Peanuts, Pine Trees, and Passports

During our two months "off" (the time when we've been uninsured and unemployed), we have had many adventures. Think about the last time you ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or when you reached for a handful of peanuts in that decorative bowl. Have you ever wondered where those peanuts came from? Well, during our first couple of weeks in the south, we picked 10 gallons of peanuts. They grow underground...who knew!?! (Oh! The handsome fellow in pink with us in the pictures is Flat Stanley. He's going to Korea with us!)


Though officially unemployed, we have been quite busy, doing things that may surprise some of you. Ben's dad owns a lawn care business, and Ben has spent many of our days here helping Dad mow. Well, last week he invited me along for a change. I handled raking hickory nuts and fallen leaves just fine, and was amazed at how quickly Dad and Ben had cut down an old tree in some back yard (it was dead, of course). It took them about ten minutes. Well, then Dad decides that we'll go ahead an cut down this other dead pine tree, the one that has been dead for over two years. Needless to say, it took us about 3.5 hours at least. This tree was not the baby sapling that was cut down just an hour earlier. This was what you all think of when I say pine tree. That's a new experience!

I took a trip to FedEx today and sent away more paperwork and passports. While it seems that this process is never going to end, we have good news: WE GOT OUR VISA CONFIRMATION NUMBER YESTERDAY!
Now, that may not mean much to many of our readers, but to us, well, we've basically been checking our e-mail obsessively since...August waiting for these numbers. It's about time! Speaking of time, we've got to be completely honest here, each day of this process has been such a lesson for us. Not only have we been through the emotional ups and downs of waiting. And waiting. And, well, you know--waiting. But, we have truly seen the Lord's hand in the timing for everything. We have been embraced by both of our families, who have taken us in graciously for many weeks at a time. Even more encouraging is the random note, e-mail, and phone call that we receive from people that could easily forget about us. We did not plan on being "around" for two extra months, but we are thankful for each of those days.

This is us shortly, after we made our appointment for next Wednesday at the Korean Consulate. Basically, that means that we have been waiting for over two months to get this silly number so that we could make an appointment to get our visas approved. One step closer to Korea!



Thanks to everyone who has left notes and comments! We are still learning how to use all of the fun features, so responses and such will come eventually.

Jen