We've completed the pre-application process and training! It's easy to assume that the process will be fast after this, but at the end of training, we were given a list of next steps and it is long! We still have the application process (finger prints, background checks etc, etc, etc...) and then we will have our home study. We have been told that right now the FBI background check takes the longest, so we are getting on that ASAP. Thankfully there are some things that the state required that will be fairly simple to gather. We are very excited, but this "wait" during the process is going to be a challenge. It's been a 9 year wait, so I imagine we will be okay for a little longer. I'm going to call this section "housekeeping notes": Since we have so much going on, we are making the blog private for the duration of this process. If you know someone who wants to follow our story, but we don't know them, send us a little note with who they...