Musings of a Whimsical Realist

If all goes according to the usual time lines, we will be heading to China in ~6 weeks!  I awoke this morning to a fantastic surprise in my email box . . . our NVC (National Visa Center) letter!  This is the LAST piece of the puzzle stateside, and once it arrives in China, our Article 5 paperwork will be sent to the consulate there.  Once approved, it will be forwarded to the CCCWA (China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption).  They will issue our TA (Travel Approval).  It takes an estimated 4 weeks from Article 5 to TA and then we fly out about 2 weeks after that! On the funding front , we are an (estimated) $6,000 to fully funded!  More good news this week is that we moved on to the next stage of consideration for one of our grant applications and should find out in a couple of weeks.  Another grant should be denied or awarded by the end of the month.  That initial amount seems so daunting at the time, but where the Lord calls, He will provide (and expects us to do our part). 

This is horribly, terribly overdue!  I can’t believe how long it’s been since I blogged.  Over 2 months!  But enough of the lamenting . . . on to the good (and/or crazy) stuff! Part of the reason it has taken so long to get back to blogging is that my mom decided to shake things up in early July by taking a tumble 8-feet off of a ladder onto a concrete floor.  One ambulance ride, lots of bruises, a broken wrist, and two surgeries later, she is starting physical therapy and thankful it was “only” a wrist.  So I haven’t had the quiet of Nana and Grandpa Days to allow for blogging like usual . . . and this was NOT a case of only appreciating it when it was gone, so definitely glad she is on the mend!  On July 21st, we got our first grant ACCEPTANCE letter. $5,000!  Such a wonderful blessing and example of the Lord’s provision!  We are waiting to hear back on other grant applications, but we are ~$7,000 away from fully-funded! On July 22nd, we got to experience another blessing (and