Trip to China
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Thursday, December 3, 2009 WE'RE HERE!!!!! It has been a long 36 hours but we are here at Shepherd's Field safe and sound! Our day started On Wednesday at 3am. The Super Shuttle picked us up on time at 4am. The driver must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. As we were saying our emotional goodbyes he told us to "hurry up" because he had another passenger to pick up. Amazingly on our way to the airport there was no other passenger! Check in time was a tad bit stressful because Continental has the auto-checkin kiosks which do not bode well when you have multiple travelers on one itinerary and 5 pieces of luggage to check! Our check-in process lasted 40 minutes. We proceeded to the gate and didn't wait very long to board the commuter flight from DC to Newark. It was one of those meet-the-plane-on-the-tarmac dealios and Katelyn was not thrilled. Did you know she does A LOT of nervous talking??!!! A LOT!!!! We got to Newark on time and ate a quick breakfast at a diner. We then kicked back and waited the 3.5 hours for our flight to board. We met 2 other families who were adopting. We will see them again in Guangzhou as we all have Consulate Appts at the same time. Our flight was pleasant and uneventful! Time went by quickly.... and it should when you have a ton of on-demand movies to chose from. Kiah spent her time watching movies and snoozing. Katelyn read her book, watched TV and snoozed. We arrived in Beijing on time and breezed through immigration. Having multiple strollers helps get you into the short lines! All our baggage made it and we were able to find out PHF rep immediately. After an hours drive we were at Shepherd's Field. We are staying at the Inn. The people here are absolutely lovely! We had a family style dinner with the American and Chinese staff and they are all wonderful! It is amazing to realize that Ava is in one of the surrounding buildings here! We meet her tomorrow when her house liaison comes in. As anxious as I am to meet her I am glad that we will get a chance to sleep some and freshen up. As we were driving here I felt such peace. Just peace. And even though she is right in the next building, it feels like she is already a part of us. We are bracing ourselves for screaming and hysterics tomorrow. That is to be expected. We have loved her for 2.5 years and she doesn't know us. Everyone here has told us how special she is, how much she is loved, how spoiled she is by the Ayis. She means so much to so many people. This journey has God's fingerprints ALL OVER IT! I praise the Lord every day for allowing us to be a part of His great plan for Ava. Please pray for us as we meet her tomorrow. Please pray for our whole family for health, protection and safety. I have to tell you... from where I sit.... there is such a peace doing God's work. In praying for His will and watching it unfold.

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