2 out of 3 ain't bad (maybe it was 3 out of 4???)

...feeling crummy and sick today here in Hong Kong, which suits the rainy day perfectly, not to mention the emotional and mental drain of being away from the comforts of home.  Well, at least my belt and my shoes match... Wait, let me double check.... Never mind, I'm a complete wreck today.  I'm soooooo ready to be home and dreading the long flight tomorrow.  I'm missing Scarlett terribly, even though she's been with us the entire trip, but it's a different kind of togetherness when there's another precious child who is desperately in need of the care they've been lacking for a lifetime.  

What I meant to end that really depressing Eyeore of a paragraph with was how thankful I am to have been called on this journey and how blessed I feel to be able to share the endless love of a Heavenly Father with a gift of a gal who we will treasure and adore even when the times are tough.

We left for HK early this morning by train, arrived and drove about half an hour to the airport hotel where we checked in , promptly found and ate lunch and took a nap... Every body else is still sleeping... Not quite sure why I'm always the one awake at odd times.

Prior to our travels here, we had a few fantastic days. On Monday, we got to go to the safari zoo in Guangzhou. Scarlett got to ride a pony and both girls got to feed the giraffes, in addition to viewing 12 giant pandas. The zookeepers tried to keep Erik, but I assured them that he was much more trouble than he's worth. Wonder if he'll ever get around to reading my blog.. Reminds me of my college days when I'd add something Completely off the wall to my multi-page papers to see if my professors were actually paying attention. 

Anyway, part of the zoo was set up like the safari ride at the animal kingdom in Disney, so that was pretty fascinating... And the keepers even timed feedings with the the approach of the tram, so we got to see the animals in action.  Contrary to popular opinion, they actually do move around... I was impressed.

That evening, we met up with the family  from New Albany and the girls played on the outdoor playground for a while.  ...can't recall whether I mentioned them on an earlier post or just Facebook, but they are a family from my sister,s church who, Godincidentally, ended up traveling on the same dates for their adoption. How cool is that?!

The oath-taking ceremony took place on Tuesday and we had a beautiful cruise in the Red Dragon Boat along the ? River that evening. It was a perfect night with a lovely breeze and a 5 star meal catered by Papa Johns (apparently the food offered on the boat is pretty bad, so our guide took extreme measures... I love extreme measures).  Unfortunately, our night ended with Scarlett getting sick... Think she swallowed a bit of tub water since we've been eating similar things.  Poor baby. It's no fun being sick especially when you're away from home, especially, especially when your halfway around the world away from home.

Wednesday led to a happier tummy for Scarlett and our checkout meeting with Holt.  We spent a couple of hours on Shamien Island for the tiniest bit of shopping and strolling, but we had to be back at the hotel to pick up Saylor's visa.  It seems like we had so much time ahead of us on this trip and it's difficult to believe that we fly home tomorrow.  Oh, almost forgot the most important treasure we discovered:  some little gal happens to be quite to ticklish right under her arms... And she has the cutest little giggle, which you can't bargain for anywhere.

Stay tuned for the travel day update.  I'm hoping that it will be a very boring read, something along the lines of: the Schuld family picked up a favorable wind and made it home in record time.  Everybody slept comfortably on the flight, the food was impressive and the bathroom was available whenever one was needed.  It could happen, right? I mean it's not nearly as difficult as parting the red sea or making a donkey talk, right?!