Sorry ikester, I just have a small quibble with this:

There is a small confusion here with what is being studied, what is a process, what is a theory, and what is being used as evidence.

We study evolution in the present day, where it can be tested, measured, quantified, etc.

Evolution is the change in hereditary traits in populations from generation to generation. You agree that this process occurs, that it is an ongoing process of life.

As populations evolve they sometimes split into two or more subpopulations, which then have different accumulations of new mutations. When these subpopulations do not interbreed when given the opportunity we say that speciation has occurred. You also agreed with this process and concurred that it happens and has been observed, that it too is an ongoing process of life.

When we get to the fossil record we are not studying the ongoing process of life, but the natural history record of what has happened on this planet in the past (historical, pre-historical, geological, etc): we are observing what has already happened rather than what is happening.

You can take all the known fossils in the world and arrange them by location (lat/long/depth), no knowledge of biology needed, no presumption of evolution or creation or any other process, as this is the record of what has happened in earths past. This is evidence of objective reality: it's not going to change if evolution is true or false, it's not going to change if creationism is true or false.

Enjoy.