Good News

After my big, bad post about bad news, I'll take this opportunity to post good news from our adoption.  First off, I booked my ticket to fly to Ethiopia (leaving in one week from tomorrow - aaah!)!!  Cade and I have been looking forward to this trip so much and so we are both sad that we decided for only me to go, since it seems like the best financial option right now since we don't know how long it will take for Bereket's case to pan out!!
Second of all, I had an e-mail this morning that Bereket's birth father did not show up for the meeting.......and then I heard from Brett (coordinator) this afternoon that he did show up!!!!  YAYY!!  They waited for a very long time for him to show and finally he did!!!  But that's not it, folks!!  His story IS different from embassy's story!  He told Illien's investigator what happened and how, somehow, he misunderstood that the birth mother thought he was deceased instead of disappeared!!  That is still not all of it!!  Bottom line:  He says he just wants to see his son for one last time to tell him, "goodbye!!"  Can you believe it?!!  I am stunned and at a loss of words.....  WOW!!  Like I said, it is a roller coaster!  
I wish I could share with you one more bit, but I can't.....yet!  I have to wait and maybe, just maybe, I will be able to share some more very good news!!!  Thanks, you all, for crossing your fingers, toes, hair, eyes, & more!!!!!! 

On the very real side of life, though, things still move on around our place!!  It is harvest season, so I have been trying to put some fruit up for the winter!!

                            

            Thompson seedless grapes from our arbor
(they start falling and making a sticky mess of everything!)

                               My helpers are finally home after school!!

 washing the sidewalk off after we picked most (not all!)of the grapes!

                                        The little helper- but she does help!