Wednesday-Friday,
November 12-14, 2008

Sorry for the combined posts…just not a lot going on here. Due to a holiday and not being able to get our first requested date for the consulate appointment our group is in China a couple of extra days compared to typical families. So we have spent the last few days taking taxis to Shamian Island , going to parks, going out for dinner…basically just hanging out and killing time. We have had an absolutely great time in China and have met some extremely nice people, but we are ready to go home (two weeks away from home and our son is a long time no matter where we were at). Friday we had our consulate appointment which was the final step needed to leave China with our daughter. It involved confirming our daughters identification (comparing her face to her passport photo), answering two questions and then taking a group oath (which lasted maybe ten seconds & only required us to say “I do”). It was a very anticlimactic ending to what has been an amazing journey.

Tomorrow we have a wake up call at 4:30 in the morning and our luggage has to be ready to go by 5AM. Then shortly thereafter it is off to catch our 8:30 flight. Getting home involves approximately 18 hours of airplane time and 5.5 hours of airport time (we are hoping that Katie does well on the planes). Maybe the excitement of going home will make the trip go by quickly (one can dream). Once we land in Minneapolis we hand the paperwork we received today to an immigration official and then Katie officially becomes a US citizen. Then we are off to St. Louis for the final leg of our trip.

Well this will be our last post from China. We are very thankful that China was gracious enough to provide us with our daughter. The time that we have spent in this country has easily exceeded our expectations. Our guides/coordinators have been an absolute joy to be around and are the reason that the trip has went so flawlessly. We have made some great friends on the trip and sharing this experience with them made it even more special. Katie is the sweetest little girl, we are so happy that she is a part of our family.

Keegan – We love you and will see you soon!!!