We've Made it to HI

I've been so busy the past couple of days that I haven't had time to update the blog-that's a very ironic statement since we've been in the MI.

The last two days in MI were spent visiting the attorney and his family, the foster family, the other adoptive families, returning the rental car, giving gifts to the housekeepers and hotel security, and taking more pictures.

We made sure to have a dinner and a lunch at our two favorite restaurants-we had our favorite things-I had pumpkin rice, G had fried shrimp and Baby K had her usual:-)

After our last lunch at Tides Table we hurried back to the hotel to check out and catch the airport shuttle and Baby K's grandmother was there to see us off. She brought me a beautiful handmade purse, one for Baby K and some jewelry she had made. We promised to send pictures to the foster family to be forwarded to her since she doesn't have a post office box.

Our experience at the airport was less than pleasant. When we got there it was loaded with people waiting for the incoming flight and then people trying to get processed for the outgoing flight. We seemed to be the last group to go thru the line and we got Atilla the Continental Hun for a clerk. First she wanted to charge the $250 change fees, even though the travel agent had already changed the tickets, then she gave me a really hard time about opening Baby K's packet of immigration papers. Anyone who has been thru an international adoption knows you DO NOT OPEN THE IMMIGRATION PACKET. I'm not sure anyone has really explained what happens if the packet gets opened but the consequences always come across as something very ominous. Atila wouldn't accept my photocopy of Baby K's passport and wouldn't process the baby's ticket without seeing her passport which was in the packet. I had been forewarned that this might be the case and that if opened carefully, the packet would reseal and then the airport employee would sign a statement acknowledging that they opened the packet for the purpose of viewing the passport and nothing else had been disturbed.

First, the package seal ripped when I tried to open it and then second, Atilla refused to sign the statement saying she had opened it. By that point, I was 2 hours into the airport experience, clothes totally soaked from sweating, a sleeping sweaty baby stuck to me, and overwhelmed. I'm crying, Aunt M is trying to find someone else to sign the paper and then the agency facilitator is there working thru it with us. Somebody must have been watching over us because I'm not sure we would have made it thru that without some divine intervention. It took several calls to the attorney, but someone eventually signed our form and we were the last family to clear customs.

The flight to HI was uneventful and the process thru immigration, while uneventful (THANK YOU GOD), took a couple of hours. We arrived at the hotel at 4:30am and were so tired we just all crawled into bed with our clothes on. While sitting in immigration, I realized that our stay in HI was for 2 nights. I'd been trying to figure out why we weren't getting home until Wednesday-duh! It's probably a good thing since we are all exhausted this morning.

Of course, if I wasn't so anxious to get home to family, I could stay here for a while. There is an internet connection in the room and water you can drink out of the tap-YEAH!!!


Me, Baby K, G and Merine


Our newest US Citizen


My girls