12/06/12
Today is the day we will be traveling home!!! We got up around 5:30 AM, got dressed, and
headed down to breakfast. We stuffed
ourselves for the long plane ride ahead.
Once we finished breakfast, we packed the last few items in our suitcase
and headed to the front desk of the hotel to check out. We met the other families in the lobby and
said our goodbyes. We were so fortunate
to be able to meet these sweet families.
We share such a wonderful bond. Jocelyn, our tour guide, was also there for us. She ushered us out the door and into a van
that took us to the airport. The flight
from Guangzhou to Hong Kong was supposed to be extremely short, about 45
minutes. We knew we had a 50 minute layover in Hong Kong, and Cathay Pacific Airline
starts boarding an hour before they take off. We were very anxious for the plane
in Guangzhou to take off, but the plane was delayed. The longer we waited, the more stressed we
all became. Gianna wasn’t too happy about just sitting there either.
We took
off about half an hour later than we planned to, which was a huge deal for us.
As soon as we arrived, we had to run over to Cathay Pacific, which was all the
way at the end of the terminal (of course). We got there right before we took
off, and they actually were waiting on us. We ended up getting seats in front
of the fourth seating section, so we got an infant bed that pulled out of the
wall for Gianna. Brittany had to sit behind us, and she wasn’t too happy about
who she ended up sitting by. The plane ride was long and extremely uneventful. We
had a lot of turbulence on this ride. Gianna slept about an hour the whole
time. She would not sit with Joel at
all. I ended up holding her all the way
except for a short bathroom break. I
felt like my arms were jelly by the time we landed in Chicago. It was
so nice to touch down on American soil with our baby girl.
When we
arrived, we were all really tired. We knew we only had one more plane ride to
go, and we were all very anxious to get home and see everyone. We had quite a
large layover in Chicago, so Brittany and I went out to find some food for us
in the airport once we found our terminal. We found a “Bacon and Cheese” quiche
for Gianna, which she loved. Brittany and I ate bagels, which were amazing.
Joel had a stomach virus, so he wasn’t too hungry. Gianna ended up doing pretty
good with that layover. When they started boarding the plane, we all realized we
would be home in just an hour. Brittany fell asleep on the plane. When we
arrived, we waited for everybody else to get off the plane, so it wouldn’t be
quite as crowded-- then it was our turn.
We were so happy to be back in Louisville!
We
walked through the gates toward our luggage when we spotted Justin. Words can’t describe how incredibly happy we
all were to see Justin. We flung my arms
around him and held him tightly. We introduced big brother Justin to his little
sister, Gianna. He smiled so sweetly and
it was easy to see he was happy to have us finally home. It was tough to be away from him for two
weeks. He looked so healthy and like he
had grown a foot! I looked up to see Mom (Grandma Mangas) and
Dad (Grandpa Mangas) behind Justin. Just
behind them was a sweet “Welcome Home” banner held high (made by Livi Westbay J) Some of my best friends were there waiting
for us too. We were so blessed and overjoyed
to see their sweet, shining faces: Toni,
Livi, Melissa, Tim, Norah, Micah, Kelly, Ella, Ashleigh, Teresa, Rich, Mattie,
Abbey, and Faye!!!! What an incredibly remarkable time in our life that we will
never forget! Toni took Mom, Brittany
and I to our home while Dad took Justin, Gianna and Joel home.
HOME SWEET HOME WITH JUSTIN, BRITTANY, AND OUR BABY GIRL,
GIANNA! We waited so long for this
day! We are so grateful to God for a
safe, incredible trip and for bringing home our baby Gianna!
