tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-311700242024-03-13T09:40:15.769-05:00Journey of the Red ThreadAn invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break.---Based on an ancient Chinese belief---
This is the story of our journey to follow the red thread to Paul William, and Paul William's journey to his home.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-88894768735108763492010-04-25T09:51:00.003-05:002010-04-25T09:59:39.368-05:00New PicturesPaul William on a rope swing at the Botanical Gardens.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/S9RXp3-7PXI/AAAAAAAAAfg/HYh2vrlWLUY/s1600/IMG_2038.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464088624821386610" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/S9RXp3-7PXI/AAAAAAAAAfg/HYh2vrlWLUY/s320/IMG_2038.JPG" /></a>Paul William and his friend Nicholas.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/S9RXpeoe57I/AAAAAAAAAfY/BZ8IsrO_1uY/s1600/IMG_2019.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 242px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464088618016368562" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/S9RXpeoe57I/AAAAAAAAAfY/BZ8IsrO_1uY/s320/IMG_2019.JPG" /></a>With friends at the Decatur FCC egg hunt.<br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/S9RXpMIEPMI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/mH0HneQND-k/s1600/IMG_2016.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464088613048564930" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/S9RXpMIEPMI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/mH0HneQND-k/s320/IMG_2016.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-59580914488752510152010-04-25T09:30:00.004-05:002010-04-25T10:01:04.120-05:00Hunting Easter Eggs<p align="center"> </p><p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxXsObjYsV3ZjipJ5rMdRhzp6Jdi43ohyOKqYqVsriM8LpcGAxyKDiIsq1nJbIjIRo1HcOPD_nfFOE' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-21009137149247441722009-05-26T11:22:00.009-05:002009-06-16T10:28:45.194-05:00North Alabama Walk of LoveDear Family and Friends,<br /><br />We are excited to announce that we will be sponsoring the North Alabama Brittany’s Hope Foundation “Walk of Love” on June 27, 2009. Our goal is to raise funds to make it easier for special needs children to find families to call their own.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;"><strong>When: Saturday June 27, 4:30 pm till dark</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;"><strong>Where: Delano Park, Decatur Alabama</strong></span></div><br />As adoptive parents, we have experienced the depth of love in the work being done by the Brittany’s Hope Foundation (<a href="http://www.brittanyshope.org/">www.BrittanysHope.org</a>). The foundation places grants on special needs abandoned children around the world who need loving homes and the warmth of a family.<br /><br />We brought Paul William home from China in June 2007. But while Paul William came home with us, so many children remained behind, wondering when their family would come to get them. Those children still wait for their chance to have the love and safety of a family. We are working to bring these children home to their forever families. Will you please join us? Together, we can help children around the world.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#993399;">100% of the money we raise will go entirely<br />to grants on orphaned and abandoned children.</span><br /></div></strong><br />The event begins at 4:30 pm and will last until dark. The walk itself will take place at 5:00 pm. We will have hot dogs and watermelon following the walk.<br /><br />If you plan on attending will you help by finding people to sponsor you for the walk? Children around the world are waiting for our help.<br /><br />Please RSVP to <a href="mailto:greg@sdiscuba.com">greg@sdiscuba.com</a> if you plan on attending so we may better plan how much food to have. If you wish to help us raise money pleas email <a href="mailto:greg@sdiscuba.com">greg@sdiscuba.com</a> and we will send more information including sponsor sign up sheets.<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Click </strong></span><a href="http://www.sdiscuba.com/walk_of_love_information_poster.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>HERE</strong></span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong> for more information and flyers.</strong></span></div><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></strong><div align="left"><br /><br />In Peace,<br /><br />Greg and Mary Louise Ogle</div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-19847355996711939502009-03-10T16:13:00.002-05:002009-03-10T16:36:02.902-05:00Eliminate "Re-Adoption" in AlabamaRe: Elimination of the need to Re-Adopt Foreign Adopted Children in Alabama<br /><br /><br />Dear Adoptive Parents,<br /><br />Currently in the State of Alabama parents of internationally adopted children must “re-adopt” their child in order to receive a “Certificate of Foreign Birth” (“CFB”) from the Alabama Center for Health Statistics that is operated by the Alabama Department of Public Health. A CFB is issued in Alabama for children adopted internationally instead of a standard birth certificate. The CFB essentially contains the same information as a birth certificate. It shows place and date of birth, child’s name and adoptive parents’ name(s) and information. The CFB can be used just like a birth certificate.<br /><br />Why is a “Certificate of Foreign Birth” needed? It is not something that is a “must do”. International adoptions are usually completed in the country of birth and U.S. Citizenship is granted automatically. However, having a CFB may make life easier for both the adopted child and the adoptive parents. When the time comes to enroll in school, sports programs and other activities or seek medical care for the adopted child, that require proof of age, a CFB from the State of Alabama might be easier than using a foreign birth certificate that is either in a foreign language or has been translated into English. It may also make it easier when applying for a passport from the U.S. State Department or requesting services from the U.S. Social Security Administration. It may be easier to use a CFB when it comes time to apply for driver’s license or marriage license. Later in life when the adoptee needs to replace a lost or stolen birth certificate it will be much easier to contact the Alabama Center for Health Statistics to request a replacement of a CFB rather than trying to replace a birth certificate from a foreign country. So while a CFB may not be a “mandatory” item to have, it could very well make life easier for the adopted child.<br /><br />Currently Alabama law only allows issuance of a CFB for adoptees whose adoptive parents have first obtained a court order from a circuit judge under the Alabama Foreign Judgments Act. In order to obtain a CFB a family must hire an attorney (or even worse, attempt it themselves) to file a petition in court to give effect to their foreign decree of adoption – even though they have already adopted. When a court in Alabama issues an order granting the petition, the adoptive parents may apply with the Center for Health Statistics for a CFB.<br /><br />This process is unnecessarily costly and burdensome to families who have already completed the adoption of a foreign child. Legislation is being proposed to change this process. Under the changes to the legislation the Alabama Center for Health Statistics will be required to automatically recognize the already complete adoption and issue a CFB.<br /><br />Proposed changes below:<br /><br />"A decree of court or other officially recognized and authorized body terminating the relationship of parent and child or establishing the relationship by adoption issued under due process of law by a court of any other jurisdiction within or outside of the United States shall be recognized in this state and the rights and obligations of the parties as to matters within the jurisdiction of this state shall be determined as though the decree were issued by a court of this state. A certified copy of said decree, when presented to the Center for Health Statistics, shall cause the state to issue a Certificate of Foreign Birth, for which the Center may charge a reasonable fee."<br /><br />The proposed changes to legislation will ELIMINATE the need for a family to “re-adopt” a child they have already adopted. The family will receive the SAME “Certificate of Foreign Birth” that they would receive now after having gone through a “re-adoption”. An adoptive family will no longer need to spend more money, time and effort on “re-adoption”. An adoptive family will be able to simply and easily send their foreign adoption decree along with whatever processing fee the state requires to obtain a “Certificate of Foreign Birth”.<br /><br />We need your support for this legislation!<br /><br /><strong>If you have re-adopted:</strong><br /><br />We need you to write a short description of your re-adoption experience. How long did the process take? How much money did it cost you? Did you have to take time off work? What other hurdles did you have to overcome? What are your personal feelings about having to go through the re-adoption process?<br /><br /><strong>If you are planning on re-adopting:</strong><br /><br />We need you to write a short description of why you have not done so. Why have you put it off? Is the expense too great? Are you intimidated by the process? Are you frustrated by the fact you have already gone through so much to adopt, why should you have to do more? Are there any other reasons for not readopting? What are your personal feelings about having to go through the re-adoption process?<br /><br />Please send the information to me and I will see that Representative Hinshaw and Senator Bedford, the sponsors of the legislation, receive it. If you don't want to use your name just use your initials and the name of the city you live in. This will only take you a few minutes. Please take the time to write. You may email your reply to my email address: <a href="mailto:greg@sdiscuba.com">greg@sdiscuba.com</a><br /><br />This information will be sent to the sponsors of the legislation to help demonstrate the need for change in Alabama law.<br /><br />I also have a draft copy of the legislation. If you would like a copy email me at the address above and I will send it to you in pdf format.<br /><br />Thank you for your time in considering helping with this issue.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-71353180742231412762009-03-01T08:20:00.002-06:002009-03-01T08:29:10.514-06:00A few pictures from the ZooWe took Paul William to the Zoo a couple of weeks ago. He is really into Go Diego Go! He had to take his "rescue pack" with him in case an animal needed rescuing from the zoo.<br /><br />The last picture is of Paul William with his big brother's girlfriend Jessica. We're not sure if Paul William realizes that Jessica is his big brother's girlfriend and not his.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/Saqae8H609I/AAAAAAAAAbo/ULpPbHga_jQ/s1600-h/IMG_1511.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308224967135646674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/Saqae8H609I/AAAAAAAAAbo/ULpPbHga_jQ/s320/IMG_1511.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqaelyiB9I/AAAAAAAAAbg/ag3tN0w5Bww/s1600-h/IMG_1512.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308224961140361170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqaelyiB9I/AAAAAAAAAbg/ag3tN0w5Bww/s320/IMG_1512.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/Saqad0fPB3I/AAAAAAAAAbY/YKx2E6bkzOQ/s1600-h/IMG_1516.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308224947906086770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/Saqad0fPB3I/AAAAAAAAAbY/YKx2E6bkzOQ/s320/IMG_1516.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-63538078387028808882009-03-01T07:58:00.003-06:002009-03-01T08:11:28.646-06:00My First Snow!It rarely snows here in Alabama, so when it does it is a big deal. We woke up to snow this morning. It really is beautiful when you only see it every few years. Paul William wasn't sure what to think when he was out in it. He grimaced like rocks were falling on his head. When he first looked outside and saw it he was very excited and ran to the bedroom to tell mom to come and look.<br /><br />Yes, he is in his pajamas in the picture below. He was also wearing his Curious George slippers. (Do they even sell snow boots in Alabama? I've never seen any.)<br /><br />The down side is that big brother had to leave to drive back to Tuscaloosa just when it really started to fall. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqVg8_NnSI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/TaRt4WiKeJA/s1600-h/IMG_1525.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308219504169164066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqVg8_NnSI/AAAAAAAAAbQ/TaRt4WiKeJA/s320/IMG_1525.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqVgUp0qAI/AAAAAAAAAbI/CSZh1LYdOdQ/s1600-h/IMG_1524.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308219493342029826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqVgUp0qAI/AAAAAAAAAbI/CSZh1LYdOdQ/s320/IMG_1524.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqVgC_UgZI/AAAAAAAAAbA/icOXPdKrWzM/s1600-h/IMG_1523.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308219488600359314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SaqVgC_UgZI/AAAAAAAAAbA/icOXPdKrWzM/s320/IMG_1523.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div></div></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-23940166468925102052009-01-27T13:29:00.006-06:002009-01-27T13:40:10.437-06:00<a href="http://razzledazzledesign.blogspot.com/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296058238116903314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SX9g6Gi9OZI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/5I6528dUWy4/s320/MV+Banner.bmp" border="0" /></a><br />Paul William's cousin Mary V has a cool blog with invitations, announcements, cards and other things that she designs and sells. She does custom <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">design</span> work for clients for birthdays, weddings, birth announcements, holidays, parties or anything else you might need. Check it out by clicking her logo above.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-34422381840647688212009-01-13T10:03:00.005-06:002009-01-13T12:55:53.533-06:00China - Day Three<div>Our third day in China began again with breakfast at the hotel and meeting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lifeng</span></span> for more sightseeing.<br /><br />After breakfast we checked out of the Trader's Hotel where we had stayed since arriving in China. We arrived on Saturday night June 9<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">th</span></span>, 2007. It is now Tuesday June 12<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span></span>.<br /><br />This morning <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Lifeng</span></span> took us on a tour of the Summer Palace. The summer palace is actually a very large complex with many buildings. The grounds of the summer palace cover several hundred acres. The entire complex is situated around a large (300 acre?) reservoir called Kunming Lake. The lake was expanded at one point by the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan. We took our time walking around and taking in the sights. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Lifeng</span></span> told us that in the winter the lake freezes over and people ice skate on it.<br /><br />We saw a stone bridge leading out to a small island in the middle of the lake. The bridge had seventeen arches. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Lifeng</span></span> asked us if we knew why the bridge had 17 arches. We had no idea of course. The reason is that the center arch, the largest, was the emperors arch. Only the emperor could pass through that arch on his boat. In China the number 9 is considered the emperors number. With 17 arches you could count from either end of the bridge and the center arch will be arch number 9.<br /><br />There were many people on the grounds of the palace. People sightseeing, reading, playing chess or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">mahjong</span></span>, exercising or just enjoying being outside in a beautiful setting. We saw men with "brushes" they had constructed by placing an inverted bottle of water at the bottom of a stick with a rag at the bottom to wick the water down and act as a brush. Using their "brush" they would slowly walk along backwards "writing" on the dark grey stone paths. They were writing in beautiful Chinese calligraphy. As they moved along the oldest characters they had created would slowly disappear as the water evaporated from the stone path. It was really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">fascinating</span> to watch.<br /><br />We walked to the far end of the palace grounds and then took a boat across the lake back to our starting point.<br /><br />After visiting the Palace we drove to an area of Beijing in the middle of the site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The games were scheduled to start in August of 2008. 8-8-8 to be exact. Even in selecting the start date of the Olympics you can see the Chinese <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">fascination</span> with numbers. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Lifeng</span></span> stopped at a local <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">restaurant</span> for lunch. Our meal was Chinese and very good. The only thing we really missed was ice for our drinks.<br /><br />As we were leaving the area <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Lifeng</span></span> pulled to the side of the road so I could take a picture of the "Bird's Nest" Olympic Stadium. At this point the stadium was still under construction. With the games set to begin in only 14 months I didn't think they would be ready. Well, as we all now know, they were ready. </div><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290853882315924674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SWzjkuXv5MI/AAAAAAAAAaE/CeU2Eg3DvMk/s320/Olympic_Stadium.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />The picture of the stadium was taken at about 2pm. The day was cloudless, however the smog was bad as you can see. It looked like an overcast cloudy day. I estimated the visibility on the freeway at less than a mile. I asked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Lifeng</span></span> if the smog was always this bad. His response? "Oh no, in the winter it is much worse." I can't imagine!<br /><br />Our time in Beijing was now over. After lunch <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Lifeng</span></span> drove us to the Beijing airport. After helping us check in for our flight and making sure we made it through security and out to our gate <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Lifeng</span></span> left us for the next part of our adventure. We were flying to Chongqing for a 4 day cruise on the Yangtze river.<br /><br />While waiting on our flight we became keenly aware that for the first time in our lives we were the only <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Caucasian</span> American people in a large place filled with hundreds, if not thousands of people. We attracted many looks and stares. I felt sure that we must be the first <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Caucasians</span> that some of these people had ever seen. I was even approached by one man, who with a big smile on his face, proceeded to examine my face from about 10 inches away. We soon came to realize that the Chinese don't <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">necessarily</span> have the same concept of "personal space" as we Americans do.<br /><br />After being extremely careful to make sure we did not miss our flight or get on the wrong one we finally boarded buses to be carried to our plane. All the flight announcements and boarding calls were being made in Chinese only.<br /><br />Flying within China can be interesting to say the least. I can't remember now which airline we used to fly to Chongqing. I think it was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Sezchuan</span></span> Airlines and we used China Southern from Wuhan to Guangzhou. The flight was filled to capacity with what appeared to be working men returning to their homes after working in Beijing. You have never had bad airline food until you have had bad <em>Chinese</em> airline food. Some of the offerings were unidentifiable to us. Fortunately the flight was only a little over 2 hours.<br /><br />Since he would not be with us during this part of our trip <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Lifeng</span></span> had made arrangements for a colleague to meet us at the airport and arrange transfer to the cruise ship.<br /><br />We made it through the airport and were able to meet up with our guide without incident. The guide showed us out to a van and we loaded our bags and began driving through Chongqing.<br /><br />Chongqing municipality is now the most populated "city" in China with over 34 million residents. Simply incomprehensible.<br /><br />Our guide was great in telling us the history and customs of Chongqing. She told us that the city was where some of the American pilots were based during WWII. She was very proud of the fact that the pilots that flew "over the hump" flew in and out of her city.<br /><br />We (I) only had one incident in China that left me very unnerved and at one point frightened. It happened in Chongqing on the way to board the cruise. Our guide suggested stopping at a store so that we could stock up on snacks and soft drinks for the cruise. She said it <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">would</span> be much cheaper than the prices on the ship. She had the driver pull over and park in front of what looked like a convenience store on a major downtown street. The driver and guide got out of the van followed by the 3 of us. Mary Louise and Greg Jr. followed the guide into the store while the driver walked up onto the sidewalk. I noticed that the van was unlocked and I was concerned that our luggage and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">carryons</span></span> were all in the van. I decided to grab the backpack that I was using as a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">carryon</span></span> since it contained the major portion of our cash. (We were required to pay the Chinese adoption fees in cash. Not just any cash, but brand new American 100 dollar bills. Thus we had several thousand dollars in cash on us.) I was now torn as to what to do. My wife and son were inside the store and here I stood on a street in China worried about our belongings. About this time I noticed 3 locals had walked up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">behind</span> our van and had actually pressed <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">their</span> foreheads against the back window to look inside at our luggage. Concern was now approaching panic. I looked up on the side walk at the driver and fortunately I caught his eye and I think he could sense the concern on my face. He immediately threw down the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">cigarette</span> he was smoking and walked to the van and locked all the doors. About this time Greg Jr. came out and said "mom needs you inside". Still very shaken and concerned I told him to go tell his mother to get out here we are leaving right now. Greg then said "but she needs money to pay, her bag is in the van." I handed him my wallet and told him to go pay and get back out here immediately. Upon exiting the store Mary Louise was understandably very annoyed with my actions since she had no idea what had transpired. Our guide was also confused and concerned but we all got in the van and drove off. Had the three men decided they wanted our bags things would have turned very ugly very fast. If we had lost that money we would have had no choice but to make arrangements to immediately return to the U.S. without Paul William. That was not going to happen. I would have defended our belongings, died trying or ended up in a Chinese prison. Thankfully nothing happened.<br /><br />On the way to the cruise ship our guide explained that due to the very hilly terrain in Chongqing that there had developed a profession only found in this city in China. There are men who will carry things up and down the hills and many steps of this city. They will carry anything. Buy a new refrigerator, they will get it up the steps to your apartment. Need help getting your luggage down the steps to a cruise ship, they can do it. They are called "bong bong". I have no idea what that means, but for $10 they carried all of our luggage (except the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">carryon's</span></span> of course) down the steep steps to the edge of the Yangtze River to our ship. I was happy to pay the $10.<br /><br />We boarded the ship and checked in and were shown to our cabin. I guess you can call it a cabin. The ship was built in Germany for a Russian river cruise line. The little engraved name plates over the hatches and valves were all in Russian. I am pretty sure our "cabin" was originally intended as crew quarters. The cabin was located on the main deck of the ship. Most of the passenger cabins were on the 2 decks above. We entered the cabin and found 3 single beds in a long narrow room. 2 beds on the right side end to end and one on the left at the far end of the cabin. We did have a port hole. When you looked out you realized the surface of the Yangtze was about a foot below the bottom of the port hole. That meant that as you stood in our cabin the surface of the river was about level with your chest. The "bathroom" was about 4 x 4. The type where you can sit on the toilet, brush your teeth over the sink and take a shower, all at the same time. The quarters were tight with 3 of us and all our luggage but we didn't expect to be spending much time there other than sleeping. We were on a tight budget and this was the cheapest way to take the cruise. The website for the cruise line barely mentioned that they happened to have a couple of cabins that would <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">accommodate</span> 3 people and they didn't even show a floor plan or mention the location on the ship.<br /><br />We settled in and relaxed a little before dinner. After dinner we explored the ship and turned in for a good nights sleep before the ship departed the next morning.<br /><br />Next installment . . . The 3 Gorges and the Ghost City<br /><br />GregGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-43389860013873589002008-06-12T09:51:00.009-05:002009-01-11T12:35:54.691-06:00Beijing - Day Two<em></em><br /><em>(I know, I know, it's been <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">waaaaay</span></span> too long since we posted. I began this post on June 12,2008 and I am finally editing it today January 11, 2009. We have a friend, Lisa W., who reminds me of that fact every time I see her. Well Lisa, we will try to do better. When I started this trip recap the thought of trying to record all we saw and experienced during our 3 weeks in China became overwhelming. I really do want to record it for Paul William to have in the future. Here is attempt 2, maybe I can do it this time.)</em><br /><br /><embed style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px" name="flashticker" align="middle" src="http://widget-05.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=2161727821154854917&site=widget-05.slide.com" wmode="transparent" salign="l" scale="noscale" quality="high"></embed><br /><br /><br /><div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821154854917&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-05.slide.com/p1/2161727821154854917/bb_t024_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821154854917&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-05.slide.com/p2/2161727821154854917/bb_t024_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821154854917&map=F" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-05.slide.com/p4/2161727821154854917/bb_t024_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Our second day in China again began with breakfast at the hotel and meeting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Lifeng</span></span> in the lobby. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Lifeng</span></span> served not only as our adoption facilitator for Cradle of Hope Adoption Center but also as our personal tour guide. Most of the time <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">CHAC</span></span> will have more than one family in China at a time, but as it worked out for us we were the only <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">CHAC</span></span> family there during June of 2007. That meant we had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Lifeng</span></span> all to ourselves. It was wonderful. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Lifeng</span></span> showed us all over <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Beijing</span> in his personal vehicle and was a very informative tour guide. He knows Chinese history well.<br /><br />We left the hotel and began driving north and west through <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Beijing</span>. The road system there is incredible. We quickly came to realize that the lines painted on the roads in China are simply cosmetic, they serve no useful <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">purpose</span> that we could determine. Chinese drivers have a different sense of road rules than Americans. In China the right of way is yours if you can claim it. To do so simply make sure the front of your car is ahead of the car beside you and you can turn in front of the other driver. The other driver will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">yield</span>. At one point we were only 200 yards from our exit on the right and we were in the far left lane of a 5 lane freeway. No problem, just start crossing lanes to the right making sure your car is ahead of the one to your right and you can make your exit! There were times when we simply could not watch what was going on as we drove. Traffic does not move as fast on Chinese freeways as our do here. The fastest speed is around 60 mph. The thing that is suprising however is that traffic never seems to slow down much or stop. There is some method to the madness that seems to work for them.<br /><br />We were heading out to the Great Wall of China. Along the way we stopped at a Jade factory. Here we learned about Jade and watched as the artist carved it into beautiful shapes.<br /><br />The terrain in and around <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Beijing</span> is generally pretty flat. As we left <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Beijing</span> you could see the mountains rising in the distance. After passing through some winding valleys there it was, the Great Wall of China. Until you see it yourself you really can't fathom what the Chinese were able to accomplish with it's construction. While standing on top looking down I asked Greg Jr. what he would have said if he came up the same mountain valley we just did on a horse with an army of men and saw the wall. His reply was, "I would turn around and tell my men to turn their horses around that we are going home!" It really would have been intimidating.<br /><br />The section of the wall that we saw was at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Badaling</span></span> Pass. Here in the mountains I cannot imagine the effort it took to build the wall. I told Greg Jr. that I could imagine the President of the United States standing at a site like this with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and all the presidents of America's biggest construction companies telling them "I want a wall this tall and this wide built following these mountain ridges". I then imagine them all laughing at him and turning and walking away thinking, "the man has lost his mind!"<br /><br />After our visit to the wall we stopped at a Friendship Store on the way back to Beijing. The Friendship store is a strange mix that could be compared to a cross between a Cracker Barrel and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Stuckeys</span></span> with a very Chinese flavor. The food was Chinese and good. We enjoyed our meal and wandered through the store for awhile before getting back on the road.<br /><br />Upon returning to Beijing we visited a "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Hutong</span></span>" neighborhood. This area is representative of how the Chinese have lived for generations. We toured the area in bicycle rickshaws. Our tour guide was a young man not much older than Greg Jr. The guide enjoyed talking to Greg Jr. about American basketball and music. As it turns out the young man was a fan of the American artist "50 Cent". During our tour we stopped and visited a local kindergarten. We were able to wander through and see the classrooms and children. This must happen frequently because the teachers and students didn't seem to pay much attention to the fact we were there.<br /><br />After the kindergarten visit we stopped and visited a local household. We met the lady that lived there and through our guide she told us about life in her home. It was very hot and we sat on stools in a small outdoor courtyard in the middle of her home. She served us tea and talked about Chinese households. She was very proud that her father knew and served with Chairman Mao. There were photos of both men on the wall in her house. Since I enjoy cooking I was very interested in seeing her kitchen. The woman even lit her stove for me to see how she cooks with a wok. I use the term "stove" loosely here. Here in the states we might call it a blast furnace. The amount of heat generated was amazing.<br /><br />Our last stop on our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Hutong</span></span> tour was a local Free Market. The market was a large open air building where the local population shops for their daily groceries. Here in the states we might call it a Farmers Market. The market sold anything you could imagine. Fruits, vegetable, meat, fish, poultry and more. All of it VERY fresh. One aisle in the market was spices. The smell was incredible from all the spices mixing together. Greg Jr's. eyes <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">immediately</span> began to water and tear. We had to leave quickly before he was overcome.<br /><br />We really enjoyed touring the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Hutong</span> neighborhood. It really gave us a great understanding of how the Chinese people lead their daily lives and how they have done so for hundreds of years.<br /><br />After our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Hutong</span></span> tour <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Lifeng</span></span> took us to a theatre to see the Chinese Acrobats. If you ever have a chance to see them, do so! They will amaze you with what they do. During many parts of their act you will find yourself saying "that's not possible, a human being cannot do that!"<br /><br /><br />We returned to our hotel to shower and relax until supper. While waiting I walked to the window and looked out.<br /><br />From the window in our hotel room we could see a beautifully landscaped area below. Protruding from the ground were large greenhouse type windows. My curiosity was running high. I left the room and walked around to the back of the hotel to find out what these things were. I couldn't find any way to get to the area I wanted to see but found a set of entry doors and inside I could see the top of an escalator going down to . . ?<br /><br />I went through the door and stepped on the escalator. As I went down what I saw was not what I expected. I don't really know what I expected to see at that point but it definitely was NOT a full size ice skating rink! That's right, an ice skating rink in the middle of an underground shopping mall. A VERY nice mall at that. As nice a mall as any I had ever seen. The mall had all the retailers you would expect to see at any nice mall in this country. I also found a Pizza Hut in the mall.<br /><br />After returning to the room with this information we quickly concluded pizza was what we wanted for supper. The meal was very good. While sitting there eating it was hard to believe we were not back at home.<br /><br />Our second day in China was wonderful. We had seen and experienced more than we could have imagined in only 2 days. It was hard to believe we had over 2 1/2 weeks left in China.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-53202320300400531012008-06-10T09:01:00.008-05:002009-01-11T11:12:24.415-06:00Beijing - Day One<embed style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 320px" name="flashticker" align="middle" src="http://widget-4b.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=2161727821154731595&site=widget-4b.slide.com"></embed><br /><div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821154731595&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-4b.slide.com/p1/2161727821154731595/bb_t017_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821154731595&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-4b.slide.com/p2/2161727821154731595/bb_t017_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821154731595&map=F" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-4b.slide.com/p4/2161727821154731595/bb_t017_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" border="0" /></a></div><br />A note about some of the pictures above. The May 2008 edition of National Geographic magazine was a special issue devoted entirely to China. There is a photo in the magazine showing the new CCTV building and the China World Trade tower. In the photo you can see the Traders Hotel where we stayed in Beijing.<br /><br /><br /><p>The breakfast buffet at the Trader's Hotel is pretty amazing. Anything you want from traditional American to Asian. After a quick breakfast we met Lifeng in the lobby to begin our first day of siteseeing.</p><p>Lifeng drove us through Beijing to a parking lot near Tiananmen Square. We walked down the street and descended a set of stairs to a pedestrian tunnel that went under the street. When we turned the corner to ascend the stairs to the other side we encountered the first of many beggars we would see in China. A young man not much older then Greg Jr. was sitting in the middle of the floor with his crutches and prosthetic leg lying beside him. He was dressed in rags and begging for money. We had not even been in China barely 12 hours.</p><p>We ascended the stairs and found ourselves standing across the street from the huge expanse of Tiananmen Square. Lifeng led us into the square. Lifeng would stop us by saying "you hold here". We were to hear those words many times during the next 3 weeks. Lifeng would then begin to explain what we were seeing and the history behind it. He was very good at it. He knows his country well. </p><p>Tiananmen Square is bordered on one side the the Great Hall of the People, another side by the National Museum, another by Chairman Mao's tomb and the last by the Tiananmen Gate to the Forbidden City. We crossed the square quickly. At the time I wondered why Lifeng seemed to be leading us on a forced march through Beijing. I would know why in a few hours.</p><p>Upon crossing to the other side of the square we went through another underground tunnel to emerge in front of the Tiananmen Gate to the Forbidden City. We entered throught the Emporers Gate and again Lifeng said "you hold here". While he was purchasing our tickets to the city we were approached by the second beggar of the morning. This man appeared to be 30 or 40 years old. He was dressed in rags and tears were streaming from his face as he begged for money. Mary Louise and I immediately looked at each other and the significance of the moment was amazing. The man was clutching the lower portion of his right arm just at the point where it ended below his elbow. Exactly like Paul William. If we had any doubts about why we had just flown half way around the world they were shattered in that instant.</p><p>The Forbidden City is amazing. (I hate that I keep using that word but I have a hard time coming up with another one.) Lifeng told us that if a child were taken to one room in the Forbidden City each day of their life from the day they were born that by the time they had been shown each room they would be over 27 years old. Many of the buildings were covered by scaffolding and being renovated in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. We saw the largest single stone carving in China. The stone was carved 50 miles from the Forbidden City. To move it they built a road and dug wells all along the length of the road. When winter came the took water from the wells and flooded the road. Once frozen they then slid the carving to the Forbidden City on a 50 mile long ice road. By the time we finally reached the other end of the City I understood why Lifeng seemed to be in such a hurry. If he had not kept us moving we might have been there for days. We were so far from where we parked that it took a 15 minute cab right to get back.</p><p>Next we visited a silk factory. We were shown how silk is made from cocoon to final product. We even participated a little. </p><p>After the silk factory tour we walked a few blocks to one of Lifeng's favorite restaraunts. The restaraunt was called the Beijing Noodle Shop. Mary Louise said that when we walked in and sat down she finally felt she was in China. We were the only people in the restaraunt that were not Chinese. The food was excellent. Everytime someone entered the entire staff would shout something in unison. I finally asked Lifeng what they were shouting and he told us they were simply shouting out 3, 5, 2 or however many people had just walked in the door. Not what we expected!3</p><p>After lunch we visited the Temple of Heaven. Here the Emporer came to ask the gods for a good harvest each year. The complex was very large and again required a lot of walking. There were many people visiting the Temple of Heaven complex. The Chinese people really seem to enjoy being outside participating in some activity. There were people playing cards, playing mahjong, dancing and exercising.</p><p>After touring the Temple of Heaven Lifeng drove us back to the hotel. We were finished for the day and relaxed in the hotel after dinner.</p>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-48006202382099920112008-06-09T12:59:00.003-05:002008-06-10T19:32:21.641-05:00Travel DayMary Louise's brother Jim picked us up at 8:30 am June 8, 2007 and drove us to the airport. We checked in and proceeded to the TSA checkpoint. Greg and Greg Jr. passed right through but Mary Louise was pulled aside for "further screening". As those of you who know her can attest she very much comes across as the "terrorist" type. We then went out on the concourse and settled down to have a little breakfast and wait on our flight.<br /><br />Our flight to Detroit was delayed an hour by weather but we were told we would make our connection to Tokyo.<br /><br />Mary Louise does not like to fly. REALLY does not like to fly. In fact she would rather pull her own teeth! Unfortunately for her the plane we were on to Detroit was one of the rather small 50 seat commuters. The weather was bad and the flight was very turbulent. The flight attendant actually unstrapped from her jump seat and made her way down the isle to check on Mary Louise before the wheels on the plane were even up. I'm sure she broke some FAA regulation in doing so. I reassured the flight attendant that she would be ok and we settled in for our ride to Detroit.<br /><br />We did make our connection in Detroit. We had just minutes to spare and grabbed a quick bite to eat while sitting at the gate waiting to board the Tokyo flight.<br /><br />Once airborne we settled in and watched several movies and tried to rest and sleep as much as possible. We were lucky in that we were able to reserve seats with a bulkhead in front of us so we had plenty of leg room and could even prop our feet up. The flight was uneventful, just VERY long. Over 12 hours.<br /><br />By the time we landed in Tokyo Mary Louise was a seasoned air traveler and she even looked out the window while we taxied to the gate. Once again it was get off one plane and go directly to the next. When we arrived at the departure gate the plane was already boarding. After the 12 hour flight to Tokyo we were looking forward to the "short" 5 hour flight to Beijing.<br /><br />We landed in Beijing at 9:30 pm on June 9, 2007 China time. It was now 8:30 am back at home. We had been traveling for 24 hours.<br /><br />Once on the ground we quickly and easily made our way through baggage claim and immigration and out into the airport. Our guide/faclilitator Lifeng was waiting to greet us. He showed us out to the parking garage to his car. I will never forget walking out of that airport. The heat, smoke, smog, and exhaust fumes would knock you down. You could see, smell, taste and feel it. It was overpowering.<br /><br />The ride into downtown Beijing was great. Lifeng drove us the 30 minute ride to the Trader's Hotel. We checked in and made plans to meet Lifeng in the lobby the next morning for our first day of siteseeing.<br /><br />We then went to our room. Greg Jr. and Dad ordered room service and Mary Louise went directly to bed. After eating and showering Greg Jr. and Dad quickly followed Mom's lead. We were very tired but very excited to finally be in China.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-84761315420627071052008-06-09T11:34:00.002-05:002008-06-09T12:40:00.966-05:00One year ago . . .Throughout life there are many significant dates that we come to remember. Some good, others not so good. Most mark some event. A birth, a death, marriage etc. <br /><br />June the 9th will always be burned into our memories. In fact most of the entire month of June will be as well. One year ago today, June 9, 2007 the Ogle family arrived in China. The day marked the beginning of a 3 week period that changed our lives and our family forever.<br /><br />The past 12 months have been an amazing adventure for our family. The changes from those first few days in China to where we are today are hard to describe or imagine. Friends told us (warned us) that there would be difficult times, and there were. We prepared as well as we could and planned for the worst and as it turns out we think we got the best. <br /><br />We finally settled into a routine that seems as normal as any routine can be with a lively 3 year old in the house. Many of the issues we had with Paul William are now resolved. Eating and sleeping are much improved. His language is as good as any child his age. (Maybe even better than some.) He is happy and thriving, and so are we!<br /><br />Last week we had our one year follow up with our social worker. This was our last visit with her. She will send one final report to our agency who will forward it to the China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA).<br /><br />At times we look at Paul William and shake our heads in disbelief. They REALLY let us be his mom and dad! WOW! How did we get so lucky? People still tell us what a lucky little boy he is, but just as any adoptive parent will tell you, NO, we are the lucky ones.<br /><br />Part of the reason for this blog has not only been to share our journey to Paul William but to also create a journal so that he will have a record of our lives coming together. Over the next few days we will be posting some of the pictures from our time in China and doing a little recap of what we did, where we traveled and what we saw.<br /><br />We hope you will enjoy it!<br /><br />The Ogle familyGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-86530519163159389512008-05-20T10:36:00.010-05:002008-05-20T11:27:47.641-05:00Fong Fong by Jen-ChiehWe have met many wonderful people on this amazing journey to bring Paul William into our lives. One of them is named Michael (Jen-Chieh). Michael is Chinese and lives in Taiwan. While Michael was visiting a friend named Ben here in Decatur we had the priviledge of meeting Michael. Michael and Ben followed the story of our adoption of Paul William on our blog and wanted to meet Paul William. They have visited us in our home on a couple of occasions and we look forward to doing so again.<br /><br />We recently received an email from Ben with a photo attached. Below is a copy of the email and below that is the photo.<br /><br />-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Dear Greg and Mary Louise,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Michael has sent me a photo of a painting he has made and I am attaching it to this note.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">He asked me to tell you that he wanted the painting to say what he could not say with words. His heart was touched by the great love that you showed by taking an Asian boy.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Some aspects of the painting will be clear to you, but some will probably benefit from a little explanation. The animal at the bottom is a Chi Ling. This is a mythical beast with the head of a lion, the legs and feet of an elephant, etc. He is a bringer of good fortune and, in particular, he brings Chinese babies just as we say the stork does.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In the background are two young men operating a "dragon" show for Chinese New Year. The one at the left holds a pole and there is a globe at the end (which cannot be seen here.) This is the magical Dragon Ball that the dragon chases but never catches. At the right you can see part of the second man who has a pole to support the dragon. Both wear a cloth cap with its ends tied in a bow tie.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This background is done in the schematic way a stencil would show the scene.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At the lower right are the Chinese characters Fong Fong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Michael commented that he extended the mother's arms to emphasize her love as she holds her child.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here and there are bits of color to add interest and balance to the picture which is, of course, not intended to be realistic. The overlapping lines - a kind of transparency - are a technique sometimes used in a particular modern Chinese art school.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Michael hopes you enjoy the picture.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">With best regards from him and from me,</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Ben</span><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;color:#ff0000;">©Copyright 2008 Jen-Chieh</span></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SDLz17R4DwI/AAAAAAAAAM4/FLJn4Ta-Rpc/s1600-h/Fong+Fong+by+Jen-Chieh.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202488627337629442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SDLz17R4DwI/AAAAAAAAAM4/FLJn4Ta-Rpc/s320/Fong+Fong+by+Jen-Chieh.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:78%;color:#ff0000;">©2008 This photograph may not be reproduced by any means electronic or otherwise. All rights reserved.</span> </div><br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />We were very moved and touched by this wonderful gesture.<br /><br />The OglesGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-11551642660650669182008-04-26T09:21:00.001-05:002008-04-26T09:23:02.807-05:00Chillin out with big brother<a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SBM6u14H3bI/AAAAAAAAAMA/2lg2hW6qsUs/s1600-h/IMG_1027.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5193559371699183026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/SBM6u14H3bI/AAAAAAAAAMA/2lg2hW6qsUs/s320/IMG_1027.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-63660542950854625462008-04-25T22:15:00.002-05:002008-04-25T22:25:46.154-05:00I love my big brotherWe didn't tell Paul William that Greg Jr. was coming home this weekend. We wanted to capture on tape his reaction to seeing his big brother. Here it is.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywV6Ldctc0rQpyI9BISrvJMKZJRl2WOgJDjUVuwbFR5smK3xxrZCk9EUZR4DdDX9uU6gh82nYkE6U' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-37410467038686630912008-04-23T08:40:00.003-05:002008-04-24T09:38:36.863-05:00I'm Upset . . . hmmppphh!Just prior this video Paul William was headed up the sidewalk on his tricycle, or "bicycle" as he calls it. He has a limit as to how far he can go before he must turn around and come back toward the house. As he passed that point I began calling to him to turn around. He didn't, he just looked back, grinned at me and kept going. I started after him and he just pedaled faster. When I caught up to him I turned him around and held the handle bars and told him if he did it again I would put the tricycle up and make him come inside. He then screwed his face up real tight, pointed his finger in my face and said, "I'm gonna tell my momma and you gonna be in trouble!" It was priceless!! I told him to go tell his momma and then the following exchange took place. I wish I had thought to tape the entire exchange but I was more concerned with stopping him.<br /><br />Greg<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxFLlZC7CU-ygYaklUPf55KiMd2VJK16Oxps3LRCZUbPCMYJpmbGBS8_Cw-tYgSv-_-iQ80CrjQ-A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-14491655748435364542008-04-23T07:47:00.004-05:002008-04-23T08:09:26.671-05:00Daily LifeIt's the little things Paul William does that makes life with him in it so special.<br /><br />Here are a couple of glimpses into our life now.<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzE2dTSQ4krvA8wzZAG5VpyT4hgzTQmjRDjuNuVUsoSOBFHvsYfJMI-gIr_cfmv-DkKrhg255llv4c' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-67590226002156394642008-04-19T09:56:00.002-05:002008-04-19T10:14:59.772-05:00Paul William's favorite activityOne of Paul William's favorite activities is riding his tricycle.<br /><br /><p align="center"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy6EGLjx2DfA8Mv6c1bKr1ZAkS21DyPJ9x0iNz6N8zEwWCrdq6o972MpCZb7pcYZv_nRTe6ZjW11VQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></p>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-27370571212302831362008-04-04T12:22:00.002-05:002008-04-04T13:18:16.659-05:00. . . . one bite at a timeFrom paperwork to travel to arriving home to bonding and attachment the entire process of international adoption can be very overwhelming. The process is long and intimidating and doesn't end when you finally arrive home. This incredible journey just keeps going and going and going. <br /><br />We are reminded of the question, "how do you eat an elephant?". . . . one bite at a time.<br /><br />Sunday April 6 2008 marks the 2 year anniversary of our decision to take the first bite. It's really hard to believe that 2 years have passed. At times it seemed as though we would never be seeing Paul William and now it seems he has been here forever. We are lucky beyond description.<br /><br />What prompted this thought? Well, last night we took another bite. Paul William was lying in bed with mom. They had read their book and mom was going to sleep. Baba walked by the bedroom door and Paul William said, "baba, turn off the light". <br /><br />What's the significance of a 3 1/2 year old asking his father to turn off the bedroom light? It was the first time. He had never allowed us to turn off the light before he went to sleep. When we first came home we couldn't even turn them off after he went to sleep. He would immediately wake up and demand that we turn them back on.<br /><br />Some days you take big bites, some days you take little bites and some days your stomach growls all day long. <br /><br />Last night we took a big bite.<br /><br />Thanks for checking in.<br /><br />The Ogle'sGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-60729350347908876972008-03-30T17:48:00.005-05:002008-03-30T18:51:38.910-05:00Thomas and Paul William-<div align="center">Here is our first attempt at uploading video.<br /><br />It only took me 4 hours to make it work! ;)<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxXJxQearMkqKqtZUJIUjamOEmcXhRaf-g0iMwxVpirSpbXE6SKF05Pywyh1whapU4waCOsK_EeDyk' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-62568303598419561772008-03-30T15:52:00.002-05:002008-03-30T15:58:51.202-05:00Paul William meets ThomasPaul William and Mama meet Thomas the Tank Engine.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R-_-Vyv4DFI/AAAAAAAAALg/uyEpnWB_tMs/s1600-h/IMG_0949.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183641346480016466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R-_-Vyv4DFI/AAAAAAAAALg/uyEpnWB_tMs/s320/IMG_0949.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Thomas is a really useful engine.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R-_-WCv4DGI/AAAAAAAAALo/2jfRitfSIPc/s1600-h/IMG_0940.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183641350774983778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R-_-WCv4DGI/AAAAAAAAALo/2jfRitfSIPc/s320/IMG_0940.JPG" border="0" /></a> Riding the train pulled by Thomas.<br /><br /><a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R-_-WSv4DHI/AAAAAAAAALw/urnMMTv-X6A/s1600-h/IMG_0947.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5183641355069951090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R-_-WSv4DHI/AAAAAAAAALw/urnMMTv-X6A/s320/IMG_0947.JPG" border="0" /></a>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-8002012452521251262008-03-05T10:16:00.002-06:002008-03-05T10:19:31.547-06:00You know you are an adoptive parent when:1. The fact that there are 143 million children without a parent to kiss them goodnight has made you lose sleep.<br /><br />2. You realize DNA has nothing to do with love and family.<br /><br />3. You can't watch Adoption Stories on TLC without sobbing.<br /><br />4. The fact that, if 7% of Christians adopted 1 child there would be no orphans in the world, is convicting to you.<br /><br />5. You spend free time surfing blogs about families who have experienced the blessing of adoption.<br /><br />6. It drives you crazy when people ask you about adopted child's "real" parents.<br /><br />7. You have ever been "pregnant" with your adoptive child longer than it takes an elephant to give birth.(2 years!)<br /><br />8. You had no idea how you would afford to adopt but stepped out in faith anyway, knowing where God calls you He will provide.<br /><br />9. You have ever taken an airplane ride half-way around the world with a child you just met.<br /><br />10. You believe God's heart is for adoption.<br /><br />11. You realize that welcoming a child into your heart and family is one of the most important legacies you could ever leave on this earth.<br /><br />12. You know what the word "Dossier" means, and you can actually pronounce it!<br /><br />13. You have welcomed a social worker into the most private parts of your life.<br /><br />14. You shudder when people say your child is so lucky that you adopted them, knowing full well you are the blessed one to have him or her in your life.<br /><br />-Author unknownGreghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-61898771160651272202008-02-23T14:33:00.002-06:002008-02-23T14:45:54.940-06:008 Months and CountingLast Sunday February 17th marked the 8 month since Paul William joined our family in China.<br /><br />It's really amazing what a difference 8 months makes.<br /><br />Paul William goes to school everyday. Now he is even taking a nap on his mat when the other children do. He has apparently retired as the "nap police". Friday mama took him to a tumbling class after school and he participated and had a great time. This will be a regular Friday afternoon activity.<br /><br />Since we last posted we have celebrated Chinese New Year. This is the year of the Rat. Paul William handed out traditional red envelopes with money and tangerines to all his classmates and his mom's students to celebrate. We ate a Chinese dinner that night then attended the performance of the New Shanghai Circus at the Princess Theatre in Decatur. There were many other families with Chinese children in attendance. The Circus was great. Some of the acts were better than those we saw at the Chinese Acrobat show in Beijing last summer.<br /><br />We also had our 6 month follow up at the International Adoption Clinic in Birmingham. Paul William has moved from the 3rd percentile in height and weight when we brought him home 6 months ago to the 50th percentile now. He has grown 2 inches in height and his weight increased from 28 to 35 pounds. <br /><br />We have added a slide show to the blog of some assorted photos since Paul William came home. Enjoy!Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-44435110234782991422008-02-23T14:31:00.001-06:002008-02-23T14:31:24.198-06:00Check out my Slide Show!<div><embed src="http://widget-f0.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=2161727821142902768&site=widget-f0.slide.com" style="width:400px;height:320px" name="flashticker" align="middle"></embed><div style="width:400px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821142902768&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-f0.slide.com/p1/2161727821142902768/bb_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=2161727821142902768&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-f0.slide.com/p2/2161727821142902768/bb_t001_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" ismap="ismap" /></a></div></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31170024.post-1653342474708917232008-01-09T11:54:00.000-06:002008-01-09T14:04:05.810-06:00Foster brother????<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R4UonRpCOBI/AAAAAAAAALU/A_4f-yqO9U0/s1600-h/Paul+William+and+Noah.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_5tWPRofAnYM/R4UonRpCOBI/AAAAAAAAALU/A_4f-yqO9U0/s320/Paul+William+and+Noah.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5153570003810924562" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Monday night Mary Louise was checking email with Paul William sitting on her lap. She then went to the homepage of the Wuhan Adoption group and when the page loaded there was a picture of a little boy on it. Paul William looked at the picture and immediately said "dede" (little brother in Chinese). Mary Louise asked him if he knew the little boy and he said "yes, that's him". We questioned him further but he clammed up the way he does when he knows something but doesn't want to tell us. Something clicked in Mary Louise's mind and she took out the photo album with the pictures taken with the cameras we had sent to Paul William's foster family before we traveled to bring him home. After flipping through a few pages there the little boy was! Standing holding Paul William's hand.<br /><br />The little boys name is Noah and he will be coming home to his family in Minnesota next month. We have contacted the family. We believe/hope this may be the younger foster brother that we were told Paul William lived with. Noah's mom said they have been told Noah lived in a foster home with an older foster brother. We will keep you posted.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://nevertoomany.blogspot.com/">Click here to visit Noah's blog.</a></span><br /></div>Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06997246210447670540noreply@blogger.com8