Our one and only claim to any fame!
I realised that I had not told you about our experience being media stars!
A few months ago, our adoption agency called me and asked if I would be willing to do an over the phone interview with a Vancouver paper about adopting from Africa.
Of course, I said that would be fun, no problem, just let me know when.
So, a few days later, the reporter called and I answered a whole list of questions like,
"Why are you adopting when you have your "own" children.?" (Grrrr, I set her straight on that one!) "Why Africa?" "How has our community reacted? How have the Ethiopian community reacted?" and so on.
They then called and asked if we would mind having a photographer come and take a picture..nothing major..just for an inside story.
Again, of course, why not!
So, the photographer came round and did a million shots, some funky shots, other more traditional ones. Ayana and Moses actually did really well and we didn't have to bribe the older ones too much either.
The photographer mentioned as he was leaving that as we are a Surrey family, the Surrey sister paper might want to use the photos...OK with that? Of course.
That was it, no promise of it actually being used, no mention of when etc.
So, imagine my shock when I got the Sunday paper that weekend and our family was all over the front page of the paper...this was what I saw.

Our family, sat on the stairs....now staring out at people all over Surrey, Delta, New West, Vancouver etc etc.
I was so excited! (If I would have known the extent of the coverage, I would have done my hair...at least I would have combed it)
Since then, the media attention has died off I have to say, and I don't get asked for autographs any more (a little boy at my son's school ran over to me one day and asked if I was famous because he'd seen me in the paper. I told him I was VERY famous and he wanted my autograph...so funny!)
Here are the other shots that were used in the paper.














The interview was mostly accurate, a few minor details missing or added, a few controversial Q & A missing, but pretty good.
The highlight of this whole experience for us though, happened only about a month ago. We were in a little Ethiopian restaurant in Vancouver when the owner suddenly came up to Dave with a phone in his hand and told him that the call was for him. Dave, completely puzzled of course, took the call and it was an Ethiopian man in Surrey who had seen us in the paper.
He was friends with the restaurant owner and had told him how much he wanted to speak with us. When we went into the restaurant, the owner had called him right away as he recognised us.
Anyway, this guy told Dave how happy he was that we had adopted from his homeland and also said that we were family now. He gave his number and told us to call anytime we needed to.
We were completely amazed and also humbled.
I think I could safely say that the reaction from the Ethiopian community has been awesome.