Welcome Back!

We are in Poland!!!!!  Yes, we are in Poland!!!!  It all happened so quickly, let me recount to you the last few days. 

It is Wednesday September 10, 2014.  I am sitting discussing lunch options with one of my best friends and coworkers.  When my cell rings I notice it is our adoption agency.  I figure it is probably a problem with paperwork or maybe, just maybe, it is the call to come get our little girl.  The lady from our agency gave us the best news that we can go get our daughter.  But, we had to be there on Sunday.  Yep, Sunday, September 14, 2014.  Wait....WHAT!! I must have repeated "this Sunday" at least six times back to the agency.  You want us to be in Poland in 4 days!!!! That means we had to leave no latter than Saturday.  Oh My!  How am I going to get everything in place to leave the country in just 3 days.  I quickly called my husband, who had the same response and then called our families (each one had the same response). 

I start panic mode.  Must buy plane tickets, must go to store, must find pet sitter, and so the list making started.  First, got to get the plane tickets.  I called my faithful adoption travel agent, Golden Rule Travel.  We love them!  They are easy to work with and have always gotten us good prices on our flights.  As I am explaining the trip to the travel agent he is looking at the flight schedules.  "Mrs. Brady, all the Saturday flights are booked.  You will need to leave on Friday to make it there by Sunday". " ***Deep Breath***, OK, we can leave on Friday." So now, we are leaving for Poland on Friday afternoon.  That will give me 1 full day of preparation.  ONE DAY!!!!  There is no way this would have worked except that we have amazing friends and family.  They helped us pack, make travel arrangements, get the house ready, and million other things that made this trip possible.

So, it doesn't end there.  We are old pro's at this Poland adoption thing.  We wanted to stay in the same apartments as before.  We like "our" apartments.  We knew were the grocery store was, were the mall was, and were playgrounds were.  With adoptions from Poland you spend the first part of your trip " in region". Basically, you are staying near where your child is from.  Then the second part of the trip you travel to Warsaw and stay there to finish up everything.  So at this point we are arriving in Poland on Saturday. But, we find out on Thursday that our first apartment won't be available until Sunday.  Now I have to find a hotel for Saturday night.  I know what hotel chains I like to stay at, but that all goes out the window when you are looking at hotels in a foreign country.  So, after reading reviews and looking at pictures, and discussing this my coworker/best friend, I decided on one.  My stomach was in complete knots. 

Some how, some way, we made it on the plane and we are now in Poland.  We have settled into our apartment and are getting into our routine.