One year ago today we were leaving on a jet plane heading to China. Our adventure started with 34 hours of travel ~ NOT including the 22 hour layover in Minneapolis. Who know what adventures we were going to have as we left.

~ Our first adventure, Madeline got sick and threw up in an airplane blanket as we were leaving the plane in Tokyo and then proceeded to throw up and cry throughout the layover, security checkpoints, and the flight to Guangzhou.





~ Our second adventure, Madeline came down with a 105 degree temp the day after Gotcha Day that lasted 3 days. She put on a good face but was having a very tough time.


~ Our third adventure, went to several resturants where the waitstaff did not speak any English and our Chinese was less than adequate. Thank Goodness for menu's with pictures of the dishes. We enjoyed our dining outings though. How bout serving this fried food at the Texas State Fair...HUH?

~ Our fourth adventure, Rebekah's 1st flight ~ it went better than expected and Madeline did not get sick.

~ My fifth adventure, Taking a taxi to the Wal*Mart equivalent by myself and shopping with no translator. I made it there and back with flying colors. By the way, this is not the taxi I took but it was a taxi in Chongqing.

~ Our sixth adventure, Talking to a class full of 3rd or 4th graders outside the passport photo place while they practice their English on us. WHAT FUN!!! The students gravitated to Madeline but she was a bit scared and shy.

~ Our seventh adventure, Typhoon Hagupit. Get this we leave Texas right before Hurricaine Ike is to hit the Galvaston Coast and move up into North Texas only to sleep through a Typhoon in Guangzhou. GO FIGURE. It wasn't all that bad becasue Hagupit passed way south of us and we got a lot of rain and storm surge. Shamian Island where our hotel was got effected by flooding from the storm surge, ironically, it was the worst flooding there in several years. Water in some places was waist high and our hotel lobby was flooded. And the beautiful crystal blue swimming pool was river mucky green. This did not, however, stop the locals from going to work and opening their shops. In the picture of Kelly and Beks sitting by the window you can see the water right up to it but what you do not see is the approx. 1O foot walk way between the hotel and river.

~ Our eightth adventure, sitting on the plane to leave Guangzhou for 2 hours while we waited for a work crew to come and change the front nose tire on the plane. The tire was there but no one to change it. Kelly was ready to get off the plane and change it for them but alas they finally came and we were off 2 hours late hoping our connecting flight would be held.

~ Our ninth adventure, getting a migrane on the plane during the delay. It is not fun throwing up in a airplane bathroom while it is taxing to the runway, not easy.

~ Our tenth adventure, running through the Tokyo airport trying to make our connecting flight as we go through 3 more security checkpoints while airport workers point and shout Minneapolis so we do not go in the wrong direction. It was pretty frantic carring 1 child and dragging a 5 year old behind you. We found out that the airline will hold planes 2 hours past their departure time if it is one of their "baby flights" as they call them. It was great for us but not for the other passengers sitting on the plane for 2 hours. We were very lucky becasue our layover in Tokyo was about 2 hours 15 minutes so our flight was held but several families going to Detroit had a hour and a half layover and they missed their flight all together.

Well that is it for our adventures. I am sure there were more but they are not coming to mind right now.