How was your week?

Well, it's crunch time. Technically, we have a week left. Realistically, we won't know until Monday. As of today, we will be really, really pushing it, but we are keeping the faith. We received our adoption approval from the US Embassy, but we still need the Philippine passport and then the US visa.

The process has been nerve-wracking. So much so, I am absolutely convinced hell consists of three parts.

Part 1 involves clowns, spiders, snakes, whatever scares you... This is just to set the tone.

Part 2 leaves you with all of these spiders, snakes, etc, but then brings in a huge crew from TGI Fridays or Chili's to sing Happy Birthday again and again for eternity.

Part 3, while surrounded by snakes, clowns, and the Happy Birthday patrol, you will be handed the paperwork to complete an international adoption from the Philippines.

Thank heaven for Christy. This woman is amazing. She is steady, solid, and my anchor. I love her so much it hurts. She has done everything and has made things happen. She has called in favors, turned on the tears, guilted bureaucrats, schmoozed politicians... whatever it takes. This woman does not take no for an answer!

This last week was crazy... we lived our lives in parallel. Let's start with Christy:

Monday- Spent the day getting a birth certificate from Natalie's birth city. She used a lawyer, our foster agency contact, and an inside source in an effort to get this document in less than the promised 30 days.

Tuesday- Guess who got her document? Yup. She sure did. Now she's on to the passport and the American Embassy.

Wednesday- Problems with the passport... The passport guy says it is not printed on the "right paper." What the hell does that mean? Doesn't matter... Christy's on it! She calls her army and they go after the problem.

While Christy's Army works on documents, Christy is moving out of the house. Without me. She is leading a team of movers to pack and load the entire house. Without me. She supervises them from 8 am - 1 am. Still not done. Without me.

Thursday- The passport issue seems to be resolved. The movers finish up. More errands to run. Did I forget to mention we have three kids?

Friday- Bryce is back. We spend the morning getting documented policy from the social welfare office to prove to the guys in the passport office Natalie should be given a passport. We get the policy, but it takes 3.5 hours. Now on to the US Embassy. It's 11:35, we need to be there by 12 and traffic is bad!

We make it with 15 minutes to spare. The guard calls upstairs, but the line is busy. More sitting, more waiting, more wishing, (more cursing). Eventually, the officer answers the phone and comes downstairs, handing us the approval document from the US government. This just might work!!

In the space of 5 days, Christy cut through 60 days of red tape. No laws were broken, no one was bribed (but we did pay special expediting charges), no one was hurt. Christy rocks!

Meanwhile, in another part of the world...

Monday- I took a 7 am flight from Manila to Beijing. After 5 hours, me and my immediate boss land in mainland China. We had a little open time, so we went to see the Forbidden City (We could have seen the Great Wall, but someone promised Christy he would not go without her. It was the least he could do...). The complex was huge and went on and on and on. We walked at least 4-5 miles.

At 6 om, we met with executives from a company we hope to partner with in China. This is a traditional business dinner, so it was 5 hours long. That said, the length of the meeting was nothing compared to the menu... I had (willingly!) donkey, dog, duck tongue, pig ear, and more. Funny thing, I kind of liked it!

Tuesday- My best friend Garrett took me to the Temple of Heaven, where the Chinese Emperor's prayed. This was my favorite spot. It is set amongst ancient trees and is the most well kept monument. Awesome.

In the afternoon, more Chinese food. This is not anything you get at P.F. Chang's... No Lemon Chicken here!

We have more meetings, then flew out at 11 pm from Beijing to Shanghai for more meetings the next day.

Wednesday- In Shanghai, my boss and I were met by our company CEO and the Chairman of the Board of Directors. To put this in proper perspective, the chairmen of our company is one of the 100 richest men in the world. He's here to review the deal we have set up and either say go or no go. In my career, this might ultimately be the most defining moment. As for my personal life, remember Christy is at home. Without me.

The meetings go very well. We meet with the company executives, the head of the communist party in Shanghai, the governor of Shanghai, and dozens of company leaders. The chairmen actually has to excuse himself to go meet with the Premier of China that night... Big stuff.

More dinners (where I crack a crown on a bone in my Peking Duck- OUCH!), more meetings. We get home at midnight.

Thursday- This is the negotiation day. The chairman is back. More meetings. After lunch, the negotiating begins. Back and forth, up and down, it's a good negotiation. Sadly, I have to get back to Manila. Christy and I have to be at the US Embassy the next day and if I don't leave by 4:30 pm, I won't make it.

I made the Shanghai flight with 15 minutes to spare. All the running has really st off something in my stomach (maybe it's the donkey coming back to haunt me). Then the flight was delayed. When I got to Hong Kong, I had 30 minutes to make the flight. Ultimately, after running with my Chinese escort, I made it to the plane, but my bags spent another night in China. Thankfully, the contents of my stomach stayed behind as well...

Friday- I'm home, but the meetings continue in China. Ultimately, the group reaches a tentative deal. I don't know what this means just yet, but this is a major win for us. I'll update that later. You already read how Chris and I spent Friday, but there is an additional item involving the kids...

While Christy and I were running around, the boys were shooting a TV commercial for a Filipino Amusement company. From 8 am - 10 pm, the boys (and a few of their friends) drove bumper cars, went down slides, rode on rides, ate pizza, and had a great time. Here are some pictures of all of the events.

This was, without question, one of the most stressful, crazy, exhilarating, depressing weeks ever. While we saw and did new things, I hope never to combine so many crazy events into 5 days ever again!!