Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Wow....Beauty!

Wow, Wow, Wow! I found a site with unbelievable pictures of Haiti and of the children. As I was scanning the photos I found that one of her pictures even has the Bethel Guest House in it (Dr. Bernard's Guest House)! ;-) On her page of Port-au-Prince and aerial photos of Haiti, look for one called 'The Mountains Above Port-au-Prince' It has a beautiful salmon pink house in the upper right corner of it...THAT is the Guest house I call home when I am in Haiti....


http://web.mac.com/portiamills/iWeb/Haiti/THE%20ISLAND.html

Monday, April 28, 2008

ONEderland!

Thank you for a good title for this blog Julie!

As of Saturday, I hit the onederland weight....the weight with a 1 in front of it. Now to many that isn't much, but to me, that is the world. I have not had a 1 in front of my weight in forever. I am feeling great and the weather has improved enough that I can walk outside and I am anxious to get started. It will be easier to get more weight off and keep it off if I am walking. The treadmill is a total bummer for me, but outside walking is so fun. I plug in my Mp3 and walk like crazy. Before winter I was able to walk 3.5 miles without effort....lets see how long it takes me to get back to that!

Prayers needed for the following things

1. Curt's brother Derek is waiting for a full liver transplant. As soon as a donor is found he will be ready. He has Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and without a new liver, he will deteriorate until he cannot make it anymore. He is in pain, although he tries to convince everyone he is fine. He is swelling with excessive fluid in his abdomen as well, so prayers are coveted for a donor to be found and quickly and full recovery from the transplant.
It is a hard thing to ask for prayers for...in order for his prayers to be answered, someone Else's must be taken...very sad.

2. For one of my past families. They are having issues in the home and are considering different avenues. If anyone is interested in possibly adopting a child from Haiti that is currently going to be disrupted contact me for further information. Prayers for them as they make decisions regarding their entire family, the child and themselves, for peace in their situation.

3. For all of my families currently in process...that papers will speed thru and children will be leaving Haiti in a torrent to spend the summers with their new families!

Saturday, April 26, 2008

A Little Perspective


(Photo By Troy Livesay)



Life in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. By the Grace of God go I....

Thank you to the Livesay's for posting this picture. Check them out on my links below (Livesay Haiti Blog).

Blessings






Friday, April 25, 2008

MMA Fights

Here are some of the latest fights I did. You see me come in at the end...this one was December's fights I believe! Local guy won using an arm bar...nasty stuff...at least he didn't break the elbow or pop it out of place! ;-P

I am going tomorrow night with my brother Eric, to watch some Pro fights with a traveling show. I have a couple of friends fighting for World Titles..I cannot wait!!
It will be nice to 'watch' for once and not be responsible for the blood and gore!!!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Haitian Boat People 2008

From the Associated Press:

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- The moonlight illuminated her fellow passengers, scattered through the chilly ocean 15 miles from the nearest land. Some of them screamed for help. Others bobbed silently, face-down in the water.

Bahamas coast guard officers remove the body of a drowned migrant from a recovery vessel this month.

As the voices grew quiet one by one, the student clung to the only life preserver she could find: the lifeless body of a Haitian who had shared her American dream.
"I was holding onto a dead woman to keep afloat," said Rodene Fileresaint, 23.
Nine hours later, day broke and rescuers finally arrived. Two dozen people were dead. Three were alive, including Fileresaint.
She was still clinging to the corpse.
Thousands of Haitians fleeing poverty and hopelessness make the illegal crossing to Florida each year. The U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted 737 since January 1; nobody knows how many more have drowned or been killed by sharks.
This group of migrants took a common route, boarding a smuggler's boat to the Bahamas, two survivors said late Wednesday from hospital beds. Bahamian police grabbed several of the migrants as they reached land, and those who escaped made it to a safehouse, where they spent two weeks waiting to move on.
On Saturday night, they boarded a go-fast boat bound for Miami, with a planned stopover in Bimini, a speck of land where police don't have a single boat to give chase. Fileresaint, the daughter of rice farmers, was excited, her dream of becoming a nurse in Miami finally within reach.
Fileresaint said she counted 27 people aboard the speedboat. Survivor Johnny Boucher, 26, said they were packed in shoulder-to-shoulder.

An hour after leaving Nassau, the boat suddenly began to take on water.
"I was sitting in front of the boat. The boat was speeding," Boucher said through an interpreter, his eyes filling with tears. "Water was coming inside of the boat, and we couldn't see where it was coming from. Women started screaming to turn back."
Within moments, the boat capsized. Boucher said he had time to strip off two shirts, his pants and his shoes before plunging into the swells.
"I thought I was going to die," he said.
Boucher said he treaded water for hours as he screamed for help in Creole.
The cramps were excruciating, he said, and he was nearly unconscious when he felt someone grab him and pluck him from the water Sunday morning.
Fishermen had heard the screams and alerted authorities. Rescuers pulled bodies from the waters, but the Coast Guard told them to focus on the survivors, slipping life jackets onto the corpses so they could be picked up later.
The bodies of 12 women and two men were recovered before search operations were called off at dusk Wednesday.
Rescuers said they were surprised to find so many bodies floating so soon after the accident. But John Sanders, director of the U.S. National Underwater Rescue and Recovery Institute, said that is to be expected, especially for people killed before hitting the water -- say, by bumping their heads.
Fileresaint remained hospitalized for sunburn Thursday, while Boucher was taken to a migration detention center, according to William Pratt, the Bahamas' assistant director of immigration.
The third survivor, a Honduran, was being held by police for investigation of smuggling.

THERE COMING HOME, THERE COMING HOME!!


Do you see these beauties? THEY ARE COMING HOME!!!! Many of us have prayed along with their family for the arrival of these three and the prayers have come to fruition. My wonderful friend Ange will be in Haiti on Sunday to bring these darlings home...after about 3 years of waiting and many tears...God has finished the work he started.
To read about the whole story, check out my links to 'Schneiderville Chaos' below.
GOD IS GOOD!
Congrat's to Paul, Ange, Tyson, Sassy, TJ, Trae, and Maelynn as the welcome home their 3 newest members Edline, Josianne and Milouse (as in the picture above).

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Less Talking, More Jumping Jacks Please!

The above is the comment from my hubby about my new 'boob' shirts...hehehehahaha

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Weight So Far

OK. So far the total weight loss I have experienced has been great. I hate to say numbers because it say how big I was and how far I have to go, but I am going to step out of the comfort zone and give it a shot. I began this journey at 243lbs and have now reached 201....42lbs down. I have a ways to go, but do not have a magic number in mind. If I went by BMI charts and sizes recommend for my height of 4'10" I am supposed to be no more than around 100lbs. HAHAHA...that is NEVER happening. My Dr. even believes that that number is not a possibility so I am OK with it.

One thing I have found, is that I have a huge problem dressing myself. For years, I have hidden myself in my clothes. I prefer tents to shirts and have always felt like if anything is actually touching my body it is to tight. Enter now.....I have to dress for my size as all of my clothes are falling off (not a bad problem to have mind you, but definitely a problem.) Today I took the gift card I got for Christmas at Target and bought a few shirts. It was an absolute struggle. I tried shorts on but could not find any to fit right. I have lost alot of weight in my waist (the fact that I now have one is fantastic!) but still struggle with my tummy chub...so if it fits my waist there is no way I feel comfortable in the tummy area; if it fits my tummy it falls off of my waist and doesn't even come close to touching it, literally.
I think I truly have some form of body dysmorphia, like Anorexics (which I struggled with as a teen) and cannot see myself for the true vision of what I really am.....something else to work on I guess..he he

When Curt got home I tried the shirts on for him. Of course, he always tells me I look nice, but he does notice how you can see my boobs now...hehehe...perv moment...sorry!

Anyway, I am anxious to get to a weight with a 1 in front of it....it has been YEARS since I saw anything with that number......I will let you know how it goes and will try to go out of the comfort zone to post some pic's of me before and after...once again, it is admitting there was an issue and I am not sure I am ready to do that in total public yet.

Keep the prayers coming...I need them!

Monday, April 21, 2008

We Did It...

Well, we did it.


Curtis and I stepped out of the comfort zone and asked for Membership to the church we have been attending. Yesterday during the business meeting we were voted in as official members of Montana Avenue Baptist Church!











We are very excited to belong to an awesome group of people and look forward to growing in Christ. I am anxious to find ways to serve the church and have begun helping with AWANA's in the weekly Sparks class during handbook time. I have spoken to a few people who would be interested in teaching a VBS class in Haiti as well as a general mission type trip to do work that is needed on the buildings etc....very exciting stuff!


Thank you to everyone who prayed for us during our decision, we truly felt the prayers and feel we have made a great decision!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Mwen Fanmi

I have kept this picture for a while, wanting to post it, but not doing it. Every time I look at this picture I am happy and sad at the same time.
This was after the funeral of my bio Dad Rick. We had come back to my grandma's and changed clothes and just spent time visiting with one another and enjoying the company of family and regretting the fact that the visit was due to sadness and death.
Below are some very important people to me. Starting on the left you have me, my sister Rachel and my brother Richard and my Step Mother Debbie. She is no longer married to my Dad Rick, but she will always be another mother to me. Richard and Rachel are 17 and 14 respectively. I love them so much and wish they lived close to me so I could tell them everyday how much they mean to me, Curtis and the kids.

Debbie was always amazing and kind to me. Coming in as the 'step mother' can never be easy, especially when the child is pretty much an older teen to young adult like I was. She and I have had long talks and feel the same way about a lot of things. She has raised some beautiful children and is doing a wonderful job of being a mother to Richard and Rachel.

Rachel has acted in several TV pilots, traveling acting and singing shows and can sing better than anyone I know. She is beautiful, outside as well as inside. I can see her talent grow and cannot wait to get her autograph and say " I remember when you were a little stinker and now you are famous!" For having not grown up together, Rachel and I are alike in numerous ways...poor Debbie..hehe

Richard is so handsome and has really taken on being the man of the house at a young age...he is so smart, graduating early from high school so he can work and take some college classes. He guards his 'ladies' very closely and is so sweet and soft spoken....I am not sure where THAT trait came from...hehe

They both have so much growing up yet to do, but I see how quickly they have grown up in the last few years. We shared a father and will always have a connection, I hope it is one we can nurture and become closer as the years go by....I LOVE YOU GUYS!


My Man

Here is my sweetheart chilling after a long Christmas day!
















Somewhere in the pile you will see my hubby, doing what he does best....human jungle gym!

17 YEARS AND COUNTING!

















OK....I kid, I kid.
Today is my 17th Wedding Anniversary to Curtis. I can hardly believe that we have been married 17 years...scarier than that, we met when I was going on 15 and he was going on 16....just babies, but we made it through. We got married at 19 and 20 years old and have never looked back. I am sure there are days that the above cartoon looked pretty good, but for the most part we have made it and consider ourselves very blessed. We have had good times and bad times, but every time we have come through stronger than before.


HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SWEETY...I LOVE YOU FOREVER!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Leave Out All the Rest:lyrics

This is for my dad Rick. This is a song that we shared not to long before he died. It truly is how I feel about him...to remember the good times and good memories and leave out all the rest.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Boondocks!

YEAH...something we don't get to do often...have a family day at a fun park. We have 4 free tickets to enjoy Boondocks Fun Center which includes Mini Golf, Go Karts, Laser Tag, Bumper Boats etc tonight! Curt's work got free tickets sent to certain businesses and they asked if we wanted them...since I think we may have one of the bigger families in the office...hehe.
I will try to remember to take and post pic's of the kids having fun!
Off to have a great time with the family!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Miracle of the Moment - Steven Curtis Chapman

I just found this video for the first time and LOVE IT!
I send this song out to myself...for life in general, and to my wonderful Friends and Adoptive Famlies who are waiting for their children to come home.



It's time for letting go
All of our "if onlies"
Cause we don't have a time machine

And even if we did
Would we really want to use it
Would we really want to go change everything

Cause we are who and where and what we are for now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

There's only One who knows
What's really out there waiting
And all the moments yet to be
And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history

And He has given us a treasure called right now
And this is the only moment we can do anything about

So breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And if it brings you tears
Then taste them as they fall
Let them soften your heart

And if it brings you laughter
Then throw your head back
And let it go
Let it go, yeah
You gotta let it go

And listen to your heartbeat

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

And breathe it in and breathe it out
And listen to your heartbeat
There's a wonder in the here and now
It's right there in front of you
And I don't want you to miss the miracle of the moment

Saturday, April 12, 2008

MOMMY WHY IS THAT MAN SO UGLY?

MOMMY WHY IS THAT MAN SO UGLY?



"Why is that man so ugly, and the mommy so pretty?" Five-year-old Nancy tugged on her mother's arm, and pointed.





"Sh! Sh!" said her mother.



"You wouldn't want them to hear, would you?"

"But Mommy, he's ugly! How can that pretty lady stand to look at him?"

The mother glanced toward the couple her daughter was pointing at, quickly taking her child away. But every day during the sea cruise, they saw the couple. Whenever they did, Nancy buried her face in her mother's clothes. "Mommy, I just can't stand to look at him. He is so ugly," she would say.





One day Nancy and her mother, Maria, were on deck, enjoying the sea breeze. The beautiful woman came and stood beside them. She spoke a soft greeting, smiling down at Nancy. Smiling shyly back, while snuggling close to her mother, the little girl blurted out.



"Why are you so pretty, and your husband so ugly?"

Maria gasped at her daughter's rude question. She was about to scold her when the young woman spoke. "No, wait!" she said, "I've noticed your child looking at us quite often. I would like to tell her a story about my husband, if you will let me.



"

Maria, although quite embarrassed, nodded her consent.





"First," began the young woman, "My name is Rosella. What is yours?" Learning that the child's name was Nancy, and her mother's was Marie, Rosella invited the two to a table, and ordered three glasses of lemonade. And then she began her story.





* * *

"Five years ago my mother and I were visiting in Florida, where we were staying at a hotel. At the same time there were some service men billeted at the same hotel. One very handsome colonel took special notice of me, persisting that I dine with him. He sent flowers to my room numerous times, and smiled at me every time I happened to come across him. My mother encouraged me to accept his offer of a meal. So, at last I did. It was then he told me that he had fallen in love with me. He asked me if I would like to see him on a regular basis. But I found him most obnoxious, and tried my best to ignore him.



"On one particular day I was especially rude to him, and I know it really hurt him. I had gone into the hotel gift shop to pick up a book to read. And there it was that I came face to face with the colonel. He smiled. He had a beautiful smile, and it made his already handsome face--well, he had the face of an angel. But I didn't return his smile. I flung my head in the air, and walked right by him. I heard him say, 'I guess this is your way of telling me to get lost.' I continued on to my room, and went to bed. My mother was already asleep, and it wasn't long before I was.





"About two hours later we were jolted out of bed by the most ear splitting sound. My mother and I scrambled into our housecoats. It was then we heard the frightening words. 'FIRE! FIRE!' Already we could see the smoky, orange shadows encircling the hotel. Colonel Brown--that was his name--was one of the first ones out of the hotel. He watched as the hotel guests fled to the safety of the fresh air. His eyes frantically searched the group in the court yard, but my mother and I were not there. He dashed inside to see if we had made it to the lobby. We hadn't.



"Firemen were all around, but although they tried to stop him, Lionel broke by them, dashing through the flames to our room. He kicked the door open. My mother and I, trapped and frozen with fright, were just deciding if jumping out the window was an option. It wouldn't have been. We were three floors up."

* * *

Nancy and her mother hadn't touched their lemonade, so engrossed were they in Rosella's story. Nancy had gripped her mother's hand and her eyes were brimming with tears. Rosella paused for a minute, sipping on her lemonade; then she continued.





"Lionel snatched two blankets off the bed, and flung them at us. 'Wrap this around your face,' he commanded—and it WAS a command. Then tossing a small towel around his own face, he commanded, 'Grab my arms, and don't let go until we are outside.'

"Blindly, we allowed ourselves to be guided by Lionel, until we were safely outside. But what we hadn't realized was that the towel had come off Lionel's face. His face was burned beyond recognition. He was taken immediately to the hospital where he was treated for burns all over his body.



"For weeks his life hung on a thread, his face bound completely with bandages. Although he couldn't see me, he knew I was there. My mother, by that time, had gone home. Every day I sat by Lionel's bed, holding his hand and talking soothingly to him. At last they took off his bandages.



"Gone was the handsome face... But to me it was beautiful, more beautiful than it had ever been. He had received those scars because of me. If he hadn't fallen in love with me, I would have been just another hotel guest, and he wouldn't have known to single me out and worry over my mother's and my safety.



"During those weeks of attending Lionel, I had fallen in love with him. While he floated in and out of consciousness, I crooned to him how my scorn had turned to concern, and my concern had slowly been replaced by love. As soon as he was released from the hospital, we married, and have grown more in love with each other every day."

"But how can you stand to look at him?" persisted Nancy.


Rosella smiled. "I don't see his scarred face. I see the face of the man he was before he became scarred. And I see the face of the one who loved me enough to risk his life for me. I see the face of the man who loved me long before I loved him. I see the face of God, because that is what Jesus did—became scarred because of me."

Nancy and her mother saw Lionel and Rosella one more time before they left the ship. Timidly Nancy tiptoed up to Lionel, and smiling shyly, she slipped her hand into his. She tugged on his arm. Lionel, suspecting that she wanted to say something to him, bent his head towards hers. He had been used to being looked at scornfully. He had heard the remarks of both adults and children alike. He had learned to ignore them. But he was not expecting what Nancy had to say. "Mr. Lionel," she said, smiling up at him. "I don't think that you are ugly anymore. I think you have a beautiful face."


Isaiah tells us that Christ had no beauty that we should desire Him. He would not have been an attractive sight, hanging on the cross, His face scarred from the piercing of the crown of thorns they had placed on His head; His body bloody from the whip lashes; His hands bleeding from the nail wounds. In the natural we would hide our face from Him, as Nancy did from Lionel. But when we accept the fact that Christ got those scars to save us, we no longer look at Him like Nancy did, with scorn. We look at Him as Rosella did after the rescue. We see the face of the One who loved us, who got those scars because of us.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Bragging post

OK...I am warning you..this is a bragging post so beware.
The kids got their report cards from school.

Hunter scored Honor Roll for 5th grade. Kid can out read, write and out math me any day of the week. He also, on his own decision, entered into the school writing contest for Literacy Night. He wrote an entire story and placed 1st out of all the 5th graders! This scored him $5 at the book fair, school applause and his entry to be displayed for everyone to see...we were so proud of him. Hunter scored at least High School level on his IRI...off the charts! ;-P

Demi scored E's (Excellent) on most of her subjects and M+ on the rest! She is currently working on peer relations. Not her strongest suit as she is a rule Nazi and tends to let everyone know what they are doing wrong.hehe She scored off the charts on her exams (IRI-Idaho Reading Indicator-scoring at least a 4th grade reading level)for a second grader is great.

Kai brought his IRI from a 1 to a grade level 3...he has been in ELL (English Language Learners)for the entire year and has made AMAZING strides in his language. We are working on getting him to quit being such a stinker when it comes to teasing...he can tease with the best of them. He has everyone charmed like crazy and can be naughty but get away with it when he smiles his toothless grin. What a charmer.

Nikaya doesn't attend school yet but I had her tested for Speech. Unfortunately she scored at a 4 year old level...just slightly above where she really is, so she wont qualify for preschool in the public school system (you must have a learning disability to qualify or be a peer model with no deficits). Nikaya is still struggling with colors, currently everything is 'Blue' regardless of what it is....we are working on it though and think she will come around with practice. Her grasp of English is really well and she talks and talks all the time....we are encouraging the English you see..hehe

So, the kids are doing wonderful, all scoring well above where they should be...I wish I could take biological credit for it but hey...they probably wouldn't score as high if I gave birth to them...hehe Just kidding.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Deadly Food Riots in Haiti

WOW.....Very sad situation....see prices below. Pray for blessings onto Haiti, my other home, the home of my children.

It Costs What???

WOW....I found a couple of things on the Livesay blog I wanted to share with you. I know that protests and riots have hit Haiti with a vengeance. I have never pretended to understand why Haitians burn tires, run thru the streets etc. to prove a point...I think maybe now I do.
To have someone put into perspective what it takes to buy groceries to feed your family in Haiti compared to what we pay here in the ole RICH U.S.A., it floored me. See below:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23781864/



Some basic examples of the increases that have been noticed here-

1 bag of rice (50kg) 1200gds ($31.37us) 2000gds ($52.28us)

1 bag or beans (50kg)2000gds ($52.28us) 3000gds ($78.43us)

1 bottle of cook oil 175gds ($4.57us) 300gds ($7.84us)

1gallon of gas 175gds ($4.57us) 230gds ($6.00us)

1 can of powder milk 1000gds ($26.14us) 1800gds ($47.05us)

Monday, April 07, 2008

Welcome to Miami

Josh and Kim (Adoptive parent #1 and #2) have arrived in Miami with their daughter Annah! The USCIS and US Consulate did as they said they would, much to my surprise, and got everything done for them so they could leave as planned today for the States!
Thank you to everyone for the prayers and to Dr. B and his staff for kicking major butt to get the job done!

Prayers Needed!!!!

Prayers for Adoptive family #1 and #2...Josh and Kim. They are currently awaiting an answer from USCIS and US Consulate. Come to find out, they arrived in Haiti for the Visa appointment only to find out that the passport had the wrong picture on it. The girl on the passport looked like their daughter, but it wasn't her.....uugghh. To be honest, that has never happened as long as I have done Haitian adoption, so I chalk it up to Satan....Anywho.....They are rushing to get a new passport printed and praying that US Consulate will see them and give them the Visa, that machines will cooperate, as well as people (biggest prayer needed there!).

Kim and Josh are suffering from sadness at the thought of leaving their youngest daughter whose adoption is not finished yet (still in IBESR) and Kim passed a Kidney stone while in country...yeah, a kidney stone. Their trip has been a HUGE test to them and their resolve for their girls...pray for their strength as they endure this test alone....I wish I was there to hug them and let them know it will be OK.

Rioting has begun in Les Cayes and has begun moving to Port-au-Prince. They have seen a couple of 'parades' of UN Tanks, Haitian Police etc. move towards the National Palace which is only a couple of blocks from the office in PAP. They (Haitian Authorities) are getting ready for possible full out strike and are moving into position to protect the Palace.
People are protesting and rioting over the increase in the cost of food in an already poor country. Food costs are raising so high that families, often trying to survive on $2 a day, cannot afford to feed their families.

Prayers all around for Josh and Kim and the girls and all of Haiti as they fight for what they believe is rightfully theirs and right in the eyes of God.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Haiti Photos Part 1

Home cooking in Haiti

















View from Bethel Guest House (my home away from home!)















Back of Guest House overlooking new Orphanage















My hubbies favorite plant inside Guest house walls...literally!















Mew Mew the Guest House cat

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

On A Jet Plane

Well, we pulled it together....emails have been sent, clothes are packed, last minute instructions are sent and the family is on their way!
I think it may actually hit the family that they are going to get their daughter (unfortunately one of the two since the youngest is still in IBESR)when they actually land in Haiti:-) Nothing like 85* heat hitting you in the face when you exit the plane to say "WELCOME TO HAITI!"
I am so excited for them, have run thru all sorts of scenarios with them as to what to expect and have let them free to go. I know the families are always safe, but I always nail bite and fight to sleep when families are gone...they are my responsibility and I have to coordinate their trip to a 3rd (5th) World Country from afar....aarrgghh...no control, control freak is having an issue here....
I will update here how things are going and how the US Consulate reacts to the family actually making it to the 'impossible appointment time'!

Are you Drunk???

How do you describe the following feeling?

I send an email to the US Consulate in Haiti to Tell them that one of my adoptive families has had their dossier deposited as of Thursday of last week and to let me know if it is in need of anything else etc.
I receive an email back stating the following:

"Regarding the file of Adoptive parent #1 and #2, please be informed that we will welcome Their Beautiful Daughter on April 3rd at 7:30 for the visa interview." (Names have of course been changed)

OK....THIS email arrives to ME by 1pm on Tuesday afternoon-This appointment is for THURSDAY AM! I need to get this family across the entire US and to Haiti by Wednesday night....yeehaw..bring it on! I think the family was sure I was April Fooling them when I called. I think the exact words were "Are you drunk??" :-P hehe

So, they are currently at the travel agent booking tickets, I am scrambling around getting things set for them in Haiti and making sure I have told them everything they need to know before they go....Give me strength...give THEM strength!!! ;-)

Keep you updated on how it goes!