A Conversation

I had a conversation yesterday that went something - no exactly - like this:

LADY: Where are you adopting from?

ME: Ethiopia

LADY: Oh how wonderful! And it doesn't bother you that your baby will be black?

ME: **blink. blink. long pause.** Ummm, no.

LADY: Yeah, me neither. I think that's great.

ME: ok.

LADY: And what about your parents? Does it bother them that he will be black?

ME: Uhhhh. no.

LADY: Yeah, it wouldn't bother me either. I mean, I think that biracial marriages and everything are great. I just think that everybody should get along.

ME: **blank stare** Ummmm. ok.

*******

I don't think that this will be the last time that I have a little awkward conversation with someone about my son's race. In fact, I KNOW it won't be the last.

And I truly believe that this woman had good intentions and was doing her best to relate and to show her support for us and our family.

But her words bothered me.

I was irritated because I didn't know how to respond.

I didn't know how to respond honestly, but graciously. I didn't know how to choose the words to tell her that I appreciated what she was trying to say, but that she has it all wrong.

You see, my son is going to be black. And we think that's wonderful. And we will love that and celebrate that about him.

BUT, he is also going to be funny and strong and curious and smart. He will be adventurous and charming. Perhaps he will be artistic or athletic or have a wild and crazy imagination.

Yes, he is going to be black. But he will also be many other things. His black skin is a part of who he is but it does not - and will not - define him.

But how can this be explained in a loving way to an inquisitive stranger - one who only has a couple of minutes to spare.

How do you say all of this without sounding like a stuck-up, defensive, hyper-sensitive adoptive mama? And at what point do you decide whether to reeducate the individual or simply redirect the conversation?

All of this to say that we have a lot to learn -- and I guess we can only get smarter and more prepared from here.

And next time, I'll be ready.

Maybe.

Eighty-Nine

Eighty-Eight

July 17th

THIS, my friends, is what is happening on July 17th.

(Double click the picture to see all of the details)

We want YOU to be there!

Personally, I think it's going to be alot of fun.

I mean, who wouldn't have fun playing a city-wide poker game followed by a delicious dinner in a beautiful home with a little competitive silent-auction-action.

Please email to let us know if you are coming.

Or, if you don't quite understand what we're doing, it's okay to send us a little email about that too. We'll be happy to offer further explanation. :)

And stay tuned for more information on THE PRIZES and the silent auction items.

See you on the 17th!

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Eighty

Grown

Six years ago, when I started tutoring for the school district, Lashonte was my first student. She was a freshman and I was fresh out of college. I had the honor of being her teacher for a year and a half -- and four year after we started working together, I experienced the joy of seeing her graduate. That was a very proud moment for me.

It has been crazy amazing to watch this girl grow up. We don't get together very often, but when we do, I am blown away by her life, her challenges, and her joys.

She has her own apartment now.

AND SHE IS GOING TO COLLEGE. So proud of her. So, so proud.

Lashonte turned 21 this week, and we celebrated today with lunch and a trip to Spring Spree - where we rode this little spinning doodad.

Why? Well, because it's her favorite.
And, honestly, I'm kind of a sucker for rides that spin and loop and fall and twirl, so she didn't really have to twist my arm or anything.

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Get out your Whips** (and a clue about July 17th)

We're still working on our plans for the July 17th event, but i thought I should let you know that you'll want to gear up your sweetest ride.

I also thought it might be helpful to give you a few examples of sweet rides. You know, in case you want to really be prepared.

Now this, most certainly, is a sweet ride.

And if you are a member of the Kyle family, this too is a sweet ride - though a bit overdone, don't you think?
And many of you would agree this this also is a sweet ride - unless you are the mama of the boy who is riding it. Then, well, it just looks like an injury waiting to happen.
And maybe you have a large family, and this is your sweet ride. I have to tell you, go ahead and bring your minivan, BUT...
...if you plan to win any prizes, you might want to go the extra mile and spruce that baby up a little bit...
...or you could really go for the gold and go with this. I'm just sayin'...
And finally, bicycles might be considered a sweet ride in your world, but for this event, they're just not gonna fly.
So, now you know. Well, now you know something.

** Whip - N. 1. A fast expensive car, such as an Aston Martin. Sometimes used to describe vehicles of a lesser extent in areas of lower standards.

(eg. Check out the whip, thug! I dropped 300 G's on this v12, now I'm ballin' like James Bond.)

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Mark you calendars...

for July 17th.

We've got something planned.

Something fun.

Something that will help bring little baby Kyle home.

And we don't want you to miss out.

That's all I'm sayin'.

Seventy-One

Seventy

Sixty-Nine

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Ha.

We visited the Grand Canyon today. I've never been there before and - oh my - it was beautiful.

I took about a million pictures, and maybe one day I'll get around to sorting them out and posting them.

But for today, I'll leave you with one that will make you smile - or it might make you laugh out loud a little.

It about made me wet my pants when I saw it.

Obviously, we also visited the little Flintstone-themed tourist trap located just outside of the Grand Canyon.

And I'll have you know, Bedrock City was worth every penny of its $5 entrance fee.

Every. single. penny.

Have Cat. Will Travel.

We packed up the truck,

the car,

the baby,

the cat,

the friends,

and high-tailed it to Las Vegas yesterday.

The drive was awesome, the baby was perfect, and the cat only drooled on me a little.

After checking into the hotel and having dinner, we headed for the Las Vegas Strip.

We didn't expect much. Just a little margarita and a little walk. Maybe we would see the fountains and drop a few nickels into the slots.

But just so you know, The Bellagio Hotel WILL NOT valet park your Ford Focus Station Wagon with a live cat inside.

In fact, no one will. And your trip to the strip will be reduced to a 10 minute cruise and you will see Vegas from the INSIDE of your vehicle.

You can make this a little more fun by bumping the stereo

...but only very quietly so you don't wake the baby.