Mimi, Here We Come!

For those that haven't already heard, Mimi's visa was in the diplomatic pouch last week and it arrived safely in Addis!!! We have booked our flights and we leave this Friday. I can hardly believe that it's true but it is.

I knew that Wed. might be the day that we got the call from Imagine but I didn't feel like waiting around for the phone to ring so I dropped the kids at school, drove to an area where I like to go jogging, parked the van and went for a run. I started to reflect on this long adoption journey we've been on and started to feel the excitement of possibly getting home to hear the news that we would finally be free to travel to get our daughter. It was as though the circle was almost complete - FINALLY. I felt like running like Rocky Balboa with my arms in the air for victory. I felt that strongly that we were finally at the end. I also thought back to two summers ago when we heard about the bankruptcy and how hard that was and now here we were almost there, almost, almost, almost, almost... I had a nice run and got back to the van excited to go home and check the phone for messages. I grabbed for the van key in my pocket and it wasn't there. It had fallen out somewhere while I was running. I ended up running back home (more fitness than I wanted) and when I walked in the door, I looked at the phone and saw there was a message. I don't know why I struggled to take my shoes off real fast but I did and often I don't bother but they wouldn't come off fast enough. I checked caller i.d. and saw Imagine's number. I felt this rush of emotion, sat down, took a deep breath and dialed. I was so nervous that before she could give me the good news, I started talking about the fact that I lost my key and had to leave my van and run home. I was then told that my day was about to get a lot better AND THAT IS WHEN THE GOOD NEWS CAME. It was a great moment in my life. I think I breathed a big loud sigh of relief and said what fantastic news it was and what a great day this was and then I got emotional and started crying but I talked all the way through the tears. Did I say it was just such a HUGE RELIEF! Have I been able to express how happy I was at that moment? I don't think words can really express what it felt like. It was very much like getting our referral - just so unbelievably amazing. It felt unreal, it felt GREAT!

Finding the key to the van was so insignificant at that moment but much later in the day I hopped and my bike and re-traced my steps and found it (just in case you were wondering).

I have been scrambling a bit since then, tryint to make plans and get prepared but it feels wonderful. I often get all choked up when I think about the fact that we have come this far. It is just such a huge relief. We're all so ready for Mimi to join our family, we're so ready to go and get her and bring our little girl home. We'll meet her for the first time on Tuesday Oct. 26th and she will with us forever on Wednesday October 27th. My next post will hopefully be from Addis. : )