Holt Orientation, Forbidden City - Fri., Sept. 17, 2010

I am so exhausted and yet my heart is so very happy! Being here in China is an amazing experience and one I will never forget. We have had difficulty sleeping (I think our bodies are trying to adjust after the jetlag) but I know in time we will adjust.
Nate and I met with the Norris family at 9:00 a.m. and together we met with our Holt staff to have orientation. It was exciting to hear about how things would go from here on out (as tomorrow we leave for Guangzhou - Anya's province!). We were told when we would depart, who we would meet, what day we would get Anya, financial expectancies, appointment dates, etc.. Very exciting times:) We were then given a nice Chinese bound book with recent updates on Anya, her schedule, etc. How we cannot wait to go now! Holt, the Norris's, and we talked over a delicious dinner about how the time is almsot here for us to get our girls! EEEEEE!!!!! We are SO excited!
Our guide, Linda, met us at the hotel at 1:00 and took us to the Forbidden City and Tienemnan Square. The Forbidden City was truly spectacular, but it was difficult to take it all in with the rain and chill in the air. We were all freezing and huddled under umbrellas. It was a neat experience though and we're thankful we were able to see them both. It sure felt good to get back in our tour van though:) We were so cold.
From Tieneman Square we went to the Silk Factory to see the whold silk making process. It was really neat! We bought Annalise, Ainsley, and Anniston silk, Chinese dresses. We wanted to get Anya one, but not knowing her size, we decided it best to wait. She'll eventually inherite her sisters dresses anyways:)
Once returning to our hotel, we got together with Tim and Kerry and hung out for a little in their room as we exchanged information. Tomorrow they leave for their daughters province and we for ours. We'll be apart for a couple of weeks before being back together at the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou. Tim and Kerry are such a neat couple and we have quite a bit in common. We're so thankful to have such a great couple to go through our adoption experience with.
Well, Nate and I are not off to make some document copies for tomorrow, grab a bite to eat, and head to bed. Tomorrow is a big day! We fly from Beijing to Guangzhou!