Since this is an invite-only blog, I feel comfortable sharing this news here...with our friends and family!
Nick and I have been searching for a way to offer support to the orphans of Ethiopia who will not be adopted. The average Ethiopian death rate is 48 years old...so many children are orphaned when they're older children and are left to fend for themselves in a society with little or no support. So, I found a fantastic British charity, A-CET (I encourage you to click on the name and look around at what they offer), that fits our desires perfectly. Starting this month, we've dedicated ourselves to supporting a young man in Ethiopia with the cost of his schooling, housing and medical care until he decides for himself that he has met his educational goals. It's slightly ridiculous how little it costs to do this...and we are thankful for the opportunity. Welcome to the family Abera! We look forward to meeting you in Ethiopia someday.
Well, you can imagine how much Sammy loved Santa when we visited him this morning...here's proof of his love!
Ignore that random video-taking at the end of the video...I'm not sure what Nick was up to! :)
Luckily for me, I've been aware of white privilege and unconscious bias because of the education that I received while becoming a teacher. Before the credential program, I proudly told people that I was not racist (meaning, I believed that I lacked bias). I encourage you to take 10 minutes to take this test from Harvard exposing your own bias (or lack thereof). I took the "Race" test near the bottom. To enter, click on the US flag and they'll walk you through it. If you take the test, will you email me your thoughts? That's the only way I'll tell you what I scored! :)
Harvard Implicit Test
Seriously...it's really interesting and will help you to become much more self aware.
I did it! I finished the 13.1 miles AND met my goal of finishing just short of 3 hours. The race was really cool...many of the people running were raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and wearing pictures of the person they were running for...it was really emotional to see how many people have been affected by these diseases. It was really mentally challenging around mile 7 when the course was mostly uphill and...let's face it...you've already run 7 miles and you're only halfway there! But, it flattened out around mile 10 and it felt FABULOUS to cross the finish line. I trained for this race using Jeff Galloway's run/walk method of racing in which I ran 2 minutes and walked one over and over and over and over again. But, I ran the last mile without walking and REALLY enjoyed picking up my Tiffany's necklace from the tuxedoed men after the finish! I only have one picture of the entire day...Nick is just not much of a picture taker...but, here it is...Sammy and Mommy after the finish.
Okay...so the promos have aired, so it must be official...our adoption story will be on TV in the Bay Area on NBC 11 on Tuesday, October 2nd at 11:00pm (after Law and Order SUV)...and on the internet at this address:
http://www.nbc11.com/movingpictures/index.html
But, not until after it airs on the 2nd!
If I sound like an idiot in the 2nd segment it's because they taped it a couple of days after we returned from Ethiopia and I suffered from severe jet lag/new Mom-itis.
We had our first "Supper Club" meeting this weekend and Sammy had the pleasure of enjoying a babysitter...at a new house! I think the picture makes it really obvious that Sammy was up WAY TOO LATE!
So, I hit a new low in my parenting today. I raced to the back porch to grab the dog's food and raced back to the kitchen to feed them. I THOUGHT that Sammy was in the living room so I focused on the dogs for like 2 seconds. Then I realized that it was unnaturally quiet (Sammy babbles constantly unless he's being naughty and/or sleeping) and couldn't find Sammy. Keep in mind...this entire story elapses in about 25 seconds. So, I found the Sam Man in the bathroom (he must have snuck through the door while I got the dog food), peering over the toilet rim. It was at this point that I thought "Damn...I wish we weren't having a drought and following the "If it's yellow, let it mellow" policy of water conservation) when Sammy proudly thrust his arms in the air...and showed off his fists full of USED toilet paper.
Yum.
And to answer the question that I keep getting asked: "No, I am not bored yet." :)
For those of you who are totally disgusted by this story...I verified today on WebMD that urine is indeed sterile...praise the Lord for that! And really, this is like cosmic justice for a boy who has peed on me at least 10 times in the last 4 months (once during a diaper change, many times getting out of the bathtub, etc.) Anyway...the babyproofing continues. :)
Sammy and I will be on TV on September 12th on NBC 11 during the 6:00pm newscast. For those of you outside of the Bay Area, it should appear on the NBC 11 webpage after September 12th. I'll post a link when they post the segment.
My half-marathon training continues and today I ran 6 MILES! I'm really proud of myself. And the best thing is that I've actually improved my mile-time from 15-minute miles to 13.3-minute miles despite the fact that I'm running further each time. Yay me!
Now...for the bad news. Today is the 10-year anniversary marking Princess Diana's death. It's not that I'm one of those weird Princess Di freaks or anything, but this anniversary brought me back to my own life 10 years ago when I was watching the news coverage of her death the day before I left for Malibu which was 3 days before I left for FIRENZE (Florence)! Oh my...I feel REALLY old. So, to Katy, Michelle and Dr. Williams...here's to 10 years and an amazing semester or laughter, learning and culture! Salute.
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