So many emotions...

We are HERE!!!!! We made it back yesterday morning at 9:30! We are back in the U.S.A for good. The girls were absolute angels on the airplane. We are so blessed to have such sweethearts. Brielle had an earache that started the day before we left and even she was a gem.

I have so many feelings and emotions right now. I am devastated to leave behind the people and city I love, but so excited to be coming back to a beautiful, smog-free life. I think I have cried more this week than in the last year. Here are some of the expressions that elicited the most emotion:

"Thank you for being nice to me" (said by my friend's live in maid). I saw her randomly in the city before I left and said goodbye and this is what she said to me. I managed to smile and hug her and get through it but as soon as I walked in the door I fell apart on Hoss. You see these people are treated so badly by everyone. The entire city is racist against them and everyone else only sees them as a workhorse. They work 15+ hours a day/six days a week. If they complain with what they have been given then they could get fired with a bad referral letter. This letter means that they will not get another visa and will not be able to get the $450/month that goes to feed their entire family and extended families back home. They live in closets (if they are lucky) or they have to wait until their family goes to sleep and then they may have the couches. Sometimes they sleep in the child's room to make sure the parents aren't bothered during the night. And yet despite this, they are the most beautiful and joyful people on the inside that you have ever met. There was one in my building that never said he was having a bad day. I would see her and ask how she was doing and she would say she was happy everyday and would say bless you and make sure the girls got a hug. This is the same one that I watched with a newborn and a high energy two year old and the smile never left her face. You would never hear a negative word or complaint leave her lips.When I left her I asked if she knew any maids who could use my prepaid cell phone. She said she did but asked instead if she might keep it herself to remember me by. That made me cry too; so I did leave it for her and erased everything but the random pictures of us that we had taken. So anyways, when the last thing that the other maid said to was "thank you for being nice to me" I thought it was just so sad that her life is so hard that the few times I saw her and talked to her she was grateful that I treated her like a human being.

"Lets go Mom! There's nothing left here!" (said by Ashlynn) I was doing the last walk through of the house before we took off to the airport and she was super excited. Hoss had already left early to check in the dog and we were meeting him there. When I heard it leave her mouth I just had to walk to the laundry room and collect myself. I wanted to run out there and explain that even though there was no physical things left in that house there was so many good memories that I was having a hard time walking away from them. Every room I was walking through haunted me with the sounds of the laughter and joy that had filled them. I have such positive memories and the girls have changed so much since we arrived I wanted to scoop up that house and just sit in the living room and remember every smile. It's so hard to grow up and more so to watch your children grow up.

"This way sweetheart", "Your doing good honey" "Great job girls" These were the words I heard when we were traversing LAX. Everyone was so pleasant and nice. It was such a happy change from the foreign words and expressions of the Hong Kongers. We landed and had to leave Hoss in LA to drive Max down because the flight to San Diego couldn't accommodate his size and the rental car couldn't accommodate him and us. So, going through TSA's fabulous checks and navigating the LAX airport with the girls and six carry ons was a bit overwhelming after the long flight, but everyone was so nice to me and the little ones. On a side note, when they offered us a $400 voucher and tickets on the flight 2 hours later to San Diego I would've LOVED to get those tickets, but alas the girls and I were just done at 3:00am our time:)

Alright, well we are happily in the pet-friendly Travelodge. Today Hoss is checking in with that horrible new regulation haircut he will now sport. (I was quite used to his incognito one he wore on the job overseas.) We are getting cell phones and I'm going to sign Ash up for school and me up for the GYM!!!!!! How funny people look at us when we tell them (like the rental car people) No, I don't have an address yet. Nope, no cell phone. We are wandering souls for one more day and tomorrow we will get our housing assignment!