Great day in Beijing

Today was a very busy day! I was very grateful to be occupied because it keeps my mind off waiting these last few HOURS to meet Chelsee.

I didn't sleep much at all last night, tossing and turning on our "brick" beds as Julee calls them. So I finally got up about 5a and took my first "closed-lipped" shower - being very careful not to get any of the water in my mouth or face. Julee slept a little better than I did but not much. She just could not understand how she couldn't fall back asleep even tho she was exhausted!

We had very nice breakfast at our hotel. Steamed vegetables, omelets and lo mein type noodles they called spaghetti! Tasted great! Six families gathered and boarded the bus for our Beijing touring day! It was a very nice day weather wise, about 45 degrees or so and mostly sunny. Our guide told us about everything as we drove to Tienanmen Square. I was surprised by how large the actual square is. There was a very very very long line of people waiting to get in to pay tribute and respect to Mao. Then we proceeded to walk about 5 miles through the Forbidden City while learning about the culture, the history and the meaning of many symbols. We learned about ancient and modern emperors, their empresses and who really wore the pants, so to speak! Fascinating! I especially like learning about the meanings of some of the architecture. For example, when you see nine of something (like windows, markings on the wall or steps) on a structure, it equates to longevity since the word for nine and longevity in Chinese are nearly identical.

We were then taken to a local Chinese restaurant for lunch. It took about 45 minutes to drive there. Beijing is so huge, bigger than any city I have ever seen. Miles and miles of apartments and giant buildings are all around. It is mostly gray here since it is still winter. There is a tiny bit of snow on the ground and the rivers are frozen but you can tell when it is green, it would be pretty. Before entering the restaurant, we toured through a cloisonne factory where we watched workers creating intricate patterns on the copper bowls. Tedious work for gorgeous, stunning creations. We were able to do a little shopping at the store after lunch. The lunch was very good, served family style. We are getting to know some of the families here...that is such a treat to be sharing this journey with so many who have been through what we have been through! I am so happy for them to be receiving their children too!

After lunch, we went to the Great Wall. It really is truly spectacular. It reminded me of Mount Rushmore in that because you've seen so many pictures of it over the years, you think that when you see it in person, it will seem familiar. No way! The pictures can not describe the enormity of it AND the awful steepness of the steps we had to climb just to get to the second tower! It still boggles the mind that it is over 4000 miles long and took millions of workers to complete. I am so glad to have had this experience in my life. Huffing and puffing back down the steps was even harder than going up.

Then we returned to our hotel to crash! Well, Tricia, Julee and Garrett are crashed out right now. I am beginning to wonder when I will ever sleep again. We have a very early flight tomorrow and our luggage has to be ready at 4am for pickup! I am getting butterflies in my stomach thinking about Chelsee. Our guide, Michelle, says that children of 2 or 3 years of age will be told a little about what is about to happen. Thank goodness!

A very very wonderful way to spend our 3rd anniversary of our Log In Date!

Here are some pics from the day....



Eagles fans at the Great Wall!


Karyn and Julee with the Great Wall in the background. Notice Julee's gorgeous smile - no braces!



Forbidden City