Monday, January 7, 2008

I think, I feel, I pray... To Emily and Moody-


(This is their symbol)

I pray for the comfort of you dear ones. I pray for the fortitude to lift your spirits, I pray that He will calm your weary nerves, I pray that time will most swiftly pass, I pray that those children will not want, I pray that you will not need, I pray that this will soon be done, as it shall be done by Him and His will.

Many thoughts and emotions arise from this time in our lives.... it brings out the most raw and fresh feelings one can have, but all worth it in the end....

In this we pray to OUR LORD JESUS... In this we pray to give speed and strength to our dear friends in Texas to bring their chins up from down. To bring their frowns to grins, to make them sure that they know, their kids are right around the corner.
Please, Dear God, bring these children to their home very soon. Amen.

We love you E & M -
xoxo Lor

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Stuff-


Well, I'm sorry to disappoint any of you that thought I had something interesting to say, but I just wanted to do a bunch of writing on various thoughts. I just finished working all day and now feel drained. Not to mention that I spent almost a half hour doing a post, and I minimized it to do something and somehow clicked off of the blogger site so my post vanished.

I spent the day working on a nice kitchen plan and order... it has taken me all of last week and today to write up the cabinet order and draw all of the final plans. Another reason that I'm a bit angry right now is that my blackberry won't email me the pictures that I've recently taken and wanted to share on the blog! I love adding pictures to posts, and I have a bunch that I took specifically for this purpose. It has come to my attention that there must be a magnet in my body that clashes with any electronic equipment within five feet of me. This has been the case for several years now. I will buy a new camera this week!!! A nice cheap $100 type... The $800 digital Sony that is only a little over a year old will require at least $150 in repairs! Sounds okay, but this is the second time it's broken! Two strikes, they're OUT! And so am I camera wise. Besides, I'll need a small one for our upcoming travel to Africa!! :)

I'm getting happier as I type! Yay-

So.... I'm not sure if you're aware, but my husband and I are in the process of adopting a toddler from Ethiopia. Anyway, Emily sent me an email today and mentioned something about the roller coaster ride that this process is. It's just so funny how we are on the same page with other adoptive parents.... Just last night, I walked into the kitchen, I just couldn't stop smiling and beaming. Michael, of course said, "what's up"? And I tried to explain my feelings and emotions to him. This is how I felt and how I explained it;

"I feel exhilarated" I said, "it's the exact feeling of being strapped into a roller coaster ride. You buckle up and the thing starts to move. Then, you slowly creep up, and up, and up, and up this great big hill. You're both nervous as hell, and wide eyed at the sights and emotions that are to come as soon as you reach the top. The way I feel this very second is that we're at the very last few clipety clops of the hill. Just about to be revealed is the most amazing experience ever".

The only difference is, that most people refer to good and bad times as a roller coaster ride, for good reason. But, in this instance the roller coaster ride has only just begun, and the ride is ALL good. When you are on a roller coaster, the entire ride is an experience, and we've only just been creeping up the hill.

When we get our referral(which I'm very soon to change the name of), we will have reached the top of the hill. We'll scream, cry, and be amazed at the beauty in front of our eyes. When that car starts to creep back to the platform that's when OUR pilot comes on over the intercom and says; "welcome to Boston"! And then, our family will be complete, and begin another chapter of our history.

I feel so calm about this adoption right now. Please don't confuse calm with "not thinking about it". It is in every fiber of my awareness at all times. It is So real to me after this week. I've always felt it "real", but it reminds me of when I was preggers. Every milestone made it more real. I remember being in labor (for 27 hours) and right before he was born the Dr. said to me; "OK Lori, another push or two and your little boy will be here". I almost fainted! You should see the look of disbeleif on my face in the home video... As real as it was, it was something we planned and planned and planned for. We didn't actually think we'd have a child! That's kind of the awareness that this week has brought to me. I've been picturing exactly where he/she is... I think they either haven't been brought to the orphanage yet for "intake", or will be VERY soon.

Another picture I wanted to share... Michael and I were shopping for baby gifts last weekend. This store is just fabu and I HAD to buy something for us too. Since we're dying and hoping that we get a girl (don't know why, just do this time around) we bought a little barrett (sp?). I've been wearing the barrett on my shirt every day in the hopes that God will see! At the end of the day, we could care less what gender we get, obviously, or we would have picked one, but this is our secret wish. Whatever God has in store for our family and for our little babe is PERFECT and we will have NO (none whatsoever) regret over not asking for a specific gender.

And lastly, (again, pictures would help here) last night were the two big debates. Don't forget that we live in NH which just happens to be THE PLACE TO BE if you're a news correspondant etc. I am very passionate about politics and the like and we were very excited to watch both debates last night. We've been dieting all week and it's been killing me, so, last night we decided to have filets and oven roasted pots. while watching the debate. For a nice treat sometimes I bring the small round kitchen table into the living room. Last night was one of those nights (it's been like a year). After bringing it in, I set the table right in front of the fireplace and TV and we lit a fire. It was so nice and fun (AND DELICOUS) to sit in the living room at a table in front of the fireplace. It felt like we were at a B & B or something with room service! Not to mention that the food and my wonderful shallot peppercorn sauce for the steak were out of this world.

I wish a safe business trip to China to my big sis Michelle and her signifigant other! We'll be anxiously awaiting your return Auntie Kiki & Jim!! xoxoxo

NINE!! (SEE SIDEBAR RIGHT)

Tons to blog about, but I have alot of work "work" to do today! I'll do a couple of posts later, but for now, check out my new countdown!!!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Timkat!

I MUST PREFACE THAT THE ENTIRE SECTION BELOW WAS COPIED VERBATIM FROM VALARIE'S BLOG!

"Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church. The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ.


What is Timkat?
Timkat or Epiphany is the most important festival in the Ethiopian calendar. It is celebrated all over Ethiopia, but the most spectacular celebrations are reserved for Lalibela, an isolated mountain town in the arid north of the country. Lalibela is famous for its unexplainable rock-hewn churches. Over a thousand years ago 11 churches were carved out of solid rock, and many Ethiopians believe they were built by angels.
How is Timkat Celebrated?
The festivities begin in the 3rd week of January, usually around the 19th January. Crowds, all dressed in white, dance and sing in the streets to the beating of drums. Priests, decked out in jewel encrusted velvet and satin robes, carry a replica of Arc of the Covenant called a talbot. They lead grand procession through the streets.

The real celebration begins at about 2am after the processions lead the people to a place symbolic of water baptism. Priests perform mass and bless the water. A communal baptism follows, with the most fervent Christians throwing themselves fully clothed into the water.

What's the History of Timkat?
Ethiopian history teaches that Christianity came to Ethiopia long before it spread to Europe. Missionaries arrived in Ethiopia some 40 years of the birth of Jesus. Epiphany is the 12th day of Christmas, when the three kings were said to have bestowed their gifts upon the baby Jesus. This day falls on 6th January in the western calendar.

Here is a video of a young mans personal journey to Timkat."


Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Thank goodness it's finally 2008!

I don't know if any of you feel the same way as I do, but I'm so happy that 2007 is over! Now we can get back to our boring and wonderful regualar routine of life and look forward to knowing we will get the call this year!!! For sure!! And we don't feel like we're trying to get it before a specific holiday or occassion now. Sounds stupid, but it's a freeing feeling and much less pressure. It's almost like starting the wait from scratch, but with a much shorter overall time frame. So, I'm contemplating starting my count all over again. We've been waiting for four months now, but let just call this week ONE. And I bet we'll get our call before we reach week TWELVE! That's not that far away and I know we can do it! Twelve weeks is nothing in the grand scheme of things is it??

On another note... My keyboard hit a wall yesterday and just froze up and wouldn't work at all!
This new one stinks and it's making me want to stop typing - it's that bad! I didn't realize how used to a keyboard your hands and wrists could get!

Christmas was wonderful other than the fact that I was laid up for a couple of days with a horrific stomach flu/bug! No details needed! It seems so long ago and I really meant to post about all of our get togethers etc, but now I feel like it's old news and I just want to move forward! Nick was a joy and got soo many wonderful treats - it was a bit overwhelming though!

So, cheers to everyone and here's to a fruitful and healthy new year - and to those of us still waiting, our referrals will come, in a short amount of time!