T-49 Days and Counting...

Our "To Do" list is getting shorter by the day, and we have just a few more pieces to put into place for our trip on June 10 back to India.  Last week we received approval for our medical visas, and they arrived safely back home along with our passports.  Tomorrow we head to the bank to send an initial payment to get the pre-arrival treatment started.  The balance is due on May 10; so we have a few more weeks before we're poor.  :-)  Carrie has her last major appointment this week for her saline ultrasound to check and see if her tubes are blocked.  So long as there's no problem there, we will go ahead and purchase tickets within the week.  It'll be such a relief to have that last part finished.  Even though I dislike having to pay about 50% more for tickets this year (for some mysterious reason), there is some level of security that comes with knowing you not only have a way to get where you're going AND a place to stay while you're there.  Plus, this year I went ahead and paid the extra to include breakfast.  That was the best part of the stay last year at the Hilton.  Everyone came in and would meet up at breakfast to look at new babies, talk about the latest in exit paperwork, and discuss the others who had come before us in the process.  All in all, it was the highlight of the day.  Oh, and did I fail to mention the fresh mango that was in peak season???  YUM!

In my mind, I am trying hard to both think positive about the end result from this trip AND block the memory of it being so hot that my shoes melted on the pavement...in the shade...outside of an air-conditioned store. 

So, positive thinking, forward progress, and patience...those are the items on the "to do" list for this week.

How much more???

We had no idea that our day would end in a household of just 3 when we took our little Sallie to the vet for what we thought was just a minor problem.  Neither of us could believe what was happening when she declined so quickly on the exam table.  When we found the extent of the problem, the choices were bad and worse.  Knowing she might not survive the treatment, and having both been present in that last moment before grandparents have passed - we knew what we were seeing in her was one last pleading for help to end the misery.  We just had no idea.  We had expected to come home with her.  But tonight, our halls are a lot quieter, our hearts are breaking, and we keep asking how much more can we take. 

She might have been a cat, but to us she was our child.  We loved her and miss her terribly. 

Sallie and Spike

Plan, Wait, Plan, Wait, Plan, Wait...

Yesterday, I found a pretty good deal on Hotels.com for the Hilton New Garden Inn.  I had a good experience there last year because of the tight security, the friendly and helpful staff, and the ease of access to the mall area (which also has security in place).  The only thing I did differently this year was to book the package with the breakfast included.  It's funny to me that I could find a room cheaper with Hotels.com than I could with the specials that HiltonHonors was offering me thru email.  Kind of illogical to think that a 3rd party could get you a better rate than the company itself would send to their loyalty club members.

Harris is also working on assembling the last few pieces needed for the medical visa.  He went to our GP last week and got the letter needed from a doctor endorsing surrogacy, has been writing the letter from us that will accept responsibility for any possible offspring, and has received notice that the surrogacy contract is shipping via DHL.  Hopefully that will get here this week sometime.  All this is happening BEFORE we start working with Travisa.  Once an application is begun on their website, everything has to be completed and on the way within a week's time.  So, it's better to have everything together before starting that piece at all.

I'm still in a holding pattern for buying a plane ticket.  Airfare is astronomical right now!!!  Who would think that a plane ticket to THE hottest place on earth during THE hottest month of the year would cost so much this year?  In years past, I've paid right around $1,000 for the airfare.  This year, so far, I'm seeing numbers closer to $1,500.  That's a HUGE difference!!!  Yikes!  Because of the price difference, I'm looking at other airports as departure points rather than leaving from my home airport.  If it will save a few hundred dollars, I'm willing to drive! 

Wow, nothing is simple about this last trip!!!