We're Trying to Leave, But Can't :-(

Seems Mother Nature and the Airlines don't want us to make it home anytime soon. Started with United Airlines cancelling our Friday morning flight and not finding out about it until Thursday afternoon. After several phone calls we got United to book us on a US Airways flight to San Francisco Thursday night so we could keep our Friday noon flight to China on United.....when we got to the check in counter in Phoenix Thursday night it took 45 minutes for them to check us in because they did not show Pam in the system as ticketed - they finally figured it out.

Once past that the TSA worked us over for another 35 minutes - went through all 3 carry-ons (took my toothpaste - dammit) and had us thinking we would miss our flight out of Phoenix at 11pm. Could we really look like terrorists and a threat??? You know, some folks in the airline industry call the TSA a "Thousand Standing Around." Fitting, but I have another expression that cannot be posted here.

Well......that flight was delayed 2 hours for weather so we were not going to miss the flight and everything still looked alright for the next leg. We arrived in San Francisco at 2am (PST) and only 2 of our 4 checked bags made it. The 2 bags that did not make it contained all of Angelina's clothes and her Christmas presents....of course US Airways cannot tell us anything about there location - figures.

So instead of going to a hotel for 6 hours of sleep, Pam and Angelina slept in the airport from 3am until 8am. I could'nt sleep so stayed up hoping to get a jump on the jet lag ahead of us. The first flight from Phoenix this morning, that we are praying our other bags is on arrives around 10am which only gives us 2 hours to collect, haul across to the International Terminal and check-in. This is really not enough time, but just checked and the United Shanghai flight appears to be delayed from 12pm until 3:15pm......which will make us miss our flight to Dalian. One challenge after another.......we had a great time in Phoenix, but this is return experience is really putting a damper on the whole thing.

If our bags don't show up from Phoenix, Pam and Angelina will probably stay in San Francisco through the weekend until they are located and fly a few days after me. If we all go on without the bags, pretty much a guarantee that we will never see those bags because the logistics on getting them to Dalian by an airline that does not fly to China (US Airways)is a nightmare. Oh did I mention it cost us $100 in overweight fees for those 2 missing bags....insult to injury.

We got alot of great photos while in Phoenix that I will post another time.

Were Back in America!

Not a bad guess in my last post, it was exactly 27 hours door to door from our home in Dalian to my parents house in the East Valley (Phoenix), we arrived yesterday afternoon (Wed) around 4:30pm. Angelina was a very good traveler again, not alot of fussing and she managed to sleep on each flight but was wide awake at 2am with me this morning. Of course there is nothing like Asian jet lag, went to bed at 10pm last night and was wide awake at 1:45am this morning. Were just glad to be finally be here for the holidays.

This last week before we left she was so excited about coming to America - every morning and evening she would say "We are going to America tomorrow? When? I want to go to America now!"

Daddy: "No Angelina we will go on Wednesday"
Angelina: "We take helicopter to America?"
Daddy: "No, we can't take a helicopter to America"
Angelina: "Why not!?"
Daddy: "Because it is too far for a helicopter to travel"
Angelina: "Ohh, we take two helicopters?"
Daddy: in near tears - "No we take airplane just like last time honey"
Angelina: "Ohh..."

Oh yes, also nice to final have unfiltered Internet access. As much as I like living in China the one thing I absolutely hate is not being to access unfiltered information, we have found ways to obviously get to our blog and other sites like Wikipedia but it is a pain to do.

I told my parents last night that all I have been thinking about was food and Phoenix has some of the best restaurants with excellent variety. A couple of our favorites are Los Dos Molinos (Hatch, New Mexico chile!), Richardson's (another New Mexico flavor) and any place that has hot chicken wings! Fortunately I have an awesome cook for a wife so we have not struggled with food too much in China, but in Dalian our Western choices are limited.

Almost forgot two days ago was our 1 year anniversary on returning to the US with Angelina. Kyiv to Munich, over night in Munich then on to Chicago O'Hare - what a year it has been and we are so thankful and blessed to have this little girl in our lives. I read on someones blog (may have been Christina's) about her thoughts regarding their daughters birth parents and how thankful she was for them....I had really not given this topic much thought, in that context. But since reading that blog entry I have not been able to get the following out of my mind: How thankful I am for the two individuals that brought Angelina into this world, without them we would not have her and surely would not be enjoying the happiness that we have experienced over the last 14 months.

Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays

One Year Ago....Court Decree

One year ago today (December 12th) we received the final court decree after the 10-12 day waiting period. It was another critical milestone in our 6 week adoption stay because it allowed us to begin processing Angelina's new birth certificate and Ukrainian passport - we could see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Now we are one week away from flying to Phoenix for Christmas with my family and to see our many friends in the Phoenix area. We are all very excited to travel and Angelina keeps talking about "the airplane" that is going to take her to America. Today Pam told me that she saw an airplane in the sky while driving downtown and she pointed and yelled loudly "Airplane you need to take me to America!" She loves airplanes - good thing considering the amount of traveling she has already done in one year (nearly 100,000 miles!) Pamela and I counted up the number of legs she has flown with us: Kyiv to Munich to Chicago to Portland, Portland to Phoenix to Chicago to Portland, Portland to San Francisco to Shanghai, Shanghai to Bangkok to Phuket, Phuket to Bangkok to Shanghai, Shanghai to Dalian, Dalian to Shanghai, Shanghai to Chicago, Chicago to Shanghai, Shanghai to Dalian, Dalian to Seoul to Kota Kinabalu, Kota Kinabalu to Seoul to Dalian, Dalian to Beijing, Beijing to Dalian and next week Dalian to Beijing to San Francisco to Phoenix - 41 flights! By the way our trip next week will be +27 hours door to door, glad we are staying for 16 days.

We now believe the terrible two's don't exist - they begin at 34 months. At least that is our recent experience....her stuborness and independence is something else, couple that with her language abilities and that is a receipe for what feels like us constantly disciplining her. Everything from waking up to every meal to playtime with her friends to naps to going to bed at night she pushes the limit. The latest is her lack of desire to eat at dinner time, sassing, whining, pouting, rough housing and inability to share with her friends. Not that we are shocked or surprised by this but she is beginning to test new boundaries and we have had to pick up the discipline along with her changes. Think we need to start looking about adding a sibling!

The White's from a very cold Dalian (-10 C)

Another Personality Series.....

In Memory of Samantha Rizzo Carlton

My best friend and best man, Mike Golec, sent me a very sad note today to inform me that our ASU classmate and very good friend Samantha Rizzo had been in a tragic accident on Thanksgiving weekend that took her life. Sadly she leaves behind her husband Slade (also our classmate) and two young daughters.

Anyone that reads this blog please take a moment and say a prayer for her family. She was inspiration to everyone she met and will be deeply missed.



Samantha Rizzo Carlton
Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts on Jan. 3, 1972
Died on Nov. 24, 2007 and resided in Phoenix, AZ.

SAMANTHA RIZZO CARLTON

Samantha Rizzo Carlton, 35, died suddenly in an automobile accident near Amarillo, Texas early Saturday morning, November 24, 2007. Samantha and her husband and two young children were traveling back to their Phoenix home from a Thanksgiving trip when the tragic incident occurred.

Samantha was born January 3, 1972 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and moved to Phoenix with her family in 1977. Samantha graduated from Xavier College Preparatory School in 1990, Arizona State University in 1995 with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture, and The University of Michigan in 1999 with a Master's degree in Architecture. Samantha was a member of the American Institute of Architects.

Samantha met her husband Slade Carlton in Arizona State University's school of architecture in 1992. They were married in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997, and had two daughters, Zoe and Olivia.

We will all miss Sam's beautiful and infectious smile and her one-of-a-kind giggle. She was truly joyful. Samantha loved to spend time with family and friends. She knew how to take a house and to turn it into a warm and welcoming home where you could truly find great happiness and peace. Samantha was a reliable and trusted friend, a devoted and loving wife, and a constant and generous mother. Sam supported and comforted many over the years. She was committed to those she knew. Samantha was creative, bright and loved a good adventure.

Samantha had great creative energy. She applied this skill to her work and in the home. She was an outstanding chef and loved experimenting with culinary creations. We all respected the way that Samantha dealt with life's challenges. She did not let life's speed bumps slow her down. One phrase would often do the trick... "It is what it is." Samantha was strong but extremely kind, patient and nurturing as well.

We will always hold a special memory of Samantha in our hearts. Samantha will continue to live on in the spirit of all of us she touched.

Samantha is survived by her husband, Slade and daughters, Zoe and Olivia Carlton of Phoenix, parents Dick and Kathryn Rizzo of Paradise Valley, sister Julie Hyde and her husband Matt of Phoenix.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Samantha Rizzo Carlton Scholarship Fund at the Arizona State University College of Architecture.
A memorial service for Samantha will be held on Thursday, November 29th at 4:00 P.M. at Paradise Valley United Methodist Church, 4455 E. Lincoln Dr., Paradise Valley, AZ.

A memorial scholarship is being set up in Samantha Rizzo Carlton's name at Arizona State University's School of Architecture.

For more information of the scholarship, visit the Web site at http://design.asu.edu/sala