35 Hours Later...

Well, Jack Bauer’s got nothing on us. After one LONG day (or so), we are finally here in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia! It is all very surreal and the journey is a bit of a blur, but truly it was one we won’t soon forget.

Too make a long story short, our travel started off with a serious bang. We arrived to Knoxville Airport in plenty of time to check our bags and make our flight…or so we thought. One computer open for MANY people checking in on a holiday weekend…and that one person running that one computer being on his first day on the job, does not make for a good situation. So, we missed our first flight! Thankfully, we were scheduled for a 13 hour layover in DC. Sightseeing however went out the window when we found out that every flight that made sense for us to take to DC was completely overbooked. So we ended up taking a 9am flight to Denver only to get off at Denver and have 18 solid minutes to get back on the plane and head back across the country to DC. Yep. That’s what we did. AND THEN we got off the plane in DC and had about 2 hours to then get BACK on for what was a LONG 17 hour journey here to Addis, where we got off the plane and then stood in line for 2 hours to get through immigration. Whoo!

HOWEVER, there were lots of cool parts to the trip. Firstly, I was with my husband the first time he ever rode on a REAL plane. I thought his eyes might pop out of his head when the 747 started its engine for take off. Secondly, we refueled in Rome and spent about an hour there. And although we didn’t get off of the plane, we could still look out and see the ocean. While we were waiting, they opened the doors to the plane and literally the breeze from the ocean rushed through the plane for about 45 minutes. After 8 hrs of stuffy air in a plane crowded with about 275 people, it was pure heaven. I’m thinkin 10 year anniversary = a Roman holiday!  Lastly, we met some really neat people from all over the US and the world on our myriad of flights. I have decided after that final flight that Ethiopian people are just plain beautiful, not to mention so helpful and kind. The woman I sat next to was so completely preoccupied with trying to make sure I was comfortable that I am not sure she slept much for herself.

Thank you all for your prayers as we traveled yesterday (and a little before that), they were very felt, we are so grateful and hope you will continue to pray for us over the next week.

On a final note, and perhaps the most exciting, TODAY is the day that we meet our sweet Silas. Last night I unpacked his little things and put them in the drawers of our room (our hotel is very nice), and was in complete disbelief that he would actually be WEARING this stuff in less than 24 hours! So please, keep reading and following and leave us your comments. We are 7 hours ahead of EST here. I will do my best to post pictures after the big events of today. The internet access is currently limited to one computer in the hotel lobby. This morning we meet Silas, then we will spend the morning at Hannah’s Hope and then the afternoon here at the hotel. Then this evening we are headed out for a cultural dinner with the whole group of 7 other families who are also picking up their children. Already, we have bonded with two of the couples as they were on our flight with us. There are all kinds of strange connections there as well. God is big. To all of you who have been a part of this journey, whether through financial support or prayer, we carry you with us today as we meet our boy. Thank you just isn’t enough.

More to come! Love you all!