Thoughts When Traveling...

Yea!  We did make it to China, at approximately 11:40 p.m. and arrived at our hotel at approximately 1:15 a.m. Friday.  Needless to say, we were just a little tired.  Our flight came in early to Tokyo, and Tim and I spent the four plus hours there taking turns stretching out on the waiting seats and napping.

Below are some thoughts while we were on our first leg of the trip.  Photos are soooo slow loading, so I'll try again later.

Well, it’s about 10:00 p.m. Eastern time and we’re up to hour nine of our 13 ½ hour flight to Tokyo, the first leg of our trip.  Watching the flight tracker, we have flown northwest, up through Canada, across Alaska and the Bering Strait, touching Siberia, and are now headed southwest towards our destination.  The flight has been relatively smooth, but I have been antsy.  When we flew to Ethiopia, I was able to relax and watch movie after movie.  However, during this time (which is longer than both of our legs to Ethiopia), I watch a little, doze a little, and walk/stretch a little. 

I know I’m excited and restless, but I think this is the first time that I am able to focus on what we’re actually doing (bringing our beautiful, new daughter home) than focusing on taking care of my kids at home and at school and preparing for the trip.  I hope they have talked to Chloe about us and shared at least the letters and pictures we sent in her care packages.  I hope she knows that she is already loved and is considered a part of our family.

Josh, one of the founders of our adoption agency, CCAI, answered a question on our travel call from a family who is also adopting a child who is in foster care.  The family asked whether they would be able to meet their child’s foster family and Josh said more than likely no.  He then went on to state the foster families are paid to take children in and said that their child would just be replaced by another, basically indicating that foster children are just numbers, a means to make some cash and replaceable commodities.  I so hope that this isn’t the case with Chloe.  I hope she has been loved, and I hope her foster family cares for her as if she is their own.  See the picture in older post.  This gives me hope that she has had a good experience.  Just look at how her foster mother is smiling up at her.

We now have 3 hours and fifty-seven minutes until we land in Tokyo.  We’re taking pills for jet lag and I sure hope they work.  I want to soak in as much of China as we can and, more importantly, I want to be rested and ready to meet our daughter.