In less than 2 days, my mother and I (with a group of 8 other families) are leaving for a two week trip to China to adopt my baby. Please come back to visit again, because after we return, I'll be sure to share all the details of our trip with you. Here's our itinerary:

• Thursday, March 21 - Afternoon flight from Denver to Los Angeles. We are planning to enjoy a terrific sushi dinner, stay up late watching cable TV, and sleep over in the Howard Johnson's near the airport.
  
  
• Friday, March 22 - Our 17 hour flight to Hong Kong departs L.A. at 12:30 pm. I'm ready for it. I've got my ear plugs, eye shades, and of course, my sleeping pill.
  
  
• Saturday, March 23 - Our flight won't arrive in Hong Kong till after dark. I remember when I flew into Hong Kong in 1980, we flew in over the bay, and I saw a real junk with a blood red sail.
  
  
• Sunday, March 24 - The whole group is scheduled for an all day city tour of Hong Kong.
  
  
• Monday, March 25 - A free day in Hong Kong. Mama and I plan to visit the bookstore, have Dim Sum for lunch, and enjoy ourselves. We have a short evening flight to Guangzhou. We'll get our first look at the famous White Swan Hotel after dark.
  
  
• Tuesday, March 26 - Today, we'll spend most of the day filling out provincial paperwork to prepare for our adoptions. CCAI's Group 22 will arrive in the evening. It'll be a fun reunion, and we'll get to meet their new babies.
  
  
• Wednesday, March 27 - Our first free day in Guangzhou. I'm sure that shopping will be high on our list of things to do.
  
  
• Thursday, March 28 - 5 of our families will climb on a chartered bus for Yangchun this morning. The 6 hour ride will cover about 160 miles southwest of Guangzhou. We've been told that we'll probably be given our new daughters upon arrival. I certainly hope so!
  
  
• Friday, March 29 - Today is my father's birthday. When we asked him what he wanted, he said, "A granddaughter". Well, that's exactly what he's going to get this year, because today is Lara's adoption day.
  
  
• Saturday, March 30 - Back on the bus. We return to Guangzhou.
  
  
• Sunday, March 31 - Another free day in Guangzhou.
  
  
• Monday, April 1 - Thursday, April 4 - We'll get to know our daughters a little better this week, while we spend a few hours arranging for their passports and visas. I hope we will be able to visit the pandas at the Guangzhou zoo.
  
  
• Friday, April 5 - This is going to be the world's longest day. We will be in transit for about 30 hours. First we fly from Guangzhou to Hong Kong. Then we fly from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. Finally, we have the last short hop back to Denver. Have you ever been on a plane with 9 crying babies? Neither have I, but I guess I'm going to find out what it's like, firsthand. I'm sure that we'll all be very glad to be home again. See you soon!
  
  

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