A New Goal?

One of the perks of my online adoption groups is having access to really smart people when it comes to numbers and timelines. Because we have our LOA, we can much more easily judge travel and now there are a few steps that I can take that will help speed along the process. Generally, when I start looking at numbers, my brain just completely shuts down. 2 weeks+2 weeks+5 days-2 days-1 weekend+2 holidays =

 

So I need these people, but I'll come back to that in a moment. In the adoption world, many people use the term "Gotcha Day" for the day when they first receive their child. Some people like that term and some people don't. In my mind, if that's what it's called, that day would go something like this. They'd bring my sweet little angel into the room and I'd be hiding behind a curtain. And then when she least expected it, I jump out from behind the curtain, scream "GOTCHA!" and then start laughing like a lunatic.

I don't think that would be a good first impression. But I'm going to use the term Gotcha Day anyway because if I didn't I'd have to say something "the day we meet Luyana for the first time" more than once and that's just cumbersome when explaining what I'm going to explain. Oh my goodness, shut up and explain it already! Ok....

So one of these really smart people told me that if I did everything right regarding making things faster and traveled within a week of getting our Travel Approval, we could likely have a Gotcha Day (buwaaahahahahaha!) of 12/9. So Mark and I were looking up plane tickets, assuming we'd leave for China on 12/5, and they were nice and expensive. Just for fun, we plugged in the week before, so leaving 11/28 with a Gotcha Day of 12/2 and they were reduced SIGNIFICANTLY. Like $1,000 significantly because that Thursday travel day would be Thanksgiving. Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving. I love my dad shouting LOUDLY for everyone to shut up so we can pray and eat. I love how we actually don't fit in my Grandma's house, but we pretend we do. And I love the squash casserole I make every year. BUT, I will gladly give all that up to go get my girl and save $1,000 in the process!

So I re-emailed said smart person and asked if it was possible for us to leave on Thanksgiving. She said: Possible? Yes. Probable? No. With many good facts to back up the improbability of it all.

So now I'm stuck about what to do. I can either A) Accept this answer and just plan on traveling in December (what difference does one week really make besides $1,000?) or B) Start praying like mad and believe that God can and does perform miracles and believe that while you're eating stuffing, Mark and I could be stuffing ourselves into 2 very smallish airplane seats.

 

I KNOW He could do this. I also know I could resort to mediocrity and just not worry about it, not give the energy that kind of faith takes. So...I am literally making this decision as I type this. I'm going to do this. I'm going to pray for a Thanksgiving take-off. (Dad, instead of yelling at everyone that it's time to pray and eat, will you drop us off at the airport?) MY GOD can and if He doesn't, I will still believe. Join me in praying, it will be fun! :)