Mary can go, but YOU can't!

Those are the words we heard today when we went to get on our flight to Beijing. We arrived at ORD around 7:30 a.m. Everything was going very smoothly. DH even commented on how smoothly things went, and said he hoped that the rest of the trip went this smoothly. Shortly after that, we went to board our wide-open flight to Beijing, AND get sure-thing 1st class seats! We were called up to the desk, and the CSA asked to see our passports. We oblidgingly turned over our passports, she looked at mine - no problem. The she looked at DH's, looked at something else, and said those words "Mary can go, but YOU can't."

You know that feeling you get when the blood runs from your head, your arms and your chest? That's the feeling I had, and DH's was just totally silent. Turns out that the Chinese visa that DH has is a work visa. He can't fly into China on work visa unless he's actually working the flight. He needs a leisure visa.

Who knew? Our agency, that's who should know. When we told our agency representive that handles travel that DH had a China work visa, he asked us to send a copy of DH's passport picture page, and the visa page. We did, AND I asked at the last pre-travel meeting if it all looked good. Mike G. from our agency said that everything was good. NOT!

So, there we were at ORD. I had my ticket in my hand, the CSA asked me if I wanted to go by myself. It wouldn't much good, as I couldn't adopt without DH there. There's lots of other paperwork required when both parents don't travel to get their adopted child.

So we scrambled. DH determined that he could get his visa expedited by going to the Chinese Consolate downtown Chicago by 2:30 and fill out an application, and pay the fee. He took a taxi there, and then called me to tell me he didn't have his wallet with the all the cash in it, and he needed a passport size photo as well (which was also in the luggage he left with me). So my SIL and I rushed downtown to meet him (Praise the Lord for my dear SIL! She is the greatest!!!), and gave him what he needed. That was at 2 p.m.. We then took her kids to McDonalds, had a Coke while we waited for DH to finish. He did get his visa at about 2:50.

We are now at my DB and SIL's house to spend the night, and will fly from Chicago to Washington Dulles, and the from Dulles to Beijing tomorrow. Those are the plans anyway! Remember "the best laid plans of man...". I can't remember the rest of that quote, but you get thepicture.

PLEASE pray that we will get to Beijing tomorrow without incident! And throw in a request for us to be able to fly 1st Class for our now 13 hour flight!!!