California Trip Day 2 & 3 - Friday & Saturday

We arrived in Oceanside, San Diego and find that our hotel is located right across the street from the ocean with everything in walking distance. The boys went straight to the pool, then to the ocean in their jeans and came back with soaking wet jeans. Boys!!

David and the boys in front of our hotel...

David and I checked into the room and found my Aunt Kathy whom we haven’t seen in ages. She was staying at the same hotel as us and it was so good to see family. We chatted over a bottle of beer and port! This is my Dad’s only sister. Since we have absolutely no family in Denver (except our new friends whom we call family . . . . cause they’re just so good to us) it's refreshing to be with family.

Uh-huh! Again . . . with the In-N-Out!

Here is In-N-Out #2. Oh Yeah!

Me and Brandon in front of my sister's Oceanside home. That's my sister and her husband Greg in the background.



My Aunt Dottie, Kelly and me in red



Brandon ... Oceanside Beach



Brandon and some surfer dude



Oceanside Beach



David, my nephew and Ben having "Man-Chat"

This is my Aunt Kathy on the left and her long time and very good friend who she’s kept in touch with for many decades. How cool is that.

And…here are MY 3 friends that I’ve kept in touch with whom I’ve known for decades as well. We’re just missing Shelly from Costa Mesa.

My Uncle Denny and cousins Sharon and Kristi...aren't they gorgeous!






These are some pictures of the cousins...



Greg taking pictures for EVERYONE . . . check out how many cameras he is balancing.

California Trip Day 1 - Thursday

Southern California Tour of as many In-N-Outs as we possibly can.

This is In-N-Out stop #1

We made great timing today today. We are staying in St. George Utah ....... and guess what we found...........


This In-N-Out just opened a month ago and David sniffed it out as we drove by. We didn't know there was an In-N-Out in Utah and you should have heard the screams in the car seeing that logo on the side of the freeway. We knew then . . . where we'd be for dinner!!



ahhhh . . . the shakes!


I swear they savored every bite...



This was Evan's last bite...it's been 2 years since he's had In-N-Out!



And then . . . it was all over. We bid farewell to Mr. In-N-Out guy!



Then we went to Barnes and Noble or rather Star Wars Land. Brandon happened (as usual) to be looking at 3 huge Star Wars books and all of a sudden he heard this VERY heavy breathing behind him and these 2 huge guys...it was so funny being he's a big Star Wars fan.



This was actually a couple of days before we left, but I had to post this picture of a long time friend of ours...Tony from L.A. He came to Denver to complete a project with David and to see our new homelife. He's helped us move 3 houses over the last 20 years and has been an amazing single Dad for so long. He is the inspiration for our own family and individual creed that the boys have memorized. Everyone should have a "Tony" in their lives. I'm glad WE do!


Tony in David's office


Sadie sometimes stops . . . to smell the flowers!

Well...we're done for the day. Tomorrow we hit Oceanside for 2 nights and touch our little toesies in the Pacific ocean.

We're Driving To California

We are packed and the car is stuffed with what we need for a 15 hour drive to So. Cal at 4:30am. The 4 of us will drive down, then David will fly back to get back to work (or that is what he says he is doing while we are gone for a total of 3 weeks). I believe he has a lot of work planned....like he will be "working" on his motorcycle riding, he'll be "working" on his Aussie Footy, he'll be "working" on his blockbuster movie list...oh life is good. Our house sitter will be here taking care of the cat and my plants, so that's a relief to have someone here

My sweet & precious 93 year old Grammy passed away recently so this is the reason for our So Cal visit. This is where most of my family is and where I was born. My Aunt has decided to do a memorial "celebration" at my sister's house in San Diego (more specifically Oceanside) and I know I will be seeing family members that I haven't seen in a long time and some perhaps that I've never seen. I am really looking forward to it and plan on taking many pictures.



My Grammy is on the far left. Aren't those dresses fantastic? She was a feisty woman and knew what she wanted. I loved spending Summers with her and rustling thru her desks to find interesting things that she would tell me about. And I couldn't wait to get to her overflow of bottles that I would walk with down to the liquor store to buy a candy bar with the deposit money. Can you even do that anymore? Each one was a whopping 5cents and I would take a dozen of them in the wagon and get CANDY!!!! I'm actually very excited to see family and talk about our Grammy!

So when David leaves back home to "work"... (just kidding David. I know you will work hard, then play hard. Have fun with weeks without any of us there) it'll be the 3 of us running around our old stomping grounds, eating In-N-Out Burgers (I think we'll be having this for breakfast, lunch and dinner... still can't believe we have no In-N-Out here in Denver...why not????) Wabi Sabi Chinese, Pinks Hot Dog stand and my favorite Indian Restaurant "Tamarind" in Chino Hills. The boys and I plan on seeing family and friends and beaches and visit the spot where I met their Dad and go on the Merry Go Round on Santa Monica Pier and dip our toes in as many beaches as we can ... first Oceanside, then Santa Monica Beach, then Venice Beach and then Huntington Beach where I will meet up with my friend Shere' who just brought her infant home from Vietnam after waiting for 2 looooOOOng years!

We will do all of the fun things that I usually do when I'm in L.A. and see my friend Monica give birth to her 2nd baby ... so many things. And the icing on the cake is our sweet "new" friends who live here, Mesfin and kids (Ethiopian family that go to our Ethiopian church) are going to be there while we're there too. It's their first time to California and so I just extended our time there a tad so that the things that we were going to do anyway, we will now do with them. I know L.A. and Hollywood like the back of my hand and so we're as excited as they are to have each other to have some fun with!

How To Have A Bad Day ..... In The Hamptons!?

How to have a bad day.........in the Hamptons! Can you imagine? You plan for months, even dream of it for years, only to find that all it takes is your ungrateful child to be miserable in one of the best places in the world. A couple of years ago, I shared with my husband that one of the things on my list of things I wanted to do. I've waited a very long time to "do" New York. So my husband took care of our (then) 11 year old while I took my (then) 9 year old to accomplish one of my "to do's" on my list of things I should do before I reach 50. One of which is to visit the Hamptons. So while visiting my friend Darla (author of the best seller book Happy Housewives) on Long Island, she kindly packs us up to head for an East Hampton beach for a few days. All the way there the kids were asking when are we going to get there, how much longer, it's hot, I want to go home in the pool... And when we arrive, unpack and enter this beach house that Darla's friend so sweetly offered us, they said they were bored. Shopping in the cutest shops near the house, all they wanted was what THEY wanted. It was all about them....nothing's changed from the West coast to the East coast. It was all about my child back home, and it's all about my child on Mommy's best vacation in a long time.

My child is well aware that I did not bring the actual Champ Ladder! He realizes that consequences are sure to be forgotten because Mommy didn't bring the fridge to adhere the chart to!! What a difference his behavior is (or lack thereof) when he knows that perhaps there are no consequences to adhere to if there is no way to monitor his discipline. Similarly, however, there is also no Reward Chart either, so he may not be getting as many rewards or privileges since in his mind I'm not keeping track...how 'bout them apples?

Well, had Darla and I been alone, perhaps we would have made these amazing adult plans. But with the kids tugging at us, all we were in The Hamptons were a couple of nagging Moms, cutely dressed I might add, with kids in tow. We drove back to Darlas after only being there for 3 hours, where the first thing the kids did was jump in the pool and thanked God they were home where life is good with air condition, food, and a beautiful pool for them to "fight" in for hours.

Ahhhh.......life was good in the Hamptons!! It really was, because if you've gone through infertility like I did for 3 years, you can't forget what you prayed for to get these children. I'd rather be in the Hamptons with a whiny child, than anywhere in the world with none. And that's the truth!

Our Tribute Wall to Africa 2003

In our hallway we have a tribute wall from our trip to Botswana. A trip of a life time to be ranked on top with our forthcoming trip to Ethiopia probably sometime in July.



Wall of only some of the 450 pictures I took while there.



Things we bought there so that we can have them in our home to remember and NOT forget what we felt there.




I could have taken all of these kids home with us ... if only there was no paperwork involved. Aren't they adorable. This is one of my favorite pictures....ever!

I can't wait to go back and cannot believe we will be there probably within 60 days to pick up our little "T".

I still wait....but now, not quite so patiently!

This 'N That

Still no court date....

We're at the 5 week mark and it could be up to 8 weeks. But people have been getting court dates around the 5 week mark. But so far, no court date.



Brandon keeping me company while I make dinner.




This was taken on a Monday.....then,



...this was the next day!



Our cat Sadie had her 2nd birthday. It's interesting that we adopted this cat, her birthday is May 13th, but before we knew that we named her my Mom's nickname, which is Sadie. Then we found out her birthday is the same as my Moms......eerie, heh? So we celebrate the 2 Sadie's birthdays at the same time and I don't even want to remember which day my Mom passed away because I don't want to be sad. I want to celebrate her life with her birthday. So that's what we did. Happy Birthday Mom! I miss you everyday. I wish you could know your last grandchild "T".

Great Day To Ride My Bike

Yesterday was such a great day. This whole week averages 82 degrees. On Mondays, David makes dinner (yesssssss!) so I had a half hour to kill to throw Evan on the back, ride to a friends house, stop by King Sooper Market for Evan to run in to get a free cookie, ride around the neighborhood and look for gardening ideas and still get home in time for a glass of wine!




I look forward to heading thru the Rockies for a day ride with David before we sell MY bike. Funny how adoption costs can just keep on coming. One bike for the both of us is fine for now. My friend Libby said we could borrow hers should we want to ride together, so that was really nice.

My Mother's Day Was Fantastic!

A neighbor up the street told us about this really fantastic restaurant called "Jing" that we went to on Sunday for Mother's Day. One side is the restaurant which you see here and the other side is more black decorated, but very cool and is a bar and night club with live music.


The whole ceiling was draped in this beautiful white linen beaded all around the ends. So cleverly decorated, great ambiance and the food was really fantastic.




My handsome boys.........ohhhhhh I just love these boys.



When we returned home, the boys rubbed my feet with lotion (one of my most favorite things to have done!!!) I waited for my friend Terri to show up so we could continue our weekend scrapbooking in my basement. I had set up 2 6' tables and we had wine, coffee, David served us dessert and tended to our every need. I really enjoyed this time at home, still having my family around, but also with my good friend.



Kisses all around....



Sitting out in the back yard was so gorgeous. The day was perfect and my lawn is so nice and green, the grass cut, pillows on my outdoor chairs and a new back yard 11' umbrella under the table..........it all makes me so very happy.

Brandon Builds a HomeMade Hovercraft.

Oh Boy! I Got 4 More Pictures...

Wow! A very thoughtful traveling family just returned from Addis and visited the orphanage where "T" is and we have 4 more pictures. Now I have more to STARE at for the next 5 weeks until another family travels and gives us MORE. We adoptive folks LIVE offa that stuff. She even cracked a little bitty smile in one of them and is waving to "US" ... I have more story to tell, but my agency is pretty strict about the fact that she is "legally" not ours yet, so I will write more at another time.

She is so beautiful to us...her hair is a little bit longer, although still very very short. She is shy by nature and she has a very VERY sweet demeanor to her......it's really touching. Her smile and face is incredibly sweet - - that's all I have to say about that!

We are still waiting for our court date to be told to us....any day now!

Happy Mother's Day!

Time for a guest blog from T's Daddy!

First let me say a big Happy Mother's Day to my love of over 20 years...Lisa. Her men took care of her today, from taking her out to lunch at a new restaurant called Jing, to the boys actually massaging her feet with lotion on a lounge chair in the back yard. What a beautiful day we had.



I am not as eloquent as my wife so I will make this post short and sweet.

I can't wait to have this little girl in my arms and am humbled and amazed that we are able to give her a home, a future and all the love that can come from a family completely committed to her. I also want to thank all of you who have been a listening ear to Lisa and a valuable resource for Lisa to learn from those of you who have gone before us in the long process of adoption.

I know that there are many Mums/Moms out there reading Lisa's blog and I want to thank you for all the effort you have ever put into raising your kids. You may get little recognition for all the work that you do, but always remember that your time line is LONNGGGG. It may be decades before you realize the effect of your love and patience...and how many lives it has changed. I am constantly reminded that the comparative ease in which we have learned how to parent comes in large part to the way we were raised. Thanks to Mum back in Australia and Lisa's Mom who went home to be with the Lord a few years ago. We owe a great deal of gratitude to you.

Happy Mother's Day Lisa...your last one with only 2 kids ;) Get ready!!

All my love, David

Her Room is Coming Together.....SooOO Cute!

As I continue to W A I T . . . for our court date, I get my ya ya's out by good finds for "T"s room. You've got to see what I found at a yard sale this morning on my way back from taking Brandon to school...


This is really heavy, very well made.


In her room, on one wall, I wanted to create a montage of really great things ... like this flower picture. It is so cute and I think I'll paint it to match whatever else I put on that wall...this was $15. The montage wall will have framed pics of where she came from, of her and her nanny who is taking care of her right now and the very first picture we got of her. Kinda like a fun "tribute" wall with some girly stuff in it. I know she's only 2 1/2 , but I also have some other really fun things in there for her. When I get it a bit more together...I'll show you what it looks like.




This pink and blue antique stroller is from the 1940's and was $10. The lady selling it said it was really hard for her to let it go as she was a doll collector and just needed to "pair" down. I could tell it meant a lot to her.... and I just thought that I had to tell her where this stroller was going and thought it might make her happy to know it is going to a very special little girl. I got her attention and told her that she should know that this will go into the room of my 2 1/2 yr. old daughter who is coming here in July from Ethiopia...her face lit up and she hugged me. She said, "Oh, God bless you". She got teary eyed before she forced herself walk away. I think she was trying to keep from tearing up at 7:30 in the morning with lots of other people in her driveway.

The next thing in the picture was $4 and is so cute for her dresser. The little rocking chair was $1....




This birdcage was $4. I thought it would be cute for her to put dolls in




And this painted wagon was $3....can you believe it?



This stool was $2. Maybe You can't really tell from the picture, but it is really petite and just perfect for a little girl's room. I'll paint the flower picture frame this blue color and paint her name on the top of this stool with some painted flowers. Ohhh...this is going to be so much fun!




This was $2 and it may or may not go in her room. I have to see how much room I have left. If you could imagine the wall I'm talking about...I was thinking of sort of "framing" everything on the wall by draped curtains. May be hard to imagine, but in my mind it is a focal point of the room...besides HER of course.

Each of my kids have the coolest rooms....they're so lucky! I just remember sharing a VERY small room with my sister. We had bunk beds and one tiny little small closet...I cannot believe we shared that room for so long and got along enough to survive. Our house we grew up in is only 1100 sq. ft I believe. She went to bed early, I went to bed late. She'd be so angry at me cause I'd talk all night and then she'd be up early in the morning juuuUUUst chipper as can be (hah! Kelly....I know you're reading.......you've gotta be compelled to comment at least ONCE on this blog...c'mon, you can do it). We'd talk all night about boys, clothes, Gabriel Guerra and how he liked her but I wanted him to like ME. We fought, we laughed, we shared wishes for Christmas gifts and many things I cannot blog about. I'm very glad we shared that teeeny tiny little room together cause she was out of the house at 16 and I was 14. I would have missed out on a lot. It's okay that our "T" is not coming with a sister....she has ME....and boy can I talk!!

Nighty Nite All!

How To Pay For Adoption! Or Not!

How to pay for adoption..........Read here for some excellent information!

This blog I was looking at when you click above, www.thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com had a post where the husband who is versed in the area of adoption and tax credits, etc... has written a fantastic post about how to actually adopt for free. You may have to "front" costs now, but you get your tax "credit" the next year. Worth reading.

Learn Amharic

The below was copied from another blog listed below, which is a really informative ET travel blog. I hope if they find it here, they don't mind that I've used it because it is really good. This post is only about learning Amharic...so if you're not interested, just move on to the next post!

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Below is written by another author at...........

http://ethiopianadoptiontravelogue.wordpress.com/

Amharic has different letters. So, the words are written phonetically here. If you see Amharic words written differently with Roman letters, it’s just however the speaker sounds out the words. So, I wrote the word only phonetically. It probably will not match with how you will see it written other places. Example: I wrote “Eh-MY-ay” for mother. However, if you see it written down in other places, it will probably be written emaye.

All R sounds should be rolled. There are also other sounds that are not the same as in English. For instance, tenkahra or terths. The T sound is made by putting your tongue between your top and bottom front teeth and saying “T”. Don’t put the tongue behind your top teeth and say T like we do in English. (And make sure you still roll the R!) The K in Katell or Kai is a very hard K. It starts way back in your throat and sort of sound like you’re trying to get a hairball out. The best thing is to get someone to demonstrate the sound for you.

I tried to write phonetically, but I may have missed a few words. In general,

• AH is pronounced like AH
• A is short a.
• AY is long a.
• EE is long e.
• E (or EH) is short e
• I is long I
• IH is short i.
• O (or OH) is long o.
• OU is like in ouch.
• U (or OO) is ooo.
• G is a hard G.
• EW is eh followed by the consonant W sound (not oo).
• R is rolled R (like in Spanish)
• ñ is the Spanish N or like the French gn sound or ny (consonant Y) in English
• OE is kind of like the U sound in PUT (or the oo sound in HOOF if you pronounce it the Wisconsin way).
• SS just to emphasize the soft S sound. (Just because otherwise I might’ve read it with the hard S sound).
• Y as a vowel by itself will be the long I sound otherwise it is the consonant Y
• If a word ends with EHU (like Ewedehalehu), slur the eh and oo sounds together. They are not distinct syllables.
• There are different words/word endings sometimes depending if you are talking to a male, female, plural or formal (important person).I also found some vocabulary at the AAI website. I didn’t retype those words here.Get ready to Learn Amharic (my ferengi version of Amharic, anyway). If there are other words and/or phrases you’d like to add to my mini Amharic-English Dictionary/Phrase Page, add your request to the comments section. You can be anonymous if you wish.The right-hand column may have M, F or Pl listed. This indicates the version you should use based on who you are speaking to (not yourself).Words in blue were added most recently.Also, if you go to this entry, there is a file of words that are typically used in the photo albums sent to the children (mom, dad, brother, sister, dog, house, etc.). The downloadable/printable file has the words in English and Amharic. The Amharic is written phonetically with Roman letters and with Amharic letters so the non-English speaking staff at your child’s Ethiopian care center/orphanage will be able to talk to your child about the photos).

Pronunciation	Meaning
THE ESSENTIALS (in my opinion)
Ah-woh (or OW!) Also, you can do a little intake of breath while you lift your eyebrows to “nod” yes.	Yes
I-deh-LEHM (starts with long I sound) Also can say Iyyyy.	No
Shin-TEH-BAYT?	toilet?
Chigger yeh-LEM	No problem.
GO behz	Clever (or “Good Job!) Often said to a child who does something to please you or succeeds.
Seh-LAHM	Hello (Peace) - standard greeting
chou (like ouch)	Bye (just like in Italian)
AH-mah-say-guh-NAH-loh	Thank you.
WOO hah	Water
GREETINGS/PLEASANTRIES
Seh-LAHM	Hello (Peace) - standard greeting
Seh-LAHM neh way?	Are you in peace? (a greeting)	M
Seh-LAHM nesh way?	Are you in peace? (a greeting)	F
in-DEM-min ah-DEHRK?	How did you spend the night? (greeting)	M
in-DEM-min ah-DERSH?	How did you spend the night? (greeting)	F
in-DEM-min walsh?	How was the day?	F
in-DEM-min wahlk?	How was the day?	M
in-DEM-min neh?	How are you?	M
in-DEM-min nehsh?	How are you?	F
in-DEM-min NAH-choo?	How are you? This is used for plural casual OR plural formal.	Pl
in-DEM-min NOHT	How are you? This is formal singular.
Deh-na-NEHSH?	Are you fine? (greeting)	F
Deh-na-NEH?	Are you fine? (greeting)	M
Deh-na-NAH-choo?	Are you fine? (greeting)	Pl
Deh-na-ñAY	I’m fine.
DEH-na	Fine
If someone asks you How are you? (A sentence that starts with in-DEM-min) then answer Dehna. If they ask you Are you fine? (sentence starts with Dehna) then answer Dehna-ñay.	Formal should be used with old people (grandparent age), people in any job that requires a college degree, politicians, priests, ferengi, etc. However, the “formal people” may tell you to go ahead and use casual with them.
chou (like ouch)	Bye (just like in Italian)
NOHR-ee	You arrived! It is a greeting said when you enter a room.	F
NOHR	You arrived!	M
Bugs ear.	Response to someone saying Noor. “By God” This is actually a contraction/slur of Exabier.
SIH may ___	My name is ___
SIH meh mah no?	What is your name?	M
SIH mesh mahn no?	What is your name?	F
Hah geh REH-heh yeht NO?	Where do you come from?	M
Hah-geh REHSH yet no?	Where do you come from?	F
In KWAHN deh-na meh TASH	Welcome	F
In KWAHN deh-na meh TAH	Welcome	M
Yah-YAY-roo hoo-NAY-tah in-DEHT-nehwoo?	How is the weather?
AH-mah-say-guh-NAH-loh	Thank you.
ih BAH kesh	Please (to a female)
ih BAH keh	Please (to a male)
AHZ nah lehu	Sorry
YAH suh deh GEH	Blessing said for a child that sneezes. (or just a general blessing)	M
YAH suh deh GEHSH	Blessing said for a child that sneezes.	F
Yeh mah REH	Blessing for an adult that sneezes	M
Yeh mah RESH	Blessing for an adult that sneezes	F
AH-bit	Said after someone calls your name. Kinda like “yes?” or “What?” or (in my house) “Hunh?”
PEOPLE
Bahl OR bah-lay	Husband
Meest	Wife
Wehn-DIHM	Brother
uh-HEHT	Sister
GAH-shay	uncle (or a term for man whose name you don’t know)
Feh-REHN-jee	Non-black Foreigner
tih-KOOR	Black (used for a black foreigner)
AH-beh-shah	Ethiopian (and maybe or maybe not the Eritreans)
AHN chee	Hey You (don’t be surpised if you hear this yelled at you)	F
AHN teh	Hey You!	M
AH kist	aunt
ah GOHT	uncle
Shih- MAH-geh-LAY	Old man
Ah-roh-GEET (hard G)	Old woman
YEH nay LEEJ	my child
YEH nay WEHN deh LEEJ	my son
YEH nay SEHT LEEJ	my daughter
hih TSAHN LEEJ	baby
lee JOHCH	children
IN-nay	Me
eh reh deht	helper
Mah-no yeh-nay eh-reh-deht?	Who is my helper?
PLACES
BAYT	home
mehn yah TAH bayt	bedroom
shihn teh bayt	bathroom
KOO shihn uh	kitchen
SAH lohn	dining room
SAH lohn	living room
yeh-MAHK-ee-nah BAYT	garage (but if you say garage to an English speaker in ET, they will likely think you are referring to a auto repair place)
yeh-MAHK-ee-nah MUHN-gehd	driveway
basement	basement
tihn-nihsh meh-NAH-feh-SHAH	backyard/grassy area (small park)
postah sah-TEHN	mailbox
teh MEHR teh BAYT	school
yeh-meh-GIHB mahg-JEE-yah-BOH-tah	food store
yeh-lihbs mahg-JEE-yah-BOH-tah	clothing store
MAH deh yeh (try to make the consonant y sound the last sound, kind of drop of the last eh)	gas station
yeh-meh-GIHB BAYT	restaurant
library	library
sah-GOOR ahs-tah-kah-kY	hair salon/barber
yeh-SIH-RAH BOH-tah	work (job place)
meh-NAH-feh-SHAH	park
meh-WAHN-yah BOH-tah	swimming pool
BAYT-tah Christian	church
meh KRAHB	synagogue
mahs-GEEDT	mosque
pohs tah BAYT	post office
keh TAH meh	city
geh TEHR	countryside
yeh-ihn-seh-SAHT BAYT	barn
tehl-ihk yeh-EHR-shah BOH-tah	farm
MEHR cah doh	open market
hah-KEEM BAYT	hospital
SOOK	local shop (small, small)
FOOD/DRINK/EATING
Waht	Stew
DOH-roh	Chicken
SHEE-roh	Yellow peas
Yeh-meh-SIR	Lentils
SIH-guh	Beef
DAH-boh	Bread
Ah-NAH-nahs	Pineapple (Fanta Ananas soda is tasty)
LOH-mee	Lemon
BIR too kan	orange (color and fruit and name)
Lohz	Nuts
Oh choh LOH nee	Nuts
KEE tah	Flat crispy bread kinda like a pizza crust
WOO hah	Water
MAH her ber AH wee	Mixed platter (when you order a meal)
beh KOH loh	corn
bah KAY lah	beans
FAHN deh shah	popcorn (or a nickname for a smiley girl)
shy	tea
BOO nuh	coffee
BIH lah	EAT!	M
bee	EAT!	F
SHOO kah	fork
SOO kwahr	sugar
SIHND eh	Wheat
TAH-Fahch (try to emphasize syllables equally)	sweet (or delicious - doro wat can be tafach)
meh RAHB	hungry
eh REH boh hahl	Are you hungry?	M
eh REH boh shahl	Are you hungry?	F
eh REH boh AH cheh hwahl	Are y’all hungry?	Pl
meh TEH maht	thirsty
TEH-geh-kuñ	I’m full.
koh loh	roasted barley (a snack)
meh sah	lunch
COLORS
BIR too kan	orange (color and fruit and a girl’s name)
KI. Long I sound, you really need to force the K sound from your throat.	Red
Seh-MY ah wee	Blue
BEECH ah	Yellow
Ah rahn GWAH day	Green
Nehch	White
boo NEE	Brown
ti KOOR	black
WAY ehn tehj	purple
ANIMALS
AH-zoh	Crocodile
AHN-behs-sah	Lion
Goo MAH ray	Hippo
lahm	cow*
beh RAY	beef (ox)
behg	sheep
fee YEHL	goat
fah RAHS	horse
ah HEE yah	donkey
behk LOH	mule
DOH roh	chicken
WOO shah	dog
dih MEHT	cat
WOEFF	bird*
CLOTHING
Koh FEE yah	cap
yeh shoo RAHB koh FEE yah	hat (sweater cap)
mah nehs sir	glasses
yeh tseHI mah nehs sir	sunglasses
yahn get libs	scarf
shirt	shirt (t-shirt style)
sheh mees	button up shirt
kah nah TEE rah	short sleeve shirt
shoo RAHB	sweater
yeh TOOTS mah see YAH zhah	bra (boob holder)
yehj gwahnt	gloves
moo TAHN tee	underwear (girl or boy)
goord KEH mees	skirt (half dress)
KEH mees	dress
moo loo KEH mees	long dress
soo ree	trousers
goord soo ree	shorts
jeans	jeans
kahl see	socks
NEH teh lah CHAH mah	flip flops
adidas / sneaker	athletic shoes
yeh SOOF CHAH mah	dress shoes
kahr ah vaht	tie
SOOF	suit
yeh bah hel LIBS	cultural clothes
yeh moh wah nyah LIBS	swimsuit
ye suh HAHT	wristwatch
kuh BAHT toh	belt
yeh leh leet LIBS	pajamas
yeh shint meh teh beh kee yah	diapers
jacket	jacket
mah lee yah	soccer jersey
yeh zeh nah LIBS	rain coat
KEES	pocket
zih NAHB	ring
yahn get	necklace
zip	zipper
yeh jeh BOHR sah	purse
yeh JOH ROH get	earrings
yeh KES LIBS	priest clothing
NUMBERS
Ahndt	1
HOO let	2
Sohst	3
AH-raht	4
AH-mist	5
SIH dist	6
SAH Baht	7
SIH mint	8
zeh TEHñ (make up some crazy sound between the short e and the long i sound. I can’t figure out how to write it.)	9
AH sir	10
AH sir ah ANDT	11
AH sir ah HOO leht	12
AH sir ah SOHST (keep going for the rest of the teen numbers)	13
HI ah	20
HI ah ahndt	21
HI ah HOO leht	22
Seh LAHSS sah	30
Seh LAHSS sah AHNDT	31
ahr BAH	40
HAHM sah	50
SIHL sah	60
SAH bah	70
sah MAH nee yah	80
zeh TEH nah	90
MEH toh	100
HOO leht MEH toh	200
ahnd eh SHEECH (the CH sound is like the CH in German Ich liebe dich.)	1000
HOO leht SHEECH	2000
SIMPLE COMMANDS
Tew	Stop it. (Like “don’t do that anymore”)	M
Tay	Stop it.	F
Nah	Come	M
Nay	Come	F
TOH-loh na!	Come quickly.
Tehn ya	Sleep!
Ah tin KAHñ	No touching me. (said to a male)	M
Ah tin KEEñ	No touching me.	F
Ah tin KOU	No touching him. male to male
In-eh-HEEDT	Let’s go.
HEED TEHN yah	Go to sleep!
heed	go!
wu TAH	get out!
Koom	stop (like stop walking) - there is some difference between when to use Koom and when to use tew, but I can’t understand it.	M
KOO-mee	stop	F
mah RAHM ehd	Walk!	Pl
teh RAHM ehd	Walk!	M
teh RAHM eh JEE	Walk!	F
SAH-meñ	Kiss me! (Use this at the orphanage!)
MEHM-taht	Kick! (casual kick)	Pl
MIH-tah	Kick! (the same word is used for kick and hit. somehow you are just supposed to know which one you are referring to)	M
MIH-chee	Kick!	F
Kwahss MEHM-taht	Kick the ball!
MAY-ahz	Catch!	Pl
YAHZ	catch	M
YAH-ZHJee	catch	F
MEH-wehr-WEHR (don’t forget to roll all the Rs!)	Throw!	Pl
wehr WEHR	Throw!	M
wehr WEHR-EE	Throw!	F
mahn-keh-bah-LEHL	Roll!	Pl
AHN-keh-bah-LEHL	Roll	M
AHN-keh-bah-YEE	Roll	F
meh-ROHT	Run!	Pl
eh-ROOT	run!	M
eh-ROO-chee	run!	F
Beh LOOT	KICK! (power kick)	Pl
BEH-la-ohw (slur the last 2 sounds together, put the w sound at the end)	KIck! (power kick)	M
beh LOO waht	KICK (power kick)	F
Bell	Say (Sort of like Speak Up!)
zihm Bell	Don’t say (be quiet).
Sahk	Smile!
Ah-tuh SAHK	Don’t smile!
BIH lah	eat!	M
BEE	eat!	F
ENDEARMENTS
Lehb	Heart
YEH-nay hae-waht	my life (term of endearment)
Beh-teh-leh-ku Ewedehalehu	I love you big	M
TAH-Fahch (try to emphasize syllables equally)	sweet (or delicious - doro wat can be tafach)
yeh-nay tahfach	My Sweet (term of endearment)
yeh-nay tseh-HI (long i)	My Sunshine
FAHN deh shah	popcorn (or a nickname for a smiley girl)
Meh CHEM Ahl rehs SAH shem	I never forget about you.	F
Yeh-NAY woo-ehd	My treasure
Beh TAHM	Too much, a lot, very
AHN-chee yeh-NAY nehsh	You are mine	F
AHN-teh yeh-NAY neh	You are mine	M
AHN-chee NEHF-say nesh	You are my soul.	F
AHN-tay NEHF-say neh	You are my soul.	M
YEH-nay AHN-teh GOH-behz LEEJ-neh	You are a smart boy.
eh wed eh HA lehoo (slur the last part together)	I love you.	M
Eh wed eh SHAH lehu	I love you.	F
ah FIHK er HAH lehu	I love you - ROMANTIC! (Don’t say to your kids.)	M
ah FIHK er SHAH lehu	I love you - ROMANTIC! (Don’t say to your kids.)	F
yeh-nay FIHK-er	My Love
yeh-nay MAHR	my Honey
wair -AYN-yah	Chatterbox (Ok, not really an endearment but it is a nickname.)
yeh-NAY nih-gist	My Queen
yeh-NAY nih-gooss	My King
OUTDOORS
tseh HI	sun
DAH mehn nah	cloud
koh KOHB	star
CHAH rah KAH	moon
seh MY	sky
sahr	grass
zahf	tree
ah behb bah	flower
ze nahb	rain
wehnz	river
HYK (long I)	lake
tah rah rah	mountain
ah fir	dirt
beh reh HAH	desert
mahn get	road
CHAH kah	forest
koot kwah toh	bush
yah til kilt boh tah	garden
beh reh doh	snow
HOLIDAYS/CELEBRATION
ah dees ah met	New Year’s
en koo tah tahsh	New Year’s
fah see kah	Christian - Easter
geh nah	Christian - Christmas
yeh lih deht kehn	Birthday
mehl kahm lih deht	Happy Birthday
tim kaht	Orthodox - baptism
may day	Liberation from Italians (May 23 - ET calendar)
gehn BOHT hI ah	first day of new governmental regime (ehadige)/ end of Dergue
mes kel	Orthodox cross was found Day
eid al adha	Muslim - Festival of the Sacrifice
eid al fitr	Muslim - end of Ramadan
ADJECTIVES/DESCRIPTIONS
Tin-nish	Small (a little)
Tell-ick	Big (a lot)
MEHT-foh	Bad
ehbdt-deh-SOU	Crazy (psychiatrically) Don’t use jokingly!
Tehr OO	Good
Tehr OO Beh-TAHM	Very good!
TOH-loh	Quick/ly
Mook	Hot
MAH zihn	sad
meh KOH taht	mad
dih KAHM	tired
HI lehn yah	wide awake (have strength)
I nah fahr	shy
KOO roo	proud
meht-FOH SHIT-tah	stinky (Bad smell)
MAH fer	embarrassed
KAHZ kah zah	cold (temperature)
Tehn-KAH-rah	Strong
Dess TEHN ya	Funny or Happy
DEHS tah	Happy or funny
Kuhss	Slowly (Patiently)
KOHN-joh	Beautiful
GO behz	Clever (or “Good Job!)
ah HOON	now!
BODY PARTS
tsah GOOR	hair
RAHS	head
I-n (long I)	Eye
Ah FENCH uh	Nose
CUHM for	Lips
ahf	Mouth
Terths	Teeth
Goonch	Cheek
JOH-roh	Ear
ahn GEHT	neck (front)
ehj	arm
meh DAHF	palm
yehj eh TAHT	fingers
Lehb	Heart
Hoed	Stomach
jahr BEH	back
KU lah	Circumcised penls (adult)
KEET	butt
eh GIHR	leg (includes leg and foot)
eh GROHCH	legs
yeh gihr TAHT	foot
TAH tohch	toes
Hoed ayn ah meh MEHñ	My stomach hurts.
_____ ayn ah meh MEHñ	My ______ hurts (is sick).
yeh TOOTS	b00bs
KOH dah	skin
ahn GOHL	brain
meh LAHSS	tongue
mahn JEH RAHT	neck (back side)
ahn JET	intestine
gool beht	knee
ehmss	girl privates
MISCELLANEOUS
ZAHR ay	Today
NEH geh	Tomorrow
teh LAHN teh nah	yesterday
Kan (short a)	Day
ah HOON	now
Kah -tell-OH	Next
Ehn-DEHG-uh-nah	Again
ChAH mer	More
BECK ah	Finished (enough)
eh REHF	Drop it/Leave it/It’s over (used when having a conversation that you want to be finished)
In NUH	And
Kayss	Orthodox priest
Soft	Toilet paper (even in English it is called “Soft”)
ah-MOHN-yahl	I feel sick.
BIHCH uh	Only
Yet?	Where?
	If you are playing the Battleship:
AHL-tah meh TAHM	He was Missed.
Tem-meh-TWAH	He got Hit (actually Kick)
YAHN-tah-TEH-rah	Your turn
Tah-kah-TAH-tah-yaht	Watch her (if she is cheating!)
Tah-kah-TAH-tah-yewu	Watch him!
LIB-dahsh	F.U. (male to female) Apparently this can only be used in the mode of actual physical command for the specific action, (someone will F you, not a general “sod off”)	F
Menalsh?	What did you say?	F
Menalk?	What did you say?	M
Chigger yeh-LEM	No problem.
Chigger AH-leh	There is a problem.
en DEHT	How?
AHL geh-BAHN yehm	I don’t understand
HOO loom	all
MAH-kee-nah	Car
gih deh GIH dah	Wall
teh MER teh bayt	school
OW toh boos	bus
dih BOOL bool	circle
ahr rah toom gohn eh kool yeh hoh nah (OR you can just say SQUARE)	square
sost mah EH zehn	triangle
guhn ZEHB	money
kwahss	ball (but everybody knows this refers to a soccer ball or toy ball - but not volleyball or tennis ball)
	balloon
eh-GEHR Kwahss chah-WAH-tah	Soccer (directly translated it means Feet-Ball-Play)
WAY-yah Ah-beh-sha neh-gehr	Oh, the ways of the Abesha!!
WAY-yah Ferengi neh-gehr	Oh, the ways of the foreigners!
EH shee	OK (you’ll hear this a lot)
EHM bee	Not OK
LEH mehn tah lihk SAH leh (exhale a heavy H sound at the end)	Why are you crying?	M
LEH mehn tah lihk SHAH lesh	Why are you crying?	F
IN-nay ih-FEHL-ih-gah-loh…	I want…
mihn tih-FEHL-ih-gah-leh	What do you want?	M
mihn tih-FEHL-ih-gee-ah-lesh	What do you want?	F
MIHN ihm	Nothing.
GO behz	Clever (or “Good Job!)
eh-nih-GEH-nah-ñAH-lehn	We will meet.
MEHL-kahm GOO-zoh yeh-HOON-eh-lih	Have a good trip.	M
MEHL-kahm GOO-zoh yeh-HOON-eh-lesh	Have a good trip.	F
beh AH mah REEN yah	in Amharic
geh neht	heaven
SCHOOL
teh-MAIR-teh-BAYT	school
ahss TAH mah REE	teacher
keh fill	class
teh MAH ree	students
hee sahp	math
ehn glee zee ñAH	English
science	science
tah reek	history
ah mah reen yah	Amharic
hah bah rah TEH seb	geography
moo zeek ah	music
sport	sports/gym
eh rehft	break (recess)
keh fill gee zee	class period
black-board	chalkboard
chalk	chalk
meh seh hahf	text book
err sahss	pencil
eh skrih bee toh (sounds like Spanish to me!!)	pen
shahn tah	backpack
mahss-tah-wah-shah dehb-ter	notebook
yeh BAYT seh RAH	homework
yeh dehm beh libs	uniform
ah leh kah	monitor
gwah dehn yah	friend
gwah dehn yohch	friends
meh geh rehf	beating with a stick after making a mistake
QUESTION WORDS
Mah no?	Who is that?
Mah no goh-behz/tehn-kah-rah/kohn-joh?Start with Mah-no and fill in an adjective afterwards.	Who is clever/strong/beautiful? substitute whatever adjective you want after who is
Yeht no?	Where is it/he? (male or objects)	M
Yeh TAH lah?	Where is it/he? (I can’t figure out the difference of when to use yet no or yet tahla. They seem to be interchangeable. If you want to ask about a person, start with his name or position first. e.g.	M
Abaye yeht no?	Where is Dad?	M
yeh-nay mah-KEE-nah yet no?	Where is my car?
Yeh TAH lehch?	Where is she?	F
Mommy yeh-TAH-lehch?	Where is Mommy?
Yeht neh?	Where are you? (Like if you are talking to a person on a cell phone)	M
Yeht nesh?	Where are you?	F
mah chay	When?
leh mehn	Why?
sint no?	How much?
yeh-HAY min-deh-NO	What is this?
YAH min-deh-NO	What is that?