Whirlwind....

(Jon writing)

I just looked in and realized it has been almost a week since we've written.  We've been so busy getting everything ready for our trip on Saturday, it's been a huge whirlwind around the house.  Cleaning, getting things for Chelsea ready for her time with Grandma and Pop Pop, getting our own ducks in a row for our trip. 

On one hand - I'm so excited I can't see straight.  On the other hand, I'm nervous.  Not nervous to meet him really, or to travel (I've traveled internationally before).  Nervous to see the conditions of his orphanage.  Afraid to stare the truth in the face - that he is staying in a bad, bad place.  It's one thing to know it, read about it, see pictures of it.  It's quite another to have the sights, sounds, and smells staring you right in the face.

I'm really interested to actually see Bulgaria, to take in my future son's native culture.  To learn about the people, the cities I will be in.  These are things I'm going to have to tell him about when he's older, since it's doubtful he'll have too many memories of them when he's older...especially since it's not like he actually gets to see much other than the white walls of the orphanage 24/7.  At least until we can take him on a trip back to Bulgaria when he's older - that's one of those future memories I think I'm looking forward to.  Being able to share his native culture with him first hand, giving him the chance to experience it.

Hopefully the internet will be cooperative when we're there, so we can share pictures stories, and recaps of our experiences as they happen.  Not only for the benefit of the readers of this blog, but for our own memories and so we can share them with him some day.

In 48 hours I'll be on a shuttle van to JFK airport.  And until then, the whirlwind will continue.  Jenn's got a school paper to finish writing, we still have a little more house cleaning to do, and oh by the way we have to pack a week's worth of clothes, along with some toys and a couple of other misc. adoption related things.

Pray for our sanity! :)