Follow the yellow brick road. . .

On Monday April 27, I left Oceanside, CA to head to Leavenworth, KS. I waited until the first of the movers arrived to start packing up the house in CA! My dear, wonderful friend Nori was so great to offer to ride with me to Kansas! I don't know what I would have done without her!

We made great progress each day. I have to admit that I was a little out of my comfort zone because I didn't make any advance reservations for hotels! I had researched the route and logical places to stop each night, and it worked perfectly! I guess I have learned some travel tips from my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Joe! On Monday, we put in about 700 miles and made it to Green River, Utah. Then on Tuesday, we drove another 700 miles to Hays, Kansas. The drive on Tuesday was amazing! We took I-70 East through the Rocky Mountains! AMAZING! Truly witnessed God's handiwork. It was breath-taking! Today, we finished up the trip with 250 miles into Leavenworth! Today was the only day we hit "not-so-great" weather with some rain for the last hour of driving.

While Nori and I were making our way east, Bryant was handling the packing of the house. I figured after doing 5 moves on my own, it was his turn -- ha, ha! I think he understands now some of the reasons I am always so stressed out during a move! The good news is that the truck was loaded today and should arrive in Kansas on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week! Bryant should be able to leave CA on Saturday morning and be here on Monday night! I can't wait for him to arrive and to start getting settled into our new home!

We do have some good news to report on the adoption process! The final hearing to terminate the rights of Marcus' birth father took place on Monday. So in a few short weeks, he will be "free and clear". We still have to get through some "interstate compact" procedures. We'll keep you posted.

Our WONDERFUL friends in California threw us a "toddler shower" last Saturday. I still am so overwhelmed that they thought to do that. We are so blessed!! Marcus certainly will be the best dressed little boy in Kansas and will have a lot of fun toys and books!

Catching up!

Sorry for the lull in posts! The past few weeks have been super busy for both of us as we prepare to leave California to head to Kansas. On Friday April 3, the Officers of 1/11 gathered for a "Hail and Farewell" (for our civilian friends, this is a social gather where a unit welcomes new Marines and says farewell to Marines leaving the unit). Since Bryant will be leaving soon, they took the time to "farewell" him and presented him with a plaque. Then I was surprised with a gift too! The batteries each had submitted a gift (like photographs, a sweatshirt, a unit coin, etc) and they were placed into a "primer box" that had been refinished. On top of the box is a cannon, the battalion coin and a plaque with some very kind words. I was truly overwhelmed! It was a very touching act and a gift that means more to me than they will ever know.

Bryant headed out to the "field" at Camp Pendleton with the battalion one last time on April 6 for a few days. I headed to South Carolina on April 7! Bryant joined me on April 15th. We've enjoyed spending time with Marcus -- building bonds and getting to know him better! We met with his Adoption Case Worker and were formally presented his "background". We still have some waiting as a final court hearing is scheduled for April 27th and then we have to get Kansas to approve us! Then Kansas and SC have some procedures to work through. We are hopeful that the road ahead will be smooth and we can bring Marcus home with us very soon!

On April 18th we enjoyed a fun filled day celebrating the marriage of Bryant's sister Tracey to Mr. Randall Soper. We spent the weekend in Columbia and had an amazing time with family and friends. The wedding was beautiful!! We are so happy for the newlyweds and glad to "officially" welcome Randy to the family.

We have a couple of days left in the Carolinas to spend with Marcus and family in Clinton and in Fort Mill. Then we head back to CA on the 22nd. Just in time to start getting ready for the movers to arrive on April 27th! Stay tuned for updates as we make our separate treks across the country and get settled in our new home!