Travel Plans

Yesterday we made the trip up to Pasadena for our travel meeting. We got great information on what to expect at St. Lucy's, and that the Taiwanese consider it impolite to wear Speedos in public. (Or maybe that was in my dream last night.)

The only bad news out of the meeting was that the "four to six weeks" that everyone is told about travel times, put into the Luke & Sheri bad luck equation, meant that we got the outside number. Six weeks. Sad we were, but what could we say? Six weeks is better than nine months.

But, it appears as if our luck is on the upswing. Kerry called this morning to say that it looked like our pick-up date would be moved from October 24th to October 18th. See the sky open up? Hear those archangel trumpets? At this point, six days is a lifetime, it really is. Just removing one week from our sentence has felt like a reprieve from the governor on the night of a scheduled execution. Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration.

That means that we'll be sailing out of here around October 10th. Why travelling so early? Two reasons: 1. we want to do a bit of site-seeing, particularly around Lu-Yu's birth city; 2. if our bad luck does continue for a while, we want enough time so that if our flight is canceled, we can still make it to Taiwan by other means. (Kayak, submarine, shuttle Atlantis, tunnelling are a few that come to mind.)

The Universe Has Order Again

We've heard it said that The Call comes when you least expect it. Maybe that was what we were doing wrong all these months -- we were expecting the call every single day.

Here we are, September 11th, at around 9:15 p.m., when we get a call from our agency's Executive Director. And, even hearing her voice, I was expecting some info about something or other. But, for once, I was completely wrong. It was The Call.

(Okay, Sheri just corrected me. She said "for once?" Okay, okay. I guess I've been completely wrong for the entire spring and summer.)

We always thought that on getting The Call we'd break into tears or scream like Britney Spears fans. For both of us, the response was a lot simpler -- "ahhhhh." It's like my chest opened up a bit and I could take a full breath.

Details still need to be resolved, but we're looking at travel in about four weeks.

It's nice to post this, but I need to get back to this bottle of 1998 Dom Perginon (thank you Miro!) and my beautiful partner. All is good. It really is.

More Haikus

From Sheri:

A space empty here
A son calling from the east
A family home.

From Maya (age 6):

Lu-Yu is very good
Lu-Yu trades a toy with Zack
I love you Lu-Yu.

From Olivia (age 9):

My brother awaits
For he knows we are coming
To pick him up soon.

From me:

Summer's heat passes
Cool nights now, crickets singing
Still alone he lies.

Haikus

Though the dates have come and gone, I can at least add some poetry -- words of hope. As I understand, Dave and Joanna (Sheri's dad and mom) have been firing haikus back and forth at each other for the past few days. Ironically, these two crossed mid-air. It looks like this wait and this boy is on everyone's mind.

Dave:

The phone does not ring
Lu Yu knows not he waits still
Mom Dad sad judge bad

Joanna:

Waiting wanting soon
The keeper judge holds our hearts
Our faraway toddler boy

Need I even say that we've been told that we'll receive the call "within the next week." As you may know, the judge lives on another planet (I believe it's Uranus), so that could equal months and months in earth time.