Our Zämäd Azmad: Making a List & (now) Checking it Twice

So we have been doing pretty good at attempting to prepare for our trip and Mehandis's homecoming in a calm and orderly fashion. We have made met with other parents who recently have made the trip to Addis Ababa (thanks Liza & Matt - Molly Fanaye is a sweetheart!), read through our travel packets, researched subjects online and made multiple lists based on family member & timelines. However... I do believe we missed the "double checking" step.

This is the situation- Michael & I have been good at dividing up tasks that we each have responsibility for. Many of my tasks involve getting things ready for when Mehandis comes home and shopping (5 hours yesterday), while Michael's involve more of the travel end. So he and my dad researched the possible airlines and seating options for our upcoming flights. After coming to a decision, Michael also had the task of booking the flight - which took several hours of phone conversations with our airlines. Finally, all of the details seemed worked out and we felt very comfortable with the choices that had been made (i.e. bulkhead row seating or extra seat for Mehandis, bassinet or lap sleeping). But one little detail was not a topic of discussion between us... the date of our flight home.

So, we are flying home on Saturday the 22nd versus the Friday before. Michael had meant for us to depart on the 21st but with the 2 day long flights dates got a little fuzzy. This means that we did not have a place to stay on Friday the 21st. We are able to stay at the CHSFS guest house up through Thursday night... but this is "no problem" they say because we "can stay somewhere else". Where should this somewhere else be when the main hotel is booked for the night? The answer is "Martin's Cozy Place". Michael found us a mini-resort that will be a very fun adventure. The story is that this "Martin" is a German man who married an Ethiopian woman. Together they first started a restaurant and then added the lodgings. I think our mistake will only add some great new experiences for the 3 of us!