Who says there's nothing exciting going on?

Ok folks, this is Aaron posting. FYI in case you don't figure that out by what I say here...

Katie and I decided awhile ago that we wanted to take one last vacation with just the two of us before we're officially parents. We started thinking recently about the last time we've had a vacation with JUST the two of us and realized it's been almost 5 years. We've gone on a lot of trips, but have always gone either with family and/or friends or have gone somewhere to visit people we know.

I was able to convince Katie to let me arrange the vacation (which is fun because Katie rarely volunteers for surprises). All she knows is that we're going somewhere warm between now and May. I took care of her time off from work (actually - I kind of just called and said "I've got airfare booked for these dates - Katie won't be there." Hopefully she doesn't take to much flack for that).

Anyhow, on to the main reason for this post: I told Katie I'd give her a heads up about a week before we leave. I've been debating a fun way to tell her. A card? To sentimental. A note on the bathroom mirror? To predictable. Just tell her outright face to face? To anti-climactic. Then I thought - how about a blog post? Not the most perfect idea in the world, but definitely more original than the other ideas I've come up with. So....

Katie - finish up your "summer clothes" shopping you've been trying to do the past week or so and get your bags packed. We're flying out of Duluth next Thursday @ 7:00am (March 6th). I'll tell you where when we get to the airport...unless you'll agree to not look at your boarding pass, put a blindfold on and wear ear plugs. Then I'll just let you see where we are when we get off the plane. Somehow, I doubt you'll agree to that part of this.

Attn: people who know where we're going. PLEASE don't say a word to Katie about our destination (or else I'll have to create a post embarrassing you for spilling the beans! ;)

And to make this post a bit more exciting....a picture....

ZZZZzzzzz

Things have been fairly mundane in our house over the last few weeks, thus the lack of posting on the old blog. I mean, who really cares about things like how often we fill our cars with gas, how many items we've brought to the goodwill, or what the weather forecast is for Duluth?

But, to let you readers know that we have not forsaken the musings on our life, I figured I'd put a post up. I also need a break from planning my talk for youth group tomorrow - I can only study up on absolute truth, relativism, and the inerrancy of scripture for so long, you know?

Adoption - LITERALLY, no change. Nothing to report. Slow going. I'm starting to get antsy. I'm still hoping for a referral before Aaron's birthday. We'll see.

Interesting factoid: Last week I ate 2 entire oranges for the first time in my life!! (Keep in mind I'm turning 28 in April). They were really good, and somehow didn't gross me out as much as they usually do. I thought you should all know that.

We spent some time last weekend with my family, my grandma, and the Libby's. It was nice to get away from Duluth for the weekend!
We have also been able to spend a little bit of time with our new friend Kylie Thompson. God certainly is amazing!

And finally, here is a photo to spice things up. (we haven't taken many pictures recently). Jen has a sweet color setting on here camera; this is a photo she took when we had 3-D glasses on at Disney World.
Until next time....

Find your spot!

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Take the quiz and find out the top 24 places for you to live! Strangely enough, Duluth was my #13! Weird. Bloomington, Indiana was my #1...how about you?

Half a year

Well folks, it's been 6 months that we've been on the waiting list for a baby. Last summer when we were officially put on the list and given the 5-7 month window for a referral I thought FOR SURE we'd be getting a referral by the 5 month mark. Well, obviously, things have really slowed down and now, half a year later, I am keeping my fingers crossed that we'll be getting The Call during our 7 months of waiting!

I will admit that I am starting to have moments of thinking that this is NEVER going to happen and it'll be fall before we bring our baby home...but...it is in those moments that I remember God's process of leading us down this road and I try to remember that all things are in His timing. I do wish in moments like these that I had Aaron's immense amounts of belief and faith and didn't question God's timing, plans, or outcomes. While I spend time agonizing over wait times and counting weeks and months on the calendar, Aaron just says very matter-of-factly "It'll happen when it is supposed to happen" then he'll just go write a new song.

So, while we're "killing time" we've made a list of things we should probably start getting for the baby so we aren't dropping hundreds of dollars in a few months on baby stuff. We've also got a list of spots in our house that need to get organized and cleaned, and we are anxiously awaiting the birth of Jon and Jo's baby. Hopefully their baby and our baby will be of opposite genders and we can set up an arranged marriage for 2028.

FYI

Someone else added themselves to the unofficial list, so we're down to #24. But I still don't have to scroll down to see ourselves, so that's good. And the people who added themselves are waiting for siblings, so it really doesn't impact our spot at all! Just thought I'd share in case anyone actually noticed that we are at 24, not 23. Later!

23 is significant

Today we have reached a milestone in our wait for our referral. We are number 23! You may be wondering to yourself, "self - why is #23 so signifcant to them?" Well, all you selves out there, let me tell you. Now when we check our status on "The List" we NO LONGER have to scroll down to find our names! That, my friend, is kind of like feeling your baby move for the first time. Or something. In honor of this very important milestone in our adoption journey, I present you with:

Groundhog Day is almost here!!

Posted by Aaron:

Every day when I log into my Yahoo email there's a little calendar at the bottom of the page that lists upcoming holidays, etc. In the last couple of days I've noticed that Groundhog Day is coming up - February 2nd to be exact. As the legend goes, if a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and fails to see its shadow because the weather is cloudy, winter will soon end. If the groundhog sees its shadow, it will return into its burrow, and the winter will continue for 6 more weeks.

I began to ask myself, "self, why the heck is such a day as Groundhog Day celebrated or recognized by a nation of 300 million people?" Honestly I don't have an answer. Studies show that the accuracy rate of the beloved groundhog's annual predictions are a dismal 39% (no joke - an organization actually did a study on this). Given that there are only two possibilities, I could think of any number of ways to more accurately predict the outcome for the rest of winter. Among them: flipping a coin, asking a monkey, or polling the American public (ok - I'll admit I'd probably go with the groundhog over the American public, but in theory 50% accuracy should occur).

So as we celebrate this great day in American culture, let us not forget other great holiday's that have been overlooked, but are nonetheless as important if not MORE important than Groundhog Day.

January 3: Humiliation Day - no, don't humiliate people, rather, learn about just how badly someone feels when they're humiliated.
January 7: Old Rock Day - three cheers for old rocks! When big old rocks rub together they cause earthquakes.....
April 26: Richter Scale Day - three cheers for the Richter Scale for telling us how hard the old rocks are rubbing together!
April 30: Hairstyle Appreciation Day - self explanatory
June 18: International Panic Day - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!
September 27: International Rabbit Day - the worlds third most popular pet (behind dogs and cats)
December 21: National Flashlight Day - where would we be without flashlights in a power failure?
December 31: Make Up Your Mind Day - A favorite of impatient people everywhere as they yell "MAKE UP YOUR MIND!" to the indecisive people in their lives.

Whatever you do on Groundhog Day, just remember that if you bet against the groundhog's predictions you'll more than likely be correct.