A Quiet Week Around the Lane Household

It's been a weird feeling week so far. Mark left on Monday morning for a week long bike trip
(that's "motorcycle" Lisa S). He and a fellow unemployed Pfizerite took off for a 1500 mile ride through West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. They've had wonderful weather and I'm so glad he got to go. It's just been odd around here without him, very quiet and very hectic at the same time. I've had to do all the running of the girls, (he usually does about half of it) and it doesn't feel like I've gotten anything else done.
I'm loving the distraction that planning a visit trip has given me. I've been so busy running girls and packing and making lists that I haven't really had time to obsess about PGN. There will more than likely be some delays in PGN now at least for a short time. The President has replaced the Attorney General and the Sub Attorney. The Sub Attorney is the person who does the final check and sign off on adoption cases in PGN. The Men who were replaced are appealing to get their jobs back and the replacements are waiting to begin working until they find out if their appointments are going to hold up in court. It's also being reported that there will be some sort of audit when things begin moving again. I hate to see a hold up but I really feel it can only make things better in the long run. It seems as though Mr Gordillo and Mr Barrios; the previous Attorney General and Sub Attorney, enjoyed demonstrating their authority by causing terrible delays in many adoption cases. Hopefully those two are out of the way for good and the replacements will be hard working people who have the welfare of the children waiting for their forever families close to their hearts.
The clock is quickly ticking down to visit trip time . We will be flying out of Chicago at 6:00am Wednesday morning and should be meeting our sweet Nola by around 1:30 Guatemala time Wednesday afternoon. We are going to be staying at the La Casa Grande. I hope we enjoy the hotel because it's within a block of the US Embassy so it would be a very convenient place to stay for the pick up trip (which hopefully isn't too far into the future). We were only going to take one suitcase, but so far I haven't packed anything for Mark or me and the one is almost full! Oh well, he and I don't need much ;o)
I was going to give my now 16 year old daughter a big Happy Birthday shout and post a birthday picture of her but Mark has the camera with him so the picture will have to wait but I can still give the shout.........

Happy Birthday Kelsey!!!!!

Sweet Sixteen