You take the good, you take the bad, you take it all and then you have ... the facts of life!

I'll make the first part of this post quick. To answer the question that is flooding our inbox, no, we do not have a travel date yet. We have been advised that it is possible that, optimistically, we will be traveling in five to seven weeks. This allows the time required to obtain the court file and have it translated [2 - 3 weeks] and send to Nairobi the application for birth certificate, passport and visa [3 - 4 weeks]. Once CAFAC knows that the visa has been issued, travel can be booked. We would then arrive in Ethiopia just before the paperwork would return from Nairobi.

It is discouraging in some ways, however, it was expected. We are still praying that we will be able to travel before peak season hits on April 23 when flights double in price [approx. $1,500.00 per person extra], but this looks doubtful. On a positive note, it will continue to give us time to pay more on the adoption loan, [although it's less than the extra cost of flights] using Lyle's full income instead of parental leave income. And it gives us more time to finish doing some things around the house that need to be completed [painting baseboards!].

As almost all our friends know, Lyle and I are HUGE U2 fans. On top of that, we are proud supporters of the ONE campaign and Product (red), both of which were co-started by lead singer and activist, Bono. Recently [March 2] at the NAACP Awards, Bono made his acceptance speach for the NAACP's Chairman's Award to draw attention to the ongoing health crisis in Africa. He encouraged those specifically with strong religious principles to be at the forefront of fighting AIDS, malaria and extreme poverty. Please listen to his speech - you will be inspired: