April 11, 2006



Well, I've been told to let you see me, so here I am. Warts and all. Ok, no warts, but a fairly obvious double chin and more than a few gray hairs!
Welcome to my blog. Sounds a bit odd, I must admit. Sort of like, welcome to my mind (which at this moment is a vast wasteland...).

For those of you that may not be PPSers or know me otherwise, my husband and I adopted our darling daughter from Ethiopia exactly one year ago last monday. Having gone through a few years of tragic loss, decision making and money gathering, we were amazed and humbled at the culmination of our struggles. Kali is a gift from Who/Whatever is there looking over us. She is what makes the stars sparkle at night and the sun shine so brightly. Her laugh is the sound of a million drops of soft rain falling on silver bells. Can you tell that I (we) are totally head over heels in love with our daughter? We both thought that we knew deep love, as we have it for each other and our families and friends, but we've been heaved into that other existence now. The one where you would kill or diefor your child without a thought for yourself. Needless to say, we have been living in paradise for the past year and feel unbelievably lucky to have done so.

So. Imagine my suprise, horror, and heart stopping shock at recieving a letter from Kali's only living relative insisting that we take her baby sister immediately. After a couple of weeks of grinding research, we have discovered that indeed her beloved grandmother is gravely ill and will not survive very long. This situation leaves Kali's sister in quite a precarious position as there is no one to care for her when their grandmother passes away. Side note: The grandmother is a lovely & very elegant lady that we both immediately bonded with when we met her in Ethiopia last year. In the face of desperate poverty and living conditions that most in our very fortunate country cannot even imagine in our nightmares, she is a very religious woman that instilled deep compassion, spirituality and moral values in our daughter, and loves her granddaughters beyond reason. When she passes out of our lives, she will leave a gaping hole behind her.

We are trying as hard as we can to adopt Kali's sister as soon as possible. So, at the suggestion of my posse, I begin this blog to update all of you that can put up with my posts on our journey for Freweyne (Kali's 16 month old sister in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia). Frankly the suggestion was a wonderful one as I think "talking" about all of this may just keep me sane! The cost of international adoption, as some of you may know is frightening. Especially so after going through it only a year ago. We haven't even paid that off yet, and now are wondering what we can sell to make this happen. Have come up with a few ideas, some good - some not so good, and will run them by you soon.

I want to thank my PPSer girls from the center of my heart and soul. I cannot imagine life without you all, and your generosity bowls me over. There are not enough words to describe your value to me, my husband, and our daughter. As I sit here typing and sipping a lovely spanish white wine from a Mickey Mouse paper cup (dishwasher blew. $#!^), I raise my "glass" to you.
This is a test, it's only a test.