A little getaway to India, El Salvador, Vietnam, and Taiwan

Over the last week Dan and I have been busier than usual and so we have eaten out a little more often. One of the greatest benefits of living in such a culturally diverse part of the world is the easy access to an unlimited number of cuisines. So Dan and I went on a mental and gustatory vacation around the globe. We started with an old favorite. . .

Saag Paneer and Garlic Naan - India (Little India Grill in Artesia)
Saag is spinach and paneer is cheese. We also got an amazing (and spicy hot) eggplant dish which we also love and a goat curry. Their garlic naan (Indian flat bread) is the perfect compliment to sooth your mouth after this spicy meal. The first time I had saag was when our friend Raj's mom from India was visiting and he invited us over to have a traditional Indian meal. Needless to say it was quite amazing! Our most favorite Indian food place was in Long Beach but one day we went to have dinner there and they were closed down- there was a "C" health rating in the window. Hmmmmmm. . .


. . . next we went to an El Salvadorian pupusaria which was a completely new experience for us both.

Papusas - El Salvador (Nancy's Pupusaria in Buena Park)
I had heard of pupusas (stuffed flat bread) on the Food Network and was excited to try a new cuisine. I ordered the cheese and loroco which is an edible flower and herb which I think tastes like artichoke. Dan ordered spinach and cheese pupusa and a pork pupusa. They were so good but I want to try the pupusas at Grand Central Market in L.A. sometime to compare.


. . . then we were off to "Vietnam" for some Pho (noodles with vegetables and various meats).

Pho - Vietnam (California Noodle and Grill in Chino)
Dan's niece, Koren, was the first to introduce us to Pho up in Seattle. Ever since Dan and I have enjoyed pho (pronounced "fuh")at various locations throughout Southern California. Dan always gets the meat variety bowl with everything in it from intestine to fillet. Last time I ordered the chicken bowl which was great! I enjoy mine with lots of fresh basil, lemon, bean sprouts, and fish sauce.


. . . then we hit our favorite tea house a few times for a sweet treat - Milk Tea Boba!

Boba Milk Tea - Taiwan (Zensation in Chino Hills)
I remember clearly the first time I tried boba. My band students at Wilson were addicted to it and would occasionally bring the band directors one for a treat. It is such a fun experience to suck the little tapioca balls up through the extra wide straw along with the milk tea. The hardest part is giving up my favorite flavor (regular milk tea) to try some of the other interesting flavors on the menu (lavender, mango, honeydew, Thai, almond, etc.) One day I know I will get brave enough to try lavender. When I tried mango it was so mangoish that I felt like I was drinking my favorite body lotion (Bath and Body Works mango mandarin)- not so good.


I love our little mental vacations! It is so nice to pack a little adventure into a stress filled week. I am so lucky I married an adventurous eater! Here is to many more culinary excursions! (Any recommendations?)

P.S. Don't worry. . . I am still down 46 pounds since June and I am starting a new morning running routine on Sunday with daylight savings to get ready for the 10K Turkey Trot in Dana Point on Thanksgiving morning. I have at last learned the good habit of eating things in small portions. = )

Homestudy Unofficially Finished!

Today we had our home visit with our social worker which was our last item left in our homestudy. She said that she would have our homestudy officially finished sometime next week! While I don't know the exact timeline of our next steps, most likely we will be moving into the matching process soon followed by our mock transfer sometime in Feb/March and finally our real transfer in April/May. (Thanks for the info. Jenn!) I am excited about this timeline as it gives me time to lose more weight, Dan and I time to save up some more money for all our medical bills, NEDC fees, and travel expenses, and it also makes it easier for me to take time off work. We are praying for God's perfect timing and provision. We also pray for a good match with our embryo donor family. Won't you join us in prayer for our future little one(s)?

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal." Isaiah 26:3-4

Light

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom (or what) shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom (or what) shall I be afraid? ~Psalm 27:1

Interview Recap

Our first interview went great! Our social worker was easy to talk to and she seems excited to help us finish our home study as quickly as possible. Our next interview is on Tuesday the 13th and our final interview at our house will be on Monday the 19th. Our social worker said that she would take about ten days to finish our homestudy after that which means our home study will be finished by the end of this month!

First Interview on Thursday!

Today I spoke with our social worker from Bethany and our first home study interview is on Thursday(Oct. 8th)! We will have two more interviews after that (not yet scheduled) one in which Dan and I are interviewed separately and the other which will take place in our home. We need to work on getting our home ready for our home visit which means purchasing electrical plug covers, gates for our stairways, an infant car seat, a fire extinguisher, locks for various cabinets, and a few other odds and ends. Things seem to be moving quickly and we are thankful for that!

Homestudy Paperwork Almost Done!

Well yesterday we dropped off the last big chunk of paperwork. We just need Dan's employment verification and first aid certification paperwork. We have already paid for our homestudy and Bethany says that our social worker is ready to go! She is going to call us on Monday or Tuesday to schedule our interviews. Yea! We also have all of our paperwork finished with the NEDC and are just waiting to hear from them about our next steps. The picture above is one of the three pictures we submitted as part of our adoption profile. Today Dan and I are getting the rest of the Bethany paperwork in so now it is just a matter of being patient and waiting. . .we are getting pretty good at that! Thanks for praying for us everyone!