Travel Plans are coming together

We have our flights booked

We leave Wed. Jan 4th

Gotcha Day is Jan 8-a Sunday

there will be 2 less orphans in the world!! Praise God!!!

Our Consulate Appt is not until Jan 19, and our flights home won't be until Sunday the 22nd.

our trip will be a bit longer than at first hoped for, but, we are soooo happy with the flights, the cost of them, and the connections, it all seems PERFECT!!!

Leaving from Madison this time-only a  1 1/2 hr drive, and getting in on Sunday at 4 pm-PLENTY of time to get home and spend time together our first night!! oh, how I look forward to that homecoming!! And a small airport, so we will be in and out of there in NO TIME!!!

We are flying United, our first trip overseas without flying a country-specific airline.

I am thinking it may be nice this time to have Americans around us all the time, and have food that we can handle.

Kendell is not a huge fan of "fancy" eating, so I hope she can get enough to eat while in Guiyang. From other ap's who have been there, not a lot of American food to be had-we may have to order room service a few times as even the KFC food is spicey we have heard. I will probably be packing a few more snacky foods than I first thought about-good ole peanut butter crackers or cheesey crackers always works in a pinch.

We are so thankful to all who helped us with our fundraising.

Between the tshirt sales and mail-in checks, we have enough for our in-country "living" expenses.

We are putting together our travel itinerary, so will post more info on our plans once that is nailed down-hopefully we will know more tomorrow.

We are nesting.

The house is being cleaned, we are re-organizing, finding bunk-beds for the girls' room, cleaning closets, stashing stuff that we don't need right now, and I am trying to imagine how it will look upon our arrival back home when Daddy has been in charge for 18 days!!!

I may hire someone to come in the last few days and do some major cleaning so we can come home and just CHILL for a few days and get adjusted!!!

Well, hoping for SOME sleep tonight-and more good news tomorrow

Blessings

Chris

Ta Da!!!!!! TA!!!!!

We are thrilled!

We are humbled!

We are delighted with the news that our daughters are coming home to us

in January!!!

We have our official TA-Travel Approval from China!!!

OH MY, the list of things to do!!!

BUT, keeping it all in perspective,

the best news is

Rosalyn Hannah Waughtal

and Lilianna Grace Waughtal

ARE COMING HOME!!!!!!

Delighting in His goodness, Honored to be busy about His work, and

Thrilled to be meeting them in about 2 weeks.

Although nothing is concrete at this time.

We are waiting for our ConsulateAppointment, and the whole trip works back from that date, which looks to be around Jan17-18.

tears of  joy, lots of Halleluah's, and grinning from ear to ear!!!

Rejoice with us

Kendell, you have 2 sisters, and they will be sharing your room by Jan 22, 2012:)

In Him,

One happy Mama and Baba

Emotions are running HI

and I'm not doing so well this weekend

another year older

a cold/sinus issue &

tears are coming pretty easy

&

another week goes by without TA

all I want for Christmas is our Travel Approval!!!

we are on day 9 of our TA wait

others have been getting them on day 8

yes, it's the weekend

it's always a weekend, or a holiday for our paperwork

I am feeling tied in knots

I am restless, anxious, and

I just want to go get my 2 girls and bring them HOME!!!

Finances are coming together, but we are still seeing some pretty big gaps in what is due and what we have on hand-

Maybe Monday.....

Blessings

Chris

Look at the view outside MY bedroom window

It was a picture perfect scene

4 horses

a beautiful sunny morning

golden leaves falling from the trees

they were running and playing and teasing one another

the frost was the thickest we had so far this year-it was so heavy, it looked like snow

I am thinking it is a beautiful reminder to take each day in stride,

to count our blessings, instead of looking for something to complain about

I was not sure I liked our valley when we first moved here-I only saw a bottom, and I am used to looking down from on top of the hills

BUT, who could not love a site like this,

with the sun shining over the hill, down into our little haven?

God is certainly tolerant of me and my list of likes and don't likes, and thankfully, He is in the business of changing our hearts to be more like His. I am seeing more beauty in this place He has placed us, and feeling more peace, and seeing His hand in our lives, and loving where He has us, for as long He keeps us here.

Blessings dear friends!

In Him

Chris

PS

I took these pictures a month ago, wrote this 3 weeks ago, but just had to have them posted-too pretty to pass up !!