Something old, something new, something borrowed, something pink and something blue.

As I pack these items to take to China, it occurred to me that several of the items we are taking with us tell a story of their own. Now, certainly EVERY item has a purpose, but the ones that stick out to me are the ones that bring back a memory of a moment or a person. And forgive me, this may be the product of too many emotions and anxiety during this exciting time. So in an effort to capture this, I have put together a few examples of what I am talking about:

Something Old: 2 bright yellow Mickey Mouse ponchos
Memory: Back in 2003, Clay, Ashley, Chris & I were on a Disney vacation and we had plans to spend New Year's Eve at Pleasure Island. The B-52s & Joan Jett were going to play so we were all looking forward to it. Unfortunately, it rained. Well, rained is putting it nicely. It POURED. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe before the party and ran to the nearest Disney shop (you know that wasn't far) and purchased these lovely bright yellow ponchos. Once we get to the gates of Paradise Island, we see that they are taking our tickets and handing out the same lovely ponchos FOR FREE. I wanted to go back to the store and return our newly purchased 11.99 EACH ponchos, but by that time there was a line and did I mention it was POURING. So we proceeded to ring the New Year in grand style. Wouldn't you know I held onto the receipt for several months with the intent of writing a letter to Disney explaining the situation and hopefully receiving a refund - but then I came to my senses and I have these lovely ponchos to prove it.

Something New: Red Envelope necklace
Check out this awesome necklace. Vici, Gary & Greyson were kind enough to buy it for me. It has the characters for "Mother" & "Daughter" in Chinese on the mother of pearl charm and the corresponding English words on the silver charm. Isn't it beautiful? I plan on wearing it every day in China. Thank you so very much.

Something Borrowed: 1 Fancy Schmancy Cell "that I can't figure out how to turn on and that better work in China" Phone
Friend: Dwight, a coworker of Chris's has been kind enough to lend us this phone so that we can make phone calls to all of you at 6:12 am because "hey it's 8:12pm over here, isn't that cool?". Just kidding we'll call at 6:45 am. hee hee... Now remember, you can thank DWIGHT for this.

Something Pink: Breast Cancer Pin
In memory of Chris's Mom I am bringing one her breast cancer pins. I know that she would have given anything to meet Hannah in person, and Lord knows we wished the same, but it was not meant to be. I like to think of it as Hannah already has a guardian angel looking out for her and keeping her safe. This little pin is just my way of keeping her close while we are so far away.

Last But Not Least Something Blue: Blue Writing Pen Made in the US of A
I wish I had a chance to take a picture of the gifts we plan to bring to China, but as I am quickly finding out, there are not enough hours in the day. My mother was kind enough to volunteer her assistance with the gifts to China and while I wish our agency would have allowed her to be more creative, they will be absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for this and for all you have done for us during this long, long, long process. It means the world to us - and besides, its not easy having the gestation period of an elephant. :)


Now take care everybody... next time you hear from us it will be from China - keep your fingers crossed that we can figure this blogging thing out in the land of the rising sun. Hannah here we come!

:)