I have been living in a wonderland bliss where everything seemed clean and orderly. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere my eyes have been magically opened to the state of my house. To my horror and utter astonishment things weren't as they appeared for so long. Science experiments gone wrong, or maybe dinner from last year and expired condiments invaded my refrigerator. Spiders and dead bugs have run out of room in the corners and are taking over all available space. Toys have placed themselves in every drawer and container in the house. As I surveyed the rest of the house I witnessed socks standing on their own, dust camouflaged as furnishings, crumbs trying to blend in not only on my counters but in my bed as well, movies without a home, bills long forgotten, a volcano in my microwave, toilets to gross to explain, my oven with Christmas drippings, diapers trying to find a way to the landfill, and the floors, well....let's not even walk there.
Umm.. So where have I been.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Where and What?
So what's been going on?
Christiana has her passport! Can I hear a hallelujah? Unfortunately we are having issues with the prepaid round trip ticket from last year. After hours on the phone, a two hour trip to the airport and many tears, we may have to buy a whole new ticket. I'm trying not to get too worked up and pray that God works it all out. Worst case scenario I have to come up with $1500 for a new ticket. God willing they will be traveling home next Wed. This is a bittersweet moment for my family. We are praising God that:
They are alive! If Gedese had stayed in Africa, Alex would be in mourning.
They will be reunited as a family. I wish I could be there to see the beautiful reunion they will have.
I'm also asking for strength to say, "goodbye" to my sister, my best friend Gedese. I cannot even begin to explain feelings I have for Christiana. I felt her first kicks and was there for her birth. I was the first to hold her and see her first smile.
I haven't blogged for awhile-So where have I been?
For Valentines day my hubby sent me on a 40 hour getaway. It all started with a party that we attended together in St. Louis for Evander Holyfield.(I didn't know but he's a 4 time world boxing champ)
Then the following morning I flew to Phoenix by myself. My best friend from High School picked me up in the cutest Little Cooper car. It was perfect. We hiked Camelback Mountain, where I thought I might meet my maker. Then Natasha treated me to Sanctuary Spa. It was more blissful than I could have imagined. The next morning we had a lovely breakfast and went to the art museum and watched 1000 journals. The night was topped off by meeting two amazing blog friends, Kim and Jen. We laughed until it hurt. I thank my God for the time for fellowship and renewal. I learned so much and came home with a fresh perspective.
Thank you my love! Adam you rock!
Here are some pictures. Natasha has the rest.
Christiana has her passport! Can I hear a hallelujah? Unfortunately we are having issues with the prepaid round trip ticket from last year. After hours on the phone, a two hour trip to the airport and many tears, we may have to buy a whole new ticket. I'm trying not to get too worked up and pray that God works it all out. Worst case scenario I have to come up with $1500 for a new ticket. God willing they will be traveling home next Wed. This is a bittersweet moment for my family. We are praising God that:
They are alive! If Gedese had stayed in Africa, Alex would be in mourning.
They will be reunited as a family. I wish I could be there to see the beautiful reunion they will have.
I'm also asking for strength to say, "goodbye" to my sister, my best friend Gedese. I cannot even begin to explain feelings I have for Christiana. I felt her first kicks and was there for her birth. I was the first to hold her and see her first smile.
I haven't blogged for awhile-So where have I been?
For Valentines day my hubby sent me on a 40 hour getaway. It all started with a party that we attended together in St. Louis for Evander Holyfield.(I didn't know but he's a 4 time world boxing champ)
Then the following morning I flew to Phoenix by myself. My best friend from High School picked me up in the cutest Little Cooper car. It was perfect. We hiked Camelback Mountain, where I thought I might meet my maker. Then Natasha treated me to Sanctuary Spa. It was more blissful than I could have imagined. The next morning we had a lovely breakfast and went to the art museum and watched 1000 journals. The night was topped off by meeting two amazing blog friends, Kim and Jen. We laughed until it hurt. I thank my God for the time for fellowship and renewal. I learned so much and came home with a fresh perspective.
Thank you my love! Adam you rock!
Here are some pictures. Natasha has the rest.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Working
I know God is working. I can feel Him working. I Just am impatient to see how He does it.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Flashback Friday
I have the kind of past that sometimes it's better not to look back, but it shouldn't be ignored either. In my attempt to move forward from my past a few years back I went into a self made bubble and hid out for awhile. I gave little thought to most of the people left behind. Then there were other people that I have thought about often. The ones that left a huge footprint on my heart.
After Adam and I moved to Los Angeles we ended up in a little shack in Venice Beach. We kept blowing through roommates. They were either Adam's family or friends. After our 3rd roommate lost, I took over the task of finding a new one. I posted an ad at Santa Monica college where I was studying. It was written in all different colors of crayon. A guy named John answered the ad. He was kind of a quiet fellow with a warped sense of humor-He was perfect. I loved him. Soon after or right around the same time I met him, I met Candice. I was in my child development class and I was drawn to this girl next me. She had a crazy accent and talked about needing a "lou". After she told me she was from Africa I followed her out of class and pounded her with questions about Africa. (yes, even back then 16 years ago-I was nuts about Africa) The three of us quickly became inseparable. Where was Adam? Even back then he was always working or rehearsing with his band. John, Candice and I had some grand adventures. It seems John was always rescuing Candice and I from something. They were always there for me. When Adam and I had our second wedding(first public wedding) John was my best man and Candice was my best woman. When I was in labor with Jace they were both in the room with me for 24 hours. John videotaped while Candice directed him what the camera needed to be pointed at. She would say in her beautiful accent, "John the baby is not coming out her face, you need to put the camera down there". After Jace was born the three of us drifted apart. Candice went through some extremely difficult times and John kept walking down the path of life. I never forgot about them.
Thanks to facebook, this week I got to talk to Candice after 13 years. She shared with me the journey she took. Words cannot begin to express how incredible I think she is for the decisions she has made. I will always love this woman with everything I have. I also found John through facebook this week. I have yet to speak with him on the phone, but I delighted to know he is doing well.
I was extremely nervous to put myself on Facebook in the beginning. I probably will still never use my maiden name for reasons I may share in the future, but for now I'm rejoicing in the reunions I have had.
Candice and myself before Adam took me to my first opera.
Hanging out in the delivery room.
I loved photography. John and Candice were always letting me dress them up and take pictures. The weird sponge head was named Fred the Head.
After the huge earthquake in Ca. Candice and I joined AmeriCorp we worked with kids in the valley who had a traumatic experience during the quake.
After Adam and I moved to Los Angeles we ended up in a little shack in Venice Beach. We kept blowing through roommates. They were either Adam's family or friends. After our 3rd roommate lost, I took over the task of finding a new one. I posted an ad at Santa Monica college where I was studying. It was written in all different colors of crayon. A guy named John answered the ad. He was kind of a quiet fellow with a warped sense of humor-He was perfect. I loved him. Soon after or right around the same time I met him, I met Candice. I was in my child development class and I was drawn to this girl next me. She had a crazy accent and talked about needing a "lou". After she told me she was from Africa I followed her out of class and pounded her with questions about Africa. (yes, even back then 16 years ago-I was nuts about Africa) The three of us quickly became inseparable. Where was Adam? Even back then he was always working or rehearsing with his band. John, Candice and I had some grand adventures. It seems John was always rescuing Candice and I from something. They were always there for me. When Adam and I had our second wedding(first public wedding) John was my best man and Candice was my best woman. When I was in labor with Jace they were both in the room with me for 24 hours. John videotaped while Candice directed him what the camera needed to be pointed at. She would say in her beautiful accent, "John the baby is not coming out her face, you need to put the camera down there". After Jace was born the three of us drifted apart. Candice went through some extremely difficult times and John kept walking down the path of life. I never forgot about them.
Thanks to facebook, this week I got to talk to Candice after 13 years. She shared with me the journey she took. Words cannot begin to express how incredible I think she is for the decisions she has made. I will always love this woman with everything I have. I also found John through facebook this week. I have yet to speak with him on the phone, but I delighted to know he is doing well.
I was extremely nervous to put myself on Facebook in the beginning. I probably will still never use my maiden name for reasons I may share in the future, but for now I'm rejoicing in the reunions I have had.
Candice and myself before Adam took me to my first opera.
Hanging out in the delivery room.
I loved photography. John and Candice were always letting me dress them up and take pictures. The weird sponge head was named Fred the Head.
After the huge earthquake in Ca. Candice and I joined AmeriCorp we worked with kids in the valley who had a traumatic experience during the quake.
John in our apartment in Venice Beach. The white face in the corner is a plaster cast of my face that Adam made. The painting of the face to the left was something I did. That was my dog Bear. He was awesome, he was my great defender and also my transportation. I would stand on my skateboard and he would pull me wherever I wanted to go.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Concept
My friend April created this to help Brandi and I with the vision we have for Because Every Mother Matters. Can you tell it's a pregnant woman with the earth representing the womb and the continent of Africa as being our focus? The more I look at the picture, the more I'm drawn to it's metaphoric beauty. What do you think?
Thank you April! my cool fairy maker friend!
Pacing Back and Forth
Lukas is on his way to the emergency room. He ran into the corner of our kitchen counter. It swelled instantly to the size of a golf ball with a puncture wound in the middle right above his temple. Now I wait.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Every Single Day.
I think Gedese is extremely excited about going home. Her bags have been packed for weeks!
10 months without her husband and family! Sometimes I forget her home is in Ethiopia. She has become a member of our family and I think of our home as hers. This makes it easy to lose perspective sometimes. The emotions I feel are new and very conflicting. Maybe one day I'll be able to fully grasp and put words to everything I have experienced this year. Last week was a hard week filled with unsettling feelings(doesn't help I get my period every 2-3 weeks now). I was so blessed to be able to call upon a few of my closest friends to help sort things out in my mind and spirit.
We are waiting for an original document from Ethiopia signed by Alex giving his permission for Christiana to apply for a passport to come in the next few days. Once we have this paper hopefully Christiana will get her passport and they will be set to travel in a few weeks. When they were set to leave in March, the plan was for me to fly back with them to help and at the same time lay in some ground work for our organization. Well, now that they are leaving a lot sooner, I will be unable to travel back with them. There is a slight chance Gedese will be stopped at immigration and detained due to her expired Visa. After talking to our attorney I have the whole shebang documented and written down for her to carry with her when she travels. Hopefully if she encounters any problems they can be solved quickly. I'm debating if I should at least fly to the Dulles airport with them.
10 months without her husband and family! Sometimes I forget her home is in Ethiopia. She has become a member of our family and I think of our home as hers. This makes it easy to lose perspective sometimes. The emotions I feel are new and very conflicting. Maybe one day I'll be able to fully grasp and put words to everything I have experienced this year. Last week was a hard week filled with unsettling feelings(doesn't help I get my period every 2-3 weeks now). I was so blessed to be able to call upon a few of my closest friends to help sort things out in my mind and spirit.
We are waiting for an original document from Ethiopia signed by Alex giving his permission for Christiana to apply for a passport to come in the next few days. Once we have this paper hopefully Christiana will get her passport and they will be set to travel in a few weeks. When they were set to leave in March, the plan was for me to fly back with them to help and at the same time lay in some ground work for our organization. Well, now that they are leaving a lot sooner, I will be unable to travel back with them. There is a slight chance Gedese will be stopped at immigration and detained due to her expired Visa. After talking to our attorney I have the whole shebang documented and written down for her to carry with her when she travels. Hopefully if she encounters any problems they can be solved quickly. I'm debating if I should at least fly to the Dulles airport with them.
Christiana continues to grow cuter every single day. We continue to fall deeper in love with her and Gedese every single day. The twins continue to amaze me every single day. Xia is letting go more and more every single day. Every single day is a new adventure in our house. I'm learning to embrace every moment for what it is. A moment and a gift.
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