Sheri and I spent the majority of the day travelling from Boise, ID to Washington, DC. Pretty uneventful, but a somewhat relaxing day as a couple. We did start by saying "We love you" to the kiddos and in-laws who graciously are taking care of each other over the next few weeks. Sheri's Dad was very kind to fix our broken kitchen faucet which we discovered last night.
We have been working this whole week to verify all the little parts of our travel: where are we staying in DC (Hyatt - Dulles Corner)? Will our bags be over 50 lbs each and cost an arm and a leg (47.5 lbs each)? On our second flight, would we actually be able to sit together or be separated by a row in middle seats (thanks to the very kind woman who took pity on us)? The biggest question that we asked about was the carriage of Sheri's CPAP machine and distilled water. We confirmed with Ethiopian Airlines that it does not count as a carry on, so long as Sheri had a note from her doctor. We got that covered. Now what to do about sterile, distilled water to take since we were not sure about a source in Rwanda.
Sheri found some this week, and put it all together in a bag to take with us to the airport (likely 100 lbs I estimate after carrying it). As we were going through security, she was called out individually so they could talk about the water. TSA (they were very nice and thorough) wanted to open each of the bottles and test each which would not allow Sheri to take them through security the next day. After a little bit of explaining and pleading, an alternative solution was devised: full-body pat down for Sheri. What I can say is that Sonja was very kind and appreciative of Sheri's willingness to do what was necessary. That being done we lugged everything to our gate and waited for our flight.
The next hurdle was that our plane was not at the gate by 15 minutes to departure time, and we were very concerned. Fortunately, it got there and we left a few minutes late for the first leg to Denver, CO. We made it the rest of the way with no problem.
We ate a leisurely dinner at 9pm in the lobby looking around to try and recognize anybody who might be travelling with us to Rwanda. We cannot wait to see everyone and get to see who our best friends are going to be for the next few weeks.
Please pray for our family at home that everything will go well and that our children will not terrorize their caregivers. Pray for my co-workers that they will have the fortitude and patience necessary to deal with what may come up. Pray for safe travel, health and a smooth adoption process for all involved. And as if you may not have enough on your plate, if you get a chance please pray that we will be a good witness in all that we do.
Very excited for the next 2/3 of our travel and arrival in Kigali.
Jeff
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