TRAVEL APPROVAL!!

We received travel approval from Ch*na on Thursday, November 8. Our agency called in the morning and told us that it had come in. The next process was to send an email to the US consulate to schedule our consulate appointment. We received the consulate appointment that night (because of the time difference). We thought we would be traveling a week earlier than what we are, but one week off is not bad! The bad news is that we will most likely be leaving on Thanksgiving Day! No turkey, no stuffing, no corn casserole, no baked beans (yes, baked beans), and no cranberry sauce, no mashed potatoes or Phil's gravy! But most of all we will miss our family on Thanksgiving! It has been a tradition to cook at home for any of our kids and their families who were able to join us. The family up North have been faithful in keeping us company through this special holiday. We will miss all of you very much and we will be thinking of you! Rest assured, we won't be missing Thanksgiving next year! Jen, be sure and tell Kadina, Austin, and Matthew that we will have turkey for them next year, and tell Mark that he will have his stuffing too!
Our plans are to leave on November 22 and return on December 6. We will be meeting Mia on Anna's birthday, November 26 and then be meeting Anna a week later. We were really trying to get to Anna before her birthday, but just missed it! This will be the last birthday she will spend in an orphanage!
So much more to do . . . so much more to think about. All the unknowns to face. Our family and friends have prepared us as best as they could up to this point and we will rely on them to get us the rest of the way. We can't begin to thank all of our family and friends for their prayers, love, and support during the last few years! We know just how blessed we are!!!