Haiti Update

Dear Family and Friends,

We had our first Haiti group meeting today! We are a thousand times more excited than we could have ever imagined about this coming experience. We wanted to update you all with some of the details we found out this afternoon from our group leader. Our trip is fast approaching. We leave in 67 days on Dec. 31^st-January 7^th.

There are 22 of us going in the group. We actually have a lot of families going. There are a couple other married couples and a few father-son and mother-daughter teams as well. Our oldest group member is 76 years and our youngest is 17 years. It is a diverse group, but everyone seems very passionate about what we are doing. Pete and I are very excited to get to know them all.

To refresh you. . . We will be working at Grace Village. Grace Village is a church/orphanage/refuge center run by Bishop June and his family. Inside of Grace Village are 22,000 refugees living on 16 acres of land in pup tents. We will now be staying in the hospital at Grace Village instead of the orphanage. This is actually the safest place we could be because “Doctors without Borders” run the hospital. There will be plenty of medical attention if needed. We also found out that Grace Village is a compound surrounded by cement walls with armed security carrying machine guns at all times. We rarely will be traveling outside of Grace Village, never at night.

Our church has had word that the building supplies they sent have been released. So if all goes has planed, our group will be doing a lot of construction. Pete is excited about being part of this. I (Maggie) am hoping to do a lot of medical work at the hospital where we will be staying. There is a possibility that we will be able to bring some medical supplies with us. We will for sure be bringing lots of Christmas presents for the children at the orphanage.

Our leader said that being with the children is the most amazing part. He said they love to be held and hugged and they are amazed by the white color of our skin. He said that they often rub you to see if the color will come off. Last time he was there they were able to have an ice cream feast for the kids. It was the first time that any of these children had ever had ice cream. Pete and I are praying that we will be able to love and bring joy to these children.

Thank-you to those of you who expressed concern about the recent V. Cholera outbreaks in Haiti. We discussed this in detail at the meeting. Currently, our trip will not be cancelled due to this issue. Forward Edge (organization our church is partnering with) is continuing work at Grace Village. We will all be taking extra precautions against this bacterium, as it is a dangerous one. It is found in raw fish and contaminated water. We will be taking extreme caution by only drinking filtered water and only eating cooked foods that are prepared for us. We will also be washing our hands excessively. There are many vaccination recommendations in Haiti, so we have also begun our vaccination process. We received the T-dap, Hep. A, and typhoid vaccines. We also will be taking malaria pills. We ask you all pray for our safety and protection against the numerous diseases (virus and bacteria) that our group will be facing because of the sanitary hazards this country is facing. There was a nurse at our meeting who went over each one of them and it was a little overwhelming.

Many of you have asked what you can specifically pray for….we truly appreciate your prayers. We ask that you pray that God will give us servant’s hearts and flexibility. Haiti has a different pace of life than the USA; they value relationships much more than time management. Our leader said we need to be prepared for plans to change on a daily basis. Lastly, we ask for prayer for our group as we travel from the airport to Grace Village. It will be an hour bus ride and it will be like nothing we have ever imagined. The poverty, death, smells, and grief that we will see is unimaginable. We are starting to prepare our hearts and minds now for this bus ride.

Thank-you ALL again for your support-through prayer, emotionally, and financially! We are coming close to reaching our financial goal! Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you! We will be accepting donations for our trip until December 20^th.

With Love,

Pete and Maggie Moormeier

What's your passion?

FIND YOUR PASSION

"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

-Robin Williams

I've always had a passion to work with babies, but if someone would have told me ten years ago that I would have a passion to help mothers breastfeed-I would have laughed really hard. I didn't see it coming, but when I found my love for OB nursing I also discovered that I had an interest in lactation consulting. This past September I took a 6-day course on lactation as I am working towards becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). It was an awesome course and I learned so much about the benefits of breastfeeding.

I truly have so much respect for all you mothers out there that have breastfed or attempted breastfeeding. It can be challenging, but what an amazing gift to give your baby!

I have a lot to learn yet in the world of breastfeeding and I also looking forward to gaining knowledge through my own personal experience some day. In the mean time, I am working on compiling a resource list for new mothers and would like to share tips from time to time that I have been reading about or learning from experienced lactation consultants and nurses. Topics I hope to cover are: latch, the concept of "skin -to-skin", hormonal involvement in breastfeeding, common challenges, and how to plan ahead. Look for coming posts!

Today, I'd also like discuss the recent advancement in human milk banking. There are numerous milk banks across the US where mothers can donate their breastmilk and then babies with medical needs can benefit from this milk. In addition, certain hospitals are beginning to have access to donor milk on-site for mothers who are unable to breastfeed, etc. It is quite a process in making sure the milk is safe, but it is becoming more and more achievable. Portland is in the process of fundraising and developing their own milk bank. Right now we get our donor milk from either Denver or California. Below is a link so you can find out more about it. If you are passionate about breastfeeding -this is the perfect chance to get involved.

http://www.nwmmb.org/

One more thing . . .for those of you who have the iphone I would like to suggest an amazing App called "total baby". It helps mothers log and time breastfeeding and other aspects of child's care. The reviews are outstanding!

In conclusion, our passions may surprise us, but if we are inspired in our hearts...why not pursue them? What's your passion?

REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

So I've been in the mood this week to use what we have in the kitchen rather than running out to buy ingredients whenever Pete and I have a whim to make something. Well. . . tonight there was slim pickings! I had some fresh cubed butternut squash from whole foods, delicious leftover stuffing from Trader Joes, and pecans. I decided to make a fall concoction. We just finished it and are still licking our lips...So I can proudly say the recipe below is my own..an orginal :)

FALL CONCOCTION

-1-2 cups cubed butternut squash

-1 cup pecans

-1/4 cup butter

-1/4 cup brown sugar

-sprinkle 1 tablespoon or more (depending on preference) of pumpkin pie seasoning

* saute these ingredients together on the stove for 20-30 minutes until the squash is visibly done. When finished pour into bowls and then cover with warm stuffing (brand of your choice)

....serve with a cozy glass of wine!

Petey's post about the PCT

This is Pete. Let me just preface this by saying I am not much of a blogger, so bare with me. Maggie has been asking me to write a little something about my adventures on the Pacific Crest Trail with my buddies Jeff Meakins and Justin Scott...so here it is!

Back in January of this year, my pals Jeff, Justin and I began planning for a 5 day 4 night hike on the Pacific Crest Trail thru the Sisters National Wilderness near Bend, Oregon. After a few months of going back and forth, we decided to start from Lava Camp Lake and head southbound to Elk Lake. All in all totaling around 45 miles from start to finish.

After an awesome evening of fly fishing and campfire at Lava Camp Lake, we began hiking the next morning, August 19th and couldn't have asked for better weather. The first few miles were thru a heavy lava field and off in the distance, we could see the peak of the north sister. At one point that first day, at around 7500 feet in elevation, looking from north to south we could see mt. adams, mt. hood, mt. jefferson, mt washington and the north and middle sister, it was quite breathtaking. We finished for the day at an unbelievably beautiful place called Obsidian Falls. Our campground overlooked the water fall and we could see far off to the west enjoying a beautiful sunset. The only problem...mosquitos were extremely heavy. By the end of the trip, I had over 200 bites! For dinner we had a combination of mac n cheese mixed with chili (meximac) and capped off the night with some whiskey and cribbage!

The next morning, another glorious day. We began hiking southbound on the PCT and decided to take a loop off of the trail about 4 miles into the hike. This was probably the most scenic section. We stopped for some fly fishing and lunch at Eileen Lake. We got a few bites but no hooks! I was able to get in an afternoon nap in Justin's eaglesnest hammock. After that we set off again and hiked another couple of miles to Husband lake where we set up camp for night three. It was only about 2 in the afternoon when we had bathed in the lake and the mosquitos were back again. We spent most of the evening in the tent playing cribbage to avoid the relentless attack of these abnormally large flies. We settled for brown rice and tuna and didn't even have a campfire because the mosquitos were so bad.

The next morning, Justin woke up around 4 am and headed back to Eileen Lake for some early morning fly fishing...still no luck. He got back around 7 am and Jeff and I got up and to our terror, the mosquitos were everywhere again and extremely heavy (they usually aren't out before sunrise). At one point as I was packing up and out of the comfort of my tent, I inhaled a couple of the little buggers. We quickly packed up and began hiking, skipping our usual breakfast of cliff bars and oatmeal. After a few hours, we stopped at a beautiful creek and pumped some fresh water as it was about 85 degrees that day. We made it about 10 miles before we stopped at another lake (can't remember the name) and took a bath and had some lunch. Justin (the guru) had made a sweet mosquito net that we ended up rigging into a dome with our trekking poles (why didn't we think of this earlier) and were able to elude the mosquitos for about an hour nap. We kept on and began hiking up for our final night and had some amazing fews of the south sister. As we were heading up, we passed by several thru hikers (hikers that started from Mexico and were headed for the Canadian border). One guy gave us a hint of a sweet camp spot at about 7000 feet. Shortly after that, we found it and realized that we had discovered the best campsite ever with amazing views of the south sister, mt. bachelor, and broken top mountain. We enjoyed a nice campfire, some whiskey and our traditional last night meal of tortallini with cheese, herbs and sausage (it's amazing when you've been hiking all day).

We awoke to an amazing sunrise and began the descent into Elk Lake, our final destination. When we got to the lodge, we immediately ordered a pitcher of IPA and some bacon cheeseburgers. It was an epic trip of beautiful scenery, nasty mosquitos and good trail food. We've already begun planning for next year...Jefferson Park here we come!

Bye Bye Babies!

Meet Harry and Claire...cutest little Northwest babies ever... out on a fall walk in their rain boots and wool sweaters...zzzzzzzz! These two are always talking, laughing, walking about. and learning new things. They nicknamed me 'Gee (short for Ma-ggie). H and C truly warm my heart!

Meet Grayson...a true "boy's boy" who loves to be outside. He's rough and he's tough...but he also has such a sweet side. His giggle makes me laugh.

Meet his sister Wren...who has a smile that will melt your heart in one second. She also has a true passion for shoes. Their big brother Soren is one intelligent guy who loves creating things and always teaches me something cool when he comes home from school. G, W, and S are a special bunch and I've enjoyed getting to know them in a big way!

GOODBYES have never been easy for me and today I said a sad goodbye. It was my last day nannying for Harry and Claire and next Tuesday will be my last day with Grayson, Wren, and Soren. I've been with both of these families for about 9.5 months. I feel truly blessed to have met each one of these children...each one has touched me in a unique way. Many memories were made. . .from going to the zoo to OMSI (science museum), to long walks outside, playing with toys, running around in the backyard, going to the park, and reading books before nap time. It was also very fun to watch the babies grow and development. For both sets of twins, I had the opportunity to watch them crawl, then walk, begin to talk, and master the art of eating with a spoon. All precious moments that I will never forget. I am truly grateful to both of these families for letting me into their lives and sharing all the joys of "babyhood" and "twinhood" with me. :)

Not only am I saying goodbye to these two wonderful families, but I am saying goodbye to my days as a nanny...which leaves me in a state of disbelief. Over the past 7. 5 years as I have been a student, I've been nannying full-time and part-time for numerous different families in San Diego and Portland. Each family has been different and has taught me something about life, love, and raising kids. My nanny experiences have also shaped my career goals and passions of becoming an OB, NICU, or pediatric nurse. These families have helped make my dream of becoming a nurse possible through all their encouragement and support. I will never be able to thank them all enough for enriching my life!

Being a nanny is a lot more than just a job to me. It truly is something I am proud of and I know it has made me grow as a person; preparing me for a career in nursing and for motherhood some day. There is something so amazing about connecting with a family (kids and parents) and building a special bond with them. I will miss being a nanny very,very much! It is bittersweet though as I now prepare to graduate nursing school and find a job as a nurse. I am very excited about my future career, but I will always remember all the generous, kind, loving, and true families that "nannying" brought my way!

The Good Search

Check out this awesome search engine that is raising money for non-profit organizations and schools. It is just like google, but each time you search you can chose a organization for them to donate to. The link below will explain more and you can start searching...for FREE!

www.goodsearch.com

Autumn Enchiladas

Pete and I made these last night for dinner and they were quite tasty. Perfect for a fall dinner.

Compliments of Taylor and Kaity Haworth

Ingredients:

Tortillas

16 oz can green enchilada sauce

1 sweet potato

1 can corn

1 can black beans

1 onion

Cilantro

1 pkg. monterey jack cheese

Directions: *Prepare your baking dish with a thin layer of the enchilada sauce. *Boil the sweet potato for 15-20 minutes or until you can stick a knife through it. Dice up the sweet potato and onion and mix in a bowl with the corn, black beans, cilantro, and half the cheese. *Fill your tortillas with the mixture and place in baking dish. *Top enchiladas with the rest of the enchilada sauce and the cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

FALL IS HERE

Late this morning, Pete and I kept our fall tradition going by heading out to the Rolaff Family Pumpkin Patch in Helvetia, OR (ten minutes from our house). This was our third annual trip. For those of you who don't know, the Rolaff family has TLC tv series called "Little People, Big World". They have a huge farm and for the whole month of October it is a fall festival including pumpkins, wagon rides, tasty food, and more. We usually get our pictures taken with one of the family members, but this year we decided we didn't want to wait in the long line. Pete and I each took our time finding just the perfect pumpkins and then got one little white one for Nellie.

On our way home, we stopped for a beer at the famous Helvetia Tavern. Both the pumpkin patch and the tavern are way out in the country and it was a gorgeous day. While we were sitting at an outside table a big farm tractor drove by us going down the country road. Pete says, "Man, we've got to live in a city like this where tractors just drive down the middle of the road." I had to laugh as he just loves nature.

It was a delightful morning as we welcomed fall into our home by decorating with our new pumpkins!