Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Diane
Diane, I can't get through to you for some reason. The email address you gave me, the computor will not accept. Email me at starbucksismybestfriend@yahoo.com and then I can do a reply. I don't know why this is happening now?
First Day in Beijing
Hey to everyone, Hello to a few people first, Hey Diane, Uncle Samir, and Ferielle, Auntie Kat, and of course Karla, I got your emails. I will write back because its free and my cell phone is so expensive.
Ok, it is now around 3 in the morning and I woke up and can't get back to sleep. I know it has to be the time change, because it happened last night too. It does make for a good quiet time to do things like this on the laptop.
Just to brief you all on our trip thus far, we had a great day yesterday with our guide. We went to Tienanmen Square for as long as we could tolerate it. With the windchill factor it was about 1 degree Celsius. After that we saw the Forbidden City, which our guide gave a great account of historical fact to us about the dynasty of the different emperors. It was great ! We then met our driver who patiently waited two hours by the car for us. Jerry is such a nice guy and a good driver !! Its crazy on the road, you have buses, bicycles, people and cars all mixing up in the road in a confused mess! Its fun for us just to ride around!
Hey Sherri, I saw the Starbucks but we were on our way to lunch, which was authentic Chinese food. They brought about 7 dishes of food out for us at a private table in a private room in the restaurant. I asked our guide why we were in a private room and she said that the air was not good quality, interesting I thought, but ok whatever. After eating we got to the door to leave and our driver races to have the car ready and waiting, he is so attentive to our needs. This special treatment is dangerous for me, I am enjoying it too much.
After this, we went to a place that was not on our tour package but our guide said that presidents of the US are always taken there because its such a nice place to learn about how silk was made in China, since China is famous for silk. I have to tell all of you behind me in the process that it is worth it! They take you through a step by step in the factory style of how they make the worm /pupa and of course the following silk, after which you can go upstairs and actually purchase silk things of all sorts. Diane, you would have loved the shopping. Hamid got to take several pupas in their ca coon with the silk in raw form around them. Its cool.
We are definitely going to need a nap tomorrow!
Nour
Ok, it is now around 3 in the morning and I woke up and can't get back to sleep. I know it has to be the time change, because it happened last night too. It does make for a good quiet time to do things like this on the laptop.
Just to brief you all on our trip thus far, we had a great day yesterday with our guide. We went to Tienanmen Square for as long as we could tolerate it. With the windchill factor it was about 1 degree Celsius. After that we saw the Forbidden City, which our guide gave a great account of historical fact to us about the dynasty of the different emperors. It was great ! We then met our driver who patiently waited two hours by the car for us. Jerry is such a nice guy and a good driver !! Its crazy on the road, you have buses, bicycles, people and cars all mixing up in the road in a confused mess! Its fun for us just to ride around!
Hey Sherri, I saw the Starbucks but we were on our way to lunch, which was authentic Chinese food. They brought about 7 dishes of food out for us at a private table in a private room in the restaurant. I asked our guide why we were in a private room and she said that the air was not good quality, interesting I thought, but ok whatever. After eating we got to the door to leave and our driver races to have the car ready and waiting, he is so attentive to our needs. This special treatment is dangerous for me, I am enjoying it too much.
After this, we went to a place that was not on our tour package but our guide said that presidents of the US are always taken there because its such a nice place to learn about how silk was made in China, since China is famous for silk. I have to tell all of you behind me in the process that it is worth it! They take you through a step by step in the factory style of how they make the worm /pupa and of course the following silk, after which you can go upstairs and actually purchase silk things of all sorts. Diane, you would have loved the shopping. Hamid got to take several pupas in their ca coon with the silk in raw form around them. Its cool.
We are definitely going to need a nap tomorrow!
Nour
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
We are here!!
Well we made it !!! Thank you guys for all of your prayer, we needed it!
For those of you interested in the details of flight, it goes something like this... we left our home at 5:00 AM and began flight at 8:00 AM to Detroit, where we connected our next flight to Tokyo which took around 16 hours, that was just horrible !! because I am one of those people who cannot sleep on a plane. Next time I am medicating! We connected to another flight which took us to Beijing. The connection there in Japan was a fiasco, because we all had to go back through customs and bag checks , security checks etc. a long walk as a group like mice channeling through a maze of glass walled corridors only to go from one plane to another. Crazy I thought, but hey, who cares as long as we get on the next plane before it leaves. The next flight took around 5 hours. We got to Beijing on the next day, (30th on Jan. ) at around 9:30 PM China time.
We got our luggage and walked into a crowd of Chinese people all holding signs with different names on them. We saw our guide only because she called out to us. I have to say it was kinda fun , we sorta felt famous or something, with everyone looking at us and calling to us to come towards their signs as if they were all happy to see us. They were the first happy faces I had seen in the last 30 hours, I can tell you!
Our guide is just great, her name is Penny she is standing in the lobby of the hotel waiting for us to go sight seeing now. She and Jerry the driver picked us up from the airport and even took us to a small shop to get some soda and other things on the way to the hotel.
Today the driver and Penny will take us to the Forbidden city and who knows? I need to go now and I will write later more. Right now I have a migrain and need medicine before we leave.
See ya,
Nour
For those of you interested in the details of flight, it goes something like this... we left our home at 5:00 AM and began flight at 8:00 AM to Detroit, where we connected our next flight to Tokyo which took around 16 hours, that was just horrible !! because I am one of those people who cannot sleep on a plane. Next time I am medicating! We connected to another flight which took us to Beijing. The connection there in Japan was a fiasco, because we all had to go back through customs and bag checks , security checks etc. a long walk as a group like mice channeling through a maze of glass walled corridors only to go from one plane to another. Crazy I thought, but hey, who cares as long as we get on the next plane before it leaves. The next flight took around 5 hours. We got to Beijing on the next day, (30th on Jan. ) at around 9:30 PM China time.
We got our luggage and walked into a crowd of Chinese people all holding signs with different names on them. We saw our guide only because she called out to us. I have to say it was kinda fun , we sorta felt famous or something, with everyone looking at us and calling to us to come towards their signs as if they were all happy to see us. They were the first happy faces I had seen in the last 30 hours, I can tell you!
Our guide is just great, her name is Penny she is standing in the lobby of the hotel waiting for us to go sight seeing now. She and Jerry the driver picked us up from the airport and even took us to a small shop to get some soda and other things on the way to the hotel.
Today the driver and Penny will take us to the Forbidden city and who knows? I need to go now and I will write later more. Right now I have a migrain and need medicine before we leave.
See ya,
Nour
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Some Itenerary Details For China
Hey there everybody, particularly... ( Kim, Laine, Sherri, Jodi, Amber, Auntie Kat ) and everyone else. I hope I didn't forget somebody. I am so excited you guys are coming along on this trip with us. Jodi, however is literally coming with us and I know how excited they are in preparation.
We have one more day before we leave for China, and I believe we are ready. We have our visas, and all our documents in nice water proof packages for the government all nicely prepared for me by Karla, my social worker. Thanks Karla, you did a good job.
Our flight will be a very long one, we leave early morning Monday and don't arrive in China until the night of the following day. We will be going through Tokyo. Too bad I can't do any shopping. After getting into Beijing, we will be able to go to bed, as it will be late at night when we arrive.
The next and first day there, our guide will pick us up and take us to lunch and then we will be able to visit the Great Wall of China and then Tienanmen Square.
I will post more info as it comes. Again , thanks for all of your prayers and love.
PS. Sherri, I forgot to answer you about Eli's size. I was told that he is probably about 26 lbs. He could be heavier or lighter. You know how it is going on two or three photos. He does seem to be getting plenty of nutrition though. Fat cheeks don't lie. Also I was told to pack some diapers in the 26 lb. range .
Nour
We have one more day before we leave for China, and I believe we are ready. We have our visas, and all our documents in nice water proof packages for the government all nicely prepared for me by Karla, my social worker. Thanks Karla, you did a good job.
Our flight will be a very long one, we leave early morning Monday and don't arrive in China until the night of the following day. We will be going through Tokyo. Too bad I can't do any shopping. After getting into Beijing, we will be able to go to bed, as it will be late at night when we arrive.
The next and first day there, our guide will pick us up and take us to lunch and then we will be able to visit the Great Wall of China and then Tienanmen Square.
I will post more info as it comes. Again , thanks for all of your prayers and love.
PS. Sherri, I forgot to answer you about Eli's size. I was told that he is probably about 26 lbs. He could be heavier or lighter. You know how it is going on two or three photos. He does seem to be getting plenty of nutrition though. Fat cheeks don't lie. Also I was told to pack some diapers in the 26 lb. range .
Nour
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Christmas pics
Ok, in the first pic you see of course Hamid and his 2 cousins, Elizabeth and Naseem on Christmas morning.
In the next pic is an unfortunate circumstance, you see , I put a huge chocolate bar in Hamids stoking at home and it melted. I had the camera ready to snap a pic of him getting into his stoking, before leaving for Atlanta. You can see by his expression that he just found this out. I didn't know either and everything in the stoking was just a mess.
Last pic you see is Hamid and his god mother Diane , after they made Christmas construction.
In the next pic is an unfortunate circumstance, you see , I put a huge chocolate bar in Hamids stoking at home and it melted. I had the camera ready to snap a pic of him getting into his stoking, before leaving for Atlanta. You can see by his expression that he just found this out. I didn't know either and everything in the stoking was just a mess.
Last pic you see is Hamid and his god mother Diane , after they made Christmas construction.
Getting Ready !!
We are preparing to leave now, packing and running back and forth to target etc..... For those of you coming with us on the blog...... take off will be MONDAY YEAY !! Early. If any of you know me well, then you know I don't get up early for anything but the absolute necessary ex. settlements, closings, the occasional court hearing, doctors visits, and flying out of the country of course!
We are about to bust with excitement!
We are about to bust with excitement!
Game Day
I added a few pics of a game we went to recently. Also Daniel , in the pic is the marketing director for sports at UAB, and is a good friend of Hamid's. The UAB coach in the pic is just a good sport.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Sunday, January 21, 2007
A Short Note
Hey there everybody, I just love reading your comments. They give me inspiration and well, I just like reading them.
I know I put way too many pics of my cat, I am really trying to get all of the Label, Title, Pixels etc... details down. For some reason my pics upload blurry and I can't figure out why, anyhow I learn more about this blog thing by horsing around with it.
By the way thank you so much for praying for us, it means the world to me. I too have been praying allot lately. I have to say that I am so fortunate to know my maker personally, and to know that He is a God of love and in complete control of all things.
I want to take a min. to say hello to you Elizabeth. It was lots of fun meeting you with your beautiful brood at the mall. I am going to visit your website soon.
Last, Hamid just had to have a shot of himself and his new Wii which apparently people slept in tents outside in the freezing rain at BestBuy for. We just walked up to the store at 10:30 am and got one of the last tickets to buy one. Just lucky I suppose.
Until later,
Nour
I know I put way too many pics of my cat, I am really trying to get all of the Label, Title, Pixels etc... details down. For some reason my pics upload blurry and I can't figure out why, anyhow I learn more about this blog thing by horsing around with it.
By the way thank you so much for praying for us, it means the world to me. I too have been praying allot lately. I have to say that I am so fortunate to know my maker personally, and to know that He is a God of love and in complete control of all things.
I want to take a min. to say hello to you Elizabeth. It was lots of fun meeting you with your beautiful brood at the mall. I am going to visit your website soon.
Last, Hamid just had to have a shot of himself and his new Wii which apparently people slept in tents outside in the freezing rain at BestBuy for. We just walked up to the store at 10:30 am and got one of the last tickets to buy one. Just lucky I suppose.
Until later,
Nour
Friday, January 19, 2007
The $$$ is paid
Well, just to update everyone, I paid a chunk of $$$ today for the air/hotel package. I also paid $$$ a chunk for the wire transfer. It looks like we will be leaving very soon.
Someone asked if we were going to continue posting while in China and the answer is , yes we are. I think doing this is fun for our family at home and friends plus its seems to be fun and helpful for all of you guys following right behind me.
Until later
Nour
Someone asked if we were going to continue posting while in China and the answer is , yes we are. I think doing this is fun for our family at home and friends plus its seems to be fun and helpful for all of you guys following right behind me.
Until later
Nour
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Hey, everyone, I just had to snap a shot of a stuffed animal that I am taking to China. It is so precious , it is a mom and her baby in one of those Carrier things strapped to her. The arms of the mom unfold but the teddy in the carrier is attached to the mom teddy. Its just perfect for an adopted child I thought. By the way, its at Target and I only saw three others left. Its made by a British company. So cute.
Well every body, I have been on the phone with the travel agency lately looking at Beijing packages. I guess everyone knows by now that we are traveling in about a week. I thought I might splurge and get an upgrade to first class until I saw the price increase, which was 16,000.00 dollars... We will be flying economy. I got some new luggage, those black things you put on your eyes to sleep, a camera case, bungee cord etc... We are actually getting ready! To Pack! Oh and now the baby's room is a wreck, I have his layette just all over the floor. I got my money strait so I am ready to wire the bulk $. We are getting excited.
I added a recent pic of Hamid giving a speech at scouts on the bowl game scout trip. I don't think he knows about it , but who cares its my blog and I'm a proud mom.
Until later
I added a recent pic of Hamid giving a speech at scouts on the bowl game scout trip. I don't think he knows about it , but who cares its my blog and I'm a proud mom.
Until later
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Well I thought that I would put a few photos in of the baby's room for everyone to see. One of the pics came side ways and I don't know why. I also put a pic of Hamid with his cat poppy.
Figuring out this digital camera thing along with the blog post thing is about to kill me, but I am slowly getting it.
bye for now
Figuring out this digital camera thing along with the blog post thing is about to kill me, but I am slowly getting it.
bye for now
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
I have added a few photos of us for you guys to see. The first photo is my carepackage I sent to China several months ago. The photo in that package is the one they showed to eli in the orphanage and told him " mama and brother ". So he has an idea of what we look like.
The second photo is of my son kyacking on a camping trip this summer.
The third photo is of the both of us, so now you know what we look like.
Last but not least the fourth photo is of my furry son who fell asleep in the stroller after I put him in it for fun. If I could put a diaper and hat on him I would, but he would'nt like it. His name is Smokey Joe.
Until later
The second photo is of my son kyacking on a camping trip this summer.
The third photo is of the both of us, so now you know what we look like.
Last but not least the fourth photo is of my furry son who fell asleep in the stroller after I put him in it for fun. If I could put a diaper and hat on him I would, but he would'nt like it. His name is Smokey Joe.
Until later
Sunday, January 7, 2007
first post
Well , I finally figured out this blog thing, I am not techno savy, and can't spell worth anything, so anyone following this journey needs to be patient with me.
We are adopting from China and should actually be on a plane soon. My process began back in the month of January of 2006. This is when the first of paperwork began and now Sunday night January 7th of 2007 I am setting up this blog for all of you to come with us. Soon we should get our travel approval and then we will be off for China.... Scorpions on a stick, here I come.
About half the way through the process we prepared a nursery for a baby girl with all the fixins, froo froo floral pillows, a pink baby bed etc... later we found out its going to be a baby boy, so the bed turned green, ( thank God for spray paint ) and the flowery pillows were replaced with stuffed frogs ( frog and Mr. toad ) everyones favorite.
We are so excited and ready to go we've got luggage, diapers, cloths, passports, sippie cups, bottles, God, money, and of course we will get a stroller there.
Until later
We are adopting from China and should actually be on a plane soon. My process began back in the month of January of 2006. This is when the first of paperwork began and now Sunday night January 7th of 2007 I am setting up this blog for all of you to come with us. Soon we should get our travel approval and then we will be off for China.... Scorpions on a stick, here I come.
About half the way through the process we prepared a nursery for a baby girl with all the fixins, froo froo floral pillows, a pink baby bed etc... later we found out its going to be a baby boy, so the bed turned green, ( thank God for spray paint ) and the flowery pillows were replaced with stuffed frogs ( frog and Mr. toad ) everyones favorite.
We are so excited and ready to go we've got luggage, diapers, cloths, passports, sippie cups, bottles, God, money, and of course we will get a stroller there.
Until later
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