Summer is over...

Hey guys, Aaron here. We're sorry that we're so bad at updating our life, but here we go again: After weeks and weeks, I finally log in and I hear the following song start to play on OUR BLOG: "Your Pitiful" By Wierd Al. So apparently Heidi was trying to add the song "Your Beautiful" and instead added this one without even knowing it until we heard it playing tonight. So if anyone was reading our blog over the summer and heard the song, please don't judge us - it was definitely a mistake!

Like the title if this post says, summer has come to an end. Heidi started fall semester this week, and I'm ready to start bus driving again, and busy getting fall programs put together at church. As we sit and reflect on our summer, it's crazy to think about all the stuff we did and the things that we experienced...but we're not saying this in a bragging way. Instead, we're talking about some major life lessons that we've learned. And basically that life lesson is that life itself is precious.

First of all, we've mourned with quite a few close friends this summer. Our friend from Ottawa - Pastor Marv said good bye to his wife after a tough fight with a brain tumor. A friend who I work with lost her daughter-in-law and infant granddaughter in a horrible car accident. Heidi's Uncle Wally also died after struggling with cancer. Also, my cousin who is a missionary in Africa lost her husband in a tragic plane accident. And most recently, my friend from the Bridge (Karen) said good-bye to her husband after a year long struggle with cancer.

On the flip side, our summer was filled with many new beginnings too. We were blessed with opportunities to witness the joining of many new couples: our friends Michelle and Bret, my college roommate Matt Lubbers, Heidi's old roommate Becky, our friends Tim and Emily, and the most recent, my cousin Angela. In addition to weddings, we welcomed some new babies into our family! Heidi's brother and sister-in-law gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Caleb Matthew, born on May 31. Currently, we are praying and looking forward to the return of Heidi's sister Lisa and brother-in-law Al. They are in Ethiopia and will return with baby Gideon on Sunday, September 13.

So, where am I going with this crazy post (I don't quite know myself yet...)? Well, I think I'm trying to say that beginnings and endings in life are inevitable. Some are joyful occasions, while others are sad. Bottom line is that life is precious, and the things that we're working on as a couple is enjoying every minute of life. No matter what each day brings, we are enjoying it, and thanking God for it. Did we get everything done in our house and yard that we wanted to this summer? NO. Did we get all our bills paid off, or save up money for a new car to replace ours with 200,000 miles on it? NO! But every chance we got, we chose to spend with friends and family (not as much as we would have liked, but still...every chance we got!) and equally important with each other. Yesterday was our 5 month anniversary already, and we realize that life is not showing any signs of slowing down. So we make the most of each day - Thank God for blessing us with another day together, and hopefully find ways to be blessings to others.

Sorry about such a boring post...we don't even have any pictures to show, but maybe next time! HAPPY LABOR DAY EVERYONE!