Christmastime Was Full of Yumminess {and No, I Didn't Ask MIL Bertha How Many Pounds of Butter She Used for the Holiday. Learned My Lesson Previously}

Our drive to SD was pleasant {as pleasant as an eleven hour drive can be}. We stopped off in Vegas to visit my grandma and grandpa {Aunt Julie was there too}. We chatted it up for a bit and then hit the road. I was wishing we could have stayed the night, but we had 2 dogs and, as I mentioned, Julie was already there, so sleeping areas were sparse.

The days were packed with family and food - just the way a Holiday should be. We got free tickets to Sea World {thanks Karen!} and I missed our daughter soooo much.

Sea World was especially hard. We thought we'd have Adjoa home in time when we made the plans, and we just knew she would LOVE it. I kept picturing her little face light up as exclaimed "NSU! NSU!" when she saw the ocean for the first time. I walked around the park with that image in my mind and it broke my heart a bit.

Luckily Maddi and Brandon were there to brighten the day. They are a riot, and while Maddi is getting so big and is now a little shy around me, I still see the little 3 year-old that loved me to pieces when Robert and I were dating.

We drove back Sunday so I could get back to the grindstone Monday morning. It took nearly 16 hours with all the traffic. Ugh!



Kingsley took Adjoa to her visa appointment today. The Embassy lost some of the paperwork {between the I-600 approval and the visa appointment} so the interview was not what we had hoped. Kingsley rushed off to get the paperwork redone and will hopefully submit it tomorrow.

The Consulate office told Kingsley that if he can get the paperwork turned in before Thursday, they will be able to give us a visa Friday.

• We are praying for his speedy and safe travel to and from various offices
• We are praying the necessary people will be available {and willing to help}
• We are praying that there are no problems with office equipment like the printers, etc.
• We are praying that the electricity will be working {seriously. I'm not making that one up}
• And we are praying that the Consulate office will honor their promise to get the visa done in time

After all that, we will be praying for safe and easy travel for Adjoa and the Westerby's!