I600a

Well, we got the paperwork all together and sent it to the USCIS! The clock starts ticking...hopefully fast!

Home Study DONE

We met with Kathi Turner yesterday and the home study is now behind us. Kathi arrived at around 11 am and we finished up at roughly 8 pm. Deana and I were both nervous and our nerves settled down shortly after Kathi's arrival. The completion of the home study is a HUGE step. Prior to this, the adoption was merely pictures and wishful thinking. Now the adoption is becoming concrete. The home study was a great experience and it gave us the opportunity to really look at our expectations. We talked about the what ifs and what happens when. We talked about life after the adoption. Now we will wait with anticipation for the home study report. We are looking forward to the I600a.

November 5th

We have rescheduled our home study for November 5th. The fundraising is going great! It started off slow, but it seems to be gaining momentum.

Sonya

Sofia 8/2011

Rain Delay

Well.....as plans will go....the home study plans had to be changed. Finances, schedules etc all of these factors and more. I hope we will get back on track. We are praying for a great July.

Lower Center of Gravity

Don't know where this came from.... but why do some tightrope walkers carry that big stick? You know the one I am talking about. It looks like it is 20 feet long and it bows from the middle toward the ends like a frown. It seems difficult enough just to walk across the rope. Nope, they string the rope between the tops of the two tallest buildings. Then, they step out onto the rope carrying that big stick and off they go. I googled it and, the stick is weighted on both ends. It helps to lower the walkers' center of gravity. The lowered center of gravity enables them to maintain balance and stay centered on the rope. This may be a stretch, but day to day life is like walking on a tightrope and maybe what helps us maintain balance, stay centered, are those around us. Maybe our family, friends and most importantly God are our equivalent of the big stick. When the wheels begin to come off and the tightrope walker begins to loose his balance the first thing to go is the big stick. Then he begins to windmill his arms and the dance begins. At this point making it all the way across is a long shot. Maybe the best chance for us to make it all of the way across, from here to there, from day to day, is to hold on and stay centered.

Is this the equivalent of?

Not much happened today. We made some progress on one of our houses. Driveway and flatwork will pour tomorrow. Installed two vanities, electrician should be wrapping up his punch and then we are on to the next phase. I kinda feel like this post is the blog equivalent of a phone call from my mom. Not much new just some small details and some stories I have heard before. I do love my mom. On occasion, when the timing is just right, it is nice to hear the same old stories again and small details are interesting.

Countdown to HOME STUDY. 8 Days..........

Optimistic or Pessimistic. The effort is the same.

Could be a long read. There have been times in my life when circumstances have allowed me to clearly read the handwriting on the wall. I readied myself and waited. More often than not the handwriting, or my understanding of it, was wrong. When things came to pass I would look back and try to figure out what went wrong. How did I miss it? What I found was that I had wasted time waiting and worrying. The waiting had consumed me. I sat and worried and waited and did little else. What a waste. I have been asked about the adoption of Sofia. I have an expected and hoped for outcome and I see it everyday. I can see Sofia walking with Deana, playing with the dogs, holding my hand. I have been asked what if, what happens when...if it doesn't work out. How is it possible that you can get from here to there and then back again with an adopted child. Not just any adopted child, but a child that is eight years old, with special needs and is six thousand sixty three miles away. Not to mention that she probably does not speak English. It goes back to 1983 when I walked out of the Principal's office and met Deana Gae Robinette and again 13 years later when I stood across from her on December 20th 1996. Stick with me because you need to fill in the blanks. 13 years went by in the blink of an eye. If I had it to do all over again there is a long list of things I would change. D reminds me of every single thing on a regular basis. Here is the point, I could have done better and optimism would have served me well. I have yet to experience an outcome good or bad, right or wrong that was made better by a pessimistic outlook. I imagine Sofia running around our house or sitting in the back seat of my truck. I pray and I hope and I believe. I would much rather be standing at the end of the path looking back and seeing what I had hoped for, what I had dared to dream about, realized or not. Imagine looking back and finding nothing but pessimism and worry. After all they say getting there is half the fun. Regardless of the outcome, I am going to enjoy this journey.

Sofia

Details and Moving Parts

Well, we have been trying to see what lies ahead. Lyndi has offered a significant amount of insight, but the fact of it all is that nobody knows. We can use airline miles to get to London. Then fly BA from London to Kiev. It is amazing how small the world is in Europe. Roughly 1200 miles between London and Kiev. Roughly 1200 miles from Kiev to Jerusalem. Even fewer miles separate Kiev and Munich and even less to so many more places. How is it possible that economies, cultures, governments, societies etc. are so diverse in such a small geographic area. The Ukraine is reported to be running low on certain medications and I wonder how or if it will affect Sofia. Deana and I are self employed and subsuquently are on private health insurance. This brings up a whole different set of problems. I have no doubt everything will work out. I just worry about Deana. I am optimistic, although wary. I am concerned about an investment in a dream that has so many moving parts in so many places. COUNTDOWN to home study then the I600a.

Sofia Video

Here is a link to a short video of Sofia. She is the girl with the red sweater and pom poms. It is funny when we first started inquiring about her we were told her name was Maria, then Sonya and the final answer to the petition to adopt revealed her name is Sofia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXs2xQTexmE

Just FYI the suggested Youtube videos in the bar to the right of the video have nothing to do with me. Not sure how all that works.

Homestudy June 16th

Well, we have our homestudy set for 6/16 and I imagine I will be served with divorce papers shortly thereafter. I am just kidding, but just making it this far has been a strain. Life offers no guarantees and moving forward in the face of uncertainty can be very daunting. I love D and I am pretty sure she loves me most of the time. She often questions me regarding my motivation. She asks if I am trying to put her in an early grave. She is the yin to my yang, she is the better to my half. She is a much better person than I will ever be and she will be a great mom. I look forward to taking this journey with her.

So many pieces

It is 6063 miles from Fort Worth, Texas to Odessa, Ukraine.