Less than a week before we go..... Wow!

Compared to all of the slow-draging days and weeks in the wait for LOA, and the wait for TA, these last few weeks are flying right by!  I am now down to just five days.   Five days!  We finally received today the final itinerary for our travel: this is as close to flying on the seat of my pants that I can handle!  It feels good to know where we are going to be staying, and who is going to be assisting us.  This is what it looks like on paper:

Oct. 5 Fly out of USA to China, changing planes in Japan on the way
Oct. 6  Arrive in Beijing
Oct. 7  Visit Tienemen Square, Forbidden Palace,and Temple of Heaven
Oct. 8  Visit the Great Wall of China and take a Hutong tour
Oct. 9  Take a train from Beijing northbound, up to Harbin (10 hour journey)
Oct. 10  ELLIOTT DAY!!!
Oct. 11  Start the official Chinese adoption process
Oct. 12  Tour Harbin
Oct. 13  Tour Harbin
Oct. 14  Receive Elliott's final set of adoption paperwork including his passport, fly south to Guangzhou (4.5 hour flight)
Oct. 15  Medical appointment for Elliott
Oct. 16  Free day to tour Guangzhou, paperwork
Oct. 17  Free day to tour Guangzhou, have TB test read at med clinic
Oct. 18  Visit Animal Park (zoo) in Guangzhou
Oct. 19  US Embassy Appointment at 8:30am, where we adopt Elliott according to USA law
Oct. 20  Receive Elliott's immigration paperwork and VISA, hop on a train to Hong Kong (2 to 3 hour ride)
Oct. 21  Get on a really big airplane and take a really LONG flight back home!

So, there you have it!  There are lots of little steps sandwiched in there, too, and hours of paperwork.  I have no doubt that we will be keeping busy.

Here is a map of China.  See if you can find Harbin, Beijing, and Guangzhou.

I have been looking up weather in the different cities.  I have found that Harbin, although colder in the mid-winter months, is much like Michigan.  And there's a good reason why.  It's at almost the same latitude as us in Michigan!

Harbin: 45.45

Grand Rapids: 42.88

Average daily high in October: 58

Guangzhou is at 23.05.

Key West, by comparison, is at 24.34

Going to be nice and hot! Daily average: 78

I had a really rough day at work today, and left with a major headache.  All the stress of working my 12-hour shift when nothing seemed to be going easy, combined with sleepless nights and endless packing and preparation lists left me with a pretty stiff headache.  And of course, I get to walk out to my car in the middle of a severe thunderstorm.  I was ready to get soaking wet, but when I stepped out, the rain suddenly parted ways, and I got to follow a double-rainbow home from work.  It was truely amazing!  The last time I saw such a bright double rainbow it was the day before my wedding day.  I had no idea at the time, ten years ago, what joys our marriage would bring us.  And now here I am again, nervous and hopeful that I am once again putting myself on the line in hopes of gaining something (someone!) truely wonderful, and standing under a beautiful rainbow.  Coincidence???