Overjoyed

This not a countdown!

What did I do today?

I worked!

I shopped!

Brought more donations!

Brought another suitcase!

Got Caught in lots of rain again!!! When will it stop!

Had a moment to myself with my thoughts and started out of the blue humming this song by Stevie Wonder. Lyrics so fitting.....

I have no clue if the girls know that people from on the other side of the world are coming to pay them a visit.

I have no clue what they recall from the first care package that had pictures in it

I imagine the looks they will give me, as they begin to size me up

I imagine seeing them in the long sleeve shirts I brought today w/stripes on the sleeves.

I imagine them saying ....get that camera out my face already :)

I imagine what type of pillow talk will be shared between them, once they are tucked in and kissed goodnight.

I imagine my mind going 100 mph after the first meeting

I imagine the overjoyed feeling I'll have the night after meeting them

HMMMMMMMM.................all good stuff

I am excited yall!


psssss....for all the new lurkers, there has been a blog change, for every milestone reached, it brings about change and a new experience (notice the change in the blog background) yeah I know sounds real cheesy!!!! hahaha!!! I'm trying to be poetic people!!!

OK....its all coming together

Today I got some donations....

I also got a book I plan on reading to my girls, titled, I love you so much

I will try my best to have them color this night light so I can bring it back with me and keep it burning until they come home.....

I also have jump ropes, bubbles, baby donations, hair care products, toiletry stuff

a nice necklace for the girls I plan to give at the end of the trip I also have one to match

Flash Floods

Maybe if I had the black stallion yesterday I would have made it safe w/o any car problems

For all you who live in North Jersey, as you know there has been a heavy down pour of rain these last two days or so, well I got into my car  yesterday only to see all that was on the floor floating by my feet.  My car was flooded.  All I need, but I refuse to let it get me down!!!  I am sure there is water damage to the wires, maybe the engine.

My brother drives a pick up truck and he says the water was up to his door.  Now you know how high a pick up truck is off the ground, so my little car didn't stand a chance.  One lady who is a/b my height had water up her thigh area.  

Insurance company has had me on hold for over a hour!

To happy a/b my trip to be upset......I do know in all things there are blessings.

Wednesday!!!

Middle of the road as they say..... Hump Day......

My days have been looooonnnnggggg!

Still so much to do!

last night attempted to pack the suitcase, 

Airline tix done

Hotel reservations in Dubai made

Pick Money up today, bills printed after 2000

Transfer all my loose notes written on pieces of paper into a larger notebook, hell, I am just gona staple those to a sheet of paper to much writing.

Driver booked ......Yay, I got Ayele to drive (thanks for all the recommendations)

Contact info tucked away safely

Hotel Reservations in ET made (did it myself and you can too, w/o a travel agent)

Food Snacks are packed

Half of the donations are packed

Camera w/directions are packed

My nerves are in check today, can't promise tomorrow that'll remain the same!

Reading books and cross word puzzles are packed

Stack of parent request for their children packed and ready to go

OK, Whats next?

Celeste

LYFR

(Love Ya For Reading)

This is to funny and cute

Got A Little Extra Bounce In My Step This AM, l Love This Song!!!

Thoughts, Thoughts and more Thoughts!!!! and a whole lot of hopes

Someone asked me was I on countdown?  Not yet, just really excited!  I am sick of counting, I counted while waiting, I counted after referral , I counted up to all three court dates and let truth be known I ain't got another count in me.

I find myself w/that same giddiness in my belly, like the first time I needed to know about the girl in the green dress, like the first time I found out she had a sister, like the first time ever I saw their faces, like the first time I received pictures, like the first time I prepared their care packages, like the first time I allowed myself to picture them in their room and in their beds!  So am I excited?  YES!!! with a capital Y.......

I have thoughts and dreams again, a renewed energy! a renewed understanding, and a renewed spirit.  I have thoughts and dreams that the last leg of this marathon will not be a  mad dash to the finish line but  a nice steady jog!

Only a smart runner knows the winning  combination encompasses sustainability and pacing ones self for the victory at the end.

I hope to be able to sit and sing to my daughters (momma cant sing, but they wont know)  :)

I hope I am able to read to my daughters

Hold my daughters

I hope I'm there on hair day, so I can brush and braid their hair (a mothers touch)

I hope to be able to tuck them in for bed and kiss them good night and say see you in the morning 

I hope to be able to convey to them I will be back soon

I hope to connect with them on some level in this short visit

I hope to be able to hold it together at the end of my trip knowing they will not be leaving with me

I hope to have lots of laughs w/them

I hope to pass court while there in ET

I hope to come home and prepare to go back in 6 weeks to pick them up

I hope I make their hearts happy

I sure hope I get there safe and sound, lets not forget that one  :)

most imortant Jamie Says Heaven will never bee the same, I will never be the same after this visit!

Now starts The Many Blog Hits!!! The More That Reads The More That Will Pray...I Need All The Prayers We Can Get Right Now

I am sending out announcements tomorrow  I have had them for a good month or so!!! Just could not send them out until there was concrete answers. (still don't have those, but.....)

know by the start of next week there will be lots of hits on this blog, being the adoption notices have the blog address attached.

I guess going to ET in a week or so, makes me want to sing it from the mountain tops.  I don't have the concrete answers I was hoping to have before the notices went out, but I welcome all the prayers for a safe journey and meeting w/my daughters.  Right now I need to get to ET before that happens, but I could not resist "ALL" my friends and family members tracking the journey while in Ethiopia (ET) and praying for us as a family unit.  I will try to blog/email from Ethiopia, but from what I hear the internet connection is not that great w/all the power outages.  I may have to get someone to post to my blog for me.

OK, for those of you who will visit this blog while I am gone for the first time, I know how overwhelming this all can be If you read to the left on how to follow this blog it will help you, or  you can start by following the journey right now as I prepare to travel and meet my girls for the first time and double back later to read all the archived entries.  

Love Ya For Reading

(LYFR)

Celeste

I'm Leaving on a jet plane....

In two weeks I will meet my daughters for the first time......

They won't be coming home w/me, but......to hold, touch, kiss and love up on them will have to do until I can go back for them

I am booked and one suit case away from being ready to go.......

This is a fast curve ball.....

OK, the last post only made sense to some who are on this roller coaster w/me.

Here is what is going on w/me, HS Agency, Possible early travel, New Jeresy

I'm gona "kiss"  (keep is short and sweet).

whats going on w/me....lots of very quick decisions being made, so fast it is blowing my mind

what is going on w/the HS Agency, it was revealed to me NJ does not acknowledge a Visa 4 as the adoption being full and final, NJ says your only have guardianship with a visa 4,  and the visa 4 is what I will bringing my girls back on, So I would have to cough up lots of dinero($$$$$$$$) for more HS visits until the adoption is final in the state of NJ and meet all the requirements for my state, then readopt the girls here also.  If I bring them back on a visa 3, which is a full and final adoption, the state of NJ will recognize that, and then it is hands off, can't require me to do anything extra outside of what the country requires.

The catch, I would have to go and visit them prior to the adoption being "final"  most are saying now what is the big deal, well my case is in limbo right now, meaning I don't know WTH is going on w/it and I stand a chance of not making it there to visit before the adoption is final in ET.  So, what I am doing at this very moment, multi tasking, blogging and looking flight schedules up.

So feel like I am racing to beat the clock, and it makes it much harder to navigate what to do, b/c I have no idea what is going on with the adoption.

Confusion, Melt downs, wrong recipient of an email, closings looming,curve balls,MOWA, the Courts, vacations, mandatory trainings....need I say more?

BTW

Did I mention there were some great photos of my girls I received today?

Looking at their sweet faces makes it all worth it!

Could It Be....

That MOWA will remain open until the end of August?

Well it was said that MOWA would close for the rainy season August 7th or 8th, but there were a few families who have received court dates a few days after that.

Well lets pray and keep our fingers crossed that my babies will be home sooooooonnnnn!!!!

As most of you who are knee deep in the day to day fuctions over in ET as it pertains to adoption, know that MOWA closed for two weeks for a training, and are due back to work on the 22nd of July. Well that just added to the level of stress for those in limbo right now, knowing there are two weeks remaining when they return before court closings.


Celeste

DAMN!DAMN!DAMN!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

RIP MJ

As much as we had a love hate relationship with MJ, I have to say after watching the tribute all my childhood feelings suddenly appeared again.  I can recall a time when I just loved me some MJ, then I thought he got a bit weird and took things a bit over board.  

I think after listening to his brother speak at the end of the tribute, you just never know what one has to to endure, or has endured at the cost of fame.

I did not post after the horrible, insane, crazy, and did I mention horrible tribute on the BET awards, I mean the whole world was watching, CNN covered the story on the red carpet, and what do we do......won't even list the craziness here that took place at that awards cermony, I think BET owes him one. I can only hope that they took notes on the tribute done today in his honor.  Well I do have to say, that BET did get it right on one performance , and that was MAXWELL!!! but thats another day and topic....  :)  

Frustration

To say the least!!!!

I have tried to channel my thoughts and emotions on the positive side, with much faith, determination, and being optimistic, since the 3rd court failure. I have tried to appear ok and look at the glass as being half full to keep those around me positive and uplifted.

But I'm human!!

To recap...

Referral of paper ready children in December 24th 08

Court date announcement Feb. 24, 09

first court date...May 18th 09 ((MOWA report needed from lower court, Oromia Region)

Second Court date....June 9th, 09 (More paperwork needed on from the ophrange)

Third Court Date....June 26, 09 (MOWA did not write the recommendation so we failed court)

Fourth Court Date.....???????

whats needed? MOWA recommendation, when will it be submitted....have no idea!!!!

Its not easy at all, this has been indeed the hardest part of the entire process. Not knowing or understanding what is going on, or why things are happening the way they are makes me crazy. I know some will say, and I have even attributed three court attempts to the fact that it is not in my time, but in GOD's time, however even w/that understanding the flesh and emotions of a human are real, and it brings little comfort to a feeling of emptiness, a feeling of not being in control at all in this process!!!

I think to protect myself on a emotional level I have to step back from the boards, from the blogs and all things to do w/adoption at this point in time, not that I have given up hope, or even on my girls, I was reminded the other day how consumed I have become with the process of getting them home, and that nothing else matters, I had to stop and think back to a year ago, and what was I doing before the consumption  and over powerful meaning of adoption entered my life. I was fun to be around  the topics of adoption did not invade every conversation, I planned a vacation at the top of each year for the summer now I see no real reason to go b/c I am waiting on my girl, I lived for the now not for the thoughts of not making it through court closings, I was challenged to bring back the old Celeste, and I am going to accept the challenge and hope that as much energy that I have put into this process is the same energy I can put into finding myself again  I need to do this to be healthy and whole for them and to stay centered for myself. 

I hope to soon post some good news!  Until then please pray for me and my girls. I feel really dramatic as I read this back, but there are no antics in this message, no lashing out or pointing the fingers, just a momma who wants her girls home!!!!

Celeste