Itchy Travelin' Feet

Travel

The railroad track is miles away,
And the day is loud with voices speaking,
Yet there isn't a train goes by all day
But I hear its whistle shrieking.

All night there isn't a train goes by,
Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming,
But I see its cinders red on the sky,
And hear its engine steaming.

My heart is warm with friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing;
Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going.

 

Edna St. Vincent Millay

 

I think I was born with it. Traveling Feet. If they don't get used often enough, hard enough, and far enough they start to itch. Now, I love to be home, and my husband and I are very fond of our comfy bed, routines and whatnot, but maybe that's just because we generally travel often, travel hard, and travel far.  For a few months now we have had no major, crazy, whirlwind trips, and since I have been actually laid up in bed for a couple weeks the itching has really begun... Spring is everywhere!  As I write, a gentle spring rain is falling.  It is a glistening, green evening.  Dogwoods, azaleas, iris, tulips, wisteria are all in bloom.  

We drove out for small errand this past weekend as my first "out of bed" and spring was at that perfect stage where the green is a light froth over all, but not yet the dense green maze of summer, allowing us to still peer deeply into the forest.  There are only a few fleeting days here in the south where this ethereal touch can be seen. (My sweet husband took the most meandering route he could as he understood how I have missed being out)

But, it isn't just spring or the lack of traveling that has gotten me itching..

Yesterday, I received a torn fed-ex envelope, post-marked Chicago.  

With trembling hands I completed the demolition.

There they were: All six of our visas to China. It was a beautiful sight! Thankfully, our courier had packed the passports (visas attached) into a couple ziploc bags and that must have helped keep them in the envelope so that none were lost.  Note to self: 6 passports can burst a fed-ex envelope :)

Our Article 5 was completed and picked up at 4AM on Tuesday ;) and the US Consulate promptly informed us :)

Now we are trying to wait patiently for our TA, the invitation from China for us to travel!

It is our hope that our agency will be able to get us a consulate appt for very soon thereafter, and allow us to travel quickly.  In many cases, they have allowed families to do this, and given Little Lion's urgent surgical needs, I hope they will consider it.

Still even with the impatience to go, the time seems too short to accomplish all that needs to be done. But, slowly, items are getting ticked off the list.  Two new Britax carseats sit in the livingroom, much to the hilarity and delight of D and E who find it "beyond funny" to have carseats that are not in the car! Packing has begun, puzzling over how best to pack for possibly 3 different climates: Beijing, Zhengzhou, and Guangzhou. The puzzle and fun of packing for four little boys who are close to but not quite all the same size! Today we picked up the requisite red bags and tissue and such for wrapping the presents for all and sundry.  Though as Daniel so dryly remarked,  "You know we have to come up with presents for these bags."  Definitely a very backward way of getting presents! Still, if we are in the right spot for the wrapping and Chinese red envelopes...well carpe diem! All in God's time, we will be where we need to be; one foot after the other, one task at a time.