My Traveling Partners

I have the joy of having two...and a half...wonderful people coming with me to China to pick up Little One.  They are all special women in my life and we've all traveled internationally together in different combinations so I am particularly excited to get us all on the same plane.

My mom, Audrey:  (I like this story...). My mother & I were sitting next to each other in church one Sunday. During meet-n-greet I turned around to the person behind me, introduced myself and then my mom as "the woman who delivered me". (I thought it was pretty clever).  The lovely lady turned to my mom and declared, "Oh, I didn't know you were a labor & delivery nurse!"  (HAHAHA. That cracks me up every time!)  One of the first statements my mom made when I started down the adoption road was "you know, I'm going with you right?!" Well, I do now!  :) One of her best friends recently told me 'a pack of wild horses couldn't keep your mother away from China' and that made me laugh...cuz it's totally true!  She delivered me and now she'll be there as my son is delivered TO me.  It's the way it should be.

Me & Mom

My friend, Jessie: Jessie, her husband Kris, and I were on a missions trip together to Papua New Guinea 7 years ago.  I'll spare you the details, but when you are a) on a plane for 36hours together, and b) land in country with an average temperature equal to that of the sun AND there is no plumbing...you get to know each other well. Very. Very. Well. *wink*   I was in the delivery room for the birth of both of Kris & Jessie's kids and they have been HUGE encouragers during the peaks & valleys of this journey.  This is the call I got two months ago:

ME:  Hello?

Jess: Hey, it's me.  Kris & I have been praying about this and well, you were there to bring our kids into the family, we want to be there to bring yours into the family.  I think I'm supposed to go to China with you!

ME: *tears STREAMING*  Oh my gosh?! What?! Are you joking me? Really?!

Jess: I just have to believe that God will provide the money, but while praying, the Lord said I wasn't to worry about it. So...

ME: Jess...the Lord told me I was supposed to fund raise for travel for THREE adults.  The money has already been raised.  You're going to China!

Jess: *tears* *squealing* We're going to CHINA!

Isn't God awesome?

Jessie, Team Photographer

My BFF, Ange...kind of (the traveling part, not the BFF part):  Ange & I live exactly 1551miles away from each other and have most of our lives, so we've had to get creative with this particular long distance relationship. How we survived life without skype & unlimited minutes & texts, I'll never know (Right about now both our moms are rolling their eyes at the thought of their long distance phone bills of years past).  When Ange's daughter was born 4 & 1/2 years ago, sadly I couldn't be in Minnesota for the delivery...so Flat Des went instead!  She helped during labor & was there to kiss the sweet face of my surprise namesake. 

Although, I would have given my left eye to have Ange with me in China, the timing didn't work out for her to be away from her young family for two weeks.  So...Flat Ange is going instead! 

Prepared for anything!

That's Team China. Three seats going, FOUR seats coming home!