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.

Pictures

3rd day part 2 (Still Exhausted!)

The grounds surrounding the Musuem were beautiful. I was extremely hot although you can't really tell from the pictures. After that we went to the Handicraft Mart but, it was not as interesting as the night market. Then we decidied to check out the Sogo Department Store and Yes! we found Din Tai Fung and it was awesome like everyone said. I can't believe the prices either. We will be going back there. We only had to wait 5 minutes, too. We then strolled around and got some desserts. They put them in little individual boxes. I could not believe how many dessert places they had. The desserts were just beautiful, also. I also had to take a picture of the lady with the black hat. They are ladies that work at the mall. I wish I could have gotten a better picture especially of the one working the elevator. There uniforms were interesting. Janel is loving the cabs. Everyone is exhausted, we get the kids tomorrow and we are a little anxious about how it will go. Alex told me she likes Florida better. I do think everyone has had a great trip and we are so looking forward to tomorrow. It still does not seem real. -Denise

Exhausted! (start here for day 3)

We have been trying to see all of Taiwan in 2 days and it is starting to take it's toll. We are going to bed early tonite because tomorrow is the big day. We had a little slower day. We started at the buffet breakfast in the hotel, it was good. After that we were oof to explore the CKS Museum. The had a exhibit there featuring some work done by high school and middleschoolers. There was a virtual screen where you tried to pat the ball that floated. It was nice to see the teenagers working the exhibit. We also tried our hand at writing with pen and ink. It is harder than it looks. The building were beautiful but, there is lots of construction going on. Scroll up if you want to know more.

I know this is backwards but, I am lucky I figured out how to do this much

This is part 2 of our day and I know the posting is backwards but you will have to scroll down for the start. As you can see Janel and mom had way too much fun with the worm things (that is what heat and jet lag do to you.) The Jade Market was great but so hot. After we got back from the Jade Market we went to Taipei 101 but, I forgot to put the card in my camera so, you will have to trust me when I say it was crazy. I had never seen more people in one place and eating (at least until we went to the Shih Lin Night Market.) It made Disney World seem slow. It was raining when we went to Taipei 101 and Janel's taxi driver gave them the ride of there life. I don't think she tipped him either. I guess the rule is do not scare the Americans if you want a tip. For the most part the other drivers have been great. Koreans are much more relaxed in their daily lives from what little I have seen. It has been really neat to get a glance at both cultures. After we went to Taipei 101 we went back to the hotel to nap. We slept from 2:30 until 7:30. Needless to say our internal clocks are all messed up. After that it was time for round 2 which consisted of the Shih Lin Night Market and then snacks back at the hotel. The people that are in line in this last picture are waiting for whatever they are serving in the picture above it. I am not sure what it is but, you must understand that this was not a fast moving line so, it must have been something good. The market is huge and the people, you would just have to be there and see for yourself. We went back to the hotel and had snacks in the coffee room. We all love the lemon tea that they have, because of a misunderstanding Janel was the only one who got hers cold. We are learning! We love the hotel and the people have been great. We have only been here one day and yet we saw so much. We are looking forward to tomorrow. I think Janel is going to chime in sometime soon. -Denise

What a Day

What a day. We saw and did alot today. The first picture is the view from our rooms. We woke up and walked to the bakery (it was very good.) The kids loved the pastries, they are not overly sweet. The second picture is the mopeds. They are everywhere and how they don't get hit, I do not know. Then there we are heading back out to the Jade Market. It wasn't that busy when we first got there but, then things got crazy. I guess people here are not early risers. My kids tried the shaved ice. It was much better than it looked. We laughed so hard as they eat worm looking things. I will have to continue my blog because it upload so many pictures. I know that everyone wants to see what we are doing. It was quite hot today and just like in Florida there was a thunderstorm in the afternoon but, then it colded of a little in the evening. Stay tuned for part 2 of our day.

trying again