Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Something new--making flour tortillas

Flour tortilla recipe (makes 8)
  • 2 cups flour (all-purpose or bread flour, cake flour should be avoided)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  • 3/4 cup warm water
  • 11/2 tsps salt

I mixed all the ingredients in my KitchenAid using the pastry paddle 'til it was a nice stretchy ball of dough.

Then I divided the dough into eight round-ish balls.

While heating up the heaviest frying pan I own over medium heat (Rachael Ray always says have the pan waiting for you, not the other way around) I began rolling out the tortillas. (Note: the heavier the pan the easier it is to control the heat. A cast iron fry pan would be ideal for making tortillas.)

Sprinkle some flour onto the counter or use a Silpat mat and roll out each ball of dough into a flat circle about 6 inches in diameter. Don't worry if they're not perfectly circular.

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Place your tortilla directly into the frying pan. You don't need to add any oil to the pan, they won't stick.

When you see bubbles popping up all over the top of the tortilla, it's done.

Picture 022

Take it off the heat and cover with a clean dishtowel as you repeat the process.

You don't need to cook the tortillas on both sides as they're so thin they'll cook through from the bottom. Cooking on only one side will make a better tortilla.

I filled ours with shredded beef (leftover from a pot roast), a "secret sauce", then topped with cheese.

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As you can see, they were a huge hit with Dan and I. If I had offered the kids the ingredients separately and allowed them to make their own, they might have been more apt to eat them.

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I think the entire process was 15 minutes start to finish. I told a friend I was going to try tweaking the recipe to add some healthier flour, and up the amount of water while reducing the amount of shortening.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

slight differences

Today the girls got weighed and measured. I was shocked that only 5 pounds and 5 inches separate them. They are 18 months apart in age, but so very close in size. Will they be "sharing" clothes soon? Fighting over them?

New Sunglasses...

Ellison Jennaye, currently 4 yrs and 2 months old
32 pounds 39 inches
Wears size 4T or 5T size 9 1/2 or 10 shoe

She's telling some story!

Addison Mabel currently 2 years 9 months old
27 pounds 34 inches
Wears size 2T (tightly) or 3T size 7 1/2 or 8 shoe
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Thursday, January 22, 2009

Today was a good day

Today was a good day. For like a gazillion reasons.

I got to work at a car seat check. It's awesome to be in a fire station, to just walk in and somehow "belong" there. To work with other volunteers from all vocations from hospital and social workers to police and fire department volunteers. I sported an Ada Bible Church T-shirt since everyone else wears a T-shirt advertising their workplace. I hope I did Jesus and ABC proud today. I love helping people, making kids safe, making them laugh, holding little kids while parents and caregivers learn something new. I try to send love and good vibes to each person I come into contact with, because most of the people who stop in probably don't get a whole lot of either.

Our dishwasher got fixed today thanks to a service-based social network site our church has set up called, "The Common". Not having to pay out our ear for a plumber's services is a HUGE thank you Lord. We've been hand-washing dishes for about 6 months now, so having the dishwasher back is just a gift. (We do, however, need to get a water softener. Research forthcoming...)

We found out that we moved up 2 slots on the waiting list for our adoption. We are now officially # 5.

I got my first bag of clothes and shoes donated for the Michigan Moms sale today. So excited! I've had a good handful of friends and acquaintances happily express their willingness to share a bag of clothes or goods, make some brand-new stuff that we can add to the sale, donate proceeds from a home-show, or use contacts to request items from artisans that can give goods we can sell. I love it.

Dan made dinner tonight and it was fabulous. Pot roast and the best ever blueberry muffins. I ate 3 muffins. Oh, so good. I am so thankful for him having a flexible schedule that allows me to do the car seat safety thing.

We're planning to cook and take dinner to my brother and sister-in-law's apartment tomorrow night. A totally fun and free night out. My kids cannot wait to see "an apartment" and eat dinner and Uncle G and Aunt Kara's house.

There's more, but I've got to wind down. I need more days like today. They just bolster my spirit.

Thursday night TV will be on shortly. What a TREAT!
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Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Car seat check Thursday Jan 22

Grand Rapids Safe Kids Car Seat Check
Come see me in action, but more importantly make sure your kids are safe in your vehicle.

Thursday
January 22, 2009

Noon-3:30pm (no appointment is necessary)

Grand Rapids Fire Department (2541 Kalamazoo St. SE - between Alger and Kalamazoo) Call 391-7233 with questions.








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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Creative entrepreneurialism for a good cause



I have purchased a table at the West Michigan Mom's sale(which is like a giant, winter, indoor garage sale) so that I can sell extra clothes, toys, and whatever else I find in the basement, kids' rooms etc. My goal is lofty. I've heard that other sellers have made up to $800 at these sales before. I have my hopes set on making $1,000.

I KNOW we don't have enough stuff to sell to reach that goal on our own, but I'm hoping you and I might be able to mutually help each other out without you having to dig into your wallet or crack your checkbook.

If you have gently used baby/children’s clothing (up to size 8), toys, baby gear, baby/toddler furniture, and maternity items that you are no longer using that are just sitting in boxes and bags taking up space in your home, I would be happy to take them off your hands and add them to my sale items.

If you would like to make or purchase items to donate to this sale, even better. I will take anything. I will even pick up items if you are local.

Thank you for helping us make it possible to handle some unexpected expenses without going into debt. Thanks in advance for the trash bags full of clothes, cardboard boxes of toys and games you will give, and especially for the lovingly-made items I know some of you are capable of making that will bring in good $ at this sale.

The sale takes place Saturday, March 28 at 9am at the DeltaPlex Arena, so I will need anything you are donating by Saturday, March 21 so I can sort and price items.

Thank you so much for your generosity and supporting us in this really exciting journey.

You can e-mail me at jennascott77@gmail.com for our address to drop-off or send donations to.

~Jenna
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Monday, January 19, 2009

Christmas pics--part 2


Addison waiting so patiently for the "go ahead and open" directive--her puppy dog eyes got a ".
Liam LOVES to build, so TinkerToys were perfect for him

His amazement when he opened "I can't believe I got the robot I always wanted" was something we will never forget. (Especially since I had gently tried to encourage him not to get his hopes up because of the amount of $$ it cost--Grandma and Poppie walked into a DEAL that was truly heaven sent!)

Hooray for kindergarten and writing skills--writing a letter to Santa listing which cookie each child had hand-picked for him.
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Elli opens her Hannah Montanna Kaeraoke machine.

We had to take this picture about 5 times--either one of us blinked, had "fat face" or our smile looked silly. This was the best of the worst.

The boys building and Addi opening her new pal Elmo!

Grandma Scott's birthday (Christmas Eve)
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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Ace


I can't say much about this photo except that I was so proud of myself for coming up with this clever little cake for a little boy who was a true surprise to his new family that loves him very, very much. (And that I was very bummed that the lettering oozed because I had done such a good job of replicating the font, oh well!)
And that adoption is awesome.
And that mommies who adopt deserve meals too... (hint, hint everyone when my time rolls around...)
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Adoption update: a call to prayer

Dan wrote this blog post last night after I attended an emergency meeting at our adoption agency. I thought I'd share our latest adoption challenge with you so you can be supporting us in prayer.
8:35PM Dan: Did you make it?
8:38PM Jenna: Just in time
8:45PM Jenna: This
is not good.
8:55PM Dan: Yikes! Money?
8:56PM Jenna: Yup 2 to 3 grand
extra fees
8:57PM Dan: Wow
8:57PM Jenna: Yeah
9:18PM Jenna: 1000 due
Feb 1
9:19PM Dan: 4 what? At least we have it
9:21PM Jenna: Just because
they need money. Extra 250 to 500 quarterly
9:22PM Jenna: We are their
bailout.
9:24PM Dan: That’s what I was just about to write.


Over the course of an hour tonight, Jenna let me in on what was happening at the waiting families’ meeting at our adoption agency tonight. As you have read, it wasn’t exactly the news we wanted to hear at this point in our adoption journey.

I’m not sure that I ever thought of the economy affecting something like adoption. Yet it does. In the past several months, adoption agencies all over the country have had to close their doors even with waiting families in the wings. Internationally wait times are longer. There are plenty of children that need a home, but there are also governments that are greedy and corrupt.

In adoption, a lot of the costs are handled up front: application fees, home studies, payments for dossiers, etc. But once you start waiting, you don’t pay anything more until you accept a referral. At this point, you pay the rest.

When families are waiting for two and three years, at some point they reach a milestone at which they pay nothing for a long time, which under normal circumstances isn’t usually an issue because usually agencies are cyclical, a family is finished as a family is waiting as another is coming into the system. However, in our economy, people need to eat and pay for shelter, clothing, much less make major financial commitments like international adoption. I think you see where I’m going with this. Adoption agencies aren’t making any money because people aren’t adopting and those that are have paid everything they will pay for a long time.

The cycle is broken.

Agencies can’t afford to stay open while families wait.
Agencies (perhaps more than people who make stupid billion dollar business decisions) need a bailout.

And now the question becomes, “What do we do?”

The answer is obvious. We continue the journey.

Just because the adoption will cost more, doesn’t mean that God has taken away the calling. Everything up to this point has been so easy, and this will not be hard. This is where real trust comes into play… and prayer. The more we wait, the more we pay. So YOU can help and pray that we move up in line as quickly as possible. Pray that we will receive our referral in the next two months. We know it could happen, and it would save us a decent amount of cash.

It’s crazy. I don’t know his name. I don’t know what he looks like. But he already has a place in my heart and a stocking for the mantle. We’re so close that I can see him sitting on the couch in front of me as I write this. And yeah, he’s not going away. He’s coming home. I don’t care what it takes; I’m bringing him home.
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Why we don't

Why don't I write a book? I'm not really sure. I think because I think there are so many other people with much more training in writing, experience in writing, raw talent, and discipline than me out there. People who actually have something to say. A platform, an interesting story, an imaginary world that begs to be discovered.

Dan writes in his journal every single night. And blogs almost daily. When he blogs it comes out seemingly effortless. Effusive--as if it just bubbled out and landed on the keyboard packaged and ready to go. Beautifully.
I'm so busy voraciously reading, selfishly gobbling up other people's words that I don't want to use my reading time or energy to sweat out a draft. I'm choosing to call it "research" for now.

Plus I'm not sure what I'd write about. There's no way I could do fiction. I'm creativly impaired. I would probably decide that my main character would be a female then be stuck for months on giving her a name. So then I'd change my main character to being a male and the same dilemma would happen. Or I'd sit and wonder if I could write from a male's perspective not being one myself.
Once I decided and started to write the first line, I'd get totally distracted thinking about a title. And what I'd want the cover to look like. Do I want a photograph? Illustration or painting? What colors would I want. And most importantly, which font would I choose? Where would I pose for my author head-shot for the back flap? What would I wear and how would I do my hair? Would I smile or try to look artistic and focused?

See, there's just no chance of me getting anything written on this poor book.
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Saturday, January 10, 2009

Happy Birthday to Dan

32

man

it looks

GOOD

on you

(Hope I look this good when I'm your age...)

I've loved you since even before I met you. Heidi Jo made you sound way too good to be true, but you're all that and more. Keep it comin', cause I'm lovin' what you're givin'.

And for grins, here's a photo of the "Super Dan" cake my kids and I made for the birthday boy.

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Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Book Review: Rex: A mother, Her Autistic child, and the music that transformed their lives

BOOK REVIEW
Rex: A Mother, Her Autistic Child, and the Music that Transformed Their Lives
By Cathleen Lewis
I ordered this book from Thomas Nelson to review knowing it might not be the easiest book to read, but I am always up for a challenge and wanted to learn more about the world of autism.
I was transfixed by Rex's story. Narrated by his plucky mother, Cathleen, she shares the blow-by-blow details of Rex's life from a week before his birth up to the time of printing. I appreciated her understandable mix of scientific and medical terminology while relating everything into comprehendable language so that anyone would feel comfortable reading this book.
Most poingnant to me were Rex's experiences in education. How little "the system" works for children with disabilities, and how much parental interaction and collaboration is necessary to actually carry out individualized and specialized education. I adored Cathleen's ferocity when it came to Rex's care and education. Not allowing him to be isolated or exploited because of his extraordinary talents or limiting abilities.
If you know someone with a child who is blind, autistic, disabled or simply different in even the slightest way, this book would be a tremendous resource to share with a parent. Rather than simply listing all the negatives and struggles (which, believe me, she shares them all very frankly) there is a beautiful balance of positivity and the grace Rex and his mom have fallen heir to despite the challenging cards they have been dealt.
I could barely put this book down. It touched me very deeply and gave me an education without the experience. Personally, I was thrilled to read that when at the very bottom, Cathleen found peace in a church building, and a friend and ally in God.
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Sunday, January 04, 2009

Christmas fun: Part 1


Girls in the truck

Elli posing with HSM 3 clothing










Liam at his class party










Kids by the Scott's Christmas tree


Dan putting up our Charlie Brown tree




Liam in the Mighty Loader






Elli in here element--ON STAGE!





Addi (also known as A-Lo--'cause she got some junk...)








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Saturday, January 03, 2009

Friday night on the town

Dan and I totally enjoyed a co-worker's swanky wedding downtown at the Amway Grand on Friday night. I won't recount the play-by-play of the ceremony because Dan did such a good job of it on his blog. I must admit that I did a (very unladylike) arm pump when I saw a woman conducting the ceremony. A local authoress, whose book I thoroughly enjoyed. But that's not what this post it about.

Dan didn't go into details on the food, so I'll do that since I'm either a food nerd or food-addicted.

As we walked up to the Hors d'Oeuvres table, (in my head) I was singing, "chese, glorious cheese!". There was a rather insipid cracker selection, but the plethora of scrumptious cheeses made up for it. I'm not talking cubed cheddar and swiss here, people. Creamy goat cheese rolled in a dried cranberry compote, dilled soft havarti, smoked gouda, green-flecked gorgonzola, and OK, there was some jalapeno jack and yellow cheddar cubed for the beginners. But overall the cheese platter was impressive and sumptuous.

Next in line were Swedish Meatballs. These were a very nice surprise. Usually brown and boring, there was something fresh in the meat mixture (parsley?) coupled with a tangy mustardy-sauce that really made these little guys POP. Hence, many of them were popping into my mouth throughout the night.

The third chafing dish held cod fritters that you could top with a chunky cocktail sauce. These were deep-fried goodness.

Easily recognizeable and surprisingly delectable were the quesadillas. I think the carmelized onions inside gave them a sweet, mellow flavor that made them a little more "dressed up" than one would normally imagine a quesadilla. (Stop read-nunciating it "case-uh-dill-uh" like in Napoleon Dynamite, gosh!)

Lastly were the mini-quiches. Which harbored a nice little surprise in the form of a kalamata olive in the middle.

The wedding cake was fluffy, the fillings were smooth, and the icing was seriously butter. But Dan and I both agreed that we've never had a wedding cake as good as ours was. And we're not just sayin' that. The east coast just killz when it comes to baked goods.

There were lots of smiles at the wedding, and two of them were definitely ours. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and each other sampling the food and beverages the evening provided (and got a good laugh when I realized I was drinking my white and still had a wad of gum tucked behind my molar--of course a spontaneous "Sideways" reference quickly ensued--"are you chewing gum?") dressed in new clothes that might be described as urban chic rather than the highschool/college formals/leftovers we usually don for such occasions, surrounded by good and good-looking people, and still only having eyes for each other.

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Monday, December 15, 2008

groan

Things are tough right now for a lot of people. That verse where the holy spirit has to intercede on our behalf because all we can do is groan, can't even put what we are feeling into words--that verse makes a lot of sense all of a sudden.

I send out our church e-mail version of a prayer chain. Requests come in via phone or internet and I put them into words and send them out to people who have committed to praying for the requests that come through.

Some I shrug off and write with factual apathy. Others hit me in the gut and make me moan out loud.

Today I got one from a manager whose company gave him the task of laying off almost 20 people. The week before Christmas. When I mentioned this to my husband, he said, B____ called it--he said it's going to get really ugly from now until Christmas with companies laying people off etc. Ugh.

One of Dan's former co-workers lost her dad and his funeral is this week. The week before Christmas.

People are losing jobs, family members, living spaces, credit ratings, relationships, respect and who knows what else left and right. It seems like every hour something else comes to our attention about someone or other who is struggling with something. The week before Christmas.

That's where hope comes in. And I'm thankful I have that. Although sometimes I shake my head perplexed, dismayed, frustrated, annoyed at unfortunate situations people have put themselves in or disheartened by bad situations thrust upon unsuspecting and undeserving people, I know there is hope for all of them.

I groan for what I do not know how to express.
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Sunday, December 14, 2008

contemplative

I've caught myself staring off into space a lot lately. Since it never happens in front of a mirror, I have no idea what the expression on my face is when this happens. I can only hope it looks sage and wise, like I'm crafting zen verses, and not dull or perplexed as I fear the reality of this "look" might be.

I haven't been writing much often, and that leaves me feeling bloated and pent-up. Metaphorically that is. I'm afraid some of these starry-eyed spaced out moments often lead me to daydream about a room of my own. A place where I can leave the current and zap to where I need to go to mull things over, make sense of enigmatic dreams or thoughts that pop unbidden into my head. To hone my writing skills by practicing "shitty first drafts". Most of which only happen in my head and are lost with the phone shoulder-held to my ear listening to a voicemail while throwing together PBJ's and trying to negotiate a compromise between battling siblings. To pray for people or situations that are on my heart and mind, so they won't keep sitting there piling up subconscious weight of care that gives me shoulder-aches and audible sighs throughout my day. To sit down and write hand-written letters rather than the impersonal and probably-misconstrued e-mails that time constraints seduce me to instead.It's always sunny and quiet, and there's a squishy sink-into-me chair for reading and repose and a solid, sturdy table with ample surface area for work and creativity. Oh, and the sewing machine is there too so I can sew lace onto socks--because little girls must have lacy socks.
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Friday, December 05, 2008

Counting down--and maybe into single digits?


It's been a crazy past few weeks here. With an impromptu trip to Oklahoma for my 2 1/2 year old and I, then a road trip to New Jersey for my Grandfather's funeral, and coming home to snow and a huge church event, we're barely surviving and craving a whole lot of sleep. (Not to mention so thankful we are in the waiting phase rather than the paperwork phase--we have all we can handle on our plates right now.)

As I'm reading through my e-mails and trying to count all the referrals that happened while we were gone, I'm estimating that we might have moved up 2-3 spots on the list. I'm waiting for the official "place in line" from our awesome Ethiopian adoption team at our agency.

I'll post the official number when we get the word, but I'm going to guess that we are about 8th in line now. If referrals keep up at this pace, we may know what our little guy looks like in 2008. We are content in God's timing, and thrilled to see the numbers falling off like the Wal-mart price roll-back commercials. Because that means there are kids with families...and families with kids. Soul-thrilling.
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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Grandpop

watching the pinata fun by you.
Last night Grandpop Hoffman went home to be with the Lord. He was 91 years old. It's odd to feel at peace knowing he is finally gone, yet having such a deep sadness that it keeps creeping up on me wave after wave.

So many memories. From sitting on his lap squealing in agony as he cleaned out my fingernails when I was a little girl to getting the "green stuff" when my report card was good. Changing my nickname from Cinderella to Princess because I didn't think it was high-ranking enough. Always threatening to come sit behind me in school and look over my shoulder to copy my answers because I was smart--always telling me I was going to become Dr. Hoffman and he'd be there to see it. Only committing to something with a "Lord-willing", and reminding us to always stick close to the Lord.

I've yet to meet a more humbly money-conscious man with as big and generous of a heart as his. He has left an impression and legacy for many to aspire to. Truly everyone who met Grandpop Hoffman went away from his encounter with a hearty laugh, a good meal, a prayer, a $20 bill, and a blessing on his life.

I'm gonna miss my 15 second phone conversations before he would "hand me back to grandmom", our little inside jokes, and just knowing that he's there for a hug anytime I'm in NJ. I know I'll see him again. Where his new body can keep up with his quick wit.

But now it's time to say goodbye. To grieve hard with my family. To remember him well and share how he has forever changed all of our lives. To celebrate a true man of God, a veteran who loved our country, and my Grandpop.
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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Book Review: My Little Girl

My Little Girl [Book Cover]
I ordered My Little Girl, by Tim McGraw and Tom Douglas, thinking "it's pink, so E will like it, but I know it's gonna be cheesy". I must admit, this skeptic was pleasantly surprised.

The pictures are captivating--colorful and likable. The storyline is down to earth and believable. Except for the really coutryish parts--I'm too citified to find excitement in dancing with chickens and riding in a pick-up truck.

I love the fact that this book made the mundane everyday tasks of the day "super spectacular special"--just because daddy and his little girl were together. It doesn't take a trip to Disney, a new Hannah Montana wardrobe, and an iphone to make a day special, it's just doing life TOGETHER that makes it so special.

I loved that at the end of the story there's a page where you are encouraged to spend some special daddy-daughter time and write your own story or memory.

I think I'd have to, begrudgingly almost, recommend this book!
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Impromptu trip

Addi and I flew to OK for a long weekend. Wish we could have flown in one of Devon's jets (like this one), but alas we had to board the commercial flights with the masses instead. We had a great time visiting dad's hangar, eating mom's fabulous cooking, cruising around in the BMW, visiting with Andrew, Carrie & Chase, shopping 'til our feet hurt, laughing 'til our sides hurt, and making pizza bread along with a lot of memories.

It's been a bittersweet trip. It's easy and hard to leave more than half of my little family behind. I thoroughly enjoyed a little break and talking on the phone to L & E from afar--hearing their take on life from the other side of the phone.

It's been exciting being with Carrie as she's about to give birth any minute to Ian Douglas. Teasing her about doing jumping jacks, watching her frown at everyone who asks her when she's due, and listening to Andrew ask her if she's in labor yet and taking her for "walks" to try to get things moving.

At the same time my Dad had to grab a flight to New Jersey, where Grandpop Hoffman is in the ICU battling pneumonia post-op from hip replacement surgery after a fall last week.

So, we've got our cell phones glued to our hands waiting for phone calls. Each probably announcing the opposite of the other. And knowing that both are inevitable. For all of us.
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Thursday, November 20, 2008

as many as a cat's lives

This was us nine years ago. We still love eating cake together and still love to kiss (mmm...minty!). We still think each other are quite good looking and wish we could spend more time together. We've been through hell and high waters together, helping each other through some excruciatingly challenging situations. Testing the vows we took 9 years ago and finding that our words were simply indicators of the deep commitment we have to our relationship with each other.

There have been anniversaries where we've celebrated that the year is "over" and had to admit that we're relieved that we get to start a new one--hoping that it will be better than the year before. ("We get a do-over!" -Liz Lemon) And there have been years where we've celebrated because it's been a good year. This is one of the latter. God has been good to us. Making Dan for me, giving us a story and a history that enmeshes and intertwines in beautiful contrasts and complements.

So excited about keeping on this journey called life with you. We have some exciting stops coming up along the way and I couldn't ask for a better travel partner, my true companion.

(I had to borrow this from Jamin's recital acknowledgment to Angie, but it just seems to fit how I feel right now.)
Dan, I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow.
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