sore....but going to Rio

I woke up this morning feeling pretty good. In fact, for a little while, I thought maybe I hadn't gotten my money's worth out of trainer Carla yesterday. Now here we are, a mere 7.5 hours after the alarm clock's ring, and I can barely move. Everything hurts. Even the parts that I didn't know she was working yesterday. OUCH!

In more pleasant and exciting news, I am going by myself to Rio tomorrow to the consulate to file our petition for advance approval to adopt an international orphan. I am so nervous about this. I've spent the last couple hours running around, making copies of documents and buying little plastic folders to keep all my documents organized.

And yes, to any State Department people reading, I have become that person who shows up at the consulate with reams of unnecessary paper. They ask you to bring your last Form 1040; I'm taking not only the last three Form 1040s, but also every supporting document that went into filing our taxes. We're talking 6 or 7 inches of paper just for that. I realize this is overkill and I don't intend to pull these documents out unless I'm asked. I have the "required" documents in one binder; two copies of every "required" document in another binder (overkill again, but you never know); and all my other Nervous Nellie documents in a third binder. There will be no need for anybody at the consulate to even know I've brought the Nervous Nellie documents. But if they need to see proof of rental income in 2005 from the beach condo we sold a year ago, I have got it. Better safe than sorry, I say.

I fly out at 9:55 tomorrow morning, supposedly landing in Rio at 10:55am. I intend to go to the Copacabana Palace Hotel to treat myself to a celebratory early lunch (celebratory because we've made it this far in the adoption process) by their spectacular pool and then I will go to the consulate for my 1pm appointment. I get back on a plane at 3:55pm and land in Sao Paulo at 5pm. Pray that all goes well and smoothly and without incident.

Also pray that with the current soreness in my body, I am physically able to carry my pounds of paper!:)