That Was A Whopper!!!

Last night we had a whopper of a storm....and pretty much it was centralized over our fair city.

In fact, there were severe thunderstorm warnings for most of the evening and for about an hour we were under a tornado warning as well.

Now the storm rolled thru other areas but when they showed the radar for the storm moving thru the province it all looked pretty good and then you saw the big, red square covering only our area.....it's about the only time I wished I lived in Regina :) (oh just kidding - I never wished I lived in Regina - Hee!)

They call it tornadic winds - I was making fun of the radio announcer for using that term "tornadic winds - is that even a word - I think not! Why would he just make up a word like that, what an ass!"

Then Yvan googled "Tornadic Winds" and lo and behold it is a real word:

Main Entry: tor·na·dic
Pronunciation: \tȯr-ˈnā-dik, -ˈna-\
Function: adjective
Date: 1884
: relating to, characteristic of, or constituting a tornado

Guess the only ass around here is me!

So, we did what anyone would do when there are tornadic winds in the area - we headed to the basement. What do you mean not everyone did that? In our house, if you are married to my husband, you go to the basement!

We had our sleeping blankets,candles, radio, cell phone, water and all 4 fur babies snuggled on the floor in our basement! HA!

After the warning was downgraded we went back upstairs and back to bed!

If you want to see what a torrential down pour looks like after oh 3 hours of storms you can go here.

All right - I am going to catch up on Z's at my desk and await the onslaught of revenge emails from friends in Regina!

Learning to Cook Ethiopian Style

Last night I got together with two beautiful ladies who are also adopting from Ethiopia to learn how to cook Ethiopian food.

We did an evening class so we only had time for 2 dishes and let me tell you it takes some time to make this delicious food but it is worth it.

We made:

1. Alcha

2. Doro Wat

S and me stirring the pots full of goodness while Saba watches

(so you all don't think I'm a giant who is 7' tall - I was standing on a bench)

S & S & me - ummmmm...it was really hot in the kitchen and it wasn't because we looked so smokin' in our hair nets either ;)

After our feast - we were so hungry and excited to eat what we made that we forgot to take a photo - ha!

Thanks gals!! That was fun - can't wait to do it again!!

Calling, Emailing and Filling out Paperwork

The last 3 weeks have been accompanied by a sense of relief....relief because after months and months of waiting we finally passed court.

But the wait isn't over yet. On no, not by a long shot.

In fact, this wait, the one we are in now, the visa wait...it is gearing up to be the hardest wait yet I do believe.

Because there isn't anything I can do. Since we got our referral there has been paperwork and emails, and then more paperwork followed by more emails with some phone calls thrown in for good measure and more paperwork and...well you get the picture.

Now, I actually have to sit by and just wait without doing something.

Don't get me wrong.

There are things to be done.

But the things needing to be done aren't things that pertain to me calling, emailing, filling out paperwork and repeating for months on end.

That is all done for now.

Now I just sit and wait for someone to call me and say "You can go get your son".

At that point I will be able to start calling, emailing, and filling out paperwork again for flights, and hotels etc....

...but for now I can only wait.

Oh we are getting his room ready, the house ready, the yard ready...and that is all fine stuff to be doing.

However, since July of last year I have been calling and emailing and filling out paperwork and it made me feel like I was doing my part for my child who is half way around the world being cared by others.

As stressful as it was, it made me feel like I was a part of the process.

I could do some more calling and emailing I suppose to say "Have you heard anything yet?"

But honestly, I think those people need at least 3 1/2 weeks free of me calling and emailing and insisting I send paperwork!

Now, well now I feel like my hands are truly tied....and here I sit, at my computer, searching the blogs, message boards and the Internets for something to make me feel useful.

So if anyone needs someone to do some calling or emailing or filling out paperwork..well you know where to find me.

With A Little Help From My Friends

As you may know by now - we love to go to concerts - music is very big in our lives.

For me, life is marked by certain songs and brings back memories of key moments of my youth and adult life.

Tonight, we are on our way to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - who I love, love, love!

But the man who is opening for them is legendary and I am more than excited to see him!

Joe Cocker has always been a musician I adore...and his voice is instantly recognizable.

"With A Little Help From My Friends" is one of my favourite songs....and it is certainly poignant for this particular time in my life because I couldn't have survived the last year without the help from my friends near and far!

A Nice Little Sunday

My nice little Sunday consisted of:

1. Baking 6 loaves of bread and a dozen buns
2. Going to the gym
3. Hosting a potluck birthday brunch for my bro-in-law JG (Happy Birthday Bro)
4. Going for a bike ride
5. Going for supper with friends
6. Greeting friends at the airport as they arrive home from Ethiopia with their daughter (photos to follow)

All done in that order.

Man, am I glad the weekend is over! I'm exhausted!

Moon Reach

In December, I decided to slowly start buying stuff for Ade's room. I didn't want to buy too much until we had passed court but I was starting to look.

If you remember from this post we had, by way of an accident at a work function and a gift from fabulous friends, decided to do a giraffe theme for our, then unknown, kidlet.

Well, I happened to be on Etsy and found a fantastic baby blanket called "Moon Reach" and I couldn't turn it down. (Alright, I probably could have but I didn't want to.)

So, I took a leap of faith and ordered one and had her add Ade's name on it so that it would be a keep sake for him when he was older (both Yvan and I still have our cuddle blankets from when we were babies).

It came in the mail about a week after we found out there was some paperwork problems with Ade's file and they weren't sure what the outcome would be or if we would be able to bring him home.

I cried for my boy and put the blanket away deep in the back of a closet so I couldn't see it or remember it.

Today, I pulled it out and we are going to finally start on his room...

..and it will have Giraffes in it ...

...and one day, in the not-so-distant future, that room will have Ade in it too...

...cuddled-up, sleeping under this blanket, dreaming of reaching for the moon.