First Day Back at Work

Hello to all,
Well, I went back to work today. I took Shelby with me and she did great while I did the bookkeeping part of my job. But when it came to the cleaning part that was a challenge. She was asleep when I began. I got one bathroom cleaned. I found out that she does not like a vaccum. This I thought was alittle strange because she doesn't mind our two big dogs when they are barking or playing. Especially the one dog that we have is a Tennessee Walker Hound. He looks alot like a blood hound and even barks like one. Our lab has a high squeeky bark. But anyway, she didn't like the vaccum. So my husband went and picked up our other daughter Sofia from school and came to my work and helped me out the rest of the time. Sofia entertained Shelby which is so funny. Shelby gets a good laugh when she sees her. Tonight we were watching a Christmas movie and some music came on. Well, the girls and I danced to it and Shelby was reaching for Sofia and just laughing away at her. They are so cute together.
Oh, on another note. Sunday we went to my parents church because everyone was asking to see her. After that we went to lunch with them and when we got to the resturant Glen got Shelby out of the truck and she didn't cry. She didn't mind Glen carrying her into the resturant as long as I was close by. But when we got inside Sofia had to go to the bathroom and I had to take her. Glen said that she watched for me to return as soon as I did I heard her laughing and I looked at her and she had this big smile on her face. What a blessing children are. No matter what they do they still can melt your heart. Then once we finished lunch he carried her out. I was shocked and happy that she what I thought had latched on to Glen. This knowing that I was going back to work on Tuesday. But when Monday rolled around she wanted nothing to do with him. So we are back to where we started. Oh well it will happen when she is ready.
Well, it won't be long before Christmas is here. God has blessed us with two beautiful girls. He gave us Sofia 3 months before Christmas 3 years ago and now we have Shelby 1 month before Christmas. We have such a wonderful God who answers prayer. I wish everyone a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Resturants

I think I have figured out how they stay small. When we went to the resturants you sit at round tables that probably sit 8 or more people. In the middle of the table is a turntable this is where they put the food. Everyone shares the food. Basically what you are doing is tasting different dishes. I can tell you that the food in China is really good. While I was there I lost 20 pounds. I ate but you had a small plate in front of you and you did eat very small portions and you felt full. We did get the hang of using chop sticks. You can get a fork if need but you have to ask. I did not find to much that I didn't like.
Now on to fast food. We here in the U.S. eat alot of fast food because we are on the go. Over there there are no drive thru's and they don't have the amount of fast food resturants that we have. What they do have there is McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and Papa John's. The food in these places are alittle different then here. They use more of their seasonings. The ice cream there is different. I heard some people say that they liked the McD's ice cream there better than here. The KFC instead of serving slaw they serve this vegetable salad with the colwslaw dressing. It is really good. I will have to make it here to get my fix. They serve some of the same things but also have some different foods to.
The Pizza Hut is a resturant. When I mean resturant it is like walking in a fancy resturant. The lighting in there is dim. When you order here you order a plate of pasta for yourself. But over there they plate of pasta is for both. Angela and I did not know this so we both ordered our own plate of pasta. The girl looked at us and said are you sure that you want both. I told her yes and she looked at us with this question on her face. Well, when they brought the first plate which to us is a dinner plate we figured it out that they plate was for both. This is because in front of you is a small plate and you serve yourself and eat off of that. When we left we just laughed about it.
I need to keep up the small plate. The size of the plate is like a dessert plate. Over there you don't get to pick out a dessert they serve watermelon after the dinner. The watermelon over there was good. They eat alot of fruit. Pork is one of the big meats that they eat over there. Noodles and rice are in the meal and tofu.

They have malls over there. The one mall that we went into was called the Grandview Mall. We probably have a mall like this somewhere but this mall is 7 stories high and they don't have what you call a food court. The resturants are scattered. The mall is not only 7 stories but it has what I call hallways that lead into another 7 story mall. You could get lost in this place and it is just over whelming. They 7th floor is an amusement park. I could not believe all of the stuff that they had up there. As we were walking they had some different looking art work one of the things that stuck with me was a statue of a thumb. That was really weird.

Sissy gave us a list of songs in chinese like twinkle twinkle little star and etc. I will post them for anyone who would like to give it a try.

I will say this. I was kind of nervous about going to a different country not knowing what to expect but I really enjoyed my time there. Angela and I both said that we would like to go back and I do know that I will make it back sometime hopefully soon. I don't want to wait 10 years to go back. I would like to go back within 3 to 5 years. If you get a chance go it is not what you think.

I thought of some things that I didn't tell in the blog that we got to experience. The chinese teach their children to potty train at a very young age. They don't normally use diapers as long as we do. They start potty training them before the age of 1. What they use is called split pants. Split pants to some people are a style of pants for women. These are actually split in the middle and the children learn how to go to the potty this way. They just scuat when they have to go. In china it is not uncommon to see a child just go whereever when nature calls. A couple of families even saw it happen in a Walmart. They call someone to clean it up. While a few of us took a day and went shopping we came across alittle girl scawtting. If we did that here we would be jailed for it. But that is apart of their culture. You don't see alot of it. When we saw it I could see some of the faces of the people and they did not like what they saw. So some of the people don't approve this. I don't like the idea of seeing children using the street or sidewalk to go to the bathroom. But, I do see the plus side of the split pants. They will learn faster and easier. When they are training them the use sounds like a whislte for pee and a grunt for poo. We actually tried it with Shelby and she went pee. But just one time and after that she wouldn't do it. So for right now diapers then we will try it again.

Do you remember when people in the United States could smoke anywhere they wanted? Well, Chinese men smoke alot cigarettes. They can smoke anywhere they want. We did see a few women smoking but very few. Mostly men smoking. Everywhere you go there are people smoking. They only place that I did see a no smoking sign was in all of the taxi's. That surprised me. I figured that I would see the taxi driver smoking but everyone we had did not.

The people there are very nice and smiled and nodded as if to say hello. We did have some people who wanted to practice their english. That was funny. Try to talk with someone who is very limited or has not practiced their english in awhile and try to hold somewhat of a conversation with them. Even no they don't completely understand they still want to try. Angela and I came across several people in different areas. We went into a jewerly store and this one girl had pretty good english. She kept telling us that her english not so good. But she spoke it better then we did at times. Then we had some that understood alittle bit but with body language or pointing to things to let them no what you are asking we made out ok. When we went for our foot massage that was hularious. When we went in we looked at the board and asked for a foot massage the girl just looked at us and shrugged her shoulders and went and got someone else. This girl could understand what we wanted and briefly explained the pricing. So we took the VIP treatment. We went upstairs and they put us in one room together. The girl asked us boy or girl? We told her we didn't care. She was asked which we preffered. So Angela got a male and I got the female. Now when they came in they poured boiling hot water in a wood bucket that was lined in plastic. They asked us to place our feet in there. We did and I thought that they where boiling the skin off of my lower calf to my toes. The man that came in knew english but had not practiced speaking it for a long time. We kept pulling our feet in and out of the water several times. He asked what wrong. We told him HOT!!!!!!! need cold water. He realized what we were saying and they both went and got a bucket of cold water and added that in. It cooled it off alittle not alot. It was ok. Then they proceded to do the massage. Listen when I tell you that you have not had a foot massage until you go to China and have one. It is nothing like the ones you get here. They believe in reflexology and using every muscle in there body to give you a massage you will never forget. Angela kept telling the guy that it was to hard. I was tryin to use sign language. When I mean sign language it is not the same as what you think. There was this table in between us so I used that as an example and he got the idea along with understanding some of the english words that I used to explain. Angela was about to cry if he had not backed off. They use there knuckles and they press very, very, very, very, very, etc hard. They also use their fingers in pressing. While this is going on the guy was trying to practice his english. It was almost like talking to someone who is losing their hearing. Not loud but one word at a time done slowly. He would ask about how old we are? Why are we here? That was a good one. We told him the reason and he understood that then he started asking Angela about her children. That was funny. She was trying to explain about her kids and he would listen so hard to her and then look at me as if saying I don't understand. Then Angela would look at me and then I would try to explain what she was telling him. I don't know how but he understood it the way I was telling him. I just did it slow and basic. Then we asked both of them about boyfriend or girlfriend. They told us about them and theirselves. We left there laughing about the whole thing. Oh, they did give you a leg massage and up body massage before you left there. Before we left the four of us were laughing and just enjoying the time that we were spending together. I wanted to do it again but never found the time. Will post more stories later. Good night.

Ok, I know I haven't written lately. Nothing as far as what is going on at home is the same. Shelby is making progress slowly but it will happen when she is ready. I will be starting back to work next week. We are trying figure that out as to what is going to happen. We spent Thanksgiving at home. My parents brought Thanksgiving dinner by that afternoon. Saturday we went Christmas shopping at Toys'R'Us. That was a mad house. I bought several things for Sofia for Christmas. I just don't know what to get Shelby right now. I am thinking. I do know what they both need it is just on the things that are wants. Sofia loves her sister so much. She does not want to be away from her. Her latest excuse to stay home is that she is sick. When I change her diaper she wants to be there and she wants to pick out her outfit for the night or day. Last night she was wanting to feed her snacks and bottle. So I let her do it and she was so excited. She is trying so hard to be a big sister but there are things that she does that could hurt her and I feel that I am constantly having to get after her. She is also getting into the agruing stage. We took away tv until she can stop arguing. We also told her that if she continues we will take more away. She is trying but as you know she is 4 and it is not easy. Will write more later and post more pictures. Go on to facebook and you will see pictures of China.

Wednesday November 25th Glen went to the office and Lisa came and got Sofia for the afternoon. Glen had asked if I wanted him to take Sofia with him to work. I let him know that I had asked my sister to come and pick her up. It was a good thing to. You will see in just a minute. I fed Shelby and put her down for a nap. I was working on putting things away when I got a call around 4:00 in the afternoon. Glen called and said that her was in a bad accident. Someone had hit him on the passager side just behind the cab of the pick up. This is were Sofia would have been sitting. She possibly could have been badly hurt. Glen was ok and so was the other driver. The other driver hit him so hard that it spun him around and he ended up hitting a telephone poll. I am so glad that he was ok and that Sofia was not with him.

Tuesday November 24th Shelby had had a bad cough and we were getting concerned about it. She started a cold and cough a week before we came home. Marting got her some medicine and it was working really well. But she still came home with it so I called the doctors office and they were going to be able to get her in around 12:00. We took her in and the doctor told us that her lungs were clear and that she did have an ear infection. We were so happy that it wasn't any worse then is was. She said it would take her 2 weeks or more to get ready of the cough. We just concerned that the cold moving down in her chest causing other issues. We went to Publix to get her the antibiotic that they prescribed her and a few other things. While we were there my mind was thinking that it was dinner time which it was only lunch time. I was wanting chicken. Glen asked me if I wanted that for lunch and I told him that it was dinner time. He told me no that it was lunch time. We did go ahead and get chicken and had that for lunch and dinner. Shelby is slowly letting him hold her as long as I am not in the same room with them.

Monday November 23rd Chuck (Glen's brother) came over and took Angela to the airport. She was really sad to go. I know it was hard for her being that she spent 2 weeks with Shelby. But it won't be long before her and her family will be back again. Glen tried to hold Shelby again but she was not ready yet.

Sunday November 22nd Shelby got up around 6:00 am. I got her fed and she went back to sleep for her morning nap and I took a nap with her. After we got up we ate lunch and then went back to bed. That really stunk because I didn't get anything done. Glen tried to hold her but she wanted nothing to do with him. When we got up from the second nap my mom, dad, Lisa and Karlee came over to visit with Angela before she went home. Everyone tried to hold Shelby but she wanted no one except either Angela or I. I really felt bad for Glen because she wouldn't even look at him. Everyone left and we all went to bed early.

Saturday November 21st we arrived in Orlando at 4:16 pm. We were greeted by Glen, Sofia, Chuck, Lisa, Karlee, mom, dad, Martha, Hannah, Gina and Jack. Angela and I were so happy to be home. We both missed everyone very much. We went down to baggage claim and got our luggage. Then we went home. Martha was great she brought dinner over to us for Saturday night. We went to bed around 7:00.

Friday November 20th we are on our way home. We went through check in baggage and then finally security. Once we got through that we had to fill out a card and then give that and passports to the chinese people. Then we were on our way. I was so happy to be there we almost did not get to leave but we passed and now on our way home. Once we boarded there were two other families that were in the back of the plane with us. We slept most of the way to LA. It was a 12 hour flight. Once we landed in LA we had to go through customs immigration and then find a shuttle bus to our hotel for the night. Once we got to our hotel we could not wait to have a hamburger. We even turned on the tv and we both said it was good to here tv in english. When we got up we got a shuttle back to the airport. We were not looking forward to lugging all the luggage that we had to the check in. Our experience with the airport worker's the night before was bad. They had no personality and told you to get out of their way. So we found a valiae that helped us he took care of our baggage and took care getting our boarding passes. When he saw that we came in on an international flight the night before. United was going to charge us for our baggage. He got that waived. He was good. All we had to do is get through security and go to our gate. I tipped him very well. He made up for the mean people when we arrived.

Friday November 20th. Since Angela and I packed last night we took a taxi to Li Wan Plaza because I needed to get some things to work on some jewerly that I bought. We had to look fast due to that we were meeting for lunch with everyone at Woo's at 1:00. After lunch we put our luggage out to be picked up. We went down to recieve the visa's and to say goodbye to the families that were leaving on Saturday or Sunday due to they were going somewhere else. Once everyone recieved their visa's the families took individual pictures with the team and then we loaded up in the bus and were off. Grace, Sara and Martin came with us. We had one family that was leaving by train so Grace got off with them to make sure that they got on the train ok. Then we went on to the airport. Martin and Sara saw us through to security and then we all said our goodbyes. I was happy to be going home but very sad to say goodbye to the team. They were so good and took very good care of us. They are apart of our forever family and are missed but will be in touch with them always. Sara, Grace, Sissy, Martin and Norman and his group we love you all.

Thursday November 19th two families, Sara, Grace and Angela and I went to Bejing row. They call this the counterfiet row. You can find alot of name brand things here very cheap. But what I was told is that some are counterfeit and some are the real thing. We spent all day there. It was fun bartering for items. We bought a few things and just had a good time with everyone else in joking around. Once we were done we took taxi's back to the apartments and got ready for dinner at the Super K. Now when I think of Super K I think of KMart. No this is a kareoke bar and buffet dinner place. This was our farewell dinner. We all had alot of fun. The men got up and sang and put on a dance show for us. Martin sang a song for us. He sings really well. Then Jimmy who works with Norman sang. Then Norman, Sara and Grace sang a song for the group. All of them sing very good. We all left about 9:00. Once Anglea and I got back to our apartment we packed our things because we had to go to Li Wan Plaza. Before we went to dinner we had group pictures. The three of us dressed in our chinese outfits. Alot of the kids were dressed in their outfits too. All of the pictures turned out great. We got to bed kind of late.

Wednesday November 18th we are going to the Fabric and Electronic Market. It was cold again. Once we got there all we saw on the streets were people selling electronics brand new electronics. You could buy a 50 inch flat screen tv for 2000 yuan. I could not believe how much that was in US dollars. I bought a dvd set for 20 yuan and has about 300 cartoons in it. I will give that to Sofia for Christmas. Then Angela and I set out to go to the Fabrics Market. That was big. I wanted to bring back silk material to make things for the girls but we didn't have much time to go find the material . So we headed towards the bus. Once on the bus we went back to the apartment and ate lunch and rested. We went to the US Consulate for the oath. What the oath is we promise to give our children the best and education, care and that we would not abanded this child. We had to be down stairs for dinner.

Tuesday November 17th is paperwork day. Just when you thought it was over it is not. Everyone except for me was complete ar 2:00, My paperwork didn't end until 10:00 that night. Since Glen was not able to come I had alot more paperwork to do. Poor Angela was left alone with Shelby and she said that she was upset because I was not there all day.
We took a break and went on dinner cruise on the Pearl River.

The Pearl River is 110 miles longs. Formed at Guangzhou by the confluence of the Xi and Bei rivers. It flows E then S past the Guangzhou and Hangpu island to form a large estuary between Hong Kong and Macao. The river links Guangzhou to Hong Kong and the South China Seas and is one of China's most important waterways and one of the centers of the World trade.

Back to the dinner. It was a buffet style and it was cold. We were told that when they say eat you better get up to the buffet line. Because chinese people rush to the table and you are lucky if there is any food left. When they called that is what happened. It was like they have never eaten before. Once dinner was over there was a magic show. It was ok I was not all that impressed. Shelby was the center of attention on the boat. It was funny. I got a thumbs up from the chinese people.

Monday, November 16th this is medical check up day on Sha Mian Island which is close to the White Swan Hotel. This hotel is known for where the adoption families used to stay. Sha Mian Island name means sandy bank from the Cantenese language and was formally known as Shameen Island. The territory was divided between France and United Kingdom by the Qing Dynasty government in the 19thy century. Back to the check up when we arrived we had to take them to get a passport picture then go to the health clinic. When it was Shelby's turn to go in she did very well. She did not cry until she saw the ENT doctor and put the stick in her mouth. After we were done we went shopping. We found several deals on things. But there was not alot of stores open there like I was told. When inquiring about them they said that alot of them had closed down due to the adoption families are not staying on the island. This is because the US Consulate is in downtown Guangzhou. The only thing left over there is the health clinic. There is alot of construction going on there to. Once we decided that we were done we got a cab and went back to the apartment. We relaxed and then had to meet everyone for dinner at 6:00.

Day 11

Sunday November 15th today is the blessing. We all got breakfast and were to be at the bus outside the lobby at 10:00. We went to the temple and along the way Martin was showing us sites and telling all about them. Martin is so funny. He would point out things and tell a story about it. Then when he wasn't showing us something he would talk about his family or his life experiences. We finally made it to the temple and it was beautiful and very old. Martin told us the story about the temple. The name of the temple is Six Banyan Tree Temple. Grace or Sara were wanting to carry Shelby or push her stroller. We walked around and took pictures. Martin told everyone to try to throw some change into this statue of the temple. Aunt Gigi took a few times to do it. One of the mother's kept missing and hitting people in the head on the other side of the statue. People were coming to say their prayers to the idol. They picked up a bundle of incense sticks and lit them to say the prayers to the idol. I watched them and they would bow constantly placing an incense stick down when finished with one prayer. Some of the families did it. Angela and I did not partake in this and we did not have to. Then we went into the temple. They were doing a blessing on a couple and I watched what they were doing. They kneeled and bowed 3 times and then kept there head down throughout the ceremony. Then the buddist priest waved a bundle of incense sticks over their heads. Then they bowed again 3 times and left. Then the families were asked to come a do the same. It was really interesting and the temple was beautiful. Here is the history lesson for today.

Having a long history of about 1,400 years, the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is one of the four best Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and located on the Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road). It has a rich collection of cultural-relics and is renowned both at home and abroad.
Originally built in 537, the temple has been rebuilt several times, and the name has also been changed several times from Changshou Temple (meaning Longevity Temple) to Jinghui Temple and finally the current name. It is a name given by the great litterateur Su Dongpo in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). It is said that he visited the temple while returning to the north. During the visit, he found six banyan trees there particularly striking. The vitality of the trees put him in a good mood and cheered him up. When the abbot of the temple invited him to suggest a name, Su Dongpo wrote down its present name. Finally, the temple changed its former name (Jinghui Temple) to the name Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. A pagoda in the temple is known variously as Six Banyan Pagoda or Flowery Pagoda.
After entering by the mountain gate, the Tianwang Hall is the first hall you will see. The Laughing Buddha is there with smile all over his face to welcome visitors. Behind it is the Weituo Hall. According to legend, Weituo was a general who recaptured the Buddhist relics which had been stolen. He keeps a straight face, looking very serious and frightful, in distinct contrast with the Laughing Buddha.
The architecture that catches the visitors' eyes most is the Six Banyan Pagoda. It is a pagoda where Buddhist relics are placed. Its roofs curve upwards and look like dark red flower petals. The tip of the pagoda is like stamens, while the whole construction looks like a huge stigma high in the air. Therefore, people like to call it the Flowery Pagoda. The pagoda not only has a nice appearance, but also provides visitors a good place to overlook enchanting scenery around.
To the west of the Six Banyan Pagoda is Daxiong Baodian Hall - the main hall of the temple. The three biggest copper Buddhist statues placed there are among the biggest and most ancient Buddhist statues in Guangdong. The middle one is Sakyamuni, to the left, the Amitabha and to the right, the Apothecary Buddha. They stand for present, past and future.
Burning joss sticks is a big event when visiting the temple. Thus every year on the Chinese traditional Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the temple becomes a busy area. Numerous people queue to burn the first joss stick in order to be blessed by gods in the coming year.

When the blessing was over we were just walking around looking at the buildings and gardens around. When a buddist nun came up and started talking to me about Shelby and more people came to say hello and to see her. I couldn't understand them so I smiled and here comes Martin and Grace. They saw that I was surrounded by all of these Chinese people. At the same time the Dang Family came over and we started talking while Martin and Grace were talking with the chinese people about Shelby. I was showing pictures of Shelby's family to the Dang family because we were talking about Glen and he said that he wished that he saw a picture of Glen. So showed him and he said he looks just like the picture he had of him in his mind. The father is to funny. Then they left and Martin and Grace stayed with me. Martin told me that the nun and the other people said that she is beautiful. He said the nun had asked this one question. How did you get baby? He told her adopted. Then she asked how much pay for her? He told her free. We payed the government fees and other fees. But we did not buy our baby. They then continued the conversation else where and Grace stayed with me. Once we left we then went to the Arts & Crafts store. This place was neat. I bought traditional and folk Chinese music. Inside these glass balls they are hand painted. I had them paint the names on the inside of the balls. Then I bought some hand painting pictures and book markers. This was a beautiful store. Then after we did that we went back to the apartment and had lunch. At 6:00pm they through a pizza party on the 4th floor. When we got there the pizza hadn't arrived yet so they had drinks and some food ready with out the pizza. They had picures pinned up from past groups. Norman and his crew came. Shelby was not feeling well. She has a cold. We brought her back up to go to bed. She slept all night long. Enjoy the pictures.

Day 10

Saturday November 14th this was a free morning due to the fact that we were to be at the airport at 2:30 to fly out of Nanchang to Guangzhou. They were collecting our luggage that morning and Angela and I had everything ready to go the night before. We went to breakfast and I told Angela that I had to do something with Sara. Sara, Robert, Adam and I went back to the porclein market. Angela had said the night before that she wished she had really gotten a piece of porclein for herself. The one that she is reffering to is the hundred children. It means that you are rich or will be rich. So that is what we went back for. She won't know until the day that we are to leave. Then Sara will bring it to me and I will give it to her. I couldn't have done this with out her. She has been there for me during this time. We have shared the responsiblilty of caring for Shelby and taking care of anything else.
Well we left the airport and it will take one hour to get to Guangzhou. Shelby did great she her ears didn't bother her and neither the other babies. She was hungry tho. So as soon as we got back to the Ascott and we got our same apartment back. We got her something to eat. She has had a cold since last night. We are going to get some cold medicine for her. She is so precious.
See you tomorrow.

Day 8

Thrusday November 12th it was rainy and cold. It has been cold all week. Last week in Guangzhou the weather was nice and comfortable. Anyway, back to my story. We were suppose to go to a park either People's Park or Elephant Park. But since it was raining we went to a Chinese palace. The nane of the palace is Tengwang Pavillon. While we were there people were supposed to be visiting the musem. But Shelby was the center of attention. She thought that she was the queen of the palace since she was getting so much attention. I thought it was really nice that people wanted to oo and ahah over her but it made me feel bad for the other families. I wanted them to come and bring their babies over to where the crowd of people were to see their babies. I guess I shouldn't feel bad but I am one for not attracting attention. People were taking pictures of her and me and wanting there picture with her. They were saying so many things about her and I couldn't understand them. Luckly enough Sara was there and translating for me. They were telling us how beautiful she was and that she is quiet and sweet and doesn't mind people around her. The one good thing that came out of this I got to experience the friendlyness of the Chinese people. I was comparing the Chinese people with the some of the American people and we don't even come close to the Chinese. No matter where we were she has attracted people and the people were giving me a thumbs up and some that spoke a little english told us that they were happy for us. I just wondered about this if they would get upset that their babies are leaving the country due to adoption. No they are excited about it. We talked with some Americans that were just visiting and they saw the attention and said if this was America that the people in the States would not go for this and be this friendly. Which I only agreed to some of it. If we chose to not adopt domesticly then international families should be given a choice. I know for our reasons one of them is that some kids have emotional problems due to the system and the process can be much longer and on top of that if the paperwork is not done correctly you could take a chance on losing that child. It is said when you can't trust our system. Now for another history lesson.
Tengwang Pavilion is located on the shore of the Kan, in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province. Together with Yellow Crane Tower, Yueyang Pavilion (Yueyang Lou) , this fine building is one of the three most notable pavilions on south side of the Yangtze River. It also has the reputation of being the 'First Pavilion of Xijiang River' and has been widely admired by visitors from all over the world. In terms of its height, overall size and architectural style, this pavilion is a prime example of such buildings for which China is justifiably famous.
Li Yuanying, a brother of Taizong who assumed the name Tengwang upon being knighted, commissioned the original three storied, thirty meters high building in the year 654 during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The pavilion was named after him but it was to undergo reconstruction as a consequence of events during its 1,300 year long history. Wang Bo, a gifted and well known poet of the Tang Dynasty, wrote his 'Essay on Tengwang Pavilion' thus documenting its importance. However, probably the worst tragedy occurred in 1926, when it was destroyed by fire during the conflicts between the Northern Warlords. The current building is the result of rebuilding that was carried out between 1983 and 1989.
The existing pavilion is even more spectacular and magnificent than its predecessors. Reached by a Nine-zigzag bridge and surrounded by rock gardens and lakes, it is built in the architectural style of the Song Dynasty (960-1279). It is in fact a complex and not just a single structure. The principle building, covering 47,000 square meters (about 12 acres), is nine storied and 57.5 meters (about 189 feet) in height. Two smaller pavilions stand on the north and south sides of the main building. Their elegance and simplicity is set off by glazed jade-green tiles on the roof, pretty eaves and red pillars. Engraved screens enhance the interiors.
Tengwang Pavilion was always a place where learned men gathered to write articles and hold banquets, therefore the display in the new pavilion gives prominence to culture. A variety of bass-relief and frescoes demonstrate that men of talent have brought glory to this place. The plagues, steles, couplets on the columns of the hall are all selections of celebrities. Musical instruments, bronze sacrifice, ritual article, serial bells impart a classical elegance to this new pavilion.

Enjoy the pictures.

Day 7

Wednesday November 11th. Today we went to the Badansharen Museum. It is 1700 years old and is also called the Taoism Temple. Ok, I am going to give you a history lesson and pictures.

Badasharen Museum - It lies on the Mei Lake. During the Ming and early Qing dynasties the outstanding painting master Zhuda (who is also known as Badasheran. Who also lived there. In order to commerate these songs he will be singing. That was interesting. It was really nice paints. Sissy our USAA guide gave us a history lessen everyday and she taught us how to sing songs in Chinese. For example Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Try this song at home. Here are the words in Chinese.

Yi Shan Yi Shan Liang Jing Jing,
Man Tian Dou Shi Xiao Xing Xing,
Gua Zhai Tian Kong Fang Guang Ming,
Hao Xian Xu Duo Xiao Yan Jing.
Yi Shan Yi Shan Liang Jing Jing,
Man Tian Dou Shi Xiao Xing Xing,

After the the museum we went to lunch. She took us to this resturant that had live seafood aquariums. There was this one tank that had the most beautiful red fish in it. The resturant was beautiful they used alot of wood in this place. I cannot say enough about Sissy and Sara they have taken care of any needs and just love the children as if they were the parents. They also took great care of the parents. Enjoy the pictures.

Day 6

Tuesday November 10th we had to go to the civil affairs office to have the adoption registrtion and notary interview. That was interesting. Shelby and I had to go have our picture taken together and then we sat and waited for our interviews. When it was my turn I was nervous. I wish that I had Glen there to answer the questions but I had to go alone with Shelby. They would not let my Aunt come with me. Then once that was done. They gave you a gift and we packed up and left for our next point of destination. Which was to finalize the paperwork on the China side. What I found interesting was that China when it comes to mistakes on paperwork. They are not very picky about it as long as it is not a major mistake. If it is a coma, mispelled word or anything like that they will ask you to have it changed if it is miss spelled but will still move the paperwork along to finish it. Sara also told us about the U.S. Government side. Our government is very picky. They look for mistakes to keep you here in China even if is a coma out of place. They look at every detail. Once we finished that we went to Walmart to get supplies for the babies and other things that you my need. This was interesting. Walmart in China has 3 floors. Most of us got a stroller. That has been a life saver.Once everyone was done we headed for the bus to take us back to the hotel. Several people wanted to get off at the Grandview Mall. Unless you really like to shop, my suggestion is that you not go there. This is because it is huge 7 story mall with hallways that take you from one mall to another mall. The 7th floor is an amusement park and when I say amusement park it is. The other thing is that the map of the mall is in Chinese no English at all on it. So to find something on it, forget it. You will have to walk all around it to find what that store. They have no food court. The resturants are on all floors spread out the mall.
The rest of us went back to the hotel. We then had a group dinner at the hotel. So far I have not had anything that I did not like. The Jiangxi Province food is the spicy province, The food is very good and very spicy.
Outside our window is a buddist temple it is called built back in the 1600 or the 1700. I am not sure because I don't have the book in front of me that tells me about it. While Shelby was taking a nap we saw what we called a parade and firecrackers going off. We found out later that it was a funeral and it last for 7 days. That was different. Then we kept hearing singing (kind of like a prayer and was done over a loud speaker). This went on and on since we have been here. Enjoy the pictures

Day 5

Monday, November 9 we flew out of Guangzhou to Nanchang early in the morning. It was an hour and a half flight.

Once we got there Norman had a bus waiting for us and a lady from the China Team met us there at the airport. Her name is Sissy. She is really sweet and so is Sarah who also flew with us to Nanchang.

We took the bus ride to the Jin Feng Hotel. It is beautiful. Did you all know that Nanchang is the porcelain capitol of the world. They have what they call Porcelain Street. I have heard it is really neat hope to go sometime this week while we are here.

Well, getting back to Monday. Once we got here we were asked to go on to our rooms and wait until we were called around 11:30. Once we got the call we were asked to go to the 3rd floor and wait down there. They had decided on Sunday before we got there that it would be a good idea to have the babies come to the hotel instead of the civil affairs office due to the long ride for them and not having to take another ride to the hotel if done there. There are two other families that are from the same orphanage. One family went before us and then we were second in line to receive Shelby. We were so excited to see here when they brought her to us. When they handed her to us she did not cry she was excited and looking all around her. She is a very happy baby. We were told that she was cared for by several nannies. That helped in away that she was not to attached to someone. She bonded to me very quickly. So the transition from them to us has been wonderful. Once we all got our babies we went into a banquet hall and were able to ask questions about her with the nannies and the orphanage director. The said that she was a good baby and is out going.
After that was over we went back to the rooms and everyone spent time with there child and then we were asked to come back down to the banquet hall to sign papers for the the final decree is to made tomorrow. That was a lot of signing to do. Later that night well all had dinner at the first floor restaurant. Then everyone went to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow. Will see you then. Enjoy the pictures.

Day 4

Sunday, the rest of the group came and we were to meet them down in the lobby at 10:30am. When we got there no one was there that is because Angela read the clock wrong and she thought it was 10:15. I looked at the clock and saw that it was 9:50 but did not argue with her about it. So we went down and sat there for alittle while and then the group started showing up. Everyone started introducing themselves to everyone then the China team came in and started passing out our name tags. When they got to us they new who we were and that I was the one that Martha had talked about.
When everyone was there we boarded a bus to go have brunch. Once we got there the building that we were in was beautiful. We had what is called a Dim Sum brunch. It was really good and it was nothing out of the ordinary that we don't eat already. Norman introduced everyone and then he and Martin told what was going to happen while we were here. Norman was the business side and Martin is the tour guide and setting up of fun things to do.
Then Norman had everyone stand up and introduce themselves and tell about where we are from and about our child. Once everyone got done it finally hit me what I was there for. I had to leave the room for a moment and cry it out. I was excited to be here but the whole reason why had not set in yet. At that moment I wish that Glen and Sofia were there with me.
When I went to get Sofia it took a week for it to hit me. So I did the same thing again. Everyone was wondering when it was going to hit me.
After we got done there we went for a tour of the really nice area of Guangzhou. This is where the American Consulate workers live and people who make a little more money than some of the other people. Along the way they pointed out a few buildings and told us about what the city land used to be. It was an airport back during the war then it became a training site of some sort for pilots (if I remember correctly). When then made our way to the pearl river. That was really nice.
There was a man and a woman that had these sticks in there bicycle basket and they stopped. They took out on of them and started pealing it. It was sugar cane and the children love it. They eat it like it is candy. I tried it but it was to sweet from me.
We then made our way to the Friendship Store. This was not a cheap store. The Friendship store is a mall. It had everything. After that we all got back in the bus and went back to the hotel. Once there some of the group went to bed and Angela and I finished getting things together for our 2 hour plane trip to Nanchang. This is where we will stay for 5 days and will also recieve Shelby.
Then we walked to the Grandview Mall which is the biggest mall I am not sure if it is the biggest in China or world. But it is huge. It is 7 stories and has an ice skating rink and amusement park in it. That was different. It also has what I call wings. You go through a hallway and it opens up to another 7 story building which is the same mall. This was getting overwhelming. So we decided that we would go get something to eat we went to pizza hut.
Ok I know what you are thinking but this is not your typical pizza hut like you would think. This is a resturant style which serves not only pizza, it has steak, pasta, chinese, smoothies all kinds of stuff. To them this is fine dining. After that we walked back to the hotel. Well, I will write more and send pictures tomorrow. Need to go to bed because I have an early morning.

Day 3

We got up probably around 6:00 am and went to breakfast. When we came back we were trying to make our plans for the day. We decided to go to the zoo. I wanted to see the panda.

Angela went down to the lobby and asked about a taxi and they told her that they would get one for us when we were ready. We called Martin to tell him where we would be and ask a few questions. He told us that 4 couples were coming in this afternoon at different times and he wanted to make sure that we told them at the desk to have the taxi driver take us to the south gate which was closer to the hotel.

When we went down and told them we were ready they sent the bell hop to get the taxi. We started to follow him but he motioned to us to wait. I don't know how far he had to walk to get the taxi but we waited for awhile. He finally returned riding in the taxi and then we got in and were on our way. The taxi driver took us to the north gate instead of the south gate. That was ok because both entrances are different the north gate had to different types of ticket booths. One was for the ocean exhibit and the other for the zoo only.

Once you are inside you walk up some steps and in front of you is a rock cliff or wall with a statue of a monkey. They had alot of monkeys. It is a big zoo and spread out. We saw alot of animals and some that we would not consider as wild like a pomerianian. They had several of those in cages. One of them had puppies. There were alot of baby animals within the zoo.
They had four different areas. The zoo zoo, an amusement park, the ocean exhibit, the goldfish park, and an area that they did all kinds of shows. In the goldfish park kids could catch a goldfish to take home with them.
As we were walking around people stared at us. We started to feel like we were apart of the zoo. We found some people to be nice and talk to us and others would look at us as if we didn't belong. They would talk and in the conversation they would say Americans. What they said about us I don't know but oh well. We were beginning to feel alittle funny so we decided that it was time to go. We did see all of the zoo execpt for the birds but I was not interested in that. So we made our way out to the South gate.

Angela waved down a taxi and we got in and gave him the little card that gave him directions to the hotel and address. He looked at it with a puzzeled look and went on. Angela asked me if we were going the wrong way and I told her that he probably will be turning around up here. I was right there was a break in the median and he turned around and started back towards the hotel. She kept asking me if we were going the right way and I kept telling her yes because I remembered that landmark. Well, he went down the street that was on the other side of the hotel where we had gone to the 7 eleven and Woo's resturant. This guy was lost but we were not. We ended up having to tell him where to go and turn. He thought that was funny and so did we. We told Martin about it and he had a good laugh about it. Once we got in we ordered Woo's for dinner. I finally got Angela to order something different from there other than the fried egg sandwich. She got the fried spaghetti noodles with beef. I got sweet and sour pork ribs with rice and she didn't know what wontons were so I suprised her with those. They had shrimp in them. She enjoyed the dinner. After that we both made our calls and when to bed early. Enjoy the pics.

Day 2 November 6

We got up and got ready for the day. We went down to the 4th floor for breakfast. It is done buffet style. We met one of the girls that work there her name was Lisa and she spoke English pretty well. She gave us the tour of the hotel and then we went back to our room to get our things.

Martin met us at the room and he took us for a drive around the town. He asked us what we wanted to do and we told him that we wanted to see things that is usually not on the tour. He took us to the old part of Guangzhou to a market called the free market.

This is where the locals come to do some of there shopping. This was quite different. They sold alot of animals (not for food) as pets only. They had all kinds of puppies, birds, fish turtles and many more. I wanted to just buy all the puppies and bring them home but that wasn't going to happen.

He took us further down the market and we stopped at this antique stand. Now, this is going to sound weird. They sold coffins. Now some of you may know what a chinese coffin is. This is not your traditional coffin as we know it. It is a box (different sizes) made out of some type of wood that has an inscription on it. It is for good luck. It means long life and something else at this time I don't remember. You can open it up and put something small in it.

Then after we went to the free market we took us to an area that had all kinds of shops. He also told us where the Liwan Plaza was and that was our last destination. Well, we got to see more of the city then we wanted. We had made it all the way down to what I would call there hardware district. I began to wonder if we made the right choice in staying there by ourselves. But we managed to get to where we were going.

McDonald's is a big thing around here. They are always crowded with people. Then we shopped for awhile and then stood in line for a taxi. We made it back to the hotel and then ordered Papa John's pizza. The pizza cost us 120 yuan.

The next set of pictures that you see are a picture of the coffin and areas around Liwan P laza.