Friday, February 29, 2008

Last day before we leave!

I got most of my shopping done yesterday--thank goodness I ran into a couple of friends, Lori & Butch, when I was at Walmart trying to figure out which video camera to buy. I haven't bought one since 1988 when Lauren was born, and that was the gigantic kind that sat on your shoulder and you stuck vhs tapes into, so I was totally confused. Thanks you guys! Now if you wouldn't mind coming along with me so you can work it for me--I hate reading instruction manuals! I know, I know, you've got better things to do.....have a great cruise!

The kids are being good (so far) today, doing their own schoolwork so I can get things done. (We homeschool, if you didn't know). This trip is going to be a great learning experience for them. I hope we can find time to do a little of the 3R's while we're there too, but I'm not going to worry about it if we don't. We'll just have the best geography/social studies lesson ever!

Back to packing...

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

I love Fedex

They brought me TWO packages today; one contained our airline tickets, and the other was our passports, back safely from the Vietnamese Consulate in San Franciso, with lovely VN visas inside! That didn't take long at all! I paid the extra $20 each to expidite them, and they arrived at the consulate Monday morning, and they were picked up by Fedex Tuesday late afternoon.

Took the boys and myself to get haircuts today, and have been making steady progress on my "to do" lists. It's customary to give small gifts to various people in VN--orphanage directors, baby caretakers, provincial officials, etc. and I still have to buy these. Chocolate seems to be a popular gift, but it's supposed to be in the 90's in HCMC so I'm not sure how long they would last once we land in HCMC. Shopping for gifts is on the list for tomorrow, so I'd better think of something.

I *tried* to take Anna to a make-up ballet class today since she'll be missing several while we're gone. I didn't get too far though. I was talking to Anna and not paying very close attention to the way I was backing down the driveway and I got stuck in one of the stinkin' snow-cliffs we have lining each side of the driveway. Note to self: in the future, do not try to dig a vehicle out of the snow while wearing Crocs. I'm so sick of winter---three cheers for tropical countries!

I can't believe we leave in 3 days!

Monday, February 25, 2008

If you see my head somewhere, let me know...

Nobody said it would be easy to plan a trip for 2 adults, a college student, and 4 kids to the other side of the world with one week's notice. I have little post-it notes scattered throughout my brain of things I need to get done. Unfortunately, none of this has been organized and put down on paper. That's my first order of business today.

And how to pack "light" for 7 people plus a baby of unknown size and shape when it's hot in HCMC and cool in Hanoi. This one will take some pondering.

But I can't complain--I'm so overjoyed that we will soon be holding this little person in our arms and welcoming her into our family.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

We're going to Vietnam!!!

The past two days have been crazy and full of emotions, both happy and sad. Friday I got up and checked my email, and my heart started pounding out of my chest when I saw an email from Hanoi Adoptions--nope, not that receipt email I've been missing, but the current holy grail of Vietnam adoption emails--the I600 approval! I was shocked, thrilled, panic-stricken, amazed; I really didn't expect to see this for another month or two. I'm sad though for my friends in the VN adoption community who have been waiting for their approvals alot longer than I have. I was hoping to see a whole slew of approvals when I got mine, but unfortunately that didn't happpen.

So I'm thinking, wow, I have alot to do, but surely it will be a couple of weeks before they can schedule the G&R ceremony. Wrong again! "Call your travel agent and see how soon he can get you there", says our caseworker later that day. Travel agent says, "How about next Saturday?"
"Holy shit!" says Sue.

On the other end of the emotion spectrum, I attended the wake and funeral of my dearest friend's mom who has been very ill for a long time. Such a nice lady--I spent countless hours at her house when Ronda and I were in high school, and I'm so sad for Ronda and her family. I hope her mom is in a better place where there's no more pain and suffering.

You need a visa to enter Vietnam, so this morning, before the funeral, I had to get all 7 of our visa applications filled out, photos attached, sent Don to the bank to get the cashier's check for the application fees, and got them all ready to go so Don could run them over to Dubuque to the Fedex office before they closed at 2pm. so they can be overnighted to the Vietnamese Consulate in San Francisco. We had to pay extra to have them expidited, the they should process them in 2 days, and overnight them back to us, so if all goes well, we should have our passports and visas back by Thurs. or Friday. I hope.

I got home from the funeral late this afternoon and started back in on the travel planning, and I get a call from MY mom. (She's 83 and had heart surgery last year) Not feeling well, but oh, I'll be alright. She didn't put up a fuss when I said she needed to go to the doctor, so I knew then that she was feeling REALLY bad. Of course, this was at 4pm on a Saturday. So, long story short, I ended up in the emergency room with her--she had a kidney infection and was dehydrated, so she needed some IV fluids and IV antibiotics. So I just got back from taking her home. Of course, the medic alert necklace that she is *supposed* to be wearing at home seems to have mysteriously disappeared. So I wasn't too keen on leaving her there by herself when she's sick without that necklace.

Tomorrow I get to attend a baby shower for my niece, Kelley. She's 26, but it seems like such a short time ago that *she* was just a baby. It seems so strange that she and I will both have new babies soon.

Now I have to get to bed. Lots to do tomorrow!