We had a nice weekend! Saturday 4 friends came over for dinner, which was fun. I made vegetarian sushi roll, vegetable and tofu tempura, spicy eggplant noodles and bought sesame buns from the Asian market for dessert. The wine flowed and we had a great time. Sunday morning though, I was really, really sick. A virus of some sort invaded and took me over and it was, by far, one of the most unpleasant experiences. Ever. 'Nuff said.

So today I'm chilling out, checking out various websites and blogs. I came across a few via-via some blogs I read regularly and suggest you take a look. Vietnamese God
Beautiful pics! And linked from Baby Ella is Provide-N-Ce, a wonderful non-profit worthy of attention.

The topic of ethics in adoption is always a hot button, and the past few days have been no exception. The last 2 posts on Voices for Vietnam Adoption Integrity have stirred up alot of emotions. It's something that all adoptive parents need to be realistic about and not pretend everything is rosey across the board. Saying that, I feel it's equally important to recognize that there are outstanding agencies who are dedicated to Viet Nam- not just in the area of adoption. One of the reasons we chose ours is because they support centers in the provinces where they operate that encourage and assist single, poor mothers and expectant mothers not to relinquish their children and to help them find the resources to be independant and self sustaining. Biggest lesson learned: Feel confident in your agency with your whole heart and mind. Choosing an agency is, by far, one of the most gut-wrenching decisions in this whole experience, but certainly the most important.

And on that note....here's a shot of Utrecht: