First thing on the agenda was breakfast with a member from each agency. We were the only family there with Tree of Life and I was thrilled to finally meet Bianca. We had traded emails and spoken on the phone so many times while in process of Naomi's adoption that I couldn't wait to meet her. While no agency is perfect, I really did like working with Bianca and Tree of Life. I truly felt as if she and I had become friends during the process and she truly has a heart for orphans.
Bianca with Naomi. We'll forever feel grateful for the role she played in helping us bring Naomi home. 
After breakfast we all headed to the Oregon Zoo. You may wonder how we kept everyone together at the zoo? Short answer - We didn't. Shortly after entering the zoo we separated into smaller groups and I think most left the zoo by mid-afternoon.
There were some really cute animals at the zoo. Check out this one playing the drums. 
And this one was so serious. 
After the zoo, we went back to the hotel so Lili, Naomi and daddy could take a nap while mommy went to the hair care workshop. Yes, I needed some information and guidance on caring for Naomi's hair.
Katie from Happy Girl Hair conducted the workshop for us. Some of the participants had been following Katie's website for awhile and we felt like a celebrity was standing before us. Actually, Katie was perfect for us as she too is the mother of two little girls adopted from Ethiopia. She has spent a great deal of time reading and learning how to take care of and style her daughters hair and if you take a look at her website, you'll see that she knows what she is talking about. I left the workshop feeling like I will one day be able to make Naomi's hair beautiful. Now, if I could only find a workshop for my hair and Lili's hair I would be set :-)
Saturday night we made our way to Jarra for an awesome Ethiopian dinner. Jarra is owned by a couple from Ethiopia and they were so kind and patient with our group. Considering the fact that we were a very noisy bunch, that's saying a lot.
After we finished our meal, the gentleman who had been serving us asked to speak with our group. I wasn't quite sure what he wanted to talk to us about, but I got everyone together and quiet so he could speak. He went on to tell us how touched they were to see so many Ethiopian children loved and cared for by their adoptive families. He talked about how happy it made them to know they would be given opportunity here in the U.S. that they would not otherwise have had in Ethiopia. He also thanked us for choosing to having our dinner at Jarra and hoped we would return one day. I'm not sure about the other families, but I was very moved by his genuine thankfulness and next time we visit Portland, our family will be paying a visit to Jarra.
Saturday was over. It was a hectic day for sure, but it was a good day full of fun
1 comment:
Another neat day! I love going to the zoo (anywhere). I also loved hearing about what the server said at Jarra (sp?). How neat!
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