Finally Friday

It is indeed finally or final Friday before our trip to Addis Ababa to get Amari Roza. Jill has packed ten times already I think. I haven't started, although Georgiann has begun organizing little piles of things for me. Our tickets are secured and seating assignments made. Our hotel room is reserved. Nothing left to do but be ready by Monday noon and begin our journey.

We will trade our homes for a 4 wheel one engine home for about 2 1/2 hours, then a 1o wheel two engine home for about 16 1/2 hours, then a (I am speculating here) a 4 wheel 1 engine taxi or hotel van, and finally a "355 sq ft room with a balcony offering a mountain, garden or city view, decorated with original artwork, and a desk. Special touches may include daily newspaper, mineral water, chocolates, flowers and fruit."

Not sure if I will post anymore before the trip, so your thoughts and prayers will be greatly appreciated. We are hoping to update at least Jill's blog while in the country, but might not post pictures due to uncertainty of the Internet connections.

Thanks for your interest so far. This journey is just beginning.

Christmas 2007

This is the latest picture of Amari from Addis Ababa. Jill and I are getting pretty anxious to see her.

This is Madison at our house for Christmas. Soon the two of these will be together a lot.

Christmas Eve 2007

This is Jill, Madison and Ollie at our house the night before Christmas 2007. Georgiann and I and all of our children and grandchildren were in church tonight for Christmas Eve service, except for Amari Roza. Little Amari is still in Addis Ababa waiting on us to come and get her. But that will be soon now. One week from tonight we will be in the air and headed east towards Rome.

Madi is beginning to talk a lot. Nothing we can quite understand yet, except for mama and dada, which only Mommy and Daddy have heard. But she laughs and giggles and smiles and has so much personality. She is such a beautiful baby. We are so amazingly blessed to have a grandchild this beautiful. Everyone kept telling me it would be this way, and I knew it would, but it was just hard to really imagine it until it happens.

We hope to have more pictures tomorrow of Christmas when we will all exchange gifts and have a Christmas meal together. This may be the best times of life for this family of ours. I remember when I was very small and how Christmas was with my family, then we married and it was just Georgiann and I and our children. Now it is Georgiann and I, our children, and now our grandchildren. Soon the focus will shift again to the next generation. Life is that way.

We pray that your Christmas is filled with the love of family, friends, and most of all, Jesus.

Link to Jill's Blog

This is especially for the Harrisonburg FCN choir members who may have been frustrated with the link to Jill's blog not working in my email. Her blog is http://www.jillsexp.blogspot.com/. The leading h was left off the email. Sorry for any confusion. You can also click her link on the left side of this page under Blogs I Monitor, Amri's adoption process.

We do leave a week from tomorrow, celebrating New Years out over the Atlantic. As Jill says, hopefully not IN the Atlantic.

Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.

9 Days

We are at 9 days and counting. I am excited. Jill is freaked. Mom is worried about DC traffic and driving in the dark. Daniel doesn't say anything. Cassie has her nose in the air. Kids turned out fine, animals are stuck up.

I wanted to work on the bathroom downstairs today, but needed to take Daniel to the vet. Took him to Sonic for his first Sonic burger. He didn't really say, but I think he enjoyed it. Did some Christmas shopping. Still a little more to do on my part. No sense in getting in a great big hurry I'd say.

Some pics just for pics sake. My truck license plate describes my philosophy of life. Our bodies are only loaned to us, and if I can benefit someone else with it or parts of it I'm all for that. I encourage you to look into being an organ donor as well as donating your body to science. Check out this web site for more details. http://www.sciencecare.com/.














Christmas decorations are up at the Catlett house, have been in fact. This will be Madi's first Christmas and we are so excited to be a part of it. As mentioned earlier in both blogs, Jill and I will be able to celebrate Mari's first Christmas with her.

Thanks for your interest, thoughts and prayers. Pray for Jill that she won't freak out too much.

Black is the Cat

Here is Cassie in her alter ego. I have always wondered if Cassie was from the dark side, now I am convinced. She seems to be very anti-Christmas here, and the way she often runs around the floor batting at and tumbling with things that apparently only she can see, leads me to believe she is in communication with....the Dark side.

On an entirely different note, I am considering trading my PIII for a Shuttle XPC system that supports an Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 LGA 775 Dual-Core CPU. I would jam in 2GB of ram with a fast video as well with plenty of on board ram, and I think I am going to stick with XP Pro instead of, in the words of a friend of mine, Veeesta. Anyone out there have any knowledge of this system/CPU combination and want to warn me of any peculiarities?

I am planning on moving my wireless hub to my study so I can go wired to it from the Shuttle. I think some of the speed problems I am incurring now may be bandwidth limitations on the wireless part. And I really want a wireless Logitech trackman wheel. I absolutely have to have a track ball. Can't work in graphics without it.

Couple in a desktop firewire DVD burner and I'm all set. One day I'll upgrade this 15" FP to a 22" or 24." Then we'll be in high cotton. I hope that isn't a politically incorrect faux pax. I am sure the term dates back to slavery days. Cheers to all. Stay tuned for news of the Addis Ababa trip.

Daniel

I haven't featured Daniel in some time, so I thought I'd include a couple of pictures of him. And a couple of pics from Georgiann and my trip to Charlotte, NC to help with Operation Christmas Child. I have no recent pictures of Cassie. Unlike other cats in the family (there are 6 other cats in the family, Sam, Micky, Jack, Chloe, Potter and Maestro) Cassie doesn't seem to grow. So if you've seen her at all, just remember that. If you haven't, she is totally black and small.

More trip info

Well, providing there are no more changes in travel arrangements here is our schedule for flights:

Monday 12/31/07 Ethiopian Airlines Flight # ET501
Depart Washington Dulles 8:3oPM ~ Dinner & Breakfast served
Tuesday 01/01/08
Arrive Rome Fiumicino 11:15 AM Flight duration 8 hrs 45 minutes
Depart Rome Fiumicino 12:00 PM ~ Lunch & Dinner served
Arrive Addis Ababa Ethiopia 7:40 PM Flight duration 5 hours 40 minutes

Tuesday 01/08/08 Ethiopian Airlines Flight # ET500
Depart Addis Ababa 10:15 PM ~ Dinner & Breakfast served
Wednesday 01/09/08
Arrive Rome Fiumicino 2:35 AM Flight duration 6 hours 20 minutes
Depart Rome Fiumicino 3:20 AM ~ Breakfast & Lunch served
Arrive Washington Dulles 7:20 AM Flight duration 10 hours

Or, 14 hours 25 minutes going over besides time on the ground, and 16 hours 20 minutes coming back. Not as bad as I thought. Detroit to Amsterdam to Nairobi was 20 hours more or less.

Stay tuned.

Granddaughter 2

Here she is. Amari Roza. Beautiful, huh? Jill and I leave for Addis Ababa Ethiopia December 31, celebrate the New Year somewhere over the Atlantic, return January 9. Your thoughts and prayers for our trip are greatly appreciated. God is allowing us to bring a precious piece of Africa into our hearts and lives to love as our own. It is a dream come true for both Jill and me.

Thankful we are

Thanksgiving came to our house disguised as a pilgrim this year. This is Todd and his niece, our granddaughter, Madi, posing for us as John Smith and Virginia Dare. Madi chose not to appear in period costume but Todd decided he would. He wasn't happy with the meal of the day, however, wishing instead for succotash, fresh venison and quail. The now traditional fare of turkey, dressing, mash potatoes and gravy was in ample supply. Along with the very popular early Plymouth drinks Coca Cola and southern sweet tea. So the rest of us ate largely, with one end of the table taking a special liking to pickles, sweet and dill.

Daniel wide open

I took Daniel for a run in a field just across Route 11 sans leash and he did really well. Came to me when I called. Something he would never do before. Having been loose on the streets I think he decided he was an "emancipated" dog.

On a more serious note, in spite of having three books sitting here to finish for the course I am working on, I have been researching three of the creeds that most Christian bodies refer to in their statements of faith. The Nicene Creed, formuated about AD381, the Definition of Chalcedon or Chalcedon Creed, agreed upon in AD451, and the Apostles Creed derived from the former two in AD750. It is intriguing to me that a creed organized over 1200 years ago remains the central fiber of our worship.

In spite of all of the yammering (technical term there) back and forth about daily sin or no sin, creation or evolution, escutology and dual or single natures of Christ we still gravitate to one short statement of faith. I find solace in that and a strength through longivity. That Christ remains central proves his existance.

Mari's Baby Shower for Jill

We had Jill's baby shower for Amari Roza this afternoon, then had dinner with the family at Jill's house. Christy & Juli, Jill's cousins, came in from Kentucky along with Christy's 6 month old Callie. Friends Jane Wright, Principal Jane Wright to be politically correct, along with her daughter, Andrea, were there. Mary Ann and her daughter Krista were there. Deborah and Kaili, her daughter from China, Todd and Diana, Chad and Lesa with their daughter, Madison, and Georgiann and I were there as well.

Had a nice time visiting with firends we don't get to see often. The babies were all so pretty. The presents so nice. Food so good. All is well.

The last picture is the cousins and cousins by marriage that were at dinner. 5 were missing. Couldn't make it. Justin, Meagan, Kevin, Robert (known as BOB in some circles) and Lyn.

Such a beautiful baby

Madison came along with dad Chad and mom Lesa to have pizza with the family last Friday evening. I am amazed every time I get to be with this child. To see her perfect little features, feet and toes, hands and fingers, her sparkling blue eyes and amazing complexion is a delight.

I realize all babies are wonderful gifts to us, but to see a child that is in part a part of yourself is such a thrill. I have visited a number of countries in the world, spending time in Asia (RPI & Japan), Africa (Kenya) and South America (Argentina & Peru), and in all of them I was so taken with the babies and children. My heart went out to the young children in all of the countries. They are so precious and so beautiful.

I have a LOT of pictures of children from all of the countries I have visited.

And I have seen the imperfect children as well. The lame, the blind, the crippled, the sick, the hungry, and the abandoned and forgotten. That breaks your heart. More than the disfigured and diseased the biggest tragedy are the abandoned and forgotten.

Pretty soon we will have in our family a beautiful little Ethiopian baby girl. When the time is right there will be lots of pictures of her here and on Jill's blog. We have already fallen in love with her.

Both Madi and Jill's baby are such perfect little girls. God created masterpieces when they were concieved. All babies come into the world to be loved, and we certainly love ours.

New Ole Paint

Brought home a new/old truck today. New to me, old to the dealers. But I think it will be just fine. Only has 16K miles a year on it. Our CRV is running over 21K miles a year. Pretty amazing. And the truck, a 2001, is worth significantly more than the 2002 CRV.

On a totally different topic. Just how do you suppose this dog

Did this?

Goodbye Ole Paint. Take your deserved rest.

Toyotas never die natural deaths. They are all killed by someone.

This is the result of a back tire deflating and nearly coming off the rim on the interstate this morning about 4:40. Due to the age of the truck and the damage I am guessing it will be totalled. I have my eye on a 2001 Toyota truck and a 2004 Nissan truck. I am going to go look the Toyota over very carefully tomorrow when I get off work. Depending on what happens there I may or may not go look more closely at the Nissan.

I have been very busy the last month. Work is pretty much out of control. At least I can't seem to get caught up. Caught up to where I think I need to be. No one has really come down on me, but I certainly feel like I can't get done.

Work on the 1/2 bath downstairs is coming along very slowly. Not much to report there. Nothing much to report on Jill's adoption progress, either.

Hope to have better and more news soon.

Update

Just a couple of pictures from the area around here. The river scene is the south fork of the Shenandoah River between Luray and Stanley just east of Route 340. The road scene is the very top of Route 220 as it crosses under the Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains, looking east towards Sperryville.

I haven't done much with the camera lately. Last Thursday and Friday I was in Charleston, WV for a two day seminar that covered two classes in my Master's program. It was pretty intense, in depth, exciting, and very enlightening for me. Now I have to read 3 books and write a major paper for each class. Seems like a lot of work, but it will earn me 6 semester hours. An expensive way to get a degree, but a quick one if you can read and retain in a hurry.

I finished my Entry Management Training Program at work and await my grade or pass/fail, which ever it is. Not sure how that works. I continue to learn every day I work, and that makes the job fun. Crazy hours, but after 35 years of 8-5 basically I guess I can't complain. It certainly is more interesting work than I did the last 20 years, harder and pays less, but more interesting.



Thanks for checking in. Be sure to check Jill's blog. We anxiously await word on our African addition. Cheers.

Mount Sidney Moon

I would call these pictures "Night Comes to the Shenandoah" if I were titling them. I spotted this picture opportunity on Monday evening as Georgiann and walked Daniel. So tonight, I took along my camera and large tripod. I took about 30 pictures varying the settings to try to pull the mountains out of the haze. Not a very successful effort. I will have to wait on a clear evening just after a good rain to get that. The valley is often difficult to shoot as the eye sees it because of the haze from all of the vegetation. I could have tried some filters, but didn’t have them with me.

Work is looking up. I am learning so much. Fun to learn. Although I will get to test that theory in depth Thursday and Friday. I am going to Charleston, WV for two days of seminars that will help me complete 6 hours of my Masters degree. An all day session for each, a proctored test at the end of each day, a number of books to read after the seminar and a 2500-3000 word paper to write are the requirements.

A friend of mine has invited me to speak at the United Brethren Church he pastors for a Homecoming service on October 28. A humbling request but one I feel lead to fulfill. Come join us if you like. It is the UBC on 5th street in Staunton. Thanks for looking in. Be sure to visit Jill’s blog, linked from this one.

1/2 Bath Project

Here are two pictures of the progress on our half bath in the basement which sits between the family room and the utility room. Sort of a box cut out of the utility room but accessible from the family room. We decided to finish it and put the litter box in it as well. To protect the human users from the feline users, we will enclose the litter box in a large box of it's own, with full access for cleaning. On the utility room side of the vanity wall will be a deep sink. Thus the water and drain lines on that side.

African addition

I realize it has been a while since I posted, but other things have gotten in the way. I just wanted to post this picture of the shelf I built to display one of the items I brought back from a souvenir shop just outside of the Masi Mara game preserve in Kenya in 2006. I was amazed at the elephants (this breed of elephant is called the African Savanna Elephant) , but I am convinced that the Masi Giraffe is the worlds most elegant animal. The picture of the Masi Giraffe was taken on safari in 2004.

I tell folks this is a Canadian Giraffe because it has a distinctive marking on it's right shoulder that looks very much like a maple leaf, as in the Canadian Maple Leafs. It might look a little like western Canada in the summer, but it is not quite the climate for giraffes, regardless of the species. You may have to enlarge the photo to see the leaf.

Hollywood Madi

Is this girl cool, or what? Just got this pic from Lesa and had to post it immediately. Madi is so beautiful.

Spent a few hours with Madi and Chad today. We took Madi to Lowe's in Waynesboro to show her off and to get some wire. I wired in a new circuit for Chad and Lesa to plug in a freezer in their laundry room. It turned out good.

More later. Just wanted this picture on the blog.

Day trip

Georgiann and I had the day off yesterday, Friday, and took a day trip into the mountains. We went up through Elkton on Rt 340 and continued up through Shenandoah, Stanley, to Luray, then off on 211 to Sperryville just over the mountain and on to 522 north to Flint Hill. There isn't much in Flint Hill except one of the neatest restaurants I believe I have had the pleasure of eating in.

It is called Griffin Tavern and you can see it here: http://www.griffintavern.com/. It is definitely British in ambiance, menu and style. It is a very old building which has been wonderfully restored and decorated to look like what I would imagine a late 18th century English tavern to look like. Food is excellent and reasonably priced. The service is top notch. The gardens are beautiful as well.

We got there, to this little village a fair drive from anything resembling metropolis, about 1:00 pm and the place was nearly full. Which I think speaks highly of the place.

We also stopped at a glass shop which featured some amazing glass art and sculpture. It was just outside of the entrance that I captured the pictures of butterflies. I had to use the auto setting on my camera because the butterflies were ignoring my pleas to sit still for longer than a second or two.

I hope you enjoy then as much as I enjoyed taking them.





































Remember if you click on the pictures they enlarge. The middle one is particularly worth enlarging to see the colors of the flower beside the colors of the butterfly, and the detail of the butterfly itself.

Madi comes to visit

Jill holding Madison who came to visit tonight with mom and dad. I think she held her eyes open as long as she could.

Computer in OK

Computer made the move OK. Connected via wireless and now I have a study with a view. Just my neighborhood, but a fine neighborhood it is. I bet I know one person that will recognize this computer. Can you believe it is still running? It was the foot warmer, I tell you.