Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Leaving on a jet plane

I am leaving. I am really going to do it.

Yikes.

For over 2 years I have waited for this moment. Now I think I have built it up so much in my mind it is unreal to the point of I can't imagine.

Gary will be blogging for me his side of the story, home with 3 kids for 10 days. That should be interesting and make for good reading. Gary usually finds a way to tease me and most the time it is relentless, he does this with the kids as well so that should be fun.

There are a million things to worry about but I can't even go there. The top ones on my list are:

The piece of metal from the cheap IKEA beds that is hanging under Abby's bed. Yes what if she crawls under it and pokes her eye out!

My bathroom door and the boys bedroom door. Gary must just remove the whole entire door locks because Judah has hung on them so many times they broke and now if you shut the door you will get locked in. I know because Judah locked me in my bathroom today and me and the kids all got locked in the boys bedroom the other day and I had to yell out the window for Gary to rescue me.

Snorkeling: Gary will take the kids to my mother in laws pool and let them snorkel. This just freaks me out but what can I do? There is all kinds of things to worry about with snorkeling I can't even go there.

The zoo: sounds innocent but there are a million things to worry about, the play area is not safe and it is hot and there is water in the form of fake lakes and three kids and well you know.

Those make my top list. If I had it my way they would lock themselves in the house and not leave for 10 days. But I have faith believe it or not. Well kind of .

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Very Dissapointing

You know we had a dissapointing night tonight. We went to dinner as a family to Chiles in Goodyear and that is something that we really don't do often. We spent 70 dollars and totally splurged, it was fun and a nice thing before I leave.

Dinner was ruined. There were people behind us, young and in their 20's with just the foulest mouths you have ever heard, talking about things that were so X rated I can't even begin to reapeat them. I didn't notice, Gary did and then of course I had to be subjected to their ill mannered and nasty behavoir, not only me but my kids. When our food arrived I prayed very loud so they could hear me but it didn't stop them.

I would have loved to say something or move or anything but we didn't. I just prayed. My kids didn't hear anything it was just more disturbing for Gary and I to have to listen to this and it more so because they were black.

There I said it. You know whatever but they were using the F word and N word like it was everyday to them. I never even hear that word let alone use it!! It was sad to me because our waiter was also black. He was kind and gentle and knows our friends from church, but because of these ignorant fools wearing their gang bangin clothes and looking and talking the part of ignorance they perpetuate a stereo type that I have to protect my son from. That makes me mad, because people around are not going to remember the Waiter and his kind heart and sincere words, or my darling son from Ethiopia. They will remember and classify black people with these sad and troubled souls. This is what I have to protect my son from, not just people like them but people who stereotype because of people like them. It makes me so mad.

I prayed, I asked God to forgive them for their crude, violent filthy talk. I felt sad for them. I told Gary we just don't know how they grew up and what they saw. He couldn't understand why in a family restaurant would someone use such ill mannered speech. I just told him not everyone knows manners or cares, maybe they were not brought up to care. Or maybe they are just so selfish and young they don't care. I told Gary it was wrong yes, but we don't know what their lives will be like in 10 years. I really don't want to judge them as humans today, all we could do was pray.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

okay Okay

Alright, I have had my moment of lolly gagging. I am nearly packed and have let some of my little things go that I was thinking should be done. It is sad the only time the house or car is clean is when I am expecting something big to happen. It is sad when your husband says "Wow our bathroom is clean, we should adopt all the time" So that is when you know you have a problem. So with that being said I am giving up on the idea of loosing weight, learning another language, becoming mother Theresa, cleaning my house, painting the walls, and cleaning the blinds. Now it is just enough to get Netsanet on our travel benefits and to by stand by tickets for us. So I am going to show up at the airport and not really know if I am leaving. That is so hard for me. I can't even think about leaving Ethiopia, I don't even know if I am getting there. So I am just about ready, the list plays out in my head like a broken record of all the things I need to do, it screams at me at night, wakes me up in the morning, nags me all day. But each day I get a bit more done so at least I feel like I am moving ahead. Currently I am on the phone with the Visa processing center to make sure that her visa has been processed. I got her birth certificate the other day so that is really really good. So far so good. Well I am on the phone currently on the phone with USCIS, they have not received any information on my visa being sent over, well did I expect anything less? They are being very nice to me so that is good but I am concerned, better to head these things off sooner while I am here in the USA and have some control. I don't think they are used to people calling about these things. Okay well I shall update when I know something. Okay well I contacted my local USCIS office we will see, just something else.

Friday, June 6, 2008

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Everyone says Abby looks like Dakota Fanning








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You know you are mixed up when.....




You find yourself at 34 almost 35 years old buying blemish control products with line reduction ones. I was at Sprouts and purchased some new stuff by Burts Bees, they have an anti aging lotion called ageless, and blemish control oil with tea tree and other natural ingrediants. It was just a bummer because I never had pimples when I was a teen ager, in fact this is the first time I have ever purchased such a thing!! I have like 5 pimples currently and that is a first for sure.








Naturally Ageless Line Diminishing Day Lotion
Don't let fine lines see the light of day.
How it Works
Diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for soft, smooth, naturally ageless skin. This luxurious lotion is packed with antioxidant-rich pomegranate to fight skin-damaging free radicals and para cress to help diminish the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Mexican wild yam extract in the formula helps increase skin's firmness.
How to Use It
Use in the morning after cleansing. Gently smooth over your face and neck.
Featured Ingredient
Pomegranate Extract — Pomegranate fruit extract, from the tree Punica granatum, contains several polyphenols and anthocyanidins which are highly antioxidant, protecting hair and skin.
Read more
Ingredients: Water, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, glycerin, stearic acid, sucrose distearate, alcohol denat., sucrose stearate, punica granatum (pomegranate) extract, dioscorea villosa (wild yam) root extract, acmella oleracea (para cress) extract, chondrus crispus (carrageenan) extract, lecithin, glucose, fragrance, xanthan gum, sodium chloride, glucose
oxidase, lactoperoxidase
Herbal Blemish Stick
Banish blemishes, naturally.
How it Works
This blemish stick contains 10 effective natural herbal ingredients including willowbark, nature's version of salicylic acid, which clarifies and gently exfoliates skin to clear pores and help prevent breakouts. Combined with tea tree and juniper oils, known for their antiseptic and astringent qualities, and calendula to reduce inflammation and redness, this concentrated formula keeps your skin clear, naturally.
How to Use It
For best results, apply blemish stick directly to the affected areas 2 to 3 times daily. Additional applications may irritate your skin because of the formula's potent botanical ingredients.
Featured Ingredient
Tea Tree Oil — The aboriginal people of Australia have long used Tea tree oil as an antiseptic. The oil is best known for its antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties.
Read more
Ingredients: alcohol denat., calendula officinalis flower oil, borago officinalis (borage) seed oil, achillea millefolium (yarrow) oil, carum petroselinum (parsley) seed oil, salix nigra (willow) bark extract, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil, foeniculum vulgare (fennel) oil, water, melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) leaf oil, juniperus communis (juniper) fruit oil, eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus

Thursday, June 5, 2008

On Mason

What Mason told me.

"Mom I want to be a pastor of a big, fancy church. I want to tell them that we are not important, it is the ones who are in need that are important. They are like precious jewels that haven't been bought."

I am always touched when my kids have these random, independent thoughts. When they come to conclusions over breakfast and great ideas at lunch, verbalize hopes at dinner. It is fun to watch them establish their own thoughts and find that guiding compass I have asked God to give them.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

WOW who could have thunk it?

Did you know metal detecting is one of the fasting growing out door sports?? I would have never guessed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzucUSPjm0k

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

It was a mongoose

I have so much time on my hands, because 3 kids, homeschooling, ministry work, Gary's birthday and adoption and a clean house and travel arrangements are not enough so I decided to research this little critter of Kona.

It is a mongoose, introduced to Hawaii by India to take care of rodents, Mongoose are considered pest in Hawaii and to top it off they are known for killing snakes but there are not snakes in Hawaii. snort snort.

Mongoose or weasle we don't know



Remember yesterday when I said Gary saw a mongoose outside of his window looking at him, well what did you think we were kidding? Gary was on an overnight in Hawaii and this is the little critter he saw. My life is not so exotic, I did see a wasp in our house though drinking from the drain in our fridge and that was pretty cool and how ya the kids found a cricket and I don't really know what they did with it, the last I heard they were talking about antennas and how ya I killed some flies that was exciting. yes I am being sarcastic.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Things I heard today from my family

"Honey I gotta go there is a mongoose outside my door watching me" Gary in hawaii

"I will take the cake and hold it so pirates don't get it" Judah

"Abby are you using that to wash your hands, well that is not soap it is hair lotion" Mason to Abby

"What is that smell? Did you spray her with hairspray?" me

"hubba hubba" all kids chanting

"I am scared I don't want to ever get lost in space" Abby

"Can I have honey dew crackers!" (gram crackers) Abby she is always messing her words up

These are just a few things that I heard today and some in the last hour.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

now this is a cake!!

This is my friend Julies baby shower cake, yes the name of her blog is written on it, that is abou the cutest thing ever, www.fourplusmore.wordpress.com I want that living love out loud on mine, my good friend Aubrey said she would do the cake and I tell you she is the best in the west, she didn't do this cake but I will post some pictures of ones she does. OH the taste of them are heavenly!! The shower was great!! She will be bringing home her two kids from Ethiopia in a few months! How exciting.
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Today, Sunday

Well today we went to the Amharic service at the local Ethiopian pastors church, the one our ministry team is involved with. I noticed my son's hair looked a bit greasy as he fixed himself, I just thought it was wet. But as the day grew on I realized that it was "wet" all day. I felt it and sure enough, he fixed his own hair with Judah's Africa Best Hair Mayonaise.
This is at the church, Mason sat with the other kids in Sunday school and Judah and Abby played outside.
Aren't they so cute?
Okay he looks angelic. Don't let the looks fool you though, he is a little fire ball!!!
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The final Birthday cake in all it's glory

Oh my gosh not that it is a day later I am so regretting that I didn't take some home, rather I left the remains at my mother in laws house. It was actually pretty good.
The kids were drooling for it,
Oh happy 37 birthday my hunny.
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