Open

Things have been quiet on the blogfront here, but that’s because there has been a happy storm brewing in the Ruopoli house!

We have been told that we should be leaving for Kazakhstan within 3-4 weeks!!!

Yes, this is a little sooner than expected, but we were told on Monday that babies in our requested age range won’t be off the Aqtobe registry until this summer. (I was prepared to hear this because I had read hints of it on another blog weeks ago.) So Frank and I did some soul searching and some research, and we decided to expand our parameters and go meet the children who are available now at the baby house.

There were a lot of unusual factors going into this decision. We took our time making it, and we both have a really good feeling about this unexpected twist! We do have a safety net in case none of the available children are right for us; Little Miracles can transfer us to another region if necessary. But of course we don’t want to do that, and it is not our intention. That would mean more time and more expenses – financial, emotional and physical – with still no guarantees. Certainly not something we want to put ourselves through.

We're growing more excited with each passing day! The morning after we made our decision I opened an e-mail from my blogger friend, Susan. She said that she dreamed we were going to arrive in Kaz on April 24th. That date might be a little early, but you never know ... Susan just might have her mojo working! She said that in her dream we actually went to her house in Florida and Andrea met us there (from Chicago) to drive us to the airport, and I packed only 3 outfits. I’m not sure which is more far-fetched, a rendezvous in Florida or me taking only 3 outfits!

So that’s the story, morning glories. Line up now for tickets to "Adventures with Frank and Regina." It’ll only cost you a few mouse clicks and a few minutes a day. Step right up and see two ordinary human beings enter the surreal and unpredictable final phase of Kazakhstan adoption. See if they can employ superhuman strength, astounding patience and dogged determination, like all the families who've gone before them...

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Dear Habibi,

The Word of the Day is: Open

Say it with me… Oh–pen!

It’s a beautiful word, isn’t it? So positive, promising and full of possibilities. It flows from the mouths of optimists and believers. It creates a bridge to many exciting other universes. It lets you hop aboard life’s most exhilarating joy rides and see the world through many colors of glasses, including the crystal clear ones.

Open is a close relative of Yes, and Beauty and Hope and also of Love. They often hang out together, and conspire on all sorts of creative projects designed to bring about good things.

I hope you say this word often during your lifetime, and that it is a true reflection of your heart and spirit. Openness has immense power to topple the walls in your mind and allow the full realm of possibilities to be revealed.