Another Anniversary

I almost let today's anniversary pass me by.  It is another milestone in our lives that I am sure will be remembered but not as celebrated as the years turn into a blur.

I remember that early morning flight...we all do.  We loved (especially Jack and Seth) heading to the airport when it was still dark out.  We caught our connecting flight to Chicago, and like our first trip to Eva, grabbed our breakfast of cinnamon buns and coffee.  We walked around O'Hare airport, looking in shops as we waited for our 12:30-ish flight to Hong Kong.

The flight to HK was long, but everyone did well.  Eva only fussed the last couple of hours.  We arrived in Hong Kong, tired, smelly, and sleepy.

After a long layover, we connected to Guangzhou and was at the White Swan by midnight.  We found out that we would meet Joy the next day instead instead of having a full day of rest.  I remember feeling anxious, yet excited that we'd finally meet the little girl we've been singing about for the last 7 months.

We met Joy around 4:30 pm.  She had a long bus ride from Wuchuan.  She was sick, quiet, and smelled like she had been dunked in baby powder.  But, she was ours.  She went from a scared little girl on that first day, not crawling, walking, or even eating solid foods to squealing, running, and eating on her own by the time we left China 2 weeks later.

Joy and Me the morning of September 12th.

We left China bright and early the morning of Eva's 2nd birthday.  And, what a birthday it was.  Eva has never been so rotten as she was for that 36 hour birthday.  She fussed, whined, screamed, threw fits.  It was hard on her.  We laugh about it now, but I remember going into the bathroom on that long flight home, sitting down and just crying and asking God to help me endure the long trip home with Eva.  Joy, on the other hand, was a little easier to deal with.  With a little singing, holding, and food, she was a happy girl.  Hats off to the wonderful United flight attendants who brought us treats and encouragement during that long flight.  They were probably glad to see us leave!