Sometimes
it seems that you don’t realize how many people have touched your life until
you move away. Many of you know the
lead-up to this adventure has been long. However, you, our friends and family,
made it worthwhile!
We
have had the pleasure of seeing so many of you.
Our days and nights have been filled with visits from friends and
family. We don’t know if you all realize
how much this has meant to us all.
You
(our friends) have…
played
backyard-baseball with us,
brought
your babies to meet us,
let
our kids hold your babies,
helped
us pack,
cut
our hair,
reminded
us of how special this place will always be,
hiked
in Tamarack on full moons,
made
us Indian food,
talked
school with us,
cooked
for us or with us,
eaten
walleye tacos with us,
listened
to Joshua’s music,
illustrated
a book with us,
designed
a book with us,
watched
the Olympics with us,
read
our blog,
had
coffee with us,
caught
walleye with us,
gotten
us out of the house,
packed
up our classroom,
borrowed
our classroom libraries to put books in the hands of kids,
played
music with us and for us,
sang
with us and for us,
gave
us good reasons to come home,
played
Mario on our Wii and our DSs,
gathered
around a bonfire with us,
roasted
marshmallows with us,
jumped
on the trampoline with us.
assumed
management of our rental property,
met
us at brew-houses,
rented
our house,
oohed
and awed at our pictures,
laughed
with us,
marveled
at our bravery (or our craziness),
and
there are many more we are sure we have missed.
All
of you have made it easier for us to lock the front door, one last time.
We
know there are many good people and good children awaiting us in Rio. We know it will be equally challenging to
lock our apartment door one last time to return to Minnesota.
But
we want you all to know… because we knew you, we have been changed for the
better.
We
will remember our long wait fondly and look forward to seeing you in Rio. We are saving a spare bedroom for you.
Elphaba
and Glinda put it best…
It
well may seem
That
we will never meet again
In
this lifetime
So
let me say before we part
So
much of me
Is
made from what I learned from you
You'll
be with me
Like
a handprint on my heart
And
now whatever way our stories end
I
know you have re-written mine
By
being my friend...
Like
a ship blown from its mooring
By
a wind off the sea
Like
a seed dropped by a skybird
In
a distant wood
Who
can say if I've been changed for the better?
But
because I knew you
(Glinda):
Because
I knew you
(Both):
I have been changed for good
Copied
from MetroLyrics.com
Recently our friend and fellow blogger, Liz of deLizious Food Communications asked us about the food we are eating in Brazil. How could we forget! It is probably one of the most interesting and delightful parts of living in Brazil. In honor of Liz, we have decided to devote this entire blog to food in Brazil! If the beautiful beaches aren't enough to tantalize you to come and visit us, maybe your stomach will lead you to our doorstep!
Also, a disclaimer is warranted here! We are certainly not Brazilian food experts, let alone any kind of food experts. However, we have filled this blog with some of our favorite Brazilian foods as we have experienced them.
Let's start with breakfast! No more cereal for this family - well mostly not. With cereal prices in the range of R$9 to R$12 reais (Brazilian currency for around US$4.50-US$6.00) we eat the free and delicious breakfast offered by our school. Our breakfast usually consists of papaya, breads, jellies, cheeses and meats in our school cafeteria. Coffee with cold or steamed milk is served along with hot or cold chocolate and a variety of teas. Zachary (9)and Jackson (7) love Fridays because on this special day scrambled eggs are served! Joshua's favorite part about breakfast is a plate heaped with papaya and Minas Gerais cheese. This special cheese is a queijo fresco, a crumbly, white cheese, from the state Minas Gerais in Brazil.
Lunch is another treat. We are treated daily to a true hot lunch prepared on site by the cafeteria staff. It is at this meal that we eat a staple of the Brazilian diet, feijao (pronounced fay-jown) and arroz (pronounced a-hoiz - in English, black beans and rice. Besides rice and beans there is also a choice of seasoned beef, poultry and fish. Our favorite part of lunch, however, is the salad bar, complete with fresh greens, veggies, fruits and homemade dressings. This same meal is offered to children at lunch. Which means, for mom and dad, no more lunch packing on school nights!
Dinner in Brazil is often similar to lunch with arroz and feijao along with a salad, fresh fruit, vegetables and chicken, beef or fish.
We have been very inspired by our meals in Brazil as we almost always eat fresh foods with very few processed foods. Processed foods are not readily available or are very expensive. We hope to bring some of our Brazilian eating practices back to the states with us! Check out the photo album for pictures of some more of our meals and also some special occasion meals.
