In an Attempt Not to Bias Readers, the Doctor Character Doesn't Get Named until the End. Also: Sorry, This is a Long One

Scene: midday Monday at the offices of The Fertility Institute at Posh Hospital; a slightly nervous couple waits to speak about IVF with a doctor they have never met

Doctor: Hi, nice to see you. (shakes hands) So, why hasn't this worked yet?

Andrea: That's what we'd like to know.

Doctor: Well, we can't tell. You're young. All your numbers look great. You've had a number of mature follicles every cycle. Your sperms counts are fine. But IUIs only give a 17-18% chance of pregnancy. IVF, for patients your age, has a 70% success rate. So I really want to push things. I want to increase your dosage and get as many eggs as we can.

Andrea: But...

Doctor: Then I'm going to say we do IVF with ICSI. (spelling it out and speaking slowly while writing on a chart) That's intra... cytoplasmic... sperm... injection...

Andrea: Yes, we know. We've actually done two IVF cycles with ICSI at a previous clinic. (thinking to herself, "It's all in that fat stack of patient records you're holding; have you glanced at those?")

Doctor: Oh. (glancing at papers) I see that.

Andrea: When we did IVF before, we only...

Doctor: (back to the chart he's writing out) So we're going to run a bunch of tests first, to make sure we don't miss anything and we have the best chance of making this work. We'll do a Clomid Challenge Test, to determine the best dose of medications for you. We'll do some bloodwork to check for antibodies that would fight against pregnancy, and for blood-clotting disorders. We'll do one test - and this one isn't covered by insurance - to check for enzymes in your endometrial lining that would support a pregnancy.

Andrea: Okay, all those tests sound fine. But you should know, we don't want to freeze or discard any embryos. We want to fertilize a small number of eggs and transfer all the viable embryos.

(silence)

Doctor: Boy, kids. That really, I mean really lowers your success rates to almost nothing. I mean, I understand, I respect where you're coming from. But if you don't give me any out, I can only let you fertilize three eggs. What if they all fertilize? Three embryos is the most I'd be comfortable to transfer, and I can't take the risk of you having more than that.

Andrea: Well, when we talked about all this with Dr. Owlish, he told us that only one out of every five eggs has the genetic material to turn into a viable pregnancy. So he suggested we fertilize 6-8 eggs.

Doctor: Hmm, Dr. Owlish is usually more conservative than me. I can't let you do more than three. What if we end up with four embryos, and you have quadruplets? They'd probably have all sorts of disabilities. They wouldn't be able to take care of themselves, you wouldn't be able to train them. I would haunt you for the rest of your lives. Your lives would be a living hell.

Aaron & Andrea: ... Um, we know the concerns, but our history...

Doctor: I know my numbers. I can't do more than three.

Andrea: Look, we don't want high order multiples, either. But we fertilized four eggs at our previous clinic, and we only ended up with two embryos for a day 3 transfer for our first cycle, and one embryos that barely made it to blasocyst for a day 6 transfer for our second cycle. So doesn't that show...

Doctor: I know my numbers. We're better than your previous clinic. We have much higher pregnancy rates.

Aaron: But doesn't our track record have an influence?

Doctor: Every cycle is different. I know my numbers.

Andrea: So why, if we know fertilizing four of our eggs in the past did not result in four embryos to transfer, would it be different here?

Doctor: Better eggs. Better lab.

Andrea: Well, have you worked with patients who only fertilized three eggs before? What were the results?

Doctor: It runs the gamut. Some end up pregnant. Some don't make it to transfer. We don't have many patients who restrict us this way. I respect your position, but you have to respect that I know my numbers. I can't do more than three. You might be able to find another doctor in this area that would work with you, that would let you fertilize more eggs, but they don't have the success rates that I do. I'm sorry, kids; I know this isn't what you want to hear.

Andrea: (this is going nowhere; let's change the subject) So, we run all these tests during one cycle?

Doctor: Yes. (standing up to leave) So call on day one and we'll get you started.

Aaron & Andrea: Wait! Dr. Owlish also suggested donor embryos?

Doctor: Hmm, that's really rare. Nobody wants to do that.

Aaron & Andrea: more questions...

Doctor: more non-answers... Good luck! (exit)

(end scene)


So, how do you interpret the conversation? We were less than pleased. Whether he's right or wrong about the number of eggs we should fertilize (and I'm inclined to think he's wrong, because we know what happened with four eggs fertilized), he is not the kind of doctor I feel comfortable working with. Though this was the first time we met, he didn't do any introductions and he never addressed us by name. He didn't really listen to anything we said, and he seems far more concerned with his precious numbers than with the individual patients sitting in front of him. I'm trying, with mixed success, not to be angry at this doctor. I'm glad that my confidence is not in doctors but in God, who does hear me. Our plan, at this point, is to go ahead with all the tests (doesn't hurt to gather more information) while researching other doctors in the area and considering our next steps.

Oh, and I think the blog nickname for this particular medical professional will be Dr. Ego.

31 Words

I was tagged by Mustard Seed Baby for this post. The rules state that I should answer each question with one word. I might cheat by hyphenating some!

1. Where is your cell phone? windowsill
2. Your significant other? charming
3. Your hair? wavy
4. Your mother? Dutch
5. Your father? Dutch
6. Your favorite thing? books
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? properly-prepared-tea
9. Your dream/goal? heaven
10. The room you're in? home-office
11. Your hobby? blogging!
12. Your fear? chidlessness
13. Where to you want to be in six years? here
14. What you're not? extroverted
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. One of your wish list items? this
17. Where you grew up? everywhere
18. The last thing you did? laundry
19. What are you wearing? skirt
20. Favorite gadget? immersion-blender
21. Your pet? none
22. Your computer? laptop
23. Your mood? weekend-ready
24. Missing someone? Wacoans
25. Your car? Ion
26. Something you are not wearing? socks
27. Favorite store? Ann-Taylor-Loft
28. Like someone? Michael Kitchen
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? morning
31. Last time you cried? July?

Consider yourself tagged if you read this and want to give it a try. Happy weekend!

He Knows. He's Good.

"...then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials..." (2 Peter 2:9)

I read that verse on Monday morning, before going in for my beta but knowing the results would likely be negative. That phrase, "then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials," is one full of implicit questions and answers about suffering.

When faced with affliction, most of us wrestle with challenging questions. Why has God let this happen? Why won't God stop this, take this pain away? Can God control the sorrow that batters me? If he can but doesn't, can I trust him?

We need, I need, to hold tightly to two handles. The first handle is God's sovereignty, his powerful ability to control all things in heaven and on earth. Nothing happens apart from his decision. The second handle is God's goodness. Many of us only have a grip on that second handle. I think that, within contemporary Christianity at least, the most common answer to questions about suffering is that God is good and loving and would put an end to all our problems if he could, but, well, he's just not strong enough to do that. I understand how alluring that seeming solution is, but that? Isn't God. And it's ultimately a sloppy sop of comfort. If God is powerful but not good, we're all in trouble. If God is kindly but impotent, our trials are hopeless. But, praise him, he is both! He is King, and he is Love. When I suffer, I have to hang on to both handles of God's sovereignty and goodness, dangling in the paradox of the space between them, mid-air in affliction but sure of the One to whom my soul clings.

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. I am not stuck in the maze of infertility, following a God who doesn't know the way, can't see around the walls, and keeps running into dead ends. He knows how to get me out. He hasn't yet, but that's not because he takes sadistic pleasure in watching me scurry from bend to bend, corner to corner. It's because he knows the best way to rescue me. That way may be longer and have more twists than I would like, but the path that looks quickest and easiest to me would get me lost. He made the maze, and he'll lead me through it and out of it. He knows how to rescue me, and at just the right time, he will. He is a proven, wise, compassionate rescuer.

The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. He knows, and he's putting that knowledge to good use.

We Called It "The Dress Car." Because It Was So Fancy.

Back in June, I wrote about how my first response to a day full of challenges was, "What next, Lord? Are you going to cause one of our cars to explode?..." Well, it turns out that was a strangely prescient though not altogether accurate thought. Today we found out that one of our cars was in fact on the brink of exploding!

Aaron's car had a leaking tire on Friday. He filled it with that fix-a-flat stuff and drove it home from work, but he noticed that it seemed wobblier than usual. Usual being not-wobbly, except when you go over a bump in the road. So we got a recommendation for a mechanic near our new home and made an appointment. "Brake problems," we thought, "or maybe suspension." Then the mechanic called. The back frame of the car is split in two. "If you had hit one big bump," he said (Hi! We live in the Midwest, where we grow pot-holes as big as Rhode Island! And we had the pot-hole-iest winter ever this year! And many of the roads haven't been fixed yet!) "...you could have punctured your gas tank and..." FIERY DEATH!!! "We don't recommend repairing the car," he went on to say.

I'm so grateful the Lord protected us from an EXPLODING CAR and FIERY DEATH!!!

Oh, Subaru, mostly green (though Aaron thinks you're blue) except in the parts where you got rusty (and Aaron patched you up and painted you... blue), we'll miss you and your 219,000 miles.

Anybody selling a commuter car for cheap?

I See Phelps's 8 and Raise Him 1

That is, if I can set my nine* failed assisted reproduction cycles against his eight gold medals. It's hard to say which accomplishment required more effort, endurance, and sacrifice.

Today's results were negative, in case you didn't catch that.

I'm disappointed and wondering what comes next, but still in faith for whatever the Lord has in store for us.

I read these words this morning before I left for the clinic, words that I want to be increasingly true of me, words that are being worked in me by God through this lingering trial of infertility:

"Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
(Psalm 73:25-26)

*ten, if you count the IUI that was converted to timed intercourse due to an insurance requirement being missed

Accept No Gospel Substitutes!

A couple Sundays ago, Tab preached a most helpful message from Hebrews 9:15-28. You can listen to the message here. The main point was that, when it comes to relating to God, there is no substitute for the gospel, the finished work of Christ. We often think of the gospel as a one-time thing, what brings us to God when we first become believers. But the gospel isn't just the gateway of first-time access to God; it's the gateway for our everyday relationship with God. Unfortunately, we're all prone to substitute other things for the finished work of Christ, thinking we need to add to the gospel or move on to something new. Tab highlighted three "gospel substitutes;" I'm going to focus on two of them.

The first gospel substitute is self-reliance. We think there is something we can do, even have to do, that will bring us to God. Do you ever think that, because you didn't make time to pray in the morning, you can't be close to the Lord or get help from him on a certain day? Or do you think that you have to work up some specific emotion in order to connect with God while singing worship? That's the gospel substitute of self-reliance. That's forgetting that faith is not based on our works but on Christ's work. What's the remedy in those times when we think our relationship with God depends on something we do? We have to go back to the gospel. Jesus appears in the presence of God on our behalf (v. 24); he has a permanent place in heaven securing the way to God. We don't have to do anything to relate to God. We simply, completely rely on the access bought by Christ's sacrifice.

The second gospel substitute is self-atonement. This is the highly insidious belief that we have to make up for our sins before we can relate to God. As if we even could! Yet we give into the lie again and again. Here's what it looks like: We sin; then, we think we have to wait to draw near to God until we've stopped sinning. ("I can't pray for help when I still feel so angry at my husband!") Or, we think we have to wait to draw near to God until we feel forgiven. ("Yes, I confessed that sin to God. But he won't really forgive me and help me change unless I feel bad enough about what I've done.") Don't we all think those kind of thoughts? When we do, we're making our own (in)ability to atone for our sins a substitute for the gospel. What's the antidote? We remind ourselves that Jesus has appeared once for all to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself (v. 26). His once-for-all sacrifice leaves no room for any extra sacrifices we try to make to pay for our sins. What joy and freedom this good news brings!

I'm so glad to be at a church where I hear the regular call to accept no substitutes for the gospel. I've needed these truths during a busy season of moving, infertility treatments, and family visits. I'm going to continue needing these truths every day of my life, so that I can keep growing in the grace to rely on Christ and not myself.

Mixed Messages

Last Wednesday, I visited the clinic for a post-IUI scan of my ovaries. The first time I did an IUI at this office, the nurse told me that the purpose of the ultrasound was to see if I was producing enough progesterone. If the ovaries measured above a certain size, that indicated sufficient progesterone production. If the ovaries measured smaller than the desired size, then an HCG booster shot would need to be administered. The nurse I saw this past week gave me a completely different interpretation of this scan and its purposes. According to her, my enlarged ovaries mean that I am slightly hyper-stimulated and that it is not safe for me to take the standard-protocol HCG booster. So according to the first explanation, a bigger ovary measurement is a good thing; way to go, ovaries, no more HCG needed! But according to the second explanation, a bigger ovary measurement is bad news; sorry, no more nice HCG for you. Which is it? I don't know. How much affect does it have on the ultimate outcome of the cycle? I don't know that either. But I'm content to wait and see; I go in for the beta on Monday.

"But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness."
(Psalm 69:13)

Learning How to Use My "New" Oven

I declared the pork done when it caught fire.

Had I but Internet Enough, and Time

Faced with technical difficulties (a dysfunctional laptop, an Internet connection that spontaneously swapped its user name and password with another account to the bafflement of the good people at tech support) and a full schedule when I wasn't trying to straighten those issues out, I was unable to post last week. Over the next few days, I plan publish the things I wanted to write last week, from the frivolous to the medical to the spiritual, in no particular order.

Laissez-Faire Attitude Exhibit B: I Took My Trigger Shot an Hour Late on Friday and Didn't Get Anxious about It

Thanks to those who prayed for our IUI yesterday morning! The Lord mercifully caused things to go quite smoothly, despite the fact that we were exhausted when the alarm sounded and not eager for the whole IUI process. We didn't have as rushed of a morning as we often experience on IUI day. We made it to the clinic with ample time, and we were even seen early, which meant we could make it to church.

In keeping with my new, accidental laissez-faire attitude toward this cycle, I didn't pay too much attention to the report of the sperm counts for the IUI. They gave me numbers, but I honestly couldn't remember what the ranges are for good motility and post-wash count, and I didn't feel like asking. So the numbers were just... meaningless numbers. I started to look up the information this morning, then I decided that I didn't really have time to search around. Yes, knowing what kind of counts we had for this IUI might give me some idea of what to expect, but simply knowing the numbers and statistics won't affect the outcome of the procedure. So I'll just wait in blissful, distracted-by-settling-our-home ignorance.

As we sang yesterday morning in church:

We offer our lives to proclaim
What a Savior!

Anything can happen with this IUI, as long as it results in a proclamation of the greatness and kindness of Christ.

I Probably Didn't Really Have Time to Re-Write Showtune Lyrics, Anyway

At this morning's follicle check and blood draw, the nurses thought I would likely be on Follistim and Repronex for another day, back for blood and ultrasound tomorrow, then probably scheduled for a Monday IUI. I had run out of Repronex, so I had to "borrow" some from the clinic in case I needed it tonight. On my drive home, I began composing alternate lyrics to the Les Miserables tune, "One Day More," to post as a description of the pending plan. I could hear the different sections - me, the patient, in place of Valjean, the nurses in place of the Thenardiers (no insult to the nurses intended; their instructions just fit the rhythm) - joining in a glorious, swelling medley of assisted reproductive technologies. When I stopped to fill up the tank of my car, I was trying to think of rhymes for "ovary," "Follistim," and "Repronex" - not an easy task. I filed the idea away to come back to after work.

Then I checked my patient voicemail box, and found out that the doctor actually wants me to stop meds, to take the HCG trigger shot tonight, and to come in for the IUI on Sunday. So much for my new Broadway hit! Please pray for us on Sunday morning.

(For those who like the numbers, here's the run-down: two 17mm follicles on the left, a few 13s on the right, and E2 at 1023.)

(Also, it bothers me that I don't have accent marks in the proper places for all the French words and names, but I don't have time to figure out how to do that right now; please imagine little slanted hash marks.)

Courtesy of Unpacking and Search Engines

While unpacking some miscellaneous desk items, I unearthed a post-it note on which I had scribbled some of the odder phrases that led people to my blog through search engines. Without further ado, I present the list.

IVF and pepper (huh?)

OB-GYN Christmas jingles (huh? two times!)

perfect me heart motives (sanctification for pirates!)

entrusted picture dictionary (how would you draw a picture of "entrusted"?)

want to be infertile (trust me, honey, you don't)

arrested development in the emotions of an embryo (I... don't even know what to say about that one)

Those of you who've been following along for a while will be glad to know that people are still stumbling upon my site when looking for:

chicken reproductive system pictures

And now, also:

artichoke reproduction system

I hope the chickens and artichokes are more successful at reproducing than I've proven to be!

Oh Yeah, There's More to Our Lives than Home-Ownership

So, not only did we move into our new house this weekend (hello, boxes that are still everywhere!), I also started medications and appointments for a new IUI cycle. A friend who was helping me unpack our kitchen laughed at the initial contents of our new fridge - a large jug of water, a bowl of leftover potato salad (from a night we had spent painting at the house), four boxes of Follistim, and one box of Repronex. Rather telling of our priorities at the moment!

I don't think I've mentioned this yet on the blog, but Dr. Owlish has left the practice (he moved to be closer to family, so I guess I can't begrudge him that). It was disappointing, as we had been so pleased to start seeing him, but we trust God's timing. I've been handed over to the other doctor at the clinic, but I haven't actually seen him yet (and may not for some time, who knows?). He's a very respected doctor in the field, nationally, so I assume I'm in good hands, but I don't know if we will click with him personality-wise in the same way we did with Dr. Owlish. Anyway, the new-to-me RE reviewed my charts from the cycles I did with Dr. Owlish, and he decided to add Repronex into the medicine mix. I don't really know what it does, but I've been too swamped with all the house stuff to worry about asking. It's another injectable drug, one that I mix myself. Then I squirt the Follistim into the same syringe, so I only have to give myself one shot total instead of one for each medicine. It makes for a lot of needle juggling, especially once I've sterilized things and don't want to set them back down! I've taken this combination of meds for three days now, and a check-up today showed dozens of small-to-medium follicles on each side (the largest were 13, 12, and 10 mm) and an E2 level of 202. I'll continue the same doses (75 IU of Follistim, 37.5 IU of Repronex) for three more days and go back for ultrasound and bloodwork on Friday.

It's kind of strange to have infertility treatments feel like an afterthought, amidst all the business of settling our new home, but I'm grateful for the temporary shift in focus. I pray, of course, that the upcoming IUI will be successful, but I have such abundant evidence of God's kindness all about me right now that it's easy to trust him for the future. No matter what happens, I know that he has positioned us well for whatever will come next.

Look at That! My House Matches My Blog

Here are some pictures of our house! We put in some long days of work on it over the weekend. This week, we have contractors in to work on the basement and the hardwood floors. We move in on Saturday. I'll post a variety of before and after pictures of the interior soon.

After More Delays and Obstacles Than I Would Have Thought Possible

We're buying a house this afternoon!

What are you doing today, big or small?

$50,000 to $0: How We Did It

(Grab a cup of tea; this is a long one! I'm answering the questions about how we paid off our debt as a Works-For-Me-Wednesday post.)

Thanks for all the congratulations on paying off our debt! Several asked how we did it. It began when, a little less then a year into our marriage, our church hosted a Money Wise Workshop*, given by Tom Werth (now on staff at CrossWay Community Church in Kenosha, WI). At the time, ironically enough, Aaron had just lost his job, so we couldn't begin to apply much of the information until a few months later when he had full time work again. Still, we gained a conviction that being debt-free wasn't just preferable but biblical, and we learned some practical tips to send us toward that goal.

We had a credit card balance from our honeymoon, a handful of student loans (mine were consolidated, Aaron's weren't), and two car loans, all adding up to about $50,000, as best as I can remember. We didn't have a large income at all; that year, our combined earnings were about $45,000. I share that to encourage you that it can be done, even without a huge cash flow.

As our first step, we set up a thorough budget, based on our income after taxes and giving to our local church. We cut out just about every extra - clothes, eating out, etc. During that time, we asked our family, in lieu of regular birthday and Christmas gifts, to give us gift cards to favorite stores and restaurants; that helped to give us little splurges that we couldn't otherwise afford. We did what we could to keep our living expenses to a minimum (affordable rent on a small apartment; the most basic phone plan; no internet at home - we used the library; a strict grocery budget that sometimes meant we ate nothing but eggs, pancakes, and pasta at the end of the month).

Once the budget was in place, we asked some financially-sound friends to help us make a plan to pay off our various loans. They gave us some advice that actually went counter to some of the conventional wisdom but that worked well for us. For instance, one recommended that we pay our credit card off before starting any "emergency fund" type savings; his reasoning was that the interest rates on a savings account were so much lower than the interest we were paying on our debt that we would actually lose money by saving. So we paid off our credit card first, as quickly as we could, then started an emergency fund (the standard 3-months-worth of living expenses) to save for things like car repairs, job loss, etc. Another friend (and a CPA to boot) recommended that, rather than following the course of paying off the loan with the highest interest rate first, we pay the loans off essentially from smallest to largest. This had a huge impact, because we were able to quickly escalate payments on each loan.

Here's how that worked: Aaron had one small student loan (about $1000, I think) for which we only paid about $10 per month. We paid up on that as much as we could and were able to pay it off fairly quickly. Now, we rolled that $10 a month into the payment for the next loan, another small student loan on which we owed $30 per month. That one was paid off fairly quickly, too, and it motivated us quite a bit to see the progress of having two fewer bills to pay. We added $40 per month (the combined amounts from the two loans now paid off) to a car payment, meaning we paid something like $190 per month instead of the required $150. It took a while longer, but after we paid off that car, the snowball effect of the cumulative payments really took off. By adding the now freed up $190 per month to our other car payment (which was set at $175), we paid that car off in half the time of the 5-year term of the loan. At that point, we turned to tackle our two largest student loans (originally about $13,000 and $20,000 respectively). Again, adding all the previous payments no longer owed to the monthly payment on those loans (one at a time), we paid about $450-500 per month toward the first loan, and eventually about $1000 per month toward the second loan. We couldn't always make the big payments (like at Christmas-time, when we had extra expenses in the form of travel and gifts), but we paid as much as we could every month, and the effect was enormous!

During that whole process, we used any unexpected windfalls to pay whatever loan we were targeting at the time; tax refunds, Christmas bonuses, and the like took big bites out of those loans. We started out paying off our loans with very slow, small steps, but eventually we could take long strides and pay down debt quickly. When we began, our debt seemed insurmountable and I felt we'd never be done with it; but it only took five years!

As our income increased over time (although we still make a very moderate living) and our debt decreased, we were able to build non-essentials back into the budget, although we still keep those to a minimum (i.e. $50 per month for clothing, $60 per month for eating out). We don't buy things unless we have cash in the bank for them, and we use debit for most purchases. The only occasional exception is travel; we might put part of a vacation on credit, but we determine to pay off the balance within a month or two at the most. Once we take on a mortgage, we'll have to tighten the budget again, but now we know we can do it, by God's grace. We certainly couldn't have stewarded our finances this way without help, and I hope that by sharing these details some of you are helped, too!

*It looks like you can download the seminar audio and workbook for this workshop from our related church, Covenant Life, here.

"Madness" and "Craziness" Are the Two Words Most Frequently Uttered in Our Household Right Now

I'll spare you the details, but here's a status report from the past week of our efforts to buy a house.

Tuesday: We think the sale will fall through.

Wednesday: We might get the house!

Thursday: We think the sale will fall through.

[Insert holiday weekend.]

Monday: We might get the house!

Tuesday: Negotiations are still up in the air, but we're engaged in a mad scramble to pull everything together to possibly close next week.

Please pray for us!

Approximately $50,000 to $0 in 5 Years

As of today, we are completely and gloriously debt free! We just paid off the balance of our last school loan, so now we have no education debt, no car payments, no credit card balances, no mortgage, nothing owed to anyone. We're so grateful for the teaching we received early on in our marriage about the principles of financial stewardship and for the money-savvy friends who helped us put together a practical plan to pay everything off as soon as possible. Thank you, Lord, for providing!

Orange-Avocado Salsa

For the Five-Ingredients-or-Less edition of Works for Me Wednesday, I thought I'd share this orange-avocado salsa, a summer favorite of ours. We like to serve it over grilled chicken breasts with rice, but I bet it would be tasty with fish or pork chops, too.

Orange-Avocado Salsa

1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp honey
2 large navel oranges
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 avocado, pitted and diced*

In a medium bowl, whisk lime juice & honey together. Season w/ salt & pepper (I know, those weren't on the ingredients list, but that would have made for seven ingredients rather than five; shhh!). Set aside.

Cut up the oranges: Slice of both ends of each orange. Following the curve of the fruit, cut away the peel and pith. Quarter the oranges (basically, cut an X lengthwise through the core of the orange, if that makes sense), then lay each half (two of the quartered sections) flat and slice sections 1/4" thick; this will give you a bunch of little orange triangles.

Add orange pieces, onion and avocado to honey-lime mixture. Toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

*This may be obvious, but here's how I dice an avocado. Use a chef's knife to cut the avocado in half vertically, curving around the pit. Separate the two halves, then whack the pit with your knife (this is why I use my big, nicely weighted chef's knife for this task); twist to remove pit. Now, cut 1/4-1/2" dice into each avocado half, without slicing through the skin. Use a spoon to scoop the dice from the skin of each half. Nice and neat!

Progressing Towards Home

We were finally able to get a variety of professionals in to the house at the end of last week. That process was a comedy of errors that felt more like a tragedy at the time - locks changed on the house so we couldn't get in for the first appointment, miscommunication about the rescheduled appointment so that we weren't all in the same place at the same time, and so on. The realtor, an air tester, an HVAC professional, a mold assessor, and I all managed to converge on Friday. Conclusion? The furnace, which wasn't working at our original inspection, was repaired by the seller; it's still an ancient, inefficient piece of machinery, but it's safe and it works. The air test showed the presence of mold spores common after basement flooding, but it's not toxic and the levels aren't too high; it still needs to be addressed, but it's not a major health hazard. And the mold assessor judged that the only areas of the basement that definitely need remediation are the bathroom and storage area, although we asked for a quote for the whole basement to be safe. All in all, we feel much better having a more realistic picture of the works that the house needs, and we were reassured to find out that not everything has to be done up front. We're asking the seller to remediate the mold, so please pray that those negotiations go well (and quickly!) this week. If we reach an agreement on that, and if Aaron and I feel like we're not taking on too many future projects, then we'll move forward. I'm ready to be done with this whole process!

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (2 Cor. 5:1).