New York in Two and a Half Hours

We're on our way. New York City. The city that doesn't sleep. And Good Morning America!

We didn't sleep much in our city last night either. In fact, I don't think Laura slept at all. We did our usual "packing 'til midnight" routine that we always do before traveling. It didn't matter that we had to get up at four in the morning.

Anyone with kids knows that it is practically impossible to get any packing done until before the kids are in bed the night before you leave. Oh, you can have all the clothes picked out and folded, and have the snacks for the plane ready, and the portable DVD player charged up, and the extra batteries for the cameras ready, and toothbrushes and toothpaste set out to pack last.

None of it matters. Not a single stitch of clothing goes in the suitcase until the kids are in bed. Of course, last night the girl had a softball game and the boy had baseball practice so we got an even later start than normal. (Aly's team won 21-14 and she went 4-4.) Plus we had to take "Buck the Dog" over to our dear friend Sara's house. Good thing we packaged his food ahead of time- seven zip lock bags, one serving each. Water dish. Check. Feeding dish. Check. Toiletries. Check. List of phone numbers for work. Yep. The usual stuff you need on a last minute trip to appear on national TV (as if that happens every day.)

You know- as I sit here and think about all that is happening in my life now, it amazes me all the blessings I have. I am wondering how I can use this temporary attention to impact others in a positive way.

Looking back at my life, I realize the impact of giving a child the advantage of having a family. I can't imagine what my life would have been like if my parents (the ones who adopted me) had decided that they would only have wanted an infant instead of giving a home to a four year old child. Who knows? I might have turned out alright.

But then again, I may have been bounced from home to home. Never going to camp. Never playing little league baseball. Never learning to play saxophone. Never taking the vacation to California. Never participating in the schools' summer enrichment programs. Never spending a Saturday morning with my dad chasing a small white ball around several thousand yards of perfectly good land hoping it drops in the hole. Never being pushed to do my very best in school.

It is hard to say how my life would have been shaped without the love and guidance of the parents who raised me. I owe so much to my mom and dad. They took a chance and adopted a four year old kid.