Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Well, here we are, one week and one day from leaving.  We're down to the nitty gritty now.  What five outfits do we each want to wear for eleven days?  How many dvd players do 6 people need for 30 hours on planes?  How many little packets of kleenex will a family of 6 use in a country with no toilet paper?  Really want to be sure and get that last one correct.

The Mayernicks called about a month ago to see if Chris could get them a special toddler walker.  This led to his finding the United Cerebral Palsy trading center in Nashville.  First, they donated the walker for the Mayernicks' trip to Uganda.  They said the little girl was soon happily toddling all around the village.  The UCP people also kindly offered to donate some of their used chairs to the Hope Foster Home in Beijing.  Chris and I went downtown yesterday and loaded up.  Now we have to figure out what all to take.  According to Continental's book, every passenger can bring a wheelchair without cutting into baggage allowances.  It doesn't say anything about the passenger needing one personally.  So, theoretically, we could go with our 6 bags and 6 carry-ons, 6 suitcases for Hope, and 6 toddler wheelchairs.  Are you starting to get a mental picture here?  Can you see the looks on the faces of the Airport employees when we waltz in at 5:20 a.m.?  I'll let you know what Jethro ends up loading on the truck.  No decision yet on who gets to sit in the rocking chair on top.  

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Getting Started

I am told that the year is 2009, and people aren't supposed to go to the other side of the world without setting up a blog. So, here goes!

We have less than three weeks until we leave. We will be traveling with Our Chinese Daughters Foundation, OCDF, and three other adoptive families. The kids will have workbooks to go through during the bus rides, and the tour is really focused on instilling confidence and pride in the children's heritage.

We start in Beijing, visiting the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, flying kites in Tienamin Square, and such. Next we will take a sleeper train to Xian, home of the Teracotta Warriors. Our last stop is in Chengdu, the area that was hit so hard in the earthquake last year. This is the part Kinsey is most excited about, because all of the kids get to touch or hold a toddler panda. We fly back to Beijing for one night, then begin the long journey home.

We are all really getting excited about the trip, even Jesse, in spite of the fact that this will delay her getting her driver's license. She will turn 16 on the 4th day in China. As soon as she can keep her eyes open for a few hours straight, she will be at the testing center.

For you experienced bloggers, feel free to pass along any advice on what I'm supposed to do with this thing. Maybe while we are in China, the kids can do the blogging.

-Rebecca