We're Coming Home!!

We got Mya's visa at 4:15 this afternoon...the last thing we need before we can come home!! So, the bell boy will be at our door at 7:45 tomorrow morning to get our bags and we'll be on our way to the Guangzhou airport for an 11:00 flight to Beijing. After a 3.5 hour layover in Beijing, we're on a 5:50 flight to Detroit, which is estimated to take 13 hours. Please pray that Mya will sleep for the majority of this flight! While we know this will be draining, the thought of being back on US soil and getting back to everyday life with our family and friends will make it worth the agony. When we clear customs in Detroit, Xiufan Li will officially become Mya Catherine Wik and have US Citizenship! Then a 1.5 hour layover in Detroit and an 8:30 flight to Dayton, which is scheduled to land at 9:30 Saturday night. Davis, Brady, and Sam - we can't wait to see you guys...be prepared for some long hugs and tears of joy from your mom and me when we get to see your smiling faces in person. We've missed you guys so much and can't wait to get back to spending time with you!!

Today was a really nice last day here in China. Mya slept a little later than normal so we lazily made our way down to breakfast around 10:00. After breakfast, we went to the park with a family from Montana that is here adopting a 13-year old girl...great people. Despite a forecast that called for rain all day today, we had a beautiful day the whole time we were at the park. In fact, it was the first time in guangzhou that we could've actually used sunglasses. Usually, there's a layer of smog that manages to choke out the sun if it's not raining. The park was huge with beautiful landscaping and some cool amenities. We took a boat ride on the lake, strolled along some nice walking paths, and, of course, rode some amusement park rides. I convinced Shannon that I didn't want to rent a paddle boat because its too much work. I can't understand Chinese, but I swear there was more than one Chinese family pointing and laughing at the lazy American family that rented the electric boat. It's a good thing we did though, because I was plenty sweaty after playing with a couple of the older Chinese kids that are being adopted....it was great to interact with someone on my intellectual level for a change! We ended up staying at the park well past Mya's nap time, as evidenced in the picture in the stroller below.

We ended up at the Italian restaurant for a nice dinner with the family from Indiana (they cancelled on us last night after a long day with their kids). After that, we headed to the mall for a few more last gifts, one more stop at McDonald's for a milk shake, and had Mya in bed by 9:00. It was a good day with Mya despite the fact that she really didn't get a nap. I'm getting a little sad for Mya to leave the only country that she's known. I know it's God's plan, and I'm obviously very excited, but I also know how I've felt for just two weeks being a minority. I'm just praying she knows and can feel in the depths of her heart that our home has always been her home. I know having such good family and friends to love her will make that so much easier for her.

We really appreciate all of the love, support and prayers from home during this journey. I truly believe that we couldn't have done this without all of you guys! Thanks for all of the encouraging comments and thanks for following along. It's an experience that has changed my life and I'll forever be grateful for that. I'm looking forward to watching Mya integrate into our family and our circle of friends. We know there will be challenges, but seeing Mya's sweet smile, her funny facial expressions, hearing her laugh, accepting her hugs and kisses, and even wiping away her tears make it all worth it. We can't wait for you guys to experience all of those things!

Here are a few pictures from last night (at the hagendaas restaurant, which Mya is obviously a fan of) and from the park today. Finally, a picture of our bags packed by the hotel room door ready to head back to the US! We can't wait to see you guys!