Airplane Day 2007

It's hard to believe that Joe has been with us for 6 years now. On February 22, 2001 we flew out of Louisville on a journey that changed our lives forever! On March 3, 2001 we returned home with Pattana Yardsangkad (now named Joseph Pattana Chase) as our 13 month old son.

It was an awesome day. Don't get me wrong...we were completely exhausted, horribly jet-lagged, and in desperate need of our normal American food. Probably the worst part for me was the fact that I smelled like pee. Yep, my new, precious son had at first pooped everywhere (and this took place at the 4 hour mark of our 27 hour journey home), and then his diaper leaked, badly, and we were both soaked (this happened at the 17 hour mark). We had plenty of clothes to change Joe, but, alas, I only had the clothes on my back....the rest were stowed neatly in the luggage compartments of the airplanes we rode on. Still...it was an awesome day!

Once we arrived in Minneapolis we went through all the customs and immigration stuff and then it was time to find good ole' greasy fast food. Who else but McDonald's could supply the much needed high fat food products we craved. It was Joseph's first taste of Ronald's fries and he has been hooked ever since. Once we arrived in Louisville my mom was there to pick us up and take us home to Frankfort. She was so happy for us and it was great to have her, and eventually my dad, too, help us out while we adjusted to being parents.

Our Airplane Day tradition is to go out to eat with Betty and Jerry and the rest of the family at Tony Roma's in Lexington. Why? Well...there was a Tony Roma's in Bangkok that was only a half a block from our hotel and so we ate there every night. It was a comfort thing while being in a strange country, a strange city, and doing things that were completely foreign to us. And on the final night in Thailand, we had a party at Tony Roma's with all the American families that had gone on this adoption journey with us.

Needless to say, at this very moment I am very full. My belly is full from awesome Tony Roma's, and my heart is full because I have been blessed with a precious child and a great family to help us raise him. We really could not do any of it without the help of grandparents and aunts, uncles, and cousins. Thank you all and know that I love you very much.