Having at last re-established our San Diego routine, I still catch myself drifting back to countless vignettes from our trip, many of them textured with smiles and laughter. We solidified our friendship with the Tong family long ago, and after spending three weeks attached at the hip, remarkably we’re still buds. We were bonded by purpose from the beginning: to reconnect our daughters with their home country. This trip was originally for them, yet ultimately it turned out to be for all of us. Traveling together can be a testimony to friendship. Surely we’ll grow old together, recounting this adventure as we grow old and gray. Our San Diego/San Francisco separation is an artificial one, easily bridged with weekend jaunts to each other’s home to simply hang out. Backyard grilling, hours of easy conversation, good scotch.

Below are several images of us being, well, us. Goofball tourists. Parents. Kids. Friends still.

My girls pose at the renown 'Food Street' in Beijing.

Keep scrolling, and you'll see what's up with this ...

This is the typical reaction to seeing live scorpions-on-a-stick.

Paul felt compelled to discover his inner 'Son of China' self, so ...

CAHHH-RRRUNNNCHHH!!!

According to Paul, it was hard to chew because it was 'pokey.'

Deb being the supportive wife.

Hey, why not follow that up with some tasty starfish!

A much-needed breather from ascending the steps of The Great Wall.

I asked the Tongs to give me the cheeziest, most touristy photo ever. I just about fell over laughing.

Our beautiful daughters. In China. Where it all began.

To the birth parents of Maddie and Sophie: our eternal thanks for these two treasures of China.

At just three months old he’s a cute little tabby with broad white streaks crossing through his grey and white stripes. After exploring every nook and cranny in the house, he’s quite snuggly with all of us. So much so that he’s trying to walk over my keyboard as I write this post. I’m pretty sure he’s a Mac guy.