Our flight takes off tomorrow at 1:30 from Grand Rapids, we go to Chicago, then Germany and onto Ethiopia. It will be a LONG day of travel, and I have been freaking out a little bit about it, but I'm trying to revert back to what I did earlier in this process, "Let go and let God".
So, just like the "old times" on this blog, I think it's time for a lil' Q&A with Amy...
Question: "So, how long is your flight?"
Answer: We have 2 big flights after our quick "jump" to Chicago. They are approx 8 hours each with a long layover in between. With the time change I am not exactly sure what time it will be when we land, I just know it takes almost a full day to do all the travel.
Question: "When do you get Eli?"
Answer: Not until Wednesday, June 16th. We are doing A LOT of traveling in country before we will see him, I don't love that we have to wait so long to see him, but "it is what it is" so I will just enjoy experiencing Ethiopia while we await our trip to the orphanage to go and get him.
Question: "Will you be able to keep in touch with us?"
Answer: Yes, but not via this blog. Blogger is a blocked site in Ethiopia, and I don't want to mess around with having to find a way to Email my posts, so I will be doing something a little different. Tara (My best friend) will be updating my status on Facebook with any updates she has from us that I will send to her via Email. I don't know if you can access FB in Ethiopia, but I do know I can Email people, so I will just let her handle it that way. I'll try to send her some pics to post after we get Eli as well.
Question: Are you just beyond excited?
Answer: Yes, but it has been hard to be focused on being excited with how busy we have been. We only had 8 days, so we've been SO BUSY. I think I will reach the point of extreme excitement when our plane is safely on the ground in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Question: "So, when will you be home?"
Answer: We fly in on Saturday, June 19th at 6:33, and will likely be heading out to meet our ride around 7-7:15 or so. (pending we have no delays) If you are a relative or one of our close friends, please feel free to join us at the airport as we arrive. No pressure, but know that you are welcome. Our only request is that you not ask to hold Eli at that time. This is not meant to offend anyone, we are just following the advice of many adoptive families that it is best if Eli gets used to only his parents holding him first before we allow others to hold him.
So, from here I will wrap things up. I'm about to cry right now that this is my last post before we leave. Please know that we are so very thankful for everyone's support in this process, it has been overwhelming and amazing to see the outpouring of love for Eli, even before we all even knew who he was. I wish I had the time to say thank you to each one of you who has supported us through this journey, but there are so many of you that it is nearly impossible. Please continue to pray for safe travel and that we can absorb and understand all that we will see while in Eli's birthplace.
God Bless,
Amy :-)
