I have been fortunate to reconnect with some long lost friends from high school and college lately. We found each other on facebook.com, which is a networking site for young people to stay in touch with classmates and friends. It is really nice to reconnect and get caught up with everyone.
It is no secret to anyone that we are adopting from Ethiopia and that info is on my facebook page. I have found a couple of high school friends who either spent time in Addis Ababa themselves or their fiance has. How awesome is that? They are offering me suggestions and good wishes. One friend even knows some people in Addis Ababa who just adopted children themselves and is willing to put us in touch with them.
What a small world we live in. Who would have thought that I would reconnect with these people and that they have experiences with Ethiopia. Needless to say I am asking questions and getting as much help as I can. The more knowledge that I can gather about my child's birth place the better.
We are gearing up for a summer of not a lot going on with our process. The June 1st cutoff date is looming at the end of next week and then courts close in August. We are open to a summer referral but it is unlikely given our spot on the list but you never know and we still wouldn't make progress beyond a referral until courts reopen in September. All signs are pointing to June 1st (really May 30th since the 1st is a Sunday) as the last possible date to get a referral and still have a chance of making it through court before it closes since court dates seem to be about 4-6 weeks after referral. There is some hope that there will be another batch of referrals coming next week but no one knows for sure.
We know everything will happen when it is supposed to so we just have to wait it out. I will still have my good days and my bad days but I know that no matter what our baby,boy or girl or twins, will find us. We know that when they find us they will be 0-12 months old so if we are meant to have a 2 month old we will and if we are meant to have 1 year old we will. So given the wait from referral to court to travel it is possible that our baby could be closer to 15 months if we were referred a 12 month old and that is okay. We have seen referrals for as young as 4 weeks so they would be closer to 5 months when they come home. Either way we have lots of love to give and are looking forward to the day we can shout from the rooftops that we are having a baby.
And we have more movement.....
WE ARE NOW #55 ON THE LIST!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Dance
Well, once again we have hit Thursday. So here is another of my favorite songs. I have used a song before by Garth Brooks but I just couldn't help it. I will explain.
I have chosen the song "The Dance". This song sums up my feelings perfectly with what happened with the twins this last summer and it makes sense as to why we are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Read the lyrics and you will see what I mean. And then after the song we have more updates to share :)
"The Dance"
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but
I'd have had to miss the dance
I do really think that my life is better off to chance. Look at everything I am going to be able to experience in my life that I would have missed if we had been able to adopt the twins. Don't get me wrong I did love those little ones but I wouldn't change what happened since I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I also did feel like a queen when I held the girls as I thought I had it all. I was a mom. I know the whole thing was really painful but I had to go through that dance to get where I am now. I am so excited to be adopting from Ethiopia and I have met a tremendous group of people who all experiencing the same things that I am. I really think I learned a lot about myself because of the pain I went through and I am okay with that. I had to do it. There is a little boy or girl out there that needs me more and I am meant to be there mom. I am willing to wait for them (hopefully not too long). I had to experience this dance to know how much I want to be a mom and how ready I am for that role.
Okay so are you ready....
We
Have
Moved
Up on the list....
10 spots to # 59!
YEAH!!! Big shout out to all those who got a referral call today. There are lots of new families that were formed and that is just amazing after the months of waiting.
I have chosen the song "The Dance". This song sums up my feelings perfectly with what happened with the twins this last summer and it makes sense as to why we are in the process of adopting from Ethiopia. Read the lyrics and you will see what I mean. And then after the song we have more updates to share :)
"The Dance"
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared 'neath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I a king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain but
I'd have had to miss the dance
I do really think that my life is better off to chance. Look at everything I am going to be able to experience in my life that I would have missed if we had been able to adopt the twins. Don't get me wrong I did love those little ones but I wouldn't change what happened since I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. I also did feel like a queen when I held the girls as I thought I had it all. I was a mom. I know the whole thing was really painful but I had to go through that dance to get where I am now. I am so excited to be adopting from Ethiopia and I have met a tremendous group of people who all experiencing the same things that I am. I really think I learned a lot about myself because of the pain I went through and I am okay with that. I had to do it. There is a little boy or girl out there that needs me more and I am meant to be there mom. I am willing to wait for them (hopefully not too long). I had to experience this dance to know how much I want to be a mom and how ready I am for that role.
Okay so are you ready....
We
Have
Moved
Up on the list....
10 spots to # 59!
YEAH!!! Big shout out to all those who got a referral call today. There are lots of new families that were formed and that is just amazing after the months of waiting.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The 'Burbs
My name is Cathy and I live in the Suburbs. I was thinking the other day how great it is to say that. I am not a city person. I like to go to the city but couldn't live there. Oh, and for me even though I don't live there anymore, the city refers to San Francisco. It probably always will like I am sure to some people the city will always mean New York City or Boston but to me I left my heart in CA so that will be the city always. Okay, enough babbling.
I am also not a country girl. I don't do dirt, bugs or wildlife. I have been camping one time when I was in Blue birds when I was like 10 and we slept outside under a tarp and it rained all night. It was awful. I don't like camping. I want running water, indoor plumbing and a real bed. Yes I am aware that I somehow went from the young girl who walked barefoot everywhere and climbed trees to an adult who is kind of a girly girl who likes to get her nails done and wear make-up.
I am a product of the suburbs. I grew up in the suburbs my whole life so I don't know anything else. I did visit my grandparents on their farm and churned butter once but that really wasn't my cup of tea and the traffic alone in most major cities would drive me insane.
The suburbs give you the best of both. At least mine does as it is pretty quiet yet close enough to a major city that I can go shopping, see Phantom of the Opera, or go to just about any chain restaurant that you can name.
I couldn't imagine a better place to raise my children and in that was a major deciding factor in us moving to WI in the first place. I was fortunate enough in CA to go to private school until 8th grade and then off to public school. I loved high school or at least what I got out of it which was a lot of great memories and my BFF (best friend forever) but I also saw a lot of scary stuff. I saw a huge fight that resulted in my principal getting punched and my vice principal breaking his finger all while trying to stop a fight involving broken bottles. There were gangs and drugs and all sorts of crazy stuff. I am no naive to think that those things don't exist here as I know they do but we live in a smaller city with a MUCH better school system than CA so I feel comfort in that.
With living in the 'burbs comes responsibility at least in our neighborhood it does. We have rules as to things we must do and things we cannot do. We have to have building plans for fences and decks approved and we have to have 5 evergreen shrubs and a tree (maple,oak, pine,etc) on our property. We have no plans for a fence and our deck is done so that isn't an issue. We have plants that meet the requirements. We have a hard time getting them to live past 1 winter but we try which is huge for me as I HATE gardening. Back to the dirt, bugs thing again.
It also brings a sense of worry in terms of will we have good neighbors (which we have AWESOME ones), will our grass look nice all summer, will our flowers bloom and will our dogs barking bother the neighbors. We are very fortunate to live where we live with the people we live with as we know it could be so much worse. Now, if only I could get my one neighbor to keep her dog from barking out the window at me and mow her lawn more than once every 3-4 weeks that would be awesome.
I am also not a country girl. I don't do dirt, bugs or wildlife. I have been camping one time when I was in Blue birds when I was like 10 and we slept outside under a tarp and it rained all night. It was awful. I don't like camping. I want running water, indoor plumbing and a real bed. Yes I am aware that I somehow went from the young girl who walked barefoot everywhere and climbed trees to an adult who is kind of a girly girl who likes to get her nails done and wear make-up.
I am a product of the suburbs. I grew up in the suburbs my whole life so I don't know anything else. I did visit my grandparents on their farm and churned butter once but that really wasn't my cup of tea and the traffic alone in most major cities would drive me insane.
The suburbs give you the best of both. At least mine does as it is pretty quiet yet close enough to a major city that I can go shopping, see Phantom of the Opera, or go to just about any chain restaurant that you can name.
I couldn't imagine a better place to raise my children and in that was a major deciding factor in us moving to WI in the first place. I was fortunate enough in CA to go to private school until 8th grade and then off to public school. I loved high school or at least what I got out of it which was a lot of great memories and my BFF (best friend forever) but I also saw a lot of scary stuff. I saw a huge fight that resulted in my principal getting punched and my vice principal breaking his finger all while trying to stop a fight involving broken bottles. There were gangs and drugs and all sorts of crazy stuff. I am no naive to think that those things don't exist here as I know they do but we live in a smaller city with a MUCH better school system than CA so I feel comfort in that.
With living in the 'burbs comes responsibility at least in our neighborhood it does. We have rules as to things we must do and things we cannot do. We have to have building plans for fences and decks approved and we have to have 5 evergreen shrubs and a tree (maple,oak, pine,etc) on our property. We have no plans for a fence and our deck is done so that isn't an issue. We have plants that meet the requirements. We have a hard time getting them to live past 1 winter but we try which is huge for me as I HATE gardening. Back to the dirt, bugs thing again.
It also brings a sense of worry in terms of will we have good neighbors (which we have AWESOME ones), will our grass look nice all summer, will our flowers bloom and will our dogs barking bother the neighbors. We are very fortunate to live where we live with the people we live with as we know it could be so much worse. Now, if only I could get my one neighbor to keep her dog from barking out the window at me and mow her lawn more than once every 3-4 weeks that would be awesome.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
I did it!
I made and ate Chicken Curry! I thought for a minute I wasn't going to be able to go through with it but I did. And...it wasn't too bad. My mouth was on fire for a little bit but it did taste good. And... I will make it again.
So, one new food down and a few more to go in my quest to broaden my food horizons.
So, one new food down and a few more to go in my quest to broaden my food horizons.
Couch Update
Well, this morning I got a phone call from the makers of Promeris, the stinky flea and tick medicine that bleached my new leather furniture and made poor Badger smell for days. I spoke with a very nice woman who insisted that they try and fix my furniture. She said she would call me when she had more details.
About 10 minutes later, I got a phone call from a company in Janesville that repairs leather furniture. I set up an appointment for this afternoon at 2pm. Promptly at 2pm, he showed up and less than 40 minutes later my couch is back to normal. He found three spots that were damaged and he cleaned them and then reapplied the top coat. He said he has seen much worse. I was so grateful and shocked as I didn't even know that these techniques existed to fix leather furniture. He said if needed he could custom dye the leather to match the rest of my sofa. He didn't need to do that, thankfully.
The rep for Promeris called again later in the morning to make sure that I heard from the repair company. I told her I had and she said that they would take care of the bill. She also told me that I wasn't the first person to call and complain that the product had bleached leather furniture. I should have asked her then why that wasn't on the label for the medication. I really hope that since this has happened a number of time before that they would really consider changing the packaging to express that. If I had known that this might have been a possibility I would have covered the whole couch with a blanket to try and prevent it.
I am glad that this is over and that my couch is back to normal.
About 10 minutes later, I got a phone call from a company in Janesville that repairs leather furniture. I set up an appointment for this afternoon at 2pm. Promptly at 2pm, he showed up and less than 40 minutes later my couch is back to normal. He found three spots that were damaged and he cleaned them and then reapplied the top coat. He said he has seen much worse. I was so grateful and shocked as I didn't even know that these techniques existed to fix leather furniture. He said if needed he could custom dye the leather to match the rest of my sofa. He didn't need to do that, thankfully.
The rep for Promeris called again later in the morning to make sure that I heard from the repair company. I told her I had and she said that they would take care of the bill. She also told me that I wasn't the first person to call and complain that the product had bleached leather furniture. I should have asked her then why that wasn't on the label for the medication. I really hope that since this has happened a number of time before that they would really consider changing the packaging to express that. If I had known that this might have been a possibility I would have covered the whole couch with a blanket to try and prevent it.
I am glad that this is over and that my couch is back to normal.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Cooking conquests
Back in the days when I lived in CA and worked in a Residence Hall, DH and I NEVER ate at home. It was partially a part of my crazy work hours and a CA thing. People in their 20's and 30's don't really cook at home in CA. They may get take out and eat at home but that doesn't really count.
Well, I came from a family that ate at home a lot and usually a home cooked meal by my mom and sometimes my dad. My DH had a similar experience that he always sat down with his family for a home cooked meal. Both my Mom and MIL are great cooks and I have gotten recipes from both of them.
I was never one to just cook on my own. I would buy pasta sauce in a jar which in my family is terrible since we are Italian and my Mom, cousin, Aunt, etc all made their own sauce. They all made it differently but they made it from scratch. Now, I do to. I love it. There isn't really a recipe but I based it on the ingredients my Mom puts in hers and add more garlic. Love the garlic!
I also make my own enchilada sauce and have sworn to NEVER buy premade grocery store sauce for enchiladas or spaghetti. Since we have moved into our house almost 4 years ago I have held true to that.
Our CA life consisted of eating out or doing take out 7 days a week. Every Tuesday night was staff meeting night for me so we went to Subway. Still miss the owner of the Subway in Santa Clara, CA. He always had fresh cookies for us and he gave me extra avocado on my sandwich :)
I have found that I really enjoy cooking and DH and I are committed to having family dinner every night. We had that experience and we want our kids to have that experience as well.
I have this list of dishes that I want to make and haven't and a growing list of things I have made from scratch and that have come out pretty well. I also have a list of things that I tried to make and were horrible failures. (I can't get the smell of that funky meatloaf out of my mind--trust me it was bad. I tried to do something new with meatloaf and I should have stuck to the basics.) My next feat is to tackle curry. I have just recently started to try curry in preparation for Ethiopian food. Some components of curry will be similar to Ethiopian food but not exactly the same. That being said it is hard to find all of the spices you need to make Indian or Ethiopian food so I have purchased a mild curry paste. Yes, I bought a whole jar and I am planning on using it tomorrow.
I am going to make Chicken Curry. DH likes Indian food and really hates that I don't want to eat it. He used to eat Indian food quite often when we lived in CA and has eaten it some but not often since we have moved here. I think he is quite shocked that I am making Chicken Curry. I have no idea how it will come out or if either one of us will like it but it is a step.
A step that I need to take. I don't tend to try new things or eat spicy (hot) or heavily spiced (seasoned) food. I am pretty boring. That needs to change as I am going to need to eat while in Ethiopia and everyone talks about how awesome the food is and I don't want to miss out on that. Sure there are things that I will never eat (liver, tripe, other weird animal parts or animals) but I feel like I am missing out on this whole world of food. I am tackling Indian and have yet to tackle Thai and then this summer we are hitting the Ethiopian restaurant in Madison.
I will keep you all posted on my culinary feats and my hopefully tasty new favorite foods.
Well, I came from a family that ate at home a lot and usually a home cooked meal by my mom and sometimes my dad. My DH had a similar experience that he always sat down with his family for a home cooked meal. Both my Mom and MIL are great cooks and I have gotten recipes from both of them.
I was never one to just cook on my own. I would buy pasta sauce in a jar which in my family is terrible since we are Italian and my Mom, cousin, Aunt, etc all made their own sauce. They all made it differently but they made it from scratch. Now, I do to. I love it. There isn't really a recipe but I based it on the ingredients my Mom puts in hers and add more garlic. Love the garlic!
I also make my own enchilada sauce and have sworn to NEVER buy premade grocery store sauce for enchiladas or spaghetti. Since we have moved into our house almost 4 years ago I have held true to that.
Our CA life consisted of eating out or doing take out 7 days a week. Every Tuesday night was staff meeting night for me so we went to Subway. Still miss the owner of the Subway in Santa Clara, CA. He always had fresh cookies for us and he gave me extra avocado on my sandwich :)
I have found that I really enjoy cooking and DH and I are committed to having family dinner every night. We had that experience and we want our kids to have that experience as well.
I have this list of dishes that I want to make and haven't and a growing list of things I have made from scratch and that have come out pretty well. I also have a list of things that I tried to make and were horrible failures. (I can't get the smell of that funky meatloaf out of my mind--trust me it was bad. I tried to do something new with meatloaf and I should have stuck to the basics.) My next feat is to tackle curry. I have just recently started to try curry in preparation for Ethiopian food. Some components of curry will be similar to Ethiopian food but not exactly the same. That being said it is hard to find all of the spices you need to make Indian or Ethiopian food so I have purchased a mild curry paste. Yes, I bought a whole jar and I am planning on using it tomorrow.
I am going to make Chicken Curry. DH likes Indian food and really hates that I don't want to eat it. He used to eat Indian food quite often when we lived in CA and has eaten it some but not often since we have moved here. I think he is quite shocked that I am making Chicken Curry. I have no idea how it will come out or if either one of us will like it but it is a step.
A step that I need to take. I don't tend to try new things or eat spicy (hot) or heavily spiced (seasoned) food. I am pretty boring. That needs to change as I am going to need to eat while in Ethiopia and everyone talks about how awesome the food is and I don't want to miss out on that. Sure there are things that I will never eat (liver, tripe, other weird animal parts or animals) but I feel like I am missing out on this whole world of food. I am tackling Indian and have yet to tackle Thai and then this summer we are hitting the Ethiopian restaurant in Madison.
I will keep you all posted on my culinary feats and my hopefully tasty new favorite foods.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Reading Update
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I was reading a few books. I am going to take today and update you a little on everything.
"I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla"--I am learning so much from this book. I have only read the toddler/preschooler section so far but it is still very helpful. I realize that kids at a young age don't recognize race and skin color the same way that adults do. Children are so innocent and it is the job of parents to make sure they stay that way. Children don't form judgements about people based on the color of the skin the way that adults do. In fact, most children don't even realize that their skin color won't change throughout life. Some black children said they wanted to be white because they like vanilla better than chocolate. That statement has nothing to do with race, it is about a young child's perception that they can change their skin color and that their skin color doesn't define them. How awesome is that, to be so free to not have judgements and to not form opinions based on race or skin color?
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult--Still reading my book club book. It is a long one. I am really enjoying it. It is however a little controversial as it centers around a high school shooting and bullying and all the players involved from the families of the victims, the judge, the shooter, the family of the shooter and the survivors. It really makes me realize that time is precious and that we should make the most of it. You never know what might happen so appreciate those around you and pay attention to your kids. It is a heavy topic. Parents have a responsibility but at the same time you can't always know what your kids are doing. There has to be some trust there but in this book that trust is shattered. It all started with kids picking on the smallest, and presumably weakest kid in the class and now 10 years later he has fought back and killed 10 people and injured others. I am at the trial stage of the book. It is just creepy to read as we all remember Columbine, Virgina Tech, Northern Illinois, and all the rest. You always hope that something like this won't happen where you live but you just never know.
Amharic phrasebook-- It is a small book with tons of info so I started with food and family sections. Why those? Well, I want to know what I am eating before I eat it so for example I will no be ordering Duleut (tripe, liver, beef cooked in spices). I will however order my food Alecha (not too spicy). I will be drinking lots of Bunna (coffee) and probably some Bira (beer). As for family I have learned that Enat means Mother and Abbat mean Father. Hesan mean baby and Lej means child. I am sure my pronunciations are off but I am trying. I really want to learn some basic words so that I can try and use them while in Ethiopia and I want my child to learn some basic words as well.
Well back to Tivumayeut (watching TV).
"I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla"--I am learning so much from this book. I have only read the toddler/preschooler section so far but it is still very helpful. I realize that kids at a young age don't recognize race and skin color the same way that adults do. Children are so innocent and it is the job of parents to make sure they stay that way. Children don't form judgements about people based on the color of the skin the way that adults do. In fact, most children don't even realize that their skin color won't change throughout life. Some black children said they wanted to be white because they like vanilla better than chocolate. That statement has nothing to do with race, it is about a young child's perception that they can change their skin color and that their skin color doesn't define them. How awesome is that, to be so free to not have judgements and to not form opinions based on race or skin color?
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult--Still reading my book club book. It is a long one. I am really enjoying it. It is however a little controversial as it centers around a high school shooting and bullying and all the players involved from the families of the victims, the judge, the shooter, the family of the shooter and the survivors. It really makes me realize that time is precious and that we should make the most of it. You never know what might happen so appreciate those around you and pay attention to your kids. It is a heavy topic. Parents have a responsibility but at the same time you can't always know what your kids are doing. There has to be some trust there but in this book that trust is shattered. It all started with kids picking on the smallest, and presumably weakest kid in the class and now 10 years later he has fought back and killed 10 people and injured others. I am at the trial stage of the book. It is just creepy to read as we all remember Columbine, Virgina Tech, Northern Illinois, and all the rest. You always hope that something like this won't happen where you live but you just never know.
Amharic phrasebook-- It is a small book with tons of info so I started with food and family sections. Why those? Well, I want to know what I am eating before I eat it so for example I will no be ordering Duleut (tripe, liver, beef cooked in spices). I will however order my food Alecha (not too spicy). I will be drinking lots of Bunna (coffee) and probably some Bira (beer). As for family I have learned that Enat means Mother and Abbat mean Father. Hesan mean baby and Lej means child. I am sure my pronunciations are off but I am trying. I really want to learn some basic words so that I can try and use them while in Ethiopia and I want my child to learn some basic words as well.
Well back to Tivumayeut (watching TV).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)