Preparing for takeoff

This long journey that we are on feels like a trip to the airport. We began this process with arriving like so many others that arrive to this stage with the hopes and dreams of what is possible. We have had our fair share of lines to go though, but we felt like we were moving. Its only looking back that you question if you were moving the wrong way on one of those moving walkways. Like you can look back at yourself, smile and say "Poor you, no matter how quickly you jog on that thing, your still not going forward."

Its only looking back now that I can marvel about the entire journey. We had the moments of the medal detector feeling with the medical appointments that seemed to take forever and always required us to undo our belts. We had moments of the more invasive searches after you set of the detector with some of the tests we had to go though that required a lot of discomfort and stress. But in the end, after going through each step in the process, we were then at the terminal, waiting to take off. Each step in the process felt like forward progress at this point, but its still a stop and go thing. Just like after you get to the terminal, you speed up for a second to get in line to board. Then you slow down and wait. Then you get on board, then you wait. I think you get the picture.

We are finally done waiting. We have begun our taxi out to the takeoff. Right now its more then just the comfort of feeling like moving, but the excitement of the takeoff that is weighing on us. We have waited so long, and watched so many of our friends and family take off and its exciting to feel like it is our turn. The journey is just beginning and we don't know if there will be turbulence along the way, or where we will end up landing and when, but its time to grab each others hand and embrace what is ahead.

We have begun working on preparing, just enough to feel like we are getting things done and keep the excitement up, without so much as to feel like we are jinxing ourselves. We are finally thinking about the joys of planning the layout of a baby's room or deciding how drastically the home improvement projects priority change when your top goal is to provide a safe environment instead of personal comforts. The entertainment center in the basements suddenly isnt as high as a priority as insulating the garage so the cars don't get so cold in the winter or hot in the summer.

I have had my internal struggles through this process, having times that i was just upset with life, the "it's not fair" that your parents always replied "life never is" to. But with the world moving forward again, I feel like all the struggles and pain and stress is worth it. Seeing that glimmer in my wife's eye as she grabs onto my hand, i know: "Although this life might not always be fair, as long as you don't give up, we will make it through this thing together." We are more then going to make it through, we are going to make our wildest dreams become a reality.

So please if your reading this, wish us luck and keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We'll in turn do our best to keep everyone up to date as to our exciting journey. You've been with us through the struggles and hardships, hopefully we'll be able to share all the joy's with you as well. We love you all.

John and Kristy