The Roller Coaster

So much to experience in one day. I do not honestly know where to start. We were all a little bit nervous and none of us slept well. We woke up and ate breakfast at the buffet in the hotel and then met Sally from FFC in the lobby of the hotel at 9:30 and headed to Chung Yi. At first I think they were a little overwhelmed that there were so many of us. I have to say that Sally and the staff at Chung Yi are just remarkable people. They made the day memorable and I am forever grateful for how they prepared Katie for this day. Dawson and his foster mother and sister were the first ones we saw. That is where the camera catastrophe began. Janel had accidentally left her video camera at the hotel(we are more concerned with getting our gifts to the orphanage.) When I took out my camera to take pictures for Janel it died. So, my new advice is double check your battery in your camera before you head to such an important event. Next the kids(Trey, Alex, and Lizzy) and I went to meet Katie's birth father and grand uncle(an opportunity I did not expect to have.) I don't know quite to put it all into words. No matter what way you look at it, it's just plain hard. That is so many emotions to experience at one time. It is draining but, at the same time it is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. After that we met with Katie's birth mother and grandmother. Again another moment hard to define. It is awesome to know that Katie looks like a combination of both of her birth parents. I am thinking she got the best from both of them. We were there when Katie said her final(at least for now) goodbyes. Things like that change you. It made the day more special to have the kids with me. They are awesome people and they have claimed Katie and she has claimed them too. One thing I know is that I am blessed.

While we were visiting with Katie's family, Janel was having a rough time both Dawson and his foster mother had a rough time. His foster sister spoke English which Janel is grateful for. She seemed like a lovely girl. Again there are just no words to describe how many emotions you feel at one time and there is no way around it you just feel such pain when the little one you have waited for grieves so hard that you wonder if her will ever recover. It is hard not to have that feeling of,"Oh, What have I just done" and logic has no place in the moment unless there is someone else there and they can support you. I am sure Janel was thrilled to have Mom and Ashley there for just that reason. To live through such a moment is just indescribable unless you have experienced it yourself. Janel will have to post more on her visit later. I know that she is very grateful to Dawson's foster family for the love they gave him.

After that we got a tour of the orphanage, at least the girl's part. We got to meet the little girl that Jaclyn is adopting. She is just a doll and we are happy that she is coming to Florida (which is just what she wished for.) Again, I was impressed with the orphanage. I can just not say enough good things about the people there. Sally and Jessie translated for us and it was a remarkable day.

After that we left and went back to the hotel and then off to find McDonald's. We returned to our rooms and took a nap. Dawson woke and melted and so did Janel. I have to say that the evening ended better as he really seems to enjoy the kids and you can see that he is already bonding with Janel. I had told Janel of when I picked up Ben and how hard it was but, there is no way to be prepared for it.

For me I could not have ever dreamed of things going so well with Katie. She seems like such a sweet girl. She helped with Dawson and she has smiled the entire day and seems very happy to be with us. I will just enjoy that while it last.

Dawson is a doll and has such a big personality. Even though he had a hard time, he is interacting with the kids and smiling. He will be fine.

To add to the roller coaster of a day, I found out that our dog, Belle, died. We have had her for twelve years now and it is hard to lose a friend. She was a great and really more human than dog. She was always good to the kids and as Jim said the best dog we have ever had. She will be missed.