Update on the Chaos

Well, okay, not complete chaos, just moderate.  We received a 23 page missive from WPA with our departure checklist.  Visas, plane reservations, you name it.  Yesterday I zipped downtown to meet David to get passport pictures taken (for the visas).  Ran home to fill out the forms, write a cover letter, get a money order from the bank.  Then ran to Fed-Ex to send everything off.  Realized I forgot to enclose a document.  Back towards home ... meanwhile the clock is ticking ... have to be back for the last pickup at 5 p.m.  Get caught in a detour that takes me waaay out of my way.  I'm squeezing the steering wheel in agony.  Rush into the house.  Get the forgotten document.  Back to Fed-Ex ... make it!  (God I hope it's filled out right!!)  Back home to get Christian to get ready for 6 p.m. baseball game.  Collect equipment for game, snacks for game, grab his uniform out of the dryer (is it dry yet??)  Lisa insists on bringing the dog to the game; I have no energy to argue.  I'll give you three guesses who ended up taking care of the dog at the game.  Right.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ... lots of phone calls between Charlotte and Baton Rouge (and remember there's a hurricane bearing down on B.R.) with my mom trying to figure out her itinerary (she's meeting us in Almaty for the last week of the trip) ... phone calls to England to see if she can crash with friends there before flying to Almaty.  Nope, they'll be in Mexico.  Poor Mom has to fly straight through.  Ugh.  David pulling his hair out with the airlines ... it's an 'If this, then that' or 'If not this, then that' situation.  Should he stay in Kaz. the whole time or come home after court?  Sheesh.   I am comatose by 9 p.m.  Luckily I deal with stress by sleeping. 

Today ... I put our photo albums together.  The judges and caregivers in Kaz. like to see pictures of where the child will be living.  So I and my memory stick will be spending the day at CVS Pharmacy in their photo department.  Now why did I leave this chore to the very last minute???

WE HAVE DATES!!!

PLEASE JOIN US IN A BIG OL' HAPPY DANCE!!!  GROUP HUG!!  GROUP HUG!!

I had just dropped all the kids at the bus at 7:15 this morning, and walked into the kitchen to a ringing phone.  Now, not many people call me at that hour, and when I saw it was Comanche, Texas calling (where our coordinator lives) I knew that our day had finally arrived.  We are to be in Almaty on September 28 (two weeks from today .. golly!) and will drive to Taldy-Korgan in the 29th to meet our Melanie.   We will return home to the US on October 30, just in time for Halloween!  Now everything kicks into overdrive ... passports sent off for visas, plane tickets to get.  PHEW.  This has been a marathon of emotions.  I'm delirious that it is over.  Thank you all for your support (especially you Brenda!!)  Stay tuned, news at 11.

Technical help

Someone pointed out to me that it isn't obvious that you can read older entries to this website.  Click on "View Older Entries" and you should be able to scroll through all the entries made from the beginning.  Golly, wouldn't want anyone to miss anything! Heaven forbid.

My weekend away was nice and relaxing.  I slept, I read, I drank a little.  (Honest!)  Dare I hope for some news this week? 

Cliffhanger?

Forgot to mention that Lisa's surgery went well.  She tolerated it fine.  We were home by 9 in the morning, and she is now cyst-free! 

FINALLY a glimmer of hope!

Today we got the great news that our Letter of Invitation (the official invitation from the Kazakh government to travel) is in Atlanta, with the agency director.  Travel dates will follow in 2-3 business days.  I suppose this means we may hear something on Monday.  <WHEW>  I was going to have to resort to calling my friend Guido to rough some people up.  Just kidding of course.  I'm still going away this weekend with the girlfriends and plan to do some heavy duty banking of sleeping hours.  (Oh how I wish you could really do this!)  Guess I'll only  need the wine now, and not the kleenex!  It's looking like we'll be leaving in about 2 weeks.

 

Unbelievable Agony

This is as hard as anything I have ever had the misfortune of enduring in my entire life.  People on the listserve are getting travel dates right and left.  Every day there is a new post, cheerfully chirping, "We have dates!" but all I can feel is empty, like some BMOC* is having a big party and we weren't invited.  Like banging my head on a brick wall, I find myself calling our coordinator in Texas way too often to weep and wail, as if by calling her I could will our dates into reality.  I told myself David and I would vie for the "patient-est clients of the year" award, but I'm afraid I have to drop out of the race.  I have tried to be philosophical; I have seen the benefit of our being here for everyone to start back to school.  Everyone is fine now ... settled and happy (for the most part ... not particularly happy about the homework load!).  I have shopped for gifts, clothes and such for Melanie, and for us.  What more is there to do?  I rearranged the girls' room ... it's ready and waiting.  I have cleared clutter out of our room, so David's parents will imagine that I am a really good housekeeper (boy do I have them snowed!)  We have our cash waiting patiently in a vault for us at the bank.  (We have to take brand-new bills, no marks or wrinkles, and no, it doesn't fill up a briefcase that we have to attach to our wrists with handcuffs.  Kazakhstan is mostly a cash economy, although they are moving into the 21st century at warp speed.)

If one more person asks me, "Have you heard anything yet?" I may be forced to yank out their eyeballs.  I know it's only curiosity and I appreciate their concern.  I genuinely do.  But deep down inside me there is this desire to maim and torture.  You know.  But of course I only smile and shrug. 

I told some girlfriends that I would go away with them this weekend if we hadn't heard about our travel dates yet.  And I told them to bring lots of wine and kleenex.  Let's hope they will be able to save their money.

*Big Man on Campus

September 4, 2004

Just got through putting some finishing touches on Lisa and Melanie's room.