Nostalgic and Celebratory

Yesterday evening I was feeling nostalgic and celebratory... and these feelings may last for the duration of the weekend.

One year ago --
I had just decided to go ahead and spend 2013 working... working on earning my Orientation and Mobility Certification.  Chris and I had come together and discussed a lot of options and decided that 2013 would mean graduate school for both of us... and a huge commitment from both of us for me to earn this O&M degree.

We knew that, if all things worked out perfectly, I could complete the ENTIRE degree in less than 12 months, and by December 2013, I would be a fully certified O&M instructor, and it would be DONE!  I would have the qualifications to open new doors, and serve in new ways, and NOW was the time.  This was not a degree I wanted to get around to doing when we had young children, or when our children were in school.  2013 was the year to complete this.

That being said, we KNEW it was going to be a rough year.  I was working 50+ hours a week, and would need to complete an online class during the Spring semester (Jan-April).  Then, looking ahead, we knew that right after I finished the school year on Friday, I would have to move to Greeley for a month-long blindfold class all of June.  Then, the rest of the summer would need to consist of two practicum placements -- only the Lord knew where.  Coming back for another school year of teaching in Rifle, I would still have one last practicum placement to complete... and somewhere in there, I had to pass a University comp exam research paper.  THEN, after ALL THAT, I still had to pass a National O&M Certification Exam.

But, Hubby and I felt that this was the year to do it.  We felt that God was giving us a nudge to have me do this NOW.

We had no idea how we were going to pay for it -- tuition, travel costs, living costs for all the different practicum placements, exam costs.  We just knew God would provide, and now was the time.

... that was all one year ago...

Fast forward to Memorial Day Weekend... the last week of school... the week before I leave my husband for Greeley, CO to be blindfolded for a month.  Hubby and I found out were were expecting our first baby.  We were thrilled by the event -- and flummoxed by the timing.  Seriously?!?!  My first trimester of my first pregnancy was going to be spent away from my husband, BLINDFOLDED, learning to travel with a cane, then away from my husband in TUCSON, in JULY, all alone?!?!?!

Nevertheless, the plan was to continue with the O&M certification as planned.  If things went smoothly with my pregnancy, AND my O&M program, I would be fully certified before the baby was born, and we were very happy about that timing -- if everything (pregnancy and classes) went according to plan.  We worked with my doctors, and learned the dos and don'ts of so much work and travel and stress... and we stuck to the plan.  The plan for me to be fully certified by the end of 2013.

I was first-trimester sick (not to mention HOT) in Greeley and Tucson.  I was growing out of my clothes in Michigan.  Hubby and I felt the baby move for the first times in Austin.  And yesterday, nearly 30 weeks pregnant, as I took the National O&M Certification Exam, the baby was dancing and kicking like crazy.  I'm not sure if he/she knew we were finally to the end of a very long process, or if he/she was trying to tell me the right answers in Morse code.

Today, as I reflect on this past year, I am so grateful for God's faithfulness through this degree, and so proud of myself for completing it so quickly and so well.  I met all the University qualifications, I traveled from coast to coast to have quality practicum placements, I wrote a killer research paper to pass my University Comp Exam, and I passed the National Certification Test.  I am SO GLAD IT IS OVER, and I am proud of the job I did.

To be completely honest, I do not know exactly what way this certification might be used in the next few years.  Hubby and I have a lot of decisions we're praying about with the arrival of our new baby... but now, I HAVE the certification.  There are jobs I can consider today that I couldn't consider a year ago.  There are people I can help today that I couldn't help a year ago.

I look at the remainder of 2013, and I am SOOOO excited that I actually finished this certification BEFORE the end of 2013.  I have 6 weeks left of the year that I get to prepare for Christmas, organize for the baby, make arrangements for maternity leave, and ENJOY the holidays!

This year would not have been possible without the love, support, and encouragement of my Hubby.  He supported me every step of the way, he believed in me when I didn't, and he had faith when I doubted.  He ran the roost at our home while I was gone, and assured me that my students, our life, our home, our critters, our baby, and our marriage could withstand my absence and our time a part from each other.

WHAT A YEAR!

Studying

Lloyd was supervising my studying over the weekend -- making sure I was doing my work.

Any free moment I have had this week... and several moments that weren't really free have been spent studying for the national Orientation and Mobility (O&M) certification exam.

This is a culmination of all the course work I have completed since this past January, and before to learn how to teach children and adults who are blind how to travel, with a white cane, safely and as independently as possible.

To avoid confusion, I CAN teach O&M without taking (or passing this certification test).  Having completed my University coursework is qualification enough for teaching; however, if I wanted to work with other ages, or for a different company, this national certification would be invaluable.  I might as well take the test while just coming out of my university coursework and while the information is fresh in my mind.

So, Friday morning I will be taking this certification test.
Three hours.
One hundred forty questions.
Multiple choice.
One agency that prides itself on the number of people who fail on their first attempt.

Please pray for:

• many hours to study today
• a clear head with which to study
• the Lord's guidance on what to study and what to retain
• a good night's sleep tonight
• a chance to adequately demonstrate my knowledge and skill on the test
• a clear head and calm body (and baby) during the test
• that I pass this certification test with flying colors

I'll keep you posted.

Weekend Fun

Last weekend Chris and I had fun preparing for hunting... and blasting away the drop-off study guide I used for my O&M drop-off assignment.

Remember this study guide from June from my blindfold drop-off?

It was symbolic, cathartic, therapeutic, and AWESOME.

Plus... my hubby videoed it... because he thinks its really hot when his pregnant wife has fun shooting guns.

Without further ado... here was some fun from our weekend:

Friday Letters: YAY FRIDAY!

• Dear Friday, This is my LAST Friday in Austin, and I am SO excited!  But, unlike other practicum placements, I'm not excited because I'm counting down the days to go home... I'm excited because I have worked really hard this week, and I'm excited for Friday Fun with my Austin friends, and then an awesome Austin weekend ahead.  That is such a nice feeling!
• Dear Baby Jitterbug, I absolutely LOVE feeling you move around in my belly.  I can tell you're bigger than you were last week because I feel pokes and jabs higher up in my stomach than before.  I will say, it makes me a little nervous to think about how big and strong you're going to get.  These tiny, gentle pokes will be a distant memory soon.
• Dear Practicum Lessons, I video-taped my LAST practicum lesson yesterday and I'm SOOOO happy to have it done.  I still have to do several written assignments about the lesson I taped, but I SEE THE LIGHT at the end of the tunnel, and it is not an on-coming semi... it is really a light that I am almost done with this entire O&M certification.
• Dear Hubby, I GET TO SEE YOU IN SIX DAYS!!!!!
• Dear Michigan Football, You boys have not been playing too well this season.  I know your record is 4-0... but we want your wins to be impressive... not depressing.  Let's try to work on that, please.
• Dear Lexie, Your daddy tells me that anytime you hear my voice on speaker phone and facetime, you come running to the phone.  That is the sweetest thing, and I miss you too, Lexie Girl!
• Dear Lloydey, Have a great time out camping with Daddy this weekend, and keep each other safe.
• Dear St. Louis Cardinals, Congrats on the start of your post-season.  World Series or Bust!
• Dear Austin Weather, I've appreciated the chance to fashion some summer maternity clothes while I'm here... so I'll cherish my last 6 days in your heat and humidity... but I will be glad to return to my beautiful Colorado October snow storms very soon.
• Dear October, Welcome Friend.
• Dear Fellow Interns, It has been fun getting to know you.  You'll all be here longer than I will, but I hope we have a few more chances to hang out before I head out.

Friday Letters: One Week in Austin Down

•  Dear Austin,  Thanks for a great first week.  I'm exhausted, but we're off to a great start... and my time with you is 1/3 of the way over!
• Dear Texas State Fair, HERE I COME THIS WEEKEND!!!!
• Dear Hubby, I will be back in your arms in less than two weeks.  I miss you like crazy...
• Dear Lexie and Lloyd, Life without animals is not a life I care to lead for very long.
• Dear Grey's Anatomy,  You start WAY too late for this tired pregnant lady.
• Dear Baby Jitterbug, I have loved feeling your little jabs and pokes this weeks.  You make me feel like there is a creature in my belly, dancing and squirming and trying to create more room.
• Dear Feet, You are so tired.  You could really use a foot rub from your hubby.  You could really use a foot rub from your hubby like every night this past week.
• Dear Grad School, Every day, I get close to BEING DONE WITH YOU!  When I complete that last assignment, the feeling will be SO sweet!
• Dear Vail, You got snow this week.  I'm sorry I missed it.
• Dear Austin, You are really hot this time of year.  I'm not really sure how to dress for your weather.

Wednesday

Today, I am SO glad its Wednesday because it means I am halfway through my first week in Austin.  That's not to say my practicum placement here isn't off to a great start -- it definitely is. 

That being said, I have been here since Saturday, and so I've spent so many more nights here than I have working days.  Yesterday morning, after spending four nights sleeping in Texas without my hubby, I couldn't believe it was only my second day of work.  I've been here long enough that it REALLY needs to be halfway through my first week by now.

The other good thing about Wednesday is that Monday and Tuesday I work 11-7, but Wednesday-Friday, I work 7:45-3:45.  So although Tuesday  night has a fast turnaround -- about 12 hours between leaving work and reporting the next day, it means that I can actually get out and explore a little of Austin or run some errands Wednesday afternoon.

... And... as ashamed as I am to say it... the other bright spot of Wednesday are the season premiers/shows that are on tonight:
Modern Family
Nashville
Duck Dynasty

Happy Hump Day!

Off Again...

I'm off again...

this time to Austin, Texas for my LAST Orientation and Mobility Practicum placement.

I am up, down, back, forth, and inside out about leaving.

I am ready to finish my practicum.  I am READY to check this off my list.  I have worked SO HARD in order to be able to be away for three weeks, and so I feel like THAT was the hard part -- all these weeks and weeks and weeks of preparation... going to Austin and completing this FINAL placement is the easy part.

I have so many fun and exciting things to look forward to in Texas -- time with my best friend, football games -- starting tonight, I'm going to the Kansas State v. Texas game!!!  I am going to one of the premiere places for vision research in the country and I will have such an amazing opportunity to learn things not only about Orientation and Mobility, but also about teaching students with visual impairments in general.  This really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.

Three weeks is a long time to be away from my husband.  This trip isn't a long weekend, or a conference, or even a week -- three weeks is a LONG time.  I miss my home, my animals, the man who is the love of my life.

When I was freshman in college, for Spring Break, I toured Cuba with the choir.  It was amazing, but during the last day before I left on this trip, a male friend of mine started blurring the line between friends and more than friends.  I remember not wanting to leave him to go to Cuba, and as soon as I had those thoughts, I just told myself that this was unacceptable.  I remember walking across campus, and I told myself that I was headed to CUBA, and I was not even going to think about this guy until I came back.  I was going to have the time of my life in Cuba, and this guy was not going to rob me of this amazing experience.

I want to give myself a similar talk as I board the plane to Austin... but this isn't some guy who might become more than a friend... this is my husband.  This is the man I've chosen for the rest of my life.  This is the man is the one who's child I am carrying.

Austin, here I come.
I am up, down, back, forth, and inside out about leaving.

Anticipation...

One week from today, I will be in Austin, Texas ready to start my final Orientation and Mobility practicum experience.

As I think ahead at this week, I am completely torn.  I am trying to be excited for all that I am going to learn, and the fun I am going to have.  I am trying to be excited for a few weeks off of my normal job, and in a completely new place.  I am heartbroken at the idea of being away from my husband, and it is A LOT of work to prepare my students and my job to be away for that time.

I go from being sort of excited about some things planned, to bursting into tears.

Points About 3 Weeks in Austin That Make Me Burst Into Tears:

1. Three weeks AWAY from my hubby -- this is going to be the longest we have ever been a part -- even longer than we were a part when I was in Tucson.  I leave on a Saturday, and return on a Saturday -- so its 3 full weeks away.  Tucson was a Sunday to a Friday.
2. Three weeks away from my critters.  No dog, no cat, NOTHING to greet me when I walk through the door.  Nothing to cuddle and pet at the end of the day.
3. A new school to learn; new teachers to work with; a new area to learn
4. More grad school assignments to do
5. No vehicle in Austin -- if you're reading this and you have a car I could borrow for three weeks while I'm in Austin, PLEASE let me know.  I would be very grateful.
6. Trying to keep track of my Colorado job WHILE I'm in Texas and working full time as an O&M teacher.
7. Austin is hot right now.  Not quite as hot as Tucson, but I don't have very much summer maternity gear... and Austin is really hot right now.
8. Hubby and I have a hard time finding time to talk on the phone when we're both working.  When we don't talk on the phone frequently, I start to make sure that when we do talk, we have arguments instead of conversations.
9. I will miss the physical contact of marriage -- holding hands, a hug hello, a kiss goodbye, and hubby rubbing my belly as it grows.

Points About 3 Weeks in Austin That Make Me Excited:

1. My best friend and maid-of-honor from our wedding lives in Austin and will be less than a mile from where I'm staying.  Kelley and I have not lived in the same town since her Sr. year (my Jr. year) of college at W&L
2.  THIS IS MY LAST, MY LAST PRACTICUM PLACEMENT!!!
3. When I am done with this placement, I AM DONE WITH THIS CERTIFICATION!
4. Kelley and I are making arrangements to see a University of Texas football game, and possibly a Baylor football game while I'm there.
5. Kelley has a church home in Austin, and so I will be able to jump right into her fellowship instead of having to attend church without anyone I know.
6. The school where I will be studying and teaching in Austin produces the majority of the research in this field, and I will have such an opportunity to learn while I'm there.
7. I have friends that live in Dallas, Texas, which a few hours away from Austin.  I will not have a car, but I am hoping they might come see me while I'm just a few hours away.
8. Austin is such a fun city, and I will get a real chance to enjoy three weeks there, with a real local before I have a baby.

I am really trying to focus on the exciting, positive parts of my time away, but it is really hard to be excited to leave my husband.  We're not talking about a long weekend, or a week -- three weeks is a LONG TIME.

I know this is a wonderful opportunity for me.  And I know that Hubby and my marriage is strong enough to survive three weeks a part... but there is a reason I married him.  Life is better WITH him than it is without him.

All of these thoughts and more are running through my head this week, as I prepare for, and anticipate my departure.

 

Summer 2013 Summary

Adios, Summer 2013.

Top row left to right:  Positive pregnancy test; Meeting our little Nugget with our 8 week ultrasound; Hubby and I were a part all of June; Lloyd competed in Dock Dogs

Second row:  Lloyd won a lot of medals; We bought our first outfit for our little baby; I completed my blindfold course; I saw my grandmother in Arizona

Third row:  Our niece, Zivah, entered the world; We were in St. Louis when Zivah arrived; While I was living in Tucson, I got to live with a tiny little dog about the size of our cat

Fourth row:  Hubby flew to Arizona to help me drive to Michigan; We were finally reunited with our Lexie-Girl; Momma had her 60th birthday; We announced to the internet world that we are expecting a baby

There are the good parts of the summer.  In between the lines feel free to read "working hard, time away from my husband, nausea, exhaustion, heat, and studying."

Gratitude: DAY 20

DAY 20!!!

Today is my last day in Tucson.

I HAVE MADE IT!

My bags are packed, my car is loaded -- I just have one more 8 hour day to work and I head North to Phoenix to see my love.

Today, I am grateful for a sense of accomplishment, and the relief that comes from a little time off.  Sure, my time off will be spent driving from one end of the country to another, and preparing for my next practicum placement that starts in 9 days... but I am going to try to not let those factors detract from my accomplishment and relief.

I will try to continue blogging as Hubby and I travel, because it's a nice habit, but no promises as we sojourn cross country.

I get to see my Hubby today.  I cried and cried 20 days ago when he put me on a plane to come to the desert alone for three weeks.  Today, I may just cry and cry when he gets off his plane in the desert to greet me.

Three weeks is WAY too long to be away from the man I love.  Such a fact makes me think about military families who are away from each other for MONTHS and longer.

I know Chris and my greeting to one another will look nothing like this, but I want to share this beautiful video of a solider coming home.  I am so grateful that there are men and women who work away from their families protecting our freedom.  I am so grateful for the families who carry on and keep the home fires burning while their soldiers are away.  Lord, please bless these families in a very special way, today, and every day.


19.5 days down; 12 hours to go!!!!

Gratitude: Day 15

Today, I am grateful for practice.

Last week I taught A LOT of Orientation and Mobility lessons, and it became very clear to me that I need practice.  My instructors are supervising me, and telling me what things on which I can improve, and they have told me they can tell I came from a strong O&M program... but all of that doesn't account for the practice that I need in simply teaching these skills.

Three years of teaching blind students does not translate to automatically teaching O&M well.  There is a reason this is an entirely separate certification, and why it requires 9 weeks of students teaching -- these people knew what they were doing when they designed this criteria.  I need the practice.

Last week, I had to consciously tell myself several times to focus on MY STUDENT and not look around at the cool downtown of Tucson.  This really takes practice.

As I look ahead to my LAST week in Tucson, I am grateful that I will have more chances to practice teaching and improve my skills before my next 3 week practicum placement.

14 days down; 6 to go!!!

Gratitude: Day 9

Today, I am grateful that my HUGE comprehensive exam research paper for my university O&M program is completed, and submitted!!!

This paper has been hanging over my head all summer.  The way the University handles the comprehensive exam for Orientation and Mobility is to email out two case-studies of different students, and I had one week to write an extensive, comprehensive research paper about how the O&M services for one of these students would look.

The week of comp exams fell last week -- my first week in Tucson, away from my hubby, in a new place, at a new practicum placement.  I was none-too-thrilled at the timing, although I'm not sure when, this summer, I would have chosen to have a huge, comprehensive exam due.

I will find out in about a month if I have passed or failed (I WILL PASS!).  If I pass, all is right with the world.  If I fail, I have one more chance to take another comp exam in the fall, and if I fail that one as well, all of my course work with the University is canceled out.

I worked SO hard on this paper, and prayed like crazy through it.  I HAVE to have passed this exam.

All of that being said, today, I am treasuring this night that it is over -- turned in -- finished!

8 days down -- 12 to go!

Gratitude: Day 4

Today, I am so grateful for a word in season.

In the same breath, I am grateful to be spending this month is a larger city because I can tune in to K-LOVE radio and keep the station for my entire commute throughout Tucson.  When I commute to work in the mountains, I can only keep a radio station for about 10-20 miles before I lose the signal.

Last night, I was reading research article after research article for the comprehensive exam research paper I have to submit by Sunday at midnight, and I was listening to K-LOVE.  I am on edge about this research paper -- its a huge deal.  I am not nervous about the writing part as I am comfortable in my writing ability, but I am nervous about my research, my application of the O&M teaching strategies, and all the facets of the case study about which I am writing.  I am worried I will miss something, or not be able to condense all the pieces of writing I want to include into a cohesive, intelligent paper.

I am applying myself to this first week of practicum... but all of my spare hours are spent researching and working on this paper from now until the Sunday night deadline.

All of that being said, I had K-LOVE radio playing while I was reading research and I heard a DJ talking in between songs.  Despite my concentration on the research, what the DJ said worked its way through my reading, and he spoke such a word in season for me.

"Work like it depends on you.  Pray like it depends on God."

I have been praying like crazy through this paper, and I fully trust that the Lord will draw to mind all the knowledge I have acquired, and help me to produce a paper of quality and substance... but I also know that in order to receive God's favor in this assignment, I have to put in the work!

The DJ said that there is a new book out by Pastor Mark Batterson called The Circle Maker.  I haven't had time to fully look into the book, but I am so grateful for this word in season, and a phrase to which I will cling for the next five days and beyond.

Work like it depends on you.
Pray like it depends on God.

That is exactly what I'm going to do.

3 days down - 17 to go.

Gratitude: Day 3

Today I am grateful for a smooth and enjoyable first day yesterday at my practicum placement.

I am grateful for friendly co-workers.
I am grateful for friendly and welcoming students.
I am grateful that the day was a little low-key because the students had just returned from Orlando, and everyone needed a chance to re-group and catch their breath.
I am grateful that I was able to find the office without a problem.

These students with whom I will be working are VERY advanced travelers, and while I feel a little over-my-head in teaching them, I see working with them as a priceless opportunity to learn.  Many of these students are headed to college this fall -- this is as advanced as O&M teaching gets!

I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from such advanced students.

2 days down - 18 to go

Gratitude: Day 2

I am settled in Tucson.

Yesterday was a long day of traveling and a very tearful parting from my hubby, but by the end of the day I was settled into a lovely home with a lovely hostess and an adorable little puppy (well, a 3-year-old tiny dog).

As I think about leaving for work today and jumping into the challenges of these next three weeks, I am grateful that I only have to do the first day once.  For better or for worse, the first day only happens once.

1 day down, 19 to go

Gratitude: Day 1

For most of the remainder of July I will be in Tucson, Arizona... alone... completing practicum teaching hours... in the heat.

I absolutely HATE that I will be away from my husband for 20 days.
I hate that I have to complete my comprehensive O&M exams during my first week at this new and initial practicum placement.
I hate that Tucson is so incredibly hot in July.
I hate that I cannot blink like I Dream of Jeannie and these 20 days would be over.

I anticipate a strong possibility that my blog could become a very negative place in the next 20 days, and so I plan to make a very conscious effort to focus on gratitude during these 20 days.

Even if it is only a memory, I am SURE I can find one thing each day for which to be grateful, and hopefully there will be many more things than one per day.

Please keep me in prayer during this difficult season, and feel free to join me in making a conscious effort to focus on gratitude in your life during these 20 days.

Capturing the Simple: June 2013

From top to bottom, and left to right:

• In June we celebrated our wonderful fathers on Fathers' Day
• Lloyd Carr competed in the Vail Go-Pro Dock Dogs competition.  It was a fun weekend.
• Hubby and I celebrated the end of the school year, beginning of summer, and Hubby being awarded a district teacher award with a dinner in Greeley before we parted ways for the month.
• Me made the most of our limited time together this month and appreciate each other all the more
• June 25 marked our 2nd wedding anniversary
• I completed the June graduate class and am done with the coursework required for this O&M certification... now 9 weeks of practicum
• A picture of my class on our last day
• Lloyd turned 2 years old on June 25... he has really grown into the best dog!
• Grad school involved a drop-off assignment where I was dropped-off in a residential neighborhood blindfolded and had to determine my orientation, and then find my way to a specific address using my skills and a white cane... this picture shows how I studied for this exam

Welcome, July!

O.V.E.R.

My summer class is OVER!!!!  O.V.E.R.

I spent a large percentage of June blindfolded, living away from my hubby, attending 20 classes, and BOILING in the heat on the plains.

My vacation has begun, and I am SOOO happy!

So Much Bigger

Yesterday Hubby and I tried a new church in Rifle (we've had a hard time finding a home fellowship here) and it just so happened that our week to try this church was the one week of the year they have a service out in Rifle State Park with a picnic afterwards.

It was so wonderful to worship out in nature with the trees, river, mountains and canyon surrounding us.  Also, it was a great week to get to know people because of the picnic.  We had lots of time to talk to various members and get a feel for the congregation.

Before we took communion, the pastor encouraged us to have great expectations in Christ as we took part in communion.  He emphasized how much God loves us and how small our scope and expectations of God really is.

As he was speaking, I was convicted on how the Lord's work is so much bigger than I give Him credit for.  I had started to have this conviction last week, and it was just made all the more clear during this call to communion.  When I see the Lord at work, I see how His work and His plans affect me.  His plans ARE SO MUCH BIGGER THAN just how they affect me and my life.  It is NOT all about me.

In my head, I always know this, I would never claim that God's plans are just for my life and purpose and happiness... but in my day to day life, with the stresses and plans and failed plans and revised plans, it is very easy to forget in my heart and in my Spirit that the Lord's scope is So Much Bigger than mine.

I have written recently about my practicum placements and the many struggles I encountered trying to arrange summer O&M practicum placements.  My top five choices for where to spend July would have been something like St. Louis, Nashville, Kansas City, Chicago, Montana.

Instead, the Lord only opened one door for me in July and it is in Tucson, Arizona.  I was grateful for the placement, but to say I am excited to spend JULY in ARIZONA would be a blatant lie.  And yet, I was in prayer the entire time I was trying to arrange my July placements, and so I gratefully accepted the placement in Arizona -- sort of forgetting that maybe something bigger than my life was going into my placement here.

I just found out at the end of last week that my grandmother (my father's step-mother), who lives a few hours from Tucson has gotten progressively sicker in recent weeks, and she is now under Hospice care.

I had plans to see my Grandmother several times while I was in Tucson... but I had no idea that maybe the Lord is sending me to Arizona, for a prolonged period, precisely at this appointed time in order to provide love and comfort and family to His beloved child at this, perhaps, terminal time.

Suddenly, Tucson is the perfect place for me to be in July.  Suddenly, I am excited to get to Arizona.  Suddenly, I am really appreciating that the Lord's plans, His purposes, His scope, His view, His timing is SO MUCH BIGGER, SO MUCH GREATER than mine.

Thank you, Father, for Your plans, and Your purposes, and for all you tie together for good that we will never know or understand.  I love you, and am so grateful that You have a purpose for me larger than my own selfish nature.

Friday Letters: Two Years

• Dear Weekend, I am SO excited for my last weekend at home with my husband until September.  I completely expect you to be wonderful, and restful, and full of wonderful time with my Hubby!
• Dear Grad School, I have the majority of my work behind me, and my last project is well in hand, and so this will be an awesome weekend.  I actually fell asleep watching television yesterday -- that has not happened since I've started this class.  It felt wonderful.
• Dear Hubby, I am so excited to see you!  This will be our last time together until we are both in St. Louis... and I plan to make the most of it!
• Dear Monday,  You are a big day... Monday, June 24... the day before Hubby and my two year anniversary.  We cannot be together on Tuesday, our anniversary, but we can be together on Monday.  You are a big day.
• Dear Year Two of Marriage,  You have been wonderful.  I would argue, year two has been better than year one.  Year one was full of adjustments and learning and compromise and passion and beauty... but year two has been amazing!  We know each other better and so we relate to one another better... year two has been full of surprises and teamwork and challenges and love.  Year two has been my favorite thus far.
• Dear Hubby, There is nothing I would change.  Life with you is absolutely perfect.
• Dear Tucson, I will be living in your city limits for three weeks in the lovely, thermal month of July.  I've got to tell you, I am nervous.  VERY NERVOUS for my time in your presence.  You are really hot... and not in a good way.
• Dear Nugget Rodriguez, my new niece or nephew, thank you for staying put as long as you have in your momma's belly.  You are due on July 2, and I hope you arrive RIGHT ON TIME.  Your Uncle Chris and I will arrive in St. Louis on July 1, and I will stay 6 days (he is staying longer), so please, be a team player and arrive soon after I arrive so I can be there to meet you and make the most of my time with you.
• Dear Grad School Classmates, You have made this month fun, and I will miss you when the class if over.  I will not miss the class, but you guys are great.
• Dear Lexie, I have started having dreams about you.  I really miss my sweet-girl.  I will see you in August.  About five weeks of our separation down and five weeks to go.  I love you, Lexie-Girl.
• Dear Lloyd, You make me so happy and I'm sorry I confuse you when I'm on facetime and you don't know where my voice is coming from.

 How are you this Friday?