So much has happened in the past month that we have decided to list the events in chronological order, rather than in order of importance.
1. We cut up all of our credit cards and started Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Plan. We're staying to a strict budget, and any "extra" money coming in is going straight toward paying off our debt. We will not be taking on any debt again, excepting a mortgage payment when we have everything else paid off and a six-month emergency fund.
2. David and Joanna visited with Declan, and they stayed with us. We're pretty sure Steve was louder than Declan at night. It was very educational having such a young baby in the house. There were some unique techniques for quieting him (one having to do with the chilly night air), and there way more diapers than we expected. We see now that it's not all "fun and games" when you have a baby, but then again, the quiet moments seem pretty awesome.
3. Sarah organized and made the food and decorations for Becky and John's baby shower (with Joanna's help). It was a ton of work, and she doesn't regret doing it, but it made her realize that she's not cut out to be in charge of events. Support positions are much less stressful.
4. We went on a disappointing hike at Point Reyes National Seashore. We climbed a very steep 2-mile trail to Mount Wittenberg, the highest point in the park, and the view from the top was very anti-climactic. Definitely not worth the work.
5. Sharon had baby Reece! From David's pictures, it looks like she's going to have an adorable nose. We won't be seeing her in person until David's ordination in April.
6. We sold Sean's truck. We were tired of having a car payment on something he just drives to work and back, so we sold it for cash yesterday. We're going to buy Becky and John's Cavalier for a bargain price.
In other news, Sarah only has one month and one week left before she's done with school. Her graduation ceremony will be on June 14th at 9am.
The only other exciting things on the horizon are Sean's second teaching gig at the church, the arrival of niece (we think) #2 on or around March 17th, and our third anniversary on April 2nd. If anything interesting happens in the meantime, we'll be sure to let you know....
