LEAVING TOWN

Happy Halloween! Laurie and I leave today to get our daughter, My next post will be from Vietnam Sunday. We arrive in Hanoi at 11:30 am, which is 11:30pm Wisconsin time. We are leaving home at 11:30 am to drive to the airport. 36 hours of travel time, but what a great reward we will have at the end.
Wish us luck
Darrin

The boys are a little sad that we will not be here for Halloween. We took some time out tonight to go out to eat and celebrate my birthday. Everyone is telling me I will have to wait a couple days but it will be the best birthday present ever. They have no idea how right they are.

After dinner we promised to help the boys do their pumpkins. After a couple hours they had them ready for the front steps.

Laurie got all of our gifts and treats for the orphanage packed up, now we just have to get it all in our luggage.

I also got the most awesome package in the mail. Another family hoping to travel soon sent me a couple things to try and get to their daughter in a nearby orphange.

I am so happy to have the opportunity to try to give back to my adoptive group that has given us so much.

Only two nights to go and off to Vietnam.

We got her room painted, all the boys helped Laurie create the girlie room our house had lacked. I still have to take down the baseball cieling fan that remains from Grant's days in this room. Tommorrow is Friday, one week til we leave. Soon this picture will be enhanced with Maia. She will enhance many things in our lives.

WE ARE GOING TO VIETNAM!!
I can not believe it is actually going to happen.
Day 42, I contacted Judy at PLAN about our progress and an email response from USCIS.
She said they were basically not saying anything, that I could try calling the Embassy to see if they had any word on our case.
Monday night, I tried calling the embassy and got their fax. Try again, check my emails, nothing. Finally got through and once the lady figured out our last name, said I should check my email. I told her I just had, and she said check again because they had just sent something out.
For those of you who have done this and gone through what has become almost 3 years of waiting, never forgetting, always on your mind, you know the feeling. For everyone else, thank you for trying to understand, your support has been incredible.
We are leaving on Halloween, sorry boys, and will be meeting Maia for the first time, (she will be meeting us, Laurie and I have enjoyed pictures, dreams and special moments in our hearts with her for many months already) on Tuesday November 4. This will be a special day in our family forever.
For those of you who know me, get set for a little fun on Maia's blog space, as the misadventures of Darrin and Laurie go to Hanoi is only a week away.

GREAT FRIENDS

We were very lucky to get some photos of Maia today. The little boy with her, Mason, was lucky to have his dad stop and pick him up at the orphanage the day before his first birthday. Maia and Mason have spent a lot of time together at the orphanage since she arrived there in January.

We were also fortunate to be able to meet with another family who has already brought their daughter home from Ba Vi. Jenna Stoll, a good e-friend on our adoption chat rooms is Ella Mother. Ella cam e home to Milwaukee in June. We had a great lunch together and then went to get our fingerprints done for the third time. Of course we did not have our camera, so I borrowed (stole) this one from Jenna's awesome blog.

Grant practicing being a big brother with little Ella.