Paperwork is off to MN and then to Ethiopia!

Paperwork has been collected and the things that needed to be notarized have been notarized. Passport sized photos were ready at Walgreens today. Wrote out two checks and got one money order and I think we're good to go....off to MN to be all checked over. Then the dossier documents will be authenticated and forwarded to Ethiopia for processing and approval. Hopefully we'll get a referral by early next year and travel next spring. Hang on baby girl....we're coming to get you soon!

Day in Milwaukee

Spent the last day of our four day weekend in Milwaukee. Milwaukee County Zoo, fingerprint appointment, Lakefront (got to see the Cicus train cars, too) and finally, our first taste of Ethiopian food.

It must have been our lucky day (notice the lucky ladybugs we found)....our fingerprint appointment was at 3:00, we got there about 15 minutes early and ended up walking out the doors at 3:03! Quick and painless!

Visted Alem Ethiopian Village for dinner. We ate in traditional Ethiopian style, sitting around a woven table "thingy" (not sure what it's called). Aparantly, these large tables are woven with very tall grasses, by the Ethiopian people. Traditionally, the food is all cooked and served right on the table. We tried one of the Ethiopian samplers. It was a combination of vegetables along with beef, lamb and chicken. The food is served "family style" on a large piece of flat bread called "Injeera". The different foods are placed on top of the injeera and then there are rolled up pieces of ingeera around the platter that you unroll and use to scoop up the food with. Silverware is not used at all.

I really liked the Doro Wat (chicken stew)as it had a really good, spicy flavor. The food is all in a really heavy, thick, spicy sauce...it reminds me of gravy sort of. The injeera will have to become an aquired taste for me...if I ever really enjoy it at all. It reminded me of a cold crepe. It's like a flat, cold, rubbery pancake. The texture and temperature of it is what got to me the most. I prefer really hot and "non-rubbery" foods!

I am sure that authentic Ethiopian food, in Ethiopa, will taste different than the American version, anyway. Chinese food in China, was definatly different than it is here in the states....spicier and tastier!

Enjoy the photos!

Fun at Bay Beach

Spent a whoppin' $15 for four hours of fun on the rides at Bay Beach. It was a perfect day for it...not too hot and not too busy. We even found a "Grandpa Look Alike"...can you guess which Grandpa he looks like??