GUANG ZHOU at last!!!!!!!!

We are sooooo excited about being here in GZ. Zheng Zhou was a hard place, and just stepping into the hotel here felt like we'd left for vacation. I'm sure this entire week won't feel that way, but for today, we'll take it!

During breakfast this morning we were elated to find that Annabella's passport had just arrived, and so we were able to get that just about 20 minutes before we left for the airport. We arrived at the airport about an hour and a half early, and just beside our gate was an indoor playground. Most of the kids seemed to enjoy playing on it. Annabella was very hesitant to let go of me, but she did let me slide her once or twice, and she did walk just a little around the climbing equipment.

Our flight left on time, (which we've been told is very unusual here in China,) and all of the kids seemed to do well on the initial take off. The flight was only two hours long, but they served us lunch on it. Greg had fish and rice, and I had chicken and rice. We got some sort of pickled pepper or green bean with it and a roll. Annabella was unimpressed having just eaten two bags of cookies, but she really enjoyed playing with the roll by tearing tiny, microscopic pieces off and tossing them into an empty water cup.
Overall she did super on the flight. She had one little meltdown, but that is because she'd tried to bite me and I made her sit in her seat for a few minutes as a time out. She did not like the time out, but she also didn't try biting anyone again today! When we began the final decent she actually fell asleep, and so she grabbed about a 15 minute nap before it was time to deplane. After gathering our luggage, we headed to the bus and our 45 minute ride to the hotel. She actually fell asleep on the bus ride here too without fussing so all in all she got a decent nap in.

When we arrived here our friends Kim and Kevin were waiting in the lobby, and it was so wonderful to see them and meet their daughter. We made plans to meet up for dinner, and then headed up to settle in. After we got our luggage we went downstairs to the STARBUCKS that is IN OUR HOTEL! Can you tell I'm just a little excited?!? The ice is safe here, and it is the first ice we've had since we left the states. Ice is nice. You don't realize how much you like ice until you can't have it. We have many creature comforts here and we are devouring them!

We had dinner at the hotel buffet, and it was HUGE! It took two rooms, and there was a sushi chef fixing whatever you wanted, and two grill cooks who would grill up all types of surf and turf for you. I picked a pork chop, and Greg had a couple types of fish and a lamb chop. The servings were very small, so it was easy to try different things. We also both tried escargot for the first time. The dessert bar was phenomenal and that didn't even count the ice cream! Taro is my new favorite flavor!

After dinner, we headed back to the room for bath and bedtime. Annabella had a nice long bath, and then we dressed her and put her into her pack and play, and she grabbed her blanket and burp cloth, and immediately fell over, began rocking herself to sleep, and was out in less than 10 minutes without a single fuss. She is really beginning to see that we are for real, and that we will be here for her, meeting her needs. I think getting away from ZZ has helped too.

The room here is amazing. There is a glass wall between the bath and shower and our bedroom so that you can stand in the bedroom and see someone bathe. There is a remote control shade you can put down for privacy too. It is SUPER cool! The shower head is mounted into the ceiling, and it's one of those big rain types. We are in love, and if we ever build again, I WILL have a shower like this one! Well, It's late, and we have an early wake up call tomorrow so we can meet our friends for breakfast before heading off to see a Buddhist temple, the Old Chen House, and to the arts and Crafts shopping center. Enjoy what pictures we have from today!

⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.Colossians 1:9-14

playground at the airport

Our room in GZ

the glass wall is looking into the shower

crystal hanging in the lobby entrance

lovin' the elevator ride

Buffet pictures

these contained dished like roasted duck, roasted chicken, steamed fish, and double broiled pork with American ginseng

this whole section was fruit. Although they were all gone by the time we took pictures, there were whole rhambutans. That is my new favorite fruit!

They look like plums, but they are baby apples!

A huge section for desserts only

Mango pudding with white chocolate mousse

Coconut pudding cake

Coconut Jelly...this was my FAVORITE It was like a coconut creme brulee

Escargot...also very good!

Sushi section, the chef isn't in the photo, but he was there to make rolls to order

The grill and pasta chefs

Some of the selections for grilling

beef short ribs, lamb chop, chicken cutlet, and pork chops for grilling

We got Annabella to eat a colored food tonight...macaroons!

Walking back to the room after dinner

bath time!

these were all taken from the bedroom, through the glass...cool huh?!?

And 20 minutes after her bath, this is what Annabella looked like! Sound asleep!!!