The days are getting busy!

With only 7 days left before we leave there are many things that need to be done. We have been extremely busy with the time we have available. On Sunday we went and completed our registry (there is a picture with Tony at the desk) and we finished off the shopping list for packing supplies. Who would have thought that so much would be necessary! Last night we completed the baby's room, we put up the border, laid down the rug, put up the light switch cover, and hung decorations on the walls. The border was the most difficult as it was ultra slimy and it took Tony, myself, and my sister to put it up straight! But it was all worth it! It looks wonderful! The wicker rocking horse is a gift from my mother. It looks great in the room. Thanks Mom!

We are still in need of getting our vaccines. I have my Hepatitis A and my Tetanus done but I still need my Hepatitis B and my Typhoid. Tony, unfortunately, still needs all four! I feel bad as his arms will be hurting by the time he is done!

As far as packing goes, we have the baby's items completely packed and ready to go. Tonight and every night until Saturday we will be packing our belongings. It is a daunting yet exciting experience.

Our final day of work for the both of us will be this Friday. We plan to take Monday as a lets relax day. Since we leave from Metro Airport on Tuesday at 12:20pm, we will have my mom drive us to the airport and hold onto the car until we get back. This makes everything a little easier.

The list of "never ending things to do" seems to have an end to it. While there is still much to do, with every item that is knocked off we feel a little closer to being done. I already miss the nights of just sitting back and watching a movie!

Our plane tickets are booked!

We recieved our LOI (Letter of Invitation) on our wedding anniversary - June 18th - and have booked our plane tickets. We have decided to use our local travel agent in Milford, MI and are leaving July 3rd at 10:30am. We will be flying out of Detroit Metro into JFK. From there we will fly to Istanbul and then to Astana. We were going to try to fly from Frankfurt to Astana but there are onyl three flights per week in to Astana from Frankfurt and we would not have been there on time. So we will be traveling for quite a while and when we get there we will arrive around 12:50am. We will keep you all up to date as we try to pack and repack! Woohoo! We are on our way!

Travel Dates!

Yesterday at 3:03pm, I was walking in throught the front door of our home when the phone rang. I could not make it to the phone in time and no message was left so I just believed that it was a solisitor. Boy was I wrong. Not thirty seconds later my cell phone rang and I saw that it was Tatiana our case manager! She had fantastic news. She told us that we need to be in Astana, Kazakhstan on July 5th! That is exactly three weeks away from today! So I called Tony all happy and crying and told him the good news. He was so excited and giddy he had a hard time concentrating on work the rest of the day. We told our parents and my sister last night, as well as Bethany. They were all so happy for us! So we sat down and talked about what needs to be done in order to be ready to leave. And there is a lot! We sat down with Stacey and discussed the ground rules for watching our home while we are away. She seems truely grateful for the opportunity to earn our trust.

This afternoon, still reeling with excitement, I had to call Tatiana one more time to confirm it was all really happening. I even told that I was afraid that she had mixed us up with another family. See, our Dossier was sent to the Embassy on May 23rd and was overseas apparantly before June. Tatiana explained that this did seem quick but that we are the "perfect parents." Kazakhstan officials look for couples who are young, earn decent money, and are truely "happy." Well, now doesnt that just describe us?!! I would have though so....

We will probably be running around like chickens with our heads cut off as we try to prepare for what is about to take place. Saturday we head up to Tawas to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary (this is such a great present!) so we will be enjoying ourselves 100%.

I look forward to postin gwith more news soon!

While we wait...

The process of waiting is rather daunting. We sit here, in our home, without our paperwork and without a clue about how our paperwork is doing, and wait... We are, wait... I am getting antsy. I just want some idea of when we will travel. We have been spending our time preparing ourselves and making friends. I am a member of some forums on the internet and have made a couple of great friends. Michelle and Brook Burg are a family who have recently completed the process and they are our angels. If we have a question, they answer. Sarah and her hubby Andy are in the process with us (about 10 days behind us) and are also using Commonwealth. We have been in a contact a lot, asking questions of one another, and venting!

While we wait...

On May 19th we went to Tonys parents Mary and Terry's house for the annual lake garage sales. We ended up selling quite a bit, but what was really exciting was the fact that we were able to begin buying baby stuff! We bought a ton of clothes - note the pictures above! We have since been to many other sales and have been very lucky in our findings! All of the items are brand new or in excellent condition. We have also been looking while at local stores. However, the best sweaters we have are from our trip to Shipshewanna with Tony's folks. The picture with the two sweaters are from an Indian tribe who hand made these. They are absolutely beautiful and we cant wait to put them on her.

We have slowly been preparing for the travel. We are beginning to purchase the gifts for the workers in Kaz and we were able to find a few things while at Shipshewanna! It was great because we got the gifts for a good price. Plus, of we pack them with us, then we will have room for souvenirs on the return trip!

We have begun to make our travel list. It seems to keep getting longer and longer... The list shows us what we need to purchase, what we already have, and whether or not it has been packed. Although nothing as of yet has been packed! That would be silly! Tony did go out to Direct Buy and purchase some new suitcases so that we would be prepared. They should be arriving shortly. We have a few items that we need to pick up off the internet. Items such as Pedia Pack, Sea Bands and the like would be difficult to find in any of the stores around here. If anyone has any suggestions as far as items to bring please let us know. The whole international travel thing is rather intimidating!

So...

I finally have proof that Tony can get excited! You know how he never shows his emotions? Well, one day after work he came home with a few goodies. Turns out he stopped at a store and found the little stuffed giraffe that you see in the picture above! It was so cute. He even blushed a little! :) Aww, I love that man...