Hey! I'm Leaving!!

Alrighty.  If you haven't heard me blab enough yet about China, just wait, because I'm about to spend the next two weeks blabbing about China.  Yup.  We're going one more time, in just a few days, to get Tate, and I'm going to blab as much as possible. Mom is going (she has to, since she's the one doing the adopting).  Dad is staying home (he has to, because someone has to watch the kids).  Seth is staying (once again, that kid thing).  And I'm going.  Yipeeee!! Can you tell I'm excited?  I'm excited.

In honor of the tradition set forth in previous years (last time), I will now visually disect the travels that we are about to set upon.



 We begin in Tallahassee, Florida.  Thank goodness.  I'd hate to have to begin somewhere else.

We will fly on some tiny puddle jumper with four or five other people to a real airport.  Atlanta!

From there, we will fly for an ungodly amount of time (14 hours and 45 minutes) over the top of the world where by the end I will be ready to chew my right arm off in exchange for a first class seat.

We will arrive in Seoul, South Korea.

I found it interesting that North Korea shows no roads or terrain on Google Maps.  But I digress...

We will get on another plane and fly to Beijing, China.  Yay! Finally!  We will spend only one night in Beijing this time.

This day, we will get on a.....train!  A super fast bullet train.  We will reach Jinan, the capital of the Shandong province.  It will take only a few hours.  This is where Tate's orphanage is, so they will bring him to us later in the afternoon.

After about a week, we will fly, with Tate, down to the southern city of Guangzhou (say it with me, "GWONG-DJOH").  This is where the U.S. consulate is in China, so no matter where you adopt your child from in this country, you have to come here to finish the process.  My family has always stayed on Shamian Island while in Guangzhou for many reasons, but this year, we won't be able to.  It is a very small island, and one of the major hotels is closed for renovations, causing the other one to be fully booked.  So, we will be staying in the city.  We will still visit Shamian Island, though because we have to take Tate to the government clinic for his visa physical and visa photo.

Two weeks will have passed.  We'll be ready to get home!  A nice flight from Guangzhou to Seoul will begin our departure.

From Seoul, back over the top of the world.  Oh how I hate this flight.

Back to Atlanta....

And then home again home again, jiggity-jig.  (Note: I will not actually do a jig at this point, as I will probably need to be carried off the plane and into my bed.)

See you soon!