journey of a blessed family

Hey Everyone! Just arrived in Nanning a few hours ago and have just gotten back from Jared's favorite meal so far (Pizza Hut). Actually we had it last night for dinner as well, but 2 in a row's fine! Not sure if I can post any pictures tonight because we seem to have an internet connection the speed of dial-up and I'm too tired to sit here and wait for it!

Tomorrow's Gotcha Day!! We're going to Wal-Mart in the morning to get water and snacks and such and to the Civil Affairs office at 3:00; so by dinner time tomorrow we'll have our little man! I can hardly believe it's finally time...I cried when our plane touched down in his province this evening because I knew we weren't just sightseeing anymore--we had a far greater purpose and were finally just a few miles and a few hours from our son! We feel so blessed to be where we are doing what we're doing...God has lead us (and carried us) to this place and in just a few short hours, we will be the proud parents of a bouncing (and hopefully happy) toddler boy!

On our way to the airport this morning, our new friends, the Hales family from North Carolina, were pleasantly surprised to find out that their Gotcha was happening as soon as they arrived in their province this afternoon instead of tomorrow! Don't know if that would have been better or worse! No time to fret and worry as I'm sure I'll be doing all night tonight and until 3 tomorrow, but at the same time, it was quite a shock to know they were suddenly on a 5 hour countdown. Please join me in lifting them up and praying for a peaceful transition and a quick and strong bond between this precious family and their new daughter. (We'll meet back up with them in Guangzhou, so I'll let you know how it's going)

Did I mention we were the ONLY caucasians on the plane from Beijing to Nanning? Beijing is such an international city and having just hosted the Olympics, it was not unusual to see us foreigners around town...hardly got a second glance, but here in much smaller Nanning (only 6 million to BJ's 17 million), we're a bit less common and have gotten quite a few stares (and points and giggles). It's kind of odd, but not unsettling...we'll manage just fine and put on our friendliest smiles (and hopefully shine a light in what is probably a dark place)

Time for bed for me!! I need some sleep tonight to prepare for our life-changing day tomorrow; I've yet to have more than about 3 or 4 hours each night since Tuesday, so I'm due for a full night (some Tylenol pm might help with that, too...I think I might try some tonight!)

I'll do my best to post pictures of Gotcha...pray that this connection starts behaving properly (I've also been promising A & E that we can video call each day and they'll be able to see G on the computer...so a good connection is critical for that!) Good night and many blessing to you ~ d