Back In The U.S.of A.

Greetings To All:
How in the wide world are you? We are doing well. Last night at about 7:30 we arrived on the Salem base! After many hours of travel we made it. I'm going to take this time to brag on our daughter. She did fantastic!!! From the taxi ride to the Beijing airport to the ride from the Portland airport to Salem she was a wonderful traveler! The layovers in Seoul and San Fransisco wore Kathy and I down a little bit, but that might be because we know that flying does not REQUIRE those kinds of layover. Dakota has an advantage in that area: she has no prior experience to compare these experiences with. She doesn't know that it could even be another way. Isn't she lucky? Oh, the simplicity of a child. Hey, didn't Some One at some point tell us to be like children? Hmmmm.
Other than being awake between 3:00 and 4:00 this morning, I foresee the adjustment to this time zone being fairly smooth. The time frame above is for the girls. I am still up (6:39 a.m.). So what does one do in this situation? Pray, read, do laundry, journal, and update a blog. I'm enjoying this a little bit. Oh am I gonna sleep well tonight!
Our time in China was excellent! As mentioned in the last entry, "Ketchup On Noodles", God revealed some things to us while we were there. One experience I forgot to mention, and will do so now, was our apartment guests for the last three nights. A team of six YWAMers from Indonesia were coming through Beijing on their way to Inner Mongolia for their Outreach. Where we were staying was a place that is kept for those kinds of circumstances, and for those like ours. So, we were one happy, international family. They were very thankful to be sharing the apartment with us, and we were very blessed to see how God is moving people from other countries of this tiny planet. They of course fell in love with Dakota, and she warmed right up to them. I will post a picture of them in another "photo only" entry that may get done later today.
At some point this week we will be having debriefing meetings about our Outreach. We'll also catch up with some friends that are still here on base. I'll need to get my driver's license renewed. This will be the third state from which I will have received a driver's license (IN, FL, OR.) Isn't that exciting? We also hope to get a hard-copy newsletter out to people before the Thanksgiving holiday. Oh, we'll also get the privilege of driving a vehicle ourselves! Which side of the road is correct? I'm sure I'll find out one way or another. Hopefully the OR BMV doesn't make me take a test.
Well, while the girls sleep, I will go have breakfast. There will be different faces and I'm sure lots of questions asked. I think I'll make it through okay. This morning I have the advantage of being awake for four-and-a-half hours already. As always, we'll leave the light on for you. Oh, wait, that's some one else's saying. As always, thanks for catching up on us, and please drop us a message about what you are doing. I encourage each of you to bechildlike at some point today. So, when you're in Wal-Mart and people wonder why you are rolling around on the floor crying, simply encourage them to be more childlike.
God Bless You,
Carson, Kathy, Dakota