Checkmarks & College Funds

Kind of creepy, right?

I pulled this out of our mailbox a few nights ago. 

For a moment, it took my breath away. Am I ready? 

Then, who are you (whoever this was) to question my readiness?

I pulled the flyer open. Ooooh, I see. They know I'm not "ready" yet. Wanna know how? 

Because I haven't yet ordered my free diaper bag and some kind of can't-possibly-have-a-baby-without-these wipes or something. 

Phew. 

I thought it was a test or something - that I would have to carefully consider the question... then essentially check that intimidating box off. Or not, and then live with myself.

I don't know if I'm ready. To be honest, that's probably not a great question to ask. 

If you ask it in public, I will give you the expected "ooh, can we ever really be ready?!" Then we'll laugh together in that haha-so-true kind of way. 

If you ask me in private with a very serious face, I will probably say the same thing... only with a serious face too. Then we'll share a prolonged gaze and nod to each other in that depth-of-understanding kind of way.

But I'm proud today to announce that Ryan and I are ready in one of the ways! Here's the way:

First of all, you need to understand that Ry and I have chronic troubles making decisions. We always try to find the best option (well, Ry does most of the research to find all of the options, then I try to find the cheapest one). But sometimes the best option takes for-EH-ver to find. And eventually, as you know, you just pick something. And most of the time, it works out and you wish you wouldn't have taken so long to get there.

Like our wedding date, for example. We went back and forth for-EH-ver on if Saturday or Sunday was the better choice. Like, literally for months. Who cares, right?! I mean, just pick a date and let people know. 

Anyways, back to how we're ready in one way: 

We heard the fantastic idea a few months ago that sometime before you have your first child, you should try to do something memorable as a couple. Perhaps you've heard it called a baby-moon. Cute. 

So we've been considering a few options. The criteria: low-budget (can't spend the baby's college fund just so we can get away together). (Ha, gotcha. You think we're actually organized enough to have a college fund set up?!). Other criteria: ground travel. I'll be past that marker where you can no longer load your belly onto the plane. Too heavy or something, I guess?

Anyways, Ry found a sweet deal on Groupon for a hotel on the Oregon coast... So. We put our heads together... and booked it! Done. Check. We're going, and we know when! 

How liberating. Good for us. 

{Any of our family members on either side reading this are probably slow-clapping for us right now, I imagine}.

Let's head back to the beginning of this post for a moment: 

I suppose the other possibility - which would render the above unnecessary - is that the picture was supposed to be the baby saying "Deb, are you ready?" (yeah, no way am I letting our baby call me Deb) after I say, while laughing to myself because of what is about to happen, "Pull my finger!... {insert adolescent giggle here}".