Our First Day in Beijing China

We finally arrived at our hotel sometime after 11:00 p.m. last night. We started the day with a good breakfast at the hotel then a meeting with our group and guide. Joy, our Beijing guide took us to a grocery store for snacks and drinks. It is amazing the different flavored chips they have here. Most are quite gross!!

Half of our group went to take naps in the afternoon then later today we were taken to an Acrobatic show. It is amazing to see the flexibility and strength they have. We got back to the hotel around 6:30 then several families walked down to a local chinese restaraunt for dinner. We chose to try the duck, per Joy's recommendation. Ryan and I were the least thrilled but Curt and his mother, Connie, seemed to like it. Tonight we are going to get a good nights rest then off to the Great Wall and Cloisonne factory for a tour.

We Are Leaving

We will be leaving at 7:15 a.m. to head to the airport. Please keep us in your prayers that travel will go smoothly and we all arrive in Beijing in one piece with all of our luggage. We will try to post as much as possible to keep you informed of our daily lives. We will meet Carissa for the first time on Tuesday afternoon (while everyone should be sleeping here in America). Please pray for bonding and adjustment. This is going to be a whole other world for her little life. Off we go!!!

Holiday Adoption Fundraiser

I know we are a few months away from Christmas, but we have a wonderful opportunity to be in on an adoption fundraiser and I wanted to post about it. I think these ornaments are beautiful and Christine is an adoptive mother and has a heart to help other adoptive families. SO- if you like these as much as I do and want to order one or a whole set - she said to order soon - they sell quickly and they do come all the way from China! Oh, and if you want the proceeds to help our family - just add "Freed family" somehwere in your email - then she gives the proceeds to us. (If you don't care who the proceeds go to, you don't need to add anything and she just divides it evenly. ) We are so grateful to people like this that are willing to help adoptive families!

You can find them at www.HolidayAdoptionFundraiser.blogspot.com

Baby Shower and 5 Days til Travel

Today some dear friends gave me a shower for Carissa. We played some fun games, opened presents and then my friends and some of their children gathered around me and they prayed for Carissa, our trip and her adjustment to our family. What a fun and neat time we had!! Our pastor's wife bought Carissa her first little doll. It even smelled like a baby. How fun!! I loved dolls when I was a young girl so I am hoping that she will love them as well.

When I got home, the roll of border that I had ordered had finally arrived so we put that up, got her gifts put away and now her room is complete. Very girly, with lots of pink and some green. We have 4 full days until we travel on Thursday so we still have some things to accomplish before traveling. I think that I will be ready to rest on the long plan ride over there.