We are Outta Here! Well, almost anyway.

This morning we did a little last minute shopping at a couple of the shops close to the hotel, A Gift from China and Sherry's. We also picked up a suitcase at our favorite store, Jordon's, to carry home all our purchases. Then, we stopped at Starbucks and sat outside while we drank hot coffee. It wasn't so bad because the humidity was down a bit, and it would be a few more hours before the heat index reached 110 degrees.

When we got back to the hotel, we got our suits on and hit the pool. Madeleine LOVED it! I got a few contraband photos before the lifeguard told me I couldn't take pictures. Oops.

After lunch and an early, short nap, we met up with the other families in our travel group and boarded a bus bound for the US Consulate. I'm quite sure we had a bus with faulty or nonexistent shocks because I was a little queasy after the 30 minute drive. Up on the 5th floor, we passed through a metal detector, had someone check photocopies of our passports to make sure our real faces matched our pictures, and all stood and swore an oath together that everything we had written in our applications was the truth and nothing but the truth. Then we received our immigration papers, and it was back on the bus. Very easy. Very anticlimactic. But at this point in the process, the lack of drama was much appreciated.

We decided to give Lucy's another try for our last dinner in China, and we were pleasantly surprised this time around. We both had pasta dishes which were very, very good. Being the all American girl (well, almost) Maddie had a grilled cheese sandwich and fries.

On Friday, we have to hang out until 6:00 p.m. at which time we will be off to the airport for the first leg of our journey back home. HOME! What a glorious word. We will have to do a thorough examination our of room before we check out because Maddie likes to take papers, books, granola bars, whatever she can find and stow them in all the drawers and cupboards.

When we depart Guangzhou on Friday night at 9:00 p.m. (China time), it will be a mere 24 hours before we walk in our front door, and THAT will be the second best part of the trip, the first, of course, being the day we held Maddie in our arms.

So Schoens out. We'll catch you when we're back on our side of the world.

Last round of pics: