The Arrival: Sunday, June 5, 2011, 7:45pm
The day was filled with anticipation and excitement. I could hardly hold a thought in my head and the time was passing slow enough to drive one crazy. I busied myself with bed making and last minute cleaning and preparation. I had been waiting for this day for so long and now it was finally here.
We got ourselves ready and headed to church about 2:15pm. We would go to church, eat a quick bite, and then get the last minute groceries. Fresh food just does not last long here… not sure if it is the weather or the level of ripeness when it arrives in the store or perhaps some combination of factors, but wanted to make sure I had fresh fruits and vegetables and bread.
We got back to the apartment at 6:30… only an hour until the van would be here to pick us up and we would make the 40 minute ride to Pudong International Airport to wait for them to get through immigration, baggage claim, and customs. When the van arrived I started getting concerned… I had expected something more like a mini bus… instead it was an oversized van. I am thinking we are not going to get 12 people and luggage in this thing, but too late to do anything different now. We would cram as much in the van and figure out the rest when we got everyone.
We arrived at the airport and finally got parked. Why is it that everything seems to take forever? We had plenty of time, but I was like a cat on a hot tin roof… park already!!! From where we parked it was not a bad walk to the international flights arrival waiting area.
We assumed our position in front of the screen that showed everyone that passed by it on their way out to the long barricaded hall, of a sort, that international travelers passed through to be greeted by family, friends or a person with a name sign. It was pure torture watching the people file past the camera knowing that the next one could be my family. I had watched for so long that when they finally appeared I screeched in joy, ‘there they are…they are here!!!’, and startled the people around me. But I did not care one bit… I started moving up the line to where I could get to them… The Tanners were the first through the line!!! Followed moments behind them were the Kemps!!!
What a tearful happy reunion!!! Everyone was grinning ear to ear!!! It has only been 4 ½ months since we left, but you would think it had been years. We have always lived so close that it made it really tough on us… being on the other side of the world. So here we all are…
The van… 12 pieces of luggage and 12 people… Hanne was our camera person making the 12th person. It was not going to happen!! So we loaded all the luggage and all but Michael, Kenneth, and Chris. It was a packed van, but we made it. The guys headed out for a cab and we would meet up at the apartment.
The driver was probably grateful when we finally arrived at the apartment and he no longer had to hear the non-stop chatter of everyone talking at the same time… which went on for the full 40 minute ride home.
The cab with the guys pulled in right behind us… perfect timing!!! Now the guys could deal with the luggage. All the bags had to be carried down a flight of stairs and brought in through the downstairs door. Trying to take it down the spiral stairs from the inside upstairs would have been impossible.
I was so excited to see the goodies they had brought us from home. We had requested more K Cups and Marcy had taken them out of their original packages and just had Ziploc bags full… saving space in the suitcase. Customs in LA must have thought they were smuggling drugs, because some of the bags have coffee in the bottom where customs had poked holes in the K cups to check for drugs. Note to self: Make sure the K Cups remain in original boxes… it might make a difference. The other items they brought us were a little smashed and wrinkled, but made it here fine.
Once we got them in and situated with where everyone would be sleeping… the cooking began. The food on the plane had not been very good… so everyone was hungry! Was that really a surprise with 5 kids??? NOT!!!!
Everyone bedded down about midnight and it was good to have all the family together again… the only ones missing were Jason and Dennell… otherwise we would have been complete!!! All was very right with the world tonight!!!
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