We Made It… to BEIJING

After a smooth flight to Detroit and a really Good Burger from Chiles, we hopped the plane to Beijing and I guess you would call it the Red-Eye, except that arrived in Beijing at 11:30 PM. That was thanks to the time difference being 12 hours ahead. That was a long flight (13 hours) and lots of water and position moving got us through. I would say that both of us felt like Roy Rogers on the saddle when we arrived as the cushioning was not to our taste. Sacrifices, sacrifices. Anyhow, after meeting our guide Michael, we arrived at our hotel around 1 AM. What a suite we had at the Poly Plaza Hotel. Check out these accommodations. We felt like King and Queen Huntersville. 

View outside our hotel room

Comfey king size bed

Great bathroom with a heated toilet seat.

Sitting Area between the bathroom and the bedroom.

With a little sleep, we got up and had breakfast in the hotel and it was a Buffet with a mix of Western and Asian cuisine.  Must admit that we have not been at a lack for food since we’ve have gotten here.  And it has all been VERY GOOD.  After the meal, hopped a bus to Tiananmen Square.  We were dropped off in the middle of the square and had at least 5 thousand people around us.  Had some looks and even took some pictures with the locals which has been a theme throughout our trip.   They are amazed at the crazy Americans. 

Our travel group while we are here.

After the Square, we crossed the street to the Forbidden Temple where that 5 thousand multiplied into about 25 thousand it seemed.Lots of folks to have to wade through and it was certainly an experience to be in suchtight quarters (sometimes) with so many.A brand new experience for us as we like our personal space.After the first temple, we went into another, and another, and another.I think that it was 7 in all, and I wish that I could explain a bit of their meaning, but must admit that I wasn’t a very good student as we were just amazed at all of the people. The one story that I did remember was that one of the emporors had 3000 wives!Now all that I could think was they he was wishing for that little blue pill that we have today.If you need to clarify some information about the temples, Teri may have been a more intent listener, so you can ask her.Here are some of thephotos from that beautiful architecture. 

People People People every where

Next up, Lunch! And that was at the Jade factory which was a true Asian cuisine and it was Exceptional! The Sweet and Sour Chicken was the best that we have ever tasted. Afterward, the Jade factory workers took us on a tour of the facility and taught about the different purities of jade. We didn’t know that jade came in so many different color variations. Teri decided that she couldn’t do without a new bracelet (can you say Happy Aniversary…early). It is a really beautiful piece if I do say so. 

Artist cutting jade

Boat made entirely out of jade.

From there, it was onto the Great Wall.  Yes, we walked the Great Wall… but we didn’t buy the T-Shirt. It is hard to believe the angle that you are climbing and how it can really get to you.   There are no words to describe the experience being on  one of the 7 wonders of the world.  The incline was every bit of 45 to 50 degrees and the steps  we at different levels of height, so you couldn’t get a good feel for how far to step on each level.  One thing for sure… if you wanted to get into shape, this would be a great place to train.  I found out a few things about both of us; we need to get in better shape before attempting that again.  Amazing thing was that there were older cleaning workers, walking up and down as if it were nothing .  Kind of made us feel really out of shape. 

First level of the GREAT WALL!

Photo taken from the 4th level.

Haven’t mentioned it as yet, but we have made some new friends that are on the same journey.  More about them in the days to come.  After we took a quick shower at the hotel, we were off with these new partners in arms and had a nice outdoor meal at the Swiss Hotel across the street.    One thing that is obvious to all of us is this one thing: New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Beijing comes in a very close second.  People are always out walking, biking, driving, cooking on the sidewalks and eating.  Pretty amazing from what we are accustomed to.  Anyhow, that was Day One.  Gotcha Day is just around the corner!

Catching Up

It has been a few weeks since our last post.  We have been really busy so we need to catch everyone up on what we've been doing.

First We Had Our 3rd Baby Shower

This shower was a BBQ cookout for family and friends.   It was great to visit with everyone and it meant so much to us for everyone to take time out of their schedule to celebrate this special time in our life with us.  Take a look below at some the pictures to see how much fun we had.

 

Father's Day

For my first Father's Day, I received a nice card from my Daughter from China.  What a great thing to get in advance of our trip.  Really exciting to know that in less than 2 weeks we will be on China soil and holding our little girl for the first time.  Kind of numbing when I think of how much our lives will soon be changing for the better.  What a Blessing to know how God works in ways that we can't always see.  Can't imagine what a joy it will be for us to to see our Chelsie for the first time.

Working On Last Minute Items

There are a few things that we have been working on and there are still more to go.  

We refinished an old clothes hamper that has been in the family for awhile.  The hamper is made of white wicker and had a black stripe around it.  The lid was a dark grey and was chipping off.  We painted the wicker solid white and covered the lid with a cushion and dark purple velour that will double as a seat in Chelsie's room.

We have been shopping for items we will need for Chelsie when she gets home.  We now have car seats and a high chair.  We've been running here and there picking up items for our trip.  We have started putting the items together in Chelsie's room so we can get them into the suit cases.  All of Chelsie's clothes, diapers and food are ready, but still working on our stuff.

Fire Works

For the 4th of July, our neighborhood has a fireworks display.  Instead of having the show during the week, they put it on on Sunday evening.  Here are a couple of photos we were able to get.

We Have Travel Approval!

Just receive an e-mail that we have been approved for our travel to China.  Looks like we are tentatively scheduled to leave around July 12th and probably be back in the states the end of July 23rd.  We can't hardly wait.  As the schedule gets firmed up, we will provide more details.

Baby Showers

This past weekend we had two baby showers.  Oh my goodness what fun! 

The first shower was put on by our Neice and Sister in Law.  We had fresh fruit, make your own fruit pizza, chicken salad and pimento chesse finger sandwiches, fresh veggies and dip, meatballs and cheese dip with chips.  What a night! 

We received many great gifts that we will definitely be using very soon.  Here are a few photos from our Friday get together:

Our second shower was a Saturday Brunch.  This one was for all of our neighbors that wanted to participate in our good news and well wishes.   We had Quich, Ham and Turkety Roll-ups, Fresh Fruit and Vegetables... and Cake again!  Here are some photos from that party:

We feel so blessed to have such great friends, neighbors and family that want to share in our journey.  We can't have asked for more support than what we feel.  Our Chelsie is going to be so lucky to have all of you and we can't wait for you to meet her.

Bunch O' Bloomers

For many years we have picked up items for our child that we just couldn't resist.  Here are just a few of the things we have purchased.

UNC Tarheels Sweat Suit

Beatrix Potter Peter Rabbit Dish Set

Purple Cabbage Patch Tennis Shoes (size 3 so these may not fit)

Golf Onesie with Pants

The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh
Disney's Treasury of Children's Classics

Flannel Diapers

Layette Sets

Blankets

And Tons More Stuff over 20 Years

It was so hard, but we had to put the breaks and stop buying. But now that we know we have a little girl and she will soon be in our arms, it has been even tougher not to pick up the cute little things we see.

Soooooo.....

We had to indulge while on vacation this year. We just could not turn these down! We can just see our little one crawling around in these looking all cute and stuff. Not sure what shirt/dress she'll be wearing with them, but that little behind of hers will be precious.

We've Moved to the Next Phase

Well our prayers have been answered once again.  The adoption officer with the US Citizens and Immigrations Services that our paperwork was assigned to was absolutely wonderful.  Once our paperwork hit her desk, she turned it around the same day and returned it to us via overnight package.  This made it possible for us to send all of our official paperwork (Letter Seeking Confirmation for Chelsie) to our placement agency.  They received our information this past Friday; turned it around the same day and sent it to China.  What a blessing!

Now that China has our paperwork we have moved to the "Travel Phase".  The first part of this phase is called travel approval; this is where China approves us to travel to their country.  Our placement agency has told us that this step in the process can take 2-8 weeks.  Once the travel approval is received, the second part of this phase is where our agency will make our appointments with the Civil Affairs Office and the US Consulate in Guanzhou.  These appointments will dictate when we will travel to pick up Chelsie.  Stay tuned we will keep you posted.

Thanks for all the prayers,

Happy Mother's Day

WOW what a special day!  I received my first Mother's Day card from my daughter.  The card is absolutely beautiful, my favorite colors - pink and purple.

The verse inside the card is written on flower printed paper, folded in half showing pink on one side and purple on the other.  After reading the card and tearing up (did I mention that is was signed "To my Mommie, Love Chelsie"); Jeff told me there was something else in the card.  I couldn't tell but tucked inside the fold of the flower printed paper was a note from my baby girl (I think she had a little help from her daddy).  While trying to read the note the tears were rolling down my cheeks! 

Note from my baby girl.
(Click to Enlarge)

Okay, so now that you have seen the note, you see that our little one now has a name.  We have tried out many names, tossed several around and even thought we had settled on one, but that was not the case until this weekend.  Our daughter will be named Chelsie Ann Lindsay.  Her middle name Ann is after her maternal Grandmother.

Also, today we were invited to the home of our niece and her husband for Mother's day lunch.  Oh my goodness what a lunch!  We had steak, potatoes with cheese, broccoli, rolls and fruit salad.  Then for dessert...homemade peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream.  Can you say YUMMY!  On top of all the wonderful food and great visit, my niece gave me a sweet Mother's Day card that yes made me tear up again.

Such a special day!  Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers.