Come on, Virginia!

Okay--let me just say that I am so excited to be about to send this dossier in right now, I could burst! Yesterday was a GREAT day! I had all my dossier documents certified and copied and headed toward Bethany to see our social worker and pick up the home study with the proper cover page and attachments. She is SO great, it was wonderful to see her and I was psyched! (I just passed right on by the WaWa gas station where my little mishap the last time I picked up the home study happened--no eye contact this morning!) After I picked it all up, I copied the home study docs, had them certified and headed a few doors down to the secretary of state. Let me just say now that yesterday was a GORGEOUS day and Annapolis is a VERY cute little city. Life was good! I went in, got all my lovelies authenticated and walked out a very happy woman! Lo and behold, what should be there but a sweet little baby shop. It was a sign. Emma needed something to mark this day. This shop had the cutest little everythings and I was just in love. The woman was very kind, very interested in hearing about the process and helped me pick out the perfect "authentication day" present: a sweet, soft little "lovie" to take to Emma and leave with her while we wait for her. I named her Dixie the Dalmatian, because even though our Dixie is obviously a Golden Retriever, little Emma will have her own little Dixie there in Kyrgyz and one here waiting for her!






After a lovely day in Annapolis, I stopped to buy some things for my classroom (today is my last day of freedom!) and then headed home. I got home very much later than I anticipated, as we were having some dear friends of ours over for dinner. We used to live next door to them in New River, and they are now up here and I am over the moon about it! I showed Rachel the house and then the baby things and realized that I have some of the cutest little things for her and I can't wait for her to use them. I know not knowing her size, season (heck even if she has been conceived yet!) makes the clothes issue sketchy, but I just had to post a couple of my favorites--and the best part? These are hand-me-downs! YEP! I have been very blessed by the great friends (with SUPER taste) who have given me their little girls' hand me downs/ unuseds and I am very thankful! I love the smocking in this one:



I ABSOLUTELY love this little Gymboree outfit--It's the onesie, the cute little pants, the sweater and the hat and they all look as if they have never been worn!




This little girl is going to need some heavy duty Paparazzi to catch all her stylin!

Speaking of photos...Jengish

is a fabulous photographer and I really am touched and told a story by the pictures he takes. He mentioned that he was saving up for a camera lens, but that they were very expensive. I emailed him and asked him what kind of camera he had and then realized that he may have a camera that I actually have a fairly decent lens for! I told him to research it, and see if it worked, and if it did, it was his! He said it would! The thing about this lens is that we have had a great camera and pretty nice lens for about 10 years now...but for about 7 or 8, we have had that camera and lens sitting in our closet because we joined the age of digital and it didn't fit. How awesome did I feel being able to say that not only do I have a lens that may work, but I have felt pretty guilty about having it and never using it (the depths to which my life is blessed never ceases to amaze me)and could give it to a most deserving young man with stories to tell? So...the point is, please check out his website and his pictures. Look at the faces of these people. See what he says about them. He told me a story about someone he saw on a bus, and it was such a beautiful story and analogy of God's love, I just cried when I read it. I asked for permission to post it and if he okays it, I will. I know my heart is indelibly attached to Kyrgyzstan, so I am very honored to be able to help his ministry and give some Christian encouragement. If you would like to as well, he could certainly use it.

Okay..enough of my soap box. I have to go get some blood work for my physical next week (with the NEW doctor, as it is pretty obvious that I will be redoing my medical certificates in September, thought I'd get the jump start!) and then on to school. Tomorrow is our first official day back. I have made up my mind. This is going to be a great year. Period.

Oh...and the title of the post? All I'm waiting on to fed ex the dossier is our marriage certificates from Virginia. Seeing as it is my good old home state, I have no doubt they will expedite for little old me. Ha ha!