08.24.08
No news is not necessarily good news
All is quiet on the referral front. Our agency hasn’t received any referrels since July 2. I’m not sure if the court closure has anything to do with that, or the fact that CHI’s Ethiopian go-to man will be visiting the States. CHI says not. Although no adoptions will be processed during the court closure, referrrals are supposed to continue. I actually have no idea where we are on “the list” but we’ve been waiting for almost 3 months now. I try not to think about it too much (okay, I think about it A LOT) but sometimes I find myself asking those “what if” questions (not out loud, of course) like I did when we were on the Vietnam waiting list. Not good. I need to stay positive. I WILL stay positive!
A little retail therapy always helps. I scored big at a consignment sale yesterday. Here’s what I got…Rocker/Glider $40, Pack ‘n Play $10, High chair/musical swing $10, Stroller $40, and various toys and books. I haven’t started on the nursery yet. I keep trolling the crib bedding sections in stores and online but can’t seem to make up my mind on colors/patterns etc. That makes it kind of hard to do anything else such as painting, which I hate. That’s one thing I’d like to get done soon so I don’t have to think about it anymore. :)
Here’s a picture of Owen relaxing in California on our vacation two looonnggg weeks ago. He’s not doing any relaxing now that we’re home. Poor guy teaches 4th grade full-time, teaches guitar part-time, and just started a Master’s Program at KSU this week. He’s one busy man, and yet he still finds time to be the best husband a girl could ask for. He’s doing it all for the kiddo. That’s my man!
08.14.08
Home Sweet Home
Sleeping in my own bed never felt so good! Unfortunately, I’m still having a hard time adjusting to the time change. My body clearly still thinks it’s in California.
Owen and I had a great time visiting with family in California. It was non-stop fun for the entire 7 days. I think I need a vacation from my vacation! 
I think we ate out more last week than we have in the last year. Not good for my diet (I’ve lost 15 pounds in the last month) but I only mangaged to gain 3 pounds back, so it’s not too bad. We finally got to try Ethiopian food. We went to this great place in “Little Ethiopia” on Fairfax in L.A. called Messob Ethiopian Restaurant. 
Little Ethiopia is an area in L.A. filled with Ethiopian businesses and restaurants.
We had a great experience. We went for an early lunch, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. When we walked in the hostess was walking through the restaurant with a hot brazier roasting coffee beans. The smell was wonderful! One of the owners (he was from Addis Ababa) spent a lot of time with us discussing the food and making suggestions from the menu. We ended up ordering two combination items from the menu, so we got to sample a variety of dishes. The meat combo contained Doro Wat (chicken), Siga Wat (beef), Yebeg Siga Alitcha (lamb). The vegetarian combo contained Yemiser Wot (lentils in red pepper sauce/berbere), Yehabesha Gomen (steamed collard greens with garlic and green chilis), Yedenech Atikelt (potatoes, carrots, and cabbage), and Yekik Alicha (yellow split peas stewed with garlic, ginger, and spices). Everything was served on top of a huge injera round on a platter with a side-basket of injera for scooping and eating. My favorites were the Yebeg Siga Alitcha and Yekik Alicha, and of course, the Harar, a dark Ethiopian beer perfect for cooling down those spicy dishes! 
We were stuffed and well-satisfied by the end of the meal.
We spent a lot of time at the beach, visiting our old haunts…the Redondo Beach Pier, Bluff Cove in Palos Verdes, and Santa Barbara. Boy, do I miss the beach! 
It’s always good to come home!
08.01.08
Leaving on a jet plane…
No, not to Ethiopia, unfortunately! Owen and I are leaving for California tomorrow for a week. Yay! Vacation here I come! I was just there three weeks ago for a week taking care of my father-in-law who fell and broke his shoulder and a vertebrae in his neck but that was no vacation, I assure you. This coming week will be nothing but relaxation, well as relaxing as being on the go for seven days can be. We’ll be visiting family (Owen’s and mine) and friends, eating lots of good ethnic food, possibly going to Disneyland, definitely hitting the beach, and taking a tour of all our old haunts.
We both grew up in Southern California. We left there eight years ago and not a day goes by that I don’t miss it. Unfortunately, it’s just too darn expensive to live there. Not to mention crowded.
No news on the adoption front. Just waiting, waiting, waiting. We have been on the waiting list for 36 days but who’s counting. ;) Referrals seem to have slowed to a crawl, which is kind of discouraging. I’m trying not to think about it too much. The courts will be closing soon for the rainy season in Ethiopia and not re-opening until October. That means the courts won’t be processing any adoptions during that time. Bummer for those folks who have cases that haven’t been processed yet. All in good time, I guess.
