Timing

I have been reading (and LOVING) Shauna Niequist's books over the last year. Reading, re-reading, putting them aside and reading them again over the last 12 months. They have been wonderful companions over this year. Ministering to me a year ago, and then preparing me for now.  I highly recommend you go out and buy all of them, and while you are at it just pre-order the next one. You'll thank me (and no, I didn't get paid to say that about the books!)

Something sticking with me, that is sprinkled all through Shauna's writing is the presence of God, and lessons of faith in ALL seasons.

Before Thanksgiving came, I had a wee touch of "the bah humbugs" about the coming holidays. You see, in "the original timeline" for the adoption, sometime around THIS Christmas was "supposed to be" THE Christmas. The Christmas we became a family of 4. The Christmas we finally got to be done with the paperwork, the fees (OH sweet heavens..THE FEES!!) and bring home a little one. 2 1/2 years in the making, and THIS Christmas, I thought it would be about done.

I was wrong.

There have been several delays & setbacks but we keep walking one step at a time. It appears at this time- we have a longer wait ahead than we could have ever imagined.  Right now we sit at #58 on the list of waiting families- but it is okay.

At first, this made me dread the coming of Christmas (hard one to admit). However, I am reminded in this season of Advent that a season of longing and preparation can be good. It can be very good. As with all things, I don't have to understand it  in order for it to be good.

So, in sweet & peaceful anticipation we await God & His perfect timing.

Merry Christmas friends.

Anyone Hungry??

In following a theme of celebration- we want to share ours with you. It was quite a project, but so worth it in the end!

We had been talking for quite some time about celebrating and documenting certain milestones in our adoption journey. Getting on the waiting list was one of those BIG milestones & we had decided quite a while back that we would celebrate by learning how to cook a traditional Ethiopian feast.  It was quite a learning experience but I think it turned out great! We got to share the experience with some close family and everyone was so brave to join us in this new culinary adventure. Eating from a communal platter only using your hands & even "friend feeding"  :)   Noah especially loved the feeding mom & dad part. He is such a sweet helper at heart.

The weekend-long project included:
Doro Wat- (chicken dish, the national dish of Ethiopia)
Yebeg Tibs (lamb dish)
Miser Wat (red lentil stew)
Kik Alicha (split peas & onion puree)
Quosta (cooked greens)
Tikil Gomen Alicha (veggie dish)
Ethiopian Tomato salad
Tej (Ethiopian Honey Wine)
Ayib (Ethiopian Cheese)

All served with Injera, which I did not make, but instead I ordered from Washington D.C.
One project at a time.

Ended the meal with freshly ground Ethiopian Coffee. YUM.

Here are a few pictures from the night!

Exploring raw honey for the Tej

so. many. onions. (this isn't even all of it)

full stove!

teamwork!

We did it!

A few brave souls
Thanks Mom for learning with me and opening your home for the feast!

A Time to Celebrate!

Hopefully the first of many posts that focus on celebration. You know, sometimes the process of adoption is so painfully slow (especially when attempting to adopt debt free) that we are just not sure how to "update" the blog when there is little to no update to be had. So, my apologies dear family and friends for lack of writing over the long, cold winter. The winter kind of felt like an adoption stalemate- nothing moved. Nothing happened. Nothing I could do.

This week however, this week is different.  Beautiful. Overwhelming Gratitude. Relief.

First of all, now that we have called our parents and siblings I can share that we are finally  OFFICIALLY family # 74 on the waiting list!! Feel free to throw confetti & set off fireworks at your earliest convenience. :0)  This is a huge milestone for us. When the email came in I just sat on the couch and stared at that # 74 like a piece of fine art at the museum. It looked stunningly beautiful to me. 

Getting to the waiting list basically means the dossier was completed, sealed by the Indiana Secretary of State, then traveled to Washington D.C. where our little (ahem- huge) pile of papers partied for a while with the Department of State & Ethiopian Embassy. Then when everyone put the stamp of approval on things it went to our agency in Michigan.

The waiting list is fairly long, and things tend to move slow. There really is no way to estimate a specific timeline from here, but our best guess is 15 to 18 months until we receive a referral. We shall see, it is in God's hands and His perfect timing. Between now and then, we just keep loving the family we have here and now and continue praying for the addition to our family in the future. Oh, and I need to clear out our home office & move it to the basement. You know, so in a year and a half it can look like a bedroom again. If you have seen our home office you know it just may take that long (HA!)

So, celebrate with us! Give hugs to people you love, raise a toast to all of us making it one more step on this journey of life. 

Thank You for your encouragement and support!

Much Love,

Amber

P.S. If anyone can tell me how on earth I can make the family picture smaller on the blog....PLEASE help a sister out.  I wanted a small banner up top of our family, not a full page poster. LOL