Ethiopia Trip One: Travel

Soooooo, I posted about leaving for Ethiopia and promptly fell off the face of the planet for two weeks. Irresponsible, I know. But I promise there was good reason. The day after we landed back in the U.S. my sweet, sweet grandfather fell and ended up in the hospital. I left for South Carolina to be with him, and he passed away a few days later. It was an impossibly hard week. Umpa has been a rock and an unfailing source of love and encouragement for all of my thirty years on this earth. The hole he left behind will never be filled.

From his funeral on Friday afternoon, I drove back to Alabama to attend my brother-in-law's wedding on Saturday. Eight hours of driving after a funeral made for an incredibly long night. But the wedding was beautiful, and our family has grown by one very lovely lady.

So now, Adam and I are back home, and I FINALLY have time to unpack all that happened during our incredible week in Ethiopia. This will be several posts, and we will start today with our travel to the land where our son lives.

We left Birmingham on a Thursday morning. My dear friend, Courtney, drove us to the airport, dropped us off and we were on our way!

This is happening! 

We go to check in and find out that our first flight is delayed, which means we will miss our connection. Boo. After getting bumped to a later connection, we clear security, get breakfast and settle in to wait. Adam and I just keep looking at each other and saying some variation of, "Can you believe we are doing this?" Our flight finally takes off and we are officially ON OUR WAY TO MEET OUR SON.  What? We make our connection in Houston and arrive in D.C. After dinner at our hotel, we manage to get a few hours of sleep. My parents meet us in the lobby the next morning (they got in way late) and we are off to the airport. You know, the place where we will get on a plane to go meet our son. 

Getting ready to leave the hotel!! 

Waiting to check in. 

Oh, how I have waited to book a flight on this airline! 

 Checking in 

 All set! 

 Breakfast and good byes to family

 Walking to our gate

 Tickets to Ethiopia. 

Tickets with our names!! 

 On time departure! 

 So nervous and so, so excited. 

 Our home for the next 14 hours. 

 We have a long way to go. 

 Feet on the ground in Ethiopia! 

And I must add here that Adam and I were so nervous that we each only slept for about 45 minutes of  the fourteen hour flight. 

 Finally meeting Woudneh! 

He lives up to the hype. 

 Loading up to head to the hotel. 

WE ARE IN THE SAME CITY AS OUR BOY! 

Checked in at the hotel. Filling out some last minute paperwork (it never ends!).

Then we have two hours to shower, change and eat lunch before we leave to do the thing we have been waiting years to do: 

MEET OUR SON! 

Day One post coming soon! And all photos were captured by my most beautiful mother and fabulous father. We are eternally grateful to both of them for coming with us to share in this experience and document it for us.

Here's what I can tell you about this week. It was the single most incredible experience of my life thus far. There were so many points along the way where I was tempted to give up. It was all just so hard. But I can tell you without any doubt at all that it was completely worth and that I would do it a thousand times over if it meant I could have my son. More soon! 

Love, 

Baylor