Sad News in the Adoption Community

Please say a prayer for the family of Grammy-winner Steven Curtis Chapman. His youngest daughter who was adopted from China died after a tragic accident at their home. You can read more about it here. I am not really a fan of his music, but as soon as we started looking at China for adoption, we learned of his outspoken advocacy of international adoption and his missionary work in China's orphanages.

One of the adoption agencies we "courted" sent us a DVD about adoption, and Steven and his family were the primary focus of the short documentary. Just like every adoption story we have ever witnessed, it touched our hearts. It was obvious that adoption changed his life and that his world revolves around his family. Watching something so personal and so intimate makes you feel like you know them, and today's news has been harder to take than I would have imagined.

Steven and his wife, Mary Beth, co-authored the book pictured above. Click here to learn more about the book or click here to see pictures of the Chapman family and learn about all the work they have done around the world for the benefit of orphaned children.

Spring has Sprung

West Side Market Photos from Crawfishpie on Flickr

I'm still here! First, let me say THANK YOU to everyone who bought a cookbook (or ten). We are completely shocked that they sold so fast! You guys are awesome.

Spring has finally arrived, and there is so much more to do besides blog. I have found it difficult to sit down and write. One weekend, I had planned on a post-o-rama, and then I went out with friends and drank a bottle of wine, a glass of vodka, and three shots. WHAT was I thinking? I was seriously ill for a full 36 hours.

Immediately thereafter, I came down with a nasty cold/cough and remained sick for a week! After that finally went away, I felt so good that I basically abandoned all computer-related tasks except for blog-stalking. And let me tell you, everyone has been in a blog slump. No one is posting, so I don't feel so bad.

Other things I've been doing ...

... I watched the HBO mini-series "John Adams." I thought it was put together very well. I did get a little bit irked with him during the presidency episode. Thank goodness he came to his senses in his older age. I found Thomas Jefferson very interesting and would REALLY like to see a series about him.

... We're watching yet another season of Survivor. We like this show even though it's "so reality." Can you believe that Erik gave away the immunity idol?

... I'm also watching Lost. And we're all still lost. That show is so SLOW.

... I'm obsessed with the West Side Market. Last week I bought the following items for only $45: 6 pints of strawberries, a loaf of Italian bread, a canister of Hungarian paprika, 5 oranges the size of your head, 1 pound of green beans, 1 head of lettuce, 6 Yukon gold potatoes, 6 plum tomatoes, 2 cookies, 4 handmade Italian sausages, 2 peppers, 1 Russian tea biscuit, 2 Hungarian garlic kolbas, 2 chocolate treats, 2 Vidalia onions, 1 pound of mushrooms, 2 bunches of bananas, 1 cucumber, and a partridge in a pear tree.

... I'm reading My Father's House: A Life of Adoption by David Jones. He is adopted, and he proposes that all interpersonal commitments (biological and otherwise) are adoptions. He says that even biological parents must "adopt" their children, and by making that commitment, truly enter into parenthood. Marriage, too, is an adoption of sorts, as is genuine friendship.