Fast Forward!

While away in Vegas this past week, we received our travel approval!! Now, we had been told to plan on leaving between Dec. 26th and Jan. 4th.
Our departure date is now DECEMBER 14th!! I am all for leaving ASAP to bring Alena home, but we don't have our final documention from USCIS yet. (Immigration)
We were waiting to receive our home study update and then send that on to them. That's all they need now to give us our I-171H.
So, I found out Thursday night (while in Vegas, feeling helpless!) that we need to have everything in order with our agency in Texas by Dec. 7th in order to travel with our group on Dec. 14th. I spent Friday on the phone with USCIS in NYC and Boston, our agency in Texas and our congressman! No one got me anywhere that I know of. "Thank you" to Denise who tried to ease my mind while checking my mail for our home study update in the pouring rain! :(
I'm heading into the city early tomorrow morning to have our Visa's processed same day and while they're being prepared, i'm going to USCIS with everything to beg and plead with them. The kicker is, we already did all of this. Due to the extended wait time, it all expires on December 22nd. We are due back in the US on Dec. 28th. Justify that one!!
Staying positive, it will all work out one way or another. If we are meant to travel with this group, spend Christmas in China and bring our sweetheart home in December, it will happen. If not, we will travel in January.
I'll let you know how I make out tomorrow! Pray for me, please!!
We are all decorated for Christmas, we went a little simpler with a table top tree this year and Soph wasn't thrilled! She spent the day with Aunt K last Sunday and helped decorate the tree at Trinity, Aunt K's house and they baked Christmas cookies. What a day she had.
Vegas was great. We have a terrific team and had a really nice time together. We have some of our best laughs when we're out there! Included is a pic of the lower end of the strip and us girls at "Top of the World" in the Stratosphere.
Jenni