Day 2 (Tienniamen Square, Forbidden City, Silk Factory, Summer Palace)

Today was another good day, but very busy!
I'll be brief in my description since TOMORROW is Charlotte's Forever Family Day and we need to rest as much as possible now, since we have an early flight and things to do in the morning.
Sam has prepared a slide show for you because I took so so so many pictures!  I have high hopes of coming back to this post, organizing the pictures and writing down all of the fun little details and things I want to remember one afternoon (which may never come!).
The first place we toured this morning was Tienniamen Square (which I am certain I am spelling wrong).  It was so crowded and busy.  It was stressful to walk through it, but as a group we stayed close together.  We also had our guide with us, which made things better.  After leaving the Square, we went on to the Forbidden City.  While waiting for our guide to purchase tickets, a group of college students learning English approached me asking to include me in a video assingment.  I agreed and was videoed learning all about ancient Chinese architechture.  They were sweet and it was fun.  :)  The Forbidden City was also very crowded, but the buildings were painted so beautifully, I kept my focus on that!  I even learned how to push in a crowd like the Chinese do!  I was pretty proud of myself for pushing to the front of a mob to see inside of one of the buildings. :)  I actually think I was good at it!
After the Forbidden City we had a lunch of Chinese Food and then headed to the Silk Factory.  We learned all about the silk worm and what products were made from silk and the processes that took place to make them.  I enjoy learning new things, so I found this very interesting!  I even got to help stretch silk to make a silk comforter.  FUN! :)  They had several items for sale, but most of it was very high end (would have loved to get silk comforters for the girls and then some) so I didn't by nearly the amount that I wanted.  However, I spotted a bolt of silk fabric that had a yellow and pink rose pattern and bought a meter for the girls.  Who knows what I will make for them out of it - maybe some new dresses for their dolls or a purse. :)
After the Silk Factory, we journeyed on to the Summer Palace.  It was especially pretty to me because of the gardens, lake, mountains and architechture.  Unfortunately, it was also very congested with people, so I couldn't get all of the pictures I wanted, but I have the memories. :)  I also was able to spend a good amount of time talking to our guide, which I enjoyed very, very much.  She's a special lady.  I Hope we can stay in touch!
After all this, we had an exciting drive through Beijing (if you've been there you KNOW what I mean!) and went to eat supper.  It, of course, was Chinese food.  We were all exhausted, of course, so we went straight back to the hotel after that.

Things I'd Glad I Brought:
* Water :)
* Sanitizing wipes
* My group!!!  It was so much more fun to have them here!
* A roll from the breakfast buffet (I'm missing home food!) for a snack
* Photos on my phone to tell our guide more about our life
* Our guide - loved learning about her culture
* A go with the flow attitude

Things I Wished I Had Brought:
* Toilet paper - not all bathrooms have it
* More snacks from the buffet
* I had water, but it's just not enough!

Answered Prayers:
* The U Family now has their missing suitcase!  Yay!
* Though it wasn't all together, I got about 5 hours of sleep last night
* We met a group going to Flora Lin's SWI!  They will be going tomorrow and have taken a picture of us to show her in case she hasn't seen us yet.  They promised to look for her and spend some time with her. :)  It was a chance meeting, and I'm glad God did that for us. :)

Prayer Requests:
* To sleep the full amount of time that I have tonight (about 6.5 hours)
* To stay healthy (I'm afraid I'm trying to fight off something)
* For an easy, uneventful flight tomorrow
* For the children and the families going through big changes tomorrow

TOMORROW IS OUR FOREVER FAMILY DAY WITH CHARLOTTE!  Four other families will be having their days with us as well.  We need your prayers to help parent our daughter during this tough time.  As a group we will be meeting around 5:30 in the morning here to pray.  Please join us if you are able (I think it is 430 pm Saturday your time?  Not sure.).  It would mean so much to us.
Meeting Charlotte should take place around 2:00 pm Sunday, our time, late night Saturday your time?!  I don't know.).  I doubt I will blog tomorrow, as I just don't know what the day holds, except for big, big things both extremely difficult and extremely beautiful.  Pray with us!
Much love,
M & S