WE ARE GOING TO CHINA!

Things have been in a whirl wind since we got our travel approval! We are really going to China and we have so....much left to do to get ready.

It has been a real pain to get our travel arranged. We still haven't booked our hotels in Hong Kong. We are waiting to hear from David's friend in Hong Kong to see where we should stay that is close to his friend. We are going to get to see a Hong Kong fire station. That probably doesn't excite most of you, but we think it will be cool. We also have to leave a day earlier because we couldn't get airline tickets on the day we wanted them. We also have to stay another day due to the same reason.

Here is our itinerary:

May 10 - Leave for Dulles International Airport
spend the night near airport
May 11 - Fly to Beijing

May 12 - Arrive in Beijing

May 13 - Meet the rest of the travel group ( I believe there are 14 other families in our group)

May 14 - May 15 Tour: visit Tiananmen Square, Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Forbidden City, Hutong Tour (tour of Chinese houses) possibly go to a acrobatics show.

May 16 - Fly to Zhengzhou, Henan

May 17 - Gotcha Day! Can't wait to meet you Abbey!

May 18 - Go to Adoption Registration building and complete adoption paperwork.
Abbey is ours!

May 19 - Day to rest (other families completing their paperwork)
Happy 20th Anniversary for David and me!

May 20 - Tour (hopefully we can go visit Abbey's orphanage)

May 21 - Receive Abbey's passport in the morning, Leave Zhengzhou for Guangzhou

May 22 - Abbey gets her physical and some shots. The shots are a requirement of the US Government, Senators are working to change this. I hope they do soon! Poor Abbey. (Meigan didn't have to get shots when we got her). Also, preparing paperwork for our US Consulate appt.

May 23 - Free time

May 24 - Have Abbey's Tuberculosis test checked

May 25 - Free time

May 26 - US Consulate appointment

May 27 - Take oath at the US Consulate (promise to the US government that we will take care of Abbey and never abandon her)

May 28 - Get Abbey's visa to come to the USA

May 29 - Leave Guangzhou for Hong Kong on the train

May 30 - Site see in Hong Kong

May 31 - Fly home to the good 'ol USA!
(Hong Kong to Chicago to Dulles, drive home) or be too tired and stay the night at a hotel (the one our car is being parked at) and arrive home on 6/1