So much has happened!!

I really thought that I would be blogging every day about every little thing that is going on, but I just can't seem to find the time - there is so much to do and by the time there is a little bit of time - I am exhausted!!! :0D But since I haven't been able to find time to send out an e-mail letting everyone know about this blog in the first place Naomi, you are the only one who has to suffer through this process with me at the moment! :0D Thanks for being my first follower!! I saw Leah rearranging furniture on your blog yesterday! Way too cute!! :0D
Well, first, I wish the blog were cuter, but just can't spend any time working on that - I will be lucky to get entries in! :0D
Since I started the blog, which was once we had our travel approval, we got our consulate appointment and are so excited! That allowed us to officially make our travel arrangements! yeah!!
We should have an interesting flight - by the time it is finished, we will have offiically flown completely around the world! How cool is that!!
We leave DC on July 29th at 8 a.m. (Which means we will be up at 4 am - an hour to get ready, then an hour to the airport and then 2 hours to check in and clear security, etc.) Fun times, assuming we can even manage to sleep that night! :0D
Then we fly to Toronto Canada and have a 5 1/2 hour layover - FUN!! So wish we could leave the airport and do something fun for an hour or 2, but no such luck! Any great suggestions on how to spend our time in the Toronto airport?
Anyway, we leave Tornto at 2:55 p.m. and arrive in Beijing at 4:05 on the 30th!! Can you say JET LAG?? It should be interesting, but fun!!!
Then we start our fun the very next morning! Turns out I have an old friend from high school, who owns/runs a travel service in Beijing and his company is going to take us touring all day and then we will have dinner with Jeff that evening. We are going to go on a Rickshaw ride and have tea with a local family!! Soo Excited about this!! We will also go to the Temple of Heaven, have lunch and then go the the Great wall - we get to ride a cable car up and then take an alpine slide down!! FUUUNNNNN!!! Then we get to go the the Olympic Park and take photos in the evening and then dinner!! FULL Day! It should help us to get use to the time difference!! Then on August 1st, we meet up with our travel group - so excited to meet these people!!
We had our travel meeting yesterday, it was nice to hear people's voices atleast! We will begin traveling all over Beijing. We still don't have our in-country intineraries (still believing for another family or 2 to get to be added on last minute!!! - Please pray for Shannon and her family, specifically that their documents will arrive and they will be able to join us on this trip!) Anyway, we will have our itineraries on Monday and I will post what they are then!

Also happenings in our home - our middle son turned 11 on the 22nd - where does the time go? My mom arrived from Albuquerque the same day!! She is here to watch our youngest 2 boys while we travel to China with Calixto! And Cali left a few minutes ago for a work conference in Michigan! He won't be back until Tuesday afternoon and we leave bright & early Wed morning. Please pray that I will be able to accomplish all that needs to get done! :0D
With that, I must go and start accomplising! I really will try to start posting more during our process!
Love to all!
Teresa