Alaska 2010

The Dodges just got back from a nearly 2-week trip in Alaska. While in Seward, Yani and I limited out on 6 Sockeye salmon each. Check out the action below:

I also got to fish the opener of the middle stretch of the Kenai River. We boated 50 Rainbows, only a few of which were less than 20 inches. I caught and released nearly 20 of these hogs.
















Jasmine had a blast. She's growing like a weed. Here's a picture of her during our time in Fairbanks.

We're back home enjoying all the pictures that remind us of the wonderful memories we made during our trip. And we're enjoying all the salmon fillets that I shipped home from Alaska!

Good Bye China, Hello USA

Jasmine smiles as she rides atop Yani's shoulders on her way down the hallway to the plane that flew us from Jasmine's homeland of Nanchang, China, to Guangzhou.

We spent just under a week in Guangzhou and had an incredible time bonding with this little Nanchang jewel.





Jasmine is seen her with her two older sisters, Danielle (L) and Yani (R). Notably, this was the moment that Jasmine became a US citizen. After Liz and I completed the final oath at the American embassy in Guangzhou, China, all that was needed was for Jasmine to place one foot on US soil. She did this at our port of entry, San Francisco.

The girls look a little fried, seeing that we'd been traveling over 20 hours from Guangzhou to Hong Kong and then from Hong Kong to San Fran.

We're home now. But not all is relaxation. There are car seats to install, strollers to snap together, and high chairs to build. All the fun stuff Daddy's get to do! Aside from a bit of jet lag, the Dodges, all 5 of them, are doing great at home!

Blessings,
The Dodges

Homeward Bound

It's nearly 8 AM on Thursday here in China. That's 6 PM on Wednesday for all of you. We're packed and ready to make our journey back to Missoula. The trip will take 28 hours. Funny thing is that we leave on Thursday, and we'll arrive in Missoula at 11:00 PM the same day! Go figure.

We may have a bit of a bumpy ride out of Hong Kong, particularly as we head over Tokyo on the way to the Berring Straight of Alaska. There's a super-typhoon in full swing near Tokyo. In case you're wondering, a super-typhoon is a Category 5 storm with winds greater than 250 kilometers per hour. We hate turbulence!

Can't wait to get home so you can meet Jasmine!

Blessings,
The Dodges

Final Stop . . . Guangzhou

We're enjoying the final leg of our trip in Guangzhou where we are completing paperwork to obtain Jasmine's visa to enter the US. I've included a picture of the five of us standing in front of a the beautiful waterfall inside the White Swan Hotel, where we're staying until our flight home this Thursday, the 17th.

While waiting to finish all Jasmine's paperwork, Liz and I enjoyed a venti mocha at Starbucks. I think there are more Starbucks, McDonalds, and KFCs in China than in the US!

Jasmine is the life of the party. She has fast become a most happy and fun little girl. She loves to play and laugh all day long!

Notably, when we leave Guangzhou at 9 AM on Thursday, we'll land in Missoula at 11 PM the same day. If you do the math, however, you'll realize that our trip will actually take 28 hours from the time we leave Guangzouh till we arrive in Missoula.

Thanks for your prayers on our behalf as we get ready to bring Jasmine home . . . for good!

Blessings,
The Dodges

Pictures of Jasmine - Finally!

Finally. A few pictures of our newest Dodge.

Jasmine Faith is from the city of Nanchang in the province of Jiangzi (pronounced Jee-'on see). She's adjusting well with lots more smiles and less max-volume checks of her lungs and larynx!

All she needs now is a bit more hair!

We'll be in Nanchung till Saturday and then on to Guangzhou. Thank goodness there's a pool at this hotel, along with a constant breeze. Take either away, and we'd melt instantly.

Blessings,
The Dodges

Jasmine Day

September 6th marks the day we got Jasmine, what is now known as Jasmine Day!

Although she cried for nearly an hour from the first minute, Jasmine soon began to laugh and play. She is so beautiful. Needless to say, she quickly wrapped herself around Daddy's little finger!

We hit the streets of Nanchang last night and had dinner at a nearby diner. Cantonese food is spicy and delicious. We weren't totally sure what we were ordering, and for 20 bucks, we ended up with way too much food. So we have take out for lunch today!

It's nearly 100 degrees here, with 100% humidity. Thankfully, there's a pool on the 4th floor of our hotel (the Jin Feng Hotel), and the rooms have air conditioning.

I hope to be able to upload pictures when we get to Guangzhou on Saturday.We'll be there a week. And even though it's hot there too, they have two beautiful outdoor pools at the White Swan Hotel, where we'll be staying for the final week of our journey.

Jasmine just woke up from her morning nap. Gotta go!

Blessings,
The Dodges

Arrival in Hong Kong

Wow! We made Hong Kong in no time at all, if you consider the fact we missed nearly the entire day of Monday, the 31st! Part of that was thanks to Ambien, enabling a "good" night's sleep on the 14 hour flight from LAX to Hong Kong, along with the fact China is 14 hours ahead of us. Liz and the girls are pictured here with a view behind them of the plane that got us here.

I'm not sure I'll be able to keep this blog updated once we get in to Nanchang, as these are censured by the Chinese government. It took me two days to get this figured out to be able to update the blog so far.

I'll keep my fingers crossed, as there is so much going on that I want to share with you! For now, we are in Kunming (in the Yunnan province), which is along the southwest boundary of China. Everything physica is a bit of an effort here, seeing that we're over 6,000 above sea level!

Blessings,
The Dodges