

Then we exchanged some money and went to lunch.  Our guide ordered us eight dishes for lunch.  Now you know why skipping dinner wasn't really a problem.  After lunch we went to Tiananmen Square.

And then to the Forbidden City. It is the place the Emperor lived. No one was allowed in, hence the name, Forbidden.  I've never seen anything so large in my life.  I know why they call it a 'city'. A building for eating, one for sleeping, one for meetings, several for all his concubines, etc... it was insane.  It made the white house look like the servants quarters.

The last event was The Legacy of Kung Fu show.  It told the story using music and dancing, no words.  It was an exhausting day, but so fun.  So grateful to live in America and have the freedoms we enjoy.

We have arrived!

Yeah. We are finally here and all is well. We left Salt Lake at 2pm on the 20th and arrived in Beijing at 8pm on the 21st. The flights were not as bad as I had imagined. Packing lots of fun stuff for the girls to do in their backpacks helped tremendously along with all the in-flight movies and games.

 Our hotel is called the Hulu and is located in one of the old Hutongs that was renovated and turned into a hotel.

On Wednesday, we got up and met our tour guide, Jasmine. Her husband picked us up from the airport. They are a very cute family and speak almost perfect English. We feel like royalty with our own tour guide and driver all day long. We went to the Jade factory first.

They showed us how the Jade is carved and taught us how to tell the difference in real jade and the fake stuff. One of the coolest pieces of Jade is a family ball. It starts as one ball and when they are done, it has 4 layers that move independently. On the outside is a carved dragon and phoenix. It symbolizes the unity of the family. Yes, we purchased one. It is a perfect piece to symbolize this journey.
Our second stop was the Great Wall. There are no words. It is magnificent. We rode the ski lifts up to the top and rode the toboggan ride back down. We sat on some stairs of the great wall for a while just trying to take it all in--not believing that we were actually sitting on the Great Wall of China. Surreal.

We ate at a restaurant next to the Great Wall, called Mr. Yang's and had BBQ fish. Our last stop of the day was to see the Acrobat show. We were a few minutes late, and so they placed us in the VIP section (2nd row). The girls were mesmerized.

Experiences in life

I read an quote on Facebook the other day that said "You haven't really lived until you have given something to someone who can never repay you." wow. I immediately thought of my girls' birth mother. The sacrifice and strength needed to give your child to someone else is mind blowing to me. I can never repay her and in a way, I'm glad. Because the gift Heavenly Father will give her will be much better. Several months ago, Jeremy and I were sitting in the Immigration Office getting fingerprints for like the umpteenth time. We were people watching. (That's quite a treat in this office--cops, illegals). Jeremy turned to me and said, "People need more experiences in their life". I pondered that for some time and realized that people only have one life, one chance to do something that will make a difference. Something big. Part of something bigger than yourself. It's humbling and rewarding. It opens your eyes to others and the true meaning of loving your brother. I am so grateful for my experiences in my life. Not being able to have children has been difficult. The pain is physical, emotional and in a way, spiritual, but I never imagined that I would get to travel on this amazing journey called adoption. It is like opening your soul. The experience of being able to look into another woman's eyes and tell her thank you. Knowing those words are completely inadequate. The experience of standing next to her in the delivery room. The feeling of looking at her after the baby was placed in my arms. The mixture of emotion--pain, fear, unselfishness and joy is indescribable. An experience that only a few ever get to have. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I want my girls to know that their mother was brave and unselfish. She loves them and I love her. It is a triangle that can't be broken.

25 more days...

My cute girls have created an advent calendar. They pull off a number each night.  Last night they pulled off the 26.  I knew the time was getting closer, but putting up a 6ft banner in the house made me anxious. Part of me wants the numbers to come off faster.  Part of me thinks they are coming off too fast.  I go back and forth.  This adventure has been 10 months in the making.  Many people compare it to a pregnancy.  I have only been pregnant once and it last 25 weeks, but I understand the analogy.  I have enjoyed being "pregnant"--getting the room ready, buying clothes, and everyone congratulating us on the upcoming arrival of our little one.  Our Gotcha Day is scheduled for the 27th of October. Am I ready? Do I have everything I need? But the truth is, these are the easy questions.  It's the hard ones that are causing me to have stomach aches and filling up space in my head.  He's not an infant, he's 5.  Thats 5 years of living in an orphanage.  5 years with no mother or father. No one to dry his crying eyes, hold him, rock him, cuddle him, spoil him.  No one for him to learn to attach to. Teach him that life is good. That there will always be food in the kitchen, a warm bed to sleep in, loves when you stumble and fall, family time, and kisses at night.  5 years is a long time.  When no one cares that you're crying, you stop crying, stop attaching.  It's a cold place and I pray I can help him feel the warmth again.

TA!

The two little letters that mean everything. TA  Travel Approval.  Most families can leave within a few days of getting TA (That's if you can afford the plane tickets for a trip that quick).  We wish we could leave tomorrow, but we are waiting to leave until the 20th of October for several reasons (school, work, and price).

I am excited to announce that my friends are hosting a shower/fundraiser in our behalf. We are humbled that so many people are willing to help not only our family have a son, but for an orphan to have a family.  What started as a simple shower has turned out to be more than I could have imagined.  Several vendors have volunteered to give their time, money and heart to this cause. Vendors include: Norwex, Scentsy, Thirty-One, Paparazzi, Origami Owl, Pampered Chef, and More! Please come and say hello, shop the vendors, pick up some Christmas presents and have a treat.

Saturday, September 20th from 8:30-11:30 at the home of Lisa Schwebach, 1792 Sunset Pointe Circle, Kaysville.

If you cannot attend the event, there are links to the right of this blog under "Support our Adoption".  You can shop these sites and a portion will still go to our cause.  If you want to donate, but do not want to purchase an item, click the "AdoptTogether" link to give a tax-deductible donation.

Thanks again for your help and support.