Heavy Hearts

Yesterday, I found out that M has requested from the court a "voluntary departure." This means that after much paperwork and about eight weeks she and A will return to Guatemala. We cannot believe this. Her case manager and her attorney tried to talk her out of it, but M was resolute in court, though she cried the whole time.

Our question is "WHY?!" Why would she decide to go back to a dangerous situation? Why would she take A back to poverty and no education? The answers, which seem so clear to us, are more complicated and involve much more than just what logic would tell us.

As her case manager told me, M has many outside stresses that influenced her decision: she is under pressure from her family to work. She has a young child who tests her daily by tantrums and screaming and who has had some health issues on top of that. M feels like she and A are a burden to their current foster family and does not want to be a burden to any other foster family.

John and I are very sad that this has happened. In our eyes, we see the opportunities that she and A have here that probably they will never have in Guatemala. We worry a great deal about them and their future. But--it is her decision. The most we can do is entrust them to His care and protection.

M asked that if the departure does not happen in 30 days, that she and A be moved from their current home to a different foster home. She asked to live with us. This means a lot to us, and we will make the most of the remaining weeks we have with them.

The path that life takes people on always amazes me. Although our age range for placements is 0-6, we are very grateful to have met M and A and learn from them. I don't look forward to saying goodbye. Not at all.

Que Dios les bendiga.

Melissa and Doug Giveaway!

They are having a very nice giveaway on the M&D blog here for a chance to win a Sunny Patch Gift Pack worth $50! Check it out and good luck!

Good Eats

In the last few weeks, I've had a chance to enjoy some good cooking--and most of it wasn't done by me. A few weeks ago, at the Gourmet Club dinner, we had a delicious hummus. The recipe can be found here. What gave this hummus a great subtle taste was adding a couple of mint leaves and a little Greek yogurt pulsed in with all the ingredients in the food processor.

The tabouli was also delicious. The large amount of parsley in it gives you not only good nutrition, but also a very fresh taste.

Since I had a lot of chick peas left over, I made this soup. It was earthy, cheap and nutritious.

Finally, a few nights later, I made these chick pea burgers with tahini sauce. The sauce was divine.

The best part of all of these recipes is that they are healthy, delicious and MEAT FREE!!!

Easter

Easter 2010 turned out to be a nice weekend with last minute guests sharing it with us. On Wednesday of Holy Week, we were asked to do respite care for M & A. Things were a bit different this time and I drove down to Spanaway to pick them up--about 100 miles round trip. Because of the last minute request to have them for the weekend, we were not able to participate in all of the Triduum services. However, things happen for a reason, and I think I got to know M more during this time, and she made a delicious dinner of homemade tamales!

On Easter Sunday, John and I went to the morning Mass and later went with M & A up to Jeff and Christina’s house for brunch. Little A enjoyed himself and especially liked the Easter basket provided by John’s mom and dad. M seemed to enjoy the meal and the company, which we were happy about. John and I look forward to seeing them again in May.

This Friday, we will have another guest in our home for the weekend. “K” is 12 years old and from Ghana. This should be a fun and interesting experience.

Please keep all foster children in your prayers.

What Side of the Fence?

A friend sent this to me via email today. Pretty good!



If you ever wondered what side of the fence you sit on, this is a great
test!

If a conservative doesn't like guns, he doesn't buy one.
If a liberal doesn't like guns, he wants all guns outlawed.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn't eat meat..
If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants all meat products banned for everyone

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.
If a liberal is homosexual, he demands legislated respect.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.
If a liberal is down-and-out, he wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn't like a talk show host, he switches channels.
If a liberal doesn't like a talk show host, he demands that those they don't like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn't go to church.
If a liberal is non-believer, he wants any mention of God and religion silenced.
(Unless it's a foreign religion, of course!)

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for
it, or may choose a job that provides it.
If a liberal decides he needs health care, he demands that the rest of us
pay for it.

If a conservative reads this, he'll forward it so his friends can have a good laugh.
A liberal will delete it because he's "offended."

Well, I forwarded it to you.....

Gourmet Club-Mediterranean Night

This past Saturday was the third Gourmet Club dinner. It was started last year by my sister-in-law, Christina, after she went on a cruise and took a gourmet cooking class. The twelve students prepared a gourmet meal together and then shared it afterwards. Around that time she also saw “Julie and Julia” and this further inspired her cooking. She enjoyed the class and the movie so much that she wanted to start something similar with friends. The idea is that one person agrees to host the meal at her home, decide on a menu and buy the ingredients. We all pay $25 to cover the cost of the ingredients and wine.

Christina's menu was French cuisine from Julia Child’s book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” In December, another friend hosted and did a Williamsburg Christmas meal. I was the third to host, and we made a Mediterranean meal. Besides enjoying delicious meals, we have the chance to spend time together and get to know people better. What makes the gourmet club fun is that the personalities are as unique and different as each recipe. Enjoy the photos!

A Seattle Visit

Last Friday, John and I headed to Seattle for a night away. We dropped of Jill at my mom and dad's house, I took the day off from work, and it was John's last day of spring break. We drove around the water to UW and worked out at the IMA. Those facilities are amazing! I got to watch "What Not to Wear" while on the ellyptical, and then lifted. John and I played a game of Squash which was a lot of fun. After showers, we headed to the UVillage for some coffee and window shopping at stores that we just don't have on our side of the Sound like Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware.

Because we were staying at John's grandpa's house in Ballard, we decided to find a little place to eat. After driving up and down Greenlake and Fremont, we stopped at "El Chupacabra," a little but very active Mexican place with good and inexpensive food.

Grandpa Dion's house will soon be sold, so we were grateful to spend a little time there, perhaps the last time.

In the morning, we drove to Pike Place Market and arrived as many of the vendors were still setting up. That's my favorite time to go. We browsed the produce, bought some, along with fresh herbs and some spices--very good prices! A stop at Local Color for a mocha and the most delicious sausage breakfast sandwich rounded out our time together in Seattle. We loved having some time together, since John's third quarter of school was fast approaching. I love and appreciate the moments we have together, even if few words are spoken. Walking hand in hand down the cobble streets of the market is little bit of heaven for me.