In Sam's Kitchen Daily

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Help me plan my trip: Spring Break

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Gardiner, Montana here we come! Next Friday we are taking our exchange student and a friend of hers to Yellowstone through Gardiner, where we will be staying at the Best Western Mammoth Hot Springs where our room will overlook the raging river and mountains. I think it will be as breathtaking as Glacier was. Valentine's weekend with my love in our favorite place on Earth. We are heading to Forks after stopping in Seattle, and La Push beach, yep just like in Twilight. #DorkDon'tCare Shawn and I found our first voyage trip. Churchill, Canada Manitoba where you can go dog sledding in the snow, take igloo building class and sit in a heated clear dome with your true love and watch the Northern Lights, or take a tour and see polar bears or beluga whales! That's like five things on my bucket list on one vacation! Such as the life of a dual income, no kids couple! DINK power! This will be after our student leaves though.Check it out! Heaven

Sunday, January 31, 2016

DINK Couple

So we've decided after much soul searching and education that we will not be pursuing adoption or fostering if our last cycle fails to take. So we will be a DINK couple as our associate pointed out. I may pick up where I left off in the CASA application process since they let me know it was a conflict of interest to both foster and be a CASA. Things are going great with our exchange student and our calendar is packed!

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Balboa Park and cassette tapes in a box

I heard today that my first boyfriend ever got remarried, my how time flies. Most of my friends are on their second marriages and Shawn and I are thinking a commitment ceremony before God and our friends and family will be sufficient and a first for both of us. Our Keeping Children Safe mandatory training for foster families is this weekend, and then we await the inspection and home study to get our license to foster & adopt, a dual license we hope. I know that some women find happiness in materialistic things, but what truly brings joy to my heart is being of service to kids who need a safe place if only for a day or week or year. Throughout my life; specifically in my youth I was blessed to know some phenomenal people who provided a safe haven in what was at best; a tumultuous childhood.

Don and his family are among the people I consider family, who remain in my prayers daily, and often in my thoughts and reminiscences. I think how cool it would be to still be in each others lives as adults because we meant so much to each other for so long; until this very day in my case. I understand that it's not always possible to remain in contact with people you've shared a past with, especially if there is someone new in the picture; but I say, that's just sad. Shawn and I trust each other implicitly and know that although we love our "exes" we are no longer IN love with them, and that we can have those connections without risk to what we have. Call me crazy but I was friends with my past loves before we became a couple so it is the friendship I mourn the loss of. I formed a vital connection at a time when I found it difficult to do so, and was taught that not all love hurts, not all love walks away, that love is unconditional. So although we may never speak again just know that you are forever in my heart and never absent from my soul.