Another Fabulous Day!

Our first stop this morning was at a Living Hope International training center. It was the highlight of the whole trip so far, and I could have easily spent all day with the kids! This orphanage is currently housing 44 kids, from 11 to 17 years old. They recieve a wonderful education and are part of a lovely family environment that nurtures them and equips them for their very bright futures. These particular children are unavailable for adoption because they have living family members that simply cannot care for them. Toward the end of our visit, a young girl named Lois seemed particularly taken with me. She approached me with a hug, and a touch or two to my hair. Apparently red heads are fairly rare in China. She shyly said to me, "I will not forget you," as she held my hand while we waited for the picture time. If you click on her picture, you'll see her draped over my shoulder. I had a difficult time composing myself when we left, and little Lois has captured a bit of my heart. I'll share more about LH International in a future post. For now, get yourself over to their website and consider sponsoring one of these precious kids. You will never regret it.

We headed to the Great Wall from there. It was mobbed with tourists and the personal space issues became quite an issue as we navigated our way up the steep stairs. I'm talking some steps actually higher than my greatest possible stride length. I know, that's not much but it's a lot when you are trying to keep your momentum! I turned back when the walkway became suitable for only two people across. There were four people trying to pass at once and I'm certain that my racing heart was not just exertion! Brittany made it a good bit further than that; and The Boss took Bayley up almost to the third station with him. This view is from the highest point that they walked.

Sam took us to a little restaurant within the local Jade Market and The Boss gave me a lesson on eating with chopsticks. I actually did pretty good. Good enough to devour the delicious teriyaki chicken and pork dishes set before us. The Jade Market was full of beautiful jewelry, intricate carvings and the obligatory sales clerks. Again with the hard sell. The Chinese believe jade to be a symbol of lasting happiness, so it was fitting that The Boss bought me an early anniversary gift: a beautiful teardrop pendant. Perhaps the best present was watching him negotiate a better price. It's so uncomfortable for him to barter, but he was determined to conquer this traveler's skill and I'm proud of him - he did good!

We took a long drive back to the city and got snared in traffic as a result of a pretty bad car accident. It was sobering, and made us really grateful for our cautious driver, Mr. Fan. He was quite skilled at weaving in and out of traffic, and still managed to be respectful of the pedestrians and bicycles that are EVERYWHERE!

Sam took us through Beijing by way of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube. We got some okay pics but the traffic was crazy, as the Paralympics are still in session. It was still very exciting to be that close to the site where Michael Phelps worked his magic! These last three days we've seen lots of people from all over the world associated with the Paralympics and we think that some of the staff connected with the British swim team are actually staying in the same hotel we are.

The last touristy event was the Flying Acrobat Show. OMIGOODNESS! Those kids were amazing us for the entire show. Flexible seems so benign as a way to describe their moves. And their strength? Many of the tricks made us moms gasp out loud and left everyone with their jaws dropped. Breathtaking feats of amazing talent and precise, intricate moves perfected after years and years of training. A great metaphor for the beautiful city that is Beijing. A perfect way to end this part of our journey.

We spent the night re-packing our stuff and preparing to fly out to Xi'an early tomorrow morning. Brittany and Bayley are heading off to Nanchung. Both The Boss and I were commenting that it will be strange to navigate this next step of the journey without them! They feel like family now and we are grateful that we can see them again in Guangzhou. I can't wait to see them with their little Addie.

We are now less than 48 hours away from Aidan. And as beautiful as this mini-vacation has been, nothing will be as amazing as finally holding our daughter for the first time.