Friday, April 27, 2007
"Ms. Connie, it's Isabelle. I'm ready to go to the mall."
Thank God for Connie! She just got my darling little bugger out from under my feet. It's a crazy wonderful day and I'm not nearly as ready as I thought!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Remember the "tomorrow, tomorrow..." posting?
Well, now tomorrow really IS tomorrow. We leave tomorrow. I have never been so prepared for a trip in my life! Yesterday I picked up antibiotics for all four of us, just in case. I added those to every over the counter remedy and I look like I'm going on a "doctors without borders" mission. I never do this for trips to Argentina or Uruguay, though I should have for Brazil...I guess it's because we don't speak the language. I can't just walk into a pharmacy there and say, I have a sore throat, and get it taken care of.
I can't wait to tell my table of women at Women's Bible Study this morning that we leave tomorrow. And tell Isabelle's Kids Club teachers too. They know all about "Nicholas" from Isabelle. Everything is just coming together now that the timing is right. Even, the glitches have a purpose. Just one example, Justin got delayed about 4 hrs at the Miami Airport last night and his Blackberry was out of juice, so he took a shower at the business travelers lounge. He said it was great because he felt refreshed and changed into more comfortable clothes, and when he was done, Ms. Blackberry was all charged up. Well, when he told me that and I put it together with the 6 hr layover in London, voila'. You guessed it. I am taking a shower in London! Whooopie. Ok, I better have some breakfast. Obviously my hunger pangs should not go ignored.
On a serious note, I realized this morning that this journey has been so amazing already. People we've known for years and people I've just met thru their own adoption stories are surrounding us with love and praying for our protection, and it is just so awesome to feel at the center of what God is doing. I read a quote that stuck with me, "God has a way of using the insignficant to accomplish the impossible." That's how I feel in His hands. I am so insignficant. So pock-marked by the mistakes of my life, the misuse of my tongue, the misleading of the world, and yet He can use me. He is so amazing.
I can't wait to tell my table of women at Women's Bible Study this morning that we leave tomorrow. And tell Isabelle's Kids Club teachers too. They know all about "Nicholas" from Isabelle. Everything is just coming together now that the timing is right. Even, the glitches have a purpose. Just one example, Justin got delayed about 4 hrs at the Miami Airport last night and his Blackberry was out of juice, so he took a shower at the business travelers lounge. He said it was great because he felt refreshed and changed into more comfortable clothes, and when he was done, Ms. Blackberry was all charged up. Well, when he told me that and I put it together with the 6 hr layover in London, voila'. You guessed it. I am taking a shower in London! Whooopie. Ok, I better have some breakfast. Obviously my hunger pangs should not go ignored.
On a serious note, I realized this morning that this journey has been so amazing already. People we've known for years and people I've just met thru their own adoption stories are surrounding us with love and praying for our protection, and it is just so awesome to feel at the center of what God is doing. I read a quote that stuck with me, "God has a way of using the insignficant to accomplish the impossible." That's how I feel in His hands. I am so insignficant. So pock-marked by the mistakes of my life, the misuse of my tongue, the misleading of the world, and yet He can use me. He is so amazing.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Got 'em
Passports with very fancy visas arrived this morning. Not a rubber stamp like in the old days when I went to Hungary, these things sparkle and glow. Same with Sophie's renewed passport--it has electronic bugs in it, it's thick and every page has a different watermark on it. No more jamming it in a back pocket.
Our agency is really worried about our Almaty connection. We have two and a half hours and have to go thru customs, but the airline guarantees the connection and recommends an hour and a half. If we miss the flight, the worst thing that can happen is we'll have to spend the night at the Hyatt, right? No, maybe the worst thing is we'll have to sleep in the airport. I remember doing that with Lauren Taylor, at Heathrow on our way back from Cairo, and being awoken by a man with a large broom. We were sleeping on the floor because the seats all had arm rests, and he was yelling at us, "no sleeping," and sweeping into our heads. Nice.
Anyhow, now that this show is gettin' on the road, I feel so much better. Other than packing, editing an article, and picking up the antibiotics at the pharmacy, there's really nothing else, and it's only Wednesday. Oh, and coloring my hair cuz that's a risk I'm not willing to take in Kaz! Our friends and neighbors are all helping out in one way or another. It's really amazing...
Our agency is really worried about our Almaty connection. We have two and a half hours and have to go thru customs, but the airline guarantees the connection and recommends an hour and a half. If we miss the flight, the worst thing that can happen is we'll have to spend the night at the Hyatt, right? No, maybe the worst thing is we'll have to sleep in the airport. I remember doing that with Lauren Taylor, at Heathrow on our way back from Cairo, and being awoken by a man with a large broom. We were sleeping on the floor because the seats all had arm rests, and he was yelling at us, "no sleeping," and sweeping into our heads. Nice.
Anyhow, now that this show is gettin' on the road, I feel so much better. Other than packing, editing an article, and picking up the antibiotics at the pharmacy, there's really nothing else, and it's only Wednesday. Oh, and coloring my hair cuz that's a risk I'm not willing to take in Kaz! Our friends and neighbors are all helping out in one way or another. It's really amazing...
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Visas En Route! Thanks Nick!!!!!!
Just got a call from Nicky as he was leaving the Embassy, visas in hand. Whooooopieeee.
So we're off, on Friday, April 27th, 9:20 pm, bound for London on United, where we'll then fly Air Astana to Almaty and hopefully make a tight connection to Ust-Kamenogorsk. We should arrive April 29th at 7:10 am local time, and hopefully go right to the orphanage to meet our little boy and begin the 14 day bonding period.
The return trip is scheduled for May 22. They ask for a whole week to schedule the court date. That's what really makes this trip so dang long, and Justin has to be present in court. He left for Miami this morning. When we return he'll have a little time to recover before going back to Miami for a customer event. Actually, this 'event' has been a blessing because its allowed us to turn up the heat a bit--we must leave because we must be back. And I honestly think that if we were waiting for the conventional means of getting the visas, we'd still be waiting.
So we're off, on Friday, April 27th, 9:20 pm, bound for London on United, where we'll then fly Air Astana to Almaty and hopefully make a tight connection to Ust-Kamenogorsk. We should arrive April 29th at 7:10 am local time, and hopefully go right to the orphanage to meet our little boy and begin the 14 day bonding period.
The return trip is scheduled for May 22. They ask for a whole week to schedule the court date. That's what really makes this trip so dang long, and Justin has to be present in court. He left for Miami this morning. When we return he'll have a little time to recover before going back to Miami for a customer event. Actually, this 'event' has been a blessing because its allowed us to turn up the heat a bit--we must leave because we must be back. And I honestly think that if we were waiting for the conventional means of getting the visas, we'd still be waiting.
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