June 4:
Kristina will soon be home with us! Hurrah! We are still pinching ourselves. Today, June 4, 1997, we got the call to go to Beijing. We need to be there by June 26.Today, Linda was looking at her email messages when she saw a note from someone who had also gotten notice of their referral on May 9 and they were (with the written word) jumping for joy because they had gotten their call to travel to China. She immediately called me and started to read their post. While reading it to me, another call came in so she put me on hold to answer it. She never got back to me so I hung up.Soon she called me back and, emotionally charged, she related the news to me at the office. Yes, we had received our COME TO CHINA call!It was hard for me to contain myself…so I didn't. I told everyone and they joined in my elation. Lots of work to do, lots of people to call, lots of excitement to have and soon, lots of love to share with Kristina!June 11:
Today we got another call from Holt and apparently the Chinese government is going to take a few days off (up to 5 days) and we, and all the other anxious parents, are having to adjust to seeing our daughters 1 week later. We are now being asked to go to Hong Kong and are expected to be in China July 4. Of course, we are still elated at the thought of going and getting Kristina. And, of course, we are grateful that this avenue of receiving our child was available. More news as it becomes available!June 15:
We have adjusted well to the date of our departure being moved back 1 week. The ticket prices will be less because we are flying into the same city we are flying out of: Hong Kong. We will depart at 1:30 PM on July 1 and arrive in Hong Kong the next evening. We will recoup for a day, have an orientation meeting with the Holt people, then fly down to the Province of Guangxi, city of Nanning, China where we will be united with Kristina. What a magical moment that will be! We will come back, a family of 3, on July 22. Stay tuned.June 18:
The one thing that is consistent is change! Got a call from our Holt representative in Eugene, Oregon today. Instead of coming back July 22, they have told us we may leave July 16. We are grateful we will be home a little earlier but…off to the airplane ticket counter, down on the our knees (again) to beg for a change in ticketing. (I'll bet those ticket agents cringe when they see us walking through that door). This is why Holt insists we get "changeable" tickets. It isn't because ticketing might be changed, it is because ticketing WILL be changed. We recommend that perishables not be packed into the vehicle UNTIL you are ready to leap into the car and rush to the airport where you can't hear the telephone rr-rrr-ing. Because you know who it might be?"I'm glad we caught you. You haven't put the perishables in the car yet, have you? Good. Guess what? You need to leave next…" Anyway you look at it, though, all too soon (but not soon enough) we'll have our baby Kristina.
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