Lately ....

Wow ... it's been a really really really long time since my last post. I've been around ... still blog stalking everyone else :0) just haven't really felt like I really had much of anything to write about our journey lately. I miss it though ... I miss allowing the words of my heart to pour out on this screen. Blogging our journey has definitely been a blessing, and hopefully I'm out of my rut and can get back to it again.

Here's a little update on our adoption journey as we know it ...

Our homestudy update has taken FOREEEEEEEEVVVVVER to be completed. I found out last weekend that our FBI checks have FINALLY come in, however we still need like ten other documents to be faxed into the agency before it can be completed. Can I just ask why someone can't make up a homestudy check-off list for all the documents that will be needed? Seriously I want to know why agencies haven't made one up yet? It just seems that once I get in all the "final" papers that are needed I get sent an email thanking me for sending those documents in, but that now they need these 10 more things to be turned in and then we'll be all set. Only not really because once I've dug through every inch of my house looking for those 10 more documents they now all of a sudden need 20 more? I just don't get it ... really I don't. I mean didn't they know that they needed all those documents from us at the very beginning? Sigh ...

So our FBI checks have come in but now we have to:
1. get a copy of Alya's birth certificate (we can't find his, which means taking off work to go wait for hours in the office to get a copy.)
2. get a copy of Alya's SS card (because he lost his once upon a time ago, which means taking off more time from work to wait for hours in another office to get a copy ... oh wait he already did that and now we have to wait for 2 weeks to get a new one in the mail)
3. Get our new kitten's shot records (we're bad and haven't gone to the vet yet)
4. Send in our 1040's for the past THREE years ... (why?)
5. And I have to write answers to questions about why I want to adopt outside of my race.

We are SO close! It's just a super busy time for me right now. School just started back up and I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with her head cut off at times. I know that everything will come together when it's supposed to ... it's just hard when I know that the ball is in our court and everyone is just waiting on us to get things turned in.

Here are some positive things that are going on in our lives as we wait for our homestudy to be completed...

1. Alya was one out of 50 people chosen nation wide for a full scholarship to the University of Phoenix! Waaaahooo go Alya! I am excited for him and his new journey as a college student. :0) He is wanting to major in an IT computer networking type of degree. We definitely feel so blessed to be offered this scholarship because without it we wouldn't be able to afford for him to go to school. I know that he has always wanted to further education, and I am so thankful that he has been given this wonderful opportunity!

2. We have been given the opportunity to share our adoption journey with our church family. Our church is putting on a gala tomorrow night and we have been asked to share our story with the amazing women that will be attending. They will be taking up an offering for our adoption fund at the end of the evening. We feel so blessed to have been apart of such an amazing church family for the last 2 1/2 years. The people of our church have literally become like family to us and I can't imagine our lives without them. I'll make sure that I post pics and share about the event later this weekend. :0)

That's pretty much all that is going around here. Not a whole lot is new ... still in the waiting stage ... but I know we're getting closer to the day where we will meet our perfect little bundle of joy. :0)