Plan A: Welcoming home the Precious One!

Wew! The last post on this blog was about receiving our travel approval to China for Eli. A month later, we are home, with Eli, amazed with God's fulfilled plan. I don't think words could ever, ever, ever describe the journey, the trip, the emotions (many of them very raw) or the experience we just had. I have never in my wildest dreams imagined starting a family like this or ever thought I could endure a trip like the one we had. God's grace was overflowing the entire time we traveled and put people in our paths that made the trip unforgettable.

I want to start from the beginning of the trip and document in chronological order of the events. Both AJ and I decided not to post enything while away on this blog or FB so that our house would remain safe and sounds (and it did thanks to very kinds friends)!

So back to the beginning. AJ and I slept about 4 hours the night before we left. So many emotions, feelings and thoughts running through our head made it hard to quiet for a restful sleep. My parents drove us to the airport on the very chilly morning of December 11th with a slight tension filling the air. All of us were entering a territory of uncharted waters. We hit some traffic (par for the course in NJ) and checked in with no problems. The four of us walked up to security each with a lump in our throats not wanting to say goodbye, but knowing it was so worth the departure. My mom and I literally sobbed, AJ broke down, as well as, my dad. They watched us all the way through security until we barely made out a final wave and then that was it. The next time they would see us would be two weeks late, on Christmas as a family of 3.

As we navigated the airport to our gate, AJ and I kept looking at each like "can you even believe this?" We really thought the day would never come! We waited about an hour and half before we boarded our 777 and waited to take off for our 13 hours flight ( I was really nervous, but God got me through it all). The flight was amazingly easy with lots of movies and shows to watch. We landed in Beijing at around 3 in the afternoon, went through customs quickly and had to take a train to our baggage claim. We had a little trouble finding our guide (they were at the wrong terminal) but we found Joe and was quickly taken to our hotel!

We arrived at the Metro Park Lido Hotel in Beijing which was decorated nicely for Chirstmas even though the don't celebrate the holiday in China. We were so exhausted but stayed up to eat a very Asian meal -chicken fajitas and then went to bed.

Our hotel lobby

Then next morning was the first time we got to meet the other two families that would become some the of the most cherished friends ever. To have some of the most incredibly selfless, caring, Godly people with you on a journey like this one is priceless and brings tears to my eyes seeing how God perfectly designed this trip! We met John, Cindy, Jenna and Ryan who was there to adopt their daughter Elyana and we met Tracy who was there sans her husband due to military obligations. She was there to bring home Kya.

After we all finished breakfast we headed out with
our beloved guide Summer, who become a part of each of our families at the end of the trip. We took a van ride to The Summer Palace and spent the day touring the amazing palace the emperor built for himself way back when. The place was gorgeous and unbelievable to see, A bunch of us climbed the many many many stairs to the top which overlooked Beijing! Gorgeous! While there a bunch of people gathered at the palace to sing national songs and dance. They grabbed a bunch of us to join in the dancing...it was one of the most unforgettable experiences.

Cindy, Ryan, Jenna, John, AJ, me and Tracy

our cherished guide and friend Summer

it was cold in Beijing

One of the many corridors with the most amazing art details

Joining in the singing and dancing

At the top of the palace overlooking Beijing--smog made it hard to see

We then headed to an authentic Chinese lunch which was delicious (little did we know by the end of the trip we would be crying out for salad!) and then headed to the Olympic Park! We got to see some amazing structures and take part in some bargining with street vendors...it was quite the adventure! John was even daring enough to partake in a common food vendor favorite Tanghulu-it's mostly popular in Beijing...he thought it was good. We ended a packed day with another tasty Chinese meal sitting around a big table, sharing delicous food family style. We were so excited to be all together and knew it was only another full day and we would be flying to see our children!