in CO

son, we are having fun in colorado. your dad caught a big 'ol fish today. you would have loved to see it. we hiked a mountain, and we are catching up with friends. here are some photos.

love, mom

CIS - really mailman?

dear son,

this note is more about our mailman who cannot get our mail straight. we have lived at our home for 2+ years, and they still sometimes think that we have forwarded our mail to an unknown address. anyway, sad and glad news. our CIS was mailed to us JUNE 10th, one week after we went to the local office for fingerprinting. only one week later which means that we could possibly have our paperwork in Ethiopia by now. BUT the mailman got confused and the approval letter got sent back to the CIS saying that our address was forwarded to an unknown address. it's silliness and we cannot figure out who to talk to within the world of mail to help us get the problem fixed. so bad but GOOD news. we were approved and they are sending our CIS approval to my work next week! then we will send it all to America World for their final approval and then to Ethiopia.

little guy- we are coming, just hold on tight. it's a bumpy ride and the road has some big potholes. but when we get to you i think the whole ride will be meaningful. we know that the good Lord has you in his hands. He's got the whole world in his hands.

P.S. are you an itty bitty baby or a toddler? i'd like to know because I want to make you some cool things.

proud wife

dear son,
i'm really really really proud of your dad today. this is his very last day of grad school! he has worked quite hard for the past couple of years working two part-time jobs while going to school. after today he will have his Masters of Education. at the end of august he will teach 3rd grade at Academie Layfayette. i am so proud of him. in the midst of all of that he still found time to ride his bike and be a very good husband. thanks michael!

a vaca

hey sonny boy. what's up? i still think of you often. the mailman hasn't brought the CIS approval, so our social worker is going to track it down. the paper, not the mailman. she says the lady processing them is new to her job, so she could be slower than normal. anyway, i wanted to tell you about the vaca that your dad and i are taking. we are headed to lovely colorado for about 10 days. i can't wait to get out of town for a bit.
we will be driving our new...

honda fit named ruby,

and stoping in...

leadville, CO so your dad can do the crazy 50 mile race,
with a grand finally of one of our favorite places on earth, Camp Kivu in Durango, Colorado. This is the place that your dad and i are pumped to take you to some day. it is near and dear to us. the place, but mostly the people, and also the crazy fun, and the parties, and the camp food, the kids, the staff, and the river, and the sounds, and the smells, the dodgeball, the 15 passenger vans, and the laughter, the mountains, valleys, bikes, hikes, yes...it will be good to introduce you to this some day. here are some photos from camp:

the braners...camp directors
the workout shed
the leadership girls

the river, great for fly fishing and floating

africans and african americans

Check out this interesting article on an African student's perspective, living in the U.S.

Continental Divide Separates Africans & African-Americans

It is quite an interesting perspective. This is a dialogue that Michael and I have discussed and will continue to discuss and live into for years to come with our son.

Dear Son,

Hope you are well today. We are excited to meet you some day!

who will care for me now?

I smile because they are beaming with promise. I cry because they have lost their parents to AIDS. I ache because their hope will be stolen from them. They represent fourteen million other children in the same situation. why have we not done enough to embrace this orphaned continent? "Who will care for me now? Who will show me love?" they ask. I hope the answer has something to do with you and me.

Photo and words from Hope in the Dark by Jeremy Cowart and Jena Lee.

wait

wait a minute, or two
wait a month, or a few
wait on the mailman
wait on the green paint to dry
wait on the cookies to come out of the oven

and wait on the Lord to see his goodness come through
for he knows much more than i do

he knows when you sleep and when you rise
he knows when you are hungry, or sad, or happy
he knows you quite well

we will know you too, one day
we will know when you're cranky
we will know your laugh
we will know if you like carrots
or when you need a bath
we will know what you like
some day, it's true
yes, we will know you quite well

until then, be well son
and wait on the Lord

tis the season

Tis the season for your dad to be in the depths of training for a big race. Last year it was the Ironman 70.3 in Lawrence and this year it is the Leadville 50. It's a 50 mile mountain bike race in Colorado. The first 10 miles are all uphill, up a steep mountain in rocky terrain. It is not-so-enticing to me but he loves it! Second to spending time with me, one of his favorite things is riding his bike! Here are a few photos of him racing last year. He did the Ironman 70.3 with our friend Josh, and a half marathon with our friend Gerard.

We are still waiting on the USCIS approval. I plan on following up with them this week to see if they can track it for me. We are also looking through African name books to learn more about Ethiopian names. Well, we'll talk soon buster. Have a good night's sleep.