Dossier Where-a-bouts?

The paperwork that has consumed much of our life for the last 4 months, requiring several trips to multiple courthouses and Frankfort, has arrived in its final resting place. As of 8:06 am this morning, our dossier is in Ethiopia!

Part of us is in Ethiopia...I've never been so thrilled about the location of paper!

That's far. Real far.

Did you know that there is 7,595 miles between our house and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia? Unfortunately, I was unable to pull up directions on MapQuest.

Random. Welcome to my life.

Boy or Girl?

So, I liked having a little interactive blogging going on and since our I-171 has arrived, let's change the poll...

We are now basically at the point of waiting on a referral. Question is...will it be a boy or girl?? And yeah, we could potentially get a referral for two, but just to simplify things, let's just assume we are only getting one referral. Check out the sidebar and place your guess...I'm interested to see how this will turn out...and to clarify, we are open to either sex and haven't made a request one way or the other! So, VOTE!! ALL of you!

We met this evening with Susan (our link to Ethiopia right now!). We were supposed to be at a class all weekend that Susan was teaching...adoption education, but around 3:00 this afternoon, it appeared we were the only ones coming, so the class was cancelled. We were still able to meet and just chat for a little while about what is going on and the progress that we had made. I don't think I can say enough about how thrilled I am that we are now in the same city and state as our adoption agency. This gives me such a piece of mind that I didn't have before.

Now we have a "free" day tomorrow since I thought we were going to be in a class all day...why do I have this uneasy feeling that it will involve football? All...day...long... But Roll Tide!

The news you've all been waiting for...

Okay, so maybe not THE news, but you have to admit, now you are interested...

I pray almost everyday on the way home that our I-171 approval papers will be in our mailbox. I'm not really sure why I was so anxious to get this because I still feel like we will have a while before we will get a referral...I guess it's just a milestone of sorts, another step in the process. So, today, me and God were chatting and I threw out my normal request for my mailbox contents. You probably have figured out where this is going...we got our I-171 TODAY!!! Yea!!! (It took 51 days!) My favorite part is the top line..."It has been determined that you are able to furnish proper care to an orphan or orphans as defined by section 101 blah, blah, blah..." I'm glad we have been deemed appropriate parents by our great government...I feel honored [enter sarcasm].

So, all you yahoos that voted for October 16th or the end of October (a total of 60%) can split the $1000 Monopoly money prize...

And I checked on our dossier and it is making the rounds in DC this week. Our I-171 is on its way to Ethiopia and our dossier will hopefully be following next week.

Now we wait for the REAL news...

Virtually Tagged

I've been tagged. I've never been tagged before. You know, virtually tagged...I was the king of tag in elementary school...well, not really...I was a slow runner. I have actually been tagged twice, but I only chose one "list" so as to not bore you with random facts about myself.

Without further ado, 7 random things you may, or may not, know about me...

1. I took piano lessons for 3 years as a child. I could probably pick it up again pretty fast if I tried. I must publicly apologize to my mother for hating every second of those piano lessons...I really wish now that I could play. Sorry Mom. You were right, I was wrong. (How long have you waited for that??)

2. I have decided this week that I like hamburgers. For the majority of my life, I have refused to eat hamburgers, not out of a dislike of beef, but a dislike of the burger combination itself. I am turning over a new leaf...a hamburger-eating leaf. Hot dogs, mind you, are still strictly off limits.

3. I cannot stand to be in the same room as someone else who is brushing their teeth. As I have aged, I have learned to deal with this strange phobia in situations such as camp, retreats, marriage, etc when I must share a bathroom. But I still find it quite repulsive to listen to or watch someone else brush their teeth.

4. Kenny and I met in August 1999 and within a year I knew that this was who I was going to marry, despite the fact that we both dated other people during this time. Hey, I didn't say we were smart! (There was only a select handful of people...like maybe 2, who knew my secret.) On the other hand, it took Kenny no less than 3 years and 7 months to come to this conclusion and another 10 months to ask me. What was he waiting on?? :)

5. I was once hovered over by a rather large and ominous cow, while sun bathing at a desert hotel in New Mexico. I then received a painful skinned up knee and elbow after falling out of my chair when I realized that the shade I was enjoying was coming from a drooling dairy cow. (Note to New Mexico travelers: In parts of the state, they allow their animals to roam wild among those who are not used to dodging cow pies and chicken poop.)

6. I have no less than 15 holes in my left knee. And have had more staples and stitches than I care to count (all of which I have removed myself, not allowing a doctor or tech to remove them...I've done it so many times, one doctor even let me remove them at home and told me to give him a call if I had any trouble). I can not feel the flesh from my knee cap over and most of the way down my leg. My goal: a knee replacement by age 30. (Not really, it's just a joke...but as I get closer to 30, I often wonder...)

7. I cannot walk around my own house barefoot. Each foot must don socks or shoes before hitting the floor. Shoes are preferred since socks are still really close to being barefoot. Shoes or socks remain by the bed for when I first wake up...flip flops or crocs accompany me to the bathroom for immediate occupancy after a shower. For some strange reason, it is not as near a big deal to walk around someone else's house barefoot (although, socks are still preferred). My floors are clean. I know, I'm weird.

I'm tagging the following people. Please don't feel obligated to participate in this rousing game of virtual tag, but if you do, share with the world 7 random facts about yourself...

Jessica
Lauren
Nicole
Jaime
Kim

It's out of my hands.

Then again, has it ever actually been IN my hands...

I mailed our dossier (I just can't resist saying "dozer"!) to the Assistant Stork in Virginia yesterday...Hopefully, it will arrive there by Monday. They will do their thing in DC and it will be on it's way to Ethiopia towards the end of the week. All we can do now is pray that all the paperwork ends up in the right hands at the right time...

Is anyone else stressed out about this??

Four!

We walked through those church doors four years ago today, recently dubbed Mr. & Mrs., without a clue as to the path God would lead us down! We have learned lots (sarcasm = love in the Cook house!), cried lots (I wouldn't trade the trials we have faced for anything), and laughed lots (at each other, mostly).


And since it's been four fab years, here's the top four reasons to love Kenny...Okay, so there is like...13 reasons...but now I have a head start on year 13...And of course, this isn't all inclusive, just some of my favorites!

--Even when he snores (incredibly loudly), he looks cute!
--He rubs my back to put me to sleep at night...a necessary step if sleep is to be obtained before the snoring starts.
--He cleans the bathroom!
--He makes a mean pot of spaghetti with fun curly noodles...we are talking from scratch here, not Ragu!
--Although weird, it's cute that he has to have HIS pillowcase with him at all times. And I'm not joking when I say, ALL the time...just ask him...
--He is better than a can of Raid...killing most anything I need him to that has more legs than me.
--The way he helps me on Sunday mornings with the kids...not every man would give up conversation with adults to chase 2-year-olds and wipe snotty noses!
--Can we say dimples??!!
--He laughs with me at stupid things. (Now that I'm thinking about it, he laughs a lot AT me, too...)
--He takes care of me. When I don't feel good. When I feel fine. All the time.
--He kisses my forehead when I'm upset, making everything okay for the next few minutes...
--The way he prays for our family, provides for our family, loves Jesus, loves me...
--He's mine.

Can I get a collective "Awwwwww!"........?

Happy Four Years! I love you more!

Red and yellow, black and white...

I have bronchitis. And being banned from leaving the house by my "You need to rest to get well!" proclaiming husband, I am going a little stir crazy and have been left with far too much time on my hands. And it's only been one day! (Don't feel sorry for me...other than hacking up a lung, making me feel like I've done 1,437 sit-ups, I don't really feel that bad.) So, I've been perusing the internet...mostly reading/stalking random blogs of people who are or already have adopted. I am fascinated with other people's stories and how they went about each step in the process...My favorite part is always when they welcome the child home, of course, making me cry. And then cough again.

I've also been reading through the blog of Dr. Russell Moore, who is a professor at Southern and also a teaching pastor at our church, Highview Baptist. Dr. Moore and his wife have adopted two sons and are huge adoption advocates, even being mentioned in The Wall Street Journal! I came across a commentary that I have read before, but had not shared, titled Transracial Adoption, the Gospel, and You. I encourage you to read the article. Kenny and I realize that we are adopting a child that will have a different skin color than ours. You may (or may not) be surprised at the number of questions we get, regarding whether we realize this. (I'll spare you the sarcastic comments I would often like to respond with...) Our children will be black--100% chance of this. We are white--100% chance that this will not change. (I don't even tan well.) Doesn't change the fact that each child deserves to be loved by a mommy and a daddy, no matter the color.

I long for us (meaning, our generation and older) to look at each other through the eyes of a child. Many of our friends have children who are immersed in a culture that includes children and parents of different skin colors. For once, pretend you are 3-years-old and look past that smiling dark face to someone who is probably more like you than you realize. I hope that our children's best friends will make up a rainbow of colors...similar to what we will see in heaven...

...they are precious in His sight!

A clue...a clue!!!

Excuse the spoof on Blue's Clues...I'm really not even a fan. But I do have a hint for those of you who haven't voted yet in our little quiz over to the left...I made a trip today to the courthouse in downtown Louisville to make a change on our I-600a. (This is the form we are awaiting approval on...to receive our I-171.) Since changing agencies, our I-600a needed to reflect that change with the new agency name and address...and since neither Kenny or I could get anyone to listen to us over the phone, I just marched myself down there and took care of it!! I was able to get them to actually pull our chart and I physically made the change myself on the form. And the hint...they initially couldn't find our stuff (momentary panic setting in...), but eventually found it on the desk of the "approver". Meaning, they were actually working on it!!! (Panic gone, excitement takes over!!) So, I'm hoping we see that little I-171 grace our mailbox in the next week or so!

Deja vu! ...all over again.

Since we changed agencies, we added a couple of steps (very pain free, might I add) to our process and I had to make return trips to the county courthouse and to Frankfort to get some documents authenticated.

I would like to recount the conversation that I had with a sweet old lady at the county courthouse this morning...we'll call her Ethel. This conversation also voids the fact that I thought they knew what they were doing...

"May I help you, dear?"
"Yes ma'am, I need to get a few documents authenticated for an adoption."
"Huh? You need who?"
...noticing that Ms. Ethel is sporting hearing aids, I repeat myself, this time louder. At this point, Ms. Ethel cocks her head to one side, much like a confused puppy dog looking for a lost bone would, with a look of total confusion. I went on to explain further...
"I need to have the county clerk authenticate...sign a paper...for these papers that are notarized."
"Oh...well, I don't know how to do that."
She gave me a matter-of-fact look and I returned her gaze with my own dumbfounded look. In walks a sweet soul (we'll call her Abby) who helped me last time, who gave me a smile, kindly took my documents and told me, "I'll take care of that. Just give me 5 minutes." Ms. Ethel confides in me once Abby was out of ear shot..."I get confused with all these papers and I try not to do things and mess them up."

Well, that's one way to get out of doing your job!! Bless Ms. Ethel's heart...I would rather her not "mess" my papers up either!! :)


From the courthouse, I headed to the Secretary of State office in Frankfort. This time around, I had a little additional help. Faithful partner-in-crime, Nicole, was once again able to go with me and keep me company and her youngest one Emma, joined us as well (she thought we were actually going to get the kids today, so imagine her disappointment when all we did was get paperwork signed!). Don't you worry, Emma...I'm working hard to bring home your new friends!!


So, dossier paperwork is completed on my end and now I need to send it off to Washington D.C. I think...I think...that this is where we start really waiting...

Wet Dog Golf Scramble

Kenny and his co-workers hit the links early yesterday morning at Charlie Vettiner Golf Course. Once again, this awesome group of people got together on our behalf to help us raise support for the Cook Adoption Fund. We have been totally blown away by the generosity of our Summit Family and we are truly blessed that Kenny works with such great people! And while I appreciated their intentions and their support, I'm sure they actually had more fun playing golf and watching football afterwards! (Sorry, but Bama beat Kentucky!! I'm not gonna dwell on that though...I don't think it was a pretty win!)

FALL!

If I haven't mentioned it before, which I don't think I have THIS year...I LOVE fall!! The weather, the smells, the colors, the food...what more could you ask for! I could do with out the allergy crud...but I think I've found my new best friend: Zyrtec!! I think I would be okay if it was fall year-round! Makes me want to go camping...

More dark chocolate, you say??

Today we met with a wonderful lady named Susan, who is going to be our helper, our partner, our question-answerer (is that a word?) and help us bring home Baby Cook!! The main thing I am so thankful for after today, is just the ability to be able to sit down, face-to-face with who we will be working with through this journey. That would have never happened before we made our change, seeing as they were in South Carolina! We reviewed our dossier today and thankfully were only missing a few documents. On the other hand, we had done far more than we actually needed for some things...We will be ready though, no matter what they throw at us!! And we'll be making a second trip to Frankfort to get these forms authenticated...Oh, well...Road trip!!! If I had to guess, I would say I will probably have to drive back by Rebecca Ruth's Chocolate Cafe' while I'm there, where I will be forced to go in and buy more dark chocolate! (A side note: I'm 100% totally over the top in love with dark chocolate. Don't worry, it's a healthy addiction. My doctor told me so.)

So, what next? We continue to wait on our I-171...(Don't forget to vote--to the left!!) We will get the remainder of our dossier finished up and send it to the Assistant Stork (courier service--cute name, huh?) in DC where it will then be sent to Ethiopia!! Exciting! We also have to get in some education hours and will most likely be attending a training later in the month. Then, we put on our waiting hats and we learn to be patient!! I've always said I was a patient person...let's just hope that God doesn't decide to really test my theory!

I'm Letting Go

New favorite song for the week...So, it has a good, happy beat and makes me smile! If you will actually listen to the words...I think I'm making this the world of adoption's theme song...I'm Letting Go by Francesca Battistelli (She has a cool last name!)



My heart beats, standing on the edge
But my feet have finally left the ledge
Like an acrobat
There's no turning back

I'm letting go
Of the life I planned for me
And my dreams
Losing control
Of my destiny
Feels like I'm falling and that's what it's like to believe
So I'm letting go

This is a giant leap of faith
Trusting and trying to embrace
The fear of the unknown
Beyond my comfort zone

Giving in to your gravity
Knowing You are holding me
I'm not afraid

Feels like I'm falling and that's what it's like to believe
Feels like I'm falling and this is the life for me