What I Learned on My Summer Vacation (Part I)

Mike, Keni and I took a quick trip to Lancaster, PA, this past weekend. The reason for our little getaway was to reunite with Group 97, our adoption group that spent about two weeks together in Ethiopia in October and November of 2010. I had been looking forward to this trip for months. We booked our hotel back in April and my plan was to chill, swim, hug the amazing kids who have made our lives complete, and reconnect with people who hold a very special place in my heart.

As we closed in on our departure date, I started to experience intense feelings. These feelings were all too familiar and I'm pretty sure they were the same ones I encountered back in the fall when we embarked on this journey to parenthood and the Horn of Africa.

Each time I meet up with these people, I guess I'm meant to learn something because that seems to be the trend. Here's the rundown of some little things I took away from this weekend's trip:

1. Soy should be consumed in reasonable amounts.

2. The "m" on the steering wheel of a Ford Focus does not stand for "mirror". We figured this out as we desperately searched our rental for the controls to adjust the mirror settings. After a good amount of trial and error, we finally discovered, it stands for "music".

3. Amish Four Grain Pale Ale is a tasty brew!

4. Nick and Nicole have mad style. I knew all along that they were both creative and thoughtful people, but my suspicions were confirmed when I saw their amazing home. A row house built in 1913, the structure itself is oozing charm and character. Match that with their eclectic taste and amazing eye for beautiful and interesting pieces and you have a warm and inviting home that screams Nick, Nicole and Dangiso. I love how they seem to not buy anything new (maybe they do, but I didn't see too much evidence of that) and that almost everything looks antique or re-purposed. I bet if I forced Nicole to tell me about each painting or piece of furniture, there would be a story. I love when homes have that much soul.

5. Missing naps = falling apart (pretty much knew this one before the trip, but it was reinforced on Saturday as Keni proceeded to totally freak out and do his ear piercing scream while the other kids romped around and played in harmony).

6. Our GPS reminded me that it's important to "Think For Yourself" and stop relying so much on technology. Do what you want to do, and go where you're going to. Think for yourself 'cause I (GPS) won't be there with you.

7. Every time I make some type of proclamation about my child, the kid proves me a liar within 24 hours. "Keni sleeps until 7:30." The next morning, he's up at 5:30. "He loves all kinds of foods." At dinner, he's throwing everything I try to feed him on the floor. Now that I've put this statement out into the universe, he will either become completely consistent or he'll go and change the timeline on his contradictory behavior.

8. I am not alone. My insane, emotional feelings that I was trying to manage were shared. It's good to know that there are other ladies out there who are on the same roller coaster and who understand the crazy that goes hand in hand with the onset of uncorked emotion.

9. Dads need to vent, too. With all of the mommy blogging, bitching and commiserating that goes on all over the world wide web, I sometimes forget that dads need to talk to people (other than their wives), too. The guys met up for an evening of swapping stories over some cocktails and I'm so glad that they had the chance to air their opinions, challenges and successes to an empathetic audience.

10. I don't give myself enough credit. (Thank you, Kim, for the gentle reminder. xo)











Our Beautiful, Ethiopian-American Family



Until next year, my friends...