What an amazing life we've been given. We are finally home now for one month and "interesting" doesn't even begin to describe our days. We had an amazing trip to Ethiopia. I wish I could put the experience into words, but every time I sit down to write about it, words fail me. It was wonderful, heartbreaking, beautiful, terrifying, so many different things all at the same time. I saw things I never thought I would see. I saw the city of Addis Ababa and the countryside of Ethiopia. I rode in a van with a goat and prayed he wouldn't pee on me. But most importantly I met beautiful, kind people, many of whom are dying of AIDS. It was overwhelming. Meeting our girls was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Seeing their country broke my heart. I cried every night I was there. No one can explain what poverty looks like. You have to see it yourself. I will never ever forget those images.
Destaye and Sintayehu are extraordinary children. They have many emotional wounds that will take a lot of time to heal, but I have so much hope for them. We are all adjusting now to being a family. We have had some rough patches, to say the least, but we also have those wonderful times where I look at all 5 of them playing and laughing together and my heart soars. It is difficult, yes, but I have learned that the best things in life come with difficulty. Every time I've settled for easy, I've settled for less.
