Hello from the land of the censored blogs. I found a way around the Peoples Republic of China firewalls so if you don't hear from me~you know why. What a trip and what a place! I will start with the flight-uneventfully but long and well just long! We got off the plane in Beijing and started noticing two things right off-I was hot and it was smoggy. I mean heat indexes at night around 100 to 110! We arrived at our hotel around 12:30am Chinese time and our body clocks at about 10:00am CST. It was a very weird night sleep. I think this will be easier if I just lay this out with a list.

-July 28-29 flight
-July 30 woke up around 7:30am local time (CT)
- had a good breakfast in hotel then to orientation meeting and meet and great other families (19 families total) then to lunch with new friends ( we found this GREAT Chinese restaurant) the bank was next to change our money and wire adoption fees to orphanage; that night Chinese acrobat show (very good) dinner at a KFC (very long walk in night time heat) then to bed, Angie slept great all night I woke up around 2:00am local (my body clock is not letting go...
July 31 breakfast then to a Cloisonne Factory ( look it up) then to the GREAT WALL (very cool)
dinner in hotel and got online to write.

What's Next

Aug. 1 Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City and Hutong Tour
Aug. 2 Flight to Nanchang and GET BAILEY AROUND 12:00 noon!!!!!!!! Adoption Registration in afternoon then JOY JOY and CRYING CRYING all night!!!
Aug 3 Adoption notarization
Aug 4 FREE DAY
Aug 5 Visit Teng Wang Pavilion
Aug. 6 Receive documents and fly to Guangzhou
Aug. 7 Medical exam for Bailey and a meeting to prepare consulate documents
Aug. 8 Visit Guangzhou Folk Art Museum and Yuexiu Park
Aug. 9 Visa appointment
Aug 10 To the consulate to take oath
Aug 11 Consulate to get visa then start the long flight home!!!!
Aug 12 in B'ham Airport at 9:10am!!!


So much in so little time! Big big city!!! Lots of people!!! Traffic is bad and getting worse ever year. It is NASCAR on the roads not just with cars and buses, no they throw in pedestrians and bikes. The drivers are always inches away from a major pile ups or death. I had to stop looking out the front window of the bus!! The Great Wall was awesome but very crowed and very steep! Food so far has been great. Most restaurants have English words and photos. When we arrived the smog was so thick you could not see the sun but today a front moved in a cleared it all out. It was the worst air I had ever seen; you could almost feel it going down your throat in to your lungs. We went through the Olympic Village today and saw the Cube and the Bird's Nest again awesome. Angie and I want to thank you all for your prayers and support and please continue but please add a single lady named Cheryl to your prayer list. She traveled here alone and had never even flown on a jet plane till she gets on a plane to China. I could not fathom coming to adopt a child alone. Pray she gets a GREAT CHILD (happy, content)! Sorry am sorry this is so random but I have not had a lot of sleep and ......................we are good and amazed we are here and we get our little girl in two days! More to come!

Hi all!!!
We are on our way!!!! In Atlanta then to Seattle, change planes to Beijing. It is 1am Thursday July 29th in China which kind-of weirds me out a little. I did not watch LOST but I think I understand~ still no polar bears but I am watching the bushes for movement. God blessed us with the ability to fly business class so the flight will be long (25 flying hours) but in comfort. I may never get off the plane. We are sitting in the Delta Sky Club now and Angie said, " I might (could) get use to this" referring to the nice comfy seats, free food and conversations with other world travelers about S&Y (stocks and yachts.) I think a Polo game is starting soon and I maybe just saw Wolf Blitzer. Jason M. I put in a good word for you with the boys now that you are a part of The M club-they said' "we already have him on our radar."

PLEASE keep us lifted up in your prayers-very hard good bye with little Raleigh this morning... More soon Team Blackwell out!

"SAY WHAT?!

You are bringing who home from where?"

Please pray for Raleigh as he makes the transition from being THE one to one of two. I woke up around 5:00 am this morning; I don't wake up that early this time of year. Can't sleep. Why??? It is here, lets run down the check list: her room is pink (Angie says it is lavender), the suitcases are packed (mostly), Raleigh's sitters are organized and briefed, Dave has made a solemn vow to not be... well Dave, if airplanes that should be in the air sit on the ground and he has to wait, and God has been thanked and asked to help the Blackwells move into this new stage in their adventure. Last night as Angie and I where snuggled in bed she said, "this time next Monday we will have a little girl sleeping with us-" Great thought to go to sleep with, but maybe also the reason I woke up so early...

New blog in a sea of blogs~ Team Blackwell is mostly packed and Angie is working on more paper work...We did get our official travel invitation from the People's Republic of China! The plane leaves on July 28th-and on August 2nd 2010 we get her 4ever! Big doings in the Blackwell house! RTR