HOME!!!

We are home at last!  Lucille and Gary met us at the airport w/ the boys and it was a happy, tearful reunion. Being so far from them was the hardest part of the whole thing.  Gracie was such a trooper through all of the travel.  We got to Hong Kong about 8pm after taking the train.  The train ride was really smooth and just a neat experience.  There was another family taking the train, who adopted through a different agency but we had seen them occassionally at our hotel in Guangzhou. It was  little scary start though, because as we entered the train station a cop was running toward us (though Dan was just ahead so did not see the cop come around the corner) and when I looked behind us, I saw a guy drop a suitcase and keep on running.  Also an exciting part of the train station, was the infamous "squatty potty". This was my first experience with the hole that is the "potty".  There is no tp and talk about smelly.  Just a free tip for any of you lucky enough to try one of these out yourself, don't stand too high or it splatters on your leg!  (Sorry, that's disgusting.)  Anyway, the bed in Hong Kong was blissfully soft after the plywood w/ a sheet we had at the White Swan.  Gracie slept all night in Hong Kong.  We thought we were early for the airport the next day, since we were flying out at 11:45 we got to the airport before 10 am, though we had actually planned to get there even earlier to eat breakfast but the shuttle had already left. However, once we figured out where we were going- which took awhile, got through immigration, customs, rode the concourse, went up and down and up and down escalators, stopped at Starbucks (yes!!), we barely made it to the jet before boarding.  Then come to find out, in China you can't take any liquids on board so I had to gulp down my glorious mocha w/ whipped cream and dump our water bottles.  We refused to buy water at the HK hotel because they charged us the equivalent of $13 for a bowl of congee for Gracie the night before, which is just a watery rice soup w/ some chicken and seasonings.  We had just enough water and no breakfast (though G had her bottle/ w/ rice cereal).  This hotel cost us almost $200!!! The bed was soft but not THAT soft. We had to stay there due to proximity to airport and nobody gave us any other recommendation.

Anyway, we boarded the plane; rushed to get Gracie a bottle and she was out the first 2 hrs of the trip and we  both dozed some too.  Then we ate and she played pretty well.  Twice I took her to the bathroom to change her wet diaper and both times the seatbelt "bing" went off and I had to stumble back in the turbulence ot our seat.  She typically waved and blew a few kisses as we went.  Then, just when I figured the businessman in front of us had heard enough happy squeals and "Aiya's", we were able to get hot water for her bottle and she was out for about 3 more hours.  They turned the light on for breakfast about 1.5 hrs b4 we landed and she woke up.  We got through SanFrancisco immigration and customs (they were so nice!!) and onto the smaller jet to Boise.  She had to be strapped in for take off and landing, which I thought would be a disaster but she did great, working the zippers on a wallet I'd given her.  The wallet no longer had any money in it but let me tell you, it was VALUABLE!!
Thankfully, Josh drove us home as neither of us could keep our eyes open for very long, though we just kind of dozed. We had slept a little on the plane but had still been up basically all night, plus when we arrived it was in the middle of the night in China. 
She is pretty afraid of the animals and responds in the same way that she does if you kneel down and look under the bed.  She has some association w/ animals and it is not a good one.  It is getting better, though.  The boys have been serving her and playing with her nonstop.  She can't believe she has 3 more servants to add to her list, 5 total now.  The boys cleaned the house and it looked very nice.  I'm sure everyone who cared for them also helped w/ that.  Ben is still working on laundry today and I'm not going to stop him!  She slept ok last night and think that keeping her in our bed is going to be the plan for awhile.  She did nap in her crib for two blessed hours.  She is eating a little better tonight but was refusing most things today. 

We thought we might run into some of the other families we traveled with at the hotel in HK but never did.  We didn't say a proper goodbye so will have to email them. Hope their travel went well.  We feel sooo thankful to be home and in the good ol' USA!! I have a more educated appreciation of what we have here.  We are also humbled and so grateful to our family and friends who have prayed and served & sacrificed time and financially, so we could get her home.  It isn't a spiritual song but the one that comes to mind often is from "Grease", "we go together like ramalamalama, cadingadadingadong.  Hey baby forever (think original words are different but this is what's in my head), like shoobop, shoowadda, wadda, cadinga da ding da dong".  (How's that for spelling??)  Love to all!!! 

New Servant 1

New Servant 2

New Servant 3