Eight days and counting...

We leave a week from tomorrow. Two years after adopting Tucker, we're finally going back to Tchuchinsk to adopt the little girl we met then. We'll call her Mia.

Our house is a whirlwind of to-do lists. The blackboard in our dining room is full of things to do. Creating this blog removes one item from the list that seems to grow faster than it can be shortened.

While in Kaz, we hope to keep in constant contact with friends and family all over the world, mostly through this blog. Phone calls will be few, and emails tend to proliferate. The blog's the way to go.

I must say that at this point, it's hard for me to enjoy the trip yet. Last time around, it was all a big adventure and we had no idea what we were in for. This time, we're more experienced, but it's hard for me to see the trip as anything more than a mission to be accomplished and a great experience for Tucker. I'm not into it yet. I think that will change as we get closer and the to-do list shrinks, or perhaps as I realize that inevitably I will never get everything done and the trip is going to happen anyway. I look forward to that day of liberation.

Mike