Big Game!

Shawn and I had to opportunity to go see the Steelers play the Rams in the football game Thursday night in St. Louis. This was Shawn's first NFL football game and my first since I was a kid living in Pittsburgh. We arrived to the stadium about an hour before kick-off and were energized while walking through all the tail-gating. Man...NFL fans know how to party!! Once we found our seats (4 rows from the very last row in the dome!!), we got down to business...eating our hot dogs, brats, and nachos. That kind of food always tastes better at games. Even though this was a home game for the Rams, the crowd was a sea of black and gold waving the Terrible Towel. It was kinda sad for the Rams when they made their entrance on to the field since all you could hear was Boos! Shawn and I showed our team pride...me in a Steelers shirt and Shawn in a Rams jersey. The game started out very close...a winnable game for either team. We were able to see the plays very clearly with the binoculars we brought...the best $14 we ever spent! The Steelers put the nail in the coffin late in the 4th quarter with an interception returned for a touchdown. Steelers closed out the game with a 41-24 win. It was great fun being a Steelers fan as we all flooded out of the dome. The concourses and escalators were full of the chant "Here we go, Steelers, here we go!" Overall, our first NFL game was a blast and we look forward to going to many more!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Shawn and I love to decorate for Christmas!! The first year we were dating we started the tradition of stringing popcorn for our Christmas tree. While I put the tree together, put on all 700 or 800 lights and decorate the rest of the house, Shawn sits on the couch stringing popcorn. After he is done and we place it just so on the tree, we get to dive into our ornaments. We have an eclectic ornament collection. Many are very old and came from our parents Christmas collection. But, we have started getting some of our own and we always talk about the memories that go with each one as we place it on the tree. Some of our favorites include "Our First House," the hot air balloon we got the year we went on a balloon ride, a lady bug to remind us of our lady bug infested house, and our Steelers and Rams ornaments in honor of our favorite teams. Christmas is a very busy time of year for us, with shopping, wrapping, Christmas cards, and parties. We are looking forward to getting through the next week and a half and then we are heading back to Missouri to spend Christmas with my family. It will be a great time to relax and enjoy each other's company while we have time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus.

A Waiting List for a Waiting List!

We received exciting news yesterday afternoon...we are on a waiting list for our baby! Granted it is a waiting list to get on the official Colombian waiting list, but it is a list none the less. We are one step closer to our little one! So this is how it works: #1. We have been placed on our agency waiting list for Colombian adoptions. We are expected to be on this list until mid-to-late 2008. #2. During this period we will complete our home study (in Jan/Feb) and then start preparing our dossier (paperwork going to Colombia) during the summer. We will send in that paperwork around the same time we come off the agency waiting list (mid-to-late 2008). #3. Once Colombia receives our paperwork, we go on the official waiting list for the adoption house that we are going through. That wait is estimated at about 12 months! So a very preliminary estimate is mid-to late 2009 when we will meet our child!! All this can change at a moments notice...but at least now we have some idea of how things are going to progress. We appreciate all your prayers and encouragement and we will keep you updated!

Visiting with friends and family

Shawn and I have been home from Missouri for a week now, and we are still talking about the nice time we had visiting with family and friends. It is so nice that we both have Missouri ties...we get to see so many people in such a short amount of time while we are there! The day after Thanksgiving, when Shawn's mom and sister were braving the malls, Shawn and I drove about 2 hours to my grandparents house to hang out with them for a while. That afternoon, my college roomate, Cindy, and her fiance, Josh, also came to my grandparents house. This was the first time that we had met Josh and we all had a great time getting to know one another, playing games, and eating (as if we didn't do enough of that the day before!) Shawn and I were also able to hook up with his good high school friend, Bryan, and his new wife Katie. We had dinner with them one night and then watched the Missouri/Kansas game on Saturday night. Katie and I spent the evening looking at their wedding pictures and talking girl talk. It is so nice to have a girlfriend to hang out with now when Shawn and Bryan are together! Shawn's mom was sad to see us head back to Virginia, but fortunately she is planning a trip out to see us in the spring. It is so nice to have friends and family all over the US (and even the world) that we love to see and hang out with. It is a true blessing to have lifelong friends that like you, warts and all!