shopping...

We are all very excited about the upcoming marriage of Kevin and Amy!  As one would guess, there is a lot of preparation that goes into getting 5 girls ready for a destination wedding.  In comparison to the preparations the Fitzgerald family has been so beautifully undertaking in the planning of this glorious Sanibel Island event, this is small potatoes, I know.  But finding the right dress for the event and location for 5 gals has left me a bit.....frazzled!  I'm sure Mrs. Fitzgerald, Amy's mom,  can relate to the exhaustion I feel regarding my daughters and clothes as she raised a lovely brew of daughters and....survived!  I will have to pick her brain as to how she was able to navigate these treachurous  waters and end up with such beautiful girls who still talk to her--ha!   With 3 adolescent daughters, I have been in and out of many stores looking for the perfect dress for the moody teen-ager,  the surly pre-teen and the angry tween that has to wear a hand-me-down...WHAT FUN!!!!  What has been fun, however, is bringing along my 2 able bodied assistants.  Every store plays music anymore, so as we enter each establishment Mekdes and Margo will announce..."DANCE PARTY!".  All those who are shopping at said establishment are then treated to a fabulous combination of American urban dance and Ethiopian tribal dance.  The routine begins at the front door and continues on to the left as the 4 and 5 year old dancers circle their unique choreography  all the way around the store ending  the impromptu routine at the front door and thus signaling our shopping time is up.  It has been a delightful addition to our shopping experience and the older girls really LOVE  the added attention it brings to our crew as we enter the store!!!
We are all counting down the days until we take off for the Fitzgerald/Geary wedding.  It will be so wonderful to be with family in such a beautiful setting and celebrate the union of two of my favorite people.  There will be many first for Mekdes on this adventure and I cannot wait to share them with her....the ocean...a huge pool....a fancy hotel....the airplane full of Gearys...the wedding ceremony itself...shelling on the beach...warm weather...palm trees...We continue to be amazed and feel truly blessed to be on this adoption journey!

Here are our two dancers honing their craft....