Ethiopia Day 3 - Experiencing a New Country

There is no better way to experience a new country than through the eyes of two teenage boys.  It is awesome to see the looks on their faces as they see and experience new things. My son has taken over my camera and is doing a great job taking pictures of our adventures.  To catch up from yesterday, here are a couple of pics from the museums we visited.

The best part was a group of school kids whow were also at the museum.  They were totally in awe of our whiteness!  They kept touching Grant's hair, and one boy even looked at him and said, "You white!" in kind of a shocked voice.  So cute!  They loved it if you took their picture and then showed them.  It just cracked them up.

Today we visited the lion zoo.

We have some other fabulous pictures of the zoo, Dalaney, and the "interesting" food we have tried, but it took me 30 minutes to upload these three, so you will just have to wait for the rest!

Tomorrow we are attending church with Alemu, the contact from our agency, and then visiting another orphanage with a new family who arrived today, and finally having dinner at a traditional restaurant.  We will keep you posted!

Ethiopia Day 2 - We Aren't in Kansas Anymore

I have to tell you guys, I've never been more happy to go to sleep in my life than I was last night.  I felt like I hadn't slept in two months instead of just two days.  As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light and didn't even move until several hours later.  I layed there and realized that I hadn't set the alarm on my phone to wake us up and for the life of me I couldn't figure it out.  My phone still has the time from home, not from here, and I can't figure out how to change it.  So, I just add seven hours to whatever the time is. That doesn't work well in the middle of the night when you are that tired.  It was like I couldn't get my brain to process.  I kept trying to count seven hours ahead of when we needed to get up and my brain was just mush.  The phone kept saying your alarm is now set for 16 hours and 2 minutes from now.  I know I'm not good at math, but geez, normally I can set my own alarm!  I finally figured it out and we slept like rocks until it went off at 7 this morning.

We have gotten to see Dalany twice and in the words of my son, it was even more amazing than I expected.  She is so adorable!  Her huge brown eyes are even more beautiful in person.  We also got to hang out with some of her crib buddies and it was great to get to hold her and love on her and to see her interact with the other kids and the nannies.  It is clear how much the nannies love the kids they care for.  They are always hugging and kissing them and they are so proud to show off how much they have grown since we last saw pictures.  It makes my heart rest a little easier knowing that Dalaney is loved that much by the wonderful ladies caring for her.

I have some great pictures to add, but the internet connection isn't working in our room tonight, so I'm using the computer in the lobby to post this.  I will try again tomorrow to add pictures.  The sights and sounds of this beautiful country are just amazing and I can't wait to share them with you!

On a funny side note, when I typed the title to this post, Jeremiah leaned over my shoulder and said, "I don't get it.  I didn't think we were ever in Kansas!"  Aaaahhh, when we get home I must see that this poor, deprived child sees some classic movies! :)

We Have Arrived Africa Will Never Be the Same!

We are here!  Our plane touched down around 7:20 this morning and two hours later we were able to leave the airport with visas, Ethiopian money and our mound of suitcases in hand. More to come after we  sleep for about twelve hours and no longer want to kill each other!

Spaghetti Dinners, Court Dates and Baby Clothes

WOW!  There's been a lot going on around here. 

First, our spaghetti dinner was a huge success.  And by huge, I mean HUGE!  A much bigger success than I could have ever imagined.  We filled up the Farm Bureau building with family, friends, and fun.  To be honest, it was one of the best days of my life.  When you are a single parent, you get used to handling things yourself.  It's not that others wouldn't help if you asked them, or even if you didn't ask, but in order to convince yourself that you can make it on your own, you just do things yourself.  This tendency has made me a much stronger and more independent person, but sometimes it's a little, well, really a lot, overwhelming to try to handle things yourself.  The day of our spaghetti dinner, I didn't handle one single thing myself and it was very humbling to find out just how much help we ended up with.

It all started weeks before the actual dinner, which was originally scheduled to be held in our church basement.  Then, two very dear new friends offered to donate the rental fee for the Farm Bureau Building in Williamstown, which could accommodate a much larger crowd.  Then, friends and family volunteered to cook, bake, craft, sew, and serve.  My mom made adorable pillow-case dresses to sell and my sister made adorable matching bows.  I had desserts of just about every variety coming from all over the county and beyond.  A few days before the dinner a wonderful kind-hearted lady I work with took it upon herself to get donations from several local businesses to cut down on our costs for the dinner.  Thanks to her work we ended up with salad donated from Edwardo's, salad dressing donated from Wendy's, spaghetti noodles donated from Larosa's, and a gift card for paper products donated from Walmart. 


And the good news just kept on coming.  My mom and my sister and her kids were able to come up for the dinner.  They helped set up and serve and clean up and keep me sane (if I said, "what if no one comes?" once I said it a million times!).  The kids, led by Jeremiah, made signs for the dinner.  These are two of my favorites. 

I didn't have the heart to tell him he spelled sister wrong.  He was mad later when he realized it, but to be honest I think that just makes this even cuter!

And to redeem himself and show off his spelling abilities, he got Ethiopia and orphan right on this one!

When it came time to actually start getting ready for the dinner, the ladies from my church swept in and took over.  After I stood around watching them work for a while, they pretty much said, we got this, and you're just getting in the way - go out there and visit with people!  They cooked, served, smiled, and cleaned up like a team of super heroes!  Thanks aren't enough - but thank you from the bottom of my heart to Lori, Robin, Samantha, Linda, Carol and Jodi.  You ladies are the best!  And they brought their families who cleaned off tables, washed dishes, folded up chairs, swept the floors, and loaded all the stuff back in everyone's cars. 

For a girl who is used to handling things herself, it was all a little overwhelming.  I don't know if I have ever felt more loved and more a part of a community than I did that night.  And it's still not over.  I continue to get checks and notes of encouragement from people who couldn't come, but want to donate to our adoption. I went to my mailbox at school on Friday and found a check from a co-worker - and it is just one of many.  We are humbled.  We are grateful.  We know that there aren't enough words to express our thanks - but thank you to all of you just the same.  Dalaney is one lucky little girl to be coming home to this community.

The high from our spaghetti dinner still hasn't worn off, but we have added the high of a court date as well!  We will be leaving on March 13 to fly to Ethiopia to meet my daughter and attend her court date on March 19.  That would be thirty short days from today - not that I'm counting, or excited, or anything like that.  Included in this high would be my son, and Jodi and Grant.  We got a fabulous deal on tickets, so not only will my best friend be going with us, but her son, Jeremiah's best friend, will be going as well!  Thank you Lord!  I can only imagine what an adventure this trip is going to be.

So, now that we have a court date, and hopefully a loose timeline for when the baby might be coming home, barring paperwork difficulties, I can't seem to stop myself from buying baby clothes.  I think I get this urge from my mother.  I'm pretty sure she hasn't left the house since we started this process without buying some sort of baby item.  As a result, I have a variety of clothes from 3 months to 3T.  So it's not like I need to buy baby clothes, but I really, really, really want to buy baby clothes.  ALOT.  Most often I buy things on clearance - this girl likes a bargain - but every once and a while I see something I just have to have. I'm trying hard to resist, but let's face it, I have no resistance against the cuteness of baby clothes.   

                                                  These are two thing I just coudn't resist. 

             I mean come on - it's a hot pink baby trench coat. 

I had to have it. 

And it was on sale.  I took that as a sign.

And this one is so soft and comfy looking. 

I just imagine this color is going to be awesome against her beautiful skin and huge brown eyes.

Lastly, two favorites from my mom and my sister. 

Can you guess which one is from Aunty Tabby?

  She might be a little excited about having a new neice.

So, that's where we stand.  Dying of excitement and hoping this is the fastest thirty days in the history of the world!



Spaghetti Dinner - We would love to see you there!

 

Wanna' Hear Something Exciting?

WE GOT OUR REFERRAL!!!!!

Yes, I mean it!

No, I'm not kidding!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHAAAAAHHHH!  We are so excited we could die!

So, here's how it went down.  This past Tuesday evening my sister Tabby had a work conference in Lexington and then she was spending the night there before heading home.  Her daughter Mackenzie just turned thirteen, so Tabby let her come too and skip school on Wednesday and I took my personal day from school and went down and met them in Lexington for the day.  We spent the day shopping, spending Mackenzie's birthday money, having lunch and basically just having the best time ever being together and sharing Mackenzie's first ever girl's day out as a teenager. 

Earlier, when we were planning this fun outing, I told my sister it would be great if I got our referral while we were all in Lexington together.  She was like, yeah that would be great and nothing more was ever said of it.  But, in my head I was still thinking about it.  During the day on Wednesday, I checked my phone about a thousand times.

Eventually, our great day was over and we all had to head home in different directions.  I had hugged my sister and my niece and said goodbye and headed toward the ramp for I75N from Man of War Road.  You know this entrance ramp - the one that is like a complete circle?  Well, as I was just entering the circle, my phone rang.  I didn't recognize the number, and since I thought I had programmed the adoption agency's number in to my phone, I didn't think it would be them when I answered.  It went a little something like this...

Hello? (In a questioning tone as I don't recognize this number)
Hi, is this Angela?
Yes, it is... (Still wondering who this is, and going to be mad if it is someone selling something)
This is Sally from Adoption Associates.
L..o..n..g...p...a...u...s...e... (while my brain processes)
Then I sqeaked out, Really?
She laughs and says yes, that she has some exciting news for me.
I immediately start to cry - like cry, not sniffle - cry.  And I'm still in the circle-on-ramp, holding my phone and crying and driving with one hand.
Sally says, do you have time to talk.
I blubber out, yes, but I'm getting on the interstate!!
Sally says, do me a favor - pull over so you don't cause a wreck!!

So, I pull off the interstate and hear all the details about my daughter while 18-wheelers are speeding past and shaking my car and my heart is pounding a million miles a minute.  I wrote all the details on the back of a coupon I found in my purse and that will be one coupon I won't be using any time soon, but will probably keep forever!

I can't even describe to you what it was like to call Jeremiah and tell him I had just gotten the information we had been waiting on about his sister.  He was still at the high school with Jodi who was taking him to her house to meet Carolyn from church who was taking several kids to church for play practice.  I was going to meet them there so we could open the pictures they had sent to my email together. 

I'm going to confess that I broke several traffic laws getting to Jodi's house, and it was still the longest drive of my life.  I passed the time by calling my Mom and my sister and giving them the great news.  When I got to Jodi's, the scene was a little crazy.  Carolyn had arrived and her car was in the driveway running, with the doors hanging open.  Jodi and Jeremiah and Grant were standing in the yard with Jodi's laptop waiting for me to see the pictures.  I jumped out of my car and ran - and that's saying a lot - this fat girl doesn't run much!  So, the first time I saw my daughter's sweet face was while I was standing in Jodi's yard with my son and her son, and other kids from church and Carolyn Horn looking on.  It is a memory I won't soon forget!

After the chaos calmed a bit, Carolyn and the kids left for play practice and I got the chance to sit down at Jodi's dining room table and really look at my daughter's pictures.  She is beautiful, and that is not biased at all!  She is four months old, but very tiny.  Like ten pounds tiny.  But her cheeks are just as chubby as can be and her eyes are huge and chocolatey.  I cannot wait to get my hands on that cute baby!  I'm already picturing her in some of the baby clothes I have!

I don't know how to put into words what I felt when I saw her, but it was the same feeling I felt the first time I saw Jeremiah's pictures.  I have never actually seen her.  I have never actually held her.  And yet, I already love her.  She is already a part of me.

Like any new parent, I had to have pictures of my new baby to show off, so I sent her pics to the one hour photo at Walmart and very shortly I was showing her off to a fellow teacher in Walmart and then at church when I went to pick Jeremiah up after play practice.  Since then, those pictures haven't been far from my side and Jeremiah has his own set that he took to school on Thursday and then posted all over the house, including on the Christmas tree.  I know I can't post the complete picture here so that you can get the full effect of her cuteness, but here is a sneak peek.

Is that the cutest little hand you have ever seen or what?

Living Life at #2

Well, here we are.  Almost eleven months on "the list" and we have moved up to the awesome number of two!  When we first found out we were number two, over a month ago, I just knew our referral was coming any second.  Every time my phone rang, I jumped a mile and checked the screen of my phone because I just knew that I would see the number for our adoption agency.  Now, almost two months later, I'm exhausted!  All of that waiting on the edge of my seat has pretty much worn me out. 

So, I caved and called my agency to see if they could give me any more specific info about what our wait time might be.  The incredibly wonderful and patient Sally told me that the call should come relatively soon, but that I shouldn't be holding my breath every time my phone rings just yet.  I was totally disappointed - like here come the tears disappointed - but I'm trying hard to wait and remember that God has already chosen my daughter and He will introduce her to me in His time, not mine.

So, life at #2 goes on.  There's been lots to fill our time.  Here are some pics to prove that life does go on even while we wait!

Of course there was baseball - what would we do with our time if we didn't play baseball?

That would be my baby pitching. 

Doesn't he look tough? :)

Hanging with his fans after the game. 

Lucy came to cheer Jeremiah on and practice her clapping skills.

Sleeping in the car after the game.  How cute is that?

Forty Days of Purpose

Our church is doing this book study and it is amazing.  We meet on Wednesday evenings for small group Bible study and the food is always great.  Stop on by, we would love to have you!

Notice the food on the counter - that's not even half of what we had! 

Like I said, stop on by, the food is great!

Jodi and I showed up at work in exactly the same shirt on the same day.  It was a tad embarrassing since people kept saying, "Hey, doesn't Jodi have that shirt on today too?"

Harvest for Haiti

Our church took a group of young people to Lexington to help pack meals to be sent to Haiti.  We did this last year too, and it was great fun, and a good lesson for all of us. 

We are so blessed to live the lives we live.

Chilling with my boy at Chic-Fil-A on the way to Lexington

Jeremiah and his buddy Aaron. 

Notice the huge tub of rice next to Aaron.  This was one of the main ingredients in the food bags we packed.

Jodi and the boys showing off after our team cleaned up in a race against Aaron's team.  We totally left them in the dust and packed more meals than they did - even though they would argue that we cheated, which of course is totally untrue!

Our buddy Carol and her daughters Emily and Megan joined us even though Megan has a volleyball injury and is still on crutches.

HAYRIDE!!!

Over fall break we hung out with my family and one of the highlights was a hayride at my sister's church.  The little kids were so exicited they couldn't wait to get there!

But once we got there it was so cold that Ozzy's teeth were chattering!  This was the best pic of the whole gang we could get between the wind, the cold, and trying to get everyone to look at me at once.

The oldest kiddo and the youngest kiddo hanging out.

Love this one! 

Gwynn was so excited she asked about a hundred times when we were going to the hayride.  I kept telling her five o'clock.  Eventually, she quit asking and started saying the hayride starts at five o'clock!

Jeremiah and Max -

Notice that you can see the shadow of my hands and camera on Max's sweathshirt!

This one is a little fuzzy but I had to include it - that's one girl who is excited about getting a pumpkin!

World's Largest Smore -

They used these giant marshmallows that made smores so big you could hardly fit them in your mouth. 

And my kid at two of them!

Ken's Wedding

Our assistant principal got married last weekend so we took the opportunity to get some good pics while everybody was all dressed up.

Jodi and her fam - don't they look nice?!

All dressed up with no place to go!

HA! 

Grant was very unhappy when they got to the reception and realized they had missed the appetizers.  He was starving and was even more unhappy when he saw the offerings for the dinner course.  He's a picky eater and didn't like anything they had to offer.  I'm pretty sure he only ate dinner rolls!

He was in a much better mood after he had a huge chunk of chocolate cake!

The pretty boys - how did they get so big?

The boys thought it was great that they got sparkling grape juice in their wine glasses.  At this point they had both unbuttoned their collars and Grant had even taken off his tie.  Jodi says they look like they have had one too many!  I think they are high on life! :)

I sure do love this kid!