OFF WE GO!!!!

Today is the day!!! At 9am we are headed for the Nashville airport. From there we will fly to Detroit, have a 3 hr layover, then fly to Amsterdam, have a 3 hr layover, then fly to ETHIOPIA! We land in Addis, the capital of Ethiopia, late on Saturday night. It's going to be a looooooong trip there, but we are SO ready. And speaking of being prepared, take a look at all the medications we are taking with us.

Now, isn't that just ridiculous? But if you know Jason and I, we are BOTH germ-a-phobes. So if there is ANY medication we can take to avoid getting sick, we are going to take it! (And after having a baaaaad case of food poisoning last week, I am determined NOT to get sick!) But seriously, we ask that you pray for our health while we are gone. After we arrive in Addis we still have an 8 hr van ride to Macy's orphanage. And that wouldn't be enjoyable AT ALL if we were ill. Plus, we want to be able to concentrate completely on our sweet little girl, with no distractions.

Now - check out this line of luggage!

No - we aren't super-diva-travelers. Actually, only two of those bags contain our clothes, supplies, and gifts for Macy. The others all contain AWESOME donations that many of you have donated for her orphanage! We are taking medical supplies, formula, clothes, shoes, school supplies - ALL KINDS OF STUFF! Thanks to YOU! And we are able to pay the ridiculous fee of $200 per extra bag (erghhh...Delta Airlines) THANKS TO YOUR FINANCIAL DONATIONS!
Wowzers! We DO hope that the scale at the airport is forgiving, because we have weighed and weighed these bags on two different scales, and still aren't really sure how many of them are under the 50lb weight requirement. Keeping our fingers crossed on that one!

Many of you have asked if I will be able to update the blog while we are gone. The answer is YES - I am gonna try my darndest to get online from an internet cafe in Addis. I am not sure how often I will be able to do it, but stay tuned to this blog to see how our meeting with Macy, visit with birthmom, and court go.

For those of you wanting to pray for specifics, here's our itinerary"

Friday: Fly away!

Saturday: Fly some more! Arrive in Addis LATE.

Sunday: Our "free" day to roam aimlessly around Addis. And hopefully do some shoppin'.

Monday: Travel to the town of Awassa, where Macy's orphanage is. This is a 8 hr drive.

Tuesday: MEET MACY!!!! Spend lots of time with our sweet girl.

Wednesday: Visit Macy again. Leave her (BOOO!) and travel back to Addis.

Thursday: Court hearing. We will be in court with her birthmom (!!!). After court, if she is willing, we go across the street to a coffee shop to spend time with her. (And I ask her a bazillion questions about Macy.) Late Thursday night we board a plane and leave Ethiopia.

Friday: Arrive home around 1pm.

Many of you have also asked what we need prayer for:

1. Our health and safety.

2. For our travels to go smoothly, with no delays.

3. For us to pass court.

4. For Macy to be comfortable around us.

(I am going to try to not be a crying blubbering mess, so I don't scare her. We will see how I do with that.)

5. For a sense of peace and understanding between Macy's birthmom and me.

6. For my Mom and sister, Sandi, who will be caring for these 3 little monsters, um, I mean, blessings.....

7. And for those three, precious blessings to be safe, happy, and healthy while their Maaaammmmaa and Daddy are on the other side of the world meeting their sister.

THANK YOU so much to each and every one of you who have been with us on this journey! Jason and I value all of your friendships, and can feel the prayers going with us to meet our baby girl! Next time I post, it will be from Ethiopia!

Now off to bed....as if I could sleep.

Amanda