FINALLY!!

After eleven very long months, we got the good word today. We are headed to China! Today has been pretty intense. I was supposed to sit in on interviews, but that was delayed. Troy asked me after he took Aiden to daycare, "Are you going in to school?" I replied, "You know as soon as I do, we'll get the call that we got our consulate appointment, and I will have to start the intense work of QUICKLY finding airfare, trying to get the appropriate lodging, and locating the right in-country transportation -- among other things!" Somewhere around lunch time, I started to think I had underestimated the amount of time from TA to CA, and thought I should get my butt in gear and head in to school to work on lesson plans. No sooner had I made that decision (and posted a question on facebook to my Dossier to China Winter group questioning when I could reasonably start to freak out about not hearing any news regarding our travel dates) I got an email from our travel guru at our agency. It read,
"Dear China Family: We are happy to announce the confirmed travel dates for your adoption trip."
I screamed at the top of my lungs, probably something incoherent, to Troy. I'm pretty sure, however, that he knew immediately what I was bellowing about. The gist of the email was, there are four families going to the same province as we are (luckily our Omaha support-couple will be going at the same time) on the same dates. We will leave August 14 and will be returning August 30. I can't believe it. I'm still a little stunned. After that email, the day kind of became a blur. I contacted a travel agent about airfare (Oy! Turns out airfare to Asia on 3 week's notice is NOT cheap), emailed our in-country travel agency about our dates, sent text messages to pretty much everybody I know who owns a cell phone and posted on facebook for those to whom I did not text, looked into redeeming our pathetic one free night with Marriott, discussed with "E" the likelihood of staying at an alternative hotel in our province....well....you get the idea! And, somehwere in there, I got a hold of Jeffy G and informed him that, since he was with us to celebrate our first CA, he had to join us for this one. And join us he did. Naturally, we went to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate our imminent travel to China. :/ Then, it was back home to work on travel plans again, make supper for my boys, and see Troy off for some big boy time, and go for a walk with Aiden. Then, as a nice capper to an incredible day, I got to go see my Aunts Ethel, Sheila, and Polly and Uncles Bill, Walt, John, and Ron.
Now, here I sit, updating my blog instead of getting some much needed sleep. Turns out I may still be a little hyped up. I'm ready to go get Ethan today!! But, if you can believe it, we WILL be leaving in LESS THAN THREE WEEKS!!! As Aiden would say: Howy Tow! Tomorrow I will post our tentative itinerary and other (ir)relevant information. In the meantime, I am off to bed as there is still SO much to do -- sign up for webinars and conference calls, book hotels, contact in-country travel agents to confirm hotels and people for flights, work on airport transfers, get credit card information to another set of travel agents, exchange money, make doc appts prior to leaving, arrange insurance..... If this was audio, my voice would be fading out as dramatic music rose in the back ground, but it's not, so I'll say, that's all for now. More later!!! Oh yeah. And. YAY!!!!