Chosen Half Marathon

To say the last three days have been busy is an understatement!  This was a very important weekend for our adoption.

First of all, we received a copy of our home study with all the signatures.  Friday morning John dropped off the packet of paperwork at USCIS.  There were several forms we had to include in our I-600, the petition to classify an orphan as an immediate relative.  We are not sure how long this will take to process, but in the meantime we will pray, pray, pray.  Once we receive approval, our dossier will have all the parts and be ready to send to All God's Children and Ethiopia.

Secondly, Nicole completed the half marathon on Saturday.  John was unable to run because of his injuries in the car accident.  Nicole's brother, Elliott stepped in at the last minute to run with Nicole.  Thanks Elliott!   Nicole's sister Angie and niece, Elizabeth, were at the finish line cheering us on.

The finish line! (Yes, I think I was smiling the entire 13.1 miles.)

 Nicole and Elliott

 My favorite little cheerleader!

 My unofficial time!  Notice the distance 13.17, hmmmmm!

Talking to my Dad (wishing they were there) and drinking a Spark!

My Dad and Sister showing their support in Florida, wearing our adoption shirts.

Although I don't have any other experiences with marathons, I have to say this one was pretty awesome. It was a beautiful route through the hills.  A little chilly (42 degrees) but nothing we couldn't handle.  Actually, I probably wouldn't consider that cold except for the last four months that I was training the average temp was in the mid 90's.

One of my favorite parts of the marathon was the pictures they had lined up right before the finish line.  They had enlarged pictures of children that were adopted with the help of ABBA/Chosen Marathon.  There is no way you could give up when you see those sweet smiling faces.

Not sure when we will find out how much we raised through the marathon.  They were registering the runners up until the last day and rumor is they raised over $153,000 this year.

Don't forget our friend Becca is hosting a Stella and Dot jewelry party this Wednesday, November 2nd.  You can shop online by going to this link.  If you would like to order, please contact Melissa directly here.  If you live nearby, stop by Blue Mesa in Southlake any time between 7-9PM.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers as we continue on our adoption journey!

With love,
Nicole and John Scott

Waiting for our paperwork...

Just a little update on what's going on with us.  We are patiently waiting for paperwork.  Our home study was approved, we just need for the official copies from the agency so we can pass along to UCIS.  We have been waiting for this paperwork for over a month- ugh.  Once we get this, things will start moving very quickly.

On another note, John started a new job as Youth Minister at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Arlington.  Right now he is working part time and keeping his after school job and tutoring.  He is anxious to go full time, so I'm sure come January we will be crazy busy!

I'm working insane hours at school, as usual.  All I know is this schedule is NOT going to work when our little one(s) comes home.  John and I are working and praying hard that this will be my last year teaching until our kids are back in school.

The marathon is less than two weeks away.  I've been running and training for several weeks now (with a little help from Advocare supplements), but I'm still very nervous about the hills in Gruene.  John was in a terrible car accident last Thursday, so we are not sure if he will be able to run.  He definitely wants to, but lets just say it's not looking good.  To find out more about the marathon click here.  We are The Scott Family Ethiopia Team.

On November 2, my good friend Rebecca Burda is hosting a Stella and Dot jewelry party.  All the proceeds will go directly to our adoption fund.   Even if you do not live nearby, you can order online and have it shipped to you.  If you are not familiar with Stella and Dot- you will love it!   Evites go out this Wednesday and I will post details on the blog so nobody is left out!

Hope all is well with all our friends!  Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers while we wait for our paperwork!