Oh my goodness, I cannot believe that it's been over a month since I have posted. Wow, how things have changed since the last time I was here. First of all, let me say that we are doing well. Alyza Kate is adjusting very well, better than I could have ever imagined. She eats well, sleeps well, and has a sweet little smile that melts your heart. She is miss personality and continually amazes us by how fast she learns and how content she is. What a true joy it is to have been chosen to parent this child. She and Jadyn like each other most of the time and we are beginning to see some signs of real bonding as sisters. They play together pretty well and squeal and giggle a lot. That's not to say it hasn't been a major adjustment at times. Both of their little worlds have certainly been turned upside down, but for the most part, they are handling it pretty well.
I don't even know where to begin. The last time I left you I was getting ready to leave on a plane bound for Ethiopia. That's where the fun began. It became such a saga that at times, I myself couldn't believe it was happening. I guess I should start there, where I left off. We were sitting in the Dulles airport, getting ready to board the plane and all was well. We were scheduled to leave at 8:30 pm. We boarded the plane and there is where the fun began. We backed out of the gate and stopped. We pulled back into the gate and sat on the plane for FIVE hours. It was literally the plane from you know where, the hottest I have ever been in my life for FIVE hours. They kept us on the plane, finally served us dinner, and no one had a clue what was going on. The announcement was made that we were going to deplane and we would be given further instructions at that time. At 1:30 a.m., we got off the plane and were told that the flight was canceled and that only business class (which we were not) and people with critical emergencies would be put on the next flight which was leaving at 10 something the next morning.
We knew that we would be traveling on the same flight with the Santee's, from Kansas, and had met and connected with them in the airport. We were already getting to know them and saw right away that they were going to be friends for life. We had a lot in common, including the fact that we were stuck in the airport and HAD to get on that next flight.
They took the business class and half the rest of the passengers on to a hotel and we got in line at the counter to make sure that we were on the "emergency" list. We waited with 2 other families from a different agency and we were prepared to cry if necessary. We plead our case and in the mean time, someone came out and said that the plane was fixed and that we were leaving after all. YIKES! I was not at all happy about getting on a plane that it took them 6 hours to fix, but I was prepared to walk to Ethiopia. We moved out of that line, into another line to board. After waiting in that line, we were told that the crew had been on duty too long and that we were NOT leaving again. So, it was back in the "emergency" line to see if we were actually on the list. The man behind the counter said that we were and by this time it was nearing 3:00 a.m. He said that we would be given a hotel if we chose, but he wouldn't advise it. We needed to be there early the next morning to make sure that we got a boarding pass for the next flight. We were afraid to leave at this point anyway. So, you guess it, we slept in the airport. We made beds in our little corner of the airport along with Dave, Cami and Sophi and endured what was left of the night. It will certainly give us something to talk about in the years to come.
My "bed"
The Santee's "room".
Pat - bedded down for the rest of the night.
That's 3:30 a.m. for those of you keeping score!
I will do my very best to post the rest of our trip and where we are now. Until then, here's a little sneak peak of Alyza Kate.
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