Hi Everyone!
Our new son is a joy!! Our trip has been wonderful. But it is winding down..hooray!! We check out of our hotel on Shamian Island in Guangzhou this afternoon. We head to the U.S. Consulate to take our oath and receive Sam's visa.
After receiving the visa, we had directly to the train station for a two-hour train ride to Hong Kong. We will spend the night in HK and fly out in the morning. We should arrive in GSO on Wednesday at 7:25pm (EST)
We are praising God for an amazing safe trip to adopt our son. We can't wait for you all to meet him! Please pray for safe travels and a calm boy on the airplane home. See you soon!! xoxo
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Stranger in a Strange Land
Hello from red China!
Kirsten and I arrived Beijing almost a week ago and I feel as though we have been here for months. Although I miss Lilly, Jake, and Sadie so VERY much (and other family and friends) this post is for the description of our experiences.
I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the Beijing airport, so imagine my surprise when the transport van delivered us to a muggy, dusty, and smog filled city! I was not disappointed, just caught a bit off guard. We had a whirlwind tour of the typical tourist traps, and we enjoyed them very much. The one thing I did not like was the tourists. Please, spare me the irony speech- for those who know me know that I know what I know. For those who don't know- don't ask. :) (it makes sense if you think about it)
When we were not being herded with the others I felt wonderful! I am trying to speak as much Chinese as I can (negligible at best) and eat new things. For breakfast I ate noodles and dumplings! I am not as yet bold enough to try chicken feet or pig ears, but I will leave that door open.
When we flew to Nanjing I was pleasantly surprised to see a cleaner city even though there is still much smog. I absolutely LOVE haggling with the vendors, and it unnerves Kirsten to see me smile when I manage to save an extra 3 yuan (which is 38 cents). Yes, I am cheap- but in this case it is purely the thrill of the hunt that satisfies, not the money being saved.
I have learned the necessary phrases that mean: Hello, Thank you, No thank you, and That's too expensive. :)
Today after a trip to Wal*Mart (true, and experience in and of itself) we asked our guide to take us somewhere for lunch- somewhere SHE would eat and she took us to an underground mall; to a noodle restaurant. It was awesome!! They serve you big bowls of soup with a variety of extras. Kirsten ordered the vegetable noodles, and I got the extra spicy beef (ranked at 4 chili peppers!) It was spicy, but not too hot- I could eat like that every day!!
I am currently very tired as the humidity drains my energy- so bear with me for erratic writing.
It is also worth noting that everyone here smokes, and they do it anywhere they want! In the mall, in the restaurant, and even in Haagen Daaz (where they have sit down service).
OK- perhaps I should get off the computer. I look forward to sharing my experiences upon our return to the USA!
Peace
-John
Kirsten and I arrived Beijing almost a week ago and I feel as though we have been here for months. Although I miss Lilly, Jake, and Sadie so VERY much (and other family and friends) this post is for the description of our experiences.
I was very impressed with the cleanliness of the Beijing airport, so imagine my surprise when the transport van delivered us to a muggy, dusty, and smog filled city! I was not disappointed, just caught a bit off guard. We had a whirlwind tour of the typical tourist traps, and we enjoyed them very much. The one thing I did not like was the tourists. Please, spare me the irony speech- for those who know me know that I know what I know. For those who don't know- don't ask. :) (it makes sense if you think about it)
When we were not being herded with the others I felt wonderful! I am trying to speak as much Chinese as I can (negligible at best) and eat new things. For breakfast I ate noodles and dumplings! I am not as yet bold enough to try chicken feet or pig ears, but I will leave that door open.
When we flew to Nanjing I was pleasantly surprised to see a cleaner city even though there is still much smog. I absolutely LOVE haggling with the vendors, and it unnerves Kirsten to see me smile when I manage to save an extra 3 yuan (which is 38 cents). Yes, I am cheap- but in this case it is purely the thrill of the hunt that satisfies, not the money being saved.
I have learned the necessary phrases that mean: Hello, Thank you, No thank you, and That's too expensive. :)
Today after a trip to Wal*Mart (true, and experience in and of itself) we asked our guide to take us somewhere for lunch- somewhere SHE would eat and she took us to an underground mall; to a noodle restaurant. It was awesome!! They serve you big bowls of soup with a variety of extras. Kirsten ordered the vegetable noodles, and I got the extra spicy beef (ranked at 4 chili peppers!) It was spicy, but not too hot- I could eat like that every day!!
I am currently very tired as the humidity drains my energy- so bear with me for erratic writing.
It is also worth noting that everyone here smokes, and they do it anywhere they want! In the mall, in the restaurant, and even in Haagen Daaz (where they have sit down service).
OK- perhaps I should get off the computer. I look forward to sharing my experiences upon our return to the USA!
Peace
-John
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Greetings from China
Hi Everyone!! We have made it to China! We spent the past two days in Beijing and this afternoon (Sunday for us, Saturday for you) we flew to Nanjing, Jiangsu province. Thankfully our hotel here is much nicer than the dirty one if Beijing.
We have unpacked our suitcases and set up 'house' here. I've been nesting like crazy and cannont believe that in 15 hours we will get to hold our Sam for the first time! We are so excited, nervous, etc.
Please pray for a smooth transition for Sammy as he joins his forever family!
Love, J & K
We have unpacked our suitcases and set up 'house' here. I've been nesting like crazy and cannont believe that in 15 hours we will get to hold our Sam for the first time! We are so excited, nervous, etc.
Please pray for a smooth transition for Sammy as he joins his forever family!
Love, J & K
Thursday, July 12, 2007
CHINA BOUND
Hi Everyone!!
Well, it's almost 4am on July 12th and we are getting ready to leave for China!! We are so excited to meet our new son!
We will try to keep the Vogel China Adoption blog updated. Please click here for more info!!!
~K & J
Well, it's almost 4am on July 12th and we are getting ready to leave for China!! We are so excited to meet our new son!
We will try to keep the Vogel China Adoption blog updated. Please click here for more info!!!
~K & J
Monday, June 11, 2007
The Bionic Boy
It's been over a week now since Jake became the "bionic boy". He has a new insulin pump that hooks into him and delivers his insulin throughout the day....so no more shots! It's wonderful really! Whenever Jake needs to check his blood sugar, it registers right into the pump. Then he inputs the carbs for what he is going to eat and the pump figures out the exact amount of insulin that he'll need. Jake has named his pump "Cosmo".
The worst part (for the parents) is that we have to change the infusion site every other day. This requires sticking our son with quite a large needle. You kind of have to push it in. It usually makes my stomach do a flip-flop, but the good news is that Jake doesn't feel a thing. He's got some numbing cream that we put on beforehand..... thank God for the people who invented that!
We have joined the ranks of the thousands that hope and pray for a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Medical technology is amazing and the JDRF is making great strides! We'll be participating the walk for a cure coming up this fall. Stay tuned........
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