Aggressively Onward Toward Our Goal

My wife and I have made some tough financial decisions lately. We've chosen to aggressively attack our debt (which has risen in part due to the fact that we moved to Colorado and it took me longer to find a job here than we expected). We've looked at where we can cut back, reduce, reuse, and make due. We've turned our heater down to 68 degrees (rather than our preffered 72 degrees). We've consolidated our credit card debt (which had horendous interest rates) into a loan with a much more conservative rate. We've been buying more "Great Value" and generic brands to get more bang for our buck at the grocery store. There really isn't a difference other than price. We've scoured advertisements and cut coupons to stock up on special deals (especially on meat). We've even cut way, way back on Christmas and Birthdays. Why are we doing this? What motivates us?

It is our desire to adopt a child. Joi's dream has always been to adopt a child. She likes the idea that we would be able to tell a child that we choose them, specifically...and that we'd be able to make a difference in someone's life by choosing to love them, protect them, and provide for them. While it was not necessarily on my radar to adopt, I certainly wasn't opposed to it. I've always wanted many kids. I love kids and I love being a Daddy. I read a book on Harpo Marx once, who also adopted many kids, and he said that the reason he adopted is because he wanted a child in every window of his home to greet him when he got home from work. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but it's a sweet sentiment. I told Joi's Nana the other day that we were interested in adopting. She asked how we'd do with another child. I told her that God blessed Joi and I with two hands each. Right now, when we walk hand in hand with our kids, one of us has an empty hand. That hand was meant for another child. An adopted child.

So, our goal is to agressively pay off our debt (including my ugly student loans), so that we can move toward our goal of adopting a child. We'll need a bigger car (our Ford Taurus only holds five comfortably). We'll need a larger home. Right now, all of our boys share a room. The government will have something to say about that and will require that we break up the kids into no more than two kids in a room. Beyond those steps, we'll also need money to throw at all of the costs associated with adoption and all of the home improvements that we'll need to perform to be government complient. In the meantime, Joi and I are resolved to get our of debt as quickly as possible so that we can begin to move forward on our adoption goal. We are looking forward to what God has in store for us. This is where our heart is.