Hello, world...I am back. Back in the world of blogging. It was a great vacation.

Obviously, I took quite a lengthy break from blogging, and for no particular reason. It started out as a by-product of being crazy-busy after I got back from Israel. I had papers due in two different classes almost immediately after I got back. For some reason, those professors expected everyone to work during spring break...lol. One of them went so far as to say to the class, "I will be in my office during the break, so there is no reason you cannot work, too." Then, we lost access to the free wireless network at our old apartment. Our neighbors, who had let us use their network, moved out of range. So, my internet access was restricted to the time I spent on-campus, which was not much last semester. Once we moved into our new apartment, and got our own network set up, I started thinking about blogging again, but just did not feel motivated for a while. So, that leaves me here.

I will try to update everyone on the goings-on, by starting where I left off.

The spring semester was an incredibly busy one, with several really tough classes and the Israel trip mixed in. My grades were decent...I got one two A's, one B+, one B-, and a C+. The C+ was in Ethics, which is one of the classes where I had a paper due right after break. Since I turned it in late, I got deducted big time, and it really hurt my grade. The funny thing is that it was my favorite class of the semester.

I took a Spanish class in what is called the pre-(summer) session, which is an abbreviated three-week term. The class met for three hours a day, five days a week. It was grueling, but it eventually ended. I am near the end of a five week break, then my next summer session will start. I am taking a Spanish class, and also a Philosophy class, which is called "Contemporary moral Problems". The professor is the same as my Ethics professor, and I am excited about the class. Fortunately, I have already read most of the material we will be covering in the class.

Back in the spring, Michelle and I found out that we will not be able to birth children, so after investigating all the options, we decided to adopt a child. After investigating all the options available within adoption, we decided to adopt a baby boy from Vietnam. We are just kind of getting started in the process, so everything is a blur right now. Last week, we received OFFICIAL word from our adoption agency that we have been approved, so that was a huge relief. Now, we are working on stuff for the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service). That will take about 3 months or so to complete. The entire process should take until about May or June of next year, with us bringing home a child. What a staggering thought.

We have been busy getting our house ready. We have painted the baby's room, and decorated it in the theme of Winnie the Pooh. We really like the way it looks. We acquired a toy chest and a new desk this week, both for free. That was really cool! We also have been spending an inordinate amount of time at Babys-R-Us...LOL. Last night I made a deal with Michelle--1 hour there in exchange for 1 hour at either Comp USA or Home Depot (both are next door the Babys-R-Us. So we spent about 30 minutes at Comp USA before Michelle could not take it any more...LOL.

I have been busy working on my application to seminary. I am required to provide three references, one each from a clergy, academic, and layperson. Since I am aware that at least one of those people reads this blog, and in order to protect the innocent from ridicule and/or scorn (you greed to refer HIM?!?!?), I will not mention their names in this forum. So let me just say that I am grateful to all three people who agreed to refer me. That means a lot to me. I have a few more things to complete on the application before I send it in. Stressful, indeed.

I got an email from one of my fellow Israel travelers yesterday, and in my response to her, I told her that I still think about the trip every day. To be more accurate, I could have said that I think about it several times a day. I was certainly one of the most profound experiences of my life. I definitely want to go back for a more extended period of time...like a semester or a year...or for many years.

I hope everyone is doing well. Peace...