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OT-Back from Florida

Mick

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Mick

Mick

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Just wanted to report that we returned home after an extended trip to visit my father and daughter in Florida. We left on April 28th and returned this afternoon. It was a great trip for all and it was wonderful to have Li meet my family. They loved her of course and you cannot imagine what a thrill it was for me to have Li, my daughter Julia, and my Dad in the same room together. For the newbies who may not know our situation, Li and I lived together in China for five years, applied for the visa in Septermber 2001, got stuck in the now famous "Black Hole" group, and finally received our visa on March 10. There were countless times during the many tortuous months of waiting that I dreamed of this day, the day I could be in the same room with the three important people in my life. (I come from a very small family). It was a dream come true.

 

My Dad and my daughter fell in love with Li quickly, just as I did. We drove from north Alabama to Venice, Florida, a small town on the southwest coast. We then drove over to Miami to pick up Julia and returned to Venice. Last Tuesday we drove back to Miami to take Julia back home. We returned to Venice for two days, then made the long journey back home. As I mentioned, we spent many great hours together including visiting local sites of interest, going to the beach, and, horror of horrors, shopping. My daughter is sixteen and views trips to the mall as a spiritual experience.

 

<_< :P :D

 

Also interesting to report, the day after we left Alabama they had an earthquake near our area, virtually unheard of in these parts. Also while we were gone there were tornados, severe thunderstorms, and a great deal of rain and flooding. Looks like we chose the best time to go, huh!

 

Again, I cannot put into words how great an experience it was for the three of us to be together. I often tried to imagine what this would be like and the reality of the experience was greater than anything I imagined. And of course, Li fell in love with Florida. We drove across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Pete and it literally took her breath away. For those of you who are familiar with the area (Kaige, PJ, etc), I am sure you know what I mean.

 

Anyway, we are home safe and sound and I look forward to catching up with the news on the board. Perhaps a lot has happened in the past twelve days. I see that Eric has a new job and Owen has a new avatar. Even though this avatar is a picture of his own mug, he still looks like John Brown to me. ;) :P

 

In closing, it was a great trip and it is good to be home and out from behind the wheel of the car. :o

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Guest R2D2

Guest R2D2

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Glad you are both back in America. It is great showing the gals some of this country. I told my new daughter today that I am fixing up the RV so that I can show them America when they arrive-especially western America. <_<

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tonado

tonado

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Mick,

 

Glad you had a wonderful trip in Florida. After 5 five years, you still can drive that long distance. I prefer not to drive too far since I have problem staying awake while driving. Florida is nice place to visit but it is best to visit there in winter when it is cold here and warm there.

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Mick

Mick

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Mick,

 

Glad you had a wonderful trip in Florida.  After 5 five years, you still can drive that long distance.  I prefer not to drive too far since I have problem staying awake while driving.  Florida is nice place to visit but it is best to visit there in winter when it is cold here and warm there.

It was my first long "road trip" since returning to the States. I am surprised how easy the driving was in terms of handling the car, etc. It was tiring however. The only dicey time we had was on the way down to Florida. I missed the exit for I-285 by pass around Atlanta. We ended up on the expressway right downtown and it was crowded and fast. :P We were gone for a total of thirteen days, of which, I spent six driving. Two days going down, two round trips from Venice to Miami, and two days back. Tiring but well worth it to see family and have them meet Li. :)

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Mick

Mick

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Hey Mick, glad you and Li had a great trip!  :(  Zeak and I came back to CA from TN yesterday. Lovely green grass and trees gave me a nice feeling of the spring.

Thanks Littlebear. Where did you go in Tennessee? :(

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Littlebear

Littlebear

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Hey Mick, glad you and Li had a great trip!  :wacko:  Zeak and I came back to CA from TN yesterday. Lovely green grass and trees gave me a nice feeling of the spring.

Thanks Littlebear. Where did you go in Tennessee? :(

We spent two nights in Knoxville and I met with Zeak's extended family members. They cooked us good home steaks and desserts. :P We also brought some big bags of food with us and let the whole plane passengers have a nice smell. :(

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Mick

Mick

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Knoxville is a beautiful city at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains. Been there many times. I'll bet you enjoyed that good southern cooking Littlebear. :rolleyes:

 

Regards to Zeak and best wishes.

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Mick

Mick

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Hi Mick - glad to hear that you had such a wonderful trip. Thanks for all your encouraging words and support for those of us still "pending..."

Dave

Thanks Dave. It is my sincere hope and prayer that this nightmare ends for all of you soon. May the Force be with you! :lol:

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