Bananas Foster

For Kurt’s birthday our neighbors introduced us to a simple delicacy, Bananas Foster. Bananas, ice cream and this caramel/rum flavored sauce. It’s Yummy. Because I liked it so much they gave me a “just add butter” mix. Yum.  And since I'm not as big of a chocolate fan my Forest Gump proverb goes a little something like this: Life is like a bowl of Bananas Foster. It's a pretty sticky mess if you don't eat it with a spoon.

picture from three2oh.com

 Two years ago, maybe even longer, foster care burned in the back of my brain. I’m not sure how the idea even got there. I had a friend that was fostering children and an umpire I used in several of my leagues told me of his and his wife’s experience fostering and then eventually adopting 3 of those children. The idea was satisfying enough that I dug into the possibility a little more. I even asked one of the YW in my ward what she thought about Kurt and me becoming foster parents. She said we would make good parents for those kids.

I contacted a Utah Foster Care rep, liked their facebook page and scanned through the website for interesting information. The UFC rep asked me several question over the phone determining whether we were serious enough for a home visit. We emailed back and forth but of course it just wasn’t the right time. Now I know that some of the information I had gathered in making a decision was wrong. Maybe it was that way on purpose.

I remember going over to a mission friend’s home for an “hermana” get together, and she had a new born foster child she was tending. She was also struggling to have children at the time. As she was holding this cute little infant I asked her if this little baby satisfied her desire for children. She said it actually did. And it was then I knew I could be happy with children no matter how they came to me. This friend had fostered several children before and eventually was able to adopt this baby, and, as it seems to goes, got pregnant with her own.

Thinking Kurt was uninterested in the foster care idea, the thought was moved over with alternate methods.

Last month after deciding on moving in the way of adoption Kurt went to a PPI (personal priesthood interview). The brother doing the interview asked Kurt about our childless situation and then suggested foster care. He told Kurt about his brother and sister-in-law that adopted through foster care and what a great experience it had been. Plus it’s often the cheapest way to adopt.

Kurt came home and told me about the conversation. He surprised me often as I would tell friends that we were deciding to put in for adoption he would finish my sentence with “or foster.” It was as if that idea was the dominate notion and I realize further discussion was needed.

We started looking into it again but together this time. We even cleared up some of the mistaken information I’d had in my mind that only made it easier, and seemed to be veering in that direction.

I recently emailed the Utah Foster Care Foundation and am hoping this time we get farther than I did the last time, and maybe even make it passed the in home orientation.