We are being shaken up!

I know things have been shaky at the SDA, but Reno, Nevada lately has been ridiculous. We are averaging about 50+ earthquakes a day. Granted, most are not felt, but we get a few good shakers each day that reminds us that Mother Earth is quite active. The Geologists I work with think it's a new fault that's doing all the shaking. Many of the epicenters are under a new and expensive subdivision. I guess their housing prices will be dropping for awhile till things settle down.

I find it quite exciting. I know I'm kinda twisted, but it's a humbling experience and reminds me just how small we really are in the big scheme of things. I spent much of my youth in Southern California and weathered many larger earthquakes, always enjoying each one.

I know this post has nothing to do with adoptions, but just had to give it a mention. If you want to see a map of earthquakes in the US, go to www.usgs.gov and click on the earthquake maps on the left.

Still No Date :(

It's been two months and we still don't have a date. We're now getting anxious and a bit worried. We are trying to find out from the facilitator what's going on with our dossier. We know of another couple that is having the same problem. Our agency has been in regular contact with us and they aren't sure what's going on with our dossiers either.

We are still not under the gun yet. Our next set of documents that expire is our HS in late August. Either we're going to need to get a date soon or we may end up having to get a short notice travel which I just as soon not get. A mid to late July date could easily see us having to update our HS before we travel. Our HS cost us $3600 and can't readily afford to pay that again. I guess we should look into what it will take to get it updated and hope they don't charge a substantial fee for it.

As adoptions go, this one is being rather expensive. We've already spent 10K+ and haven't even traveled yet nor payed anything to the facilitator. It'll be worth it in the end; I just wish we could have avoided some of the expediting fees. Had we tried this a few years back, we wouldn't have been able to afford it and could have been discouraged enough not to be here now. There is a time and place for everything and we feel this is our time and Ukraine the place; we won't be discouraged!!

We hope that those awaiting word get it soon. For those about to travel, God speed and hope all goes well. And for those back from your journey, may your dreams for your family come to fruition.

Thank You Nataliya for your offer.

Nothing New

All quiet on the Eastern front. I checked in with our agency this week and they have nothing new. There are a few couples that have had their dossiers submitted around the same time and we are all still waiting for word. What's kinda funny here is that we're not stressing over this wait. We're both quite content to wait a short while for the appointment date. Things are crazy over there right now so waiting till things settle a bit might be for the good. Who knows?

We had a wonderful visit with Virginia's brother and family. Bill and Laura drove their 5 kids down from Portland, OR. over the Easter break. Bill had to go back to work so we let them borrow our Mustang and we used their urban assault vehicle (mini van) for the week. What a difference in driving between the two. They're great kids (4 girls and 1 boy) which made for a wonderful week of play for me and more work for Virginia (she enjoyed the visit too). The 11 hour drive back to Portland was uneventful except for a stomach bug that was going around the kids. I've come to realize that I have a stomach of steel since I had to wash out parts of the van during the trip.