rushing into June

Well I still haven't posted about my birthday, and it was a big one :)

But June is here and it's going to go in a hurry, so I'll have to go back and add in my birthday post when I can.  For now, here's our story -

We leave today, as soon as Matt gets home from work, headed north.  It's road trip time!

Almost 5 years ago Matt and I made our first trip to Henan (with baby Luke in tow), to get our John Paul and bring him home.  We briefly met his foster mama, and we have been able to stay in touch with her over the years.  And now, we are going to visit her!  It's exciting and nerve-wracking, and filled with emotion, and (we dream) so so valuable for John Paul as he starts to understand and own more of his own story.

We drive four hours tonight - north and east - and booked a hotel in a smaller city along the way (still in our province).  Tomorrow we have another 11 hours on the road and will spend the night in Nanyang, Henan.  His foster mom lives in a village about an hour out of town, and we will spend Sunday and Monday with her.  Then, "on the way home", we will drive through Xi an, and see the terra-cotta soldiers and a few other important sights.

So it's a big trip, and it's coming at a big time, and we've already had an emotionally loaded week as we started saying some goodbyes (friends we will not see again until next January/February).  And the Chinese highway system is much more developed than it was ten years ago, but it's still not my favorite way to travel.  I'll be packing the computer, and hope to blog some along the way.

Off to do the final packing and then we are off!