smog, the great wall, and poverty

The only thing about blogging from my iPad is that pictures are going to be a bit tougher to put up because I can't just put my SD card into the slot and drag them over. So, I will get around to it, but not in the 30 minutes I have before having to meet in the lobby for dinner.

Today we played tourist. We rode a giant tour bus with 12 other families with our agency and went to see and "hike" The Great Wall, which unfortunately was quite crowded and have I mentioned the smog factor here? Worst pollution I have ever seen.

Our tour guide told us not to go too far on The Wall, lest we get too tired to come back. Well, if you know my husband, you know that means that we went farther and faster than anyone else in our group. We mentioned more than once that our friends Doug and Deb would have been in their element, which is why we love to refer to them as "The Billy Goats".

Pictures to come of The Sweeneys on the wall.

We went to lunch at a restaurant in the jade factory in Beijing. Jade is important to the Chinese people and our tour guide told us how parents pass down a certain type of jade bracelet from mom to daughter or daughter in-law from generation to generation. The longer the bracelet is worn, the richer the color of the jade becomes. The bracelets are carved from one solid piece of jade and are made in many different sizes.

Because I didn't want to be guessing if an item from a street vendor was authentic or not at a later time, I had my wrist fitted for a bracelet and will wear it for the next 20+ years before I pass it on to Joya on her wedding day. Apparently, the value increases as the colors darken.

It is a great example of how precious time is.

I have to rally for dinner. More to come soon.

Made it!

We are nestled in our Beijing hotel. The flight was LONG and the airport was uneventful.

Our Internet is being finicky and I can't see my blog and our VPN is kicking me off. Good thing my new friend Carrie will be at breakfast in the morning and her husband has been my tech support in preparing for this trip. I'm posting this through my iPad blogger app.

We already facetimed with my sister and said a quick hello to Squirt. I'm about to pop a little nighty-night pill so I can climb The Great Wall of China tomorrow.

Love to all!

take off

We are sitting on the plane in Seattle ready to take off for Beijing. We already met another family on the flight adopting thru the same agency. They are from Indiana and also have four boys and are adopting a two year old little girl. Fun surprise to get to know them. They approached me because my empty pink stroller was a dead giveaway :-).

Also, before we left, I contacted the awesome organization "Love Without Boundaries," which we sponsor a little girl through. I asked if we could tour one of their orphan healing homes in our daughter's province. Immediately before we took off from Salt Lake City I received an email that said they would be happy to give us a tour on Tuesday. I am thrilled to hear this as I see myself advocating for orphans for all my days.

I'm typing from my phone and they are telling me to shut it off.

See you on the other side.

solid plans

After the biggest whirlwind of travel planning, we have confirmed Joya's visa appointment on the 27th and scrapped our crappy flights to miraculously (not an exaggeration at.all.) have confirmed seats (sitting together) on sensible flights home on the 29th of March.

The process helped me double check where my trust lies, and I am thrilled we're coming home sooner than later.

Now for packing.....

This teaching segment from Beth Moore's study of the book of Esther has been put in full application throughout this adoption process, most notably here as we get closer to travel.  It is SO worth 14 minutes (it's not even video, just audio, so you can multi-task).  I have listened to it over and over during the last few weeks.

If ___________, then GOD.  Amen.

a day late and a dollar short

Wouldn't you know that our senator's office called today and said that we are now able to have the change to our US Consulate appointment that we wanted BEFORE we changed our return flights.

We gave up our good flights and really good seats for, um, not so good ones. I still requested the appointment change though and when we get firm confirmation of that, we will call the airlines and hope that availability has opened up there as well.

A wise woman experienced with adoption told me at the beginning of this process to strap on my seatbelt because this process is a roller coaster.

It sure is.

I'm holding on tight with plans to throw my hands in the air and scream on the way down!

quick update

Well, the US Embassy was unable to honor our request to change Joya's visa appointment. We changed our return flights to accommodate the appointment and unfortunately it will delay our homecoming by two days. We were able to keep the change fees relatively low, but it is going to be really tough to be gone so long.

What's done is done though. And we leave in 13 days.

reality

I owe an update to my brother and sister in-law because they rebel against don't have facebook accounts.

Reality is hitting me tonight that in 14 days I am leaving for a foreign land to embrace a two year old child that I've never met.  I will bring her home to the boys I have known from my womb and we will be a family.  She will be their sister, and they will be her brothers.  We will be her mom and dad.

Forever.

I am looking in the face of mothering five children, living in the busiest and most demanding season of my life.  I am looking in the face of 15 years of marriage.

But honestly, when I'm buying a bottle of wine, I really feel like the twenty-something who needs to whip out her ID to prove she is old enough to drink.

Why don't I get carded anymore?

We are scheduled to depart for China on March 14th.  All of the airline tickets are booked.  My sister, mom, and favorite aunt are all taking time off from their jobs (some of it even unpaid) and away from their commitments at home to come out west and keep our precious boys feeling at home while we are away for the longest duration since any one of my little men were born.

It has been an eventful few weeks.

We received official Travel Approval from the Chinese government to come and adopt our daughter.  And for that we are excited and grateful.

We asked our agency weeks ago for a "safe" projected date that we could count on to travel.  Our agency sends parents in groups to travel to China every two weeks.  So, if your paperwork doesn't meet requirements for one group, you join the next group.

We asked for a projection because we wanted to use our frequent flier miles that were painfully earned by my Beloved's many nights away from our family working like a crazy man.

Long story short, we booked our tickets based on safe recommendations and after our paperwork caught up with us, our daughter's visa appointment at the US Consulate wound up being scheduled one day too late for us to be able to make our flight home.  Without any frequent flier seats left, it leaves us having to pay thousands of dollars for new tickets.

When our agency was telling me that there was no possible way to change this Consulate appointment, I refused to take no for an answer.  I announced our problem on facebook and was encouraged to seek help from my senator.  I promptly went to his web page, then dialed the local office.  A wonderful grandmotherly type woman answered my call, and after hearing an abbreviated version of our problem, she told me that there were staff members who handle these issues and could she have my name and number for one of them to call me back.

The dam broke and all the stress turned into emotion.  I could barely choke out my name and phone number through my tears.  But I did.

My call was returned by a very helpful woman, who said that she was hopeful that she could help.  She gave me instructions for what information to send in an email to her...

... and then she finished the conversation by telling me that she and her husband had just completed their second adoption from China just six months ago.

Thanks God.  I needed that one.

So now we are waiting to see if we need new tickets or if all systems are a go for Operation Bring Nesbit Home.

Reality is setting in.  My mind is reeling with my packing list and the adventure ahead of us.  So when I'm done writing this post, I have to order my daughter some shoes and socks!