But until we entered the games, I had no idea how grueling it could be. We don't get to spend 4yrs. "training" for our events; we simply qualify by having a heart for orphans and obeying the calling God has spoken into our lives. The great part about that is that The Adoption Olympics are open to a wide variety of participants unlike the Olympics that only allow the top 1% of athletes to qualify. I thank God that from the beginning of His Creation that He's been willing to allow us out-of-shape, non-cream of the crop type people to be used by Him in some of the most amazing, "Give God the Glory" types of life events.
So, since the Olympics we just watched on TV gave medals to the participants in certain events, I'd like to give out some as well, although there are MANY, many events not represented in this post!!
We'll start with the Bronze Medal. This medal is being awarded in the "Patience With Lines and other Red Tape Delays" event. I can't give myself more than a bronze in this category because I found myself muttering in the lines and thinking not-so-life-giving thoughts whenever someone else's mistakes caused delays in completing forms. I know there are a lot of you out there who would win the Gold medal in this event so I will humbly allow your anthem to be played at the medal ceremony. :)
I'm awarding myself the Silver Medal in the "Parallel Parking While Taking Forms Downtown" event. I've proven that I can park my extended length Expedition...
...into spots no larger than this one. I even did it once in the rain!!! (Almost gave myself the Gold for that one but that prize is being reserved for the next event so read on!)
Anyone in the adoption world knows that the Gold Medal has to be given to ALL of us in the "Paperwork Completion" event. ( I've said it from the beginning that if we had to go through this much paperwork just to birth a baby...there would be no orphans!) So, let's mount the platform together and accept our "crown" that we will one day lay at our Father's Feet, and join each other in singing whatever hymn, song, or prayer that has helped get you to this point. (Mine would be a medley of "It's me, it's me, it's me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer!", 'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus", and "The Chicken Dance"--yes, they will be playing this in heaven. ha ha)
By the way, this beautiful display of apostilled documents is still 10 (yes I said 10) documents short of what will eventually become our dossier!!! Like I said...grueling!!! What other events would you add to the Games???
By the way, this beautiful display of apostilled documents is still 10 (yes I said 10) documents short of what will eventually become our dossier!!! Like I said...grueling!!! What other events would you add to the Games???
HIlarious!
ReplyDeleteThough you are definitely cream of the crop in my book!
-- Meg D.
You get a GOLD in the creative writing competition as well!!! Look at all those GOLD seals on those documents-did I count 24? WOW, you definitely deserve some sort of prize for all the work you have put into these Olympic Games---oh yeah, you will have the PRIZE=NADIA!
ReplyDeleteWOOHOO , you are that much closer!!! You go you AdoptionStar!!
Hahahahaha. You totally deserved all those awards!!! Wow that space sure is tiny!!! Welll, all the paperwork left to do will soooooo be worth it in the long run!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, what would I add, hmm, I have no idea! You are very creative to think of those ideas (i wouldve never thought of that)!
One more thing..... again! Not sure why it says I posted that comment at 3:09,(cause i wouldve been at practice) cause I posted it at 6:09! Bye!
ReplyDeleteYes, you win the award for the most creative way to look at the paper preqnancy that is Adoption! Btw, I would like to see the video slow-mo of that parking job. Just wait til Nadia arrives and you are juggling life as a mom of 4...then the real games begin:)
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Lis
Just think you'll begin come an adoption paperwork coach soon too. For all the guidance you have offered so far and all that you will (hopefully) continue to give. I think you deserve a gold medal for that as well.
ReplyDeleteYou also get a huge gold star for your taste in the cutest outfits ever!!
Ha ha! you're right! It's ridiculous how much you have to go through, but in the end it's such an awesome feeling when it's all complete and sent off....it's a huge accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteOf course, then you start the next phase of the journey, and the end result of that is even better!
Jodi
Hahahaha---you are toooooo funny!!!!
ReplyDeleteThat is just what a needed to read tonight. Thank you for the chuckle!
Ten more? Is that ALL????? Let me guess--you actually already did those ten, but now all you need to do is redo the darn things just one more time each???
Biggest hugs
I award you Gold Medals for faithfulness, for friendship and for focus. Wherever we finish, we will stand on top of the podium together :)!!
ReplyDeletep.s. We have the same car! And there is no way I could parallel park it in a tight space downtown :). I am impressed!
heeheee...that was so funny! I agree with other comments that you get a gold for creative writing. And your other 10 documents...are they false start's (OTHER PEOPLE's false starts...ugh)?
ReplyDeleteThere has to be a way to get my favorite--curling--in there. :) I was dying laughing at the parallel parking one. How about an event for our husbands? One time mine had to walk blocks and blocks through pouring rain in Chicago to deliver our paperwork to the Chinese Consulate, only to find they wouldn't accept his method of payment, so he had to go get a cashier's check and come back. Oh...and it was a timed event because it was 1:35 when he found out about the payment problem and the consulate closes at 2PM. He made it by 2 minutes, which is plenty of time if you consider that the difference between a gold and silver medal is sometimes one, one hundredths of a second. :)
And how about a relay? I remember times that my husband was in Chicago working--I was in Indiana collecting documents. He would meet me halfway, where I would hand off the documents and he would hand deliver it to the consulate--or wherever it had to go in Chicago.
And let's not forget fingerprinting, shall we? Especially for those of us who have a poorly trained person processing them. And weeks later, you get a letter in the mail saying that you need to drive 2 hours back to have them redone. So you take a friend because your husband can't miss another day of work and the fingerprint office location is uh...not safe. Two weeks later you get another letter saying that your fingerprints were still unreadable (even though they were perfectly FINE the year before when you were adopting). You are formally requested to appear in Chicago at the USCIS office to do a sworn statement. Woowee...isn't that fun?
And then some person tells you that adopting a child is 'so easy' compared to being pregnant and you resist the urge to lop off their head. :)
wow mom im impressed i didnt know you had that kind of sense of humor. just kidding i knew that. mostly because of the times youve done "funny" things to me. like the time when you threw cold water in to the shower while i was in there. also when it was my birthday and you said, " Here allen i got you a birth day drink and brought me over a cup. i looked in and was dissapointed to fin 2 squirming cockroaches that you had found in the bathroom.
ReplyDeleteHi Kristin, my name is Michele and I've just popped on RR to see the excited families soon to adopt. I live in Raleigh and adopted a beautiful little girl who is Deaf, from Ukraine. We arrived home the day after Thanksgiving this past year. I am so excited for your journey and as I posted to Chris, you are in the BEST hands. May God Bless this awesome time in your lives.
ReplyDeleteMichele Mastroianni
walkingbyfaithadoptionjourney.blogspot.com
I love this, so funny!!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh! You may just be in the running for the most awards ever in the Adoption Olympics! Move over Michael Phelps...here comes Kristin!!!
ReplyDelete