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Monday, May 26, 2008

Lots of news to report!!

My sister Krista and my future brother-in-law Dave.
Matt, Katelyn and I eating at Abay Restaurant.
Matt and I's first Ethiopian meal.

First, the most important news to report is that my little sister got engaged on Tuesday!!! I am so excited for her as she has found her prince. Dave is a kind and compassionate man, who brings such joy and laughter to our family. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is going to make my sister very happy. They are planning a July 2009 wedding.

Next, we found an Ethiopian restaurant that is about an hour from our house. We had a great time trying some of their food and experiencing a little of their culture. The owner had decorated the restaurant with artwork that he bought in Ethiopia. Katelyn was a tad confused all day when we kept talking about going to an Ethiopian restaurant. She would come to me and say " Mommy, are we going to Ethiopia today?"

Also, we received our bi-weekly email from AGCI and learned that in the last two weeks there have been 9 referrals. We were only aware of 4. That means that we are getting closer and closer to our little baby. We should get our monthly update call this week. This will tell us what our new numbers are. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue on this journey.

Friday, May 16, 2008

Unofficial Numbers

Well this has been a exciting week for AGCI families. After 7 long weeks of no referrals there have been 4 referrals given out this week. That makes our new unofficial numbers (we only get official numbers once a month when our case manager calls us) BOY #21 and GIRL #29!!! I am anxious to see what the next few months hold for us.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Starbucks

Long Post. I found this article on the Ethiopian Embassy website. It really makes me want to purchase more coffee from Starbucks. I think it is awesome that they are trying to invest so much in Ethiopia. Let me know what you think?



Ethiopian Prime Minister and Starbucks Chairman Discuss Ways to Support Ethiopian Coffee Industry


Starbucks Announces Plan to Open First Farmer Support Center in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Seattle Wash.; November 28, 2007 - Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and Starbucks Corporation (Nasdaq: SBUX) chairman Howard Schultz today reaffirmed their commitment to making Ethiopia a leading force in the global specialty coffee marketplace. Schultz and Prime Minister Meles said their discussions reflected a deepening relationship between Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, and Starbucks, one of the world's largest specialty coffee companies.

The Prime Minister and Schultz discussed ways to expand the branding and marketing of Ethiopia's world-renowned fine coffees in order to help achieve better prices for farmers and improved opportunities for the millions of Ethiopians who depend on coffee for their livelihood.

Schultz announced that the company will open a Starbucks Farmer Support Center in the Ethiopian capital in 2008. The facility, the first in Africa, will enable Starbucks to work collaboratively with Ethiopian farmers to raise both the quality and production of the country's high quality specialty coffees.

"We will be working closely with Starbucks to bring badly needed investment and technology to our coffee industry, as well as brand recognition and promotion for our high-grade Arabica beans," said Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. "These measures will afford Ethiopia new leverage in the global coffee market. I am extremely encouraged that Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz shares our belief in a bright future for Ethiopia's coffee economy."

Earlier this year, Starbucks signed a distribution, marketing and licensing agreement with Ethiopia and has agreed to assist in expanding consumer awareness of Ethiopia's famed coffee brands -- Sidamo, Harar/Harrar and Yirgacheffe.

In addition to meeting with Prime Minister Meles, Schultz and other top Starbucks executives will have a roundtable discussion with government officials, coffee farmers, exporters and other coffee stakeholders to share ideas on how to strengthen the partnership and improve the Ethiopian coffee industry. On Friday, Schultz will address leaders of the Ethiopian business community and young entrepreneurs.

The Starbucks Farmer Support Center in Addis Ababa will provide resources and ongoing support to coffee communities with the goal of improving coffee quality and growing practices and increasing the number of farmers participating in the Coffee and Farmer Equity (C.A.F.E.) Practices, Starbucks sustainable coffee buying guidelines.

"This is an extraordinary opportunity for Starbucks to continue to partner with the Ethiopian coffee community to support their efforts to produce some of the world's finest coffees. We have always recognized that coffee farmers play a critical role in Starbucks success and we are proud to help expand the audience and demand for Ethiopian specialty coffees. Prime Minister Meles has a deep understanding of the global coffee business and is genuinely committed to forging public-private partnerships to ensure a bright future for Ethiopian farmers." Schultz said.

Between 2002 and 2006, Starbucks increased its Ethiopian coffee purchases by nearly 400 percent. Today, Ethiopian coffee can be found in nearly all of Starbucks' U.S. stores. In 2008 Starbucks plans to intensify its promotion of Ethiopian coffees.

As part of Starbucks' expanded economic investment in the region, Schultz also announced that the company is negotiating with an Ethiopian apparel factory to manufacture its Starbucks black aprons, worn by approximately 27,000 Coffee Masters worldwide. Starbucks has also invested in school and bridge infrastructure projects in Ethiopia, and is working with the nonprofit organizations CARE and WaterAid to address rural development challenges in Ethiopian communities.

Schultz is joined in Ethiopia by Cliff Burrows, president Starbucks EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Dub Hay, Starbucks senior vice president of Coffee & Global Procurement, and Sandra Taylor, Starbucks senior vice president of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Moving on Up!!!

Well one of our AGCI families got their referral call yesterday for a little boy. That means that Matt and I have now moved up a number. We are now 23 on the boys list and still 32 on the girls list. Please continue to pray that the floodgates of referrals open!!!

Friday, May 2, 2008

Numbers!! (part 2)

It seems I keep getting my information in 2 parts. Just talked to Kate yesterday and she gave us our numbers for where we are on the boy and girl waiting list!! Drum roll please......... 24 for a boy and 32 for a girl!!! Our parameters are a boy or girl under 12 months. We are so excited!! As soon as I got off the phone Katelyn came over to me and said "Mommy when is our baby coming home." I had to tell her it will still be a little while. I don't know who is more anxious Katelyn or Matt and I.

Last night I attended my cousins last college musical. She is going to be graduating next week and moving to either Chicago or New York to pursue an acting career. As I watched her perform I had tears in my eyes as I was reliving our last 21 years together. It just struck me how fast life goes and how our plans are never really what God has planned for our lives. Though at the end of day your life is a hundred times better than you ever dreamed it could be. We never dreamed that we would all be grown up and making adult decisions. Please pray for Darcy as she is scared to death as she makes this HUGE leap into her future.