Memoir

This is an old photo, but on rediscovering it, we thought we'd share it with everyone. Celebrating Rachel's car hitting 100,000 miles, she took this photo. Note the speedometer. Please don't show our car insurance company.

Brown Chaffin

For those of you who know (and thus, love) Curt and Chris Chaffin, here's a link to the chronicle of their adoption saga. Merry Christmas, Chaffins 3!

Wine Review

I was listening to NPR this past summer and heard a segment about how the Bordeaux wines from the 2005 season were being called "the best vintage in the last fifty years". I knew then that we would spare no cost to to experience this gustatory rarity. Thus, on our next expedition to Trader Joe's, where such a vintage can be purchased for $6, we let down our normally frugal defenses, and took the plunge. We kept it until an occassion suitable for such elegance, namely our friends Adam and Kelly Rogers visiting a month ago. The complexity of the palatal sensations accompanying such a wine took a full month to process, so it is not until now that we are prepared to offer the following review:

The 2005 Bordeaux experience starts with a smooth uncorking that exudes the most delicate hint of caramel and English toffee. It stands strong in the decanter and displays thin leg support in the crystal itself. The frontal palate senses textures of oak, beech, and bamboo with the nose of a cherry. Just before a finish of a chocolate nutmeg tail, there is subtle but definite distinction which is a mixture of an apricot in one hand, a pineapple in the other, and a heart that beats of cinnamon. We decided it would be best to draw a picture of it using Microsoft Paint. We posted it here.

In all, we would like to officially add our endorsement to Le Figaro, who states "Face to these perfect climatic conditions, numerous wine growers also made a real gustative choice and punched the fruit around the body. Some wine-makers have never seen such a lively fruit!"

Merry Christmas 2007

Merry Christmas family, friends, and blogosphere! Many of you already know how most of our year went, and if you really want a whole lot of details, we refer you to the rest of this website. =)

The holiday season of 2007 also marks the end of our second year of marriage. What a great thing our marriage is. Rachel works a whole bunch at the hospital, and so does Eric, but the important thing is that we still learn, and we take it on faith that all our efforts are resulting in care of the sick and needy. And the schedules aren't as bad as they once were. Together we have delivered enough babies to fill 75.18 minivans (minus the driver; babies don't drive. Babies don't ride in the front passenger seat either, but don't be picky.)

We continue to travel, read, love music, play German board games, geocache, and try to find ways to carve out time with our friends and families. We look to the future, which is not at all far away, and start to set wheels in motion for our careers abroad in medical missions. And in the rush, we do well to stop and seek God, source of life. May God bless your Christmas. May our eyes be opened to know him.

February on Antigua, Eastern Caribbean

Rachel in DC in March

In San Francisco with our friends Adam and Kelly in May

Canoeing Ann Arbor with Mom and Dad in May

Sami and Jonathan's June Wedding in Nashville

Eric and Clayton celebrate their Alma Mater's committment to 'American Idol'

(See "September" for lots of Bangladesh/UAE pictures)

We carve a monacled pumpkin after the fashion of Mr. Peanut in October

Yay! Rachel's family in MN in November!