Numbers, Fingerprints, 10k, and Ethiopian New Year

Thought I better get a post out there since I’m getting called out by Dawn…

Last Thursday, we received our official wait list number from AGCI…

 

That’s only 3 spots in a month.  A little disappointing with our number being so high.  The logical side of me sees that being 23 months of wait at moving 3 spots a month. However, courts are closed in Ethiopia right now (rainy season) so movement in general is slow.  We are praying that movement picks up this fall … so that more kiddos can be forever home and selfishly that we can move up the list quicker to know the daughter God has for our family.  However, it tears me up thinking that so many families will have to make such a huge sacrifice in order for us to receive our referral.

Friday afternoon, we had our USCIS fingerprint appointment.  It was interesting walking in there the second time around and seeing the same workers.  The same security officer asking us the same pass-the-time questions (where you from, I’m a cheesehead, etc, etc).  The worker who took our prints was very friendly and got us in and out pretty quickly.  It’s funny to think back to the prints for Silas.  We were remodeling our living room and I had been sanding drywall and didn’t even think about the impact on my prints.  The USCIS lady told me that she couldn’t guarantee my prints would go through … but by the grace of God, they went through and we got our favorable letter.  Praying these prints go through smoothly this time and we get our favorable letter in the near future.

Saturday morning was my 10k (6.2 mile) race in preparation for the 1/2 marathon next month.  This is the first race I’ve ever attempted.  Friday night I prepped with getting my time chip on my shoe, bib on my shirt, etc. Having to get up at 5:30am, I started second-guessing doing the race quickly.  The race started at 7am and I met up with my buddy Kris I was going to run with.  My goal was for 10 minute miles so that would have me finishing in one hour two minutes.  What I didn’t plan on was the humidity … it was MUGGY.  There was a chance of rain but it never did rain … felt like it should have with the heaviness of the air.  The humidity definitely affected the race for me … I could feel it in my breathing from early on.  And running on different course was so different … my training has been done on my own turf and I know my markers for how far I have gone.  With the race, there was a marker every mile.  Each mile sign felt like it was much farther away than what my familiar markers would show for that distance.  Oh, and then there was some of the course on grass and chip-rock which I wasn’t used to either.  Nevertheless, with all those differences and challenges …. I did finish!  My time was 1:03:27 which was 10:14 mile pace.  With it being my first race and the humidity, I was mostly happy with that time.  The half marathon is less than 5 weeks away … the next month is going to be interesting … my long runs will consist of 8,9,10, and 11 miles with the half marathon (13.2 miles being 5 weeks from this past Saturday.  My during-the-week runs are now 5-6 miles which is just tough to fit in during the week.  If I go out to run after putting Silas down for bed, I’m not home until after 9:30pm.  I honestly will be happy when the race will be over.  I will want to keep running some but with distances around 3-4 miles.

The race was sponsored by Chik-fil-a so the cows were out.  After the race, Silas was all about giving them high-fives.

Somewhere out on the course.  Can’t be too far in as the hat isn’t too discolored yet.

My buddy Kris is bib 212.  He and his wife are leaving Saturday to Israel for a couple weeks.  They are feeling God’s call to be missionaries there and this is a “scope out” trip along with getting to participate in the Feast of Tabernacles.  They have 3 little ones and are praying about adopting their 4th child.  I’m blessed to call him a friend as he and his wife are definitely seeking God’s plan for their family. (For the record, I beat Kris by 14 seconds but who’s counting, right? :)  He’s running the 1/2 as well so I better be careful because he’ll run over me then)

 

 

Silas hanging out in his stroller waiting for me to come by…

About to the finish line passing Amber and Silas

Just crossing the finish line

Getting a picture with Silas after getting home

 

Saying cheeeeeeze to the camera

It’s amazing how God throws his confirmations out there as well.  While Amber and Silas was waiting for me to run by, a guy walked by and looked at Silas.  A couple minutes later he walked by again, stopped, and asked where Silas was from.  Amber told him Ethiopia and he said he thought so as he was from Ethiopia and had been here 30 years!  He was at the race to support his daughter who was running her first 10k.  Amber got to chat with him for a while and then God allowed our paths to cross after the race and I got to meet him and his daughter.  I could have stood there all day to listen to him talk about Ethiopia and his love for her.  He told us about a tour to do while in Ethiopia that would take you to the major sites … churches built into the side of mountains, the place Ethiopians believe the ark of the covenant is, etc, etc.  I am so thankful we got his email address so that we can keep in touch.

Back to the race … it’s amazing how humbling one of those can be.  Not just seeing/feeling how vulnerable our physical bodies are but also by looking at the results of the race.  I got WHOOPED by a 72 year old man.  He ran the race in 49:02 (7:54 mile).  That is just NUTS!  I just can’t comprehend seeing me run a single mile that fast let alone a 72 year old man run a 10k like that.  I also was beat by 70, 67, and 60 year old men.  Men twice my age beating me down.  Humbling.

After the race, I had the mindset that I had accomplished all I needed for the day.  Unfortunately, reality came quickly.  We came home and hung out rest the morning, played, and did some chores around the house.

 

First, Silas had to show off his ‘splits’ skillz.  We’re going to have to put him in gymnastics probably soon.  Kid loves doing somersaults, jumping off about anything in our house, and doing ‘tricks’ off our step down into the living room.

Silas loves helping with the laundry

Well, he actually just likes chucking the laundry into the dryer … and pushing the dryer on button.

We ate lunch together and then Amber put Silas down for a nap since he was up all early to get to the race.  She took his nap time to go exercise herself and I hung out working on things around the house.  When she got home, I ran some trash to the dump and mowed most of the yard.  Then it was off to church.  After church we went to an Ethiopian restaurant to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year.  We went to one that we have gone to a few times and the waitress couldn’t believe how much he’d grown since we were in last.  And that’s no lie.  I was looking through old pics a couple days and it’s crazy how tiny our boy was.

After enjoying our great meal

As you can see, we tore into it.  We brought some dora wat and tibs home and of course, Amber ate the leftovers :(

Finally, go out and support Dawn & Tim as they are having a raffle for their sponsored child from the Korah dump in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Just don’t expect to win.  That ipod touch is all mine!