Travel is BOOKED!

After lots of phone calls, we are set with our international travel, at least.  Here's the plan..

• July 24th - Depart at 7:30am to fly to Beijing(anyone want to make a 5am airport run?  Eeeehhh???)
• July 25th - Arrive in Beijing at 7pm 
• July 26-27 - Tour in Beijing 
• July 28 - Fly or bullet train to HeFei (Cora's provincial capital) 
• July 29 - Meet our daughter!!!!   (from this day onward she is in our custody) 
• July 30 - Go to Civil Affairs for adoption registration and apply for Cora's passport
• July 31 - Sight See around Hefei
• Aug 1st - Go to Bengbu with guide to visit Cora's orphanage for day (2 hr drive from Hefei)
• Aug 2nd - Pick up passport for Cora, fly to Ghangzhou
• Aug 3rd - Go to GZ intl healthcare center - TB test and medical exam for Cora
• Aug 4th - Rest Day and sightsee (maybe Safari park!)
• Aug 5th - Pick up TB test results and then rest of day free
• Aug 6th - Visa appointment and oath taking ceremony at US Consulate!  She is officially ours on this day!
• Aug 7th - Pick up visa in afternoon, mostly free day
• Aug 8th - Fly home at 12:40pm out of Guangzhou.  Arrive home in Mnpls at 11:30pm on Aug 8th

I had the craziest day ever.  On top of booking flights, and trying to work, and having Rita fly in, and going to the Travel clinic for our immunization appts (Sophie and I) - it seems we have had identity theft, and are dealing with our checking accounts and now several credit cards that have been stolen/compromised!   So it was non stop today.  And then at the end of the day, I was ALL excited to just go to dinner with James, Sophie and Rita.  Sitting and relaxing.....lovely.  And then I look at my watch and it hits me that we had TWO house showings at 6:30 and 7pm!!  And it was 7pm when I looked.   AAARRGGGH!   Thankfully, our renters are awesome, and they showed 2nd set of people the house.  The first one was a no show.  So i left the restaurant, and raced over there to catch the tail end of the showing.   The guys love the house, and I think are going to take it.  Even though they now know their landlord is a basket case :)  So hopefully they do, and then that is one less thing for us to worry about.  

But even though the day was crazy, I feel really good, and a huge weight off having our flights book, and the schedule planned.  Still have to do the inter country planning, but our agency has a wonderful chinese man that helps with that.  

2 weeks, and we are off!!

Michelle