In London

I will start by saying that if I make it through this entire post without falling asleep it will be a miracle. It's 5:10 a.m. our time, but we are in London, so it is 11:10 a.m. here. I haven't slept more than 5 hours in the past two days and I'm just ready to fall out.

We boarded the plane in Nashville and were very forunate that two people who were supposed to sit by Kevin (we were split up seating wise), didn't show up so we all had a back row seat. Josh, try as he may, couldn't find a comfy place to sleep. Finally, he got comfy sitting up and all got maybe two hours of sleep.

I did enjoy watching the movie P.S. I Love You. I had hoped to get to watch Bucket List as well, but I needed a little sleep. As I type, my eyes keep going and I keep typing the craziest things.

Our next flight isn't until 1:30 London time wo we have a several hours. When Kevin and Josh get back from the bathroom, I might stretch out and sleep for a half an hour.

We found our travel buddies Elizabeth and Bill as we were coming out of a restaurant where we ate breakfast. The American dollar is SQUAT in London, so our three BLT sandwiches, Josh a kids smoothie, hot tea and coffee were $51 American. HOLY COW!!!

We love hearing the folks talk here. That's it for now, I'm taking a nap!

Here are a few photos from Dulles. We haven't taken any here in London and probably won't.

Made it to the Airport

Step one for us was to simply make it to the airport. Kevin and I both got about three hours sleep last night and still has running around this morning getting together last minute things. I'm not sure where it all is, but we got everything including the kitchen sink. *smile* Actually, each of us have one large back and a backpack. We have two suitcases for the orphanage and/or John Wright and one carry-on just in case our luggage gets lost.

Here's what all that looks like:

The ladies who checked us in at United said, 'Oh, you're going to need to weigh those. There is a 50 lb limit per bag.' Our heaviest bag was 49 lbs (Kevin's, hmmm..... what about how women pack???) so we were fine. She said, "I thought when you all came up with those big bags you all were going to be trouble." If she only knew!! We shared our photos of Ellie and they were very excited for us and we spent a while talking about adoption before proceeding to security. We had packed well and all of us passed security without a blip. YAY!! We've had some lunch and I'm about to begin doing some paperwork for a while and Josh and Kevin are "roaming the airport."

We are so thankful for our friend Iris who showed up to "chauffeur" (Josh's term!!) us to the airport via McDonalds and the post office to mail my "OH.SO.LATE" Secret Pal gift! She was a God-send to us today!!

Next stop.... London where we meet up with Bill and Elizabeth for the next leg of our trip. I'm SO EXCITED that in a few days we will get to meet and hold Ellie. For those of you who asked, we will land in Bishkek, barring any delays, at 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, their time. That is 4:15 p.m. Saturday afternoon our time. After we leave London, I'm not sure when we'll be able to update, but we will as soon as possible.

The only thing we've found we didn't pack are the batteries (rechargeable) for the camera. Fortunately, Elizabeth (our travel buddy!!) was at Walmart when I called and went back in to get us some. YAY!!!

I've set up blogs for Josh and Kevin to document their adventures. Their blogs are here:

Kevin's blog

Joshua's blog

T Minus 13 and counting

In a mere 13 hours we will be on our first of three planes heading to Bishkek. Somehow this STILL does not seem real. To go back three and a half years and experience what all we have gone through and to actually be HERE, it just hasn't sunk in yet.

So prepare for a long day's narrative. I went first thing over to Robertson County to get authentications and met my friend Lisa to drop off some things for her mother-in-law to embroider for me. I headed home, picked up Joshua for haircuts. Kevin headed to pick up our police clearance letters and to have them authenticated. Josh and I both had haircuts, went to Walgreens for my visa photos, grabbed a bite to eat and I met Kevin with my document and he, Josh and my MIL headed downtown to have the documents state certified. I went to the bank (again) and got the money Josh has been saving from his allowance to take on the trip and made a deposit. We met back at home and immediately Kevin and I left again to go to Montgomery County to execute our updated wills. I had two jobs to do there. We got home just in time for Kevin, Joshua and MIL to leave for Joshua's baseball game. After a double header, we have returned home where we are just now packing and cleaning house.

I will try to post more tomorrow. My friend Iris is taking us to the airport and will make us pose for photos, I'm sure. I'm still debating what to wear in order to be comfy for the long haul. We will be in "travel mode" for 26 hours.

We were blessed by seeing a wonderful double rainbow at the baseball park tonight. I took photos, but don't have them where I can upload them yet. God made a promise to Noah and reminded him that this rainbow was a symbol of his promise. God made a promise to my heart some three and a half years ago as well and I can't help but believe that rainbow was a reminder of the fulfillment of His promise. I can't tell you the last time I saw a rainbow.

We've had phone calls and emails all day from friends and family wishing us well and safe travels. One of my favorites, however, was from my friend Mary, who was my best friend in junior high. She left the most wonderful message on my voice mail and if she is reading, I hope she knows that it doesn't matter how long it has been since we've talked, you'll always have a special place in my heart and I'm so glad to have your friendship and you prayers. You are a blessing to our lives.

My condolences to the family of Steven Curtis Chapman who lost his daughter, Maria, in a tragic accident on Wednesday. We were a recipient of a Shaohannah's Hope grant, which is where they are requesting donations be made. What a blessing to have such a tragedy for one family turn into such a blessing for others. My heart goes out to them and to their son.

I can't wait to meet our Ellie. Kevin said today (very matter-of-factly I might add), "She's going to be a daddy's girl". Hmmpffff ... what am I, burnt toast? :-)

More soon!!

Another Day Closer

Each day brings us a little closer to meeting Ellie. The ticker at the top of the website seemed like a good idea at the time, but each time I log on, it seems like I'm in a race to "beat the clock."

Today went well. I worked in the field today along with making necessary phone calls. I have a call in to our pediatrician and spoke with the nurse (a high school friend as well) at our OB/GYN's office to get suggestions for any questions we would want to ask the doctor/director when we meet with them. We have transportation to and from the airport that has been volunteered by my dear friends Iris and Jennifer. My dad has to work during the times we are flying and my mom has been sick so these girls have "stepped up" (this is just typical of these friends of mine, too!) to help us out. All banking issues have been resolved. The hotel has been guaranteed.

Packages arrived today from Hilary who sent two boxes of clothing for the babies who are in the hospital -- before they come to the orphanages. There was also a bag from an unknown donor on my front porch when I came home. If you read the blog, thank you so much. Everyone who is touched by your generosity will be blessed. Thanks also, to the Bakers who sent a bag of goodies for us to take to the orphanage as well. The outfits they sent are too cute!! We have two suitcases full of items to take to the orphanage and to John. I'm also expecting a package of clothing items tomorrow from Gen for missionaries that she knows who are there. We are excited to meet them when they pick up their items.

Hilary's boxes of goodies

Kevin packing the donations

I had long talks with both M. and A. who just returned from Kyrgyzstan on Sunday so I have a better idea of what to expect during our visit. I am so lucky to have these ladies going before me who are willing to talk and answer the thousand questions I've had about this process.

Josh while we packed. He's been really tired lately so he was "resting"

I picked up a couple of blankets today for Ellie. I've been looking for a long time for some that were super soft and today I found some at TJ Maxx (one of my favorite stores). I also got her a really soft "lovey" doll and a teething ring that holds photos and plays music. For those of you who are "Constant Readers" (a phrase I liberally borrow from Stephen King), you'll remember that my secret pal sent Ellie a lovey back at Christmas. Because it is special, I'm saving it for when she comes home. It is waiting, patiently, in her crib. If this one gets damaged or lost, it's not such a big deal. I think I'll leave the teether here for trip 2, the pickup trip, as I doubt she'll use it before then. I've gotten out her Build-A-Bear with our voices on it. It is ready to pack to take to her as well as an elephant that you can pull the tail and it plays lullabies. We've also put some photos in a soft book that hopefully the caregivers will show her while we are gone.






So far, we have all the donations packed; most of the things (other than clothes) ready for the one carry-on; each of us have a backpack with our entertainment items, snacks and a pillow. No clothes have been packed, but that should come easily. The camera and camcorder and all their various charging items are packed.

Donations for the orphanages and missionaries

More donations

Today, I found out that our new medical forms and police clearance letters have to be state certified. I'm not sure how I missed this or why I thought they didn't, but it's going to make for an interesting day tomorrow. I'll leave home at 8, go to one county for certification; go to another county to pick up the clearance letters and have them certified there; go into yet another county for Josh and my haircut and to complete a couple of inspections; head to the fourth county for visa photos and state certification. Then, we'll head back home to pick up Kevin and finally head to the fifth and final county to pick up another set of documents we need before we leave and where I'll complete my last three inspections. Then, it's home to pack, vacuum, do some laundry and then head to the ballpark from 5:15 - 10:00 for a double header. I most definitely will not need a sleeping pill on the plane. What I will need is someone to wake me up when we get there.


My sunburn from Monday's field day, is now blistering up. OUCH. Kevin has been putting aloe vera on it, but it still hurts. I've added sunscreen to my packing list.


A special thank you to my friend Lisa for being my notary again. She has notarized more documents for me than she probably has for everyone else combined. She has also provided me with another large piece of luggage so that each of us can have our own. Thank you!!!


I love living in a small town. Today, I stopped by the pharmacy to pick up sinus meds. I was greeted by the pharmacist, who is also my Sunday school teacher. He was asking about our travels and wishing us well. At the post office, next door, I met our pastor who had to have a hug and told me that our request for donations for missionaries in Kyrgyzstan would be in this week's bulletin. I called the vet's office (I think one of the wings might be named for me there :-) ) to make sure the animals would have care if they needed it while we are gone, and I said, "I don't know if you knew we were adopting..." and she replied, "Oh yes, we do" and told me that if any of the animals got sick and was brought in by anyone they would take care of them for me. Every neighbor has called or stopped us when we have seen them and offered to help -- to do anything we need. Ellie is going to have such a wonderful community to grow up in, filled with people who loved her before she was born, who were excited for her to come to our hometown, a place where she is welcomed, and from what I understand at the ball park, fought over for baby holding rights. We are so blessed. God has given us such a wonderful life and "every blessing You pour out, I turn back to praise" I thank Him for it.


I am getting more and more excited about travelling to meet this wee little one who sleeps alot, the one with the dark hair and sweet puckery mouth. I pray that she is healthy and safe, her tummy full and her needs met and that the angels are still dancing around her while she sleeps in God's hand. I hope she knows we are working so very hard to get there to meet her and that we will continue to work really hard to get her home.

Back on Track - Hopefully

As today winds to a close I'm feeling a bit less overwhelmed. There is still much to do (nothing has been packed), but I'm going out into the field to work tomorrow, finalize getting money situated, will go to church tomorrow night, get haircuts Thursday morning, go get visa pix made, pack, go to Josh's double header, get the house in order and try to sleep.

Somewhere in there I need to clean house a little and do a little more laundry. That will happen I'm sure.

Joshua had graduation today. I have not downloaded photos yet, so I'll add those later. He's officially on "Summer Break" now so what a way to begin it!! I had broken his camera that he bought with his allowance quite a while back so today I replaced that for him so he'll be able to take photos on our trip. He's quite excited about it!

I picked up mine and Kevin's medical forms today and Kevin dropped off Josh's at his doctor's office. We have to provide updated forms since it's been three months since we first submitted them. Our police clearance letters are awaiting us to pick them up.

We had quite a bit of drama about the money needed for the trip today. As you all know, international adoption requires some "clean" money. The bank indicated it would be no problem (in the three weeks I've been asking) until today. THANK GOODNESS for my friend Iris who called ALL the banks in our area and found one that could help us out. A HUGE thank you to Farmers Bank where no one I even know has an account but who helped us out tremendously!!! We were so blessed to get that taken care of. Because MY bank is WORTHLESS, (I'd love to call their name, but best not to), I will be changing banks when I return from this trip. They have been as unhelpful as a bank can be. To be a national bank, they are not what I would expect. I was treated better at banks where no one knew me than I was at my bank that I frequently several times a week. Unreal.

I was able to run to Wally-World today and get prints of the new photos of Ellie. I made the cutest little collage of her. Can't wait to show you all, but it will be end of July/first of August before she will be "officially" ours so I can't. BELIEVE me when I say she has the cutest lips I've ever seen on a baby. :-) (Yes, I'm prejudiced!!)

We are excited to get to see the country where our daughter is from and to learn about her culture. I understand the mountains are absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to see and photograph them. I can't wait to meet the people who are caring for little Ellie. But, most of all, I can't wait to hold her, to smell her baby smell, to touch her hair and her fingers and her ears and toes. I can't wait to watch her sleep like I used to watch Joshua. I remember catching "glimpses" of him as a young man while he lay sleeping. I want to see if she will smile. I want to see her with her daddy and her brother.

We are just about to embark on what Kevin calls our "Amazing Race". It is a journey orchestrated by the God of the Universe who had this planned for our lives from the beginning of time. He has made this child for our family. She is the child for whom we have prayed for four years. She is a blessing created for this world and God has chosen us to be the ones who love her, who parent her and who guide her through this world with anticipation of leading her to God and His work. What a wonderful, awesome responsibility and privilege. I can't wait!!

Lost ...

I've somehow managed to lose the joy of this entire time period in the madness and rush of "get it all done" syndrome. I know there are those who will tell me to just let some of it go. But, it's not like I can. All the things on my "to do" list are important, not just "because" but truly important. Because I have my own business and have worked so hard to cultivate the relationships that allow me to have the job that is convenient to have as a mom who wants to able to be an involved mom, I am worried about the implications my getting a referral and travel dates so quickly and having to leave work that is due. I've been upfront with them all along about the fact that I wouldn't know when it would happen and I'd try to help find folks to help out while I'm gone, but the reality is I have a territory and a set of work that needs to be done. I'm not an employee with a back-up person. Work is a HUGE stress factor for me right now and I'm not sure how to make it "go away".

After waiting all this time, you'd think I would not have so much trouble having it all together. Hmmpffff .... word to the wise -- don't procrastinate.

So, I'm making a concerted effort to try to enjoy this time and be focused on being positive, having fun and thanking God for His provision and His blessings.

Today, we had field day at Josh's school. I didn't take my camera because I was working a water relay and didn't want to take a chance on it getting ruined. It was a lot of "hurry up and wait" but we discovered an interesting fact as the day wore on. The teachers who were very calm and quiet, maybe a little more laid back with their kids, had children who did better in the relay. Since this was a measured event, we measured how much water they were able to "relay" down the line, it was something we could quantify. Teachers who yelled at their children and seemed most unhappy had children who did not do nearly as well in the relay. VERY interesting lesson to be learned there, I think.

Tomorrow is awards day at school and my little man will be leaving elementary school to start middle school next year. I'm so proud of the little man he has become. This was a hard year for him, changing schools, learning new methods of learning and going from some really bad grades up to some really good grades. It was a struggle for him at first, but his teachers and school found ways to help him learn differently and be successful and for that I am so thankful. It was the right move for him. I've seen him develop friendships, laugh and be happy this year, which is something I didn't see much of, if at all, last year.

And, to end, I'm so thankful to hear that K. is going to be able to bring home her little man after such a long wait. I am sad we won't meet up at the London airport, but willing to forego that for her ability to bring home her son. I hear there are two other very happy mommies as well and I am so very happy for them. I am thankful that God placed E. in my path to be my travelling buddy. She has such good insight into things, is level-headed and can seriously get together some travel arrangements in no time flat. She has been such a blessing to me already and we've only "known" each other for a very short time. I can't wait to meet her. She is adopting the sweetest little one and I'm so happy to hear that she has found her forever family.

I don't know if I have mentioned that my friend H. has received a referral from Vietnam, the day after we received ours. We became friends when we were looking into Vietnam and they have gone through so much to get to this place. I know their family is rejoicing for this addition to their family. She will be one very lucky little girl.

And finally, I am hoping my friend D is doing well after her surgery. You are in my thoughts and prayers!

Holy Cow, How will I fit in the Sink?

So... today we shopped for the last few things we needed before we go: luggage (yes, we needed bigger suitcases) -- 2 lovely pieces found at Wally World and not a huge loss if they are destroyed in transit; various and sundry snacks for the trip and first few days there; new tennis shoes for Josh as his were both embarrassing and smelly (BOYS!!!); a backpack for Josh to carry all his "goodies" on the plane; pet food for two weeks; socks and undies. It seems like we are ALWAYS short on those last two items at our house. I think our washer and dryer eat them because I'm certain we buy enough to have them, but there never are enough.

And now, I'm trying to figure how to get all the things packed up to travel across the world that three people will need for 16 days. Impossible, I tell you, impossible. I can't travel to the ballpark without hauling the house.

We have to take our paperwork binder and that's going to take up a good spot in my carry-on. There's the camera, video camera, laptop and Josh's various video games that will all have to be carried on. We have to carry on enough clothes for three people for a couple of days in case they lose our luggage. All medications that we might need will have to be carried on. Some of those aforementioned SNACKS have to go with us (especially the trail mix I got!!)

Tomorrow I need to work at field day at Joshua's school; call his pediatrician to get a new medical form for him to take with us; talk with her about Ellie's medicals; call the bank; call doctor's office to see when I can get medical forms filled out and signed (2nd set); enter some jobs; and determine WHERE in the WORLD I stand with work (since I can't seem to concentrate on that). Airline ticket should arrive and the hotel is confirmed. I171H should arrive and should be sent to agency and a copy made (for safekeeping) and the original filed in "THE" binder. Second set of police letters should be ready as well.

Tuesday is Joshua's "graduation/awards" day in the morning. Then we are off to get visa photos made, haircuts and pick up some sinus meds at the pharmacy. All of us are having yucky sinus problems now, with Josh having a terrible nosebleed today. More paperwork, baseball practice and pack a little more and clean a little and enter more work.

Wednesday, I need to be in the field working a bit. I'm hopeful there is internet access in the London airport where we have a 6 hour layover and I can work there some. Church on Wednesday night.

Thursday, pack, make lists, pack, make lists, pack some more. Go crazy. More paperwork. Clean house, do laundry. Double header at the ball park, 6:30 - 10:30. YAY!

FRIDAY -- Leave for Kyrg to see little Ellie-belly! YAY!!!!

Sometime in there, Kevin will have to mow and weed eat the lawn, make two trips out of town and write some reports.

I could have really used that extra week, but it's going to happen regardless.

Some very kind people came up to us today and church and handed us checks. They will never know how appreciative we are of this kindness to us and to Ellie. It is so helpful -- especially when all things are more than anticipated, it seems. Others gave us goodies to take to the orphanage. Those children will so benefit from their kind donations. I'm so blessed to have a good church and great friends there!

I found out tonight that there is another family from the Nashville-area who is with another agency who will be at Tokmok while we are. This is very exciting and we have emailed before and did not have an idea we would be there at the same time.

Home Again

I've returned home from Georgia. I had contemplated returning next week for a one day trip to finish up the work, but after returning home, I realize there is MUCH to be done here and I need to stay here and get it all done before we go.

Today's crisis was when I couldn't decide what shoes to take. I need multi-purpose shoes because I don't want to carry 10 pair of shoes, but that's just what I need. :-) Someone told me that it might not be appropriate for women's toes to show. After some questioning around, my travel buddy E. found out that it is ok to wear sandals. YAY! As we were moving some more things out of Ellie's room (we are still using it to store some things), I found that Ellie already has 11 pair of shoes. GRANTED, some of them are in sizes that are still too big for her, but, she is definitely going to be her mother's child.

I haven't had time to take photos, but our friend Carla got Ellie some cute outfits and brought them to Kevin at the ballpark today. It's her first "after referral" gift.

We continue to walk around in amazement at the goodness of God and His continually answering our prayers exactly as we pray them. You'll remember I said the perfect week for us to travel would be May 23. We are traveling then. We needed our I171H to come and it has been mailed and should be here Monday or Tuesday. These are only two examples of continual provision and answered prayers. This continued provision for our family is another reason we feel so confident in where we are in the process. Much like giving birth, however, adoption is fraught with fear of the unknown and the what-if's and uncertainties. It is a place where my faith becomes less about words and more about action. I was not prepared for the uncertainties I would feel when the dream of a child became a face in a photo and a set of medicals and a living breathing person living on the other side of the world. My uncertainty is not about adoption or this referral, but just about the fear of mothering another child and all the uncertainties that lie ahead of us and her life. We all think we have so much control over our lives and yet we don't know what tomorrow will bring for any of us.

Anyway, I'm rambling. We have booked airline reservations; I THINK we have a hotel reservation, but I'm awaiting another email. Apparently, I can only get one per day from them. If I don't hear back from them tomorrow, I suppose I might call. We are beginning to make packing lists and gather items as we can. In less than 5 days, I will be on a plane headed across the WORLD to meet a baby that will be my daughter. Is that AMAZING???

Whirlwind

For those of you who thought we got our referral and I fell off the face of the earth -- well, I feel like it.

Things went into super overdrive on Wednesday night when I returned from church and found our travel dates had been set and they were 10 days away. I almost cried knowing how much there still was to get done.

So, I left Thursday to head back to Georgia to try to finish up the project. I'm going to be about 125 inspections short, but the company I'm working for has been VERY KIND in telling me that will re-assign them for me. I actually completed 128 inspections today and that was in the midst of trying to finalize airline reservations, talk with the agency about some issues and coordinate home things with Kevin. I'm tired. I realized that I never even ate lunch today so after this bloggy post, I'm off to find some dinner.

For those of you who are waiting to get your referral and start the whirlwind, here are some tips of things I wish I had done before now.

1. Write down the names of three travel agents and their phone numbers so you'll have it handy and ready to call. DO NOT accept the first quote you get even if they tell you you can't get a better one. Call all three - tell them all you are price shopping and that the "lowest fare" wins. We were able to cut our fare down $1500 (for three tickets) this way. THAT, my friends, will pay for the hotel.

2. Write down the names and contact information for ALL the lodgings in Bishkek. It has been hard to find accommodations. There is an apartment option, but both hubby and I need Internet access and don't really want to have to go to the Internet cafe if we don't have to.

3. Make a packing list of the things you want to carry and begin to collect and set aside orphanage donations if you plan to take them.

4. Arrange house and/or pet and/or child sitters along with getting detailed instructions ready for them.

5. Begin to talk to your bank about how long it will take to get your "new crispy" bills.

If you just do these five things, it will be a tremendous help to you later. You might think you have a while, but do it NOW and not put it off like I did.

I have looked at my little angels photo a thousand times if I've looked once. I can't wait to get there and take some more photos.

As difficult as things have been today, there have been so many of you that have provided such unknown support to me. My "travel buddy" E. and I have worn out the phone lines and she has provided me with SO MUCH help doing lots of the hotel and airline legwork and then just telling them that her buddy from Nashville will be calling too.

B., another PAP, sent me an email this morning that said, "When you said on your blog that you weren't sure how you would get everything done my immediate thought was that God would make it all happen. I can't wait to see how He works all things together for good in your preparation. I know that He will go before you to the bank, to pack your bags, to line up pet & child care, to fly to Bishkek, to Atlanta to finish your work...everything! I know He will orchestrate everything to go according to His plan for you to meet your daughter. How awesome to see Him at work in your life in such a tangible way!"

You cannot imagine how supportive that was to me today!!! And God, well, He HAS been taking care of things for me. There have been several issues today that I thought might be "deal breakers" and God cleared them up for me.

H. told me in a comment to "Let Go and Let God". You all are such wise women!

And my daddy, he told me, "Don't worry about all this. I've got it under control. This is my granddaugther." He has been an incredible help to our process to. Thank you, Daddy! (and mama too, of course).

God continues to speak Bible verses to me today as I would get down or discouraged or overwhelmed. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." "Trust in the Lord, with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you., plans to give you a hope and a future."

All day, little verses, popping into my head to remind me He is in control of this, not me. Good thing, I'm tired. I told Kevin if I were home I'd find a masseuse and have all these kinks rubbed out of my back and neck and legs. Everything hurts.

But, a week from now I'll be on a plane with my two guys, on our way to see our new girl. WOW! God is good -- all the time.

**** UPDATE ****

I also forgot the most important "good news" for today. I got an email back from USCIS stating (they were tired of me emailing them -- haha, not really, but I'm sure they are) they had processed our I600A and were mailing our 171H today so we should have it by Saturday or Monday!! YAY!!

*** ONE OTHER THING ***

I can't seem to get all the "good stuff" out tonight. :-)
Our experience with Federal Travel (Tim) and Golden Rule (Eldo) was EXQUISITE. I'd hate to have to pick one over the other. They both were very responsive and quick to get the information. They worked hard to bring fares down and looked for alternate routes.

Be sure to ASK for travel insurance. I don't think either reminded us to get it, but after hearing about it from others I knew to ask. It was very reasonable ($81 per person) and covers evacuation, up to $500K in medical expenses, etc.

Referral

We are pleased to announce that yesterday, we received our referral for our ELLIE!!! I was totally surprised as I had just called on Monday and nothing and then the next day I got "The Call". We do not have specific travel dates yet, but anticipate travelling the end of May.

And while we cannot share photos until she is ours legally, believe us when we say she was so WORTH THE WAIT and that we are over the moon with excitement. She is tiny and beautiful! Friends who are currently in country indicate she is "gorgeous" (thanks for that word, A, LOVE IT!!!) and are going to hopefully be able to bring home photos for us soon!!

God has been so good to our family and while the wait has been long, I would have waited as long as it took for Him to fulfill His promise to us of our daughter.

"For this child I have prayed and God has given me what I asked of Him!" 1 Sam 1:27. To God be the glory, great things He has done.

Monday Update

There is no news in adoption world for us. I spoke with our agency today and they were unable to confirm when the next referrals might come. Sadly, however, there is a chance that if we don't get a referral this week or the very first part of next week, and can't travel by month's end, we might not get to travel until July.

So... I'm praying that God's timing is this week, and if it's not that He will give me the ability to get through this. I'm certainly in NO position to get through that wait on my own.

I sent an email to the USCIS today asking about our I171H and got the response that we were fingerprinted on March 24 and that due to a backlog it was taking ten weeks. I emailed them back to REMIND them that it was March 14 and I had a paper indicating wait times were EIGHT weeks and could they PLEASE process our form. I love my government.

Tomorrow I'm back off to Georgia for several days.

Happy Mother's Day

Just a quick note to say Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's and mothers-to-be and wonderful women out there!

I asked for one thing for Mother's Day -- SLEEP. My request was granted and, even though I missed church, I slept until 11:00. It was great!! I've been going at top speed for a while now and some sleep was SO what I needed.

Josh and Daddy bought me a massage "thingy" that is "portable" (Josh said this was important) that will go in the car or in a chair/couch. It has three massage areas and heat. I'm thinking it would be great in the car at the end of a long day. I also got a purse and large photo collage frame that we picked out together one night when we all went out. Most of all, I got the blessing of spending the day at home with the people I love most. I just don't think you can ask for more than that. God gave me the privilege of being Joshua's mom. It's a huge responsibility -- some days I just feel really inadequate. Someone once said that God doesn't call those that are able, but those that are available.

So, as the day draws to a close, I am glad that I am a mother -- it's my most important job.

Too Tired to Type

What a crazy day! We started by working a concession stand at the park. We were there from 7 - 10:30 at which point, I had to rush Joshua to baseball for a game at 11:30. The game went long -- surprise -- and I was late to the 2:00 Mother's Day event at my grandmother's nursing home. Then I was back home to shower and get ready to go out to eat for Mother's Day with my mom and Kevin's mom. After dinner, Josh wanted to go to Wal-mart and spend his gift card so it was about 9:30 by the time we got back home. I had to hit the bed.


Some highlights of the day were Joshua's ballgame where they won 22-0. Josh made a double play by getting a boy out on first and throwing home to get another boy out there. YAY Josh!!





Grandmother enjoyed her present. She wanted some "pedal pushers" -- which we now call capri pants. Someone told me at the store, when I was buying them that the reason they were called pedal pushers was because they were the kind of pants they wore when they were riding bikes "back in the day."




We celebrated my mom's birthday along with Mother's Day tonight. We had an excellent cake that Kevin picked up at Sam's. It had strawberry filling and a whipped cream icing. YUM!!




And, of course, the mother's seemed to like their framed family photos from our church photos. And yes, they got their presents in the O'Charley's parking lot. Isn't that awful?

Day 3 - Georgia - Peach Roses and "Ellie-phants"

Oh, where to start about Friday in Georgia? It started off relatively nice as the day was overcast and so it didn't get too hot until around 1:00. By then I was on the "downhill slide" as they say and thought I had it made. There weren't too many happy photos to take as I didn't see a lot.

There were some really pretty peach roses (they are my favorites)

a cat thinking he was hidden on top of a swing

and an "Ellie-phant" statue in the front yard of a house (who has elephant statutary in their yards???).

and several other pretty flowers. Anyone know what the white flower is? The owner didn't and I think it's lovely.

And this lovely guy (or girl???) hanging out by the lake!

I was making good time and I got to the last house of the day. The homeowner was home and his grandkids were the back yard jumping on their trampoline. I asked if I could go into the back yard to take the photos and he led me through the garage. There was a dog (some sort of small lab mix?) who I was talking to/about to the owner as I walked along when BOOM (ok, go ahead and start laughing here and continue until the story is over, I would), I hit the ground as my foot goes into a hole and I, my clipboard and my camera all go in three different directions. I was MORITIFIED!!!! I'm sure the man wanted to bust a gut laughing, but he was very nice and said, "Can I help you up?" He then proceeded to tell me, "Well, that dog digs holes all over this yard. You were bound to step in a hole or doo doo." Oh, well, I'd rather have stepped in poop -- its cheaper to clean that buying a new camera. I gathered my clipboard with all the papers that had gotten throw everywhere, picked up my camera, tried to gather my dignity to continue on when I realized that my camera lens had been jammed in the fall. Try as I may I couldn't get it to work. *UGH* So I told the man I'd just have to put him back on my schedule for the next week.

So, my top 10 list was fortuitous, I suppose. I did break something -- my camera. I can't seem to get it to work again -- the focus is all out of whack. I'm not sure, yet, how to handle that.

Then, on the way home, I got caught in the midst of two tractor/trailer wrecks -- separate but about a mile apart that delayed my getting home about two hours. It was right at midnight when I arrived home. But, better home at midnight than not at all.

Day 2 - Georgia

Today was an excellent day in the field. While it was 80 and that's just a touch too hot for me, I'd rather be hot than cold. There was a nice breeze much of the day.


Top ten things I'm thankful for in the field today (count your blessings, name them one-by-one):

1. No dogs tried to bite me or scared me; no snakes, spiders or ticks, either.
2. No one yelled at me or acted like I was trying to break into their home.
3. No rain.
4. No police (yes, it has happened before)
5. Not lost one single time!!!!
6. Nothing broke (camera, computer, bones)
7. There was always a bathroom around when I needed it (this is huge, folks!)
8. The flowers here are blooming beautifully.
9. I ended up two hours ahead of schedule.
10. I completed 111 inspections and still was done by 4:30 (whooo hoo!!!)

There are supposed to be storms tonight, but tomorrow should be clear. I am going to work until around 4:00 and then head home (yay!!!). Then, this weekend we are doing a fundraiser -- breakfast concessions at a softball tournament. Fingers are crossed that people are really hungry and we sell everything we have!!

Here are some of my "happy" photos from today. They pretty much journal my day. When I got to the hotel last night I was not very concerned about what was around. I was a bit startled this morning to get in the car, look up and see this sign directly in front of my hotel. Now, I'm not saying who I'm working for but... a picture is worth a thousand words, huh?



Back home I regularly work for the people represented by this guy (seen below) too -- again, no names needed, I'm sure. This guy was hanging out on someone's front porch siding just trying to do some marketing for the competition.

So here is the photo of the squirrel I met at house #1. I am photographing the roof when I see him land on the roof. I think, "Oh, he's going to run across so I'll take his picture." I'm already zoomed in and think I'm "all that". He does run across the roof and jumps from roof section to roof section, over and over again because he can't figure out how to get down with me standing there. He hangs his head over the edge -- looking down. You see, I'M standing between him and "his tree". Finally, he just stares at me and jumps -- STRAIGHT TOWARD ME and runs right up to me. Now, technically, I think he was running because he had just jumped from a ROOF, but I'm frantically thinking he's got rabies when he stops, looks at me, and runs to the right behind me and skitters up the tree. WOW! It was too early for this.





This guy was in a homeowner's rear yard and I thought he was cute. THEN, I saw his toy -- it's bigger than he is!!




And, here are some photos of the pretty flowers I've seen here.




And this is how I ended my day, a treat with a "Skinny Mocha." They lie. I drank it and I DIDN'T lose any weight at all. They should not call these things skinny if I'm not going to be skinny after I drink it!! :-)



All in all, it was a good day if you have to be away from home and working.

Just so you have an adoption "tidbit", I carry my phone with me everywhere now. Everytime it rings, I freak out trying to read the caller ID to see if it's "The Call". Today, I left it in the car and as I was getting back in I hear the "plink" that I hear when I have a voicemail and I almost broke the phone trying to hear who it was from. So... if you call me and I sound disappointed, it's not because it's you. I'm in a bit of a tizzy right now as I've realized I left my plug in charger at home. In the car I'm fine as I have a charger that plugs in, but I'm low on battery tonight. Yes, I KNOW they won't call at 2 a.m., but I just want to make sure I've got it on FULL charge -- just in case. :-)

Another Project ...

I was offered another project from work. For those of you who are new to my blog I inspect homes for insurance companies. Occassionally, one of the companies I work for gets special project work in large volumes in other cities. They are so kind and know that we are raising money for the adoption and always call and offer me the "good stuff" -- lots of work, tight concentration so I can complete the most inspections. It's a pay per piece job so volume is what makes money.

I'm now in a town just southeast of Atlanta. I never know until I get here and work a little while what the "reason" for the inspections are, but I knew this time that it was widespread and a HUGE project (12000 pieces). I am NOT doing them all -- only 600. Well, apparently, this area was hit with a tornado/severe storms a while back and I guess the insurance company is determining what has been repaired and what still needs to be repaired because EVERYONE here is getting a new roof or has a sign in their yard that they just got a new roof.

So, I'm going to be here a few days this week and a few days next week. I said, after my last project that I was NEVER doing another, but ... never say never. Maybe this one will be the last one. :-) I hope so!!

The good news is I got done tonight, ate dinner and got to my hotel and got everything set up and have just enough time to blog before AMERICAN IDOL comes on. Boy, have I got my priorities straight!! Early prediction -- Jason is going home.

No adoption news. At least I'm busy so I don't think about it all the time -- ok, so I do, but we are going to pretend that I'm so busy that I'm not.

I miss home already.

To answer the question from Jes about how I determine where the people are that visit. I have Feedjit. If I hold my mouse over the dots on the map, it tells me where the visitors are from. If I click on the map, it takes me to the feedjit site where it gives me more information about visitors. Feedjit also has a Live Traffic Feed which I have just added to my site (scroll WAY down). Ironically, fellow APs who I KNOW are in Illinois show up on my map as London. WHY??? All this time I thought I had cool visitors from London (haha!!). Oh well. I'm happy to have them from Illinois too!!

Off to Get the Vacuum Cleaner

I woke up this morning and my little man didn't feel well. With only 10 days of school left I told him he could stay home. He COULD have gone to school, but, really, why? I'm such a bad mom, I know. His throat hurts -- mine does too, but I think it's allergies for both of us.

So, he went back to sleep and as I lay there thinking of ALL I needed to be doing, I thought back to when I was pregnant with him and how so like where we are now with our adoption this was. The irony of his story of coming into the world compared to Ellie's story had been lost on me.

My due date was November 21. By July/August, I was already dilated and effaced. My OB/GYN told me there was no way he would go to full term. I was told to cut back work to half time, which I did. I still did too much because those that know me know I'm not a sit back and rest kind of girl. By the time the first of October arrived, I was dilated to a three and told it would be anytime. I just knew I was going to have a red-headed baby on Halloween and everyone would call him pumpkin. I told people this.

And then, November rolled around -- what? Where was this baby that was coming early? Nothing, still at a three, more effaced -- ANY TIME NOW. You see, I was "first on the list" then too and knowing it could be ANY DAY. The joke was on me.

Joshua had to be INDUCED on his due date and I was in labor for 10 hours before they finally had to suck him out with the vacuum cleaner (that's our running joke of using the suction machine to get his head, which was stuck, out).

So, here I am again, dilated and effaced and waiting. And she's not coming until her due date either. I'm off to get the vacuum cleaner out!

Reminder

I've been cleaning out my inbox. I don't do this more than once a year. It's as cluttered and disorganized as the rest of my life *smile*. In doing so, I came across this quote that I emailed myself. I found, going through my emails, that I have a crazy habit of emailing myself things I don't want to forget. I've found names of songs I wanted to use for sports videos, quotes, directions to places -- it's crazy. Apparently, it works as I don't remember half of the stuff I sent myself. :-)

Anyway, I don't think it was by accident that I found this quote, today:

Be assured that if God waits longer than you wish,

it is only to make the blessing all the more precious."

~ Unknown

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo - 5th of May. When we began our adoption journey with our current agency, we were given an estimate of how long it would take to receive our referral (2-4 months). That window was March 14 - May 5.

I have on my calendar today "Last Day for Referral". I actually thought we'd have our referral by now. BUT... the world of adoption is nothing if not unpredictable so we don't -- yet. I'm certain it will be forthcoming and that if Kyrgyzstan were not re-structuring we probably would have already had it. If we don't receive it today, there are 29 of you voters who just missed the boat. HOWEVER, since the next "vote" day is May 20, we could still count you as the winners by "closest vote" if it comes this week!!

I've been anxiously awaiting word from the families who are currently in country meeting their babies. I have counted ahead 11 hours so many times over the past few days that I'm actually good at it now. It is currently 7 p.m. there and they are finishing their first day and have *hopefully* seen the faces of their beautiful babies. I can't wait to hear about their experiences.

I've had a couple of "HMMM..." moments over the last few days. I got an email yesterday that had a list of what was in the issue and one of the titles was "In the Pipeline" (which is apparently where my referral is, remember?). Yesterday, at church, we sang, How Great is Our God. If you'll remember, that was the song that ran through my head the entire day after the last family's referral. To my knowledge, we have not sung that song at our church in over a year. I've dreamed about Ellie a few times as well. I know I keep saying it, but I really believe we are close and God is just encouraging us through these last few days to continue having faith in Him and His plans for us and for Ellie.

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, I'm going to tape a few episodes of the George Lopez marathon that's on tonight on Nick (I think that show is funny, funny!), work all day in the field inspecting houses, go to see Joshua play baseball. And I might, just might, throw in a call to our agency for updates -- just for good measure, of course.

Hello to visitors from: Australia, Rio De Janeiro, Bishkek and Germany as well as the visitors from the U.S. and Canada. I don't want you home folk to be left out!

Made of Honor

My friend Lisa called yesterday and asked if I wanted to "get away" and go see the movie, Made of Honor. I needed a bit of a get-away so I readily agreed and after Joshua's ballgame this afternoon, we went to Calhoun's for dinner and then on to the theatre to see the movie.

So, now this has been a big movie week for me -- two movies in a week -- WOW! I haven't seen two movies in six months and now two.

Anyhow, this was a cute, predictable boy and girl are friends but are probably secretly in love with one another and the ensuing drama as they try to determine if they can overcome her engagement to another man.

It was nice to get away for a few hours and have some girl-talk time. I needed it!

The stress of waiting is beginning to get to me. I have waited (as patiently as I can) since August 2004 for this child. And while that time was hard, these last few weeks have been really trying because the end is in sight and I can do nothing to know when it might come.

The Kyrgyzstan adoption community (all you blog readers and members of the yahoo group) have been extremely supportive and I'm really not sure how I would have made it some days without your encouragement. While family, friends and church members are also encouraging, folks who are in process truly understand how hard the wait is. It's been three weeks since our agency's last referral. The country restructuring is still going on, I suppose and my understanding is that part of that include appointing a new person to sign off on referrals, so I guess that might be why no one is seeing any referrals from any agencies (that I have heard or seen). It's hard to make plans and not know when we might be travelling. We make commitments but have to preface everything with, "If we aren't traveling." We look at our calendar and wonder what we might have to cancel. Our calendars are particularly full right now. We've been doing this for three weeks and don't know when we might expect it to change. It's hard.

So... that being said, it was really, really good to get to go out and have a normal night out with a friend and not think about adoption, calendars and responsibilities. The popcorn and coke were just a bonus!