Travel Approval !

Things have been so crazy around here, I haven't had a chance to post this news! On Friday, 6/22, we received our travel approval. Everything about Brinley's adoption process has been wonderful. Lifeline is a great agency. We will fly out on 7/17. We'll fly Charlotte to Chicago to Beijing. Then a few days later, we'll fly to Nanchang (Brinley's province) and we'll be there for 6 days. Then we'll fly to Guangzhou and be there for 4 days, completing our Consulate appt at the US Embassy and other details. Then, we'll take a train ride to Hong Kong, spend the night and fly out of Hong Kong the next day back to Chicago, spend 1 night in Chicago then on to Charlotte. Blake, Brianna, Brent & Lidia are all going in different directions... Brianna is flying to Tampa to stay with Grandma Jordan for 9 days, then she flys back and is home for 1 day before leaving with the highschool volleyball team to Appalachian State Univ for volleyball camp for 4 days, then returns home and will stay with her good friend Kayla until we return. Brent is flying to Florida to be with Aunt April and his cousins... it will be so great for Brent to spend time with his cousins Brad & Frank. Lidia is staying locally with my very good friend Gabriela. Her daughter is best friends with Lidia. They are going away for a 1 week camp trip with the church... fun !! Blake will stay home and hold down the fort (and take care of Maggie, our lab, and take care of Lidia's new fish). And last but not least, Bayla is going with us. I think she is quite nervous about the plane. When I talk about it, she doesn't want to chat about it. I also see a little concern on her face when I tell her that we're going pretty soon to get Brinley... and that Brinley's in my heart too, along with everyone else. Hopefully she won't be too jealous, although I know some jealousy will be normal. We are one of 7 families in our travel group from Lifeline, so I think it will be a super-fun trip with our group, and of course my good friend Sandy (she's a blast). We have a few things about our itinerary that are a little "iffy" and we are praying that God's favor will be with us on this very far journey.
There is a possibility that we may receive an update on Brinley next week. That would be awesome... the last one I have of her is from over a year ago. I wonder if she has been sent back to the orphanage from her foster home. She is a world away, but I'm feeling closer to her with each passing day.