Blessed

[this post was started Sunday, finished in flight Sunday night, but was partially lost due to iPad gremlins, so I am attempting to re-write as best as I can.]

This is Adam posting this one.  I don't write nearly as poetically as Kerri, but I had this on my heart so I wanted to share.

This journey down the adoption road has been incredible.  The applications, approvals, classes, paper chase, then one agonizing wait after another...  Now here we are with bags more or less packed waiting for our Wednesday morning departure.  All in less than 11 months.

I am sitting at the airport waiting for my flight to Iowa for a quick 2 day trip, and this is the first time I have had an opportunity to reflect and express the overwhelming emotions of all of this.  (To be fair,  I sat in the recliner for the final 3.001 quarters of the bronco game, but I was consumed by different emotions during that time - and for a little while afterwards)

The emotions hit me on Friday as I was leaving the office after a marathon afternoon of performance reviews and meetings.  After being surprised by the urgency of the planning and packing cycle,  this week was a blur.  I was blown away by the way that God has placed everything at just the right time, for just the right reasons.  

The big ones for me on Friday were:

- We booked our airfare,  for considerably cheaper than we expected

- We got word that Christopher got into the school we have been trying to open enroll him into, after expecting an inconvenient appeals process that we had to go through with Rachel.

- After practicing my shade tree mechanic skills last weekend, we still had an Adam-induced ABS error light on Kerri's car.  I had to cave and bring it to the dealer to get it dealt with since I just didn't have time and Kerri's mom is going to be driving this car for 2 weeks while we are gone.   Dealer called and said a sensor had been bumped and come unplugged.   Went to pick it up, and there was no charge!!  From a dealer!!   Kudos to Jeremy and Jeff at Ed Bozarth Chevrolet Park Meadows.  They have bailed me out in the past and came through again this time.

- I finished up performance reviews for my Denver Staff.  I realized just how fortunate I am to have such an awesome team 

- After not seeing any new pictures of Michael since October, we received another update, with encouraging news of good development progress

Then to top it off,  as I was leaving the office building I hear someone from calling my name from behind me.  I turn around to see one of my best friends from high school who happened to be working a contract job in the same building.  He greeted me with a hug and a congrats.  I started to share a little of the blessings I had had that day, but had to stop short because I was getting choked up and wouldn't have been able to make it.   Thanks for the great timing Jon,  you topped off an already great day.

[added later because I am re-writing this due to technical difficulties]  -- Today (Monday) our very good friends surprised us by paying for a house cleaning.   Which is a huge blessing because Kerri is not one to leave a dirty house, and it would have consumed much of Monday and Tuesday that needs to be spent getting other things ready...   

While these things may seem small, the pile on effect of all of them just got me, and it got me where it counts.   

Some have asked why we are doing this, other have probably not felt comfortable.  But to me,  we both felt like we have been called to do this.  And the blessing falling as they have fallen, and when they have fallen have done nothing but solidify that calling.  I am convinced God has his divine blessing on this process and on this child.

This is not just about bringing home a lonely child into a loving home.  It is that and so much more.  It is about his impact on so many lives of so many people making this journey along with us.

To all who have and who are journeying with us.  We thank you and we love you!

I can't wait to meet my boy on Monday.

-Adam-

Oh, and we got another version of the same update today,  so here is one more new picture of little man (think we need to find him another shoe! )