New Blog

I started a new blog and will be making all future posts there...check it out at http://emilytalcott.wordpress.com

-Emily

I'm leavin' on a jet plane...

don't know when I'll be back again. And that's true. So I'm just sitting here in Heathrow while I soak up the last minutes of high-speed internet. I have truly enjoyed my time back home. I loved spending time with the family and watching how Israel and Alemu interact with everyone. I am going back with mixed feelings. I am excited to go back and I know once I get there I will remember why I love it so much. And then there's another feeling...one of sorrow. Well, not really sorrow but sadness cause by leaving the ones I love. I wish I could just take them all with me. Then it would be perfect. Alemu said that he wished I would go to Ethiopia for 5 days so I could give people gifts and then come home. He's so sweet. Thanks again for everyones support. 

Smart Scrubs

I owe a huge thanks to Grandma, Aunt Cindy and Christa for donating money to buy scrubs for the nannies. And I also owe a huge thanks to Terri at Smart Scrubs for helping me out. Here's the whole story:

When I first came home I went into the store called Smart Scrubs and talked to a woman named Terri. She is about the sweetest most compassionate woman in San Diego. She told me that she would do her best to try and find me some deals and that she would like to donate scrubs out of her own personal stash. Since I am a slacker I didn't go back to the store until today (the day before I leave). I told her how much money I had and she pointed me in the direction of the sales rack...everything was $4.99! This was half the cost of what they were when I first went to look into scrubs. She helped me pick out 15 sets of scrubs and when she totaled it up it ended up being $1.50 less than my budget. We both felt that it was an affirmation from God. 

So thank you again ladies. I'll take pictures of the nannies in their new scrubs.

Orange Marker and Baby Bird

On our way back from Nevada we stopped for slurpees since it was 110 degrees out. And since Elias can't sit there and watch us enjoy our treats without throwing a temper tantrum his nice auntie shared hers with him. I had a mango cherry slurpee which was divine. And soon Elias had finished nearly half of it...woops! His lips were stained a dark orange which made it look like he had been sucking on an orange marker.
Once the slurpee was finished Elias noticed that his Uncle Jake was eating something so of course Elias had to eat it too. Jake was picking on him and holding it above his head...this did not stop Elias from trying to eat the sour gummie worms - he looked just like a baby bird.

Holy Smokes!

Last Friday (July 10th) was a day I don't think I will forget for a long long time. We (Autumn, Brian, Elias, Jake and I) were leaving that late morning to head to Nevada for our cousin's going away party. I threw a load of clothes in the washer that morning and then started in on the quilt that I'm making. About 30 minutes before we were suppose to leave I threw jeans, shorts and two shirts in the dryer. Once those were dry I went to change and when I came back Elias had escaped to the top floor by himself. So I ran up to get him before he tried to climb back down. While up there I smelled smoke...almost a burning plastic smell. So I yelled to my mom and aunt who were sewing and we all searched the house. We frantically searched everywhere but couldn't find anything burning. Jake had grabbed the fire extinguisher but still we found nothing. We did figure out that it smelled like smoke the most in the garage. Aunt Tammy then went into the laundry room and there was smoke in there. We unplugged the dryer and pulled the lint tray out and just as we were leaving to go turn the propane tank off I noticed that there were flames underneath it. So I grabbed the sleeping bag that was right next to it and Jake sprayed the dryer with the fire extinguisher. Jake then ran and turned off the propane while my mom called 911. We waited outside while Jake went back in to make sure the walls weren't on fire. He also grabbed the keys to the cars that were in the garage so my mom could move them. Finally after it seemed like forever the fire trucks arrived. They got their jackets, masks, and hoses and went inside. Soon after we saw them bring out the charred dryer to the driveway and put the fire out there. They soon told us that it was contained to the dryer and there was only a little scorch mark on the wall. They set up fans to blow all the smoke out of the house and they ended up blowing all the fire extinguisher powder all over the house too. They told Jake he was a hero for using a fire extinguisher and turning the propane off. They even gave him a sticker. While they were still assessing the laundry room I snuck in and grabbed my camera. Here are some of the pictures I was able to snap.

Since the dryer is propane there is an open flame underneath. Even though there is a lint tray some lint falls down and over the years it has collected - that is what caught fire. My mom has vowed never to turn the dryer on right before bed or right before she leaves the house.

**We did get permission to take the picture in the truck.

Top Ten:

These are my top ten things I love about being home for a visit - in no particular order:
1. Flushing toilets and hot showers - I definitely took those for granted.
2. Wearing shorts & tank-tops
3. Eating meat
4. Speaking the same language as everyone else
5. Talking to my family & friends in person
6. Spending time with my family
7. Catching up with the families & children from Ethiopia who are now in the U.S.
8. Experiencing some of the "firsts" with Alemu, Israel & Elias
9. Rest
10. Talking to people and opening up their eyes to the needs in Ethiopia. On Sunday I am doing a presentation at my church about my time in Ethiopia - I'm nervous already and it's only Tuesday. Yikes!

Come Out and Say It

I'll just come out and say it...does anyone want to donate money toward new scrubs for a bunch (35) of nannies? When I go back in July I will be volunteering at two new orphanages in Addis. All of the nannies wear old scrubs that were donated a couple years ago. Since they are becoming all tattered and torn I would like to get them new ones. I went to a store today and inquired about possible donations or discounts. The lady happened to be a Christian and very compassionate towards missions she seemed to really want to help - it may have been the fact that Elias snuggled with her and made her tear up or that she felt something from God...we will never know. So needless to say the most expensive (with no discount) price would be $8.75(tax included) for one piece of the set. If you would be interested please let me know ASAP. Thank you so much.