Our Day in Hong Kong

I've got to start off with a story about our time in the San Francisco airport that I forgot to share the other day. There was a plane that came in late and a bunch of people sprinting to their connecting flights, one of who me was a guy wearing a T-shirt that said... I am not making this up... "I HATE RUNNING.". It was, perhaps, the most ironic thing I've ever personally witnessed

Yesterday! After waking up and rigging our own little way to use Jenn's hair dryer,

we had breakfast at our hotel with an interesting mix of Western and Eastern items, and then we set out and walked all around Hong Kong... nearly twice. Taking the tram to The Peak gave us some really neat views of the island, and a bunch of the island is green.

There was also the incredible view of Victoria Harbor, which is what I wanted to see.

We passed through the food district, the pier district, the market district, and in the financial district we found Occupy Hong Kong camped out at the bottom of the HSBC building.

The Aisian hippies don't seem to have the same entitlement-minded vigor that we see in America. I'm not sure we even saw more than three people in their little tent city, and the irony is that a short ride up the escalator showed that it was business as usual in the financial sector. But enough of the socioeconomic and political commentary.

We walked from 8:30 in the morning until we got back to the hotel at 6:00 with only a few breaks such as our tram, bus and ferry rides.

our dinner back at the hotel by the culinary students was very good, and the cost was a fraction of what we'd have spent in one of the restaurants in Central Hong Kong.

So I feel like we've seen Hong Kong, and that's good because we're leaving for Beijing today. Hong Kong was a good way to ease into Eastern culture, it seems, because at least there are some Western elements here. It was really interesting to be around so little Western culture, though. Even in Mexico, the DR and Caribbean I could make out some of the language because it was similar enough to English or Spanish. Not here. Not with the spoken or especially the written language. And it'll be even more so in Beijing.

With each passing day we get closer to meeting Henry. He doesn't know it, but we know the LORD has been getting him ready for this time. The time is coming...

The moment of truth for my blogging prospects will be learned tonight. We'll see...

In Hong Kong

view from our room at the T Hotel

We're here! Long trip, loooong flight. We arrived at night, so that ought to help with the jet lag. I'm going to try to post on the blog now. The wifi networks have been spotty, and my strategies to get around the firewall haven't been successful yet. I also realized how funny the iPad's auto correct is when I sent an abbreviated version of this to our parents via e-mail. "Post on" without the space becomes "piston." Anywhoo..... After an hour of sleep here and an hour of sleep there over the last 36 hours, it's time for a shower, and then bedtime. Talk with you later...

San Fran

After an early morning, and with thanks to Dad for taking us to the airport, we're now in the San Francisco airport. The coolest part of the flight here was flying over Yosemite National Park. We're approaching the end of our 3-hour layover, Jenn's walking around, and I'm charging the iPad at Gate 95/97. Let's just say I'm the minority here: Gate 95 is going to Hong Kong, Gate 97 is going to Beijing, and the voice over the PA is speaking Mandarin. This is how it's gonna be for a while.

Jenn said she's going to stuff herself on pork dumplings, and we're really looking forward to seeing Hong Kong and Beijing before we meet Henry. He's been on our minds a lot today, especially as we see little Asian boys running around the airport. We thought of him, too, as we heard kids fussing on the plane. Our level of tolerance has never been higher as we anticipate what the return trip will be like.

So far, I'm not aware of a trip we've taken where we packed better. As the days unfold, I'll refer back to this so future adoptive parents can learn from what we packed enough of and what we wished we'd taken more of or less of.

That's it for now. We'll be boarding soon.

Getting Ready To Leave

Things are packed, and I'm pretty sure everybody is as ready as they can be for the next couple of weeks. This is going to be an adventure. Thanks to the CalCrew for their most recent blog post about things they were thankful they had with them on their adoption trip. After reading their post, I think I have things in place to get around the Great (Fire)Wall of China. We'll see how that goes in just a few days.

The prayers that have been said for us to this point have been very encouraging. From ABF on Sunday, to my men's group on Thursday, to Manny's phone call earlier this afternoon, God has been very good to us.

And Henry doesn't know what's coming. We're confident the LORD has been preparing his little mind, and the countdown to May 21 is rapidly coming to a close.

The travel marathon begins tomorrow. Yippee.

Lincoln's Birthday Party - 4 Years Old!

Yesterday was Lincoln's Birthday Party, and it was a load of fun. As always, Jenn was a master of the cake of all the logistics of the party. Grandpa Larry, Grandma Marty & Aunt Kas came from Columbus. Great Grandma & Great Grandpa came over on Friday afternoon to occupy the kids while Jenn worked on the party. The Hertle Family came and Lincoln loved playing with Lauren & Logan. (On Sunday morning, he said to me, "I want to play with Lauren & Logan again.")

I'll let the photos below speak for the rest of the party. Many of them show how Jenn built the cake, and the rest of them show the kids having fun. Enjoy!

As I'm writing this, I'm thinking about the fact that in 1 week Jenn and I will be in the air on our way to San Francisco, the first leg of a long "day" of travel and the culmination of an 11 month process to add Henry to our family. It's hard to describe the feelings and emotions that we're going through now. It's very different form a pregnancy situation. And the idea that there will soon be a third child in the house is hard to put into words. Jenn and I are greatly anticipating meeting Henry for the first time, though, and it's going to be a really cool adventure.

Water Fun & China Plans

It got HOT here today! After working the morning in the AC at work, I went out to the car to go home for lunch and started sweating. Where did this day come from? Then I got home in the evening and the kids are bopping around on the bed in their underwear/diaper. So we went outside and had some water fun.

Then we went for bath time to find out that there was no hot water. So Blind & Sons will be coming out tomorrow to get things straightened out.

Time is fast approaching for us to go to China. We officially bought our tickets today, so we're officially going on May 13. We'll meet Henry for the first time on May 21, and then he'll officially become a U.S. citizen on May 31. We'll immediately hop aboard a train and jump on a flight home so I can get back to work on Monday, June 4. It'll be a lot, and we're praying for Henry and that he'll make adjustments well. Jenn also found out that we'll be travelling with seven other adoptive families, so travelling with other Americans who are in a similar position and are understanding of our noisiness and fidgetiness will be a very good thing.

Jenn is in full-blown getting-ready-for-Lincoln's-birthday-party mode right now. The cake is going to look awesome, and we can all attest to the fact that it's going to taste really good. We're looking forward to the arrival of the Great Grandparents Mullen tomorrow, and then the Parkinsons on Saturday. It'll be a nice little get-together.

Finally, this is what happens when (left) Lydia gets to watch a The Dad Life after dinner, and when (right) Lydia insists to her mother that she wants to wear her mother's clothes.

Lincoln Turns Four!

It's that time again! Happy Birthday! Lincoln turns 4 years old today! Unbelievable. We'll keep it small today, and then his bigger family birthday party will be this Saturday. Jenn is giving him teaser cakes today, and will be doing a full-blow, Piston Cup version come Saturday.Stay tuned!