LEAVING ON A JET PLANE...

Well after 3 days of trying, I finally got our plane tickets booked.  The MKI travel agent came highly recommended and she did get us the best price; it is just that she was traveling and at a conference yesterday and today that made communicating more challenging.  We were able to get tickets for the boys to travel with us and Michael's teachers agreed to let him make up work over the holidays.  He still homeschools but goes to a Classical school 1.5 days a week and then does the rest of his work at home using an online system.  His teachers agreed that this is an experience he should not miss.

Today I also attended a Webinar to prepare us for the court process.  All of the families stay at the same guest house and our agency provides transportation to and from the airport, court house and care center where we will be able to visit with our girls.  They will be in school in the morning so we will only get to see them a couple of hours each afternoon.  We hope to meet some member(s) from the birth family while we are there.

We also hope to visit the Ethiopia Compassion project while we are in Ethiopia and perhaps do some volunteer work.  Our older daughter volunteered at one in Peru a few years ago and said it was a life changing experience.

I look forward to eating Ethiopian food and experiencing the culture.  I even get to eat with my hand!  The only trouble is that proper etiquette is to eat with one's right hand and I am left handed!  The Ethiopians use a nutrition packed, sourdough, flat type bread called Injera to scoop up their food.  Using hands to eat sure would save time on doing the dishes.  One doesn't even need a napkin there because it is proper to clean your hands off after each bite with one's mouth!  Think of all the trees that would be saved!  David looks forward to the Ethiopian coffee times.  Ethiopia is known for its coffee.  Hopefully there will be something our kiddos like!  I would also like to take a trip out to the countryside to get a different perspective from the capital city, Addis Ababa.  I saw in our travel packet there is an opportunity to take trail rides outside the city.  It is $300 birr which would be $17 in U.S. currency.  That is pretty cheap!

We have been in contact with the another family from our area that is traveling at the same time.  They are traveling to adopt a young daughter.  They have other kids around the ages of our boys.  They even live close to us so we are looking forward to getting to know them better.

Please continue to pray that the process will go smoothly.  Thanks for your friendship and support.