V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

HELLO!!!

I can't apologize enough for my absence, but I was on vacation all last week. :-)
I know, I totally disappeared without any notice, but hopefully I didn't lose any readers because of it.
Please, as if. ;-)

How is everyone?!?!
Jim and I had a great week at home, doing all sorts of stuff around the house (finally finishing the nursery) but managing to enjoy the time away from work as well.

During the week we each met individually with our case worker and both of our meetings went VERY well. She told us that our family profile (that 63 page thing I MAY have mentioned once or twice?!?!?) was the best profile she's ever received (not to mention the longest) and as a result, our meetings with her were super-quick and a complete breeze to get through. She was amazed at how well-written it was and at one point she said to us "You can tell that you guys are really in love." How nice was that?!?!?

We're meeting with her tomorrow night for our final visit. At that point, we'll go over the final 'safety check' of the house, discuss the list of characteristics (what we're 'looking for' in a child), and give her our final list of references. Once that meeting is completed, we just wait for our references to do their job (they have a one page form that needs to be completed) and for our case worker to complete the home study document.
She'll write it up and once we approve it, it's sent to her boss for approval. Once her boss approves it, we are officially "in the system" and could get a call at any moment.
I got my 'official' clearance at work, so once we get the call, all I have to do is talk to HR and let them know when my time off will begin.
We're so close to the end of the process it's crazy. I keep reminding myself that just because we're getting to the end of the 'official' business part (paper work, meetings, etc.) it doesn't mean that we're handed a child as soon as everything is signed and dated. Yes, we certainly COULD be placed right away, but we could also be in for a long wait.
We'll just have to wait and see....and be ready for anything. :-)

On a totally different note - RENT rehearsals are going very well. We've touched on everything in the show (musically) and we just have to put it on it's feet. I think it's going to be really great. Even though there will be a few rough patches along the way, it'll be excellent.
It's always craziness the first time you try and move around on stage and sing at the same time. Everything sounds amazing when we're sitting down and singing, but take away the scripts and ask us to move and sing at the same time? We suddenly turn into bumbling idiots with who can't remember a single thing. However, it all comes back eventually and that's when things REALLY get exciting.
We've still got about two weeks of rehearsal and then we're into tech week, so that is PLENTY of time.
I'll be sure you keep you all posted.

Well, my friends...it's time for me to catch up on all your blogs....and I can't WAIT!!

Happy Monday!!

xoxo