Friday, March 30, 2012

March 13th, 2012...market. Fekadu. coffee ceremony. Shaheen.

What an enjoyable day this was!!! We spent precious time with our girl, went to the markets to finish up a little shopping...which included going to the Former Firewood Carrying Assoc. where we bought many beautiful scarves...these women previously would haul firewood up & down Entoto mountain...They are so thankful to be doing what they are doing now...you could actually see the joy that they felt...it was beautiful!! We were invited to go to Fekadu's home for lunch & a coffee ceremony...His mother was absolutely precious. She was so proud to have us & made us a delicious lunch, complete with injera, doro wat & soda!! We topped it off with a very yummy cake for Craig's Birthday!! That evening, we thought we'd try out The Hilton Shaheen restaurant...a few other AP's had recommended it...I can totally see why!! It was some of the best chicken I have ever had!! It was an Indian restaurant, so we experienced alot of new tastes!! We walked around the beautiful grounds outside, bought another cake to take back to our hotel & share with our friends!! What a special day we had!!                                                   xo 




















Wednesday, March 28, 2012

March 12th, 2012...Makush. Lucy's. Ariyat time. Matlock Family:)









I'm sure you are catching on by now....Each & every morning we could hardly wait to get to our girl...so that is exactly what we did!! We truly loved every second we spent with her, we couldn't get enough of her or our time together...In many ways, it seems like yesterday I saw her precious face, in other ways...it seems like forever ago. In all reality, it has been 2 weeks tomorrow that we had to say our "see you soon, goodbye, we love you so much!!" I can't wait to get back to her!!! After spending our morning there, we made our way to Lucy's restaurant...if you are going to Addis, definitely go there!! It is located by a museum (i think!?) Anyhow, delicious food in a really fun atmosphere:) After lunch with our friends, The Matlock's...they got news that they cleared Embassy!!! They returned to pick up their kiddos, while we went to Makush ( another delicious restaurant & art gallery!) Definitely a must-go to, also!!! What a joy it was to see the Matlock family arrive back at the hotel...all together!!! It was another great day in Addis....the place that has stolen our hearts.
                                                                       xo

Monday, March 26, 2012

March 11th, 2012...Ariyat. birthday party. Top View.

This morning we had hoped to attend a church in Addis...Hopefully next time will allow for that, this particular day I was feeling pretty ick:( We took our time getting ready & then had another delicious breakfast upstairs!! We then made our way to Ariyat!! Once again, we had so much fun seeing her & spending time together. After our time there, we were invited to Yared's home for a birthday party for his youngest son...( Yared owns an Ethiopian restaurant in Denver & also works for IAN in Addis!!) What a fun experience that was!! The food was delicious, of course!! We were able to spend a few hours just hanging out, playing with their boys & enjoying a coffee ceremony!! I might like coffee, after all!!! I've always loved the smell of coffee, but have never really enjoyed it...ET coffee is so different....it is so smooth & really tastes like a delicious dessert!!!! After returning back to the hotel, Kate & I decided to take a nap, which ended up lasting through the night til the next morning!!! Kasey & Grant had joined the Matlock family for dinner at the Top View!! They had fun & we were able to get some much needed rest!! All in all....what a fun day!!!















                                                                  love & be loved.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Saturday...March 10th!!!


















It was Saturday morning. The sun was shining brightly on our faces outside. We were waiting to go to the care center to see Ariyat & then our driver pulled up with another IAN family!! The Matlock family was here to bring home their two precious little ones!! We waited while they put their things in their room & then we all headed to see our kiddos!! Once we were there, we played with all of the kids...by now, they all knew how much we loved jump-roping!! We played for a few hours & then Ariyat came with us again for a few hours back to our hotel:) The kids absolutely loved every minute spent with her. Their connection was undeniable. Even though language was an obvious barrier, love is all the same. They spoke one anothers language perfectly. They knew how to make each other laugh until they were rolling on the floor. They knew how to comfort her. they loved holding hands together. Here they were...only a few days after we had all met...and you would think we had always been together. This morning we woke to a few pic's from a traveling mom....she had given Ariyat a few pics we had sent her of all of us together while we were there...she said Ariyat was so happy!! Kate was so pleased to see that Ariyat is still wearing her sister necklace:) After she spent the afternoon with us, I stayed back at the hotel to get some rest...I was feeling quite miserable on this day...and Kasey took the kids with him back to the care center. They had quite the story once they were back!! On the way to the care center, apparently Kasey & our friend/driver Binyam were talking about crime in Addis...Binyam said it's not very common, maybe pick-pocketing here & there, but nothing too serious. Right then, they looked out the window...a man that had a market type shop on the side of the road was hit from behind with a very large rock, right to his head. He fell to the ground & then everyone chased the man down who had done this. I guess, after seeing this happen..the kids were completely shocked & so was Binyam. He said all they would do was chase after him, punch him a few times & that was that. They try not to get the police involved, because he said he'd probably be in prison for 3 years or so!! Anyhow, had to include that in this post....it was a moment that the kids definitely remember. That evening we went to a really neat restaurant..."Top View" overlooking the city...with our friend Sam!! We had met Sam last time we were in Addis. She was the receptionist at the Yebsabi Guest House, where we had stayed. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her & look forward to seeing her again. We all slept well that night, ready for Sunday!!!