Summer Olympic Goals

Joel and I watched the 2008 Olympics as avid Phelps Phans, cheering on the Americans in swimming and gymnastics, but paying relatively little attention to the running track, except for Usain Bolt. We both had good jobs, but did not derive much satisfaction from them. We were sending a hefty monthly check to our credit consolidation company. And while everyone else on the planet was pregnant, we had not yet shared our adoption plans with our families. 

We vowed that when the next Summer Olympics came around, in the very distant future of 2012, we would either be parents or debt free. Both these aspirations seemed highly unlikely, but we set the goal nonetheless. How would we save money for adoption while dealing with our massive debt? I wish I had noted the dollar amount we owed in July 2008, a mere four years after we had begun accumulating it. I estimate we owed somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000. During this time, I had added up all the interest we paid on everything (including our house), and found that three out of four weeks, I went to work to pay interest. And why did paying off debt even matter if we had no toddlers with whom to share our lives?

The very distance future of the Summer Olympics 2012 dawns on a different couple. Same people, but much changed over the past four years. We are still Phelps Phans, but enjoy watching Ryan Lochte just as much. Gymnastics will always be our favorite Olympic event, transforming us into pros, who can expertly critic holds and landings and vaults. Usain Bolt is only one of many runners, all of whom have times and feats that wow us even more, in light of our healthier lives. Joel now runs several times a week, entering many races, and hopes to be part of the top ten for the Labor Day Run. I suggested a stair climb in March, a 5k on the morning of July 4th, and go to the gym regularly. My clothing tags don't list my dream numbers. The scale doesn't reflect my hard work. I've quit Weight Watchers. But I eat healthier in order to feel better. I surprise myself with the strength I've gained since the beginning of the year. And I'm not out of breath when I climb three flights of stairs. 

Our jobs have morphed. Joel went from Manager to Senior Manager to General Manager, running Waterway's Westport location as of this past April. I changed jobs twice in the last year, leaving Overland Optical just before becoming a certified optician (that's right, I can add "ABOC" after my name). I spent six months at a poorly run company, owned by an uncaring doctor, and managed by a petty control-freak. Now I come home stress-free and enjoy a well-rounded job of helping people choose eyeglasses, running tests for the doctor, tagging frames, submitting insurance, compiling paperwork, and discussing People magazine with my two coworkers. The three of us make up the "Sappington" division of Eye Care Associates of St. Louis.

Joel has a large base of computer customers. I'm convinced that some of them ask him to come over for the smallest things, just so they can spend time chatting with him. I have the privilege of leading the children's ministry at church. I'm so blessed to hear them recite their memory verses from the previous week. Joel leads worship once a month, and fills in teaching as necessary. I do important things like make copies of the church bulletin. Occasionally, our garage might catch on fire, or an exciting hail storm come total both our cars. But unless AAA is cutting us a check that week, our lives are happily ever routine.

If everyone on the planet is still pregnant, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I don't notice, unless they are producing another lovely niece or nephew for me to love. In a few weeks, we are celebrating our 11th Anniversary by visiting the 11th person who will call us aunt and uncle. We will be aunt and uncle to 12 people by next year, continuing the tradition of having a niece or nephew every calendar year since 2004. (Christmas 2013 will prove whether or not they are "cheaper by the dozen".) Two years ago, I read a book about living childfree (versus the rather negative outlook of "childless"), which included the beautiful line, "All children deserve a childfree aunt or uncle." I love doing special things with our nieces and nephews. I love talking to them, seeing their accomplishments, and spending time with them! We still have vague plans to adopt... someday. We have not started any processes, filled out any papers, or made any decisions. We have a clean slate before us, and though we are fairly sure that adoption is in our future, we don't know the timing or the plans that the Lord has for us. We're enjoying our happy marriage and family of two, including the occasional fight over who will turn off the light at bedtime. We did, however, cave in and get a plant. It's an adopted plant from my work, and we've kept it alive since December. Now whenever anyone follows the question "Do you have any children?" with "Do you have any pets?", we are able to proudly tell them that we have a plant, therefore putting to rest their fears that we are villainously uncaring or grossly incapable of taking care of a living thing. We have a living plant and we remember to water it. We also go to the movies on the spur of the moment (when we're lucky enough to find a plant-sitter), take quiet road trips (animated cartoons keep our plant quiet in the backseat), and rely on alarm clocks to wake us up (so that we can go water the plant). Yes, we know what we're missing out on. Our timeline is different than the stereotypical American family, but our lives are just as meaningful.

On August 4, 2001, when we stepped down off the stage of Calvary Chapel, as husband and wife, the song lyrics that played were, "I don't know what the future holds. It ain't clear where we go from here. One thing is true, God is in control. He is the keeper of my soul." The Lord doesn't give us movie-trailer type previews of coming years. We trust Him and He leads us and directs us to the path of His choosing. He has chosen such a perfect path for us, better than any we would have chosen for ourselves. We look forward to seeing where we go from here. It could be missions work. It could be parenting. It could be continuing to be a witness at our jobs. It could be full- or part-time ministry. It could be joining a circus as rodeo clowns. It's not up to us. It's up to Him. But there's nothing holding us back...

... because other than our car and our house, we are debt free. I set up the final payments through our online banking. Guess which day they go through to our creditors? July 27, 2012...

... the first day of the 2012 Summer Olympics.

 

The Price is Right

Presidential Campaign: $650,000,000,000
Inauguration Day: $125.000,000,000
Economic Stimulus Package: $800,000,000,000 to $900,000,000,000

There are some things money can't buy.
For everything else, there's our government.

Here are some of the priceless things we enjoy:

Jean, Joel, James, and David on Christmas

Our niece, Katelyn Joy, born 12/29/2008

Melanie and Uncle Joel, on New Years Day

Our niece, Abigail Grace, born 2/20/2009

If wealth could be measured in nieces and nephews, we would be the richest people in town. Our stock has gone up considerably in the last few months. Little Katelyn was as speedy delivery, maybe because she knew she'd always be hurrying after her brothers. Little Abigail was born after taking her sweet time, maybe because she enjoyed having everyone wait for her. Our next niece is arriving on April 3. We will be making the trek to Kansas City to see her, bearing gifts.
Sometimes life is hectic and crazy. It is not unusual for us to be eating dinner at 11pm in front of the television. Ah, I remember back in the good ol' days, when Joel and I would see each other every day. Yesterday, I left for work before he got up. In the evening, he went to a hockey game with other managers and the owner (apparently Waterway has awesome box seats). Today, Joel left for work before I got up. He came home for a nap break while I was having a crazy day at the workplace, which made me stay late, so that my home time didn't overlap with his. Now he's back at the ol' car wash doing inventory until the wee hours of the morning. Tomorrow, when he's off work, I'll be working my longest day of the week. Friday's coming! And we're both off!

On Monday night, we went late night grocery shopping (almost as romantic as my parent's Home Depot dates). We bought about three weeks worth of food. This is an experiment. We are trying to determine whether or not it saves us money to stockpile versus going to the store every few days. However, having everything makes it just as hard to choose a snack as when we have nothing, it's just deciding rather than foraging.

After putting away all the food, I expressed my concern to Joel, that I hoped the amount of food wouldn't cause the floor of the pantry to give out and cause all our food to go crashing into the basement. It was believable to me after my bad food day. I had gone to Sam's Club prior to the grocery store. I had loaded up on cereals, granola bars, chocolate chips, frozen chicken, all the essentials. It came up to $112, but it was all things I had planned to buy at the grocery store anyhow. After I loaded everything onto the conveyor belt, I realized that I didn't have my debit card. So after everything was rung up, I subtracted things off in shame, until I was left with whatever my $34 cash could buy. As I pulled onto the highway to drive home, I realized I could've just paid for everything with a check. I forgot that checks could buy things.

There are some things money can't buy, and they're called nieces and nephews.

His Mercies Are New Every Morning

"Welcome, child," he said.
"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

It's always nice to round the bend into a new year. We remember the previous year and make plans for the year to come. Joel and I are optimistic about the coming year. Last year wasn't our all-time favorite, which may or may not be because we are getting old. Unlike our three-year-old nephew David, who spent an entire day looking forward to the animal crackers that I promised to bring him in the evening, things just don't seem as exciting to us as they used to be. It doesn't seem like that long ago that there was something to look forward to every week, and there was always a weekend activity or trip to look forward to. Weekends... I only vaguely remember them.

We have some fun things to look forward to this summer. We're going to Michigan to visit Joel's extended family for a week in May or June. Then, in August, we're taking an anniversary trip to Washington D.C., then visiting our friends Jared and Steph in Maryland, and going with them to Ocean City where we will enjoy the beach and I will visit the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. We hope to make a small drive to Delaware for dinner one night, thereby adding another state to our "Been There Done That" list.

Where has the time gone? I was marking birthdays and anniversaries into my new planner (a list that has grown extensively longer over the last few years), and was shocked to mark our siblings' anniversaries. Becky and Mark will be married seven years and Patrick and Tanya will be married five. Eileen and Steve's two years should be where everyone's at. But our anniversary trip celebrates the completion of eight years!

Our anniversary vacations are always the highlight of the year. Last year, on our anniversary, as we floated around the pool, at a Bed and Breakfast, in the 100 degree heat (it will always be the hottest day of the year), we were so peaceful. The best part is just being off work at the same time, which happens so infrequently. Last year, I'd be surprised if there were as many as twenty days that Joel and I were off work on the same day. So far this year, we haven't spent a day together. Next potential day off together: February 27.

Sometimes, when we are eating our dinner in front of a TV show at 11:00pm, we realize that we have just worked our lives away for that 30 minutes. We just washed cars and made files and directed traffic (that one applies to both of us), to pay for our house, where we come only when it's time to sleep.

It has been a rough year. Joel and I have seen each other so little, our jobs have been difficult, but in spite of the busyness and the debt and the everyday struggles that we all encounter, the best part of life is finding contentment by knowing Jesus. Contentment is often misunderstood to be achievement or happiness. True contentment is saying, "It's enough." Regardless of my thoughts or my will or my goals, it's recognizing that Jesus has given me everything I need for life and godliness. Joel and I have a wonderful marriage. We both have good jobs, where we enjoy what we do, we're appreciated, and we are able to be a model of Christianity to those around us. We have a comfortable home that's warm in the winter and cool in the summer. We have families we love and who love us. We have good friends. God speaks to us. We continue to prayfully make plans for the future. And when it doesn't seem like enough, I remember that contentment means praying, "You know best. You've given me so much. You've saved me and You know me. And if you never give me another thing, it's enough."

Beyond all other goals, the ultimate New Years resolution should simply be to grow. So that every year, we will find Him bigger.