A Year Ago Today || November 12, 2017

Nov 12

Nov 12 A Year Ago Today || November 12, 2017

November 12, 2017

Welcome to SHANGHAI, CHINA!

After an incredible time touring Beijing, we and another lovely family, headed to the airport to fly to Shanghai. The flight was simple and smooth and took us from chilly Beijing, to warm and humid weather! It was a nice little change!

And I must say, I absolutely LOOOOVED Shanghai and wish our time there had been longer. I wish we had had more time to explore the city my son was born in and is from. The time we did spend there, I absolutely cherished and look forward to going back with Tristan!

While in Shanghai, we met up with the other family traveling with our group. Little did I know the bond that would soon happen between me and this beautiful woman! I am so grateful to call her friend. Grateful that our boys were in the same orphanage together and actually knew each other. And grateful that our boys have a special bond between the two of them as well.

Our first evening in Shanghai we all headed to dinner and enjoyed a little Mexican Food in China. LOL ~ I know, just saying it is a tad sad. We later found an incredible local dumpling restaurant that was SOOOOO good! TAKE ME BACK!

Walking into our room and seeing the crib is when it really hit that the next day, November 13th was the day Tristan would walk into our family. He would become ours and we would become his.

I wasn’t overly emotional. And if you know me well, you might be a tad shocked. LOL My emotions ran high the months leading up to our trip. I could barely get a word out without crying during our baby shower. So to feel calm was truly an act of God. I wasn’t nervous. I wasn’t scared. I was ready.

Brooklynn had been such incredible trooper throughout Beijing. Being surrounded with the other kids that traveled with their families was BEYOND a blessing! Never once did they argue. They were all instant friends. God knew we needed these families to travel with and I am so grateful our trip happened when it did.

After a LONG day of traveling and getting settled, we all crashed. Tomorrow would be the day. My heart still feels the anticipation. Wow… I can’t believe it has been a year.