We're Here and will soon have Ty!

We traveled for about 30 hours before arriving in Guiyang last night. We did not make that connection in Beijing and they re booked us on a flight that left at 7:30 in the evening.

We were so exhausted and slept for 45 minutes in a booth at Burger King. It is funny what your brain will do with the Chinese language being spoken around you when you are in a "half sleep." It actually tries to convert what you hear to English. So I may hear a conversation that sounds to me like:
"I saw a dalmatian - lots of spots."
"Not a dalmatian. I like lemon drops."
"I eat umbrellas every day. The are tasty."
"Strawberries are much better. We grow cattails too."
Tony and I laughed about this - just too funny what your brain will do when you are tired.

We were very impressed with the Beijing airport's new Terminal 3. It is beautiful. Several young people approached us wanting to practice their English. They were very friendly. One student was majoring in English and also American Literature. She shared with us about how they received messages on their cell phones asking for donations to help with the Earthquake. She received messages three different times and donated each time (about $3-$10) each time. She wanted a picture with me and we posed holding up the peace sign. Everyone does that here!

Our flight out of Beijing was crowded and cramped. But the lady next to me was wonderful (Hi, Song!) We talked for three hours through her electronic "translator." She is a translator (and engineer) working in Japan translating Chinese and Japanese. She told me that Guizhou is very poor and the economy here is very low. She was very happy we were here to adopt and we shared photos of our children. It was the most pleasant experience. I know that God put her there with me to make our entry into our son's province a good experience. I was jittery and tired from all the flying - and she was so peaceful and serene. She stayed with us in the airport and helped us get our luggage and made sure we met our guide. She then introduced us to her son. It was an "instant" connection and I hope we stay in touch!

We got to the Hotel (Ramada Hotel in Guiyang) about 11:something at night.

This is the view from our window.
My mom had sent a dozen roses to us and of course I cried! They are beautiful. We tried to unpack. But we had headaches and were so out of it. It took awhile for our bodies to unwind...but we eventually slept for 7 sweet hours.


Wow - it is amazing how much more human you feel after a good night's sleep and some breakfast - and the shower! Our breakfast was good...bacon, french toast, melon, fried rice and noodles. Tony enjoyed the noodle soup. I savored the hot tea.

The humidity is playing havoc with my hair. I even borrowed scissors from the concierge and trimmed it! Much more comfortable now. I know now why my Mom spiked her hair before her trip here in 2005. Would have been much more manageable - but I'm not as cute as she is!

We meet Ty in about 1 1/2 hours. How do you meet your 8 year old son without completely freaking him out? What are he and his foster family going through right now? I can't wait to see him - I have butterflies and my heart is pounding. I hope we don't scare him too much and that our guide stays with us for a bit to see how he is doing and help with communication.

We love and miss everyone back home - especially our beautiful Caitlin!

More soon.
Also -
Skype is an awesome thing for anyone wondering!!!!!!!!!!