Friday April 11, 2003- We're coming home!

Clarke:

Neil Diamond keeps playing over in my head, “We’re going to America! Today!” 

The kids have given us a wakeup call at 5:00 am, or 9:00 pm for them. They sound so grown up and really are! They’ve dialed internationally using a credit card and spoken to the Polish hotel operator. We are most surprised to find out they are home alone and are tucking themselves in tonight (Thursday night). 

Both Alex and Amanda have endured a patient wait for us. Soon, I think to myself, this wait will be over. It is one long day with an 8-hour time change till we are home. The kids think it will be tougher, with a full night and forever day of Friday at school. And, they don’t even get to miss drama! Our neighbors, Jeff and Ann will be picking us up at DIA after a 10-hour leg from Warsaw to Chicago. We will have a quick 1 ½ hour flight from Chicago to Denver. 

Our 6:46 pm arrival will be a great reward to a tough week for all.

We are currently over the North Sea with almost 7 hours remaining on the leg. I can’t imagine what else we could do to amuse our wiggle worm, but time passes as she busily touches everything, and plays tea party and dolls. The couple behind us has adopted a 22-month-old boy from Zaporozhia. They abandoned the Cathy Harris approach a year ago and have paid an independence agency. Their boy has huge cheeks and looks remarkably like both of them. This is not the first time we’ve made this same observation about adoptive families on this trip. 

You would think that spending a whole day and then some with a bunch of Polocks (LOT Airlines), would lend itself to some comic inspiration, but I can’t think of anything funny.

It is 49 degrees Celsius outside at a cruising altitude of 33,000 feet. We have a ground speed of 501 MPH and are just south of Ireland. Fortunately for us, the floating chunks of ice on the salty sea below are nothing but slowly passing image in a two-layered oval window beyond our climate controlled environment. 

The tea party is calling.

How many Polock’s does it take to check how to open an airplane bathroom door? On this flight it seems like everyone tried to pull on the push handle at least once! All 280 people! Natalie lasted all day and 7 time zones across the Atlantic with only a 10-minute nap.

We forced a quick nap from Chicago to Denver before meeting an anxious family. We are surprised by a few, but expected most.  Oma and Opa, Grandpa and Grandma, Kevin, Pete, Kym, Jeff and Ann have all come with Alex and Amanda to welcome our newest family member (unfortunately, Annette is out of town)! 

Natalie is as expected, but better. She is quiet and pleasant, but willing to let many people hold her. We file a lost bag claim bag and soon are comforted by a wonderful ride in our much-appreciated Suburban. Jeff and Ann have bought us dinner, which I thought I was too tired to eat, but loved every bite!

And so begins the rest of Natalie’s life. We know that she has much to be grateful for. She must someday realize how blessed she is. 

 Fortunately for us, we can realize now, that we are lucky ones who have been allowed to be with the angel sent from above!

All together at last!  We were so happy to be home!