Taiwan Journal #3 - A Little Rain...

(Greg writing here...)

Our first full day in Taiwan... I wish I could say that today was a great day but that wouldn't be honest... today was very, very hard.

Our first order of business today was to visit the Cathwel Orphanage. We were obviously very excited to visit with Sister Rosa and to be able to spend some time with the children. We were also excited to deliver all of the supplies we collected from Powell Church and also the additional supplies we purchased with donations people gave us. We got there a little after 10:00 in the morning and gave Sister Rosa all of the clothes, diapers, medicine, and bottles. She seemed amazed at how much stuff there was... we brought the biggest suitcase we have and it was crammed completely full. She wanted us to thank everyone at church for being so generous. She seemed to be deeply appreciative for the gifts.

After giving her these gifts she asked if we wanted to talk for a little while about our adoption process. We sat down in her office and began to discuss our adoption process a little bit. I don't really want to get too deep into the specifics of our conversation here on the blog but I will say that she confirmed that our wait is going to be every bit as long as we thought it might possibly be. Because we have requested a healthy infant girl, we will probably be facing the longest wait of all... that's nothing different from what we've been hearing it but to hear it straight from the person who would know best, it was hard not to be discouraged a little bit. There's more too it than that but I'll save it for another time...

The good news is that after our conversation, Sister Rosa asked us if we wanted to go on a tour and to spend some time with the children. We started off in the nursery where there were probably 10-15 babies... some as little as a month and some up to almost a year old. They were all together in one room and seemed to be very well cared for. All of the sisters we met at the orphanage were very, very nice and seemed to really love the kids. I'm having a hard time shaking the image of one little girl who waved to me when she saw me... she couldn't have been more than 9 or 10 months old but she held her hand up and waved at me like she knew me.

After the nursery we spent some time with the 1-2 year old children. This room was somewhat chaotic... there were probably 15-20 children here and many of them had special needs. Jessica and I were able to go in and sit in the floor and just play with the kids for a good while... I can't really even process or put into words quite yet what it was like to be with these children. They were all so precious and sweet and fortunately, most of them are waiting to be picked up by their adoptive families. Sister Rosa would point to the children and say "she's going to America... he's going to the Netherlands... she's going to Germany... he's going to Sweden..." I wish one of them were going to Tennessee!

I wish I could show you some pictures or some video from our time at Cathwel but we didn't want to be rude or invasive so we left the cameras in our backpack. We'll be going back another day though and we may be able to shoot some pictures then.

After our trip to Cathwel, we both were just feeling kind of spent... the reality of being among the orphans, feeling how wide our hearts opened up being around the kids, and then realizing that it could be another 2 to 3 years before we're able to bring Claire home... it felt a little bit like being punched in the stomach... it took the wind out of us both.

We did a little bit of sightseeing in the afternoon (including wandering around looking for a restaurant with an English menu and finally settling on... McDonalds which we must say, tastes exactly the same here as it does at home) and we visited the largest Bhuddist temple in Taipei. The temple was very interesting... you'll see some video of that later.

We went back to the hotel around 5:00 and laid down to take a short nap... we woke up and it was midnight! I guess our bodies weren't quite adjusted to Taiwan time.

So, our first day was a little rough... it was good to get to visit Cathwel, even with the reality of the wait that lies before us sinking in the way it did. I'm looking forward to visiting again later in the week. As I'm writing this, it's 7:00 pm on our 2nd day here... I'll post more after we get home from the New Year's Eve festivities we are going to see... today was a much better day!

Taiwan Video #1 - The Journey

We made it!

(This is Jessica, reclaiming my blog!)

50 hours after leaving Knoxville, we finally made it to Taipei! It is 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning here. We're trying to get settled and into bed. We are supposed to meet Sister Rosa at the Cathwel Orphanage tomorrow at 10 a.m. for a visit, and to take all of the donations that we brought with us. I'm excited and nervous to go to the orphanage tomorrow. It's a strange feeling!

Our travel was smooth after our 24 hour delay in Dallas. We had a hard time with American Airlines, and it seemed that the right hand had no idea what the left hand was doing. Every agent told us something different, so we got very frustrated! Despite it all, we are thankful to be here, safe and sound in Taiwan! Thank you so much for your prayers, they definitely helped! I am always such a nervous flyer, and I did better on this trip than any other, which is a miracle! The highlight of our day was flying over pretty much the entire state of Alaska. It took about 2 hours for us to fly over it. It was so beautiful and looked so cold! We got to see beautiful mountains and glaciers. It was amazing! Greg filmed video of it, which we'll post later on!

Tokyo airport was amazing, so clean! We rented a dayroom there and grabbed a quick shower and nap. We went to McDonald's to get a snack and it was crazy expensive! We got one medium coke and one medium fry to share and it was $8. The dollar isn't worth much there!

Well, that's all for now. We are excited about our first day in Taiwan tomorrow, and will post our adventures tomorrow night! Thank you again for your prayers, and please continue to pray for safe travels and protection for us!

Taiwan Journal #1 - This is Not Going According to Plan

(hi everyone, this is Greg writing...)

The fact that I have internet access right now when I should be on a plane should let you know that things aren't going exactly according to plan right now. Here's what's up...

We drove to Nashville last night so we could catch our early morning flight to Dallas. We only had a 40 minute layover in Dallas so we knew it would be tight... 40 minutes to catch a flight to Tokyo had us pretty nervous. Our flight this morning took off from Nashville on time and everything was going just fine until...

"This is your captain speaking... there are some sudden thunderstorms that have come up over Dallas and we're going to have to divert... we'll fly around the storms to Waco and fly in behind the storms... shouldn't be too much of a problem".

Okay, so maybe a lot of flights are experiencing this and they'll just delay the flight to Tokyo to wait for us. We might have to run through the airport but hey, that will be exciting. We'll be fine.

"This is your captain, guess what everybody? I'll be darned but we're fresh out of jet fuel if you can believe it. Tell ya what, we'll just land here on this airstrip 5 minutes from the real airport and refuel and we'll have you there in a jiffy, okay? Great. Thanks for your patience."

Awesome... anyway, long story short, we get to Dallas about 45 minutes after our plane to Tokyo took off. Wanna guess how many flights there are from Dallas to Tokyo each day? If you guessed one, you win the other half of the room service pizza sitting at the foot of my bed in the Courtyard Mariott right now.

So we're stuck for 24 hours here in Dallas in an area that could only be described as a barren wasteland of abandoned factories, warehouses, vacant lots, railroad yards, and as luck would have it, a Courtyard Mariott. We're surrounded by what looks like the set to an episode of "24". I'm pretty sure I just heard Jack Bauer scream "We're running out of time!" from behind one of the factories that completely surround this hotel.

The ONLY piece of good news from the day is that American Airlines agreed to let us stay an extra day in Taiwan since we lost a full 24 hours getting there. So, instead of getting home at around 11:00 pm next Sunday, we'll now be returning home at around 6:00 next Monday. We'll be flying back through Tokyo and Los Angeles instead of Dallas which is fine with me... I don't care if I ever come to Dallas again.

Merry Christmas and Adios!

We leave tomorrow for Taiwan! I can't even believe it's time! I'm still not packed, but I swear I'm going upstairs to take care of that in a minute. Talk about procrastination! We're planning on doing a little bit of shopping in the morning and then we head out to Nashville. We fly out early Saturday morning with stops in Dallas and Tokyo, before Taipei.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We had both sides of our family here this morning, and enjoyed a yummy Christmas lunch, that I thankfully pulled off without any disasters. I'm usually a good cook, but I kept thinking, if I mess something up, it's not like I can just run out and grab something else! Since Greg and I were dating, we have always had the tradition of going to a movie and eating out Chinese food on Christmas evening, and we have had so much fun carrying that on with Connor! Tonight we spent some great time as a family, enjoying our last evening together for several days!

This will be our last post for a few days. We'll be out of communication completely for about 24 hours. We'll hopefully post again on Monday evening (Monday morning here at home). Please pray for us as we travel to the other side of the world, and please pray for our family back home! Please pray for protection for not only us, but for Connor and everyone else here helping to take care of him. Check back for exciting pictures and video of our great adventure! My fortune cookie tonight read, "A pleasant surprise is in store for you soon in the coming week." We'll see!

Enjoy our holiday pics from the past two days! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's About That Time!

I can't believe Christmas is this week! Time has flown by. I am so thankful that I started Christmas shopping early this year, even though I still have had a hard time getting it all done. I feel like I've been wrapping presents for days. Hopefully, that will get finished up tomorrow, as well as trying to get the house cleaned up and ready. Then add in the grocery shopping to feed 10 people Christmas lunch, which I'm actually very excited about, and trying to pack up to leave the country the day after Christmas. It's hard trying not to be stressed in the midst of it all, but I am in great anticipation about the good things on the other side of it all.

I cannot believe we leave for Taiwan early Saturday morning. We drive to Nashville Friday night to spend the night, and then head to the airport at about 5 a.m. We finally make it to Taiwan Sunday morning our time, Sunday evening Taiwan time, after a short layover in Dallas, and a 4 hour layover in Tokyo. It's hard to believe this time next week we'll be on the other side of the world! We are scheduled to make our first visit to the orphanage Monday morning and have a huge suitcase full of donations thanks to Powell Church. Monday evening, we will explore Taipei. Tuesday we are scheduled for private cooking lessons which will last a good portion of the day, and Wednesday we plan to enjoy ringing in the New Year at Taipei 101, which looks to be an amazing fireworks show. We also plan on making several more trips to the orphanage, visiting a hot springs, and hopefully making it to some parks and museums. We have so much to pack in! I am having some slight anxiety about being on the other side of the world from my baby boy, but I know he is in good hands with Mimi, and the rest of his grandparents are right here to help too if needed. It's just a little scary as a momma!

Here are some Christmas pics of Connor getting into the Christmas spirit. I think he's ready! Also included are pictures of Connor, Atley, and Ava rockin' out at the Ralph's World concert last weekend. They had front row seats and thought they were pretty cool little cats! We had a great time!

Connor Coloring

Christmas Time is Here!

Possibly The Youngest Running Away from Home Note Ever.....

Today I have been doing nothing but cleaning and decorating for Christmas since 8 a.m. I pretty much change most of my downstairs decorations for the holidays. I absolutely love Christmas!! Connor has been very consumed with drawing and writing for the past couple of weeks. I knew that today I would be very busy, so I bought him a floor drawing pad so he wouldn't get too bored during my cleaning and decorating frenzy. I was in the middle of cleaning the dining room and Connor comes in to find me with a huge sheet of paper held close to his chest. "Mom" he says. "I have a very sad note for you" He produces this:



(Mommy translation: "Mom, I am leaving. --Connor" )

I think he might have gotten a little bored today! He told me he was taking his Daddy on a boy's only trip to "Snagalooga." (Another Mommy translation: "Chattanooga"). We were supposed to go Friday but he came down with a massive ear infection and an upper respiratory infection and we've been trying to make him take it easy, despite the fact that he refuses to believe he's sick! So, he's not even five and already planning to leave home. Oh, how I can't wait for the teenage years!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

My very favorite Christmas song is, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and let me tell you, it's COLD outside!!!

Greg had a commitment last night, so I had promised Connor a couple of weeks ago, knowing Daddy had plans, that I would take him to Dollywood on Friday. I thought we'd get up there before it got crazy crowded for Christmas, and figured that this time of year it would be chilly, but not crazy cold. Boy, was I wrong! It was extremely cold yesterday here in Knoxville, and even colder up in the mountains. I couldn't even talk anyone else in to joining us, and got the "you're crazy" a few times.

Despite the weather, I wanted to keep my promise, so we wore about fifteen layers and headed out. We had so much fun! As soon as we got there, we filled the biggest mug that we had with hot chocolate to keep us warm. There was no one in the park, and we pretty much walked right onto everything. We watched Polar Express in 4D twice, rode a few rides, visited Santa in his workshop, and got a window seat at a restaurant so that we could eat our dinner, drink our warm beverages, and watch the parade from inside. My very favorite part of the night was when we took the train ride. We cuddled up in our blanket, had our big mug of hot chocolate, and rode up the mountain looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights and listening to Christmas music. It definitely put me in the Christmas mood! Connor had a giant smile on his face the whole time. I think that train ride might be one of my favorite memories as a mommy!

I am now ready for the holidays...as soon as I thaw out!

When It Rains.....

Our family has had an extremely hard past two weeks. Greg's grandfather was hospitalized, and passed away on Friday after spending two weeks in the hospital. In the midst of his sickness, his wife, was put into an Alzheimer's home on Tuesday. Needless to say, this has just been a very difficult time for the Adkins family. They live here in Knoxville, and Greg has always been close to them. We always spent the holidays with them, and this year will just not be the same.

Greg was supposed to be in Las Vegas for work Friday through Monday. He switched planes in Atlanta and found out on the runway that his Papaw wasn't going to make it through the day. He had to fly all the way to Vegas and then turn around and fly back yesterday. He finally made it home late last night. The receiving of friends is tonight and the burial is tomorrow. Please pray for everyone during this difficult time.

It seems so minor to mention in regards to death, but I have spent the past couple of weeks living in the doctors office. I have been in chronic pain for the past two months, and it had gotten to the point where I was unable to sleep at night. I had been having extremely bad leg pain and constant headaches and migraines. I finally began physical therapy on Wednesday and I already feel like a different person. I am still on some anti-inflammatory medication, but I was at the point where I was taking two to three hydrocodone a day and was still in pain and a complete zombie. I am so glad to be off of that now! I had a headache on Thursday, I guess from the soreness that therapy caused, but I haven't had one since. It is such a blessing!

We leave for Taiwan in just seven weeks and are beginning the process of gathering supplies for the orphanage. I have been reading a very interesting Tawian travel book called, "Taiwan: Culture Shock" and learning a lot about its history, culture, and things that I want to do and see. I am so excited about the trip, just not flying for 20 hours!

Connor is doing great. He had a very fun Halloween as you can see from the pictures below. He's had a great Fall filled with lots of fun family adventures. Yesterday we went to Disney on Ice, and he loved it! It was no substitute for our annual Disney trip but at least we got in some Disney this Fall! He's getting so big, and I cannot believe he is able to read and write. He is obsessed with books and Legos right now. He's always building and reading. Five years have passed way too quickly! However, I feel very confident that he is socially and academically ready to go into Kindergarten next year. I am so glad that his birthday is in January, because it will really be to his advantage to be one of the older kids. As well as he's doing however, he's so ready for his little sister! He talks about her all the time, and we're all ready for another little one to join our family. Although we know that day is still many months away, we still pray for her to join us sooner than we expected. We still have peace knowing everything is in His perfect timing, and despite the hardships of the past couple of weeks, still know that He is in control and will carry us through.

The Adkins Family Goes to Washington

Virginia Creeper Trail

One of our favorite things to do is biking. Greg and I have always enjoyed it, and we are so glad that Connor loves it too! We found a place years ago that is one of the most beautiful and peaceful places we've ever been, the Creeper Trail in Virginia. It is 17 miles that will take your breath away as you try to take in the beauty of God's creation. It is not a difficult ride, and we highly recommend it!

We were so excited yesterday to finally be able to share this with Connor! He rode in the bike trailer and collected stuff in his "Nature Box" that we had made the night before. He loved finding leaves, acorns, rocks, and moss and that kept him entertained along the way. He is our outdoors boy, so he loved it as much as us! He actually fell asleep in the trailer the last few miles! I told you it was peaceful!

Enjoy the slideshow!

My Silly Little Man

How could you not love him?

6 Months!

I lied. I thought the next post would be soccer pics, but I still haven't had time to even load those pics on the computer. Life has been ridiculous lately and managing work and home is about to kill me. I hate October because work is always insanely busy, but I love October because it is just the most beautiful month of the year. If you need an understanding of how insane my life is right now, here's a quick illustration. The other day I was extremely sick. I thought I'd come down with a stomach bug. And then I came to the realization that "Oh, you've slept about 6 hours in two days, and all you've put in your body in the past 24 hours is a Venti Caramel Macchiato and a bag of Skittles." Is it any wonder?

Anyways, at least this weekend was good. Greg made it home from Atlanta and had a wonderful trip. Maybe someday I can go to Catalyst with him. I've always wanted to go, but I just can't slip away from work for two days this time of year. He was back in time for Family Night which consisted of greasy pizza (Me and the health food lately. What happened to my organic diet?) and Chuck E. Cheese. It made the little man happy , so that was all that mattered. Nana and Granddaddy took all the grandkids unexpectedly to Chuck E. Cheese again on Saturday (Connor thought he was something special...all those game two days in a row!) and Greg and I managed to have our first date night in months! Saturday was the six month anniversary of officially being logged in at Cathwell Orphange, and we always celebrate adoption milestones with a yummy Chinese dinner. We decided to go out for sushi. Greg loves it, but I have texture issues, so I've always made fun of sushi eaters, but I got cooked sushi and veggie sushi and I have to say it was quite yummy! We then had a delicious dessert at the Melting Pot. We got to have real conversation that didn't involve interruptions from a bored four-year old, and it was so nice. Too many times I get caught up in all the craziness of life and being a working mom, and I just forget what I great husband that I have.

Fall Break is one week away and I can't wait to just be a mom and wife for a week. I'm a little excited about laundry, cooking, and cleaning, because I haven't gotten to do much of that in the past couple of weeks! And as much as I'm heartbroken that we won't be taking our annual October Disney trip, I'm so excited to not be going non-stop on a crazy vacation for a week where I come home more exhausted than when I left. I'm not sure there can be a point of more exhausted than I am. Greg says I'm like this every October, but this fall just feels the worst of all. I am so longing to simplify things and get rid of the chaos. Greg and I have talked so much about this lately, and I'm to the point now where I know things just can't continue the way they are. But where do you start and what is there to let go? It's so hard! The verse I've been saying over and over every day lately is "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). Maybe there is some rest in our future!

I keep feeling like something is on the horizon for our family that is going to be big, because I feel like Satan is really trying to beat me down the past couple of weeks. Some really hurtful actions and words have been coming at me from every direction, even in the most unexpected places. I am trying to keep my eyes on Christ and my faithfulness to Him. Maybe Satan is just trying to wear me down before Taiwan. I'm not sure what it is, but it is starting to affect me, so I ask for your prayer that God will just protect me and help me to keep my focus. Pray for our upcoming trip in just two months and for the remainder of our long wait.