Taking a breath...trip 3 posts done!

It's been 90 days since we left for trip 3 & I have just finished all the blog posts...finally. It's been busy around here (understatement.) I knew it would be after we came home w/ 2 new kiddos. I actually had all my entries done before we left Russia. I had meticously written down things that happened or things they said each & every day. I knew at such an emotional time that I wouldn't remember all the details. I didn't want to forget a single thing.

Unfortunately, we were exhausted by the last day in Moscow. We let the kids play games on the IPad. At some point, when we weren't watching, someone must have deleted my notes. Hours of work gone. Details lost forever. I discovered this on the plane ride home when I decided to proof everything so I could post upon arrival...but, they were nowhere to be found. I was devastated. It may seem silly to you, but I was truly overcome w/ grief. I couldn"t do anything to replace what was lost.

It really surprised me how immobilized I became. I didn't want to start the posts again. I wanted back what I already had done. It took weeks for me to begin to write my old post entries. Even though I knew that w/ each passing day I was forgetting little details of the trip, exactly what I wanted to avoid in the first place, I still couldn't bring myself to do the task. But, I found myself w/ no other choice, & had to start over. Finally, I realized that this is not unlike what my new kids are doing right now- trying to overcome & redo life. Things happened to them that they had no control over. They find themselves now in a new family, in a new nation & everything is new, too.

At some point in our lives, things will not go the way we planned. We find ourselves in a circumstance we may have never intended. Eventually, we all have to make the decision to overcome & move on. So, here I am finally. I can't say that these blogs posts are better or worse than the original ones, but this is what I have to offer...& I'm OK w/ that. Enjoy!

P.S. trip 3 posts begin on 12/10/12