Our Trip to Linyi City

Early morning today. We were up at 5:30 AM, showers, skype, breakfast and in the lobby by 7AM to leave for our trip to Brodie's hometown. Let me tell you how to create instant bonding between mom, dad and adopted son. 7 HOURS IN A MAZDA 6 BACKSEAT! Our trip to Linyi was 2 1/2 hours, our trip back to Jinan was 5 hours long. Our guide, Aaron got lost on the way back. He never admitted he was lost but he stopped 4 times to ask directions. Two hours in to the trip home I asked him how much longer and he said 1 hour and 1/2. One hour later when we were on some dirt road I asked him how much longer and he said 90 minutes!! Lorrie and I were ready to fling ourselves from the car, into some rice patty to be picked up by the US embassy. I must say, that Brodie did great. A six year old boy (FULL OF ENERGY!) cooped up in a car for that long was way too much to ask, but he colored an entire coloring book (Thanks Angie), took a 30 minute nap, played with Maggie's DS, and action figures. In Linyi we went to pick up his Visa. He had to go to the bathroom while we were there and I took him next door to the Police Station, it was the only place with a bathroom on the block we could use. That was my first experience with the squat potties with him. That was soooo nasty. The smell of that place was unforgettable. We were asked to eat lunch at a local restaurant with the orphanage director. The meal was on us of course. Crunchy vegetables with pork, lotus root with shrimp, dumplins, oyster soup, and bean curd. Yum. The look on Lorrie's face when the director was insisting that she eat the soup was hilarious. We finally got back to our hotel after 6PM. We gave him a bath, took him to Walmart and McDonalds for a night out. His favorite action figure is ultraman! I bought him an ultraman figure, some ultraman underwear (picked me out some as well, we gotta match), and some milk for him. We all walked together as a family and did we ever get some strange looks. We are ready for bed now, all is good. We are so tired. Boys are soo different, he is kicking our tails tonight. So hard to discipline a little boy when you cannot speak his language. I am sure he has called me bad names, but I can't prove it. So glad to hear that Betty Heatherly's surgery went well today and Mary is out of the hospital. I miss my church family. I love you all.

Kevin and Lorrie


Such a bitter sweet time. Here we are in front of his orphanage. He will never again set foot inside this place. Notice his two friends outside to see us off.

He really loves the breakfast bar in the mornings.