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There are so many foreign places I would love to visit. History engages me. Architecture and ruins amaze me. Nature inspires me. DIfferent cultures captivate me. But above all else, it is the people of the land that give it character and beauty. On a trip outside the city, we got to see not only…
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We’ve been home with Hanissa for three weeks. Hard to believe. She is finally home. We didn’t leave Ethiopia until 1am and by the time we reached Yanji, we were all exhausted. The best part of the trip was walking out the doors and seeing our 4 older girls waiting. They were tired too. It…
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After all the wait, after all the tears, one might think bringing our little girl home is the easy part of adoption. It is definitely more exciting than the wait. And it feels more “real” than other steps in our adoption. But easy? I guess that depends on your definition of easy.
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All paperwork for our Chinese visa is now in the right hands. We should get everything (passports) back soon. Which is a really good thing since we got confirmation on our Embassy Appointment in Ethiopia. Yes, we are scheduled to be at the American Embassy on October 1. I’m so excited…
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One of our favorite back to school traditions is a fun photo shoot the first week of school. My favorites are not usually the “school” pictures but the in-between shots. Those unplanned photos when horseplay is at its best and the true nature of the subject is revealed. I love it when I capture expressions…
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Received the most amazing email last night. It was formal, but it felt like a love letter to me. In simple terms it said that our adoption has been cleared by the US Embassy in Addis. Next step, make an appointment to travel. I’m having a really hard time finding an adjective to describe the…
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We took a trip to the other side of the world; to a distant land unknown to most. It is a land full of natural beauty. A land with hard working people and strong family ties. A land where questions are abundant and answers are few. A land of uncertainty but also a land of…
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You can buy it on the street or go to a popular restaurant. Lamb on a stick, known to most as kabobs, is one of our favorite local foods.
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Our local park is not something foreigners get excited about. At first glance it seems pretty pathetic and it doesn’t improve with closer examination. There are patches of grass and small groves of trees. The zoo section holds one camel, a few sheep, deer, and the occasional tiger. There’s a dozen or so old amusement…
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We closed Gina’s for the day so we could go to the countryside with our workers. They planned the day for us. Hiking, playing games, and wading in the river were all on the to-do list.