Fingerprint "Challenged"

Yesterday, we went to have our fingerprints taken (again)--this time for the FBI clearance. By my count, this is the 5th time we've been fingerprinted since we began this journey. And I have a sneaking feeling it won't be the last.

Anyway, to explain. We had made an appointment at the Police Station in Springfield to have this done. They do the prints onto the card, and then you mail them to the FBI for processing. And of course, you pay for both services.

We got to the police station early, which was kind of good because there was almost no place to park. We ended up parking about a block away and walking. We were still early, but that was also good, because they went ahead and got us in (some other person had missed their appointment). Steve's were great--in fact, the technician told him he had perfect fingerprints. Mine were a different story. She did most of mine three to four times, and said, "well, I hope this is good enough." Apparently I have "fingerprint problems" :-( and I had been drinking huge amounts of water AND used moisturizer. I'm just hopeful now that the FBI will accept them!

The coolest part was that the technician who did our prints has a niece who was adopted from Russia--so she was very positive about the whole process, and was very patient with me and my fingerprint challenge. Amazing how God brings blessings into even the most frustrating of situations!

Another Food-related Post...

Ok, I'm wiped out at the moment, so I'll try to make this quick.

Every year, our little town has what they call the "Fall Festival." It starts this Thursday and goes through Sunday.

One of the things that our youth at the church have done to raise money in the past is hold a cake walk or bake walk.

Today, my friend Torre and I helped out the youth kiddos by baking something like 10 cake mixes into cupcakes---we had something in the neighborhood of 12 dozen cupcakes. Plus we baked 2 sheet cakes. And I have 2 more to bake tomorrow, plus a bunch of brownies.

I never thought that I could ever, ever be sick of cake---but I really am right now. And on top of this, Thursday night I volunteered to work in the funnel cake booth.

We were so over sugared, that we decided to go out for dinner. Big mistake. Smothered chicken and loaded mashed potates. Part of why I am wiped out I am sure is that I feel like a big stuffed slug.....

Please don't call me cupcake.....

(Oh, and Kristine if you're reading this...I promise to be better starting tomorrow!)

Warning...do not go see this movie on an empty stomach!

So, we went last night to see Julie and Julia. I was really excited, since I've read Julie Powell's book (which is not, in my opinion, a great book, but it is fun) and I'm about half-way through Julia Child's autobiography. Let me first say that the movie is very funny, heartwarming, and very well done--in many ways, and that Meryl Streep's Julia Child is just too good for words.

However, we left kind of in a rush, and didn't eat before the 7:00 movie. Then, we didn't even get popcorn at the theater (well, I'm not supposed to eat it because of my braces, so I was trying to be good). Um....perhaps it slipped our minds that this whole movie was going to be about FOOD? Gorgeous food, for the most part, and talk about buying food and cooking food and eating food....By the time the movie was over, we were STARVING. I looked at Steve and asked, "so now what do you want to do?" and he said, "EAT!"

So, we zipped over to Olive Garden...we were almost the last people in there, but we did feast upon soup and salad and pasta and dessertage (we did split the dessert. So there, Jenny Craig!) It was yummy.

Just to bring everybody up to where we are adoption-wise:

Plane tickets are purchased, apartment is booked for the two nights in Moscow through Peace Travel, and visa applications were mailed yesterday. On Tuesday we have to go have our fingerprints done for the FBI check. Then about August 20 we have our physcials here.

My sis (Princess Susan) came over this last week and began to paint on the nursery walls. we now have the beginnings of a beautiful tree with a sweet bird on two walls. I'll post pictures when it is closer to finished.

So help me out, all you veteran moms and dads out there---is there something ELSE that I should be doing? Have I forgotten something important? I feel like I am missing SOMETHING!

Much love to all of you!

C