The Journey Has Begun!

So, we have now traveled 10, 515 miles since we left Phoenix , over a span of 26 hours, including a 7 hour layover in the LAX airport; it is 8am Wednesday-Beijing time, which makes it 5pm Tuesday-Phoenix time (we totally lost April 30 while in the air...crazy).   For all of us, sitting in the Guangzhou airport as we await our flight to Beijing is so surreal...Fei is mere hours from here and we can’t help but stare at the sweet Chinese toddlers we see.  Will she be that size?  What will her personality be like?  How will she respond to her excited and expectant family members…all 8 of us?

checking out the cockpit

The adventure thus far has brought loads of laughter and memories along the way:  enjoying our last Mexican food meal for awhile, watching as Gramps got extra attention at each security stop, meeting Sarah from Vancouver, BC Canada(Grams’ birthplace) who is on her way to teach English in Guangzhou,  the kids torn between unlimited movies or video games to pass time on a 15 hour flight, meeting a U.S. women’s collegiate all star basketball team who are on tour in China.  Sleep was minimal for all, and all three kids had some stomach issues, which lead to Chris rinsing out clothes in the bathroom on the plane, a flight attendant offering a salt shaker in lieu of pretzels (or at least not understanding our description of them) and Owen falling asleep with 17 minutes left of the international flight.  The kids being dressed in neon orange shirts have led to a few smiles and comments, as well as some curiosity…as if our “tour group” wasn’t conspicuous enough walking through the Guangzhou airport.   We have continued to be reminded of the reality of Fei joining the family in 5 days as we have been able to share the reason for our journey;  though we’ve talked about the trip for months, the 8 of us being here together has already been absolutely priceless and beyond any of our expectations.  We can’t wait to see what’s to come!

Real time update:  as Chris was getting our post set up…Owen was the first family member to take a shower in an airport (in China,at that!).  And his tummy feels so much better!