Even though summer can be excruciatingly hot in the South, I still love summer. It's a time for life at a slower pace with lots of grilling, frequent visits to Sonic for something cold and refreshing, and lots of days spent at our neighborhood pool. It is also a time when our daughter is out of school, Rob's class load is a little lighter, and my schedule is more predictable. In other words, it is more family time.
I particularly enjoy the Fourth of July holiday. My father owned one of the only fireworks stands in our county when I was growing up, and me and my sisters helped him sell fireworks during June and July. After we sold out of fireworks on the fourth, my dad would take us back to our house where we would put on our own gigantic fireworks display for the family and usually enjoy some homemade ice cream. I have very fond memories of those times so it is no wonder I enjoy the fourth still today.
Last night, Rob and his brother, put on a great fireworks display for our families and Rob's parents. Then we watched the City of Franklin's display from some great seats in the back yard. Everyone was filled with wonder at the amazing light show, including me. But, I could not help but wonder if my little boy would have enjoyed the show or if he had ever even seen a fireworks display before. He is never far from my thoughts, but over the holiday weekend, he has been on my mind continually.
In the dog days of summer, I find myself reflecting a lot on our decision to adopt and the journey in which we hope we are now on. It is a decision we have never regretted, but the waiting has become difficult. I long for new pictures or video of my little one to see how he is growing and changing as he waits for his mommy and daddy to come. I long for the concreteness of a date for our travel so that we can meet him for the very first time.
In order to get that place where we can get updated info on our son or a travel date, we must complete our dossier and have it sent to Bulgaria. We made two giant steps toward that goal this week by overnighting our FBI clearance info to West Virginia and by sending our USCIS packet to Texas. Now the hard part begins as we wait for our USCIS approval (estimated six weeks) and our FBI clearance (estimated 13 weeks but praying for less) to be returned to us.
Getting our dossier over to Bulgaria and getting our son's referral afterward will be like the fourth of July, and I just might keep some bottle rockets or roman candles on hand for the occasion!
I particularly enjoy the Fourth of July holiday. My father owned one of the only fireworks stands in our county when I was growing up, and me and my sisters helped him sell fireworks during June and July. After we sold out of fireworks on the fourth, my dad would take us back to our house where we would put on our own gigantic fireworks display for the family and usually enjoy some homemade ice cream. I have very fond memories of those times so it is no wonder I enjoy the fourth still today.
Last night, Rob and his brother, put on a great fireworks display for our families and Rob's parents. Then we watched the City of Franklin's display from some great seats in the back yard. Everyone was filled with wonder at the amazing light show, including me. But, I could not help but wonder if my little boy would have enjoyed the show or if he had ever even seen a fireworks display before. He is never far from my thoughts, but over the holiday weekend, he has been on my mind continually.
In the dog days of summer, I find myself reflecting a lot on our decision to adopt and the journey in which we hope we are now on. It is a decision we have never regretted, but the waiting has become difficult. I long for new pictures or video of my little one to see how he is growing and changing as he waits for his mommy and daddy to come. I long for the concreteness of a date for our travel so that we can meet him for the very first time.
In order to get that place where we can get updated info on our son or a travel date, we must complete our dossier and have it sent to Bulgaria. We made two giant steps toward that goal this week by overnighting our FBI clearance info to West Virginia and by sending our USCIS packet to Texas. Now the hard part begins as we wait for our USCIS approval (estimated six weeks) and our FBI clearance (estimated 13 weeks but praying for less) to be returned to us.
Getting our dossier over to Bulgaria and getting our son's referral afterward will be like the fourth of July, and I just might keep some bottle rockets or roman candles on hand for the occasion!
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