We Made It!

We are finally in China! After 48 hours of traveling it is wonderful to have solid ground under us again. Most of the trip went really smoothly with Little Bear sleeping most of the 13 hour flight. Once we got to Taiwan we were able to get a room in the airport hotel and get some sleep, a shower, and a couple hot meals. Unfortunately something in one of those hot meals did not settle well with Little Bear so we spent the last 12 hours trying to console his misery and clean up messes. Poor little guy, he is such a trooper. But we made it. And so did ALL our bags! We are so thankful to be here.

(This post is a little late now, but getting internet is a little bit of a hassle here.)

Goodbye Is Not Forever, It Just Feels Like It

Today we finally leave for China. Woohoo! I'm so excited! We are finally going! This is what I have dreamed of doing since I was a little girl. This is the life Mr. Adventure and I have planned on since we met. This is what we have spent these last two years telling so many people that we are going to do. This is my dream. And I am living it.

Oh but I hate saying goodbye. I'm so sad to be leaving you. You are my family and friends. We may have cried together, or held back the tears. But they were there. I may not have said much because I stink at goodbyes. But what I really want you to know is that I love you. Our lives have been made richer by the time we have spent together, and I will treasure the memories that we have made.

Thankfully these are not the days of William Carey or Adoniram Judson whose mothers dabbed tears from their eyes with lacy white hankies as their son or daughter sailed away on a rickety wooden ship knowing they would never see them again on this earth. That's dedication my friend. Wow. I am so thankful for modern technology! We can stay in touch so easily through Skype, Facebook, emails, FaceTime, phone calls, and many other apps or social networks. It's not the same as actually being together, but it sure helps.

We Have Our Tickets!

The time has finally come and we have purchased our tickets. We fly out on August 4th, only 18 days!!! In just two days we'll be all packed up and heading to Texas for two weeks of final goodbyes with friends and family, a visit to the Chinese consulate, and then we're off!

That is unless something terrible happens like the dog eating my passport. Oh wait, that did happen. No joke. The delivery guy set the envelope with all our important documents within reach of the dogs. Such incompetence! Tut tut! Thankfully they weren't quite digested and were found scattered along my brother-in-law's driveway with nothing worse than a little dirt and a few teethmarks.

Right now our living room is crowded with six large suitcases, three rolling carry-on cases, and piles of stuff. There is some order to the madness. Some. But no worries, Mr. Adventure is a master packer. I'm not so good at it. I put like two things in a bag and wail, "It'll never fit!...". Yes, that actually happened this morning. Fifteen minutes later, exactly fifty pounds of luggage was neatly stuffed inside my little purple suitcase. Hmm, I love him...

Have Baby Will Travel

Little Bear has spent the entirety of his little life traveling the States while we raise support to move overseas. He is an MK through and through. 

Little Bear loves people. And everybody loves a chubby baby! Everywhere we go, people stop and talk to him and he just eats it up. One black lady in Georgia even stopped her vehicle in the middle of the parking lot to roll down her window and sweet talk to the cute white baby.  He is a great conversation starter whether we are at a meeting, out shopping, or eating at a restaurant. Even though he is less than a year old, he has already added a whole new dimension to our ability to reach out to others.

Hugging a new friend in Tennessee.

I get asked all the time, "How well does he travel?" Well, he's a baby. That being said, I think he does pretty good in the car. Maybe I'll do another post sometime about traveling with a baby and share some tips that I've found make it easier.

We don't normally let him watch movies, but in the car Baby Einstein is a lifesaver!

We always have a stroller with us in the back of the van. Thankfully he loves strolling around because he is way too heavy to carry around very long! He may look fluffy, but those rolls are dense.

Cruising around, seeing new places.

We eat out a lot. It's an unhealthy but necessary part of our life. Our favorites: Chipotle and Chick-fil-a.

Munchin' on nuggets and fries at Chick-fil-a, Yum!

I love it that he gets to play with all kinds of new toys all the time. Every nursery he visits has a whole new set!

Exploring a new toy bin. Literally. He is chewing on it.

Tips for Taking Passport Photos

We have our passports! I had to change to my married name, and Little Bear of course needed one. They came in the mail yesterday. Of course the first thing I did was flip mine open to see how my picture turned out. Don't tell me you don't do the same thing. My first driver's license picture turned out terrible. I had my hair back in a ponytail so all you could see was my weird little bangs, my glasses were tinted, I was grinning like a Cheshire cat because I had just passed my driving test, and for some reason the flash created shadows between all my teeth so I looked like I had just eaten a spinach salad with extra pepper.  I've learned a few things since then about picture taking for official documents.

Tips for taking passport photos (without looking like a zombie):

1. Wear your hair down. Have you ever thought you were looking at a picture of a bald guy, and then realized it was actually a woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail? I have. Don't let that be you.

2. Take off your jacket. I know your shoulders barely show in the picture. But inevitably your collar will be crooked, and the extra bulk will make you look like you have no neck.

3. If you have automatic tint glasses, make sure they are clear.

4. Don't ever get glasses that tint automatically in the sun. Your optometrist will try to convince you that they are very convenient and protect your eyes from the sun. Don't believe him. They take forever to go clear again when you walk inside. Everyone will look at you like, "Why is she wearing sunglasses inside?" Your friends might even start to call you Fanny Crosby. Trust me. I know this from experience.

Okay, I know number four doesn't really have anything to do with passport photos. But it's a really good tip anyway, and since I'm just full of practical wisdom, I'd thought I'd share it with you. Well, I'm full of it anyway, you can decide about the wisdom part. Haha