Saturday, July 14th - 1st full day in USA and top 10 lists

Trying to get back onto US time....12 hour time difference.  Ran errands around town since we've been gone for 17 days!  Elise was a trooper.  Not sleeping much...but very pleasant.  She has no issue with the car seat despite never being restrained before.

The trip was an amazing experience with an amazing result:  Elise.  We are so blessed!  She's an amazing baby!


For fun, we've reflected on our time in China and would like to share 2 Top "10" lists....

Top 10 US things we missed:
1.  Diet Coke
2.  English written words
3.  Brushing teeth with running tap water
4.  Toilet commodes
5.  American TV (got tired of watching only James Bond movies)
6.  Readily available forks and spoons
7.  Toilet tissue in public bathrooms
8.   Non-cut fruit (i.e. apples, plums, etc)
9.  Using our cell phones (Jen especially since her iPhone broke early in the trip)
10.  Salad


Top 10 Things we will NOT miss in China:
1.  People cutting lines
2.  Being stared at since we were often the only Americans around
3.  Honking horns all day and night long
4.  Cars, bikes, mopeds, and trikes driving everywhere (including wrong way on the streets & sidewalks)
5.  People clearing their throats and spitting
6.  Umbrellas
7.  Wearing a swim cap in the pool
8.  Boiling water before use
9.  Young children and some adults relieving themselves on sidewalks or in public
10.  Seeing animals in the grocery stores or in restaurants prior to them being eaten

In all seriousness, our international adoption agency (FTIA) provided a very well organized trip.  All of our guides were excellent and insured that we were well taken care of. 

We hope you enjoyed reading about our journey.