update

here's what is going on in dean world other than possibly deciding not to teach our kids about santa :)

1. i FINISHED school! i still have a few things to fix on my senior project (aka, master's thesis even though it really isn't technically a master's thesis), but everything is done. i ended up writing a 70-page thesis even though i had only intended 40 pages, so i was pleased with myself. i don't think i can express how glad i am to finally be done with divinity school. i had considered writing an open letter to wake forest divinity school on here about how many "liberal" people who claim to be open-minded are often just as close-minded as the "conservative" people they hate so much, but i didn't think y'all would really want to read that. on a more positive note, i will say that as many times as i have been angry and annoyed over the last three years, i would probably make the decision to attend wake forest all over again if i could go back in time knowing what it would be like. honestly, i'm a big fan of having your beliefs challenged and not just having someone pat you on the back and tell you that you're right all the time. i think that's how you really figure out what you believe and why you believe it is true. and i think we extend grace to others when we are at least willing to hear them out on what they believe, even knowing that we will inevitably disagree.
2. we finally got some furniture! we've been sitting on the floor in our house for the past 4 months, but after seeing some decent furniture sales recently, we decided it was finally time to break down and buy. so thank you, jesus, for in-store financing because it helped us buy a couch and a loveseat for our living room. our goal isn't to be done furnishing our home until our kids come home, which gives us at least another 9-12 months, but it's still nice to be able to sit on a couch and watch tv instead of the hardwood floor.
3. speaking of our adoption, we found out that the IRS just started reviewing our amended tax return for the homebuyer's tax credit (side note: they have had our return since august 18th and initially said we would have our $8000 in 8-12 weeks). well, it's looking like we won't have our credit until at least next month, so our adoption is on hold until further notice. stupid IRS.