part II of Mondays post, natural: we biked to KY's Natural Bridge. a bridge which sits in its' natural state created by years upon years of water beating beneath it. as mentioned, check out our post from Monday to view the actual photos of the bridge. (the first photo you will see was taken from beneath the actual bridge; while the third photo is taken standing on the bridge itself looking down). this photo here is at the top; just before getting to the bridge. everyone had to walk through this narrow walkway (about 1.5 feet in width). very cool! me at the top. it was approximately a 2 mile hike straight up. turns & twists. and the higher you got, the steeper it took you. the end result was awesome. i sit by this shaded tree for a photo while taking in all the breath-taking beauty this view top offered. my hubby & bro.-n-law enjoying the day. a moment of awe. this was on our way out. this drive-thru tunnel was amazing. it was what i would title a cave tunnel. all natural. completely pitch dark. and air conditioned by nature herself. a blast on a motorcycle might i add.
we had a wonderfully great time. if you are ever in KY, i recommend visiting the Natural Bridge & all of its' magnificent surroundings.
here's one hint:& another:okay, three: any guesses? if you are familiar with Kentucky territory you just might know. the post title is part of the answer. more photos to come of our relaxing, fun & beautiful outing, Labor Day, 2010.
& i have to comment on something that occurred today while walking down the trail; my husband softly gestures to me 'honey, look' . as i look up above me, to my sides , at the rocks and sites, he adds, ' honey, open your eyes' . what? huh? i'm thinking what is it i'm not seeing while my head seems to be in the clouds of bliss surrounding me. then, i look ahead, forward. coming up the trail towards us is a little girl, maybe 5 years old, with stunning Ethiopian features. behind her walks her daddy and further behind, out of breath, walks her mommy. both Caucasian. i look to my husband. i say 'thank you' under my breath, as i am smiling inside at this wonderful sign. a glimpse into our future. what are the chances of, while in the midst of a hike, passing this couple who had obviously adopted from Ethiopia. in our hearts we both knew. my husband and i smiled at each other; the kind of smile where only a couple shares those unspoken words of 'it's all good' focused from the heart, bypassing the mouth. our outing was beautiful and this one moment was important and softly reminds me of how we are on the right path. natural & literally.
i was texting with my dear friend Michelle today, mentioning an experience that lasted about 2 minutes yesterday. she said ' i think it is a sign' , and i already agreed as that is what i felt Sunday for those brief moments in my car...
it occurred yesterday as i was driving home. on our country road. just my car on the road. a beautiful day. when what seemed like 500 yellow butterflies appeared within the parameters of the outside of my vehicle. they stayed, fluttering around, and traveling with me. on the radio i noticed what song was playing. my body, my mind, my instinct intertwined at that moment. i knew.
my mother passed away 6 years ago. yellow was her favorite color of flower. the artist who was singing on the radio was one of her all time favorite singers. we grew up listening to his voice blaring on the record player, the 8 track, you name it.
i listened to the words. i watched the butterflies. it was beautiful.
the song sang words that were not of coincidence at that very moment. it sang of reaching out, hands touching hands, spring becoming summer;
we decided to adopt this past spring & we apply to adopt in Oct.
it sang of affirmation, of pride in someone you love. for myself, it was interpretation of my mothers love. of her comfort & validation in knowing her daughter is happy. her peace knowing we are adopting a child, a daughter, her grandchild. it sang of a message of love and comfort. of life's grand full circle. and that she was okay and loving us all from above.
as the village of yellow butterflies danced around my vehicle & the song played on, the two paralleled into one occurring at the same moment creating its' glory.
this experience was my mom. some things you just know.
if any of our readers are interested in candle TARTS please pop on over to our brand spanking new HomeTarts blog (within its' preliminary phase). & please take the Poll. i want to get an idea of what Fall fragrances those interested would like best. reminder- these tarts (3 to a bag) will be in ethiopian colors of red/green/yellow regardless of the flavor one chooses.*and, if you would like to view some adorable 5 weeks old kittens, please visit their new slideshow on our catblog.
answer to a question: why did you choose ethiopia? we have had 2-3 people ask us this since we made our decision.
our answer is a constant consisting of two words, ' the need ' .
and as one reader recently gently worded it, ' because that is where our daughter was' ... couldn't agree more.
parallel needs; a childs need stirred together with our need to love a child into our family.
we do offer insight here to help better inform & educate about adoption:
we know children within the U.S need families. we know this. and if you have adopted domestically, that too is beautiful; all children, no matter what part of the world, need and deserve a family. our take here is based solely on international because we are adopting from ethiopia and our feeling is the need for adoption within this third world country, is well, needier. it just is. much needier. when i say this, i do not mean need for family, i am referring to basic necessities. health care is scarce. parentless children are overpopulating the number of available caregivers. disease is abundant. the basic necessities offered within the united states for adoptable child(ren) are met, and well met at that. third world countries such as ethiopia can only hope for that kind of care for their orphanges. i could go on, but i don't want to & less is more; hence i will leave it at that.
in retrospect, within my own reflection i've come to realize that while i myself spent 4 years of my own childhood living within a third world country, it changed me. at an early age. i saw. i felt. i strongly knew the differences were huge. and, it stuck with me.
*you may also link to the following within our blog: :we choose ethiopia:
we biked to KY's Natural Bridge. a bridge which sits in its' natural state created by years upon years of water beating beneath it. as mentioned, check out our post from Monday to view the actual photos of the bridge. (the first photo you will see was taken from beneath the actual bridge; while the third photo is taken standing on the bridge itself looking down). this photo here is at the top; just before getting to the bridge. everyone had to walk through this narrow walkway (about 1.5 feet in width). very cool! 
me at the top. it was approximately a 2 mile hike straight up. turns & twists. and the higher you got, the steeper it took you. the end result was awesome. i sit by this shaded tree for a photo while taking in all the breath-taking beauty this view top offered.
my hubby & bro.-n-law enjoying the day. 
a moment of awe.
this was on our way out. this drive-thru tunnel was amazing. it was what i would title a cave tunnel. all natural. completely pitch dark. and air conditioned by nature herself. a blast on a motorcycle might i add. 
