Hunan Girls Reunion

I am way behind in updating this blog, so I will ad a few entries and post pictures later (I promise!).

Just a little over a year and a half after we met 11 of the greatest families - and lifelong friends - of the beautiful daughters from our Hunan, China travel group, we got to reunite in Orlando for several days of a wonderful reunion. We were so fortunate with the group of families we spent 2 weeks in China with as we each experienced the most important day of our lives. We all felt the same way that the connection between these families was unique and should be nurtured throughout the years to provide our girls a close connection with their sisters who could understand each other as they mature in the way their peers could not.

We all met in Orlando and stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel (which is great for kids, but not a place where you would stay for a quiet getaway with your significant other). We tried to mix fun with relaxation so we'd all have time to catch up without getting to caught up in the chaos of a busy vacation. Here's an overview of how we spent our days:

Day 1 (July 25) - Families arrive from different parts of the country for the first official day of the reunion. We get to relax by the pool for leisure and dinner to have time for much needed catching up. Amelie gets to wow everyone with her amazing swimming prowess.

Day 2 (July 26) - Families take bus from hotel to the Magic Kingdom and arrive before park is officially open. This provides us ample opportunity to go through the park without standing in lines too long for the rides. The families separate into smaller groups and we get to hang out most of the day with Nana and Papa and the Curtis'. Amelie and Abby had a good time together and each had fun on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, although Amelie did not like the initial darkness (I don't blame her there).

Later that day, we all met for dinner at Outback. The real action was after dinner when all of the girls got to run around together on the lawn on the restaurant's property. The girls were all racing (although I'm not sure any of us were clear on the boundaries of the track) and Zoe (Davey's older sister who is also from China) was great in spearheading the track and field events. This was the best time since it was purely spontaneous and the first time the girls really got to be themselves together.

Day 3 (July 27) - The families rent a cabana by the pool and spend the day at the hotel since there is plenty to do there during the day without having to rush around again. We planned it this way so we'd have plenty of time to really talk and catch up. I had borrowed a red sheet from my good friend Amy so we could try to recreate the red couch picture. Ken and Katrina Nielson (Stephanie's parents) were very generous in making reunion T-shirst for the girls. We dressed the girls up and tried to get the shot. The photo shoot was very similar to the one in China since the girls were crying and generally not wanting to cooperate in getting their pictures taken. The only problem is, this time, they are much more mobile and can run away. We ended up with some red couch 'modified' pictures by getting most of the moms in the shot to anchor their kids.

Later, we rented a conference room at the hotel so we could all have time together to visit without being interrupted by the rest of the tourists. We had brought our own dinners in and had a great time. The girls, once again, had another chance to really let loose and boy did they!! Tim, Sara Grace's father, had made a video of Sara Grace's first year which he set beautifully to very well selected music. We all got to watch on the big screen. The girls loved the soundtrack and were all dancing queens for the show. Allen brought the video he made for Amelie to show and impressed audience as well.

It was a bittersweet event as many of us had to say our goodbyes as most of the families were leaving early the next morning. As is to be expected, we had a wonderful time that went by way too fast.