Cannot believe I am typing this. I have been reading blogs for over 3 years, seeing everyone else on their journey to China. Yay, it's FINALLY our turn!!
Here we are right before we left the house. 
Here is our last picture as a family of 5!
It was so difficult to say goodbye. I had dreaded this moment...and it was just plain hard! :-(
We hopped on our plane in Louisville and headed to Altanta. It was a 2 hr. flight. We had a layover...then headed on a 5 hr. flight to Seattle. That was a looong flight for some reason! Here we are in front of the sign that said Beijing.
We were finally on our way to China. Wow. As we boarded the plane, Doug said, "There are no tv's". I looked and didn't see any either. We thought we were going to go crazy without being able to watch movies to keep our minds off of sitting in a cramped space for soooo long. Later we found out that they had a tv that we could view that hung from the ceiling. They played some movies and we could use headphones to listen. Let's just say it wasn't like our Emirates flight to Ethiopia. (Emirates is the Cadillac of airlines..wow.) Needless to say, we slept for a while and stared at the tv that showed how much farther until our destination..and we made it safely..Praise God! It was a 12 hr. flight. So..we began our first flight at 11:21 a.m. and our final flight to Beijing arrived at 11:40. We had been in airports and flying for over 24 hours. We hopped on our tour bus with other families that were using our agency. :-) By the time we arrived at our hotel and got checked in it was 2:00 a.m.!!!! WE WERE EXHAUSTED. We were soo ready to crash..here's what our room looks like. And our beds were cozy!
We were told to be in the lobby of our hotel at 9:00. We slept like rocks and got up and skyped the kiddos. It was sooo great to hear from them and SEE them!! We ate breakfast at the hotel..pancakes, bacon and orange juice. Not quite like ours, but close enough.
Here is our last picture as a family of 5!
It was so difficult to say goodbye. I had dreaded this moment...and it was just plain hard! :-(
We hopped on our plane in Louisville and headed to Altanta. It was a 2 hr. flight. We had a layover...then headed on a 5 hr. flight to Seattle. That was a looong flight for some reason! Here we are in front of the sign that said Beijing.
We were finally on our way to China. Wow. As we boarded the plane, Doug said, "There are no tv's". I looked and didn't see any either. We thought we were going to go crazy without being able to watch movies to keep our minds off of sitting in a cramped space for soooo long. Later we found out that they had a tv that we could view that hung from the ceiling. They played some movies and we could use headphones to listen. Let's just say it wasn't like our Emirates flight to Ethiopia. (Emirates is the Cadillac of airlines..wow.) Needless to say, we slept for a while and stared at the tv that showed how much farther until our destination..and we made it safely..Praise God! It was a 12 hr. flight. So..we began our first flight at 11:21 a.m. and our final flight to Beijing arrived at 11:40. We had been in airports and flying for over 24 hours. We hopped on our tour bus with other families that were using our agency. :-) By the time we arrived at our hotel and got checked in it was 2:00 a.m.!!!! WE WERE EXHAUSTED. We were soo ready to crash..here's what our room looks like. And our beds were cozy!
We were told to be in the lobby of our hotel at 9:00. We slept like rocks and got up and skyped the kiddos. It was sooo great to hear from them and SEE them!! We ate breakfast at the hotel..pancakes, bacon and orange juice. Not quite like ours, but close enough.
The biggest highlight of the day for us was riding the rickshaw sp? It was amazing!!! (When we woke up it was raining, but stopped shortly after we began touring.) We traveled around the city in awe.
What a blast!
This is our guide...Davin...a.k.a. SUPER MAN! He is hilarious! We love him already!
We ate at an authentic Chinese restaurant. It was a really neat experience..and Doug tried many foods...wow!!! I was shocked! Go Doug!
Here is our table and some of the families we're touring with.
We also toured a silk shop, Tiananmen Square, and The Forbidden City.
What a blast!
This is our guide...Davin...a.k.a. SUPER MAN! He is hilarious! We love him already!
We ate at an authentic Chinese restaurant. It was a really neat experience..and Doug tried many foods...wow!!! I was shocked! Go Doug!
Here is our table and some of the families we're touring with.
We also toured a silk shop, Tiananmen Square, and The Forbidden City. Here we are at the Forbidden City.
Our first impression of China is that it is truly amazing... Rich in culture, and love the architecture. Tomorrow we will travel the Great Wall and go to an Acrobatics show. We are completely exhausted, but just so excited and grateful for the opportunity to learn about Lily's birth country. Please continue to pray for us. (Doug is doing well...he's asleep and it's only 8:00 p.m.) I am ready to join him.
Good night from Beijing!
Julie
10 comments:
Aaahhhhhh, can not believe you are finally there, this journey has been so long....love the pics, wow amazing. So glad Doug is doing well, we have been praying like crazy. So glad to hear your skype went well & that your other 3 kiddos are doing well, God is amazing. Can't wait to see more pics & here more China stories. Lily Hope here you come, yeaahhhhh!
ps. Tell Doug, Timmy & I are really impressed, we can now add PF Changs on our list of restaurants that we can go to together ha!!!
p.s.s your pics of your last family of 5 photo brought me to tears, seeing your boys faces, I know how hard it was for me to leave & how emotional it was for all of us. But soooo glad I went, it was a trip of a lifetime.What a a blessing that your in your sweet baby's birthcountry. Love u all!!!
AH-MAZING! TEARS! How am I going to be in a campground all weekend and not be able to follow along! UGH! I wish I had internet on my phone, ha ha ha! ;o)
I still can't believe you are there, and you are the ones in the pictures visiting these historical places! WOW! Love you guys!
Sooooooooo happy for you to finally be in CHINA!!! There is such a tug in my heart when I am there -- I am so drawn to the people and the nation. I'm so excited to check your blog, hear your stories, see your pictures, and travel with you in my heart and prayers. :)
It is so neat that we were almost in China together for our mission trip, but now you are there, ready to hold your daughter in your arms!!! I'm overjoyed!!!
What an amazing thing to be able to share with your two daughters. You went to THEIR birthplace to give them a better life and to love unconditionally. What an amazing picture of what Christ did for us! Love ya!
I could not wait to get on this morning and "see" you all in China. Have been thinking of you guys soooo much and remembering every day of our journey. China is amazing and feels like a dream that we were there just one short year ago. So glad to hear your beds are comfy, which I think is rare there (haha). Anyway, enjoy the show. If you go the same one we did, the people in the show are from Deyang ... Bella's birth city. CANNOT wait to see what you all do tomorrow. Praying Doug feels better soon! Love you!
The picture of the boys watching you leave for China breaks my heart. I had trouble reading the post through my tears. I am so excited for you. Glad you arrived safely. Before we went to get Avery I didn't spend much time looking at blogs (it made it harder for me) with one exception. There was a family from our agency who adopted a little girl from Avery's orphanage that traveled a couple of months before us. Every morning the first thing I did was check Jody's post while she was in China. I really thought that was because my heart ached so much to be there too; however, I find myself just as anxious to check out your blog. May be it is the miracle of watching God work in the lives of these precious children.
I am so glad to see the update! I think I am stalking your blog:) It looks like you guys are having a good time. The pics leaving are so sad:( Thank goodness for Skype!! Hope Doug is doing good. I can't believe he tried so many different foods--WOW! SO excited for Monday, not long now. Love you guys:)
Doug and Julie,
Wow!! The photos are amazing! I lost it when I saw the family photo and your boys and Lola saying goodbye to you all! *Sniff, sniff* We are thinking of you all and praying for you daily. Hunter and Grace cannot wait to meet their newest cousin. Love and hugs to you all!
We love seeing the pictures and sights of all the things you are doing in China. But we miss you and want all 3 of you to come home. The kids are doing very well, considering mom and dad are half way around the world. But skyping is wonderful. It has really helped the kids to be able to see you and know you are doing well. Can't wait to see what you do next.
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