Poor Paul

     Well, if you know anything about our adoption and how it has gone, then it shouldn't surprise you (or me. But it still did.) that we didn't get our first or second choice for a consulate appointment.   We are not traveling with the group leaving on the 27th of August.  So, we thought we were leaving on Sept 3.  HOWEVER, today we got to chose from 3 different flight options and the 3rd was not one of the choices.  So, OFFICIALLY, because we have already paid for it, (Why is it that when "they" ask us to something WE have to do it immediately!!!  But we have to wait and wait and wait for them to do something???) we are leaving Sept 4 and we will return on Sept 18.

   I am not complaining!  God has really been trying to teach me about how things are really out of my control.  He has a plan.  And, I believe He is always orchestrating things for my good!  I am pretty sure that we couldn't travel with a group because....  I think God is going to bump us up to first class all the way to China and all the way back.  What???  God has something good in store for us!!    I can't begin to tell you how great it feels to have a plan!  Yippee!!!  Now, the final thing we will receive is our inside China itinerary.  This will tell us the day we will receive Emme!

     Now, I have entitled this post Poor Paul because he has been waiting for about 4 years for THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY to play the University of Southern California.  It was hard for me to explain why, so I copied it from another site.  It says it perfectly!  I feel like I have heard these words verbatim MANY times.

Here we are, one month from the opening kickoff of the 2008-'09 College Football season. The preseason magazines are being released, camps are about to open, and everybody has their own opinion about the upcoming year. Heisman contenders, conference champs, and hypothetical BCS bids are being tossed around.

But through it all, there seems to be one consensus among all College Football fans: The Game of the Year (capitalized for extra effect) is Ohio State going out west to play USC on September 13.

In what will surely be a battle of two top five (possibly top three or top two, if the voters really get excited) teams, the big bad Buckeyes play longtime Pac-10 foe USC in a game of the two most prolific programs of the past decade.

Though these two teams haven't played each other in 18 years, they do have a nice little rivalry through the years, with USC leading the series 11-9-1. Both teams are loaded for the '08 season, and whoever wins will surely have the inside track to the National Championship.

Any way you look at it (and trust me, there are many different angles from which to digest this matchup), this is College Football's most important game of the year. As for the reigning Pac-10 champs, who have Oregon and Arizona State at home (though in back-to-back weeks), it can be said with confidence that this is the Trojans' most important game of the year.

     So, technically, he has been waiting longer for this game than he has for our adoption  No question about which he ranks in importance.  But, I do understand and sympathize with him.  I was having a fit when I thought I might have to miss the American Idol concert.  I was going to see it SOMEWHERE if I missed it back in July.  The game, yes, I know he can see it taped, but we all know that's not the same!  Saturday night, September 13, at 8pm, we will probably be in Nanning or Guangzhou.  In Nanning or in Guangzhou, 8pm USA time will be 8am, China time.  Paul will get up early and hunt down a place to watch the game.  It should be interesting!!! :-)  But, even if he doesn't find it, we will have Emme.  And, that's all that really matters!

P.S  Brutus Buckeye's sister is a manager at our pool!!:-)