>Monday, the Embassy was closed. It had been confirmed. Yet, I never got a call canceling my appointment. As the morning wore on, I wondered if I was supposed to go in.

At 11 a.m., I was notified: though the embassy was closed, they were working, and they wanted me to be there in 2 hours for my interview. Yes, I said. Of course I’ll be there. Everything seemed to align: my driver was available. Other key factors clicked into place. I arrived at the embassy 1 hour and 45 minutes later (after having to turn around to get the paperwork I’d forgotten), nervous. The normally very crowded waiting room was empty save a couple other adoptive families. I learned I didn’t need to be nervous after I spoke with a nice woman for 10 minutes, leaving with the promise that they’d try to have Benjamin’s visa ready Wednesday, but no promises.

I waited all day today, until I heard the magical words at 5 p.m. local time: The visa will be ready tomorrow.

Benjamin and I will be on the flight I had booked a couple months ago, on what I’d pegged as our “earliest possible” date out. In less than 48 hours (God willing, our flights are not delayed), we will be reunited as a family, plus one new member. After my visa appointment yesterday, I was in such good spirits that I packed one of my suitcases. I guess that grace or not, I’m ready to go home.

The day was bittersweet though. As we heard good news, a friend who has been stuck in Uganda for way too long hit another roadblock when her judge again refused to hear her case. She’s had a long, hard road in Uganda, much beyond what anyone else has experienced. Though God has used her while she’s here (she found us a foster family for Benjamin, for one), it’s got to be time for her to go home. That’s what I’m telling God, anyway. Please pray for Melissa, Cody, Mercy and the rest of their family. I so want them to get the good news I got today.

Now my mind is racing ahead to squeezing my kids’ necks, kissing my husband, being mom to three kids, being home as a family and embracing the chaos that we’ve created. I cannot wait.