FINALLY -- an update!

Finally a moment to sit down and give you a quick update after almost a month! We do not have internet access at our home (long frustrating story) so I haven't had a chance to post an update. We have found the local library has free "wireless" internet, and we spend several hours a few times a week there!

Oh where do I begin to update you . . . On May 5th, our "household goods" arrived in Kansas as did Bryant! What a great way to spend my birthday! The movers were awesome and had the truck unloaded in about 5 hours. So far nothing has been broken! Yeah! That is a first for a Butler USMC move! My parents came to Kansas on May 7. We put them to work right away -- unpacking boxes, putting down shelf paper, hanging blinds, etc., etc. By the time they headed back to SC on May 12, we were weeks ahead of where we usually are in a move. THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!!

We are loving life in Kansas. The slower pace is much more to our liking! The people here are so nice and friendly (I think the slower pace means people are less stressed out and therefore happier!) We enjoy the chance to get out and explore the area every now and then. It really is a beautiful area.

When my parents were here, we discovered that the minister at First Presbyterian Church in Leavenworth is a friend of theirs. Ron VanSchenkhof was in South Carolina for a few years. We have enjoyed Sunday services there and getting to know the members. Ron's wife Carol has recruited us to volunteer at a place called Kid's Connection. It's a place K - 8th graders can come in the afternoons to play, to do crafts, to work on computers, to do homework, etc. We had fun with the kids and look forward to going back soon.

We are still waiting on information from South Carolina on where things stand with regards to the adoption of Marcus. We are getting his room all ready here in Kansas and hope to hear some positive news soon. We want to plan a trip to SC in June, and are trying to plan around whatever we may need to do for that process. We know it will be worth all the hassle in the end. We just wish that the interest of the child was the focus of the "system". It's heartbreaking to see how adults make poor decisions that create problems. We are just so grateful that Marcus is in a loving home with an amazing family. We are very anxious to bring him home with us soon!