Getting ready to board.

Kate and i are about to head off into the world of parenthood. We cant wait.

We are on our way!

Well, travel day is finally here.

Packing and Evening Jitters

Our day is finally here...almost. Kate and I head out to Ethiopia in the morning and right now we totally have the jitters. As usual Kate and I try to do things in more insane ways than most. Thus, Kate had to get an emergency root canal this morning. Oh what fun! Anyway, we are very excited and we'll be posting pics along the way. Until the next post.

Anticipation and Joy

Well it's been some time since I put in the last post. I have been busier than I can imagine but that seems to be life.

Right now I am at the Drake Relays in Des Moines Iowa. On Thursday I had an exhibition competition and I wasn't very sure how things were going to turn out. As I prepared for the meet I had Asha on my mind. As the bar got higher and higher I thought more and more of her and what it will mean to me when I finally get to hold her in my arms. That was motivation enough to keep me focused on the jumping. Soon after I finished, I went over to my phone, looked at those big brown eyes and became lost in the excitement.

There is a funny thing that happens when you are adopting. You carry pictures of a child you have never met around with and you share them with everyone. You brag and say that's my little girl as if you have raised her from birth. It makes no difference that you have never met face to face. I can't tell you how many people I have showed pictures to. It's amazing! The mere thought of Asha brings me a joy that goes far beyond jumping over a bar, winning an Olympic Medal, or lots of money. I could go on and on but to put it simply....it's just pure joy when I think about her.

The Travel Date is FINALLY HERE!

Yep, I know.. I haven't written for weeks on end... but who's reading this stuff anyway, really? :)

The good news is that we got our travel email on Tuesday and need to be in Ethiopia by the weekend of May 11. We're leaving May 9 just to give ourselves a little extra time to rest up (that's me, especially) from jet lag, adjust..visit Asha at the orphanage and so forth. I bought our tickets today and we got a reservation at the Hilton Addis Ababa as well. Good News!!

The other big news is that we've been cast on a DIY Network pilot and will be filming in our house next week for three days while they remodel our living area. It seems crazy, but we'll be happy for the improvements before Asha comes home.

I can't wait to see what they do!

Well, that's about all for now. I'm running around a lot this week, trying to get as much done as I can before things get really crazy next week.

Kate

Asha has a great smile

Getting Ready for Asha

Today I made the trip to Home Depot and bought all the supplies I need to paint Asha's bedroom. We're going to paint it a very pretty, pale yellow. It's brown right now- not a very girly color! It's such a relief to be able to finally do such things- we know who she is, how old she is (give or take a year or so) and most of all, know she'll be coming home SOON! (Don't get too excited- we still don't have a travel date.) I also went to Old Navy today and found the cutest stuff! I bought several outfits but had buyer's remorse and have decided to return it all and wait until the big "gently used" sale coming up in a couple of weeks. Myself and two girls from church are going to this Lutheran Church in our neighborhood for a kids' clothing sale. I also hope to pick up some clothes to donate to the orphanage in Ethiopia while I'm there.

When we got those new pictures yesterday, they just took my breath away. I also began to feel a longing to scoop her up and give her a big hug. That little girl has already been through so much in her young life. I look at her photos and I can't look away!

Alright, well.. I need to put primer on the walls in her room. I'll post some pictures when we get the room together...

Until later!