In 2 1/2 days, Mark and I will be boarding a plane for Philadelphia. Then Frankfurt (or is it Munich?). Then Kiev. In 2 1/2 days! Can this really be happening?

Yes, I've had a to-do list a mile long that I've trudged through every day this week after my patients have been seen. Yes, I have loads of stuff to prepare, pack and take overseas. Yes, my mom is coming tomorrow night to (once AGAIN!) stay with the kids and dogs while I trudge overseas. But can this really be happening??

Can I be ready to travel 7 time zones away to a country that I've never been to, or even thought much about, before? Can I be ready to leave my kids and dogs and home to hang out at an orphanage full of kids that I won't be able to understand but will want to claim as my own? Can I be ready to fly back home after bonding with my new son and make the trip all the way back over there again to finish the process and bring him home? Can I be ready to be the mom of THREE BOYS (where are the daughters???), one of whom will be pre-pre-school level?

I think so.

I think that this trip will be an adventure! I think that I will love Ukraine and embrace it as much (or more) than Russia, and will make many wonderful memories. I think that Mark and I will have a very unique experience to remember together and to draw us closer together than ever. I think that I will enjoy my new son and embrace his "speciality". I think that this experience will not only enrich my life, but the life of everyone who touches my new son. I think that my son will surprise everyone by what a blessing he is to this world.

I'm ready. Let's go.