I had a blog all written up a couple of months ago, about my trip with the girls to Oklahoma. Then a huge whirlwind of events happened, getting the house ready and listing and then the call came. One of my oldest and closest friends, Cheslea and her husband Michael were heading to Ethiopia to bring their daughter home. I was elated at the news and hopeful that this would be their third and final trip. They asked if we would be available to come and care for their son Ezekial for the time. Ryan was unavailable to take the leave needed to come, but the girls and I only had to move around a few select “appointments” and find care for the dog.  Then five days later we hit the road. We left extremely early in the morning and arrived very late that night, the girls and I managed to do the entire 17 hour drive in one shot. To say we were ALL super tired of being in the car is an understatement, but we made it!! We had a couple of days with Chelsea and Michael, learning the routine before they headed out, so we made the best of that time knowing that we would only see them briefly when they returned.

I was gone exactly three weeks with the girls in Colorado,  spending quality time getting to know and loving on one of the sweetest little guys Ezekial  (Zeke), two ginormous drooling dogs that could possibly pass for miniature horses (Tula and Fitz), and their lovely home. My mother flew out mid trip to help me for a week and what a wonderful help she was. Three children (ages: 3, 18 months, 15 months), 2 dogs, and Micah…. can get kind of lonely and stressful. So, we were grateful to have Gran Jan with us for a time. Novella and I were certainly sad to see her go, tears were shed by both.

We went to parks, made new friends, shopping, ate at food courts, walked malls, Denver Zoo, restaurant adventures, frozen yogurt, tiny town (look it up, it is awesome!), coney island hotdogs, bounce houses, cotton candy (waaaaayyyy too much!), dippin’ dots…. etc etc. We kept busy, ate good food, played lots, watched movies, lots of diaper changes, wardrobe changes, a few baths, cleaning, picking up toys, and an incredible amount of cuddles, hugs, snuggles, prayers, and I love you’s! 

When I originally wrote this blog we were dwindling down on our time together and I was filled with all sorts of emotion. This blog was actually written on the eve of Chelsea and Michael’s homecoming with their beautiful African Princess. Chelsea’s parents arrived the day before the homecoming and loved on all three kiddos and me lots. It was a special time to have with them! The girls and I were missing Ryan, Aila, and the comforts of our own home in a terrible way. Novella was asking almost every day if we are going home today, so it was certainly a relief to be able to finally say yes, we are heading home babe! On the other hand the time we had with Zeke had been challenging some days, but also had been the most rewarding “trip” I’ve ever taken. We have gotten to know this amazing little boy so well, he has begun to communicate with us more, learning new words, and even taking more steps. I get just as excited about his accomplishments as I would my own child! Last but not least my heart is over joyed that Elsie (their daughter), is now  theirs, and home! This journey has been tremendous, and emotional for everyone and to see God’s faithfulness come to fruition in this venture has me in awe! Yes, this time for me has been stressful some days, and a little overwhelming, tears were shed a few times, and everyone had their fair share of emotions. Overall though, it was an adventure and three weeks of my life I would never change. 

Thank you Chelsea and Michael for entrusting me with your lovely son, fur babies and home, what an honor and wonderful privileged it was to be asked to be there! I hope your time bonding as a family of four is all you could have ever hoped it would be! Getting the chance to meet you at the airport and hug and kiss each of you before we left and the entire three weeks will be forever engraved in my mind and heart. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey to get your daughter home! We love you guys!!