Good Times in Atlanta

It was a whirlwind weekend - and what fun! We arrived in Atlanta Friday afternoon and battled the infamous traffic to get to Shannon, Thomas and Andy's beautiful home in Suwanee. Over a yummy meal and some vodka and cherry juice (this was a Kazakhstan reunion after all!), we enjoyed getting to know some folks whose journeys we had followed "by blog" - Cristel, Jerry and their son Alex; Kristi Metz and her sons Jackson and Ethan; LeAnne, Marc and their son Rhys; Angela, Mike and their son Izaak; and Debbie and her son Milo (unfortunately dad Mike couldn't make the trip from California). We were thrilled to spend time with Sean, Maureen and James again and I loved being with my buddies Alison and Shannon. It was so great to finally meet their husbands Jeff and Thomas and terrific kids Jack and Andy too!

The next morning the Stegarps cooked breakfast for us and the Lyles, and we headed over to our agency's picnic. One of the first families I saw was Kelley and Dave and their adorable daughter Katie. Kelley and I had met online and chatted by phone when we both going through a rough spot in the adoption journey, and it was wonderful to finally meet in person and celebrate our kids together. We also had the chance to catch up with Steve and Mechelle, who's daughter Eliana was one of the Kokshetau Hamsters. Overall it was an amazing experience to see all the Kaz kids running around and all their very happy parents.

After the festivities wound down we jumped back in the car for a quick drive to my cousin Kim's gorgeous home in Norcross. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that my Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Bud were also there for a visit! Kim's hubby Mike was off in Morocco on business (yes, Morocco, as in Africa), so we missed him but loved spending time with Kim and Chandler, Connor, Carlyn and puppies Ellie and Ruby.

Sunday found us back at the airport and on our way home. Owen did pretty well on the flight; while de-boarding two passengers in the rows around us commented on how good he was! Then as we waited for the bus to the parking garage I struck up a conversation with a very nice gentleman after he asked how old Owen. Turns out he was a doctor very familiar with international adoption, and he complimented Bob and I saying that obviously Owen was very attached to us but also displayed curiosity in others which was exactly what you want to see! Of course we knew this, but it was nice to hear from someone else.

Many thanks to Shannon, Thomas and Andy, and Kim's whole gang for your amazing Southern hospitality. Thanks to all our old and new friends for being so willing to share your joy (and your kids) with us. Susan, Scott and Jack - we missed you and hope that the next time we all meet you'll be there too. Our lives are made so much richer by knowing each of you!