22 Days...

If all goes according as planned we will be meeting Sterling in 22 days...WOW...it is a little surreal and even just typing it I get teary.


My school is an Arts Integration school. We've had trainings and workshops since we opened up on how to integrate the arts into our classrooms. One of the activities we do we call "Pictures Alive." Essentially, we have a giant picture frame (just the wooden frame!) and we ask a student to, for lack of a better phrase, strike a pose based on whom we want them to be. For example, if we are studying George Washington we might ask them to consider what Washington may have been looking/acting like during say, the crossing of the Delaware. They hold up the picture frame and take their pose, but they have to be able to defend the pose as well. Once they have this tableau (frozen picture) perfected, we ask them to come alive. To do so, they step through the picture frame and...VOILA...they become the person. From there they must ACT like the person, stay in character, be able to answer questions, etc...On the way home from work today I realized that this is what is happening to me.


For us, Sterling HAS ALWAYS BEEN JUST A PICTURE. In 22 days - he is going to step through that picture frame and become our little boy. Attached to that are a lot of emotions on my part: excitement, fear, stress, worry, and what I have dubbed "fear-citement." It's an emotion I have never felt before. It fills me with joy and sheer panic at the same time. I'm sure anyone who has adopted or given birth knows the feeling. It is undefinable. If you know me, you know I am NOT a cryer...but I find myself on the verge of tears all the time now. It's interesting and scary all at the same time. It's "fear-citement!"


So, for those of you who didn't stop to count it out on a calendar, our appointment is Monday, September 19th at noon. That means we will be leaving for Eastern Europe sometime the week before. We have to chat with each other, talk to Eldon and look at some stuff on our own before we decide exactly which day to leave. I've had two amazing friends offer to let us stay with them in England for a day or two (thanks Sarah and Tracey!) if we would like. Again, this is all stuff we need to sit down and work out - quickly.


For those of you who pray, please continue to do so. Pray for safe travels. Pray that our meetings go well. Pray that Sterling's heart is opened to us. Pray for peace of mind for us and for strength for us and our families.


We have fallen in love with a little boy in a picture. We can't wait for him to step out of that picture and be ours forever!