What a journey

Alabama to Virginia to Tennessee to Paris to Dubai to Addis Ababa!

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Our dossier has made it to Ethiopia!

Dossier to Ethiopia!

TODAY is the day!

Dossier to Ethiopia!

DTE - Yeah!

DTE (Date To Ethiopia) for all our paperwork is today, July 2! The dossier is now working it's way to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from McLean, VA. Cleared through the State Dept. & Ethiopian Embassy in D.C. yesterday, now on the journey that will match us with our 2 children - the ones God has chosen from the beginning of time to be Pierces!

Dossier arrived at agency and estimated DTE date!

Just received an e-mail from our family coordinator saying that our dossier had arrived, she had looked over it, and everything looked great! (Thanks to my awesomely organized hubby!)  She also said it would be reviewed again next week and that next Friday is likely when it will head to Ethiopia!!! 
DTE - July 2, 2010! 
(DTE means Dossier To Ethiopia - I kept seeing DTE on other people's blogs and wondering what it meant for the first couple of months into the process.  When I finally found out, I understood why they were so excited about "DTE"!)  What a great anniversary - July 3rd - gift that will be for us!  :)

Dossier is "in the mail"!

The dossier!

(In the background on the left is a picture of us taken on our honeymoon...  boy, were we young and clueless!  I am so thankful that God has been leading us over the last almost 17 years to this point.  Can't wait to see what the next 17 will hold!)

1" thick

21 weeks

$12,599.50

I just about can’t believe that huge part of the process is complete. It's one of those times when we've focused all our effort and energy on one single thing, and once it's actually done it's kind of hard to change focus to so what comes next. 

Our agency will receive the dossier on Friday, review it several times, and in two or three weeks will send it to Ethiopia. From that point we will be placed on a waiting list and will “get in line” to receive our referrals.

I-171H CAME TODAY!

That is the LAST piece of paper we have been waiting on "someone else" for!  Now, we have to get some papers certified at county probate court and then certification at Secretary of State's office in Montgomery.  Hopefully, we can get those things done on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  WOW!  Can't believe we're this close to having the dossier completed!!  Wooo Hooo!

Update...

Michael spent about 6 hours "organizing" and filling out forms last night. And I can't even tell you how many times we had to sign our names! LOL   More today, plus I'm going to be starting on all of our essays, etc.