It's Booked!

Things have been pretty quiet on the blog the past three weeks, but definitely not quiet in the house. Although the house was completely decorated for Christmas during the last weekend of November, one of our trees (the big fancy one with all the glass) was taken down two weeks later. Our kitten won the battle when it came to whether he should destroy it or we put it away. One afternoon, I came home to 7 smashed glass ornaments and the bottom three rows of 850 lights on the floor. I saw him stand on his back feet and use both front feet to reach as high as he could to pull down the 8th ornament. That night, the tree was taken down.

Since then, the mood changed around the house. Literally, the next day our minds and hands wanted to continue in the next step. You could say that the cat got the ball rolling around our house. Although the rest of the house remained beautifully decorated for Christmas, we are anxiously counting down to boxing day to put it all away. We finished our Christmas shopping early, as usual, so I began making freezer meals, got baking in the freezer and finally threw my hands in the air and said "I'm packing!".

Four hockey bags and two enormous Rubbermaid totes are stuffed full and weigh in at 48 lbs a piece. Donations for the CAFAC foster home and Compassion school are ready to go. We are not taking clothes this time so those are fully loaded with books, supplies, specifically requested purchases, medicinal items, toys, and even a playpen.

Suitcases are being packed. Mihret's stuff is ready to go. Odds and ends items needed are ready to go. Mikiyas' stuff is almost completely packed, minus the toothbrush! I'm not far behind. Lyle's following closely, itching to get ready too.

Immunizations, Dukoral, prescriptions are all done. Pet sitting arranged. Time off from work set up. Dayhome one-month shut down notice has been given. House care arranged too. Piano teacher and Tae Kwon Do Master notified.

All this done with no travel date. Just an idea of when we'd like to set off.

Finally with news from Nairobi to CAFAC of a "possible" date, with an apology [that never happens] for taking so long, we decided to check in to flights.  We didn't plan on booking, but wanted to get a feel for how the flight budget was looking this time of year.  Three travel agents later, we accepted the fact that there were literally a handful of flights available.  And those were going fast ... and expensively.  One agency even told me they couldn't find much of anything for return flights until February!  Especially with all of us going.  Eventually a flight was found, but not all of us could fit.  

Well, welcome to one of the worst days I could have had.  No visa.  Travel agents with horrible news [limited flights and big money].  I fell flat on my back on the ice [didn't notice the pain until I calmed down a day later and realized how bad I hurt my leg in the fall].  Some cheques deposited to my account were bounced.  Not my cheques, but someone else providing me with money.  Two hockey bags filled with things to take no longer being usable.  My cat managing to knock over gallons of water that soaked down to the basement and ruined papers.  Oh how the list goes on .......

Forty-eight hours later [and about ten hours of that on the phone] we booked some flights.  Ten minutes after I realized what I just did, I felt like throwing up.  My head was pounding.  I felt exhausted.  But I felt relieved.  It took a few hours to settle in that I was FINALLY going to meet my daughter.

So, although the visa has not been issued, Mikiyas, my mother and myself will be leaving soon for Ethiopia.  A week and a half later, Lyle and his mother will join us.  Two weeks after that, we will return to Calgary with our darling Mihret.  We have been assured and supported by CAFAC that we did indeed need to book flights given the circumstances, and that the visa should be given to us with at least a few days to spare before returning home.  

I can't believe we are finally this close.  The other day I received the news that my cousin is pregnant.  Her third pregnancy and fourth child [one set of twins].  She became pregnant the first time shortly after we started this adoption.  Realizing that really made me realize how long this has taken!  But a big congratulations to them too.