The beautiful Summer Palace

The traffic is HORRENDOUS here!  There are 5,000 new cars on the rode every day in Beijing.  The Forbidden City is in the very center of the city and they call the road around it "ring roads"  1st ring road, then 2nd ring road etc... They circle the Forbidden City and continue on out the higher number. There are alot ALOT of people riding bicycles and scooters.  Cars do not speed (they dont have a chance) but kind of follow their own rules....like passing on the side of the road.  It is all bizarre and results in lots of honking.

Today we went to see The Summer Palace. It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been. The lake was man made and the Navy used it for training since Beijing doesnt have a coast or water for them to train on. It was all very ornate and beautiful!

This is the male lion outside the Summer Palace.  The male is always on the East and the female is always on the West.  The male has a ball under his paw and the female has a cub under her paw.

 One of the massive gates into the Summer Palace

The temple at the Summer Palace is in the background.  The lake was man made and the dirt was then used to make the hill on which the temple is.

A man practicing his chinese calligraphy on the sidewalk with water.

This picture is of a marble boat the Emperor had made. 

And you want to know the best news.....WE GET OUR DAUGHTER TOMORROW!  Somebody pinch me...really I feel like I am in a dream.  Tonight is the last night Charlotte will spend in the orphanage! Praise the Lord! 

We don't know exactly what time we will get her tomorrow but we think around 10p.m.-midnight CST on Saturday night.  So please pray for Charlotte and for us...it is going to be a very big day!

With lots of love from China!