On Our Way Home
We got up early Saturday morning and had our bags out in the hallway by 5:30am. We woke up our girls who woke up in extremely good moods considering it probably seemed like they had just gone to bed. Since breakfast was not being served quite that early in the breakfast downstairs it was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone before we went to meet our bus.
We were told by Bill to be in the lobby at 6am sharp. So, when we arrived in the lobby at 5:50 and were still sitting there at 6:10, we began to get more than a little nervous. I think I probably even prayed....Dear Lord...please have mercy and don't make me spend one more day in China with CC Biggs if for some reason we miss this flight. God heard my prayer and the bus finally arrived.
We boarded our plane and prepared for Raegan's first flight. She was not the least bit happy when we sat her down and put that seat belt on her. But we kept telling her she had to sit, and if she needed to cry to feel better about she could go ahead. Somehow she sensed the crying wasn't going to do any good and she decided to sit back and enjoy the ride. Good thing....big sister Mackenzie was already starting to bargain with Dad to trade Raegan seats since she was sitting between Mackenzie and I. Dad had to explain to Mackenzie we couldn't very well have Raegan sitting in a row by herself.
When we got to Hong Kong we immediately looked for a place for the girls to grab a bite to eat. We remembered that for some reason the food on the plane leaving China was not as good as the food coming in to China. So we wanted to ensure we had something on their stomachs just in case. We found a snack bar and the girls were happy to get their first hot dog in more than 2 weeks. Melinda and I grabbed a Starbucks to get us through our flight. We then went to the gate to wait out the remaining 3-hour lay over.
Mackenzie and Meghan passed the time in the airport playing with their Leapsters while Raegan sat on Melinda'ths lap and colored. Finally our flight began to board. As we got on the plane we heard the captain say something to the effect of turbulence due to the Typhoon that had hit Japan. Oh boy! We headed back to the last row of the airplane to prepare for our ride. We sat Raegan down in her seat, and she immediately tried to find the seat belts. We just looked at each other. CC say, "Raegan do it?" Raegan took her seat belt and tried to figure out how to fasten it. With a little help from Daddy she got it done. Wow - that was too easy.
Well....if the flight was indicative of the impact of the Typhoon on Japan, let's just say I'm glad State Farm doesn't sell insurance in Asia. It felt like we experienced turbulence through the flight, or at least until we got over the US. We then experienced it again as we approached Chicago. Mackenzie kept saying, "Boy, the sky sure is bumpy today, Mom!"
Despite the bumpy sky, the girls were absolutely fantastic on the very long flight. Raegan slept a great deal. For the normal child this would be a good thing as it would mean the child was holding still. For Raegan...the opposite is true. We wrestled Raegan all over that row while she was sleeping. When she was awake, she was so good. Even people on the plane walked up to us and commented on how good our children were during the flight. The worst thing that happened was toward the end of the flight Raegan accidently bumped Mackenzie in the nose with her head and we battled a prefuse nose bleed as we hit the "bumpy skys" over Chicago.
When we landed in Chicago we had to go through Immigration. For most US Citizens going through Immigration after being in a foreign country this is a simple matter of standing in line and showing your passport. However, for us, we had to stand in the line with the "visitors" because Raegan was not a US citizen until she actually entered the country. So we had to stand in line.....then go and have a seat......let the nice man look at the paperwork and Raegan, and then move on to customs. Congratulations Raegan..you are now legally a US citizen.
As we walked through customs we looked toward the gate. We couldn't wait to see Danny and Mary (Klasen) and hit the road back to our car. However, as we approached the terminal we didn't see them. We looked around a while, and then we spotted them. There was a group with a banner, big balloons, and a bouquet or roses....looking down the tunnel and anxiously awaiting us to walk through a different set of doors. We snuck up behind them. We stood a while and then CC said....hey, who we waiting for? Everyone turned around and the welcome home began. Man....did it feel good. Raegan got to meet Aunt Vicki and Uncle Tom her first day in America. There was Danny, Mary, and Kaitlin. John, Lynn, Abbey, and Anya Haynes were there as well. And, Ken and Erin Keppler were there to get Mom and Meghan to take them back to Pennsylvania. It was so good to get such a welcome.
When we arrived at home Uncle Butch and Aunt Carolyn (Biggs) were waiting for us. So Raegan got to meet some family before she even went to bed.
Thank you, God for safe travels. It's so good to be home.
We were told by Bill to be in the lobby at 6am sharp. So, when we arrived in the lobby at 5:50 and were still sitting there at 6:10, we began to get more than a little nervous. I think I probably even prayed....Dear Lord...please have mercy and don't make me spend one more day in China with CC Biggs if for some reason we miss this flight. God heard my prayer and the bus finally arrived.
We boarded our plane and prepared for Raegan's first flight. She was not the least bit happy when we sat her down and put that seat belt on her. But we kept telling her she had to sit, and if she needed to cry to feel better about she could go ahead. Somehow she sensed the crying wasn't going to do any good and she decided to sit back and enjoy the ride. Good thing....big sister Mackenzie was already starting to bargain with Dad to trade Raegan seats since she was sitting between Mackenzie and I. Dad had to explain to Mackenzie we couldn't very well have Raegan sitting in a row by herself.
When we got to Hong Kong we immediately looked for a place for the girls to grab a bite to eat. We remembered that for some reason the food on the plane leaving China was not as good as the food coming in to China. So we wanted to ensure we had something on their stomachs just in case. We found a snack bar and the girls were happy to get their first hot dog in more than 2 weeks. Melinda and I grabbed a Starbucks to get us through our flight. We then went to the gate to wait out the remaining 3-hour lay over.
Mackenzie and Meghan passed the time in the airport playing with their Leapsters while Raegan sat on Melinda'ths lap and colored. Finally our flight began to board. As we got on the plane we heard the captain say something to the effect of turbulence due to the Typhoon that had hit Japan. Oh boy! We headed back to the last row of the airplane to prepare for our ride. We sat Raegan down in her seat, and she immediately tried to find the seat belts. We just looked at each other. CC say, "Raegan do it?" Raegan took her seat belt and tried to figure out how to fasten it. With a little help from Daddy she got it done. Wow - that was too easy.
Well....if the flight was indicative of the impact of the Typhoon on Japan, let's just say I'm glad State Farm doesn't sell insurance in Asia. It felt like we experienced turbulence through the flight, or at least until we got over the US. We then experienced it again as we approached Chicago. Mackenzie kept saying, "Boy, the sky sure is bumpy today, Mom!"
Despite the bumpy sky, the girls were absolutely fantastic on the very long flight. Raegan slept a great deal. For the normal child this would be a good thing as it would mean the child was holding still. For Raegan...the opposite is true. We wrestled Raegan all over that row while she was sleeping. When she was awake, she was so good. Even people on the plane walked up to us and commented on how good our children were during the flight. The worst thing that happened was toward the end of the flight Raegan accidently bumped Mackenzie in the nose with her head and we battled a prefuse nose bleed as we hit the "bumpy skys" over Chicago.
When we landed in Chicago we had to go through Immigration. For most US Citizens going through Immigration after being in a foreign country this is a simple matter of standing in line and showing your passport. However, for us, we had to stand in the line with the "visitors" because Raegan was not a US citizen until she actually entered the country. So we had to stand in line.....then go and have a seat......let the nice man look at the paperwork and Raegan, and then move on to customs. Congratulations Raegan..you are now legally a US citizen.
As we walked through customs we looked toward the gate. We couldn't wait to see Danny and Mary (Klasen) and hit the road back to our car. However, as we approached the terminal we didn't see them. We looked around a while, and then we spotted them. There was a group with a banner, big balloons, and a bouquet or roses....looking down the tunnel and anxiously awaiting us to walk through a different set of doors. We snuck up behind them. We stood a while and then CC said....hey, who we waiting for? Everyone turned around and the welcome home began. Man....did it feel good. Raegan got to meet Aunt Vicki and Uncle Tom her first day in America. There was Danny, Mary, and Kaitlin. John, Lynn, Abbey, and Anya Haynes were there as well. And, Ken and Erin Keppler were there to get Mom and Meghan to take them back to Pennsylvania. It was so good to get such a welcome.
When we arrived at home Uncle Butch and Aunt Carolyn (Biggs) were waiting for us. So Raegan got to meet some family before she even went to bed.
Thank you, God for safe travels. It's so good to be home.
posted by Tina Biggs at
8:50 AM
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